Snowmageddon

So I have lovingly entitled this winter as snowmageddon because it is never ending and crazy.  In the four years we have been living in the Bear Lake Valley I have never seen a winter like this.  We have always been told of the "Bear Lakers" but even those that have lived here all their lives haven't seen a winter like this in quite a while.  I thought you might like to see our totals for the year so far.....plus this will give you a good indication why we aren't quite ready to be getting the garden ready yet.

After seeing this don't you want to move to our valley???  Hope you are all looking forward to spring and playing in your gardens soon.  What are you planting this year?

A wrestling match that comes down to the last second

So let me put out this now....this has nothing to do with homesteading, prepping, gardening, minimalism, or anything like that.....it has everything to do with me being one proud mama.  Last week I had the pleasure of watching one of my sons compete at the Idaho State Wrestling Tournament.  This is his second year to go and as a sophomore we expected an improvement from last year but he did more than just improve.  He finished 6th in the 2A division in the state of Idaho for his weight class.  If there is one thing that I try to teach my kids it's that it doesn't matter how it finishes but you have to give it everything you have, always.  In life sometimes you win and sometimes you loose but as long as you do everything you can you will look back with no regrets.  This is what I hope they always remember.......and on this day he did.  He fought until the very last second....and in this match it was that second that mattered the most.  The VERY LAST ONE.  Click the link below if you would like to watch and share in my joy with me.


https://youtu.be/CgDTV8p9gFs

The Great Purge of 2017 Continues...my adventure into Minimalism

Something that my husband and I have been struggling with is the idea if it is possible to be a minimalist and a prepper at the same time.  Although we may not view it the same yet, I think it is not only possible but necessary.  Having a surplus of items incase of extreme situations can be beneficial but not when it comes to the extreme and resembles a hoarder, which so many preppers do.  So we are making baby steps in order to be semi-minimalist homesteaders.  Below you can see some progress I have made in the kitchen and other areas of the home.

This is the pile of clothes that were donated from my two teenage sons room.  Crazy the excess amount of clothes they had in their room.

This is the before of one of the kitchen drawers

This is the after of one of the drawers.  Still lots of stuff but for a family of 7 it looks much better!

This is the donate box.  One of about 10 that we took in our last trip to the hospital thrift store.  The profits for all the items they sell go to help fund the local hospital.  A very worthy charity we like to donate to.

Well the Great Purge of 2017 will continue.  Especially since our weather is still super cold.  Once it warms up here we will be spending most of our time in the garden.....as always.  I'll keep you posted!

The Great Purge of 2017

So in my previous post I mentioned how I didn't know there was an alternative than having a crazy amount of things in your lives, well the past few months I have been doing a lot of research and discovered that I am a Wanna Be Minimalist.  I have spent my whole life being suffocated by things and taking my all of my time to tidy and organize things I didn't really like or even want.  I have neglected the people that were important to me and given it to these things.  In the past year I have two "episodes" where I can't breathe and feel like I am literally being suffocated.  There hasn't seemed to be any rhyme or reason to them but now I wonder if it's not the stress of the stuff and all the things I need to do because of that.
So I have had some inspiration to help me realize it can be done.  First I listened to the book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up"  It was a good book and gave some practical tips and tricks on how to simplify.  But I'm tired of tidying.  I want to figure out why I've done this to myself (and my family) and how to never, ever think this is acceptable again.
Next I watched a film on Netfix.  Honestly I don't remember how I stumbled onto "The Minimalists" but I can't be more grateful that I did.  The film is entitled Minimalism and is amazing.  It's direct and thought provoking.  I highly recommend it to everyone.......even if you never want to be a minimalist I guarantee this documentary will at least make you think about how we perceive life and why we are driven to act a certain way.
Then I started following their podcast.  Then I searched YouTube and that's where I found Darci Isabella's channel and I love it.  As a fellow mother of a large family it is nice to see someone who is real.  Dealing with a family and being a minimalist.  So inspirational.  I highly encourage everyone to go and take a look and subscribe.  From all of this I have realized that this is a journey.  I won't be an orderly and beautiful home tomorrow but if I spend the year as a wanna be minimalist I might be one step closer to a peaceful, less stressful, more organized life.  I hope that you'll join me on this journey.

Check out The Minimalists here:

www.theminimalists.com or click above

Check out Darci Isabella here:

Search Mama of 10 on Youtube or click above

Picture recap of 2016

Here's a few pictures as a recap of the CityFarmin garden in 2016.  Big plans are already underway for 2017 as we have a greenhouse this year.  Seeds orders will be going in soon, even though we have had 108" of snow.  I'm already dreaming of sunny days, warm weather and lots of yummy goodness growing in the garden.  This year I'm embracing my goals of becoming a wanna be minimalist.  I have always felt like I am suffocated by the "stuff" around me but didn't know there was an alternate way of living.  Well this year that is all changing.  Along with things around the garden I'll also be featuring our overhaul of our life, the stuff in it and hopefully the peace and happiness that I find along the way.  I hope to hear of the things you are doing this year.

Year in review

Life has been crazy and I can't believe that 2016 is coming to a close.  We have had high school graduations, a DD got married and a new greenhouse on our city farm.  I love life but I hate how fast it goes.  It's cold and snowing here and I'm dreaming of next years garden already.  I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season and that you continue to grow and plant and love life!

The last of the plums

Well that time of year has come where I'm processing the last of the plums. I always hate it because it means winter is on its way. These will become plum jamBut the Jerusalem artichokes are still in full bloom and loving every ounce of sun they are soaking up. I'm already drooling over soup with these yummy tubers on cold winter days.There is still so much to do in the next couple of weeks.  I never realized when I was young how fast time really does go.  Here's to enjoy the last few beautiful weeks of fall......then the snow comes.