Update.... been way too long!

Hello,

I have been without internet for the entire summer which has left me without blog access! my apologies to those who actually follow it!

Alot has happened this summer...

Me and My business partner and friend Lisette have opened a store for our creations, we got the oppurtunity to have a space downtown water valley until it rents out with no costs to us.... ummmm. YES! it has been alot of fun, and it's nice to have a place to keep it all (the husbands appreciate all the space it freed up).

My son Owen is doing awesome! all healed up now and managing like nothing ever happened, children are AMAZING!! (we call it his spider man hand). My daughter is also doing very well... despite being in the phase labelled terrible twos!!! But I love her!

My husband started a new job, I have had more contracts cleaning than I should have, and all in all everything is great!!!

I have been learning lots about gardening do's and don'ts!! (another post to follow)


I got a goat, we went splits on her with our neighbors (Meme is her name). So have learned how to care for a goat and milk... I LOVE FRESH GOAT MILK! it is nothing like the crap you buy in stores.... actually tastes good! She is a very sweet gente and loving pet!

There is a quick update, I am sure I am forgetting lots, but I will be posting more often now!

Love!

learning as I go

I have been learning quite a bit from doing this garden... funny how in my case I usually end up finding things out after I do them... I am the type that will just go for it and hope it works out because I don't wanna waste any more time. Luckily in this case it has all worked out so far.

My greenhouse is blooming!! it has even taken off since the pictures! and my garden is finally starting to sprout as well. I seriously CAN'T WAIT to start eatting my veggies!! already had a few strawberries and some green onions... but thats it so far!

I decided to do my herbs in pots and have displayed them on this old ladder I found.

I must say that gardening has been very rewarding and I LOVE watching what started as a seed grow into food that will nourish my family!! very awesome indeed!

One step closer in my quest to gain knowledge on homesteading. one day I WILL be self sufficient! Up yours grocery store!! lol

Upside Down!!

So it has definitely been a LONG time since my last post. Life has been... well let's just say INSANE!
Between working as a cleaner and doing my arts and crafts on the side, I have also been dealing with multiple other things going on in my life.

On May 25th My husband brought the bobcat home to do some landscaping. My son Owen LOVES the bobcat, his favorite thing in the world I would say... next to his toy trucks and chocolate chips. My husband grew up around those things, and does it for work, so it's safe to say that he is completely capable and comfortable. He also grew up taking rides with his Dad growing up. My son was having a bucket ride and my daughter was on his lap in the safety of the bobcat. I was across the yard sweeping the firepit area when I heard my husbands panicked voice say "oh my God". I ran right over to find my son holding up his right hand... it had been crushed between the bucket a nd the machine. It was an aweful sight, and panick quickly sunk in. I did the typical mom reaction of FREAKING OUT!!! I was screaming and just kept saying "oh my God". Luckily my husband is a calm person and also rational under stress. He told me to go inside and get a cloth to cover it up. On my way in the house I called 911 .and we began to do what we could until they arrived (hold him still and keep calm). Luckily my neighbor heard my screaming and ran over to help out, she took my daughter and went for a walk. We live 30 minutes from the nearest larger town and so it felt like an eternity before they arrived. once they arrived we were rushed to Calgary to the Children's hospital. Within minutes the doctor was in the room and gave us the news that he would be going to the O.R. and would definitely lose some fingers. It was horrible. I felt so many different things all at the same time. I was broken inside, watching my son go through this aweful experience, feeling responsible for allowing it to happen, and I was releived that it was only his hand, I was sick from the visuals, and happy that we still had him! As they wheeled him away to the O.R I was a mess... the next two hours felt like an eternity... waiting to see he Dr. Waiting to KNOW that he made it through and what he was going to lose as far as fingers.......

When the Dr. came out and told us that they removed the two middle fingers, and that as far as fingers go, those are the least important... he would be able to do everything that anyone else can do, and that because he is so young, he will manage just fine!

What truly amazes me about this entire experience, is his STRENGTH, and BRAVERY! He cried hard for about 20 minutes, then was calm.... he knew what was going on, and he overcame it. The Dr. told us that most kids his age are freaking out in that O.R, but he was asking questions about hte machines and making jokes. Within two days of his surgery he was back to his normal self (once off the morhpine). he is such an amzing young man. I am SO proud of my little warrior! To overcome what he has, and with such strength and cunning... truly an acceptional person. It is going to be a long road of trips to the Dr. for bandage changes twice a week, then physio, and the emotional stress of it all. But I am confident that we can handle it as a family. This has definitely strengthened us, and given us a sense of appreciation.

About ten minutes before the accident I was watching them on the Bobcat and thought to myself that I was so thankful for this time in our lives, and reminded myself how precious it all is, and to soak it in. (strange how that all happened). i have been through ALOT of tragedy in my life, and so always have it in the back of my head to appreciate the moments as they happen, because they don't last... nothing lasts. The beauty in life is the moments... not the outcome. It was a bitter reminder of how fragile we are, and how quickly our lives can change. Don't take anything in this life for granted, that is foolish. Also don't be naive in thinking that we are above anything or anyone. it CAN happen to you, and the best we can do is recognize and appreciate the people in our lives and the time we have, and what we can learn from it all.

I wanna be like my son Owen for the rest of my life... Strong, brave, and quick to recover!!

Newest Projects - Before!

 This old piano stool before restoration!

Before Restoration!

I found these in an old barn today!

http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2010/09/honey-and-cinnamon-a-simple-cold-home-remedy-that-kids-love.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HealthHomeAndHappiness+%28Health%2C+Home%2C+and+Happiness%29

Another great tip for that nasty cold!

