Get rid of it!!!

We have made our lists ... so now on to the next step ... getting rid of what we don't need or want to take with us. That's really not hard for me. Stuff is just that ... stuff! If we need it, we'll pack it up & take it with us (as long as it's not more expensive to haul than it would be to replace). We have 4 categories:

• Take with
• Give away
• Sell
• TRASH!!!

If I haven't used it in a while, it goes in one of the lower 3 categories. If I haven't used it but it's needed on our homestead, chances are we'll take it. I really look good to thinning out our stuff. Too much of anything causes chaos, stress & clutter ... not to mention bickering between the children.

Below is a repost from my Recording Artist blog. I'm sharing it because I think the part about gifts applies to every one. You have gifts ... and when you use them, you create more gifts ... for you and the recipients.

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Wow ... the life of a songwriter can sure get crazy. It's so hard for me to put my pen down some times. It seems that lately, every where I look I find inspiration for one song or another. I have had sessions where the wave of creativity seems never ending ... but this time it's amazing, even to me. I guess that's what happens when you stir up the gifts God has given you. Speaking of gifts ... check out what I won by going to HOPE INK . The artist held a contest so I entered my name & commented on which print was my favorite. What a blessing it was to find out I won!!! The print is hanging right over my desk now, to remind me to use & be thankful for the gifts God gave me.

Check out this ARTICLE about me. I think it gives you a deeper look as to who I am and what as well as who inspires me. The author, Jan Hoadley has some other great articles too ... some of which may be an interest to you.

Basic/Starting Costs

We have been plugging along ... making plans, budgeting etc. We are starting with the bare necessities. Life in it's simplest terms is not only good ... but will leave us the ability to be less stressed, freer in our thoughts and more able in our planning. I have planned on the high side of costs simply because it's better to have more money in this situation than not enough. Here's what we have put together:

We may add to the above list as well as decide some items just aren't needed right away (all though I don't see *that* happening). We just want to be as prepared as possible. Fortunately we belong to a Yahoo group with people who either want the same life style that we do or are already living it & are more than happy to pass on their experiences. This is also a life style that we have thoroughly researched ... for at least half our marriage, if not longer. The first half we would talk & make plans not realizing that there were still people living the "old fashioned" ways.

Ever since revealing our move & plans, we've been told:

• we're crazy
• we're stupid
• we aren't "allowed" to live off grid

I realize that most of these comments come from a lack of education on the topic & lifestyle ... to which I encourage people to educate themselves. I also know though that some of them come from people who are against living simply & to some extent think that living that way is less than acceptable in compared to today's standards. They feel like they would or could not live this way, so no one should.

I really believe that America is a spoiled country. There are others living with out electricity, and get along quite well. Yet we whine when the power goes out for an hour. The average home is 2,469 sq. ft. (according to Wiki Answers.Now ... put the average size family (3 because I'm not rounding people off to the 3.14 ... HOW do you get .14 of a person?) Any way, divide the amount of sq. footage by the number of people & you get 823 sq. ft. PER PERSON ... Now, I understand that there are people that prefer big homes with plenty of space. If that works, great! For us though, it's just not kool. All that empty space does nothing but accrue clutter & stuff that gets piled up and not used. We truly have no need for all that space & stuff. So, as much as you have a need to be respected for your choices ... we expect the same, even though they are far different from "typical."

I hope you come back & check on us!

The Business Plan (mini version)

Executive Summary

Mission

The mission of The Maker’s Acres is to live as God has called us to; being as self sufficient as possible, not having to rely on companies for any utilities. We also aim to limit our dependency on outside sources such as grocery and non-food merchandise retailers. While learning, living and sharing our lifestyle we hope to glorify God and thank Him for all He does in our lives.

Farm

Owners; God, Patrick & Loretta Rizzo purchased December, 1, 2009 in Missouri. The 7 acre property is located in Douglas County.

Business Product / Service

The Maker’s Acres intends to grow all vegetables, fruits and livestock naturally both for our family and our community. We plan to provide a percentage of all products both on a giving and bartering level.

The Market

We intend to provide non-food items to people in our community via word of mouth, our local Farmer’s Market and any other avenues that may apply to our products as well as to customers over the internet.

Marketing Plan

The objective of all our promotions is to provide people with quality merchandise, spread our name to the public and build a good, solid reputation. Once our goals are established, we will offer more of a variety in our products.

