Homemade dryer balls

Quick project of tonight. Homemade dryer balls. Means I need more yarn to finish my other projects. Always an excuse for more yarn. I can't wait to finish them. Into the wash they go.

Simpler Living

Yesterday M and I discussed about feeling disconnected from ourselves and each other. We decided to do something to get us back into feeling better and getting more refreshed. We started off by declaring that no t.v. or computer time will be allowed (besides allowing to put music on and to watch a work out video). The outcome was amazing.

So what did we do in that time? I started and defeated casting on my first toe up sock. I cleaned out the entire second bedroom closet and threw away 2 more bags of garbage (where does this junk come from?), started working on the foot of the sock, read some more about tiny living and minimalism, and made a wonderful cod dinner as well as organized most of our books.

The closet it self was a big project. We had the entire shelf above the clothes bar full of papers, half filled note books and things we just generally did not need anymore and had forgotten about. I went through every piece of paper and threw out everything we had not used in the last year (which was almost all of it). The top of the closet is now almost bare. M even asked last night what we were going to do with that space and I smiled and replied "I do not know." It is nice having the extra space.

Next was the books. I went through the book shelves and put books in order based on fantasy/fictional books and educations books and homesteading/craft books. That took a while. I am not even close to be done with it all either. Next weekend (because we have company coming over Sunday for game day!) we are going go to through the books and decide what ones we want to sell and plan on selling at least 75% of them. We have a lot. By a lot I mean 6 bookshelves, 1 closet and a few stacks hidden places as well. And these book shelves don't just have a few books on them, no. They are stuffed with books on top of books to use up as much space as possible. We love our books but it is time to let go of the ones we do not plan on reading again.

The dinner was delicious. Wild Caught Cod with olive oil, some herbs and a fresh orange made a delicious dinner and helped us relax after working so hard on trying to organize and clean.

We finished off the evening by M reading and I knitting on the couch just enjoying the quietness of the evening. Ronnie (my dog) cuddled on the couch with us and we just enjoyed being. It was a great feeling and one that I plan on recreating again tonight. A night without technology really brings bliss.

The Tiny Space

Tiny houses. It was a new concept to me until about a month ago when an acquaintance of mine showed me what they were.

Growing up I think most of us are taught that wealth and prosperity is shown by a big house. Prosperity equaling happiness in the long run. I, myself, would have never dreamed of living in a house that was under 1000 sq feet. Apartment living sure, but to buy and permanently live in something that small was beyond crazy! Who would do such a thing?

At first, paging through the images I thought this would never be right for me. I have way too much stuff. I would never be able to downsize two people's stuff into something that would fit into a shed. But I kept looking and looking. And while I still don't think I will live comfortably in a home that is under 500 sq feet it made me realize that happiness does not equal prosperity. It is the things you do in life, who you share your moments with, not the items you have. I had always known this but as spring rounded the corner it really sank in. The moment of balance came into view and I set off to start working if getting rid if the stuff that has been weighing me down and owning me to a point.

In the post before this I mentioned how I had been cleaning a lot, organizing and throwing things out left and right. And this was the cause. I figured that if I ever wanted to save up for a homestead I would have to start, most likely, with a small home and add to it when money and time became available. Start small and you cannot bring a ton if stuff with you. You only get to close the few items you need to survive and to have the sense of home.

I plan on posting more of my progress and hopefully some pictures to. I am hoping to have all of my items fit in just one closet instead of the four it is taking up now. Is it possible? I am not sure but I am going to try.

Spring Cleaning

I have been reading and researching a lot about tiny homes and being a minimalist. Let me just say that is definitely not me and my family as of right now. However, I do want to mention that I am trying to at least de-clutter my life.

Last weekend I was able to go through our huge storage closet and throw away 6 bags of garbage and create 5 bags of donations. Today we threw out three more bags out but that was only in the kitchen. I want to be able to clean out an entire closet and have it empty. I want to be able to downsize our stuff until it is just what we need and what is really important to us. Right now we have a lot of junk.

I am planning on cleaning out a bunch of our knick knacks and things we have not used since we moved to our current place (which has almost been two years). It is showing to be a lot of hard work but even M is wanting to help and downsize our belongs as well. It is always nice when you get your partner to help you and even goes along with what you want to accomplish.

Tomorrow we are going to go for a walk in nature first and then get to work straightening everything out and getting rid of the weight holding us back.

I wish everyone else luck who is going through the same thing. I would love to hear what you have been up to.

My Goat Obsession

Let me start out saying that I used to hate goats. Abhorred them. I thought they were mean spirited and just out to cause little children pain. This was of course after seeing my younger sister get head butted in the stomach just for wanting to pet his once cute face. My whole family was scarred after that.

Then a few months back I started reading books about self-sustainability and homesteading because I wanted to be able to support myself if ever the need rose. Especially since I was also learning about the increasing dangers from the food products in the stores. Well in one of the books this woman went on and on about how wonderful her goats were and how she wondered how she lived without them. She had mini goats for her backyard in the suburbs. It was my first re-introduction to goats. The book peaked my interest beyond what I thought possible.

I kept reading. Finding tidbits of information in all sorts of sources. Mostly a small chapter here and there in the overall picture of starting a hobby farm. But about a week ago I finally got the courage up to go to the library and check out their shelves for books on goats and homesteading. I have read more about them and realize they are the perfect animal for me when I do get enough land to have a few. And that is the problem, you need a few. The goat of my childhood was all by him lonesome and I realize now that he was just grumpy and lonely and didn't know how to socialize. He was one of the only animals left on the farm and it was a cruel joke by the farmer to keep him all by his lonesome in a small pen. I realize now, that is why the goat was so mean. It was not his fault at all but his owner. The person who was suppose to take care of him and socialize with him and play with him constantly (since we was all alone.)

Anyways, I digress. Goats are lovable creatures with so many uses as I am finding out. They can give fiber for making yarn and fabric out of (cashmere and mohair anyone!), the females can give tons of milk to make healthy whole milk, butter, cheeses, skin creams, the list goes on and on. They can also be a great source of meat since it is so lean and still grass fed. But it isn't just what they can give us. They can eat just about anything growing out on the prairie or grass fields. Thistle, grass, weeds of all sorts, plants, woody plants, just about anything. Talk about cleaning up the place.

I am learning more and more everyday about barnyard animals and honestly I just see goats as a great addition to my family when the time comes.