Happy New Year to all of you.  This year our family hopes to make some changes that include Dad at home more.  As part of this goal, our family is looking for more ways to be self-sufficient.  For us self-sufficiency means supplying for the needs of our family from our own sweat and land.  Here is our list of things we plan on producing for ourselves this year:

• Soap - we are giving up shampoo, hand soap, face soap, and dish soap.  The only soap we plan on continuing to buy is laundry soap.  I've made my own before but have not found that it worked as well.  We may try again.
• Animal food - our plan is to put in mangrels, oats, and corn for animal feed so that we don't have to buy any animal food in the coming year.
• Dairy products - we may not get to total self-sufficiency but soon we will be milking our goats and using their milk for cheese, yogurt, and milk.
• Gardening - we will be raising our own seedlings this year, Lord willing, and we will be saving seeds for some of the easier seed saving items.

We will add these items to our self-sufficiency measures that already includes sewing many of our own clothes and raising the majority of our own food.  We will also begin raising meat, eggs, and vegetables to sell at the local farmer's market.  This will allow us to have Dad home more.  He is already beginning to help with the homeschooling and it is such a blessing to feel that we are working together as a team.  Happy homesteading in the new year  . . .

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