Time Gets Away From Me and Before I Know It...

Well, before I know it, the days have slipped into weeks and I haven't posted! So much has happened, so I'm just gonna hit the high points, or more accurately, blab about whatever comes out.  hahahaha

First thing on my mind is Alaska. I want to move there more than anywhere else I've ever lived or wanted to live.  Finding out that one of my cousins, and my older brother want to move to Homer, which is where I want to be (or for me, at least, on the Kenai Peninsula), is just throwing fuel to my fire!  I am actively praying God will change my husbands heart and place the same desire in him that is in me. He says the cold makes him hurt, but I think lifestyle changes and supplements could change that. Also, I am full of ideas on how to make income in AK, for both of us, and for our older boys, should they choose to follow.  My mom is amenable to the idea, if for no other reason than two of her three kids moving there being motivation.

On another subject, I am going to try to practice consuming less, and producing more, both in food, and in material goods.  Reduce, re-use, recycle and refuse.  So I will be getting the majority of our clothes and many other items at only thrift stores.  I am purchasing chickens, rabbits and goats, for eggs, meat and milk.  I planted kale the other day, and will be planting more things soon. Also, I am going to get some side business going, starting with getting clothes and other gently used items at the thrift stores and selling it on Ebay, Facebook, and Craigslist. I've also started shopping the scratch and dent/ bulk food store for food items again, and started my coupon binder again, in an effort to save money. Christmas will be less about material goods and more about giving experiences.  And I will be gleaning everything we own, with an eye to either sell, donate or otherwise recycle the majority of things we own.  I am excited by the progress we have made so far in the last month or so, and really looking forward to it.  Minimalism and frugality energizes me!!!

School is looking like a looming possibility again for me, as well, I am seriously considering going back to college again, this time to become a registered nurse.  I would be good at it, and it is definitely a skill that would transfer to Alaska, or anywhere we choose to live.  I've flirted with the idea of nursing before, and I think its time to act on it.  I have til the end of November to decide, so I will have time to submit my FAFSA and get the ball rolling for next semester. 

My kids are all doing well.  Oldest stepdaughter asked me for my chicken n dumpling recipe about a week ago, in a rare moment of voluntary contact. My second oldest stepdaughter just turned 21.  My stepson came home from college this past weekend, giving us a nice visit. Turned around the day he went back, and hurt his ankle while playing ball. Its severely sprained, with some tendon damage, but should heal well.  My oldest son returned home from Mississippi, and says he is planning on joining the Army, but I have heard this before, so time will tell. I just want him to be happy and productive and well adjusted.  My daughter is running for student council, joined FCCLA and is playing trombone for the second year in a row. And my youngest, he's even more of a gamer this year than before, and of course, hes still a momma's boy, Daddy's working on that....hahahaha

The above picture isn't from our hayfields, but I snagged it from the web just to show round bales, which we do have.  

Life has been hectic. We moved from town the other day, into my moms house on a small farm.  It's a mixed blessing. We will have a roof over our heads, rent free. We'll be splitting expenses with Mom. So it should work out well that way.  But I will miss the convenience of living in town, and the independence.  I adore my mother, but it is tough to live with ones parents, particularly now that I am middle aged and set in my ways.  Nevertheless, I count this as a blessing.

For some reason my boss only scheduled me to work nine days in the month of October, so I am going to have to try to pick up extra shifts and generate income in alternative ways. I think I will be listing stuff on Craigslist and on several Facebook groups I am a member of.  With hubs being off work, we are really struggling, so anything I can do to contribute monetarily will help.

For supper, I have a roast in the crock pot, surrounded by potatoes, onion, carrots, celery and red bell pepper. Hopefully it will turn out good.  Sure smells good!

Later this afternoon, I am going outside to dig up a garden bed along a wall, and plant kale. Its a great fall crop and just loaded with nutrition.  A friend of mine recently started dieting using green smoothies in the morning as a nutrition packed punch to start her day, and has had amazing results. So I already have plans for this kale crop. And I am going to cut and come again on it until probably January, when I'll do a final harvest and dry any remaining kale in the dehydrator for use as a powder supplement.

