DIYtheGoodLife

Chiang Mai Hostage Crisis: Day 21

It’s been three weeks since we’ve been home. It started as a simple trip to Chiang Mai to see friends and do some business. We never thought this would mean three weeks of captivity. Finally, though, it seems that the hostage release has been negotiated and we’ll be allowed to go home. I suppose you…

A Visit to Fair Earth Farm

For my agriculture-minded followers: I just started a blog for the Charis Teaching Farm. This is the first post, which is about our visit to a natural farm north of Chiang Mai. I hope it gives some of you ideas for your own gardens/farms. Source: A Visit to Fair Earth Farm

Orange Ginger Chicken Patties

Beef is hard to come by at a reasonable price in Thailand, so sometimes you have to get creative when you want to replicate American food. Shannon was looking for a recipe that used ground chicken in a paleo recipe book. We didn’t have all the ingredients, so I just made this one up instead….

January Farm Update

The Charis Teaching Farm has been in transition with staff changing over, new projects and the dry season in full swing. It has been a time of exciting change and new developments. Staff Empowerment In December, our Farm Manager moved back to Chiang Mai. I have been filling in as the Farm Manager since then….

Hanging with Monkeys

It’s Christmas break right now and I’ve taken a week off from helping with the farm, which means much needed family time. After a quick internet search last night, we discovered there is a gibbon rescue just south of where we live, so we packed up the truck and took a trip. We had a…

To Encourage and Empower

Shannon was published on The Charis Project Blog recently. Check out her perspective of our experience installing in the rice mill at the Charis children’s home (Baan Saeng Swann). Source: To Encourage and Empower

Spirited Away (in Thailand)

Some of my favorite movies are those by Hayao Miyazaki. It was in Spirited Away that I was first introduced to the ideas of “spirits”: little beings with one foot in our physical domain, another foot in the spirit domain. It seemed very silly to me at first. How could anyone believe it such things? The irony…

Restoration Agriculture as Seen Through a Rice Harvest

This is my latest post at The Charis Project Blog. The Rice Harvest is in (!) and these are some of the fruits that came with it. 😉 Source: Restoration Agriculture as Seen Through a Rice Harvest

Teaching Gratitude to Kids, Beginning with the One in the Mirror

Recently a friend posted a question for fellow parents on facebook. She wanted to know how they cultivate gratitude in their kids. I have been forming a response in my head, but it has grown too large for a facebook comment. I thought it might do better for a long-overdue post just in time…

Fun at Waterfalls

In Thailand, if you want a good challenge, I recommend asking for your food “pet mah” (extra spicy). If you’re looking for something interesting and “genuine”, hit up the markets. But if you want to find rest and be overwhelmed by beauty, then you have to go to the waterfalls. We hadn’t visited many waterfalls since our arrival up…

What’s the Big Deal? They’re Just Bacteria, Parasites and Skin Avulsions…

When I first set foot on Thai soil, the fear lingering in the back of mind was, “I’m afraid that this experience will change me.” This was kind of silly really, since the whole journey would be pointless if I didn’t gain something from it and find myself somehow strengthened or healthier for it. But…

Road Trip!

Self-sustainability is one of the primary organizational goals of The Charis Project as we seek to serve the people of Maesot and surrounding areas of Thailand. Our children’s home, Baan Saeng Sawaan, is the furthest along in this with their farming program, egg production and four new piglets. After this past weekend they can now…