My husband’s job is slated to end on 1/31 – we are watching and praying to see what the Father has in store for us in this area.  One thing is for sure, we will be cutting back even more and I’m so glad we have at least started on the road toward self-sufficiency!

I now have two raised beds, and we’ve enjoyed some small harvests of green beans and peas.  I’m realizing that we need to have LOTS of plants in the ground in order to harvest enough for meals and preserving.  The second raised bed has a few herbs and tomato plants.  We have the wood for framing two more beds that I hope to have built, filled and planted next week.  I have not done well about starting my own plants, so we’ll have to use plants from the nursery.  I need to lay out a schedule for succession planting.

The door has opened for me to sell soap at our local Farmer’s Market on Thursday mornings!  In some ways I feel a bit inadequate, but my soap has received rave reviews from friends that I’ve shared with, so I press on!  Last night I made some wonderfully scented Citrus soap with a bit of oatmeal as an exfolliant.  Smells good enough to eat!  Selling at the market will be a great experience for my youngest son (age 14), since he will be helping and earn some money to put toward his upcoming mission trip.

The weather is beautiful down here in SW Florida and I’m looking forward to eating more and more homegrown or local grown food all winter long.  As a family we’ve talked about the belt-tightening that will be taking place, and the boys have promised to be open to trying more veggie and bean dishes   Even as we face uncertainty, we are so blessed to have so much and to be together as a family!  Earlier today I was meditating on a wonderful promise from the Word.  I pray that it is a blessing to you as well:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”
Isaiah 43:1.

For me simplicity does not necessarily equal easy.  Simplicity is doing more with less, realizing when one has enough.  I will be the first to admit that I struggle in the area of “enough”.  I love my gadgets and have a tendency to be a packrat.  I am realizing more and more how much time it takes to maintain a life/house/etc. that is too filled with “things”.

Our family sees the need to become more self-sufficient.  Things are not going to get much better, at least not before they get worse.  There are food shortages reported worldwide, we are totally tied to “mama” Wal-Mart or other retail source for everything we need to live.  It seems it might be time to take a step back, evaluate what is really important, and get to work.  Not only can we become more self sufficient, we can also help make the world a better/cleaner place to live.