Collamati Homestead

Hope through the Darkness

If you are in any part of the world, you are now in some way affected by this awful coronavirus. No this is not going to be a post all about the virus. I am writing this post to help spread some light in this darkness.

First I’d like to let everyone know this is not a virus to take lightly. It is affecting people all around the world and it is also killing thousands of people which is hurting their loved ones in the process. Please do what you can to help stop the spread.

As you all know I am a Christian and I believe in God and that He sent his son Jesus to die on the cross and rise again for our sins. So my main focus on spreading light in the wake of this invisible enemy is by sharing scriptures. Even if you do not follow the same beliefs I do, these verses can spread messages of hope and joy to you as well.

Other ways you can spread hope is connecting with other through technology. Just because we need to practice good social distancing doesn’t mean we’re alone. Call, text, email, facebook, twitter, instagram, and so many more ways are available for us to connect with one another! If you are feeling like there isn’t anyone for you to connect with…. I am here! Find me on social media by searching Jessica Collamati on facebook, collamatihomestad on instagram, send me a LINE message by searching goosez1989. I am here for you.

So let’s dive into some scriptures that can help bring hope and joy to us all….

In Romans we see that our God is a God of hope and we can put our trust in Him and further spread hope from Him, through us, to others. Be the light in the darkness to others around you. Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We also find in Romans that we can find joy through our hope, when we are patient through trying times and faithful in prayer to the awesome God we love. Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

1 Corinthians 13 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because it is full of LOVE! We must keep 3 main traits which are faith, hope, and love but the greatest one is love. So before you post something on social media, before words that may not be pleasing to others comes out of your mouth, think do these actions show love? If not refrain from letting your tongue getting the better of you and causing harm to others. 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

In the hard times let’s continue to praise God and abound in hope! Psalms 71:14, “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”

The Lord is our hope and our shield. We can have faith in Him that His plan will come above all others. Psalms 33:20, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”

Prayer, Prayer, Prayer! No matter where we are at through this trial continuously pray and be thankful for what we do have. If you know those in need bring those requests to Him. Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

We must be cautious and smart during this virus but cast those anxieties on Him. 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

My challenge to you during these trying times is to get in touch with those you love and send an encouraging word to them. Show love to all who you come across. We are all in this together so let’s UNITE and be strong together.

-Jessica Collamati

Again anyone who wants to connect find me on Facebook: Jessica Collamati, Our church’s facebook page: Bridgton Alliance Church, Instagram: collamatihomestead, Line chat: Goosez1989, email me at collamatihomestead@gmail.com, watch sermons from our church on the Vimeo app by searching Bridgton Alliance Church.

If you have other verses or words of encouragement feel free to comment on this post!

Starting to Invest in Stocks

So this post is going to be way off from what I normally post about but it will become a huge part of our homestead and family life. Today’s post is all about the stock market and investing.

A little back story…. I have never been crazy into the stock market other than watching the ticker on television with my grandfather. My husband on the other hand has always been very much intrigued by investing in the stock market and even trading here and there. We’ve never fully dived into the market until now. He has got me hyped to learn everything I can investing wise. Not only do I love learning and making money but I think it would be awesome to get into learning about what my grandfather was passionate about. He passed away in 2018 so this would bring me closer to what he loved.

So starting off in this adventure we do already have a fidelity account, however I am always looking for a bargain or ways to save the most amount of money. Therefore in my learning I have stumbled upon this awesome app called robinhood investing! So before you go google that name considering clicking my link to sign up here https://join.robinhood.com/jessicc3667 this way you get a FREE random stock and I will also get a FREE random stock for referring you! With this app you can trade without the commission fees! Not only that but the free stock that they give you for signing up has the potential to be a big one such as facebook, amazon, or berkshire hathaway!

Okay so for learning so far I am using Youtube, podcasts, and itunesU. As I go through each of these learning platforms I will share the resources with you guys in new blog posts so be sure to follow the blog so you get updates!

That’s all for now. Be on the lookout for more info and happy investing!

-Jessica Collamati

Sick and tired of being sick

Well as you can guess by my lovely title we have been fighting a cold! The hubby, me, and all three kids have been under the weather. Some of us going past 7 days now.

Even being sick though the homestead must go on! Everyday I have still gone out to take care of the goats and chickens. I’ve also started some elderberry bush seeds inside along with some peppers and cucumbers.