I don't have much in the way of material wants. But I do have to say, I want a Ninja juicer!  I am praying we can find one for a marginal amount, so that I can make fresh juices and different milks, like almond, soy and rice milk.  From what I understand, you can also make great crushed ice with the Ninja and I am crazy about water with a nice finely crushed ice in it.

So, I have avoided the elephant in the room, guess I should say something. The government is shut down. And me without my super stockpile...lol.  I shouldn't joke, but there is a small part of me that wishes the government would collapse and we would have to start all over, in a revolutionary way, get back to our Constitutional roots. But that ain't gonna happen, no sir, that would be all too easy. meh.  It will be interesting to watch the developments. O-pinhead needs to be rousted out of office, I do know that.

One Post and I'm Already Slacking!

So when I posted the other day, I had every intention of posting , and again the next day, faithfully blogging each and every day. Now I see that may be unrealistic and too lofty a goal. Therefore I will blog "when I can" - that will be my goal.

A proper introduction from me:  I am mom/stepmom to six, three of whom are still at home. Of the three who are not at home, one is a college grad living in Charlotte, NC; one is working in a restaurant and livng with her mom in Boston, MA and one is in college about an hour away from here.  Of the three still at home with us, one is getting ready to start studying welding, one is in sixth grade and one is in third grade.  I have been married to my husband for going-on twelve years.  It has been rough and rocky at times, but we have persevered and stayed together, and things are quite well with us.  He works on the railroad, but was recently laid off, again, so money is going to get tight again.  But with God's blessings, we'll manage just fine.  Oh, and with my mom's help, too!! - we are moving in with her at the end of this month.  She owns a good sized house on 14 acres in the country, and I am really looking forward to getting back into country living!  We are currently working on finishing her basement, so we will have a mostly-separate living space with about 1200 or so square feet.

Next, I am currently researching juicers.  I don't know much about them, but from what I have read, I believe that a masticating juicer is what I need for my purposes. I would like to make vegetable, fruit and green juices.  If you have a recommendation, please let me know - it would really help me in choosing!

Also, I have been working on researching blogs and making up a blogroll. I am not done yet, but I have stumbled upon a lot of really great blogs right up my alley: blogs about Christianity and Godly living, homesteading, gardening, family, self sufficiency, TEOTWAWKI, prepping, foraging, animal husbandry, large families, food production and much more.  I look forward to having a large and extensive blogroll, and hopefully maintaining it with some regularity.  Also to the online fellowship with likeminded individuals.

Well, I have chores to do - cleaning, packing, and getting supper for this evening prepped, so until next time, may God bless you richly!

Re-Joining the Blogging World

After a great deal of thought and consideration, I have decided to rejoin the blogging world, full steam ahead.  In my previous blog, Mammy's Musings, I didn't pick any one particular subject to blog about, no particular theme, and I have decided to do the same thing with this blog.  I have an insatiably curious mind, many interests, causes I champion, and like anybody, so many things that keep me busy and occupied.  So tune in frequently to my little corner of the world, make a cup of tea, and let's get cozy! ;)

After I decided to start blogging again, I toyed with picking some hugely significant date to start blogging on.  And it just struck me as I was typing the first paragraph here, today is Constitution Day.  What better day to pick, given our current country's plight wherein our Constitutional rights are quickly eroding away, so that I can get on my soapbox and rant? :)

You'll find I am very politically opinionated.  I identify myself as Conservative, but let me assure you, I do believe in doing my homework, so I am not some mindless lemming or sheeple, swaying with whatever political wind blows my way.  Today is also hallmarked by the recent Naval Shipyard mass shooting, giving our current president impetus to start hammering away about gun control all over again. 

So today, 9/17/2013 is significant, historical and hopefully, it will bode well for my blogging success to have picked it as the day I start blogging again. 

Tomorrow, I plan to properly introduce myself, start working on my blogroll and working on the appearance of  my blog.  Until then, may God richly bless you, whoever, and wherever you are!