Planning Ahead Series {Part 2}: Meal Planning Basics

July 10, 2017July 20, 2017 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

I can’t seem to remember what our meals were like prior to learning how to meal plan. I’m sure it was a black hole of Hamburger Helpers, mac and cheese, and hot dogs.

I do, however, vividly remember my first experience with meal planning.

We had recently left our professional careers for something new, and in so doing had to drastically revise our financial spending and budget. We lived 20 miles away from town and it no longer made financial sense to run into town on a whim. Every trip and gas expense was accounted for and needed to be worth their while.

Planning Ahead Series {Part 1}: How I Meal Plan & Grocery Shop Just 2 Times a Month

July 3, 2017July 20, 2017 - The Country Wife 4 Comments

I chose the country life. It’s true. I made the conscious decision to live outside the definition of urban life on purpose.

And in so choosing the country life, there are some lessons to be learned. One of which is today’s topic: Planning Ahead.

I was sort of forced into planning ahead when it came to meals and groceries, simply by the sheer distance between me and the store.

But I can honestly say that if I were ever to live within city limits again, I think I’d do my very best to maintain this system of planning our meals that I’ve perfected over the past few years.

Encouraging a Love of the Outdoors through Gardening

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 - The Country Wife 4 Comments

I grew up loving the outdoors, as a child I used to practically live in tree in our yard. It had a perfect little nook where I could climb and hide away. Whether I was watching the clouds pass me by or stuck with my nose in a book, that tree opened the doors to let my imagination run wild!

I’ve shared my love for the outdoors here, here and here.

I’m pretty sure my love for everything in nature was spawned by all the time I spent with my dad outside growing up. I remember riding along with him to fix fence, spending days on the lake fishing, and bearing the cold and snow to scout coyote or deer.

I’m a believer that we all need our own unique connection to nature in order to appreciate it. We all have our own story and our own memories that sparked our love for the outdoors, if we had the chance to interact with it on a deep, personal level.

Herb Garden Basics

May 22, 2017May 25, 2017 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

So, you may recall from earlier posts here on CWC that gardening is not really my thing…I’m just not a gardener.

You can catch up on a little bit of my gardening experience here.

I have to give Wildland Man full credit for any gardening experience I do have and any crops we are able to harvest.

But, I tell you what; I’m learning to like it. Heck, I may even be falling for gardening. Only time will tell.

I liken it to how I became comfortable in the kitchen and began to like cooking and baking.

I guess, now that I think about it, both the kitchen and the garden have always been Wildland Man’s domain. Now I’m encroaching on both. Hope he doesn’t mind.

DIY Pallet Deck Table

May 15, 2017July 12, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

Waste not, want not. That should really be the title of this post. Because if you’ve been reading along the past couple weeks you know that this DIY Pallet Deck Table is project #3 that we got out of just a couple of pallets.

First, Wildland Man and I picked up some pallets to create herb boxes for our deck railing. You can read about that project in DIY Pallet Planters {Part 1}.

Then, we used some of the leftover pallet scrap to make a large square planter box to put flowers out by our mailbox. You can read about that project in DIY Pallet Planters {Part 2}.

Finally, we used what was left of the pallet wood to construct this little table for our deck.

DIY Pallet Planters {Part 2}

May 8, 2017July 12, 2017 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

As a child I used to tend to my mom’s flowers and the few vegetables she had time to plant in the spring.

Well, maybe saying that I tended to them is a bit much. More like watered. Once in awhile. Or forgot and dried up. And probably more like drowned when I finally did get around to watering them. I really wasn’t very good at my job.

DIY Pallet Planters {Part 1}

May 1, 2017July 12, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

Let me tell you a few of my favorite things about pallets…

They make for a good ole DIY project. And I love me a good DIY project.
They are FREE! (Of course, you might have to search a bit to find them for free or in decent condition to use for your project.)
They have a certain rustic appeal about them, which aligns beautifully with my country-style home décor.
There is no shortage of Pinspiration for pallet projects.
You can make so many things out of just a few pallets. You’ll find that with this particular project, we were able to make three different planter boxes and a small table for our deck out of just about 2½ pallets.

Chronicles of a Provincial Wife

April 24, 2017April 24, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

I almost named this blog Chronicles of a Provincial Wife. It’s true. I just kinda liked the sound of provincial wife over country wife. Not to mention the nod to my very favorite Disney princess, Belle, who sang of her provincial life in the movie Beauty and the Beast.

Google defines provincial as “of or concerning a province of a country or empire” and lists several synonyms for the word, including: small-town, rural, country, rustic, backwoods. I feel like provincial is a more sophisticated way to say country. Though I’m not sure why I’m intrigued by a title that sounds more sophisticated, I’m about as plain-Jane as you can get. I mean, I am the Country Wife, folks. Let’s be real.
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Life Lessons from Man’s Best Friend

March 13, 2017March 20, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

I have always loved animals; I grew up with an assortment of pets and always thought I might end up working in a zoo one day. Though that dream never came to fruition, I did teach high school for a while, which is pretty much a zoo in it of itself. But I digress…

Suffice to say, my husband and I immediately added a dog to our family once we were married. Now, I may be bias, but this was no ordinary dog…this was Bellaroo, our sweet, stubborn, assertive, wire-haired, scraggly and scrappy Drahthaar.

Who is the Country Wife?

February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

Country Wife Chronicles is a blog that documents the journey of a country wife seeking to savor the stillness of a simple country life…but who exactly is the Country Wife?

Ok, that statement sounds a little like “How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?” But I think you get where I’m going here…

So, grab yourself some coffee and peruse the pages of this blog and you’ll find out just who the Country Wife is.