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-coconut-milk-shampoo.html

Homemade coconut milk shampoo! I have been using baking soda to wash and apple cidar vinegar to condition, but am excited to try this!!

http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/home-made-all-natural-deodorant-with-men-and-womens-fragrances/

Home made Deoderant recipe! This is amazing! another great way to do it natural, and save monet in the long run.

About two years ago when I was pregnant with my Daughter we came to a spot in our lives where we really needed to figure out what to do about finances since I wouldnt be able to work as much and besides that I really feel that it is important to stay at home with my children. I own and operate a construction cleaning business and do fairly well with it, and only have to work part time to accomodate what we need. But it seemed that no matter how much I worked or how well we thought we were doing, we just kept getting further and further behind. This got me looking into it more. turns out we were not living within our means.. YIKES!... and whats worse is that we were doing this for a while, we soon found ourselves in a heap of debt, and nothing really to show for it. I mean, we have our mortgage and what not... but that is not what I consider debt, rather an investment. I am talking about that consumer debt that is comepletely unnessecary.

Since January 2012 My husband and I have devoted ourselves to becoming debt free! I sold my Classic 1969 mustang fastback (tear),  and anything else that would fetch a price, my husband sold some items as well. this made a sizable dent for sure, however; we have a long way to go yet. All of this really got me stressed out and it was very consuming. So I came to a realization... an epiphany really! CUT BACK!!!! Why do I need to spend so much on groceries? I will do it myself!, grow it, raise it, butcher it... whatever it takes. that will help, what about toiletries? I will make those too, and little things like making my own bread, granola bars, etc. what's next... we live 30 minutes from the next big town, so cut back on my trips to town... I was going to town 3 days a week... that adds up quickly! So now I go in once or maybe twice if needed. which also gives me more times for my crafts... which is another thing that has began to generate income (our fun money). Our goal is to be out of debt within a year... so that we can start enjoying our life again without this big elephant in the room!

I believe that we can do it, and that through all of this we will grasp a new understanding for finances, and lifestlye. Because above all else I have already learned that you cannot change your finances without first changing your lifestyle. And in our Western society we have grown accustom to spending money that isnt ours, and desiring the newest cool thing on the market, or FAD shopping, updating our homes or wardobe every season... YIKES!

I truly desire a simple life that is well within our means, which in turn will mean less time stressing about money and enjoying the season of our young family! Life it far too precious to spend it trying to get ahead, when we should really be trying to be here in the moment, and not waste our most precious commodity... LIFE!

The more we can do ourselves, the less we spend having someone else do it for us, the less we spend trying to make money to have everyone else do it for us! Do it yourself, and you won't have to work as hard to pay for it! This is my goal! This is my old fashioned living dream!

Breakfast Pizza

exPress-o: Breakfast Pizza: How is this for breakfast perfection? Toasted Greek pita topped up with creamy mashed avocado , drizzled with a bit of lemon and finished ...

the start!

 My Chickens!!! I love these ladies! and so do my kids, they are a fun and rewarding animal to keep, plus we get HUGE brown organic eggs from them.

 My Greenhouse... well, the start of it, I live in a very small town and they only had 4 pieces of PVC pipe, so i will need to go elsewhere tomorrow and grab some more. I am SO excited to get it finished and start growing!!

My starter plants, I have tomato,marigolds, Dill, Thyme, Parsley, Sage, Lavender, Chives, and summer savory. All of them are organic seeds. (except for the marigold).


This is the begining of my growing adventure!! I have had a small garden in the past, but wasnt really that good to it, I was alot younger with only a newborn and didnt give it the time it deserved. This time around I am very eager, and committed to it!

The mission:
-Grow my own Vegetables/Fruit....and buy from the market what I am not able to grow this year.
-Buy all Red meat from local friends of ours that have an amazing little farm... Sundance fields.
-Do LOTS of fishing!! NO PROBLEM!!! lol
-Do our own chickens for meat... on order soon!
-Learn AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE about sustainable living... because it is important!
-FIRST AND FOREMOST..... ENJOY LIFE!!!!!

Without joy in our hearts we cannot have smiles on our face.... and our smiles spread joy to those around us, and it will spread like wildfire!

So these are my amazing children, Owen will be 3 in June and Katelyn is 18months old!! they are hilarious, and the light of my life! they make me smile EVERYDAY! they also drive me crazy!! but I wouldnt trade them for all the chocolate in Sweden!

First time!

My very first post *tear*. I am extremely new at this, so take it easy people!! I assure you that I will grasp this thing soon enough and it will be epic! My goal is to post my adventures as a mother, and the comedy that my children surround me with daily... like for example yesterday while at the park, I was standing near the slide while my son Owen went down for his 38th time, when all of a sudden a stream went flowing by my head... yes.. it was pee! he decided it would be a great idea to relieve himself right there and then. OH WELL! when you gotta go your gotta go, luckily it was one of those parks with the gravel... just kick rocks over it and it's like it never happened! haha.

I will also be posting about my attempts at making all of my own toiletries, growing my own food and shopping locally and supporting the true economy of my neighbors! I am quite passionate about that and believe that it is the best way to live, especially with all of the processed food in our homes today, it is suspicious to me that since big corporations have taken over our disease and cancer rates have gone sky high. and the unsuspecting people are told that it is government regulated so don't doubt it's integrity... well I DO!! and have chosen to control what goes into my famlies stomach!  The older I get the more I become... dare I say "like my mother" lol. She has always been disgruntled with the government and their shady ways... and now I have grown to posess her scepticism. rightfully so!!

So her is my first of probably way too many posts to come! I hope you all enjoy!


Nikki