It was a pretty gorgeous day weather wise here but it won’t be lasting very long. I’m just two days we’re looking at about 10” of snow. I love the winter but now that we own goats and chickens, I am getting anxious for spring to get here so I can sit outside with them. Come spring we’re planning on going all out with the garden as well. Hoping for Mother’s Day I can pick out some more fruit trees to add to our property as well. So far in the ground we have apple trees( they’re old and don’t produce yummy apples), a blueberry bush, grape vines, and some strawberry plants. I’d love to get some peaches in that mix and plums as well.

Well off for now. Pray that this cold leaves our home and for anyone else going through a cold as well.

-Jessica Collamati

Gearing up for Planting Season!!

It may be snowy outside but January is the month I like to start getting ready for the upcoming planting season. One of the huge parts of being self-sufficient is growing your own food. Up here in Maine we have a shorter growing season so I like to be completely prepared as soon as that last frost is over. This means getting seeds started indoors and prepping the tools and materials I’ll need once I can get my hands in the dirt outside.

First part is getting seeds and planting indoors. Since I’ve been gardening for a while I already have pots, seeds, and soil ready to go come January. Before winter even hits, its a good idea to get a few bags of soil, seeds, and small pots to be prepared for a snowy day of planting inside. Let’s start with the soil, I currently have a bag of garden soil that I am using. Most would say be sure to get seed starting soil or potting soil but I have come to find that doesn’t matter as much as everyone thinks it does. I just get the cheaper bags of garden soil from either Lowes or Home Depot and keep it in my cabinet.

Next is seeds. I get seeds from all sorts of places. The best place for seeds is from the vegetables and fruits you are already eating. It is so easy to just clean the seeds out of the food you’re eating and save them for planting season. If I want the little packets of seeds I will either go to the Dollar Tree, Lowes, Home Depot, Burpee.com, or Amazon. Some of the more awesome collections of seeds I’ve found are the survival seed packs on Amazon like this one https://amzn.to/3arsGLS

Last but not least are the pots. Pots you can get just about anywhere. Whether you’re buying seed starters at the store, using these awesome peat pots from Amazon https://amzn.to/2Rq0FeI or just using things around your house. I personally like the peat pots the best. However, I do save containers from things such as fruit cups and italian ice cups to use to start my seeds.

When it comes to having a garden to feed your family you need to PLAN! Planning is a huge part of getting all you need from your land. Step one, write down all the fruits and vegetables that your family will actually eat. It makes no sense to grow a vegetable that no one in your family will eat. Next, figure out how much of each your family would eat throughout a year. There are calculators to help you figure this out as well. This one on Morning Chores website is pretty good https://morningchores.com/vegetable-garden-size/ Another part of planning is where and how big. Our garden is a square plot to the left of our garage that gets a good amount of sun and also a little shade.

Growing things indoors year round can help with keeping a healthy stock of food as well. Herbs grow amazing indoors. Basil is always growing in our house. Another great thing to grow indoors are sprouted beans for the animals. As we grow to be more self sufficient we have been adding animals to our farm. For our chickens and ducks I like to sprout some dried beans at least once a week so they can get some fresh greens even though there are none with the snow blanketing everything. If you have enough room you could also keep some container vegetables such as lettuces and even potatoes too!

I hope you enjoyed this post! be sure to head over to our facebook page and show us your seed starting or pictures of your garden! Find us here https://www.facebook.com/collamatihomestead

-Jessica Collamati

Want to help us grow our homestead? Ways you can help are reading and sharing our posts, clicking on the amazon affiliate links, or buying our farm and handmade products as we come out with them. Our goal is to be able to purchase a 20+ acre piece of land in the next 5 years where we can have an off grid homestead that can help us be self sufficient and also be able to grow enough to help our family and community.

Loving Yourself to Healthy

Do some women look absolutely fabulous and gorgeous when on the heavier side? Yes. However, what is that extra fat doing to their bodies? Do they put on a great front but are hurting inside and hurting physically? Most likely. I am not here to get you to hate yourself for being fat. I am here to help you understand that loving yourself means making the choices to be a healthier self.

As I see all of this big is beautiful and body positive stuff it pains me. We are telling women it’s okay to be big which is the opposite of what we should be doing! Of course no one needs to be a model but it is factual that having excess fat is unhealthy. In one angle I agree we shouldn’t project self hate or create self esteem issues, However, as a society we are going the extreme opposite way! We should all be promoting healthy positive.

Before you jump all over me, I am overweight myself. But instead of just embracing my largeness, I am loving myself by making the changes necessary to be a healthier person. On the outside confidence can portray a woman who loves herself, but from experience confidence can be a complete show. I have been overweight for quite a few years and to be frank it sucks! Dealing with self esteem issues, IBS, chronic muscle spasms, lack of energy, and more. All of the issues I have just listed I directly correlate with my obesity.

