My name is Amanda. My husband and I have five kids and live in central Minnesota. We are working on getting back to the root of things. We moved to our homestead in 2017 and are working hard to get gardens, an orchard, and small farm critters set up. My hobbies include pet care, animal husbandry, gardening, arts and crafts, being out in nature, photography, re-purposing things, and selling stuff online. I'm a stay-at-home mom, I love to cook and bake, and just hang out with my kids.

I have extensive knowledge on dog and cat care, behavior, and training, as well as care and behavior of rabbits, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and red ear slider turtles. I worked in a small mom-and-pop type pet store for five years (my dream job) until they closed in 2013. I worked in pet rescue off and on from 1992 until 2013. The first few years I volunteered at a shelter, and the later years I ran a no-kill rescue from my own home. It's hard work, but totally worth it when you see a rescue animal blossom.

I'm working on developing new skills all the time. I went through a jewelry phase where I made all kinds of unique jewelry, and for a while I made knitted scarves and baby hats. I want to get back in to crocheting pot holders again - that's a fun pass-time. I have very basic working knowledge of hand stitching and basic machine sewing and have successfully made a couple small lap quilts. I've made rice-filled heat packs - they work great! I'm hoping to teach myself how to make a cat scratch post at some point, and maybe learn to work with wood and nails to build my own rabbit cages. I've also experimented with painting, mixed media arts, drawing, and making homemade pet treats.