Self Sufficient

Hello Friends,

I am happy to report my garden is doing well.  I can see changes in the rate of growth. The tomatoes are done, the peppers are there but small, and the sunflowers are almost ready to harvest.  With the cooler weather the plants naturally wain. I have just begun my self sufficient trek so I will allow it all to go for the winter.  Most homesteaders plant a fall and winter garden with row covers and cold frames. I did a cold frame one winter that was mild using old windows from the house. (I love to re purpose things.) However, this year will be different. More thought is going to my my planning, soil, and plants. My research is ongoing so I will take some time and replant next spring.  I freeze most of my foods that I have grown. Its easy for me and I need the freezer full so it runs less thereby saving energy. I have a smaller refrigerator now. Before I had two large refrigerators with freezer attached. Now I'm down to a side by side fridge in the kitchen and full size freezer in the basement. I have a food dehydrator and have used is for tomatoes. They taste like sun-dried tomatoes. I will use it again for beef jerky and dried apples for snacking. Canning is a problem at the moment because my electric stove has a glass cook top and the weight of the canner with all the water will be too much for it to hold. So canning will wait till I have a single burner to rest it on.

I have been enjoying my time here at the house, researching sewing, growing/preserving food and caring for the property. I have a lot to be proud of.  My research in homesteading is paying off by being more prepared to handle whatever the future brings with little waste of money and resources. Getting away from big agriculture, learning the process of raising crops and preserve what I have grown is the best way for me to care for myself and my family.  Its sad to see how animals are treated in food processing plants. and the way vegetables are altered giving us little nutrients for what we consume and the high cost of all of them. I wanted to create a more satisfying way of living and am getting there day by day. So I invest my time and efforts in to being self sufficient. Also, we all are used to a disposable lifestyle, I am too. But for me... I had the desire to learn to use less disposable materials keeping most things in glass containers, using cloth napkins and dish towels instead of paper. I reuse plastic storage bags as many times as I can by washing them out. The exception to this is the bags that held meats. They are tossed after each use.  It's these little things that help the environment and our wallets. It takes some getting used to but is easy once you have the mind set of conservation. We recycle almost all of our plastics, paper and metals. What cannot be picked up by the town will be taken to either the metal recycling plant once a year or repurposed if possible. My good friend Ingrid Justic has helped me see how convenient all these things listed in my blog are to do. It just takes awareness and the willingness to try. She has truly helped me to learn how to go natural with everything. I knew of all this before I met Ingrid, but I never used the knowledge in my everyday living. I thank her here and I will thank her in person the next time I see her.

To continue my path to self sufficiency I will be buying solar panels and learning to use them as soon as finances allow. They are much cheaper now and easier to use than ever before.  I long for a wood stove but fitting it in my house is a problem. Its just too tiny to fit one. The money you save heating with wood is so great your wallet will be closed almost permanently. Wood is hard to cut without a log splitter, but for around $1800 you can get a good gas powered one and split 10 cords over a summer with little effort. Wood is $200 per cord pre-cut, but if you team up with a tree trimming company your can get it for free. Make sure you have a place to cut and store the wood and you are set. Our house is secure for winter heating though. We have saved up and added a large electric hot water heater (Thanks to our good friend Orlando and My husband Tom)  to off set the oil bill which can be upwards of $800 per fill 3-4 times per year. Also on hand is the kerosene heater for power outages, and to supplement heat where ever we need it.  I will never give up my hair dryer or my dishwasher or my washer and dryer for the laundry. So if your are thinking I will live like an Amish person your are completely out of your mind.  However, going "off the grid" never really meant that lifestyle anyway.  Self sufficient means you can live without those things and can care for your self without needing everything prepackaged, and delivered to your door. Breaking free from the high bills of the energy companies, using solar power, keeping more of what you earn, and for the love, the joy and pride of doing it yourself.  That is where its at for most homesteaders.  I am getting there. I enjoy the work.  Do what you can to save the earth for your children.  We all have a responsibility to our future.

