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Redeeming the Everyday Grind...with Boots On!

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Packing Light for Scotland in Spring…Lessons Learned for Carry-On Only Travel

Walking in High Cotton Posted on May 13, 2019 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020  
Packing Light for Scotland...lessons learned from carry-on only travel for a week. 1 week, 1 backpack. Some of the "advice" that worked (and didn't work) for us. via Walking in High Cotton

We decided to travel carry-on only when we went to Scotland for a week last month. We ‘re used to traveling pretty light, sharing a bag, and we weren’t trying to go extreme minimalist. We just didn’t want to check any bags. I’ve had my luggage lost. Not fun. With carry-on only travel, they can’t lose your luggage. Also with the flight delay fiasco we faced trying to get to Scotland, not having to worry about any checked baggaging was a H-U-G-E relief! But there were some real challenges too. … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged travel | Leave a reply

10 Ways to Break a Melancholy Mood…Grieving and Growing

Walking in High Cotton Posted on May 2, 2019 by Jamie OliverMay 2, 2019 5
10 ways to break a melancholy mood...simply ideas when you're a little down and out and trying to lift yourself up. via Walking in High Cotton

May can be a tough month for me. The farm is very busy, the kids are bursting with energy from the good weather and the end of the school year in sight, and I struggle not to be constantly reminded or linger on the loss of my parents. Mother’s Day is always a struggle for me–trying to focus on being a momma, and not the fact that I don’t have a momma. Trying to appreciate everyone else’s mother even though all I desperately want is my own momma. And the … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged grieving and growing | 5 Replies

Our Week of Scotland Adventures…Part 2: Stirling and Edinburgh

Walking in High Cotton Posted on April 25, 2019 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020 2
1 week in Scotland Part 2--our time in Edinburgh and Stirling. via Walking in High Cotton

Did you read Part 1 of our Scotland Adventures? It recaps our first couple of travel days in the western Highlands, where everything was about the landscape and fresh air and sharing single-track roads with sheep. Our last few days we were moving back south-east toward Edinburgh, back into the more populated central areas of the country. We took the A82 back through Glen Coe (because I loved it so much the first time) then the A85 across toward Perth. We passed through the northern section of Loch Lomond and … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged family travel, scotland | 2 Replies

One Week of Scotland Adventures…Part 1: The Highlands

Walking in High Cotton Posted on April 25, 2019 by Jamie OliverApril 25, 2019 2
A recap of our adventures in the Scottish Highlands in April. via Walking in High Cotton

If you follow us on social media (Facebook or Instagram), you might have already seen some of our semi-real-time posting about our recent trip to Scotland. But here’s a more organized recap, along with some of the impressions that are still soaking in from our travel adventures. But first and foremost, I would say that one week is NOT ENOUGH TIME. Especially when some of it is spent on travel time. We felt like we were just starting to understand the area (and the traffic circles!) and get in a … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family, Farm Home | Tagged family travel, scotland, sheep | 2 Replies

Controlled Burn…Managing the Family Tree Farm

Walking in High Cotton Posted on April 5, 2019 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020  
Controlled Burn...managing the family tree farm with prescribed burning. via Walking in High Cotton

We recently did a small controlled-burn on the family tree farm. This was the first time all 3 kiddos had been out there to help at once. In this scenario I was just there to take pictures and supervise the munchkins. My Father-in-Law and Mr. Fix-It were managing the burn itself. The tree farm is a couple hundred acres of longleaf pine, mixed with some cultivated fields, a beaver pond, and hardwood edges. Longleaf pine is native to this area, but is now found in less than 5% of it’s … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Work | Tagged farm work, tree farm | Leave a reply

How to Make the Homestead Kid-Friendly…So Kids Can be Safe and Helpful on the Farm

Walking in High Cotton Posted on April 2, 2019 by Jamie OliverApril 1, 2019  
How to make the homestead kid-friendly...so kids can be SAFE and HELPFUL on the farm. Adjusting your mechanics (and your expectations) to meet your little helpers! via Walking in High Cotton

I’m on several homesteading forums were I repeatedly see questions about “can I homestead with small children?” These always puzzle me. People have always homesteaded with small children. Remember Laura Ingalls Wilder? She was 9 in Little House on the Prairie. And for us, we’ve always farmed/homesteaded with children. We laid our first fenceline when I was 8 months preggers with the Ladybug. So obviously I think you can homestead with children. And I write constantly about the benefits of farm life for our kiddos, so I’m also on the … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Work | Tagged chores, farm kids | Leave a reply

Family Vehicle First Aid Kit…with Printable Checklist

Walking in High Cotton Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020  
Family Vehicle First Aid Kit...the stuff your family actually needs when you're away from home. With a printable checklist so you can put your own kit together! via Walking in High Cotton

The first couple weeks of football practice, Speedracer got a nose bleed. He’s prone to them in hot weather. So the team opened up their brand new, 400+ piece, first-aid kit and got out…nothing. There were no tissues. No wet wipes without alcohol. No gauze pads, only a sterilized gauze roll (which they were about to open but I stopped them) and “non-stick wound pads.” Basically nothing we actually needed. So I got our family first aid kit out of our truck in the parking lot because I did have … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Home | Tagged emergency preparedness, family travel, first aid | Leave a reply

Winter Farm Chores…Work Gear for Mild Winters

Walking in High Cotton Posted on December 27, 2018 by Jamie OliverSeptember 8, 2019 3
Work Gear for winter farm chores in mild climates, where you get a little bit of snow and ice, but nothing major. No snow pants and boots, just layers of everyday work gear.....via Walking in High Cotton

In Virginia, we have mild winters with occasional snow and ice. So we don’t have snow boots or pants, we just layer, layer, layer with our regular, hard-working chore gear.

