The Homestead Shopper - Part One

I love this photo I found on Pintrest..  Add sunglasses to the look and that's me (I wish!) flying down the aisles....If you have seen me over the course of the last year at any number of retail stores with the large sunglasses on and my hood up (but now I see the scarf is way cooler), rushing past you, don't think a thing about it.  Apparently I shop like a criminal.  Since I have been on the quest to make a lot of the products I use - I have been buying very unusual products that I normally would not buy.  Glycerin, lye, ammonia, huge amounts of vodka.  Yep. 

Over the summer I was buying ammonia on a regular basis at the dollar store for a cheap flower booster recipe I found online.  Until the manager would get called up every time I came in.  Apparently you can make drugs with ammonia.  I found an alternative Garden Fertilizer Recipe.

Lye is used to make soap and must be purchased at chemical companies.  To use it I wait until the kids are in bed and put on gloves and goggles because if the stuff touches your flesh it will eat it and a trip to the ER is necessary.  So that's what I'm doing if you drive by my house late at night and see my silhouette in the window stirring with the science garb on.  NOT cooking up criminal concoctions.  Would it be easier to buy already made wonderful goat's milk soap?  Why yes it would.  Two of my very good friends sell theirs and you can find them Here and Here.

Oh the vodka.  It's for the Vanilla Extract.  I promise!!!!

Yes you've seen me looking at Pink Camo Guns online but only because my son is obsessed with hunting and I'm forced to watch it all day on TV and those girls look pretty cool shooting grizzlies. 

And I am a follower of Junk Mafia because it's AwEsOmE!!!!  I love their daytrips!  It's about shopping people!
I hope you'll decide that being a homesteader is worth the suspicious looks in the checkout line.  What crazy things have you purchased to skip the middle man and create your own products?

What's A Girl To Wear

Do you ever watch "Whats Not to Wear?"  The unsuspecting fashion do's & don'ts?  Well I did not name my blog Amusing Provincial (funny farmgirl) for nothing.  While I was not on the show I did have a similar scenario.

Over the past few months my oldest son has been obssessed with trying to get a deer.  Which unfortunately he never did.  However weekends have consisted with accidently washing the camo clothes (who knew they were supposed to stink!), buying expensive deer corn and depoisiting it accordingly.  And moving the Deer Cam around the property.  Last week's shots only included one dear.  Moi.  Unbeknownst to me I was being photographed as I did the chores morning & night.  In my galoshes & flannel pajamas.  In the muck boots with a towel on my just washed hair.  And don't forget the last minute chore run before church of ballet flats and cute scarf.  Luckily for me these photos have already been deleted.  Oh my.

So what's a farmgirl to wear when doing her chores?  During the summer when my full time occupation is to lounge by the pool and weed the garden my must haves to wear are a comfy skirt, a floppy hat and an apron.  Yes sometimes I find myself at an event and look down to see that I have muddy knees, but it's so much cooler.  A hat is essential to keep the sun off your face and hair out of your eyes.  And the apron must have lots of deep pockets to hold eggs and fresh veggies.  Here's my favorite I purchased at a flea market:

Another one that my beautiful mother in law helped me make several years ago is this one that I love to display.

There are oodles of cute looks to copy from Pintrest (follow me!) and I've discovered this fun blog you might enjoy.  And of course one of my favorite places to shop is Junk Gypsy.

You never know what I'll be wearing or wear you might find me (art museum in fabulous block prints, tea house in frilly lace or rowdy restaurant in boots & bling) but home is where I can't wait to get back to.