Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Feb 10, 2012, 6:23 am
Happy Friday! This has been a rather long week for me as I’ve been trying to finally get a cold out of my system — and get Mackenzie over the same cold which was really not a fun one (sore throat, runny nose, congestion, hacking cough). But the weekend is quickly approaching which is always a g...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Feb 3, 2012, 5:42 am
There have been some really useful things coming across my screen lately when it comes to planning your garden for spring — which I know will be just around the corner despite this wildly cold spell we are having here in Germany right now. Thinking of spring and seeing the tulips I planted indoors...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Feb 1, 2012, 3:46 am
Today is Mackenzie’s first day of preschool. How in the world did we get here so quickly? I know it might not seem like a bit deal to some, but to this mommy who has had her little girl around all the time for the past 3 years, it’s that first step toward her independence and moving out of the ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 30, 2012, 6:05 am
Those reading NOH for a while know that Stefan’s car was stolen from in front of our house nearly one year ago. About a month later, when he was fed up with the inconvenient train schedules and the longer commute, Stefan started looking for a new car. He really wanted a 7-series to replace the one...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 27, 2012, 6:18 am
Have you ever awakened one morning to find your plants covered in strange little black bumps? Or sprayed the aphids from your plants for the 100th time but still don’t seem to ever successfully be rid of them? Would you like to know how to once and for all deal with insects and diseases of all sha...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 26, 2012, 7:54 am
There was quite a bit of discussion on Tuesday after I shared my “what I don’t like about Hessen” post…and apparently I got a lot of people thinking that I absolutely detest living here and should leave as soon as possible. Let me state for the record that although living over here has cert...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 25, 2012, 8:15 am
Dear Mackenzie, Wow. Thirty-eight months old and you definitely have the world on a string. You have gotten almost as many presents in the last month from two of your godfathers as you got at Christmas. So many people love you so very much — you are an extremely blessed little girl. One thing I ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 25, 2012, 6:49 am
Happy Wednesday, my friends! You are not going to believe this…but mom has seriously lost it. I mean really, really lost it. This past weekend, there was a flurry of activity in the house, and mom decided it was time to clean out my toy box. Yes, that’s right, I have an official toy box insid...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 24, 2012, 8:39 am
You may have noticed that in general, I try not to be a naysayer. I like to look at life as if the glass is half-full, and think positively so that good things happen. I fully believe that if you focus on the negative all the time, you are only going to produce more negativity. But our trip to Flori...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 23, 2012, 9:31 am
Wow. We have had a seriously productive weekend around here. Actually, it was mostly a seriously productive Sunday because that is when things from David Allen’s book  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity started to really click in our brains and lives…and when Stefan star...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 20, 2012, 5:41 am
As you may recall, I recently went into a long dissertation about why heirloom seeds are important to our future when I was mentioned the Seed Savers Exchange. But if you’re not really sure what an heirloom seed or plant actually is, let me break it down for you. Heirloom seeds are those which ha...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 19, 2012, 10:32 am
It now feels like forever ago that we had new windows installed in our house — and for a while there, we weren’t even sure if they would ever arrive. But let me just tell you that they are already making all the difference in the world, even though they aren’t 100% finished. About 3 weeks bef...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Jan 18, 2012, 7:21 am
Woof, woof folks! How’s it going in your neck of the woods. I’ll tell you what — it’s cold enough to freeze pee drips in place on my legs right now. (Is that too much information?) And although I’ve got a nice thick winter coat to keep me warm, I’m actually more of a fair weather friend...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 31, 2011, 7:16 am
When we bought our house, it was a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house. Actually, I guess you could consider it a 3/1.5 since there is an outhouse in the courtyard (which we thankfully never have to use). So one of the very first projects we had our contractors work on was adding a bathroom with a shower (the o...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 28, 2011, 9:28 am
 Long-time NOH readers will find it no surprise that we have begun really enjoying to make wine over the last 3 or 4 years. It’s not something I’ve really talked a lot about because it’s a rather involved process, and we were really still trying to learn what everything is and what it’s for...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 27, 2011, 5:50 am
You Capture is back on track and more active than ever. This week’s assignment was “cute” — and as luck would have it, Mack received a kite this past weekend that is just awesome. I saved a few extra shots that I didn’t use in my last Dear Mackenzie letter so I could use them for this. ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 26, 2011, 10:45 am
Dearest four-legged friends (and the humans who help them read this), I come to you today with a rather confused look on my face…because about two weeks ago, as we were leaving the fields where we always take our walks, a new tree that just didn’t smell quite right caught my attention. I sniff...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 25, 2011, 7:31 am
