I read a quote somewhere recently that said: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.”
That’s how I have always tried to live my life and somehow I’ve been blessed enough to make it my vocation.
It has been my distinct goal to be more fearless, do things that scare me, and to find a way to get back in touch with a time when things weren’t so secure. As a single woman, I have discovered that I can build my own planter box, change my own tire, and find my way in the woods without a compass. I realized at some point that like so many others, I have a college degree but can’t fix my own toilet and I wanted to face and change that vulnerability. This was important not because we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be vulnerable, but because I believe, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, that we should “do things every day that scare us,” push through our insecurities and our fears. It makes us more grounded human beings on this earth, better stewards of the land, and better to one another.
For the last few years I’ve been offering women a chance to try new and daring things with abandon, giving them safe space to fail and laugh-until-it-hurts in the process, to cheer each other on and embrace each other when they had success. These Adventure Getaways have continued to motivate me to find new and accessible ways to offer a broader audience the opportunity to “step off the grid” in their own way, even from their own studio apartment in the heart of the bustling City, during a busy week.
I set out to create more recipes and projects for a self-sufficient life, with the idea that self-sufficiency is not only the ultimate girl (and boy!) power, but also brings you immense joy whether you are a full-time homemaker, a busy professional, or simply looking to do more by hand.
Not everyone has an actual farm on which to kill a chicken in the back yard for dinner, or a Montana field to hunt pheasant. But there are ways both large and small to “get back to the land,” even if the “land” is only a fire escape or a patio planter; even if the land is a parking strip where you are picking wild dandelion greens for a salad; or the side of a road where you are changing your own tire. Sure we could all continue to stroll down the glossy rows of the grocery store and get our boneless, skinless chicken breast in Styrofoam packaging, I’ve certainly done it. And sure we can all call AAA for roadside assistance. But what if we didn’t do that all of the time? What if instead we rolled up our sleeves and got that Amazonian look in our eyes? As I’ve continued my own journey and continued to teach others, it has never been more clear to me that it is allowing ourselves to try all of these things that are what make us feel truly full—they are our roadmap for a more empowered life.
My new book is called: Modern Pioneering
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Pre-order at any of these book retailers:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND
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Full of recipes, projects, and skills for a self-sufficient life, this is your guide for how to delight in the vegetables growing on your fire escape, to mark the seasons by the scents of the herbs growing on your windowsill, lit by the mason jar lantern you’ve made with your own hands. Whether you’re living on your rural homestead or sharing a studio apartment, Modern Pioneering is all about learning how to step off the grid in your own way, one that is uniquely yours.
Divided into 4 parts: The Garden, The Home, The Wild, The Rest…
Inside you will find…
MORE THAN 100 RECPES for garden-to-table dishes, preserves, and cured foods.
SMALL SPACE GARDENING ADVICE on building a raised bed, choosing what to grow, and saving seeds.
DIY PROJECTS, such as Mason jar lanterns and homemade notecards.
SUPERWOMAN SKILLS like assembling a 48-hour survival tool kit in an Altoids tin
And…
So…
Much more!
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Pre-order at any of these book retailers:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND
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PRE-ORDER BY JANUARY 1 and send a screenshot of your order and mailing address to: [email protected] to receive a free signed bookplate.
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Thank you for all of your support over the years lovelies! My life wouldn’t be the same without you and I am continually grateful for all of you that I’ve gotten to meet and interact with along the way.