I have tried many different diet plans in the past but never really stuck to it either because of money or just no will to continue. As of recent though my mindset has clicked! This isn’t just about looking sexier, this is a LIFE or DEATH situation. I have been wasting my time trying to feel good about myself instead of coming to the realization that I need to make myself feel better by getting healthy. This includes losing the weight and the fat that does not belong on my body!

If you have read through feeling offended and ready to comment some nasty thoughts to me, I want you to read through again with an open mind. As a world we need to promote healthy minds AND healthy lifestyles. It’s time to stop playing victims and take control of our bodies! Let’s get healthy people!

-Jessica Collamati

Intermittent Fasting Update

So I am now almost 3 weeks into this new lifestyle so I thought I’d pop in for an update. I am still LOVING this new way of looking at food and diet.

Weight wise… I am down a little over 9 pounds since Dec 27th!!! That is an amazing outcome so far. I know a bit of it was water weight which was right in the beginning but it is still steadily going down so I know the loss now is fat burning off. Inches are slow going but there is still a decrease. Visually I am noticing a difference in my side view of my face. That ugly second chin is finally receding!

For non scale victories so far with intermittent fasting have been my energy levels increasing, my appetite decreasing, and my pain is becoming more bearable! So far I am hugely recommending everyone giving intermittent fasting a try. It doesn’t cost a dime, unlike all the shakes and programs out there. In fact it saves you money because you’re eating less! This way of life is giving me so many more benefits than I had originally started it for.

Curious as to what intermittent fasting is all about? Well, its quite simple… You just plan you’re eating during a certain time frame and outside that time frame you stick to water, black coffee, and black tea. There are many groups, studies, and opinions out there but there really is no need to make it more complicated than it actually is. For example I do the 18:6 which means I fast for 18 hours and my eating window is open for 6 hours. During the 18 hours you must only drink water, black coffee, and black tea. Don’t fret with will this break my fast or that… If it’s not water, black plain coffee, or black plain tea, it will break your fast. During the eating window technically you can eat what you’d like, however, if you are trying to be healthier the smartest option is to still count your calories and stick to healthy foods. See, super simple!

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

-Jessica Collamati

Goals of a Beginner Homesteading Family

Do you dream of being self sufficient and relying on your land for all your needs?

To me homesteading has many different levels. While we aren’t completely off grid or remotely close to providing all we need as a family from our land, we are still making progress towards a more self sufficient lifestyle.

This has been our first year in our progress towards a life of homesteading and self sufficiency. We have been slowly learning new skills, gathering tools, raising animals, and planning out our action plans to fulfill our dream of being off grid and self sufficient.

Right now for food purposes we have a small garden which we will be expanding each year. It’s currently winter here in Maine now so nothing is growing in the ground but I do have a basil plant in my kitchen. Next month I’ll be starting seedlings so we can plant as soon as the last frost is gone. This year I plan to focus on only vegetables the whole family will eat. For fruits we have a blueberry plant, strawberry plants, and two grape vines already in the ground. My goal this year is to grow enough for daily eating along with enough to preserve to get us through winter as well. I plan to can, freeze, and dehydrate a variety of fruits and vegetables.

We also have a small array of animals including chickens, ducks, and goats which we breed for eggs, dairy, and meat. These are our starter animals for now. I think we’ll stay on the smaller side while we are living in this house so there is less to move when we plant our roots on a larger piece of land. If you are just starting out I highly suggest getting some poultry and a few Nigerian dwarf goats. They have been great for getting us used to the farming lifestyle and easing us into a life of raising and butchering our own meat.

So what’s our future look like? Well we are in the process of planning and taking action towards buying a larger piece of land. Our goal would be to purchase a minimum of 50 acres and build our own home on that land. Our plan is to save the cash to buy the land so that we can live in our current home while building our new home. We also are planning to rent our current home once we move to create a constant income when we are off grid to help take care of unavoidable expenses such as taxes, insurance, and phones.

This dream is going to take a lot of work and a lot of sacrifices but we are so excited to be growing towards a better and healthier lifestyle.

-Jessica Collamati

My new tea kettle is here!!!

Okay so I’ll preface this with why I needed a new kettle in the first place…. So I drink tea ALOT and I am also a forgetful person. Kettle is always on and I always forget, well a few days ago I left it for a bit too long and I completely scorched the inside of my kettle. And I mean smoke filled the kitchen, the whole deal. Well off to the dump went my 10 year old 1 gallon kettle that I adored. That was a sad day… Thanks to Amazon prime though my new one is here!!!