Dear Mackenzie, I can hardly believe that you’re almost 3 years old. The first 35 months have just flown by! You have just become the most amazing little person, learning so many new things every day and continuing to make us laugh all the time. You’re pretty bossy already but in a really funn...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 21, 2011, 6:39 am
The weather seems to be turning cooler every day here. We’ve gotten past the first light frosts without any losses, but I’m starting to consider what I should do with all these green tomatoes we still have on the vine. Some of them (like the yellows) seem to be very slowly ripening still. But we...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 20, 2011, 6:54 am
I had a lot of fun coming up with “fresh” things to find and photograph this week, and ended up with a few shots that I didn’t even expect. In fact, when I read this You Capture challenge, I didn’t have a clue what to photograph. So I have a feeling this will be another one of those weeks ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 19, 2011, 6:19 am
Hello dear friends, You might be thinking that we’re going to open a Newfie farm here or perhaps go to a big Newfie pow wow. But it’s nothing quite that exciting. I was looking at mom’s calendar the other day, and I realized that Christmas is only about 9 weeks away. Now I don’t know about...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 18, 2011, 6:04 am
Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos Over the years, I’ve read quite a few self-help books and watched a lot of gurus on subjects like motivation, achieving your goals, creating a brighter future for yourself, the laws of attraction and business development (among other things). Many times, one of th...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 17, 2011, 6:05 am
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind... and your neighbor as yourself. Regardless of where you live, there are few things as important as good neighbors. We have been incredibly blessed to live across the street from the nicest family on the planet. They go out of their way to ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 14, 2011, 5:40 am
It’s been one crazy year so far when it comes to our weather…and apparently our last burst of summer last week, which was followed with typical all rain and cool temps, will now be accentuated with our first few nights of frost. And you know what I have to say about that? Booooooo! It’s sti...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 13, 2011, 6:04 am
First off, I’d like to thank the “family” of NOH readers who entered the Refueling Power Moms Giveaway this past weekend. What an amazing response from your all and I absolutely appreciate all the support and love you have not only shown to me, but also to all the sponsors. You guys totally ro...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 11, 2011, 11:11 am
You may not know this because I haven’t talked about it much lately, but I am a big fan of aromatherapy and essential oils. I guess you could say that I have a strong belief in many alternative ways of medicine. I’ve sort of always had an interest in the power of essential oils and after giving ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 10, 2011, 8:09 am
Don’t forget that today is the last day to enter the Refueling Power Moms giveaway, where two lucky winners (US & EU) will snag over $600 in prizes EACH! This weekend, I tackled the extremely needed and long overdue project of organizing the craziness under our bathroom sink. Usually I buy bath s...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 7, 2011, 10:38 am
Whew. What a week! It’s been a bit crazy around here with all the giveaway craziness (have you entered yet??) but I am so glad the weekend is here! After several weeks of temps in the mid-seventies during the day and 50′s at night, our fall finally seems to be setting in. The last 3 days have be...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 6, 2011, 12:00 pm
I know from comments on NOH that many of you are moms with very full schedules, just like myself. You may work from home, or outside your home. Or you might be a full time homemaker and mom, which is already a whirlwind job. Plus you’re balancing housework, kid’s schedule, finding personal time,...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 6, 2011, 6:24 am
There are no official linkups for YouCapture for the next three weeks, because our lovely host Beth has just brought a new baby girl into this world. And I think she fully deserves that time off. But she’s given us some topics to keep busy with in the meantime, and then I’m sure it will be a fre...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 5, 2011, 6:10 am
In the world we live in today, almost all of us have a higher risk of having our data compromised or getting viruses in our systems than ever before. We not only access the Internet via our computers (and some of us via multiple computers in our own homes) but also through netbooks, tablet PCs and s...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 4, 2011, 10:25 am
If you’ve been reading NOH since last March, it will come as no surprise to you that I think prinz apfel calendars are some of the coolest time planners I have ever seen. They are wildly unique and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Unless maybe you’re an artist yourself, and your calendar...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 4, 2011, 6:12 am
Take a look behind your desk…. Is is a jumbled mess of cords, cables and dog fur? No? Oh. I guess that’s just at our place. I have never really found a way that ideally manages cord chaos in our lives although I have tried here and there over the years. For example, a few years ago I created...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 3, 2011, 6:03 am
