Heart and Homestead

Heart and Homestead Handcrafted items and lessons from the homestead!

02/25/2026

Let’s talk about our food systems and how they are made to create waste instead of nourishing us. The amount of food wasted every day. Due to the excuse that someone might be sued for eating something not good for them is bu****it. How much food on the shelves are we paying for, within their “sell by dates” that is slowly killing an entire society? Why are we during the food companies over tha?!? While thousands of people go hungry every day. While we are paying higher prices to allow them to throw away so much food?
How about we unlock the dumpsters? People who dive, know that they have to be picking about what is still good to eat. But finding honey, scissors, crackers, I mean the list goes on! The things that actually are still good all mixed in there? Those eggs can be float tested. Milk can be purposefully curdled. Sour milk biscuits is a real thing for a reason. Common people. Liberate your trash and let others help with the waste you are creating!
Yeah, this is totally a rant post.
But I feel very strongly about this one.
Oh and go outside. Caus well that’s where the dumpsters and trees are.
Momma Wendy out.

02/20/2026

You know we over think some things way too much. And others we just don’t give credit where they are deserved.
The squeezer we used to juice all of these oranges might have been just slightly the wrong size for any of the containers we had. But it had been my grandma’s. And I miss her so much. Calling her in.
Sitting in the sunshine after a super cold spell where we just spent a few days crafting inside the bus. Couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our emergence than making and canning our own juice!
Oranges are so acidic, they only need to be at a rolling boil in the water bath canner for about ten minutes at this elevation. Over a fire that is easy peasy.
Just another overlooked skill.
The fire keeps us warm, it lights our way, it keeps us safe, it nourishes us, and also helps us plan for tomorrow.
Get outside people! This is a thing to be experienced.

01/19/2026

I haven’t been on here in a while posting. Yeah it changes the algorithms. But algorithms are not the most important thing in my life.
Been spending the winter in reflection. Preparation for the year ahead. Exploring new crafts, skills and ideas. Love diving into different cultures and their histories. Learning more about myself, as I am constantly changing and growing.
So yeah. I am still here.
Encouraging yall to do the same. Take some time for you.
Oh and Norman says it best. Just do you. Check out his pages for more simple wisdom for all occasions. That man makes me smile.

11/30/2025

Super short video. Been a longer process of exploration and experimentation.
And crap what I had written all accidentally got erased. 🤦🏽‍♀️
This one made me think of my indigo classes. When the color changes on the fabric I am reminded that magic IS real! Well there were no colorant additives to this soap. Student from rendezvous gifted me the propolis powder, and it was a golden color. The calendula from our garden was yellow. Tea tree essential oil? No color there. The tallow we had rendered? Coconut oil? Caster oil? Calendula infused oil? Come on folks! Where did this Gosey hue come from?!? And a day after the soap was made?!?
Magic of the bees!!
Maybe that is the name of this soap. What do you think? Other suggestions?
And yeah, Soaps are the new thing. Not all hippies are dirt hippies. 😉
Momma Wendy out.

11/24/2025

Some pictures from one of my workshops at Georgia Bushcraft recently. This was a pine needle coil basket class. All my workshops were full this fall! Just love sharing these skills with such amazing people.
Three basic rules of basketry:
Pull it tight
Tuck your tail
Don’t overthink it
And for this class: don’t loose your needle! Of course I say that and only three people dropped their needle durning the class. 🤣 luckily all the barefoot woods hippies were safe, since we found them again.
Deciding what to offer is one of the hardest things as we travel around to these events. Luckily this group tells me and I offer their requests.
But what do you want to learn? What other offerings should we have?
Bushcraft
Many thanks to my brother and bestie, Alex for the video and photos shown here! And for being my number one sidekick this event!
Alex Howe

11/05/2025

Met this guy first at Blackie Thomas’s campout: the silver wolf’s.
(Oh yeah we are way behind on where I have been and what I have been up too. If you follow me you will see a trend in that.)
He specializes in knowing his knives and giving reviews of them on his YouTube channel:
But he is just one of those guys who is always willing to give an ear, advise, support, and I watched him give up his chair many times for anyone that joined the circle.
If you get the chance highly recommend. Meanwhile, watch his videos and learn lots!