Since my forgetfulness has hit an all time low I opted to get a plug in kind of kettle. It is super cute and also see through with an LED light. Super fancy! The price was not though! I got this thing for a steal on amazon at just $23.99 with free shipping of course. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same price that I did when you read this post but here is the link where you can find this awesome kettle https://amzn.to/2tbzigw

My thoughts on this kettle so far….Its AMAZING and just what I needed. Its got a sleek look that doesn’t take up too much space on my counter. The kettle heats up in under a few minutes which is less time that my kettle on the stove took! The glass part gets hot but all the other black plastic parts that you touch stay cool to the touch. I created a YouTube video so you can see it live too. Check the video out here https://youtu.be/YqBxsAtJe3I

So let’s talk about tea while we’re on the subject. I want to know what’s your go to tea flavor? My personal favorites are Oolong and Earl Gray. I like plain old black tea along with many varieties of herbal teas as well.

While I do get most of my tea at the grocery store I do have a tea lady. My caffeine and specialty tea hook up I should say. Her name is Laura Green and she is amazing and has a great selection of amazing teas as well. You can find her on her facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mypartealife/ or here on her website: http://www.partealife.com/

-Jessica Collamati

Homeschooling Resources

Are you a homeschooling family? Or a public school family that wants to add in extra learning? Today’s blog post is about the various resources we’ve used or are currently using in our homeschooling family. These are mostly free resources and ideas but some do cost money. We are pretty frugal though so even the ones that do cost money won’t break the bank either!

To get right to the list of resources scroll down to the bottom.

I’ll start off with our main curriculum. We are a gaming and computer family so we have found that an online curriculum works best for us. The program we use is called Time 4 Learning. It includes Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. They also have add ons for spelling, art, and foreign languages. You can check out more about Time 4 Learning here https://www.time4learning.com/signup/step1.aspx?rid=kCbU+AvHq+yY8lp1suj+Dw==

Another great resource for computer and gaming families are apps! Our 3 year old loves uses the PBS kids games app. On there she learns colors, shapes, patterns, basic math, and so much more. For a larger homeschooling family it’s great that she can be getting an excellent head start while I am helping the boys with their regular curriculum. There are so many more apps that can help with learning too! They have everything from preschool all the way to learning foreign languages. If you’re child has an ipad or tablet be sure to download some learning games they can use in between their regular play time.

Khan Academy is an online resource that is not only free but great for just about all ages! Even I dabble on there to boost my knowledge and keep my brain juices flowing. https://www.khanacademy.org/ This one is especially great for high school age as they have an excellent test prep section for tests such as the SAT.

One of the best ways to incorporate more learning in your child’s life no matter where they go to school are BOOKS! There are so many places to find great books for your whole family. At the library you can explore all kinds of new worlds for free! We love to keep our bookshelves full so we also check out whenever the local library is having a sale. Usually libraries will have special sales where you can fill a bag with books for a set amount that is way lower than what you’d probably pay for just one book at a store. Another great resource is kindle! You don’t need an actual kindle to read the books available through this service, you can download the app on any smartphone or tablet. You can try free for a month here: https://amzn.to/2FGmxgA

Let’s talk science for a little bit! Science is one of our favorite subjects in this household! There are so many different ways you can incorporate science into everyday life. Just by taking walks in nature you are learning about the ecosystem around you. We also love to do experiments. Sitting at the kitchen table conducting an experiment with your children is one of the best experiences. One that I recall being our favorite was making a Baked Alaska. The kids were so intrigued that we could bake ice cream in the oven and it would still be ice cold because of the meringue protecting it. Youtube is also a great resource to add in science. There are a wide range of videos that show experiments, teach about animals, biology and so much more!

Animals can be a great help when teaching children. They teach responsibilities, unconditional love, kindness, caring for others, science, and even history if you research types of animals and their roles in the past. A great way to get your children is get in touch with a local farm or small homestead family. Here at the Collamati Homestead we currently have our own farm animals to tend to and learn as we take care of them, however not everyone can have a small farm so getting in touch with one close by to you is just as good too. I’m quite sure they would be more than willing to accept help with chores in exchange for the learning experiences that farming can give.

So those are our main ways of incorporating learning into our every day lives. Below I am also going to be putting any links I have to free resources to things like worksheets, youtube channels, and more. Feel free to comment with some resources you’ve found to be helpful as well!