Blessing to you all.

Suz

House Proud

Hello Friends,

Happy Autumn!

With fall approaching and children returning to school, it's time to think about a deep cleaning in our homes. I do a deep cleaning in my home twice a year fall and spring. Clean out from underneath beds, dressers, sofa's and large appliances. Start by dusting down furniture with a rag and furniture polish instead of a feather duster.  Take down curtains and dry clean or wash them. Then follow up with vacuuming and washing floors.  I clean in and under everything that I have not touched previously. Hit the refrigerator with a blast of Lysol disinfectant cleaner and ditch the leftover condiments sitting longer than 6 months.  Pay very close attention to all the details. For instance, the kitchen cabinets. You can't see it but it's there, a very slight film of grease that you get from cooking.  Use a mixture of water and ammonia to get the grease off the cabinets, then wipe dry.  Clean inside drawers and cabinets, and add new drawer liners. This can be done once per year if you choose. Wipe down ceiling fans and wash glass globes as well as the blades.  Have carpeted areas steam cleaned by a professional too. It takes away all the allergens that have made home in our rugs. This will also keep our wall to wall carpets looking their best over time. Keeping our homes clean and free of debris is one way we show the love we have for our families and ourselves. Take care of your biggest asset and it will take care of you.

 Try these tips for cleaning other areas in your home:

- Salt and lemon juice gets stuck on stuff off pot bottoms. The acid in the lemon mixed with the salt can give them a new glow. ***Never use this on non-stick pots.

- Use a steam mop to kill germs on hard wood floors. I usually mop my hardwood floors with boiling hot black tea. But in a rush I will go for the steam mop which does the same job with quicker drying time.

- Dont forget closets. Reorganize linen and clothes closets to make every item is easy to find. Then place natural cedar planks in them to keep fabric loving bugs out. In addition to adding cedar planks, I made lavender sachet's and hung them on every third hanger to help keep my closet smelling fresh. Men would prefer tea tree scent or clove over lavender. Clove sachet's can easily be made with whole cloves from the spice rack. *Tip:  I place my top, fitted and one pillow case of sheet set inside one of the matching pillow cases to keep the set together and easy to find in my closet. Each sheet set is then neatly stacked in my closet. :)

- Use a stiff brush to remove dust from lamp shades, and free standing fans. Then place them out on the sun for an hour to kill any dust mites before replacing them on lamps. Same goes for silk flowers.

-  A big must.... vacuum then hang large area rugs outside in the sun for one hour. They will smell better and dust mites are irradiated. Wash smaller area rugs then hang to dry instead of simply shaking the out.   :)  There is nothing better than sunlight and a little time to freshen up items that can't be washed.

Finally, make it a habit to deep clean at least two times per year. Put it on your calendar and stick to it. More frequent deep cleaning is best, but with work and family requiring most of our time twice per year is good enough.  I love doing this in chunks so that it does not so overwhelming. Choose a chunk of time to do a few things and finish them before moving on to the next. You will be happy with the outcome. If you hire a professional to do your cleaning, make certain they use good products and follow your instruction precisely. Cutting corners is not ok. Inspect everything before paying the bill.

One final word before I say goodbye, don't forget the exterior of your home. You can buy siding wash from home improvement stores or hire a professional  to do your windows and siding all at once.

Love and hugs,
Suz

Spending time

Dear Friends,


This past month my sisters were in from out of state. We were gathering to place our mothers remains in her final resting place. We created our own ceremony, ( thanks to my middle sister) hired a singer to sing hymns, bought some flowers, and placed our mother next to her husband in their plot here in NJ. It was an exceptional time. We rarely see each other because of the distance between our homes so this gave us reason to gather. I am pleased that it wasn't an expensive visit either. All in all we spent very little money celebrating birthday's, and celebrating life. What I noticed was that we enjoyed our time together more by cooking together at home, watching movies, playing games and talking. We ate one meal out and bought pizza another day. The rest of the time we went sight seeing, and chatted about old times. The food was spectacular and the time, precious. My sister and her family were able to stay at a family members summer condo, saving them $250 per night at a hotel and from squishing themselves into our tiny home. Her children went sight seeing with my children and really got to spend quality time together. Our eldest sister lives in PA so she was just here for the day, but we will see her at the family reunion. :))

