The Bible, Boots, and Aprons Resource Closet
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As a Registered Nurse and a hands-on farm mom, I’ve learned that the right tools are non-negotiable—whether I’m managing a patient’s health or a toddler’s nutrition. On our Seventh-day Adventist homestead, we don’t just look for ‘stuff’; we look for durability, health-alignment, and efficiency.
This Resource Closet is my curated “Supply Room”. Every book, kitchen tool, and farm implement here has survived the rigors of scratch-cooking, ministry prep, and daily farm life. I’ve done the research and the field-testing so you don’t have to. These are the essentials that help our family live a joyful, Blue-Zone-inspired life—and I’m confident they’ll do the same for yours.
Bible: Christian Living
Books
Lady In Waiting Developing Your Love Relationships by Debby Jones and Jackie Kendall
This book helped me so much when I was single, at times I thought I’d never find my husband, but it caused me to rest my faith more heavily on God. You can read my full story of finding God’s timing for marriage here: CHRISTIAN SINGLENESS AND WAITING: MY TESTIMONY OF FINDING GOD’S TIMING
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
I absolutely loved reading this book and recommend this book to any woman looking to grow closer to Jesus, it’s especially helpful when life is feeling hard.
DVDs
Shortly before my sixteenth birthday, my mom found this Christian film based on a true story. She chooses not to kiss until her wedding day, and it helps her find the right guy to marry. It’s a beautiful story. Inspired by the story, I also committed not to kiss until my wedding day. (You can read my story here.)
Boots: Farm & Garden
We used this to hatch some chicks last spring and intend to do so again this spring. It was easy to use and we had a 50% success rate with our eggs. You can read more about the incubator and our experience hatching chicks here: OUR CHICKEN SAGA: THE FOX-PROOF ROOSTER, 13 CHICKS, AND A CHICK UMBILICAL CORD FIX
My husband has very high standards in tools and this is his current pocket carry. Works great for odd jobs around the farm. Also works great as a gift.
Aprons: Homemaking and Family Care
Kitchen
Best cheap kitchen upgrade I’ve ever made! I use it everyday and will never go without one again! I use it to oil literally everything. It also makes a fabulous gift. I’ve given it to several different family members as gifts and they are all as enthusiastic about it as I am.
Pastry cutter and Bench scraper set
I bake a lot, so my husband ordered this set during Christmas time of 2022. I love them and use them all the time for making biscuits, pie crusts and scones.
This kit is so handy. I love how the stand causes excess water to drain out onto a tray preventing excess moisture from causing problems. In the fall, winter, and early spring I do a lot of sprouts for off-season fresh greens, mainly lentil sprouts. In the summer we are usually too busy with the garden and outdoor stuff.
I love using this; it looks pretty and it stores my homemade dressings with an easy pour spout. Comes with 2 Good Seasons Italian dressing packets.
I like using this one because it’s small and doesn’t add a long handle between me and the blade, it feels natural to hold, and best of all the blade can be completely retracted for storage and it’s magnetic so it stores easily on my magnetic knife bar.
Pyrex Glass Mixing & Prep Bowls
I use Pyrex bowls for sourdough and food prep. I have the full set and love it. Glass is perfect for sourdough because it’s non-reactive and see-through so you can easily see the bubbles and how much it’s risen. These are even more perfect because the lids hold in the moisture, so I don’t have to wet towels! My favorite size bowl for sourdough is the 2.5 quart size.
- The Full Starter Set – Great if you are just starting your kitchen collection, or as a gift for someone starting theirs.
- The Sourdough Specialty: If you want to stick to my favorite size for bread, you can get a Set of two, or a Set of Four of the 2.5-quart bowls.
I like to add a whole can of white beans to cream sauces and soups and blend them in with my immersion blender. It makes them thicker, and adds protein. Whether you want to make puréed soups or just hide beans and veggies in your sauces, it definitely helps to have an immersion blender.
Note on safety: Immersion blenders are a stick with exposed blades on the bottom! Always unplug in between use when you put it down. Also, always detach from the motor before doing anything with the blades like removing excess sauce from the blades or cleaning.
This one has a lid with a charcoal filter so it doesn’t stink at all with the lid on. Only downside is it works so good sometimes I put off taking out the compost till closing the lid becomes an issue. (Okay, I admit, that’s actually most times.)
KitchenAid & Accessories
KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
This is the one I have, and I love it and use it several times each week. It’s a bit of an investment, but lasts for many years. My husband and I do plan to upgrade someday if mine ever goes out. He thinks I make it work too hard because it can smell a little hot occasionally if I’m using it for kneading two-loaves- worth of bread dough.
If you can wait, it’s best to shop around and check for sales in your local stores. I have seen substantial price drops especially around the holidays. Sometimes you can get a good deal on refurbished models. Just make sure to look around a bit and research current deals before purchasing.
