Do You Know Your Net Worth? (and Blog Update)

 Good Morning All ~

I just wanted to share the next video

which details how to calculate your net worth.

Also, a regular blog post is in the works,

so never fear.

This won't just be a site for video links.

I will probably discontinue after a few videos,

but the blog will remain a blog.

Hope you are all enjoying the later part of summer.

A Leap of Faith

 Hello Friends.

I know I've not been present very often around here,

but there is a reason.

I've been struggling.

We are both fine as far as appearances go.

It's been the internal "stuff."

You know "stuff!"

With everything going on in the world around us,

some thinking the world is coming to an end

and others choosing to live in ignorant bliss.

I am neither of those options so have struggled.

After 10+ years of chatting about canning green beans,

chickens in the house, and the annual cycles of the home,

I guess I've not felt the urge to repeat myself.

You can see the canning of corn if you'd like

or what we've done for certain holidays.

I've not discontinued doing any of that.

Well, I don't currently have chickens :-(

I still do my regular life activities,

and continue to recognize the many blessings

all around.

We're currently in blackberry season

so Hubby has been enjoying them on his ice cream,

in cobblers, and next up is hand pies.

But I digress. . . 

So the struggle, yes I that's where I was.

I've been searching internally.

Over the past several months,

I've really tried to figure out what it is I feel led to do.

I've always enjoyed helping people.

I realize at times some folks don't want help,

but the Mama Bear in me just instinctively takes care of people.

As many of you who have been around here know,

things haven't always been easy.

Over the past couple months,

we've encountered a few different folks

who we know and care about 

who are stuck in their situations due to debt

and financial hardships.

These are good people who work for a living

and are still struggling.

Some of you also know, 

I have a degree in teaching.

Even when I was in the schools,

there were things I thought those young people needed,

but the information wasn't offered.

There were so many things offered:

cake decorating, yoga, even basketball class!

but there weren't any classes on how to manage finances

after high school.

Now please don't think I'm blaming young people.

It's my generation that's failed to teach them.

And sadly, even many among my generation are struggling.

I've lived through a few trials to say the least:

single parenthood (with no support for about a year)

while going to school full time and living in a garage

was the toughest.

I managed.

I didn't take any government assistance.

I worked.

Even after Hubby and I were married,

we got it worked out so that we were living on my 

meager income which allowed us to save enough 

to open our business which is where I now work.

I'm not saying any of this in order to "brag."

I'm saying it as encouragement.

I'm just me.

If I can do it so can others.

And here's where I'm going with all this.

In order to help others,

which is what I feel led to do,

I started a YouTube channel.

It's a pretty big deal for me to be on screen

since I really prefer to remain unseen.

(How's that for a paradox?)

If anyone here is interested in tracking 

household finances and taking control of your money,

I would appreciate it beyond belief

if you would watch, like, leave a comment, and even subscribe.

I'm so new at it, I know there are rough patches,

but I'm hoping to improve and smooth things out as I go.

And with that,

here it is

PS: It is not letting me test to verify the video is working as a direct link here so there might be a quick hiccup as I post this.

Thank you all for your kindness.

A Porch Swing

 Perhaps old age is creeping up on me.

Though I typically have enough energy

and am plenty healthy,

I've found that I'm okay with not rushing.

I've never been the Tigger of the group,

and as some of you know

have a preference of Eeyore~

so much more my speed even as a youngster.

We have been on the go a lot lately.

We've had multiple family events,

both joyous and grievous.

All serve as a reminder that life is circular,

and we should revel in each day we are given.

Time at home therefore, has been precious.

Last night as I was looking at the few things left

to be put in the ground,

Hubby asked where the broccoli was.

When I replied that I hadn't planted any,

I was met with that sorrowful expression,

"But I like broccoli."

This morning as I was running errands,

I picked up a six-pack of broccoli plants.

I'm not sure where I will put them,

but I will find a place.

My garden outlook is a little different this year.

I am usually rearing to go by garden season,

but not having a real winter break,

I've been a little slow starting.

As I dig and weed and plant, I also think.

We aren't meant to rush through just to finish,

for a garden is never really finished.

My little apple tree that is maybe 4' tall

has 9 apples on it so I've been watering it well.

The weeds I pulled last week seem to replace themselves

before I make it back through.

Just as we think we are to maintenance mode,

harvest will begin and canning season will ensue.

And this is where that porch swing comes in.

We can produce a masterpiece of a garden~

I said "We" like mine is part of that.

I'm a funny one, am I not?

Regardless of what we've created,

we need to take a moment here and there

to sit and absorb all that we've done.

There is health both in the creation of a garden

and in being emersed in it.

My mock oranges are blooming and smell so sweetly.

The honeysuckle is waning but the hummingbirds

have been enjoying it's blossoms.

I fed the first ripe strawberries to Hubby last night.

They too share their sweet aroma with us,

but we must make that brief pause to appreciate it.

It doesn't take long~

but the benefit gained is remarkable.

