Peppermint Scrubber

Worlds Best Household Scrubber

1 cup salt (I use course canning salt)
1 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
10 drops scented essential oil (I use peppermint)

Mix together and keep in sealed container.
Use on sinks, toilets, tubs, etc...
scrub with a scrub brush.
Works great and smells oh-so clean!

embracing the new....letting go of the old....and being okay with it

Along with the excitement / surprise / nervousness of finding out we are about to become new parents, I have felt a variety of other unexpected emotions. Ones I wasn't expecting and am still adjusting too. While this new experience has brought me that much closer to my husband (and surprisingly my mother of all people!), I can't help but feel a little alone. A little left out. And a little misunderstood. And now a huge sense of guilt that I shouldn't been feeling this way, has left me confused and frustrated on top of it all! Pregnancy hormones? Maybe.

My husband and I made the decision to tell our friends and family right away. We are a close bunch and I wanted supported regardless of the turn out. People were happy and very congratulatory to us. Some more than others. But soon after then the changes came. Girlfriends stopped calling to hang out. Friends starting acting different around me. I no longer was one of the gang, but a burden almost. And I don't just feel it- my husband can feel it too.

Now some may say its time to get new friends and that may be a portion of the problem here. I love them to death, but I question if they love me back. When my girlfriends were busy having their babies, yes I continued to party and live my everyday life (after all I wasn't the one pregnant) BUT I sure as hell didn't make them travel to my house to see me or blow smoke in their direction when then were near by or taunt them with alcoholic drinks that they couldn't consume. No. I went with them baby shopping, drove them to drs appointments when their husbands couldn't go, watched the new born babes so they could regain some romance with their hubbys. I even painted the nursery walls for one of them!!!

So, maybe I have set myself up for this. Maybe I gave these women more then they can return, especially seeing how they are NOT without child, like I was at the time. I also have a stronger family unit then these girls. We also were the ones to move 20 mins away from everyone. But I can't help but feel used. Lost. Left out. Whats going to happen when we have the child? Will we never see these people again, unless we make the point to travel to them? Will I lose my entire identity as "one of the girls"? Will it even matter after we meet this new little person?

I'm really trying to tell myself that this is part of life. Its the ebb and flow of life. And while it's okay for me to mourn the loss of my former identity, I really should focus on the joy and the new identity I am about to receive. My heart tells me in just a few months this just won't be as big of a deal.

Right now (playing along with Soulemama today!)

Right Now, I am ...
arriving at the realization that I just may be able to handle this motherhood thing!
appreciating the little things we have in life- that people in other parts of the world do not have right now- heat, clean water and a nuclear free atmosphere.
celebrating my growing belly :)

learning how to crochet a blanket for the sweet new babe.

thinking I may stick to quilting.....
hearing the hustle and bustle of these people I share my days with, getting ready to end our work day.
noticing I have more patience these days..... for some things.
wondering what creative things I can do to make our little ones room oh-so special and unique.
deciding what bills get paid this week and what will just have to wait.
wishing that with the spring comes renewed income opportunties!

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.