KitchenAid grater/shredder attachment
For our oldest daughter’s first birthday I decided to make a large carrot cake (she had gotten her teeth kinda early and could handle chewing really well plus we wanted a somewhat “healthy” cake). Anyway I needed to grate 3 cups carrots and my husband saw me struggling with my box grater and offered to help. He decide that was too hard to do more than once and ordered me this attachment. I have used it countless times since.
Dough-hook shield for KitchenAid
I wished that they made something like this because my dough would try to travel up the hook of my KitchenAid and it was a nightmare trying to to get it out of the spring —not to mention the now greasy dough that had to be wasted. When I got my bread lame, I saw the same company made the dough shield I dreamed of and of course I ordered it too. I don’t have to watch my dough as closely as before, it really makes things so much easier. Please note: I have the classic tilt-head KitchenAid which is the smallest, family members who have the bowl-lift model in the next size up, don’t seem to need the dough hook shield.
Home
I discovered this after Swiffer let me down, Swiffer was expensive, single use, and you had to buy their refills, it kinda felt like a scam. This spray mop is designed for you to use and refill with your own favorite cleaner and the mop heads are machine washable! I highly recommend buying an extra pack of the washable mop heads so you always have a clean refill ready to go even in between laundry cycles.
Our whole family loves cotton flannel sheets in the winter. They’re just so warm and cozy! These are some I got our toddler for her twin bed but they come in all sizes. I got her two different patterns from this brand and they are the highest quality flannel sheets I own so far.
Motherhood Essentials
Vegan prenatal vitamins with real foodnutrients
I did some research and chose these as my prenatal supplement while I was still a vegetarian before I got married, knowing we wanted a large family. I continued to take them during my entire first pregnancy which was healthy and I was a vegetarian until well after having my first baby. This has continued to be my daily vitamin, and I have had a second baby and even breastfed both my girls for a while, now the older one is weaned. I know I feel a bit of a difference in my energy levels when I forget to preorder and run out. Then I have to wait for the next bottle to come in the mail.
The only necessary nutrient for pregnancy I noticed was lacking in the above vitamin when I was doing my research. I have tried different DHA supplements since eating clean meats again, but find I keep coming back to this one. In my experience it digests easily and I feel confident in the quality of this one.
My husband got me mine a month after our wedding; so it’s been just over three and a half years of constant use and it still looks great! It’s the Myra Bag brand and I highly recommend their products. They use consistent design templates, but each individual purse is unique due to their use of vintage and up-cycled materials.
I love this one for postpartum and beyond, its tie is attached so you never lose it, and the sleeves are 3 quarter so they don’t get in the way when doing things or simply washing your hands.
These are comfortable and easy to slip on and off. When I had my second baby I used a similar pair indoor/outdoor, everywhere in all the chaos of her home-birth and NICU stay (you can read that story here). I selected this specific brand for you because I believe the quality is even better than the pair I had.
Breathable breastfeeding cover
I knew what I needed in a cover with my second baby thanks to struggling with covers with my first child. This one is breathable, 100% cotton which is a must for summer breastfeeding. It also has a hoop so you can see baby, but more importantly baby can see you; that makes it less likely that baby will throw off the cover and expose you because she wants to see. It also has an optional tie you can snap behind you to help the cover stay in place which is handy if it’s windy or your baby is just restless.
Ergonomic Baby Carriers (Newborn to Toddler)
A baby carrier is a must for gardening; it’s the only way to actually keep your arms free to get work done. I recommend a two-stage approach depending on your baby’s age:
- For Newborns: Boba Baby Wrap Carrier, is my absolute favorite for those early weeks when they need maximum support and snuggles.
- For Growing Babies: Boba X Baby Carrier Newborn to Toddler is my go-to once baby has neck control. It’s adjustable, much cooler to wear in the garden heat, and has a higher weight limit.
- The Verdict: If you are only choosing one, go with the second option for its longevity and breathability!
Helpful Reading: To see how I’ve learned to garden while keeping little ones safe and happy, check out CHAOS GARDENING BY ACCIDENT, A GUIDE TO GARDENING WITH A TWO-YEAR OLD (AND AN INFANT)
I have these on almost all the outlets in my house, they’re amazing! It’s pretty much the only thing I recommend anyone buy when planning to baby-proof their home. In order to plug things in you slide it open with the plug’s prongs to align with the outlet and push it in. When you unplug something it automatically closes covering the outlet so it’s safe for baby.
I highly recommend sock shoes for rapidly growing feet that are learning to bear weight and properly walk and run. Make sure that there is always room in the front end so you don’t crowd your baby’s toes causing feet problems like bunions. Also always make sure shoes are on the right feet so that the big toe has the room it needs. Sock shoes were the only shoes I let my babies wear the first year and a half or so. These ones were the most durable and pretty of the brands we tried, my eldest wore them everywhere and they still look like new to pass on to our second child. I linked to the exact pair we used, but there are other styles and sizes including boy styles.