A guide to country living features photographs, illustrations, instructions and tips for living off the land, covering such topics as canning and preserving, soap-making, and building a dog house.

Here is a book for every curious, courageous, or desperate person who's willing to set convention aside to earn a living in the face of an ailing economy. From fashioning balloon animals to promoting liquor brands to picking berries in Australia, this easy-to-read, entertaining book takes a candid look at over a hundred jobs that don't require you to sit in an office eight hours a day, five days a week.

Join Little Squirrel as he discovers the true gift of Christmas! Little Squirrel is excited for the Christmas season, but he begins to wonder if he's been a good enough squirrel to deserve the presents and treats he hopes for on Christmas morning. He decides to do one kind or helpful thing every day leading up to Christmas. Things are going well and Little Squirrel is finding lots of ways to help his fellow woodland creatures. But when he makes a big mistake on the day before Christmas, he feels like a total failure. In the midst of his misery, Mama Squirrel has good news. She reminds him that Christmas is not about being "good enough." Jesus's love is a free gift and we can never earn it, no matter how hard we try! Slowly, Little Squirrel begins to grasp the true joy and wonder of God's abundant grace. God's Gift of Christmas is the latest addition to the heartwarming Forest of Faith storybook series, including A Birthday Party for Jesus, Everyone Is Invited to Christmas, Christmas Tree for Jesus, Christmas Journey for Jesus, An Easter Basket Filled with Love, and God’s Love Is a Warm Cookie.

The companion to the bestseller Back to Basics for country, urban, and suburban folks—now fully updated! Who doesn’t want to shrink their carbon footprint, save money, and eat homegrown food whenever possible? Even readers who are very much on the grid will embrace this large, fully illustrated guide on the basics of living the good, clean life. It’s written with country lovers in mind—even those who currently live in the city. Whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or even the wilderness, there is plenty you can do to improve your life from a green perspective. Got sunlight? Start container gardening. With a few plants, fresh tomato sauce is a real option with your own homegrown fresh tomatoes. Reduce electricity use by eating dinner by candlelight (using homemade candles, of course). Learn to use rainwater to augment water supplies. Make your own soap and hand lotion. Consider keeping chickens for the eggs. From what to eat to supporting sustainable restaurants to avoiding dry cleaning, this book offers information on anything a homesteader needs—and more.

"Some of the material in this book appeared first in Good living guide to country skills"--Title page verso.

A sweet Christmas tale about trusting God, even when things aren't going your way. “I don't think God ever likes it when we're hurting,” said Mama Badger. “But He's always with us and we can always trust Him with our feelings. And sometimes when we're hurting or weak, God uses us in especially mighty ways!” ****** Little Badger can't wait to enter the annual snow sculpture contest. He practices his sculptures every day and is determined to win a prize. But when an accident occurs and his plans are dashed, he's sad, angry, and confused. Even Christmas doesn't feel so exciting. Why would God let such a thing happen, and why doesn't He just fix everything when you ask Him to? Mama Badger encourages Little Badger to share his feelings with God and to trust that He is good and has a good plan. In the end, Little Badger gets the chance to be a hero in a way he never would have guessed. The latest in the beloved Forest of Faith series, this is a delightful Christmas tale about trusting God with your feelings and having faith that He is good all the time, even when things are hard. Whether you're facing injury, illness, grief, or disappointment, this story of hope and resilience will lift your spirits this Christmas season. ****** "'For I know the plans I have for you,'” declares the Lord, “'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" —Jeremiah 29:11

With the rapid depletion of our planet’s natural resources, we would all like to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. But in the midst of an economic crisis, it’s just as important to save money as it is to go green. As Gehring shows in this thorough but concise guide, being kind to Mother Earth can also mean being kind to your bank account! It doesn’t matter where your homestead is located—farm, suburb, or even city. Wherever you live, The Homesteading Handbook can help you: • Plan, plant, and harvest your own organic home garden. • Enjoy fruits and vegetables year-round by canning, drying, and freezing. • Build alternate energy devices by hand, such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps. • Differentiate between an edible puffball mushroom and a poisonous amanita. • Prepare butternut squash soup using ingredients from your own garden. • Conserve water by making a rain barrel or installing an irrigation system. • Have fun and save cash by handcrafting items such as soap, potpourri, and paper. Experience the satisfaction that comes with self-sufficiency, as well as the assurance that you have done your part to help keep our planet green. The Homesteading Handbook is your roadmap to living in harmony with the land.

A do-it-yourselfer s dream guide to simpler, greener, and more sustainable...

Over 200,000 copies sold—fully updated! Dye your own wool, raise chickens, make your own cheddar cheese, build a log cabin, and much much more. Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide. Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast-food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle. Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead. More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment, you will find your imagination sparked, and there’s no reason why you can’t, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this may be the most thorough book on voluntary simplicity available.

Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide. Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle. Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead. More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment you will find your imagination sparked, and there's no reason why you can't, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this may be the most thorough book on voluntary simplicity available.