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7 Arrow Ranch
Eat Chicken. Nourish Your Body. Restore the Land.
Boots and Roots Blog
Faith. Food. Farm wisdom.
Your exit ramp from life in the fast lane.
Welcome to Boots & Roots — your quiet place on the internet to breathe deep, slow down, and reconnect with what matters. Here you’ll find a blend of gentle devotionals, ranch stories, simple homegrown recipes, outdoor skills, and homestead-from-anywhere tips that make life feel a little less rushed and a lot more intentional.
Whether you’re here for the stories, the skills, or the spiritual encouragement, I’m so glad you found your way to my back porch.
Pour a cup of something warm. Or cold. Or boozy. Whatever floats your boat.
Kick off your shoes or dust off your boots.
Let’s grow something beautiful together.
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Winter Kidding Has Begun!
We had our first set of winter kids hit the ground earlier today! Naturally, since we have a bit of winter weather moving in right now! We noticed last night that one of our nannies was off by herself, and knew that she was due any day. We had to move the herd last nigh,t, and I felt bad moving her when I knew labor was imminent. BUT, we have quite a few mommas that are about to drop some kids in the coming weeks, and I wanted them off of their current paddock, and on a ne
7arrowranch
Dec 28, 20233 min read
The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever!
After making pumpkin pie since I was probably 10 years old, and trying everything from the recipe on the Libby's can (delicious!) to various recipes from my favorite homesteaders, I finally came up with the perfect recipe, by, of course, taking all my favorite parts and mashing them together. This recipe is so good, in fact, that you'll want more than 1 slice. And, you can eat it for breakfast, guilt-free, since it has ZERO processed sugar. I grew up making pumpkin pie fro
7arrowranch
Nov 30, 20232 min read
My Favorite Farm-Inspired Cough Remedy
I have a cough. This really dry, annoying kind of cough . The kind that is totally unproductive, with nothing to cough up. I just started coughing a few days ago. 2 days ago, in the middle of chores, I had a really epic coughing fit. Normally I take my daily pink drink with me (Plexus people, y'all know what I'm talking about! Everyone else? I don't sell it, I just drink it. 🤷🏼♀️), or water or something. But that particular day? Nothing. So guess what I did? Got me a
7arrowranch
Feb 27, 20222 min read
HOA Meeting
Why in the world would we leave our HOA neighborhood in a suburb of Ft Worth, move on to 20 acres of Blackland Prairie in north central Texas, only to attend an HOA meeting, 4 years later?? Well, HOA, for us, no longer stands for Home Owners Association. HOA now stands for Homesteaders of America . I had the joy and privilege of attending a business conference, put on by this HOA, in Columbia, Tennessee over MLK, Jr. weekend. The conference consisted of 2 days packed with
7arrowranch
Feb 10, 20223 min read
I told my parents I wanted to be a carpenter...
I figured if it was good enough for Jesus, it was good enough for me! I used to work for the State, working with kids in foster care, their families, and with foster parents. I remember telling my parents at one point that I just wanted to quit, because the hours were awful, and I had a daughter that they were watching while I worked. I figured as a carpenter, I could put in my hours, do my job, and go home. No sweat worrying about kids being re-abused, no kids using anato
7arrowranch
Dec 2, 20213 min read
Progress--Not Perfection
52 Weeks of Homegrown and Handmade--week 11 We're gonna give this weekly update a different feel, since I'm 10 weeks behind!! My time, like everyone's time, is super limited, and I'm not the best manager of it. I'm a little scatterbrained. I make lots of lists, but I lose them. I put reminders in my phone--but I have so many that I tune out the reminders. I have sticky notes on my mirror. Lots of them. So now they get ignored. *Sigh* My progress--from trying to manage
7arrowranch
Jun 22, 202115 min read
Provision
We live in North Central Texas. It is not unusual for us to get snow, and sub-freezing temps in the wintertime. Even into low teens is not out of the realm of possibilities. My in-laws have enjoyed calling us each winter, asking us how we enjoy the "country cold". HA! Fun fact--I despise the cold. Like, with every fiber of my being. Truly, madly, deeply. The whole country is aware of--and affected by--winter storms Uri and Violet. And Texas, with our massive infrastruc
7arrowranch
Feb 19, 202113 min read
So many seeds, so little time!