Next we travel to see other family members whom we haven't seen in many years. We are staying at my aunt's house because it's so difficult to get a good hotel room that allows pets. Lucky for us to have generous family members. Everyone is contributing something to this reunion in order to share in the joy of giving and spending time with loved ones. My eldest cousin will pay his guitar along with my husband the bass player, I'm sending bouquets of flowers to decorate the tables with, my eldest sister and other members are bringing food. My other cousin is opening up her home for the reunion to take place at, and my aunt and uncle are providing sleeping quarters for as many people as possible. Together we can make it a great gathering without spending ridiculous amounts of money and still spend all our time together. The money we do spend will be spent with great joy in creating this time together.

All we need is each other. Reach out to family and pose the question "can we visit?" Put differences aside, respect opinions as just that, opinions. Create a good gathering, choose love and maintain closeness with family. Our lives are rich. We already have everything we need, but sometimes we just don't see it.




Peace,

Suz

Cost of Living

Dear Friends:

Over this past few weeks I have been sprucing up my home by painting and cleaning. I have posted all along mentioning my adventures and my discoveries. I have a good life. I have good solid assets. My house for one, a reliable car, good furniture and dependable appliances. I follow the belief that if I "take good care of my assets, my assets will take care of me" so to speak.  Investing in quality has proven that to me over time.  If I buy that needed item and know I will need it for years to come, then cost may not totally be a factor.  There are few really great things that are cheap. Sometimes its better to hire a professional to do the work and other times I can do the work.  Like painting or cleaning.
The things I do are in a certain order and done from start to finish before starting another project.  This saves me from wasting money on items that I think I might need and will never use, save me time and effort because there is a specific start and end, and it keeps me from feeling stressed out by the unfinished mess in my home.  I have great discipline when it comes to projects and time management.  Skills I learned when I owned my own business.  I do not like unfinished things like business with a person, big projects, and so on.  I personally find it appealing to see the completed job so I can then make changes or sit back and reap the rewards.

All the things we do to protect our assets and still the cost of living keeps going up yet somehow we still continue on living life and making our dollars stretch. With rising costs in, well, everything taking care of my home and saving for my future have become more of a challenge than before. Its funny I heard my parents saying this same things in the 70's and 80's.  Still I am surprised at the low wages being paid and rising cost of so many of our everyday necessities.  It seems that everyday I hear of companies eliminating jobs and squeezing the existing workers to do multiple jobs under one job title.
Well, because of constant uncertainty in my earnings level, I have learned how to "play the rules".  Not break the law or get government handouts. Just play the rules. To clarify I will attempt to journal what I buy, what is deductible and what I can make myself.  I can deduct certain things from my taxes like medicines as we all know but did you know it is not limited to medicine?  Medical expenses are not just doctor visits and RX, Its the miles traveled to get such medical attention, (medical milage) and the out of pocket expenses you incur as a result of the diagnosis, like bandages, alcohol and, medication not covered by insurance and so forth.  In the following posts, I will show you just how much you can save if you know how. This is what I am talking about.  I don't presume to know everything, but I have a clue and am I always open to learning more.

Keeping it simple.

Peace,
Suz

Garden Delight

Morning All:

I am still working on my garden. I have learned that too many plants are no good. I have no room for the flats I bought. I gave 24 plants to my neighborhood friends and they loved my generosity. So glad to have such great friends in the neighborhood. A true blessing. I am certain God placed me in this house so I could have good happy life with my family here in Howell.  Now to change one or two more significant things in my life.  Then I will truly be fulfilled.

