The chickens are now residing in a new home.  My challenge was not wanting to keep them cooped up.  They were fine to wander in our yard and the lot next door, but they started wandering a whole street away.  If we kept them cooped up in a chicken yard or the coop itself, we would be buying even more feed.  My husband reminded me that this wasn’t what we were aiming for…the cost of feed, due to the cost of corn has been steadily rising.  So, a good friend with lots of land and animals took them a few months ago.  I’ll admit, I miss them. A lot.  But it is probably for the best.

I started working part-time to supplement our income.  Our oldest got married on 12/31 and I even picked up an extra part-time job over the holidays to help with the wedding expenses.  Working more meant I was less available for my family.  Even though the boys are young adults, I still like to be available to them.  I also found us eating out or more convenience foods, since I didn’t have time to cook from scratch.

I was so thankful the extra job ended a few days before the wedding!  Now we’re entering a different season with one child out of the house and another graduating high school in a few months.  I’m looking forward to getting to some creative projects around the home and getting our little garden going again.  This is a great time of year to grow lettuce, kale, swiss chard and broccoli.

The older I get, the more home-focused I become.  I sometimes look back and wish I had really valued my role as a homemaker when my kids were younger.  As I move toward having an empty nest, I’m also looking forward to growing in personal areas and learning new skills that I might pass on to my daughter-in-law and hopefully, grandchildren.  I’m blessed that my husband doesn’t want me to go out and find full-time work.  We are quite content with my part-time job that is worked mostly from home.  A perfect fit for us during this season of transition.

I’m also looking forward to growing and learning from other bloggers and those who visit this blog.  I’m committed to giving more and living more purposefully, with more faith in the coming year.

Several of us realized we were in the same boat when it comes to our gardens — we are very late getting our next crops in.  We are all novices at this, and it would be easy to get discouraged.  Instead we encouraged each other to plant those seed anyway – the worst that can happen is we don’t get any produce, but we most likely will see some yield, even if it’s not what it could have been.  So this week I’m pulling the spent broccoli plants, adding some compost and planting squash, zucchini, and cucumber seeds.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress!

Another thing we talked about while our knitting needles clicked, was how we were each doing on our storage/pantry planning.  It was neat to hear what others were doing, and to be reminded to stay on track.  We also discovered there were some items we each needed and are going to do another bulk order together soon.

I recently finished reading the book “Independence Days – A guide to Sustainable Food Storage & reservation” by Sharon Astyk.  Sharon has done an excellent job of blending practical tips and recipes, with the story of her own journey and the results of her own research regarding food and the decline of natural resources.  Even though the information wasn’t necessarily new, it was still a good reminder for me to stay on track.  I also picked up some very useful tips and feel better armed to encourage others that they too can start stocking up for an emergency.  By the way, there are lots of good reasons to stock your pantry that have nothing to do with the world as we know it coming to an end!  Job loss, rising prices, and natural disasters, are a few that come to mind.

One of the things I know I should add to my pantry for long term storage is beans and legumes.  Problem is, I don’t know how to prepare them!  Once again, my friends came to the rescue.  Cooking beans is something that a couple of us have done a lot, whereas myself and one other friend were pretty clueless.  After making some notes and pulling a recipe book off my shelf, I am ready to incorporate this power food into our diet.  Even as I type this, there is a pot of black beans out in the solar oven!

When I first started thinking about the idea of some key ingredients to moving toward a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle, I really didn’t have friendship on the list.  However, I realize that in a society where we’ve either moved away or lost touch with many of our older relatives that can teach us these skills.  So, I definitely benefit from the support and information I receive from “friends” who write great blogs about their journey, and friends here in my community who are so willing to share both their failures and successes so we can each get a little further toward our goal.

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.

First, confession…it is easy for me to get caught up in consumerism even as I desire to move away from that lifestyle and be more self-reliant!   However, as I strive to learn new skills, and live a more simple, frugal lifestyle, I have found that it is still so easy to get caught up in acquiring new things.  Books are my primary downfall.  I’ve done my share of decluttering, and continue to do so.  But, as I’ve shared before, there are some items (including books) that need to be purchased, borrowed, or bartered for in order for us to make many of the items that most people purchase.

Fragrant Jasmine in Bloom

So, I have a list of things I “need”, yet I find that some of those needs are really wants.  Can I do without?  Can I come up with a creative way to duplicate an item I think I need to purchase, that will still get the job done?  For instance, I am loving working with fibers and spinning my own yarn.  I’m now longing for a spinning wheel!  Of course, a wheel is not in our budget for the near future, so I’m learning to be content with the drop spindle I started with, and my dear son and hubby are crafting me a couple more to try.

The seed catalogs have been arriving over the past few weeks – all sorts of new varieties are available!  It’s easy to just start making a list, but wait!  Don’t I have seeds from my order last spring?  I even managed to save a few seeds from my tiny garden last year.   I’ll sit down today with a cup of homegrown herbal tea, and take inventory of my seed packets.  I have a feeling I have plenty to work with!  It would be fun to place that order, but I believe I can be content with what I have.

From my own experience, and from reading blogs and books written by others trying to live a simpler life, I’ve noticed that an underlying secret to successfully moving toward the life we desire is contentment.  The culture is constantly bombarding us with messages that we need more, deserve more, etc.  Cultivating contentment isn’t always easy.  However, it is a key ingredient to living a simpler lifestyle.  Contentment isn’t really about not purchasing things we might need or even want.  Instead, for me at least, it means looking inside myself at my motivations and what occupies my thoughts.

