Stories with the Strickland's

I have been working on developing new skills to prepare myself to be a mom one day and to improve my skills as a homemaker. I want to learn so much--gardening & seed saving, preserving food, bread making, making my own ingredients, creating recipes, ceramics, and many more things. There's always more to learn and it keeps things interesting.     For the past few months, I have been focusing on sewing and baking. My mother bought me a beautiful blue sewing machine for my birthday so that I could learn and it's been delightful — it's so much faster than hand sewing, which is the only way I knew how to sew previously.  So far, I have made 2 baby blankets and am planning some clothing items to make. I also want to make some place mats for our table and see how that goes! Sewing has been a bit stressful, but I think I can get the hang of it quickly. Here's a picture of the second baby blanket I made that has little ducklings bounding along streams.      ...

Now that I have been married for about a year and a half, I have a good idea on what items from our registry were actually helpful and what I wish I had added! So here's a quick list of my favorite 10 items to have as a married couple. I'll include Amazon links that I've gotten from the affiliate program (meaning I would receive a commission if you purchase from these links) so you can get to them easily and see what I've really enjoyed! 1.  A Kitchen Aid Mixe r      I have  loved  having my KitchenAid. They are SO helpful in getting meals prepped, baking, and multitasking with limited counter space. They are a great addition to your kitchen together. 2. Hair Clippers      Learning how to cut your husband's hair is a great way to save money, so hair clippers are a handy investment. Either I or my sister use our hair clippers to cut my husband's hair now, and it's also helpful for any of our friends and family in the area who need a haircut be...