I have more seeds than I know what to do with! I sat down the other day, and began the arduous process of inventorying what I have. YIKES, y'all.... I have a full Tractor Supply plastic bag just FULL of seeds!!! Well, I came across some magic on Facebook the other day. Another poster in one of my who-knows-how-many homesteading/farming groups had this beautiful photo of her seeds, organized by type in small plastic containers, and placed inside of another plastic containe
7arrowranch
Jan 26, 20212 min read
What is a CSA?
What the heck is a CSA and why should I choose to invest in a farm??
7arrowranch
Jan 14, 20213 min read
The vet said she was beyond hope...
We have had straight-up, honest-to-goodness, miraculous healing here on our farm. Of our goats. God loves ALL of His Creation, even His stubborn goats. Can I get an Amen here??Can anyone else out there identify with being a stubborn old goat? No? Just me?? Well then.... We have had. a. time. here on our farm the last few months. I'm not even sure what precipitated everything. We have been working, for a very long time, towards being able to rotate our goats daily. So
7arrowranch
Nov 10, 20209 min read
Training up the next generation
My whole family is involved with American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA . We love these programs for our kiddos. We love that our kids are involved in these Christ-centered ministries where they get to grow in their faith, grow in fellowship with one another, and grow stronger relationships in their families. I love that Trail Life is an outdoor-focused program for my boys--one that connects the outdoors directly to the Creator. It also walks alongside the parents, a
7arrowranch
Nov 9, 20202 min read
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
A week ago, our temps were around 90. Yesterday, our high was 36. Texas weather, in the spring and fall, is crazy. Amazingly, despite the below-freezing temps in the mornings the last few days, our meat chickens continue to grow and are doing great. We lost 12 chicks during the first week. 😭😭 We haven't had a single loss since then, despite Texas weather being drunk. Also, my lettuce didn't die. Hooray!! Winter is a season of rest. And it appears winter is here sever
7arrowranch
Oct 28, 20202 min read
What Pandemic??
Farm life/rural life doesn't pause for a pandemic.
7arrowranch
Jul 27, 20205 min read
Misadventures in Gardening
So, I have a black thumb, y'all. If it's not a desert plant that can survive droughts, floods, scorching heat, and snow, then I. Will. Kill. It. 🤦♀️ BUT, I have a dream of someday growing a garden full of fruits and vegetables that my family will eat. So, it doesn't have to be a big garden. When it comes to eating my veggies, I'm basically a 6 year old. Like this guy. My father in law gives us tomato starts, ready for transplanting, every year. Isn't he sweet?! Every
7arrowranch
Feb 15, 20203 min read
Lessons Learned
I grew up in suburbia, born to a dad with a green thumb, and a mom with a black thumb. I inherited the black thumb. In fact, I did a science experiment for science fair one year, in which I discovered which acids and bases killed plants the fastest. Needless to say, I killed all plants quite successfully! Yet I always dreamed of living on a ranch, and maybe having a garden. Here I am, as an adult, and I have successfully managed to kill every plant I’ve ever put in the ground
7arrowranch
Feb 5, 20205 min read
How Did You Find This Place?
This is the question we get asked over and over here, especially by locals. There are quite a few people in this town who knew the prior owners of our house. They didn't even know the house was for sale. Our neighbor across the street said he considered buying the house, but didn't move in time. Solicitors have said they never even noticed this house was here, despite having been in the neighborhood on other occasions. So how did we find this place? My husband Darrin and
7arrowranch
Jan 23, 20204 min read
Hooves on the ground!
Our fall 2019 kid crop is already 4-5 weeks old! Crazy how quickly time flies! We have 5 doelings and 1 buckling that we are keeping an eye on. We are focused right now on growing our herd, and while sheer numbers are important, our primary goal is conservation of the Spanish breed. To this end, we have to constantly be looking for the characteristics that make Spanish goats, well, Spanish goats! They are known for their hardiness, adaptability, independence, parasite- a
7arrowranch
Jan 16, 20201 min read
First blog on new website platform
Been meaning to do this for 6 months! Here it is, my first, super-exciting blog post. Tadaaa!!
7arrowranch
Jul 25, 20191 min read
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