Life in Tee Harbor, Alaska

My Year in Review

Instead of just making my New Year's resolutions, I decided I should take a few minutes and think about what I accomplished this past year.  So here it goes...

I've been baking our own bread since last Spring.  It is so great to have the house smelling so good!  I now have a grain grinder and wheat to grind for flour - it is a hand crank so it takes a bit of time to grind enough for our bread, but it is rewarding.

I did alot of canning this year - I think my canner paid for itself this summer.  These things were firsts for me:  peaches, pears, pickles, chili, chicken soup, spaghetti sauce, and best of all - moose.  It has been so nice to just reach on the shelf and open a can of our homemade goodies.

Speaking of Moose - Rod shot his first Moose and we butchered it entirely ourselves - that is definitely something to be proud of.

I have sewn alot this winter - made myself 3 skirts and have been wearing them often.

We have recommited to eating only meat/fish that we catch - none from the store.  So far so good except for the organic turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We bought and setup a storage shed for some much needed storage space.  The yard is looking so much more organized now.  I even have a potting bench in there.

I built 4 new raised beds in the garden that are all ready for new plants in the spring.

Speaking of the garden, I had all the plants in the ground on time this year...too bad about the root maggots though - I think they ate more than we did!

I've completed some crochet and knitting projects in the past few months - some hats and scarves for gifts and I started a sweater for myself.  Oh, and I completed a wool hat for myself - very complicated pattern, so I'm more confident in my abilities now.

We have been changing what we eat.  Mostly homemade, more frugal, more grains, more organic, more local.  It is a gradual process that has been paying off - I've lost 24 pounds through diet changes and exercise - gotta love that Biggest Loser Workout tape!!

My biggest accomplishment last year was realizing that I don't have to wait to do "homesteading" stuff until we move to our own land.  I can practice my skills and implement alot of them here while we live on my dad's land.  And that is just what I did this year!