Introduction

Welcome to my blog. I've been meaning to start one for quite some time! In this blog, I will discuss a variety of topics, such as homesteading, gardening, sewing, cooking, canning, emergency preparedness, self-sufficiency, and much more!

I grew up under the wing of my maternal grandmother, the daughter of a coal mining Irish immigrant and a Cherokee descendant, who was raised in the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression. From the time I can remember, I helped in the garden, learned how to cook from scratch, helped preserve for the winter via canning, and learned to sew. Grandpa told me how anything from outhouses, to smokehouses, to root cellars were built and used properly. Self-sufficiency was always a key point in any lesson at my Grandparent's house! Now days, there is an ever shrinking population of people who have this independent spirit, and are knowledgeable in the basic old-school skills that our ancestors relied upon.

Currently, due to certain circumstances, we are living in an apartment, although I am in the market for a piece of land (3-5 acres) on which we can build a completely off-grid "tiny home" (Around 450 sq ft!). We have plans for a large, sustainable garden complete with fruit trees, chickens, and possibly even a small catfish farming pond! I plan to start raising and selling fresh herbs to local residents and restaurants.

I hope you will enjoy reading my blog in the future!

I am sure many people will wonder what "AtsilaKamama" means. In the Cherokee language (Tsalagi), it translates to "Fire Butterfly".

My user photo depicts a small portion of my 2009 garden harvest.