Am I spending more time thinking and dreaming about all the things I want or need in order to give us a more simple lifestyle, than actually staying on task and making do with what I have?  Too often, I have to answer honestly that I’m spending more time pining for what I don’t have, than appreciating all the tools and resources at my disposal today.  There is always lots to be done and enjoyed around our suburban homestead.  We have been richly blessed!  I have everything I need to do a better job cooking from scratch, making my own cleaning supplies and bath products, growing food, and mastering various handcrafts.  Instead of spending valuable time and energy worrying about what I don’t have, I am resolved to be content, really content, and daily enjoy/make use of the items at hand.

“But Godliness with contentment is great gain.”  1Timothy 6:6

I’ve been wanting to make infused herbal oils for awhile, and today seemed like a perfect day to give it a try.  Though I’d love to say I grew the herbs I was working with today, that’s not the case.  Some friends and I put in an order together for bulk herbs from More Than Alive.  I’ve had them for a couple months, and definitely don’t want them to lose their potency before I have a chance to give them a try.

Since I have two sons playing basketball, Arnica is always useful to have around.  I’ve purchased commercial salves, but really wanted to make my own so I have more control over potency and ingredients.  I used my solar oven to infuse Arnica and Chamomile.  Yes, I could be more patient and let the herbs infuse in the oil on a sunny windowsill for a few weeks, but I really want to use the oil, so heating with the sun in the solar oven was the next best thing.

The weather we’ve had lately has been perfect!  THIS is why I live in Florida — these days don’t last long before the heat and humidity come back, but I enjoy them while they are here.  My garden is doing well, and I’ve enjoyed a couple salads from my productive lettuce bed.

The tomatoes that survived our hard freeze a couple weeks ago are starting to get some blooms, so all is not lost there.  So, far my winter garden raised beds consist of tomatoes, kale, basil, radish, onions, spinach, lettuce, and broccoli.

This morning I picked some fresh lemon balm and added it to some dried homegrown mint for delicious tea.  I also had time to work on some hot pads and dishcloths while sitting on the lanai watching the hens scurry around the yard searching for bugs.

I recently learned how to felt soap and did some felting this morning.  They turned out pretty well.  My friend and I have started a company, Soapsy Daisy, and are doing a few local craft shows this winter.  I’ve also been working on getting an Etsy store up and going for selling our soaps and salves.  I think the chamomile oil I infused today, along with the  dried flowers, will be great in a bar of skin-soothing soap!

Lately I’ve been pondering how I can be more home-centered and what other steps we can take to live a simpler more sustainable lifestyle.  Things like making our own teas from homegrown herbs, and growing our own food is definitely a start.  Slowing down and taking the time to figure out how we can make do with something we already have rather than buying new is also a habit we are cultivating.

I’ve been reading some books about the great depression and thinking back on conversations I used to have with my grandmother.  We have so much available to us these days!  Things are often cheaper to buy, than to make.  However, part of simplifying is being creative and taking the time to make things ourselves.  Those “cheaper” items come with a price — whether it is fuel to travel thousands of miles, or being the result of underpaid workers, or simply that it wears out or breaks because of poor quality, causing us to have to purchase the item again.

Of course, another advantage of making things myself is the satisfaction of producing something with my hands.   Lately, even my teen sons have begun to use their creative juices!  I love sitting down to sew or crochet, and having them working beside me on art, drawing, music, and even sewing and crocheting!  Even though I was in consumer mode when they were young, and lamented about what they and I missed by not slowing down all those years ago, I can see that it really isn’t too late!  Partly from necessity, partly from their parent’s example as we embark on this journey, we’re all changing and growing…together.

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

Union Loom No. 36 circa 1948

It had to be disassembled in order to be moved, then we had to reassemble and re-warp (thread hundreds of yard ends through to the front) the loom.  Thankfully, my dear neighbor kept the original instructions!  They also gave me all of the shuttles, two tubs of rags, and other accessories.  There are yards and yards of cotton warp already on the loom – enough to make several rugs.  I feel so blessed!

Both of my sons have helped with assembling the loom, helping me figure out issues, and more.  My oldest is very mechanically inclined, so he gets called on often to help me figure things out.  I’ve had some issues that have caused me to have to rewarp at least part of the loom, twice.  However, each time I cross a hurdle, I find that I’ve learned more about the loom.  There is a weavers guild in my area, and I’m praying there will be ladies there who will be able to mentor me in my new craft!

I’ve done some weaving, creating a small mat (I had to cut what was to be a 3 foot rug off the loom due to a broken warp thread).  It’s not the prettiest thing, but I did get to try my hand at “finishing” the edge by tying fringes.

Rag mat woven on floor loom.

After fixing the broken thread, I decided to try weaving with 100% cotton yarn as my weft.  I like using the yarn – it is quicker than weaving with rags.  It is also giving me practice having the correct tension on the edges.  I think this will be a functional kitchen towel once it is removed and the ends hemmed.

Cotton Towel on Loom

As you can imagine, I am really enjoying playing with my new “toy”   I know that the skills I am learning will move us closer to our goal of living a simpler life.  I’m also finding that making my own items, whether soap, rugs, fabric, salves, etc., allows me to bless others with gifts that they need, while saving money because I make them myself.

It is hard to explain the peace I have these days – even in the midst of discouraging news regarding my husband’s ending the first week of June.  I guess it all goes back to living a life of faith and deliberately choosing to live a more purposeful lifestyle.

Choosing to be home, and be productive at home, has allowed me to save money and fix more meals from scratch.  Keeping busy, working with my hands, has definitely given me more time to meditate and pray.  As I look over the past several years and see my Father’s amazing provision for us, over and over again, I can’t help but praise Him and trust that He has everything under control!

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.