Competition

The Maker’s Acres though not in competition with any one, will offer lowest possible prices on products, merchandise and animals as well as the great customer service in the business world.

Risk/Opportunity

The risk associated with homesteading. The greatest risk we will face in our business is establishing ourselves. We are confident we can overcome these risks through the establishment of a solid prayer life, quality merchandise and great customer service.

The opportunities before us are significant; we are looking for a sustainable use for our small farm that actually provides a good investment return and lessens most of our outgoing expenses. Vegetables, fruits and livestock are very well suited for our acreage and location. We have the opportunity to establish ourselves in the marketplace with the merchandise we will carry.

The Owners

The Maker’s Acres is owned and operated by Patrick and Loretta Rizzo.

Patrick Rizzo is currently employed through Walmart in their in-stock department. How ever, he has 15 years in the grocery retail industry and believes this will enable him to keep merchandise stock at a valuable level. Mr. Rizzo also holds 18 years in entrepreneurial skills including but not limited to sales, business management, customer relations, manufacturing and promotions.

Loretta Rizzo is an entrepreneur with 30 years experience in business management, merchandise creation, customer development, marketing, promotions and sales. All these skills will be assets to The Maker’s Acres in reaching and exceeding goals.

Mr. and Mrs. Rizzo also offer 18 years of home management, balancing budgets, problem solving and managing a “staff” of 7 other members. Their experiences will enable them to work as a team, lift each other up when times get hard, learn from mistakes and encourage all who join them in this endeavor.

Capital Requirements

We seek to raise $5,000.00 , which will enable us to purchase equipment necessary to build additions to homestead, add plumbing, bring solar power to the property and add livestock as the property is upgraded and prepared.

Exit

We expect to be able meet our financial needs with in 6 months, by selling our current inventory of merchandise, household items, clothing, novelty items and collectibles

We bought property!!!

Well howdy, neighbor. Welcome to "The Maker's Acres" I see ya made found the place. I hope we were easy to find.

I just thought I'd take a moment or three to sit in my swing and enjoy life. Maybe be struck with lyrics, by some beautiful butterfly, fluttering by. My children just love to run & play while I swing.

Go ahead & pull up to the house. I have tea on the table. We can chat for a while. Our schooling is done for the day, as are chores. I have a few minutes to chat before supper is started.

One of the kids will take the eggs out to your car as soon as they come down from the loft. I think they may be looking for their shoes (which they should have taken off at the door).

I have pizzas ready to go in the earth oven, over in the corner of the yard. There's plenty if you'd like to stay for dinner. We're serving salad with the pizza. Oh, by the way ... the pizza's are home made and have a mixture of toppings. One has turkey sausage and mushrooms, another has pineapple and the other has chicken with broccoli. What would you like to drink?

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

We have a "business plan" laid out ... it's like an outline of what we have to do, how much it will cost and what our goals are for our ranch/farm. For some reason I can't find the whole thing ... but I did find a list ... not really a budget, but things we needed, with prices we've found recently & we tallied it up to see how much we would have to come up with to have the basics that we feel we need (that being said, our "needs" may be different than yours). I'll post it tomorrow morning or afternoon, so please check back.

Another give-away (one from some one I know)

Check this out!!! You want something to hang on your wall that has meaning? This would be a GREAT give-away for you to enter!!!

http://www.facebook.com/hopeinkart

Contest announced!!!

I wanted to let you all know that I've announced a new contest on my other blog. It's a fun one & I hope you enter!!! You can check it out here

http://tinyurl.com/yhw354mor by going to

http://www.rettarizzo.com

I have added a new music player to this site. The song is one I wrote (and am singing) for my grandmother. As songs are released, they'll be added to the player. I'm trying to combine my professional & personal life.

Thanks for letting me introduce you in to me as an artist.

Two contests

Head over to:

Raising Arrows to win a SpellQuizzer

Retta's Ramblings to win a co-writer opportunity on her upcoming CD release

Accomplished!

Today has been a productive day. Though not finished, we did work on a lot of different things. All these things done on top of our regular day & routine:

• calls on properties (done)
• water usage calculations (done)
• electric usage calculations (done)
• propane usage calculations (done)
• budget (started)
• price necessary homestead items (in progress)
• discuss construction methods (done)
• prioritize homestead projects (in progress)

Now we embark on a new part of the journey. We'll get serious about cutting our electric & propane/heat usage to see how much we can cut off of our bill. I'll post results as we see them.

