I hope everyone is getting weather as beautiful as what we’ve had this week. It’s been so nice to open up the windows and let the fresh air in. The only downfall is that it’s been abnormally dry. I usually only have to water my garden a handful of times all year at the height of Summer, but I’ve had to water it several times already. Since we live in the Great Lakes region, water is really inexpensive. I don’t expect to see much change at all in our water bill (usually about $25-30/month for our family of 7). Thank goodness for cheap water. I’ve heard from many people in the United States that pay triple or quadruple that…so I am truly grateful.   That in mind, I still dream of having our own water source someday in the form of a well.   Successes and Blessings: I was given a bag of clothes that will fit my 2 year old son this Summer. I ordered some Jerusalem Artichokes to plant in my garden. These will produce tubers that are described as a mix between a potato and a water chestnut. They are native to the Northeaster U.S. and will produce year after year. I have hung most of my laundry outside to dry this week. I used the dryer for 3 loads total, which isn’t much when you consider that I do 2-3 loads a day. I am gradually weaning away from using the dryer at all, though. We had a potluck style cookout/birthday celebration for my son’s birthday on Sunday, and then we were invited to my dad’s house for a cookout on Memorial […]

  Life is all kinds of crazy right now. Babies, homeschooling, home improvement projects, garden season. Whew! I feel like Dori from Finding Nemo lately. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” It’s good to feel productive, though. I remember in the days of healing right after my c-section how I was longing for the business of my life. I was thankful to spend time cuddling my new baby, but being stuck in bed or on the couch was difficult for me emotionally. So I’m thankful that I have the energy to do the things that need to be done around here…and that I’m able to have an incredibly full life with a houseful of people that I absolutely adore. God is good.     Successes/Blessings: My aunt and uncle decided that they didn’t want their barrel composter anymore (this is the same one), so they gave it to me. I’m so thankful for this! I was researching making a worm bin, which is fairly inexpensive. But hey, free is better. We ordered some Hemlock trees at a great price in order to create a privacy hedge along our rear property line for less than $50. We have a neighbor living behind us and their very large living room windows look right into our backyard. A living fence is an affordable option when town codes and tight budgets prohibit traditional fencing. We made the 45 minute treck out to the Amish bulk foods store. The closest LDS Cannery is almost 2 hours away, so this is where we go to stock up on bulk dry items. We got 50 lbs of hard white […]

  Spring is slowly gracing us with its presence, although we’re still getting the occasional snow flurry. I’m getting the gardening itch, although I’m not sure I have the energy yet to accomplish half of what I’d like to…or what I’m pinning on Pinterest. We’re still receiving meals from our homeschool group three days a week, which I am eternally grateful for. I feel like I could probably manage getting back to cooking dinners at this point, but not having to do it every night is helping me recover from the cesarean a lot faster. I am so thankful for a community that is so eager to help. I know many mamas are on their own after having a baby. If you know a mom who is very pregnant, just had a baby, dealing with sickness, or just generally stressed out…offer to bring her a meal. Dinnertime can be the hardest part of the day for a busy mom, and something as simple as not having to do the cooking for a night can make a world of difference.   Successes/Blessings: I mentioned last week that we were hunting down deals for my husband who was in desperate need of clothes. His wardrobe consisted of exactly 1 pair of jeans, 2 polo shirts (1 of which had a stain), and various t-shirts (most of which had a stain). He has a couple of pairs of shorts, too. We typically shop at thrift stores for our clothes, but since he is tall and lean, he struggles to find his size. We were able to hunt down some great deals and got him a pair of jeans, a […]