Simple country living is really at the heart of Country Life Experiment. A life that is focused on our family and friends, and in rhythm with our surroundings. Although life is good here on the farm, it’s not all baby animals and baking. I’ve learnt a lot along the way, and I’ve collected the best of my posts up to help you enjoy a simple country life, no matter where you live. You can click through the archives below, and you can also find a complete list of the recipes on this blog here. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, shoot me a message and I’ll get the answer to you.
Tree Changing
We moved to the farm at the end of 2011. Since then we have learnt so much about living on a farm. It really is a great place for kids to grow up. This is not to say that there aren’t some challenges. There is so much to say about living on the farm, so I have just put some of my fave posts and some of the most popular posts below to get you started.
Hannah talks about tree changing
Does country life get easier?
Beginnings – my first ever post
Summer fruit picking
A morning at the river
The truth about country living
Living Simply
One of the reasons we wanted to move back to the country was to simplify our lives. Of course, it hasn’t been as easy as changing our location, but over the years we have done many things to keep life a little simpler.
Things I don’t do that keep life simple
Five ways to keep life simple
Create a donation box
Try some of these things to start simplifying your life right now
In The Farmhouse
In 2017 we totally renovated out little old farmhouse. In the years before the renovation, we did lots of small things to help make life easier for us.
The farmhouse renovation – part one
The farmhouse renovation – part two
How our three kids share a bedroom successfully
One thing projects
Home Made Food
We are all about simple, homemade food that takes the best of each season. We love to make our own food and preserve our excess produce for later. You can find a full list of my recipes here, and below I have listed my most popular recipes. I also like to share insider tips, such as how to make your own self-raising flour, and how to roll pastry without making a mess.
Spiced Plum Paste
Mulberry Yoghurt Cake
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Passionfruit Curd
Zucchini, Feta, and Mint Fritters
Chocolate Sour Cherry Tart
Easy Organisation
I’m a fan of having a place for everything, having simple systems to keep things ticking over, and having nothing we don’t really use. The saying “have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” is my mantra. That’s not to say that our home is a spotless haven of order. There are times where it is definitely a chaotic mess, but we aim to be organised (a girl can dream right??). Below are some of the easiest and most effective ways we have organised our house and life.
Taming kids toys
How to store DVDs in a small space
How to have house guests easily
How we pack for trips away
How to declutter anything
Kid Wrangling
I definitely follow a more free range approach to parenting. I believe in raising kids to be competent adults through allowing them to explore and develop independence. The farm is the perfect place for this as there is plenty of room for riding bikes, playing on the dam, and building cubbies.
Nine audiobooks the whole family will enjoy
How we got our kids to stop interrupting
How to survive a road trip with kids
Read and relax
How we get through school holidays with our sanity intact
In The Garden
CB is an enthusiastic gardener, and as a result, we grow most of our fruit and vegetables. We go through times where we have a big glut of one vegetable, and then times when we have none at all.
All about the garden
Using a chicken tractor to manage the garden
The Orchard
How to store pumpkins so that they last a long time
Creative Projects
I don’t really get as much time to be creative as I would like. I do grab time to crochet here and there, and I love to whip up a Christmas craft. I tend to go for crafts that look amazing but are actually super quick and easy to make. Lets be honest, I’m terrible at following patterns and instructions, so I mainly look at a picture and then get started.
My first ever crochet blanket
Make your own photobooks (much better than traditional albums!)
A crochet beanie
My globetrotter blanket
A clutter-free Advent Calendar
Embossed Foil Christmas Stars
Easy Paper Christmas Baubles
Enjoy!
Want to find something but can’t? Want an answer to a question you have? You can contact me here, or via my facebook page. Looking forward to hearing from you!