Getting ready!

A move ... our final (as far as we're concerned) is on the horizon. We've been making a "business plan" for our move ... to keep track of our goals, when they are reached, what steps are necessary to meet obligations, etc. We have some work to be done before the plan is completed though. We'll use the next few days to get that done.

Each parcel we're considering has a small cabin on the property, so instead of just building from scratch, we'll add on a little at a time. This really does make life easier.

We have talked about doing this for so long ... last year we'd started the process ... but things changed at the last minute. We don't believe that will happen this time. Homesteading here we come!!!

Tomorrow's to-do:

Calls

Goal plan & steps to get there

Set calendar dates

As soon as goals are set, I'll share them here. Are you as excited as I am?

What's cookin?!

Cooking from scratch gives such an incredible sense of accomplishment! I enjoy cooking any way ... but to know I didn't just tear open a box & throw it's contents in to water, is awesome!!! Having a house full of sick loved ones, I decided to make chicken noodle soup. I also decided that a pot of chicken & corn chowder was necessary. Both soup turned out delicious & my entire family raved about them.

Chicken boiling ... with a pinch of salt, some pepper, garlic and some Lawry's ... YUM! I took half the chicken for the chicken noodle & the other half for the chowder. Unfortunately I didn't have boneless, skinless so I just boiled it on the bone, until the meat was almost falling off.

Making the soups motivated me to do another BIG cooking day. I would have done it last night but I just didn't have the energy. I have had about 6 hours sleep in the past 72 hours ... from taking care of everyone here with the sickies. I seem to be recovering well from the flu ... a 10 day battle with half having a fever of over 103* Crazy but that's not as high as a few of my children. Fevers reached 105.6* in one child. Another was 104.6* .. we're treating with vitamins & herbs.

A project I'd been doing the day before we had rebound illnesses, was organizing my cupboards. That seems to be a weekly job here. Apparently we (read - kids) take things out of the cupboards but don't put them back where they belong. This picture was taken a few days before some friends called to see if we had any room for some canned goods that they didn't want. What a blessing to my budget!

My current project is making the menu plan for next month ... that will require input from all my other little cooks. Each child gets one day to plan/cook meals. They are responsible for all three meals as well as a snack. Each one has been able to take on that responsibility at a different age ... and each one very excited to their day arrive.

I'll be pulling another all nighter ... it's 3:45 a.m. & baby is still waking off & on with a high fever. I really hate giving Tylenol & Motrin but he can't have a fever! It sounds like his nose is a bit stuffed too ... so Vicks Baby Rub it is. (I can't rub him down with it though, as I'm allergic to it). Very little sleep in the past 3 days, less sleep tonight, cuddling my little guy, trying to soothe what ever it is that makes him cry ... tiring? Yes ... but there's nothing better than being a mom!

Perfect place on earth

My husband & I have been discussing our dreams a lot lately. Farming, living off grid, living a more simple life is such a strong desire for both of us. We have been discussing options of where our dreams might take us. The perfect place, as far as I'm concerned would be some where that:

• has no tornadoes
• has no earthquakes
• has no hurricanes
• has a longer growing season (longer than the 2 or 3 months we get here)
• has no poisonous snakes or spiders
• is home school friendly
• has no building codes
• has grass

God does say to be specific when we pray LOL

There are things we'll compromise on but some things we won't. Either way, I just can't wait to see where we land. We plan on building an earth oven. I can almost smell all the bread & pizza dough we'll make that for. I can see cob structures on the land too. I just get so excited when I think of all the possibilities! We've talked about this journey for years & we've taken small steps toward that direction but come Spring, we'll jump in.

Our children are really looking forward to jumping in as well. This year was our first garden & each picked a veggie to care for ... from getting the garden started to sowing seed to harvesting to preparing/freezing/canning they stayed very excited & willing to help. They took their "jobs" very seriously. The looks on their faces as their veggie grew was such a blessing. They learned first hand that hard work pays off. There's not much (if anything) better than growing your own food!

It's "those" moments

I'm sitting at my computer, the music is blasting & I'm doing some paper work. I do a glance around the house to "check on" all the children. My 12 year old is dancing to the music with a big smile on her face. She gets so lost in the music some times. I just love watching the freedom she feels when she listens to the music! It's those moments that completely erase the bad days! I put my work aside so I could just sit and take in the scenery. Drink in the belly laughs of a toddler, toddling around with his favorite book in hand. Or sneak a peak of an artist, coloring the best picture ever! Life is good!