I have now planted lima and butternut squash seeds in small pots to see if they will flourish. Its been rainy and cloudy so I am hoping that this will aid in their growth. I am going to plant nothing but edibles this year. I have one or two hanging flower baskets and that is it. Alll my window boxes will be filled with edibles like lettuce and strawberries.

It seems my husband has caught the gardening bug as well. He frequently helps me turn the dirt and does the heavier work for me. He stated "Im not a farmer" but still he helps. He also enjoys my babbling on about the things that are edible in our lawn and in the woods behind our house. I love his attentiveness. :)

Soon we will be in full summer mode. I would love to have a yard that was vacation getaway like. But spending the money on such a yard is not something I want to do. I am too frugal to do all that it takes to do the yard right. We are quite happy for now. I cannot wait for the veggie harvest. I am hopeful I can maintain it through the fall to harvest as much as possible.

Time to head off to work.

Blessings to all

What the hell am I doing?

I have just finished watching TV and having coffee on this Sunday morning and realized something.

I was thinking about some young people I know and was considering asking them "Where is your life going?" Then the little voice in my head said Where is your life going Suzanne? (no I so not have a mental disease) I am a Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, a Mother, and have a 44 year life experience in people. I come from a "normal" family with the typical problems. Addiction being one. Divorce another. Abuse both physical and verbal another. My own divorce was a product of my own awakening. So where is my life going?

My dream is to be a Life Coach. I am studying now and wish to go somewhere with it but after looking myself up on the web, I have found that I do not appear anywhere. I have Facebook, Google Blog Spot, Linked IN, and had various web sites for my Massage practice. But unless I really try, I can't be found.

So... Here is where I will change my life once again. I have not been blogging. I have not been telling people about my work. I have been contemplating what I want but have not really done any of the work. Here is my opinion.

Where is my life going? While having the ability to spit out some positive one liners on Facebook these words of wisdom go nowhere. I understand the value of my one line positive injections in to the world but do others really get anything from them? Here is the deal people. You are what you think you are. I think the only real purpose of me having suffered in life was to teach others what not to do. My mistakes are not new. Nor are they different or revealing. But perhaps I can help Someone with my growth.

I will be offering my helping words of wisdom on as many Internet mediums as I can so I can spread the word that people are not alone or unique. Our problems are universal and we can share how we deal with those problems. I have failed at numerous things. Jobs for instance. I have rang registers, swept floors, made pizza, answered phones, and tried unsuccessfully to please a myriad of people in the inter um. All with failure. Thank God I failed at them. I learned that I really did not want to do any of them and was unhappy all the while. However, if I hadn't been fired as many times as I have I would have blindly chugged along on the wrong path. Even in my Massage Career I have been pleasing people. I am a people pleaser by nature, but that is not where I am going with this. I in fact have always wanted to help other Women (because I am a woman) with their struggle in life to make a place for themselves in this world. We gals are the Mother's the Teacher's the nurturers, the feeders, the givers and the lovers of this world. Yet we question everything. Am I right and I wrong? Am I good enough? and so on. This is what drives me to write. I am not a good writer but regardless I will write anyway. Why? Because it is the only way to broadcast my opinions. Not everyone will agree with my opinions, but that's OK. I can help a few with them anyway.

So this is what I am doing. Telling you that you need not be a people pleaser. Only please yourself, please. You are beautiful enough. You are smart enough. You are strong enough. You are good enough. All of you. Stop trying. Start doing. No more reasoning and contemplating. Enough! Get up and start your life. I will be your cheerleader. I am here to cheer for you the under dog whoever and whomever you are. My seemingly rosy, useless one liners are here to propel you forward. Now they will be individual guides to changing your life for the better. Now I will be writing on as many blogs as I can find and link all of them to something and have my source for conducting change in my world. Yes kids, Mom will not shut up! HELLO! I'M HERE! They hate that. My kids. They are a true reflection of me. Both of them. Ah my reminder of how I came to be the woman I am. My children. Thank God for them!

