Back to Basics

A friend of mine gets a monthly magazine about farming. I love to look at that magazine because it has some really great ideas (it has some really weird ones too!). Anyway, the lastest one was talking about the old root cellars that people used to have. The idea of a root cellar is to be able to store your produce all winter long. If it is dark, damp and cool, then your produce should last all winter if it is stored right. Although I will never be able to have a root cellar since I live in the HOT desert, I love the idea of it.

It got me thinking about how a lot of people are getting back to basics. Canning, food storage, freezing, sewing, gardening, etc. Whatever it takes to have food on hand for no matter what situation arises. Ever since I was a kid, I have done canning. I started out helping my mom peal peaches and as I got older, I did more. Between my grandma, my mom and my stepmom, I have learned a lot of things to help me be self sufficiant. I know how to sew, can, cook and do pretty much anything as long as someone shows me how.

I have decided that I really like the idea of getting back to basics. I'm canning a lot, started sewing again (obviously since I'm making purses to sell!) and I have found that I like to garden. I'm still learning the gardening thing, but hopefully I will get better at it. My goal is to one day live in a house with a yard big enough to have a decent garden so I can bottle what I grow. I think doing these things are good for kids too. It teaches them to be self reliant and to work hard. When you work hard you enjoy the fruits of your labor more! My kids eat dinner a lot better when they help make it!

The other benefit to it all, is the food is better for you. There are no pesticides, hormones or preservatives in it. It is all natural and much healthier for you. Today I'm even going to try my hand at making homemade pasta! I think getting back to basics is a wonderful idea and I'm working towards having a year supply so that no matter what, we will be okay.

My family and close friends shouldn't be surprised if they get food for Christmas!

This and That

Well, I still haven't gotten my computer fixed...only because I haven't figured out how to get it to the friend that offered to look at it for me. I hate not having a computer that doesn't have internet. I feel disconnected! Even though I have it on my phone, it's not easy to type a whole email or blog entry on my phone...especially when I have had to switch to swyping since the keyboard on my phone is messed up! I am at my mom's right now playing on her computer while she is making bread.

What have we been up to the last couple of weeks? Well, I got a used car. I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that. My kids started school...mentioned that too. :) I've been looking for cheaper places to live closer to work. That has been harder than I thought it would be. The houses are either really, really small, too expensive or trashed. One house was HORRIBLE and had a terrible smell. Definitely not worth the price they were asking! I have also come to the conclusion that I think I need to wait a few months when I can hopefully afford to pay the deposits and maybe the right house will open up for me. Don't get me wrong, I love where we live now. We live in a wonderful neighborhood with great friends all around us. They take care of us, check on us all the time and make sure we are doing well. They are fun and sweet and this is the best neighborhood I have ever lived in. The only problem is the cost and the fact that I have to commute 30 minutes one way in good traffic every day. That gets old and expensive after a while! I guess when the time is right, I will find the right place for us to live.

I made my first attempt at bottling meat yesterday. Very interesting! I had a chicken and a roast in the freezer. I cooked them both up and bottled them. They sealed, hopefully they will taste ok! I never thought I would bottle meat. It kind of scares me to have meat sitting on a shelf, but I mean, you can buy meat in a can and people bottle it all the time, so it should be okay, I guess. :) In the last 2 weeks I have also made strawberry syrup, cherry syrup, cherry jelly and apricot syrup. I think we are set on syrup for a while! I am hoping to be able to afford apples this fall and make apple pie filling again and get some berries too to make jam. Bottled apple pie filling is the best. For potlucks, all I have to do is open a jar of pie filling and make a crumble topping on top and voila, dessert for potluck!!

I have started getting purse orders for Christmas. So far I have about 7 or 9 orders pending. My friend also said she is going to have a purse party in late Sept or early Oct and I'm going to do the craft fair at work in Oct. I'm so excited!!! I'm hoping to get my business up and running and making some decent money at it. I love making purses! I found out that I am good at it and I love putting the fabrics together to make them. I have so many ideas in my head, but getting them down on paper and then into a purse is taking a while. It is a fun process for sure! I want to make messenger bags, diaper bags and vintage looking purses. I have also been asked to do pillowcases and just got an order for pillows. This could prove to be a lucrative business! Who knew??

Last weekend I was invited to two parties. One was a pool party a friend's house who just had a new pool put in. It was fun to go visit with some of the guys I work with and eat some good food! Then I took my kids a 1 year old's birthday party at another friend's house. She and her husband have a little boy that just turned 1 and she has two teenage daughters. They had a house built for them and it is beautiful! For the party they had rented a bouncy house that was made to have water on it so it was a water slide with a splash pool and bouncy house all in one. My kids literally ran the circuit on that thing for 5 hrs straight with a forced 10 minute dinner break. They had a blast and boy they slept really good too!! I had fun visiting with friends too!

My dating life still isn't...I've given up for a while I decided. Men confuse the hell out of me. I've decided that I'm not crazy enough or mean enough since men seem to like women that are looney or treat them like shit. They say they like nice girls, but they don't. I can't talk I guess. I seem to like men that are not the best for me so I guess I will just stick to myself.

I guess that's about all for now. I'm hoping someday to say that I have inherited a ton of money and found the man of my dreams, but until then I'll just keep on keeping on!

School's in Session!!

I love August for one reason...school starts!! I love buying school supplies and school clothes, even though I never seem to have the money to buy them. This year I lucked out and found some great stuff on clearance like shirts for $2 a piece!

Last year, school was a bit of struggle for my kids. My son struggled with bullying and lying about doing his work which in turn gave him bad grades. My daughter just flat out refused to do her work, fought with her teacher, disrupted class and pitched fits. I have been talking all summer long about a new school year means a fresh start so lets work really hard at proving that a lot of growing up was done over the summer and do better! I have resorted to bribery as well...hopefully it will work!

I got a call from my daughter's teacher on thursday, my first thought was already? It's only been 2 days! It turns out she just wanted to tell me it's been a great 2 days and wanted to know if I had any questions. I like it!

I can't believe my kids are in 5th and 6th grade! Next year my son will be in middle school...kinda scary and exciting all at the same time. He gets bullied some in elementary school, I'm a little concerned about him going to middle school. He also struggles with the work in elementary school. I'm worried he's going to get lost in the shuffle at middle school because by then the teachers expect the students to show responsibility and do their work...it is going to be a busy and tough year for my son this year with me cracking the whip and coming down on him if he doesn't do his work. He is going to have to prove to me that he deserves more responsibility and that is not going to be easy for sure!