Still sick ...

I'm still sick ... chest congestion, sore ribs (feels like they're broken) from coughing so hard & so long, fever of 103* & body aches. I can't wait to be able to breathe with out coughing & wheezing!

Burning?

Something strange has been happening at our house & it's really quite concerning! Every once in a while we can smell some thing burning. We originally thought it was coming from a ceiling fan in the master bedroom ... there were wires that had been burned, so that *was* a problem. How ever ... tonight, we had the heater on & the washer and dryer going ... all the sudden a burning smell was very obvious. We shut down everything & the smell went away. It hasn't happened since my husband got home ... ugh ... I hate it when that happens!!! Hopefully we'll figure out what it is quickly & every one will continue to be safe!!!

Sharing is caring!

So my oldest had a "cold" for a while ... he seems to be better, thank God ... but me ... I'm just starting. I have a fever of 102* with body aches, pounding head, chills, tightness in my chest & a cough.

My husband has been in California & was schedule to arrive home tonight at around 6:30 p.m. Due to an airline error, he missed his connecting flight. He just walked in the door a few minutes ago.

This too shall pass

It appears that the symptoms of a yucky chest cold is knocking at the door of my lungs. I have a fever, achy body & tightness in my chest .... wheezing as well. We have so much to do this week! I'm going to increase my Vit C intake, add Rose Hips, Echinacea & a few other things as well.

I. CAN. NOT. BE. SICK.

I've tried to live "healthy" and for a while it was working. I get tired of discussing the things that ail me ... I always wonder if people get tired of hearing about my health & what's going on. I'd been "ok" off & on for a while .. some times only having a minor headache ... others, a minor flare. It appears though that quite a few health issues are in full force now. I find myself to be completely exhausted again ... requiring much more sleep than average ... a 4, 5 or even 6 hour nap is not foreign. I've always napped but lately, the length of those naps has been getting longer & longer. This too shall pass!!!

My husband has been gone for the past few days. I can't wait for him to get home tomorrow. He's been in California, at his sister's wedding. I miss him!!!

Being a mom

Prayer works! It's not easy being a mom ... especially when it comes to our children spreading their wings. I am excited to see my children grow ... and I'm not one to hold them back. I encourage my children to look to God & ask His direction in their life. We pray ... and counsel ... but will not make their decisions. With freedom comes great responsibility. It blesses me when they show a willingness to follow God ... no matter what He asks of them. It blesses me when they pray & ask Him for something .. and though they may not like how He chooses to work in their lives (and some times it may even sting a bit) ... that they accept it & want to continue growing. I truly am honored to be the mom of all these wonderful children!!!

Growing

God is moving ... I can feel it. I have such an incredible peace right now. It's amazing how, in the midst of the craziness, life can be calm when you keep your eyes on the Lord! See Father ... I hear you!

I am a blessed woman!!! I have been given the gift of a man created just for me. We had our issues ... but if I would keep my eyes on Jesus, I'd see (during those times) that my husband tries to guide me in the ways of the Lord. My flesh can certainly get in the way! I'm learning ... and desiring to be who God designed me to be.

My children are amazing gifts from the Lord. Growing daily ... in so many ways!

Life is an awesome journey!!!

Pumped!!!

I am pumped! I think today has been the best creative day in my entire writing career! Woooooo, God ROCKS!!! I decided to release a poem I wrote, for lyrics. I am really excited to see what God does with it. Once I did that, it was as if the flood gates opened ... I started 3 new songs & finished 3 old ones. A very productive day!!!

Life is just moving in so many different directions. I know I've talked about this a few times with out going in to a lot of detail. I'm not free to do so just yet ... but I am just really excited!!!

My husband's sister is getting married. My 15 year old daughter made her a card saying congratulations & then wrote in it, "Ok, so when will I have cousins?" LOL

Plans

Plans, plans & more plans ... we have so many different plans in place for our life that honestly, I have no clue where the plan ends & life starts. I'm not complaining though ... it's all very exciting. The closer we get to them all falling in to place, the more excited I get.

Detoxing!