Show me other ways of broadcasting my words of wisdom! Tell me where I can go to write. And if you feel so inclined, tell me what you think. I can take it.

Suzanne wants...deal me a slice...

When I decided to be a wife and mom, I never thought I would be single and still struggling.

I lost my Father to Diabetes when I was just 18 and still in High School, and my stepmother kicked me out as soon as I graduated. Having nothing but the clothes on my back, I found myself in an apartment she found for me that I could not afford. Soon I met my husband and (a boyfriend at the time), he took pitty on me, and allowed me to move in with him 50 miles from my home. I greatfully went, vowing to "pay my own way". I paied what I could for food and expences as I said, selling my only assets of stock (MCI, PSEG) and my car (Dodge Colt) to pay my way in life. I worked here there and every where. My Mother's husband laughingly called it "the job of the month club". I later in life told him (ED) to go Fuck hinself. As I adapeted, I grew closer to my aformentioned boyfriend. We married and were in love, very deeply in love. I soon came to find out that we were expecting our first child (a boy) as we planned in the fall of 1990. We were elated and fell deeper in love with each other and our litttle family. We moved from his parents bungolow on the Jersey shore to our own home and then the trouble began. (I'm keeping this breif) After moving in to a home that he (my husband) decided on, we unexpectedly became pregnant with our second child ( a girl). I never really liked the house but thought he knew best and focused on my new child due in the summer. He squeezed our budget tighter and tighter. Each week we were fighting over pennies. I needed to work, or so I thought. So what would I do while raising kids? I worked Part time and I had around this time enrolled in Massage School against my husbands wishes so I could work a job that I enjoyed while still raising children. (Massage allows you to work odd hours and therefor gave me freedom to work when my husband was home with the kids at night and on weekends.) But he never really wanted that. The home was bought in an area where I would not be able to post a sign bearing my name and title or form a company, and work from home, but in a neighborhood that was completely the opposite. A dead end street filled with conservitives who believed that massage was a front for prostatution. (hope I spelled that right) I came to finally open my own business in another town and against all odds and all by myself while raising kids I grew a small business that at one time had a 30% growth rate. Paid my own way for my stuff so I did not have to ask for money from my husband (who by the way got mad every time I asked "Yelling we have no money save for it") I was on an allowance for the food and daily expences and was told there was no more, that the rest went to the "Bills" I should have know that the 80,000 per year he earned and the $1400 per month I was allotted did not add up. But I believed in him.

So I put my plans on hold and worked here there and every where to make additional money for our family. All the while believing that we had no money. (cause he took care of all the money) After 18 years of marriage and "No Money" even though our bills were minimal and the house was almost paid off (in only 8 years on a 30 year mortgage), I stopped believing him started asking questions and found out that he is really spending on himself and leaving us out in the cold. He hated the fact that I was making it without his help and that was when I asked for marriage counceling. We went but he just spewed the same hollow promises he always lipped as I fought to keep our love alive. I love him more than any amount of money. ANY amount. After a short time of this bullshit......................... (deep breath) I left. I got an attorney (Shit Head I call him) and got the divorce. My ex hates me to this day. We are divorced 3 years now and he still can' t look at me. Guess its the ALIMONY that makes him look the other way. However, long story short, I am not doing so well now. I thought I would be able to keep my company and grow it but the economy has had different plans. So I desolved the business and focused more on my children who needed me more than ever now. Their dad all messed up on having to pay me after, hmmm lets see, 1985, married in 1988 to 2006, hmm that's um, 18 + years of "paying my own way"

Suzanne wants a break. That's just what Suzanne needs, a break.

I am smart, funny, kind, giving, loving, creative, imaginative, not a good speller, but hard working, and not doing well at the massage job I got working for a local holistic center to take care of my kids, cause no one is spending money, cause no one has much these days, cause we're all hangin on for the future not knowing what it will bring. More wine please. (AAHHhh) So........What's next?