Pea in the Pod

What a whirlwind our lives have become since I wrote you last! All the house projects, the summer planning, dealing with all this snow! And....our little family is growing by one!

So many things are on our already full plates, that this little precious addition, this little person, well getting ready for them has really become priority and made us want (and need) to do everything on our "to do list" now!

Everything is always perfect in the planning mode. Seasoned Mothers will laugh and scoff at my "kind of mother I want to be" goals. But I think its good to have a destination and I think if I had a child any younger I wouldnt be ready (or even begin) to know how to be the Mother I really want to be. I'm sure plans will change, things won't work out. But I'm sure there will be some successes and I know I will be atleast on the right path.

Only a year or so ago did I really become familiar with homesteading and the community that surrounds it. While I have always leaned more toward the "natural" and "self sufficient" side of things, I never really knew how to do the things I desired. Once we purchased our home, I had to discover how, I wanted to know all the things to make my house, our home, more sustainable. I learned to garden, save water, bake bread, countless things, that help and guide our everyday life. Now, I get to learn how to do that with a child. And I think, I hope, we are ready.

For now, it's fun to plan. Its fun to work on the homemade blankets and scoop up cheap finds for the eclectic and different baby nursery that I want. I will be sure to post some photos along the way!

Meat Week

Husband got a deer on Saturday, so that is getting processed tonight. He will do the cutting w. his buddies and then I will package it all up in foodsaver bags. We also went in on a portion of a cow with my sister and my parents. My Dad picked that up today, so this weekend I will process that. Its wrapped in freezer paper, but that wont cut it, so I will do the foodsaver bags on that too. Should be a fun few days, but atleast the freezer will be full!

this week....

I need a little "pull yourself up by the boot straps" speech today.
I'm feeling rotten about money and the more we need it, the more I seem to spend.
So, as a reminder to myself today, I am going to make a list of all the things I have been doing well this week to save money-

1. rekindled my romance with the bread discount store! Cha-ching!
2. thought through my meals for the week- all home cooked (as always) but no last minute pick ups. I am cleaning that cupboard out baby!
3. returned all the bottles we could find- $14 buckaroos! We used it to buy t.p. toothpaste and other needed items.
4. the furnace is off and the woodstove is going. Normally, this is the only time of year we allow the furnace to run at all- just a low temp while we are at work. But this year, we dont have any oil, so the woodstove is on early (we will see how that works out come February!)
5. We both have brought our breakfasts and lunches to work all week- husband is great about this- I am not.

So there we have it. I need to be positive and continue to focus on the things we can improve on to help save us more during these difficult times.

Remember to vote today!

A Monday morning surprise.

It seems sometimes saving money and living simply is only fun and rewarding when it is a choice. But on the other hand the skills do come in handy when all the sudden you find yourself needing to cut corners.

Every year I get a little nutty in the Fall. I think alot of New Englanders get this way. I have the overwhelming urge to stock pile food and firewood and batton down the hatches. Winter here in Maine can be pretty long and brutal and I make every effort I am ready when that first storm hits. Normal financial stresses come along with winter. Bigger electric bills, bigger fuel bills. Holidays. And both of us being in the construction business, sometimes work slows a little in the winter.

This year, before we even see a snowstorm, it sounds like a financial storm is going to hit. Husband found out this morning he is about to be layed off.

In some ways we are very prepared for this. We have about as much food as we can store. We have almost five cords of wood, which will get us into at least February if we are careful. We really aren't behind on any bills and Christmas can be small. But we live hand to mouth on what we make for the most part now and the difference between his check and unemployment is going to hurt us. That means we can put starting a family soon on hold. That means we can forget about (even a cheap) vacation this winter.

When I have money in the bank and I am making my own laundry detergent and eating food I raised, I am so proud. When I don't have two dimes to rub together, the story is slightly different.

Welcome cold weather!

Finally, it's starting to feel like fall! The heat wave is passed and I for one am so ready to move on to the next New England season- fall!
It seems every year we do better and better with being ready for winter and all that comes with it. We have over four cords of wood, all cut, split and stacked under cover. The garden is all pulled and just needs to be raked out. It was a bumper crop this year! 3 huge pumpkins, fresh veggies, pickles, relish, salsa, tomato sauce and plenty of dried herbs later, we made out pretty well I think!
We still have to clean the furnace and chimney, get the yard ready and drain the pool, but we are well ahead of where we have been in seasons past. It gives us more time to spend at the local fairs and having good times!

Summer in Maine...

Its less than 2 days away from Labor Day weekend and Maine is experiencing a heat wave. Don't laugh! I'm not talking 3 days of 80 degree temps here! We've seen the 90's all week and let me tell you, this isnt right!!

Now don't get me wrong, I can deal with a little sunshine and warm weather. But when you live in Maine (most of us anyway!) you get acustom to a 2 month summer of 80 degree temps and some rain here and there. This has been nuts and yes I am complaining!

My garden is done. Looks like someone took a leaf torch to it! I had great sucess with it this year before the heat got so bad and have more produce than I know what to do with! 25 jars of pickles, 6 jars of relish, 6 large frozen bags of tomatoes sauce, 3 huge pumpkins and a summers worth of fresh veggies galore, I have had enough! Bring on the crisp apples, the fall nights, all the good stuff fall has to offer! I am ready!

Praying for rain

This has been a strange week. I don't feel like I should be bothered by it.
But I am.

Husband got a new job, after much encouragement and pushing from me. His old job, while the pay was good, was very stressfull and unstabile. Sometimes he wouldnt get paid for the week. He would come home tired and angry. He would call me several times a day, to check in, say hi, maybe vent a little. During our long work weeks, we stayed connected. We would even ride to work together the last few months. But, atlast he got a job offer and it was time to move on to greener pastures. It's a good job working for a framing contractor.

Great! I thought. This will be a new experience for him. He will have better opportunies, be happier. And in turn, it will make things at home, that much happier.

Wrong.

We are on day 3. I don't like this job. No phone use unless on breaks and even then he doesnt call- doesnt want to call the old lady in front of the new boys at work I suppose. He starts at 6:30 and who knows when he gets out for the day. Last 2 days its been well after dinner time. Last night, I missed him so much (pathetic I know, after 2 days of barley seeing each other) that I decided to make a nice dinner to butter him up and get some attention. He came home late, chowed it down and promptly fell asleep on the couch. No "how was your day". No "thanks for dinner". He was toast. And for the record, he thinks the job is "okay".

So this morning, I woke up, in an empty bed. He was already gone. On the way to work, my hour long commute was very lonely. My hour long lunch break and hour long ride home will be too. I found myself hoping for rain. May it pour and he be rained out of work today. Maybe my old husband who needed me will come back.