-Jessica Collamati

Free worksheets: https://www.education.com/worksheets/

Free worksheets: https://www.worksheetfun.com/

Free reading game on the computer: https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiApOvwBRBUEiwAcZGdGJwYfKu1Dlf82DD8wAg64bKMUJjJ9RaaWpjImWjGS6b-Q-hhLJg4qRoCm4QQAvD_BwE

Learn to code: https://www.codecademy.com/

Homeschool Pop on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfPyVJEBD7Di1YYjTdS2v8g

Easy Peasy Homeschool Resources: https://allinonehomeschool.com/

ABCMouse: https://www.abcmouse.com/

HomeSchool.com: https://www.homeschool.com/printables/

Hip Homeschool Moms has been sharing educational videos on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hiphomeschoolmoms

Louvre Museum Virtual Tours: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs

Smithsonian Virtual Tour: https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/vt3/NMNH/

Getty Museum Virtual Tour: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum?hl=en

Space Center App for Virtual Tours: https://spacecenter.org/app/

Cincinnati Zoo has videos on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/

Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Cam: https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/

Georgia Aquarium Beluga Whale Cam: https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/beluga-whale-webcam/

Houston Zoo Live cams: https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/

San Diego Zoo Live Cams and Videos: https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos

Monterey Bay Aquarium Live videos: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams

Sea World in Orlando Virtual Tour: https://www.visitorlando.com/en/things-to-do/virtual-tours/seaworld-orlando

Homeschoolers of Maine has some great resources on their website here: https://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/

Kindle Unlimited account for reading books right on your phone or tablet. They do offer a free trial too: https://amzn.to/2vLUU4l

World Wild Life Learning Activities: https://www.worldwildlife.org/teaching-resources/toolkits?utm_campaign=wild-classroom&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=ad&S_Src=Googleadsadvo&S_Subsrc=Wildclassroom&gclid=CjwKCAjw3-bzBRBhEiwAgnnLCm3flXAphN2qGMQYcThlailwXhfDuQYgKFsgFH4jRoZN8tES_205JRoCIgwQAvD_BwE

I’ll be adding more as I can find them throughout the week too! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching Collamati Homestead!

The Past 2 Weeks

Wow the past 2 weeks have gone by really quickly! I have been doing the intermittent fasting consistently. Been busy taking care of the farm and the family. So I’m going to lump the last two weeks into this one blog post then I can start getting on with my normal posting!

So the newest thing in my life has been the intermittent fasting which is going AMAZING! If you have ever had trouble with weight loss or portion control I highly recommend this new lifestyle. So far in the past weeks I went from 196 to 194. However this newest weigh in at 194 was today on a super heavy period day so I’ll have better results come next saturday. Since I’ve started this new lifestyle I find my body is actually controlling my portion sizes now! Before if you put an open faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy in front of me I would have scarfed it down and went back for more…. Now two weeks into this amazing lifestyle and I was only able to finish HALF!!! Another great benefit is the energy. I get a 30 min workout in everyday now on top of my normal farm and house chores and a minimum of 1 mile constant walk as well! And last but certainly not least is my chronic muscle spasms are starting to hurt less!!!!! That is a HUGE part of my life that after all the other things I’ve tried, I finally find relief. I wish I had known that intermittent fasting was a thing and that it could help lower inflammation and muscle spasms years ago! I hope this is reaching someone who’s been suffering right now.

So on top of the great news of my new lifestyle we also have some bad news to go with it. We lost one of our baby goats this week. We have all been very sad about losing him. However, our other three goats are doing very well so we are happy it wasn’t a total loss kind of thing.

I guess in other news our family has been doing great. Rob and Melanie did a little puzzle the other day and it was so cute! The boys have been really good about getting their school work done promptly everyday. Sasha and Roofus are still the lazy couch potatoes we love and adore. And as for me, I am one happy wife and momma!

COMING SOON: I have been offered the opportunity to share on my blog about an upcoming book series from my friend who is an author which I am super excited to share with you all! If you’d like to read some of her other books while you wait for the series release you can check her books out here: https://amzn.to/30bu7cu Her name is Amanda Kimberley and she writes sci fi fantasy along with books about living with fibromyalgia as well.

Be sure to follow my blog here or also on Facebook and Instagram, just search Collamati Homestead!

-Jessica Collamati

Love to read as much as I do? Try out Kindle Unlimited through Amazon! They have a huge variety of books and you don’t even need a kindle to read the kindle versions! Just download the kindle app on your smartphone or tablet and check out Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2TbdjRw