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Hello! We’re the Finches. We’re here to share what our family is learning about using our time to create value through the homefront. Join us!

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aproductivehousehold

The other day, I spent the afternoon making yogurt

The other day, I spent the afternoon making yogurt and baby food and homemade lemonade while listening to @dr.ashleyturner , and I couldn't help thinking about what a gift it is to be constantly learning.

Especially during this time of year, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by how MANY opportunities there are. There is so much that I could learn, cook, preserve, do. So many people offering free vegetables that I could do something with. 😂

But time and resources are limited, and that is okay! It’s okay to say no to things that may be good but not BEST.

I’d love to make pickles, but there are other foods that my family eats more and would be a better use of my time.

I’d love to grow all the fall crops, but I don’t have the space or time.

I’ve become totally okay with saying no to some opportunities and not feeling guilty. There are always more opportunities to learn and grow.

Do the next thing and keep learning a little each year!

#aproductivehousehold #homemadebabyfood #homemadeyogurt #foodpreservation #onethingatatime

10-MINUTE DATE ENERGY BARS I'm always looking for

10-MINUTE DATE ENERGY BARS

I'm always looking for healthy snacks that we can take in the car or that I can feed to the kids quickly without making a mess (or with minimal mess at least).

I made these date bars the other day with some of our favorite ingredients, and they were so easy. I actually made them out of slight desperation and laziness because I was so tired of rolling peanut butter energy bites into balls. (Does anyone else make these and extremely dislike a bunch of messy, sticky peanut butter on your hands?)

Anyway, I wanted to share the recipe with you here!

10-MINUTE DATE ENERGY BARS

Ingredients:

1 cup dates
1/2 cup apricots
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup walnuts
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon

To make:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse
2. Line a 9" x 9" pan with parchment paper
3. Press mixture into pan to form into a square
4. Lift parchment paper out of pan to cut energy bars
5. Store cut bars in a plastic container in the refrigerator (use strips of parchment paper between the layers to prevent sticking to each other)

That's it! Let me know if you try them!

I also posted this on the blog with more ingredient ideas. I love that you can totally use whatever ingredients you have or like best, just as long as there's enough dried fruit to make them really stick together.

https://aproductivehousehold.com/10-minute-date-energy-bars-no-sugar-added

#dateenergybars #nosugaraddedsnacks #healthysnacksforkids #healthysnacks #homemadesnacks #datebars #energybars #easysnacks

"Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for a

"Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait."

from A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our green beans were struggling this year, so we started a few more a week or so ago. They're growing well, so hopefully we get some green beans after all!

What part of your garden is doing the best? Did anything you planted not work out this year?

#longfellow #poetry #aproductivehousehold #planting

I am too excited about these pillow covers. I've

I am too excited about these pillow covers.

I've been wanting to replace our old, non-matching throw pillows for months (years?), but geez, pillows are expensive! And that's just not something I was excited to spend money on.

Instead, I found the simplest, most forgiving way to make throw pillow covers. I literally forgot my measuring tools in the kids' rooms while they were asleep and eyeballed the cuts on a bunch of these, and they still turned out great.

And the best part was that I made all 7 of them for about $20 total!

They were so easy and so fast and so cheap, and I am way too stoked on throw pillow covers now.

Here's the pattern if you want to make any yourself! ⬇️

https://aproductivehousehold.com/how-to-make-pillow-covers-without-a-zipper

(or just click the link in our bio)

#diythrowpillowcovers
#diypillowcovers
#nozipperpillowcovers #envelopepillowcovers
#envelopethrowpillows
#handsewnpillowcovers #aproductivehousehold
#homemakingonabudget

We’re out in the country enough that we have no

We’re out in the country enough that we have no phone service or internet when we’re in our yard.

I love being able to go outside with the kids and not have to even think about my phone going off. It feels so great to be able to just play with them and not be interrupted by notifications, and the kids definitely feel the difference too.

What do you find are some of the best techniques for using your phone as a tool versus a constant distraction during the day?

I’ve been working on being very intentional about what I’m doing; only getting on when I have a good reason (though this does not always happen). Also, leaving it in one spot until I really need it rather than carrying it around the house.

Anything else that works really well for you?

DIY Outdoor Play Area (swipe to see the 'before'

DIY Outdoor Play Area

(swipe to see the 'before' pic)

We really wanted to create a play area that would make mowing around the swing set easier and make the yard look a little bit neater.

Unfortunately, most of the designs for play areas similar to what we wanted either cost a lot or were super time consuming. We got this play set for free last summer, so making a big investment in the wood chips underneath it was not on our priority list. Haha.

However, Garrett figured out a way to make this in half a Saturday for about $50! Pretty exciting stuff, honestly.

It's kept the weeds out, looks so much better, and makes mowing a ton easier.

We shared on the blog exactly how we did it and what materials we used. Link in bio!

#diyplayarea #outdoorplayarea #cheapplayareaforkids

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