Just in case anyone was wondering I wore shoes again today. (No picture of today, so here is part of the morning photos ...
11/04/2025

Just in case anyone was wondering I wore shoes again today. (No picture of today, so here is part of the morning photos my friend camper bob and I exchange that we lovingly call foot and coffee.)
This weekend at the rewylding event I wore shoes one morning. It was cold folks. I might be crazy but I am not stupid.
As I walked out the guys all dropped their jaws. Wow it must be cold, Wendy has shoes on! Dave Canterbury asked how I can be grounded with shoes on. Well obviously I was floating and not at all touching the ground. 🤣
But yeah walking without shoes has changed my life and my health. It is one of the classes I am teaching more about at Georgia Bushcraft next week.
Hope to see you there!
Oh and the shoes were cause I went to Costco with my good friend Judy. Yeah sometimes a fun time with a friend is worth dressing up a bit. 🥰

10/29/2025

Love finding historical spots along my travels. This one is about a block from where I am staying. Buddy and I climbed all 178 steps. Going down was a lot harder for sure. 🫣
And to be honest since my accident height’s remind me of the free fall under the truck. Climbing those stairs. Ugh. And at one point there was someone coming down as I went up. I held on to the middle post like there was no tomorrow…. Yeah this girls has traumas and fears she is always working through. Human just like everyone else.
Glad I made a friend going up to help empower me. She didn’t realize how important she was in helping me make it to the top. But she was.
Guess we never know how we are supporting those around us in the moment in conquering the things in their hearts and heads. And we should move through the world accordingly.
Be nice to those around you. Take a deep breath. Be fully present in a moment. Face your fears. It’s okay to be afraid. Just don’t let it be your master.
And go outside!!
Momma Wendy out. 😘

10/24/2025

Recently read a word that described an extrovert that needs time alone to recharge. Yeah well I represent that. And bonus points if anyone can remind me of the word I am thinking of!
Still have more deep thoughts and reflections from rendezvous. But to be honest I have already moved on and been many other places since then. And today is someplace new that isn’t even this place.
Maybe I am the gingerbread woman. Hurry and catch me if you can! 🤣
But sitting with yourself in solitude is really important for reflection, defragmentation, and healing of our hearts and heads. When was the last time you spent a day or two or more away from others. Just alone with your thoughts and nature?
Schedule it in!

10/20/2025

The universe has weird ways sometimes to get us on the track we are supposed to be on. Sometimes you have to die to wake up.
And wake up I did.
Today is the anniversary of a moment in my life that changed everything for me. It took me a long time, but I am so grateful.
We never know how the moments in our lives will add up to lead us to the next thing.
Hardest thing to do is to take a deep breath and trust the process. See the lessons that are being presented. Have the ability and strength to be adaptable.
Be present with gratitude in your life every day. Which we all need more of. Live your life now. Follow your heart. Manifest your dreams. Go outside!
Momma Wendy out but still here.

10/17/2025

When I teach shibori, which is not my ancestral roots, but the technique specific for one region with a dye that has evidence in many primitive tribes around the world. I talk about how the plant and the color it produces is the color of one tribe. It is the flag to be worn to remind us of the things that unite us. And within that, the different patterns that come out show are individuality that should be celebrated caused it is those differences, that contrast, that make us beautiful.
There is too much division in the world right now. And we cannot even start the conversation with one another till we first find a common ground. A place of respect and love. Then we can start asking questions, to take turns sharing, and learning from each other.
So the flag of one tribe. How can we use the resist and contrast to make something beautiful together? To see the beauty in the people around us, even if we don’t agree?

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