Continue Reading...
Posted in Farm Work | Tagged farm work, winter | 3 Replies

5 Benefits of Letting Your Pastures Grow without Mowing

Walking in High Cotton Posted on October 15, 2018 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020 2
5 Benefits to Letting Your Pastures Grow without Mowing...diversity, wildlife, cost savings, and beauty! ... via Walking in High Cotton

Managing pasture is both an art and a science. And we certainly don’t have it all figured out. But when the pasture is pretty much your entire food source for 90% of the year, having “good grass” is an all-consuming part of the farm life. Animals don’t eat grass that gets too old. And if they do, it doesn’t have the same nutritional value that it has when it’s younger. When it’s young, the grass is focused growing leaves, which makes it tasty and full of good vitamins, nutrients, and … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Work | Tagged grass, livestock, pasture, pasture management | 2 Replies

How to Organize Family Electronics for Easier Travel

Walking in High Cotton Posted on September 25, 2018 by Jamie OliverApril 8, 2020  
How to Organize Family Electronics for Easier Travel via Walking in High Cotton

I was recently had to travel out-of-town for work. Our family’s preference for traveling light meant my ninja packing skills fit 3 days of business-casual clothing and traveling-office gadgets into our old Kelty Redwing 40 backpack. (BTW, the new design looks even easier to travel with!) Some of my colleagues were amazed–as they wheeled their full-sized suitcases down the hall. As a pick-up-truck family, packing light for travel has always been our thing. We just don’t have space for stuff.  Our Spring Break Road Trip really had us paring down to … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged busy family, family fun, family travel | Leave a reply

Camping and Hiking at Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia

Walking in High Cotton Posted on September 10, 2018 by Jamie OliverSeptember 9, 2018 3
Camping and Hiking at Tallulah Gorge George...we came, we saw, we walked 1,099 steps--it was beautiful! You should do it! via Walking in High Cotton

Camping and hiking as a family is something we do a lot of–but not normally in a formal public campground. On our Spring Break Road Trip it was a brand new experience for our crew to “camp” with access to an electrical outlet and a hose! I don’t think we even used the electricity at any of our campsites. We didn’t even think about it being there. (What? Not even to charge your phones for all those great family pictures? Nope–invest in an external charger. You’ll never have to worry about … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged busy family time, faith and family values, family fun | 3 Replies

How to Redeem Family Time Gone Wrong

Walking in High Cotton Posted on September 6, 2018 by Jamie OliverSeptember 5, 2018  
Toddler meltdowns, car break downs, weather disasters...How can you redeem the time when you've made big plans and family time goes wrong? Use these tips! via Walking in High Cotton

Have you ever sat down and planned out a great family fun day, where to go, what to eat, activities to do or attractions to see–maybe even already bought the tickets!–And then it rains? Or someone gets hurt right before you leave? Or the car breaks down? Or the toddler has a meltdown? (Or in our case, the teenager…and how did we get here?!)  And suddenly your great family day is ruined, right?  Nope. It doesn’t have to be.  I can’t name the times we’ve had family plans and something … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Family | Tagged busy family time, faith and family values | Leave a reply

How To Use Pallets as Small Bridges on the Homestead

Walking in High Cotton Posted on September 4, 2018 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020 1
How to use wooden pallets as small bridges around the homestead. Via Walking in High Cotton

We’ve been knocking out several smaller projects around the homestead this summer, in between busy off-farm schedules and sports practices. It’s also been a really rainy summer around here. Normally we’re talking about droughts, but this year we’re talking about the never-ending rain. We haven’t had time to get big projects done between the raindrops! But we’ve finished several pallet projects with our scrap pile recently. Even little projects can make life easier or better on the homestead. It is very flat in our area. Very flat. And since water moves … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Work | Tagged barns and buildings, pasture management | 1 Reply

How To Build a Water and Mineral Stand for Your Homestead

Walking in High Cotton Posted on July 31, 2018 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020 1
How To Build a Mobile Water and Mineral Stand for your Homestead...via Walking in High Cotton

There’s always big projects and small projects on the homestead. It often bothers me that we have a 1,000 things going on and nothing is ever started and finished in one big swing. But I’ve learned that the farm is ALWAYS bigger than the man and it’s best to be flexible if you want to get anything done. And every once in a while you find a small project that you can knock out quickly and move on. Our recent mobile water and mineral stand project was one. Wood pallets used … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm Work | Tagged barns and buildings, cows, mobile shelters, pasture management, sheep | 1 Reply

How to Make a Paper Mache Shark for Shark Week

Walking in High Cotton Posted on July 27, 2018 by Jamie OliverMarch 30, 2020  

If you’ve been following us on Facebook, you’ve probably seen some of our Shark Week activities. We’re doing a summer unit study on Marine Biology (along with our unit on Archaeology) and Discovery Shark Week has been a great fit for some hands-on family fun learning! We’ve had some ocean-themed food, some shark games, and our big group project of building a paper mache shark! This is a very simple project with no special supplies needed. We had everything on hand already. I’ve shared it here in a lot of … Continue Reading…

Posted in Farm School | Tagged family fun, homeschool, shark week, wildlife | Leave a reply

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