Clothing

Over the course of this past  year (being that it was all four seasons) I spent approximately $100 on clothing for my three children.  Also, until a few weeks ago, did not purchase clothing or shoes for myself.
People have asked me how I managed this and I have been promising a blog post for awhile, so here it is...


Read more!

Many Thoughts

~ My 9yo was grumbling about having to come inside soon to do homework. I see his point- it is a beautiful day outside.

~ The developers came back. My windows are open and all day I have been doing my work to the sound of big machine engines, and the scent of exhaust.  When my children came home from school they stood and watched the felled trees being loaded onto a truck. My 7yo daughter yelled at the men "STOP! STOP! STOP! You are ruining nature!!" I was worried for a moment that she was going to run into the field and form a tiny human blockade in her distress.

~ Sometimes, because I spend so much time alone I find that I have forgotten social niceties.

~ 21 days left till the kids are done with this school year.

~ 21 days to research some science options for this summer to help my 9yo regain his love of science- which school has sucked out of him.

~That modern plumbing, heat, and a/c are marvelous things

~Never turn your back on a rooster and then push one of the hens out of the way. The rooster will take great offense and attack you...which will be surprisingly painful and feel like a hammer hitting your leg. .

~ Wondering what areas of my life I need to adjust further in my attempt to get rid of unnecessary excess so I have more resources and time to give.

~Unnecessary excess also pertaining to pride, impatience, and a multitude of other things. 

~ This article by Fr. George Morelli called The Hidden Devastation of Greed, mostly these bits:

"As I have noted in previous articles, care for those who cannot help themselves is not just a Judeo-Christian teaching. The Bhagavad-Gita notes: “Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed.” This echoes Buddha's saying: “There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.”

Our Eastern Church Spiritual Father Evagrios the Solitary warns us of the complexity of this passion. For example, it is possible that someone " pretends to be steward and a lover of the poor," but in their heart entertains "avaricious thoughts" and inflated "self-esteem." (Philokalia I). This spiritual perception underscores the need for all to be aware of the deep motives of their actions, even of those that appear to be under the guise of the virtue of generosity. As St. Isaac the Syrian (Wensinck, 1923) informs us, "...without the prudence of the heart...the godly man cannot refrain from showing his love, in the performance of manifest deed"

~
Read more!

Ducks, Chicks and Yogurt

There seems to have been a small shift toward Spring. This week will have temps in the 50's and 60's and then back to the 30's, I have been smelling skunks everywhere, and the wildlife seems more active.  Tomorrow I have big plans to head outside and do hours of yardwork.

In a couple of weeks the feed store will be having "Chick Days" and we are going to pick up 4 more chicks to raise and then add to our small flock. They also carry ducklings, and to me ducklings are irresistible. I love adult ducks too. Last year I almost bought a couple but decided against it because the logistics of chickens had not yet been figured out. My mind has been working and I have figured out that we can easily add ducks. There is a duck run built on the side of the barn, an old dog house can be used as a duck house and I will stable up some predator proof fencing over  and around the run.  The previous owners also left a large child's pool and they can use that for their water. An added bonus, since ducks are messy in their water, I can use their old pool water for the garden-instant fertilizer. 

Today I am making yogurt in my crock pot.  I found the recipe at website A Year of Slow Cooking.
I am still trying to figure out how to make fruit yogurt.  Whenever I blend the fruit in my yogurt becomes a smoothie...so sometimes I toss in a frozen banana, some spinach and spirulina algae and make it a super healthy smoothie. Once, I put the yogurt in a strainer lined with coffee filters and let it sit overnight. A bunch of whey and fruit juice ran off and I was left with super creamy yogurt.  I used the whey for baking, but the kids said the yogurt was "too creamy".  Any ideas??
Read more!

Simple Life

Simple Living does not always equal easier living.
Everyone has a different definition of what simple living is, and there are semantics involved.
Are you striving for a simple life or natural family living.....
I have a hard time with taking on a description to sum up the way I live.

Over the years I have noticed similarities between families wanting to simplify; they homeschool, they move onto some land, they get chickens, maybe a goat or a cow, they grind their wheat, and bake their bread, they eat their own animals, and grow their own vegetables.
Case in point: simple does  not equate easy.
In fact, in my quest to simplify our lives I have created different levels of difficulty. Here are a few...

Chickens
It is much easier to go to the store and buy a carton of eggs as opposed to taking care of chickens. Chickens mean daily care, and in the winter the daily watering can be a painful experience and give a person some old looking hands.
Having my own chickens gives me a sense of accomplishment, we get eggs. Eggs that are cheaper, and possibly more nutritious (click link) than storebought,not to mention I know what my chickens are eating. For the most part I know what my chickens are eating, they free range all day and eat bugs and who knows what. I DO know that they aren't eating- meat byproducts from factory farming, antibiotics, and other things I don't want in the bodies of the creatures who make my eggs.
The chickens also create plenty of manure for our garden.

Baking bread.
I do bake our bread, usually twice a week because it gets eaten quickly. Again, it is easier to pick up a loaf of bread at the store, but for bread that is free of hfcs, whole grain-preferably organic to keep our pesticide exposure low, and tastes good it is not hard to spend $4 to $5.
Baking bread is super easy, and taking a slice off when it is fresh out of the oven-and eating it hot with butter and honey easily falls under the category of luxury.
I will post my favorite bread recipe later.

Drying clothes on the clotheline.
Lugging wet clothes out back, hanging them up, taking them down and bringing them back inside -again, easier to toss them in the dryer, and faster. But, can a dryer create the scent and feel of wind and sun dried sheets? Never.
Clothesline drying is free, and that will wind up saving a few dollars or more over the course of the season. On a side note:  It drives me crazy when HOA's forbid line drying.

Gardening
If ever there was a thing to give a person gratitude for how hard it is to grow food, having a garden would be it. Pests, plant diseases, good soil, the back breaking work, the sweating, bugs, it is never ending.  Everyday during the growing season there are weeds wanting to choke out the vegetables and bugs wanting to eat everything. Last year I had an invasion of squash bugs, if ever a bug looked like Death, it is a squash bug. Im not squeamish but whenever I turned over a leaf and saw hundreds of those pale grey things, I would get a cold chill.
After the harvest, provided there is one, there is the canning, and freezing and prep work to make it last till the next season.

Once again, it is easier to go to the grocery or farmer's market and buy veggies and fruits, but for me the smell and feel of warm dirt, and the satisfaction of eating food I grew after battling to get to that point-priceless and a luxury.
I support farmer's markets 110% and make every effort to buy from them, and think everyone should get to one at least one time a month during the season.

Cutting Back
The biggest area I can think of there would be cars.  We have been a two car family for several years, and it is convenient.  In October my husband was in an accident and his car was totaled.  There was a few days of panic and wondering how we would manage with one car. The thought of getting a new one was pushed aside simply because we were just freed up from a car payment, and we did not want to add another one.  So, we decided to save up and buy a car with cash.  My husband is in sales, which means he drives. A lot. On Mondays and Thursdays he is strictly in the office, so on those days I have the car to run errands, and take our son to tae kwon do in the evening.  This has worked out nicely, and I have to admit I like not having a car available to me a couple days a week as it forces me to have less distraction, which means I am forced to write more. ;-)
Read more!