I headed into this Monday much more at peace

having spent 2 days mostly barefoot digging in the dirt.

If you are unaware, 

being barefoot in the dirt has its own health benefits.

I will leave you to research that and

won't mention making mud in the bathtub in the evenings.

Whatever you have for a garden,

pour a cup of tea,

take your seat on that porch swing,

and enjoy the beauty of the day.

PS~

I don't have a porch or a swing,

but we have a couple chairs we drag around to the shade.

They serve quite well.

The Way the Wind Blows

 April

They say write about what you know about

thus the title of this post.

There have been some things on my heart and mind lately.

Yes, it is spring,

and I see so many pictures of little sproutlings

wearing that tender green colour.

There is definitely something to the knowing the earth is alive

under the renegade leaves that are still scampering about 

that have been hiding who knows where.

Spring is the time of resurrection or rebirth if you will.

It's almost a relief to begin seeing colours

that the eyes have been hungry for.

I get that, and I feel it too.

Source
I always wonder at what many would call "coincidence."

I have heard or seen in print

"You reap what you sew"

at least a half dozen times just this week.

Maybe it's simply due to being springtime,

but . . . 

I can't help but wonder.

I've also heard the word discernment a lot lately.

It really does make one wonder.

I don't think I've shared, but we've had several things happen

since the new year.

A storm blew threw somewhere in the Christmas to New Year

time frame.

It blew the summer kitchen roof up so everything inside got soaked.

I cleaned everything up and set the furniture pieces

such as shelving and bakers cabinet and harvest table 

up on canning jar rims so they aren't much taller

but up off the wet concrete floor.

That took some doing but was finally done -

all during the cold of January to boot.

This room is like an extension to our house so

that was an event.

It was tarped until the roofers could get to it 

which didn't happen until March.

Our house got a new roof at the same time.

We didn't know that was going to happen until we returned

home from work and there was half a new roof on it.

The summer kitchen was next.  We thought is was just a metal roof

that would be replaced.

Evidently both the house and the summer kitchen 

had three layers of old roofing (so wrong!).

One of the layers of roofing on the summer kitchen turned out

to be probably almost 100 year old asphalt shingles that fell through

the roof boards.

When it's that old, it turns into that crumbled glass-like yuk.

Here, let me show you.

I held it together though I could have cried.

Nobody mentioned that it was there and maybe we'd want to cover things.

So this awful material covered everything.

I took nearly everything out of there and began cleaning.

I can't express how bad it was.  

I had white towels and sheets I use out there and to cover tomatoes

when a frost is predicted etc.

I did 9 loads of laundry (I think) and countless sinkfulls of dishes.

Hubby came home early to help me.

We were both trying to be cautious not to breath it

and mindful of which direction our dust went.

Needless to say it was a bit of an ordeal.

I have a few more things on the harvest table I am hoping

to clean up this weekend.

The good news is that the roof no longer leaks.

Oh, the other thing the wind did was pull up our canopy over

the back sitting area, mangled it and threw it in the front yard.

We no sooner got things cleaned up, and I brought the little green house

into the house to start the early seeds.

We've mowed the lawn twice and have been starting

to prepare the beds for the upcoming plantings.

I was telling a friend,

I'm not quite as antsy for garden season this year,

but I think it's because we didn't really get a relaxing winter

by the fire sipping a hot drink while leisurely reading something pleasant. (Haha)

And now we head into the busy season.

Through all of this, I've cleaned and continued to organize and declutter.

I've tried to remember what's important and that this has all been

a bit of a hiccup.

In truth, I didn't handle it all with grace and ease.

There were other things that tipped the scales a time or two.

I think it's called life.

We are all a work in progress and I'm no different.

Like I said above, that word discernment keeps finding its way to my ears.

Focusing on what really matters has been (yet another) 

good lesson for me.

A mess to clean up is not fun by any means,

but set that next to what many others might be facing

and I'm sure they'd trade me in a heartbeat.

I get it.

But I do have to say, I'm glad to say it's behind us.

We still haven't decided what we will do for a canopy,

but that too will get figured out.

I'm thankful nothing was "really" damaged,

we are well, have plenty to eat, a new roof over our heads,

and we have folks who care about us.

That's what's really important.

Source

May

And so. 

About the time I finished writing the above, 

we dealt with an unexpected death in the family.

We've had plenty of seat time over the past few weeks.

We attended the service which was good

but extremely sad, only 41 years old.

Then the following weekend a grand-niece's second birthday.

That was joyous - again plenty of seat time,

but at least it was a happy event.

The circle of life is such a wild ride at times.

I do apologize for the lapse in posts.

My heart's just not been in it.

We now have the garden started so are plenty busy.

I'm sorry also that this post is so scattered,

but that's about how my brain is working.

I hope you are all feeling blessed.

If you have folks who are or have been a positive influence

in your life, I'd like to encourage you to tell them so.

Tomorrow is not guarantied.

Enjoy this spring day we've been granted.