I have a stack of books on my table and I’ve re-started a notebook that I’ve let languish on the shelf for far too long.  I know that if I don’t get everything in one place, I’ll end up wasting lots of time looking for information, or end up making purchases of items I already have.  I was planning to write about another “Key to Simplicity” — organization — so now is just as good a time as any to put some more effort into that area.  I’ll be sharing how things go, and how my notebooks are set up over the next couple of weeks.

On top of everything else going on, my sons and I will be traveling to Peru in less than 2 weeks for a mission trip!  I have never been out of the country (except for a port of call on a cruise), so this will be interesting.  We’ll be in Iquitos, in the Amazon rainforest.  In addition to the work we will be doing with missionaries there, I’m hoping to pick up some handwoven textiles made by the people who live in the region.

Wow!  So much to do, and so many things on my mind!  I find it helps to put things down on paper, so this morning it’s time to start my lists.

For many of you, gardening season is just beginning!  I’d love to know how you keep all your homestead projects organized.  I really dislike spinning my wheels, don’t you?  Hopefully we can all learn some helpful tips from one another.  My lettuce has done GREAT, and I cheated and bought some tomato seedlings to replace the ones lost in the freeze.  They are already producing and I can’t wait to eat fresh tomatoes everyday.  Oh, and my broccoli is really growing (mental note – take some pictures!).   So, I’m off to get some things done around the suburban homestead!  Leave a comment about what’s growing, or just what you’re doing around your homestead these days.

The sale was a huge success – I was blessed to have many friends (old and new) stop by to shop and to lend their encouragement during this season of our lives.  Most of my shoppers brought their children with them, and it was fun to see them run to the patio door to watch the chickens

Getting ready for the sale took most of my time and energy this week, so today I slowed down a bit.  I’m still catching up on paper work and emails.  Even though there is a lot of work to do at my desk, I longed to spend sometime at my loom, and in my garden.  So, scattered throughout the day I managed to do some weaving, and tonight I transplanted some herbs.

I also finished a purse/bag I had started a couple weeks ago.  After making one purse for my niece, I decided I liked the texture of the yarn so much, I just had to make a couple for me too

I was hoping to make a batch of soap today, but I couldn’t fit it in to my schedule.  We’re getting ready to go out of town for the long weekend, so my “Citrus Fresh” soap will have to wait until next week.  Some of my husband’s co-workers have asked to see my soap and other items I make, so he’s taking a basket to the office tomorrow.  One of my readers was asking about the kind of soap mold I use.  I like using a wood loaf mold for my cold-process soap.  Covering the soap helps to reduce the amount of soda ash that sometimes forms on the top of the loaf during drying/curing.  I either use a piece of wood, cardboard, or (when I first started) plastic wrap.

It is such a joy to make soap for my family!  My oldest son has requested that I always keep Tea Tree soap on hand – it is the only thing that helps his acne.  I’m happy that he’s not using harsh chemicals to deal with a skin condition.  After reading Rhonda Jean’s post answering questions about her soapmaking, I tried using my bar soap to do dishes today.  I still like liquid better, but I’m going to try to get used to using the bars until I can make my own liquid dish soap.

My busy-ness this week, has shown me more areas where I need to simplify, and driven home the fact that “life” still must go on, even if I’m ready to slow down.  As we are purposeful, and choose to live more deliberately, we can slowly change the direction and “speed” of our lifestyle – but it all takes time.  Although it was hard to part with those elementary books yesterday, I have wonderful memories of our homeschool years, and now I have more shelf space for yarns, jars, fabric, etc.  My home will change as our family dynamics change with the boys growing up and moving on to work/college.  I’m thankful to be learning new skills, discovering a part of myself that I really didn’t know existed.  I’ve never thought of myself as especially creative, but I find the more things I attempt to create, the more creative I become.  I’ll never be a Martha Stewart, but that’s okay, I’m happy being me….and that’s a good thing