Keeping Busy!

Projects and Goals!

The first picture is dad next to the greenhouse cover he built for one of the raised beds! I got the idea from Off Grid with Doug and Stacy. We have had the window for many years waiting for the right project and dad bought the wood and he also picked up the hardware from Habitat for Humanity. He made it so when it gets too warm you can prop the window up to let cool air in. He's pretty brilliant! Once the snow is gone and the temps are a bit higher I hope to start some salad seeds. You know, lettuce, cukes and maybe some carrots. I'm excited to get it going. I miss the home grown greens during the winter months.

The next picture is of some herbs that I planted using mason jars. I got the idea from Living Traditions Homestead and it is a self watering project. I'll let you know how it works out. I planted basil, thyme, parsley and lettuce. Yes, I know lettuce isn't an herb but the vlogger had some great success with lettuce using this method. 

So it may be cold, snowy, and gray but we are keeping busy and looking forward to the summer when we can really be growing our food!

And 2020 Begins!

New events like losing teeth, new classes in church, fun in the snow and growing up. This is going to be a year of growth for all of us. 

And I hope to grow in my knowledge of how to use the computer better and how to access all the fun things that are available to make my blog better. I am going to learn how to download all my photos if it takes me until 2021! And it just might! 

(I know I downloaded a picture of Julie but it didn't show up) Sorry Julie! 😒

And Christmas 2019 is done!

Christmas 2019 was Wonderful!

Dad and I have put ALL of Christmas away and now we begin to look ahead to 2020! What does this new decade hold for our family? I hope it holds joy, peace, hard work, love and a stronger faith for each of us!

I hope that each of us has a desire to work harder and smarter and to become better at whatever we are doing! Whether it's as an employee, a parent, a sibling, a friend, whatever! I pray that we will want to be the best at all that we strive for.

For me I want to work harder at being a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a Young Women's adviser, a gardener, a quilter, a reader and actually I want to be the bossy boss of everything! No, JK!

But I have learned over the years that I love leading out in Book Club, in Empty Nesters FHE, in scripture study groups, pretty much everything! My patriarchal blessing told me that I needed to be prepared to lead out so that I might help others to stay close to their Savior. I feel that having these groups for others helps us all to stay focused on going Home!

Okay, I'm done with the philosophizing! Now let's talk saving money! Let's be honest and admit that food is going to go up this year. Bad weather and other events pretty much has guaranteed that! But if we do all we can to use our grocery money wisely we will be able to handle it well. So what are my goals?:

• Figure out what needs to be in our food storage and work on building those items up
• Be more intentional about gardening and eating, canning, freezing and drying all that we harvest
• Don't be afraid to can and freeze everything that comes my way that I know we will eat. Be better about eliminating waste
• Avoid prepared foods like the plague that they often are
• Use up what we have in the food room. Don't be afraid to experiment
• Use our greenhouse more
• Continue to enjoy saving money and using what we have!
• Learn more from other blogs, vlogs and YouTube websites about how I can accomplish all of the above

So those are the goals for now. They will probably change through the year but they will do for now. I hope you have set some goals and that 2020 will be amazing for each of you!

Mom