Welcome to No Ordinary Homestead

I’m so glad you’re dropping by, and thanks for reading!

No Ordinary Homestead (NOH) is a lifestyle blog where I regularly post about ways to live a healthier, happier life, marriage, travel experiences, yummy foods, and Gen X life.

I’m Tiffany, the editor-in-chief of this blog, a happy wife for 26 years, mom to an awesome teenager on her way to becoming a commercial pilot, and fur-mom to our two cats and a Great Dane.

My husband, Stefan, and I are lucky to be celebrating over two decades together and still going strong. He is not only best friend and my soul mate but also a great mentor who pushes me further and loves a good adventure as much as I do.

Life is full of adventures and unexpected changes. Sometimes we welcome change and other times it blindsides us. I started NOH because I wanted a way to share my experiences with others, especially since I began my life as an expat in Germany.

Now in 2026, I’ve transitioned to sharing more about my Gen X life changes as I approach 50 and we become empty nesters. I’ve got so many things I’m learning about how to hack your body and why you should want to – plus some advice from a married couple who have “been there.”

I can’t wait to share those adventures with you, too.

The Travel-Free Week That Wasn’t

What a canceled flight, Canadian wildfire smoke, and a fifth wheel I couldn't reach taught me about living and working on the road. Written by Stefan. Thursday, 5 p.m., MSP There I sat, laptop hot-spotted, searching for ways to get back to meet the family in...

The Dune That Became A Ball Jar: An Honest Visit to Indiana Dunes National Park

It was our first chance to walk on a beach bordering the Great Lakes or perhaps dare to dip our toes into the chilly water. We were excited and energized as we broke through the trees and saw the shoreline down below. But it couldn't prepare us for the jarring sight...

A First Timers Guide to EAA AirVenture

We've recently wrapped up our first EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI, and I have to say it was everything we expected and more. We signed up for the event as a Christmas gift for our 17-year-old daughter, who had just gotten her PPL. What better event to attend to...

Our Honest Review of Starlink for RV Use – After Almost 2 Years

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help sustain our travels and keep this blog running. All three of us rely heavily on functioning high-speed internet;...

Self-Care Habits That Actually Move the Needle

I was perusing the NOH archives recently and came across this vintage post called Ten Ways to Take Care of Yourself. Now wildly dated, my primary goal was to help out my fellow women by offering a few sound words of advice about life and how to survive. My passion...

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Travel Tidbits

From Schöneck to Schöneberg

Well, we're officially moved in. The majority of the boxes have been unpacked, the rugs have been laid, the furniture is built and filled with whatever belongs in it and we're starting to finally think about finding a rhythm and some "normalcy" again. We've already...

One newspaper we’ll never read again

Wow. Now that was interesting. I'm sitting here on the couch. It's 7:45 pm and the phone rings. A woman from the Hanauer Anzeiger, a local newspaper in a neighboring city, is on the phone and wants to know how we enjoyed our free two-week subscription to the newspaper...

A beautiful Bavarian wedding

On August 7th and 8th in the year 2009, our little family had the great honor of celebrating a long awaited wedding between our friends Steffen & Steffi. As a matter of fact, they got engaged in 2005 at the very same tent where we all threw back a couple maß of...

Make your own Stove Top Stuffing Mix

On one of the homesteading groups I subscribe to, a member was just sending this recipe around. If you are addicted to Stove Top Stuffing but would rather try something from scratch, here are a few recipes to make your own. ...

11 Blogging Etiquettes You Should Be Mindful About

Proper etiquette shouldn't only be practiced when we relate to people on a daily basis. And good manners shouldn't only be displayed when we sit down and have a meal at the table. A lot of people don't think much about blogging etiquette and what it means to be a...

Trees, tripods and other random stuff

I've been in a cleaning frenzy today. We're trying out a new system here where I use Monday as my "get the house back in order after the bomb went off weekend is over." We're usually so busy focusing on getting big projects done that the house is in disarray and there...

10 Apps To Increase Productivity on Your iPhone/iPad/Android

A lot of users for these smartphones download apps to keep them entertained. Most download games and entertainment applications but not a lot of it area really productive. If you are a busy person that have to do a lot of things on-the-go, you will find out that there...

Is It Too Late to Start a Career That Actually Matters? Social Work vs. Counseling After 40

By the time you reach your 40s or 50s, you usually know the difference between a rough month and a career that no longer fits. The paycheck may still arrive on schedule, but the work feels disconnected from the person you have become. Perhaps you have sat through one...

Today the plates came out

It's an exciting day here. The sun is shining, it's already close to 60 degrees and it's shaping up to be an absolutely beautiful day. There are about a thousand projects I would love to be outside doing today, namely digging up weeds in the garden. But that's just...

Using thieves oil to treat black mold

I was recently contacted by a reader who has had terrible problems with black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum). If you've never heard about this problem, let me tell you that it is BAD stuff. Not only does it smell gross, but it is actually toxic, and it will cause you,...

The Best Natural Treatments for Seasonal Depression

Published Feb 12, 2014. Updated February 12, 2026 Are those winter doldrums kicking in, leaving you feeling the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? Maybe you just want to curl up and take a cozy nap, or you don't feel as productive as possible -- but you're...

Cleaning out the attic

When we bought our farmhouse 6 years ago, the initial idea was to build out the attic in the main house as a wonderful oasis for adults in the form of a rockin' master suite. Believe me, I can still totally see that finished room up there in the space. And we were...