I get emails all the time from people who are bloggers like myself, who want to really take their blog to the next level but are struggling. Bloggers know that there are a million things to keep up with and there never seems to be enough time to take care of it all. Running a business from home, wor...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Oct 1, 2011, 4:31 pm
Just a few short years ago, No Ordinary Homestead was a fledgling blog which was mostly frequented by only my friends and family. It was just a place to share information about our lives in Germany so I didn’t have to write the same email 30 times a day. Then I realized how much I really enjoyed b...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 30, 2011, 5:53 am
You’ve seen a whole lot of my garden these last 11 weeks, and you’ve heard a lot of my thoughts and ideas. So I thought it might be a nice change to get some outside input…in the form of Other People’s Gardens (OPG). Since people in Germany (or perhaps just Europe in general) have some slig...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 29, 2011, 5:54 am
Green. A few years ago, when someone mentioned the word green, I probably only would have thought of things which are the color green…grass, leaves, money and other random things. But now I also associate green with sustainable living and living “green” as well. Our challenge this week for Y...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 28, 2011, 10:29 am
It’s no secret that Etsy is home to thousands and thousands of incredibly talented designers, artists, creatives and really handy folks. Pia Barile is one of those incredible folks, who makes fun and trendy eco-fashion from recycled products. In 2004, Pia began El Topo Jewels where she began creat...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 27, 2011, 6:04 am
Dear Mackenzie, My deepest apologies for this late letter. I totally spaced on Sunday, and well, I have no excuse for yesterday… You are such an amazing little girl already, and so full of life and laughter. I can’t believe that at only 34 months old, you have so much personality and are compl...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 26, 2011, 8:32 am
If you’ve got your own business, you know how important it is to have a web host you can rely on. And if you’re a blogger who makes some money from our blog (whether it’s a large amount or small), the last thing you want is for your blog to crash all the time or suddenly disappear. Believe me;...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 26, 2011, 6:14 am
If you’ve ever had the privilege of visiting our home, you may notice that we have pure white walls…nearly everywhere. I say nearly because we did actually get brave and paint the walls in our guesthouse something other than white (namely a warm caramel color and something similar with a pinkish...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 23, 2011, 10:09 am
Welcome to the 11th edition of the Garden Life link up on No Ordinary Homestead. I know a lot of people are just focusing on harvesting whatever they can from their gardens now, and we are doing quite a bit of that ourselves. This weekend, I’ve got to can all the jalapenos we have gathered recent...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 22, 2011, 6:04 am
Have you ever heard of Mandi Ehman? How about the Your Way network of blogs? Everything is covered in those 10 brilliant blogs, from Life to Blogging, Technology to Food, Organizing to Finances (and more in between!) I have been a fan of those blogs and Mandi for quite a while now — and am just am...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 21, 2011, 10:10 am
“How we live our days , of course, is how we live our lives.” — Annie Dillard Do you ever feel like a hamster on a wheel, trying to get 1,000 tasks done in a day, knowing it’s impossible but somehow feeling like it’s all important and necessary for your life to keep going? Do you end the ...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 21, 2011, 6:00 am
Once upon a time, a Newfie girl in a faraway land began her estrous cycle… Guys, this is about to get personal cause Aunt Flo is in town. Oh yes folks, it’s that time of the year again. And if you’re thinking that it seems like just a couple months ago that I was in heat — I’d have to sa...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 20, 2011, 7:57 am
We’ve been living a more sustainable life for the last 5 years (hard to believe we’ve had our farm that long already), but we’ve been striving to live more naturally and green since about 2001 (shortly after we met). That year, we started making natural and organic body care products for ourse...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 20, 2011, 5:56 am
The berry season is winding down here and I happened to pick up some really gorgeous late season strawberries last week, which have now just been sitting in our fridge because my plans to make something with them over the weekend didn’t pan out. So I decided to make them into sorbet, as I did a fe...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 19, 2011, 9:29 am
Do you ever have those moments in the morning or middle of the day (or even right before dinner should be served) when you just can’t get yourself to feel inspired in the kitchen? You’re sick of the old stand-by recipes and you just don’t have the time or energy to seek out something new and i...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 16, 2011, 5:06 am
What?! It’s Friday already? Not that I’m complaining! I have been up to my ears in work as I put together the Refueling Power Moms Giveaway (running October 6-10) and balance my other jobs and home as well. Our garden is kinda doing more of the same right now. Producing, sprouting, getting read...
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Tiffany M. posted an article on No Ordinary Homestead - Sep 16, 2011, 4:00 am
You might remember hearing about Lslie Art during the Made in Germany Giveaway last April. Lili makes lovely handmade yoga mat bags with the most adorable fabrics. They are absolutely practical for any Yogi who isn’t a fan of carrying around a sweaty, cumbersome mat after a great yoga session…an...
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