Ever had toxic people in your lives? The kind that look you in the face & are sweet as pie but then trash you behind your back? Or maybe they even belittle & bash you for everything you do,say or are. You'll never be good enough or do anything right ... well ... you do & they know it ... but very rarely do they ever let you know. They spend all their energy in to trashing you or being angry at you for one reason or another. Well ... I've been weeding people like that out of my garden of life for the past year & honestly .. it has strengthened me! I have few more to rid my garden of ... and I can tell that when I do, I'll feel so much better. I don't need people in my life who have a sick & twisted idea of love!!!

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I will be blogging every day in the month of October ... NaBloPoMo ... (National Blog Posting Month)

Giveaway

Go to RAISING OLIVES and check out the giveaway they are having. This could be a fantastic way for one of you to announce something, help a local charity or celebrate a holiday etc. They are giving away a vinyl banner created by UPrinting The giveaway ends Monday at midnight. I hope you have a chance to enter!

Football!

So I've done something that I told myself I'd never do ... something that's forbidden in "my world." I've become a fan of a football team just because I think their uniform is pretty LOL Ok, it's not really "pretty" ... but it's purple ... I. can.not.resist.purple! LOL I still have my favorite teams ... the very same teams I've been a fan of my entire life ... & unfortunately for the Vikings, I'll bet on them (my other teams) if it comes down to games against them ... like this week when Vikings go against the 49ers .... 49ers have been one of my teams for as long as I can remember. It does look like the Vikings have started out pretty strong this season. I hope they do well ... and even if they don't ... the uniforms ROCK!!!

Shabbat Shalom, L'shanah tovah

I am blessed. I am so excited to celebrate this holiday. I had printed up blessings to say, both Hebrew & English. As I have gone over them in practice, I cry. I think about our menu, I cry. My heart is bursting with joy and peace and hope and love and thankfulness ... and I cry. For years I'd felt lost in traditional holidays and as I celebrate this Feast, I burst with an overwhelming sense of being "home." I'm not sure I can explain it ... but I can say that I've never felt like this before.

Our menu:

Fri dinner: apple slices with honey, challah, apple, honey chicken, Kibbutz salad, carrot tzimmies, layered apple cinnamon cake

Saturday

Breakfast: cold cereal, rice milk

Lunch: left overs

Dinner: cold cuts, pita pockets, lettuce, pasta salad, Jello parfait

Shabbat Shalom, L'shanah tovah

Harvest and Yom Teruah

My children are such a blessing!!! We are still harvesting veggies from our garden ... and my 10 year old son brought in a box full of his corn. Well ... he, my 12 year old daughter and 8 year old son are all sitting on the floor in the kitchen, in front of a box ... you guesses it ... they are all shucking corn. Oh wait ... now my 15 year old daughter & 2 year old son have joined the corn party LOL
Their goal is to get it all shucked and boiled so we can freeze it. Our corn is Ruby Red & tastes sweet. Once our corn is done, we'll move on tot he corn that our neighbors have given us. That's a yellow sweet corn & is absolutely delicious! Then we'll move in to making carrot cakes to freeze ... I'm thinking carrot cake muffins might be good too. We have zucchini breads & will be making more too. Tomorrow is our baking day. We're planning on baking more pizza dough, bread and cookies as well. YUMMMMM ... our house will smell so good tomorrow!

We're preparing our home & family for Yom Teruah. I am excited as this will be our first year celebrating this Holy Feast. I'll take pictures & post them soon.

With in reach ...

God has been speaking to me lately ... well, I'm sure He has for a very long time ... but I am learning how to be still, quiet, listen & actually hear Him.

My husband & I have had dreams of living the pioneer life for quite a long time now ... we have let circumstances & the words of the world prevent us from pursuing those dreams. We have taken quite a few steps through out the past 2 years, to move closer to those dreams and we are at a point in our lives where we can actually see them with in our reach. It won't be long now!

He found Him in the music

Today my husband was on line looking for worship music. He found some Vineyard Praise that we used to listen to ... he played it all loud & seemed to get lost in the music & words. He wasn't really lost though. He stood at the throne, worshipping God as he sang each word. I have not seen my husband worship like that in a long time. I could only cry as I watched him.

Cross Roads

My husband & I have been praying for God's guidence in different areas in our lives. There are a few different directions we could go in ... and after praying & seeking counsel, we feel God is saying ... "No matter the direction you choose, go and I will bless your steps. I will bless you on the journey and I will bless you at the destination." We've heard that specific message for a few different areas in our lives & quite honestly needed to make sure we heard correctly. So now that we have been "cleared" in these areas it's just a matter of planning.