I am very thankful today for many things. 

I have a roof over my head.  I have heat in this cold New England winter climate.

I have a table full of God's bounty, and I celebrate this harvest.

My family is whole and healthy.  That is HUGE.  I know so many broken families, and quite a few with major health issues.  My family is my biggest blessing.

There are two cars in my driveway, both paid for.

I will be able to buy my children a few Christmas gifts this year.

I live in the free-est country in the world.

I have Jesus Christ in my heart and my life as my Lord and Savior!

I also have a lot going on that would merit complaining, but it's not worth the space for the words.   It's in the Lord's hands.  He remains in control.  I heard something the other day that stuck with me, and IS worth the space for the words: 

There is no such thing as "trust" if we know all the answers!

and...

If we only focus on what God is not doing, we will miss what He is doing.

I wish a happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you all!

So, the old saying goes "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  We have been "drinking" a lot of lemonade around here lately! lol!!  If I could offer one word of advice from our experience, it would be to never, ever get smug and cozy in your circumstances.....they can change completely at any moment.

Back when life was going ok, we used to talk about moving simply because we wanted a change of scenery, so to speak; to get out of New England and see other parts of the country.  But it always came back to DH's job and it's perceived security, and is it really wise to up and leave that.  Now, things are much more tenuous, and no one at his level really knows what's coming in that place.  The Lord wasn't kidding when he told us in His Word "do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up your treasure in Heaven...".  Amen!  Nothing here is certain, or guaranteed to last!

We will batten down the hatches for winter and try to muddle through, but right now I can honestly say that God only knows what spring will bring.  DS11 was playing around with Google Earth last night and somehow found himself hovering over the Yukon!  We zoomed in and had a good look at Dawson City.  I found the church we helped out at way back in '92!  I was showing him the Top of the World Highway and the ferry to cross the river.  Then I followed the river down to Eagle, AK - we did that trip in a 16' row boat when we were there!  I remember stopping at Fortymile and spending a few moments marveling at the history right before my feet, before the epic mosquitoes drove us back to the boat and open water.  We camped on an island, on the sand facing the wind, again to keep the bugs at bay.  Best. Summer. Ever.  And all that little tangent was about, was to say that I miss the Far North, and there is still a part of me that really longs to go back.  Despite the distance from "home."  Despite the extremes in climate.  It's a stunning piece of real estate, Alaska is!

Any maybe, just maybe, all this hoop-la we're going through now will be the catalyst to get us back there!

Well, life is getting interesting, that's for sure!  Money is tighter than it's been in many, many years.  It seems more dire this time, though, because we have our own house now.  God is in control, I know full well, but I can't look ahead more than a few months as far as what our plans may be.  I'd like to be able to say "Oh yeah, we're going to put the house on the market in the spring, wait for it to sell, then move [wherever]." 

And true to my "fickle" warning in my "Colorado" post, each day that goes by makes me realize that Alaska is NOT out of the question.  All I know is that when the time comes to move on, DH and I will do what is best for our family, and that covers a wide spectrum of factors.  Alaska has a lot going for it.  Period.

On the home front, we have begun running the wood stove at night regularly now.  It was a scant 23 degrees this morning at 8:30!  Hard frost on everything.  And yet I still picked a handful of grape tomatoes off the last two plants!  Amazing.  Hardy little things.  My oregano plant hasn't succumbed to the frost yet, either, so I ought to pick more of that and dry it.  The chilly weather has put me in the mood to bake, too!  Time for more breads and soups.  Mmmm, yummy!

It's funny how spring and fall seem to bring out the work-hound in a homesteader!  I guess winter is just a time to hunker down and survive (well, for those of us in the north anyway) and summer is a time to enjoy the outdoors and have vacations and such.  Here around our place we're still busy putting up wood, of course, but hubby is also tackling some long-overdue house projects as well.  He finally got the back deck cleaned and Thompsonized - it looks brand new!!  There is still some staining that needs doing on the shingles on the back side of the house, too.  Another few weeks and we'll have LOTS of raking to do.  Again.  But I'm willing to pay that price.  I can't stand a yard devoid of trees!  So empty and barren (around here, anyways).  I like my little cottage in the woods. 

I have the opportunity to pick up some hours again at my old work.  They are getting busy with holiday orders and before I left, I offered to have them call me if they needed extra help now and then.  I'll put in a few days next week, then stay home when my dad is up visiting, and resume again the following week.  Sounds like they have plenty of work coming and I'll take what I can get right now, since DH has no overtime available at his work.  It'll be interesting juggling this with the kids' school work, but we'll give it all we've got. 

We have been blessed....  We had a good supply of wood going for this year.  Weren't really sure if it'd last all season but most of it anyway.  90% of it we got for free, just for clearing out the dead trees from a friend's lot.  That person is now going to be completely clearing an area for a garage on their property, so not only does DH get the clearing job, but he gets to keep all of that wood too!  Most of it will be green but that will lay in next year's supply!  So, assuming we're still here, I am looking at the next two winters of not having to spend a dime on propane for heat!!  The only other thing we use gas for is hot water, which barely makes a dent in the tank on its own.

God is so cool.

.....COLORADO!!  I'm a fickle gal sometimes, so I can't promise this won't change, but at the moment, Colorado it is!

So here's the low-down.  DH and I absolutely fell in love with Alaska 16 years ago when we spent the summer there on a short-term missions trip.  We have dreamed of going back, and once or twice actually started to formulate a plan to make it happen.

Then we had kids. 

I used to swear that having kids wouldn't change my dreams.  And it hasn't, for the most part, but it has caused me to make some adjustments.  Alaska is just too far away from New England for us to feel comfortable just packing up and moving there.  Basically it would mean saying good-bye to everything and everyone we know and not looking back.  Yes, we live in the jet age, but flights are expensive, esp. for a family of five.  The dream is still there, but we have decided to put it to rest for now and stop trying so desperately to get there.

Almost 2 years ago (it's archived somewhere here on my blog, I think) we were looking into finding a job in Christian camping.   We came oh-so-close to heading out to Colorado, but in the end we just couldn't be ready on their time-table and we had to pass.   But Colorado is still there, even if that particular job isn't!  It's not "close' to New England but at least it's still in the contiguous Lower 48.  It's got everything we're looking for - large cities to visit, expansive wilderness to explore, tons of "old West" history, Native American history, lotsof horses, and the unequaled backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.  I am starting to do some research on what it's like to actually live there, relocating from the northeast.  DH won't be looking for any very specialized type of job; he's in manufacturing now and wants out.  He much prefers work with his hand- and power-tools and enjoys construction and fix-it work quite a bit.  All I need is a stable to clean and I'm good!

If anyone reads this who is from CO, I'd love to hear your comments on living there!  Are you a native or did you move there from somewhere else?  What part of the state are you in and do you like it or would you prefer another location?  Anything!

My foray into other blogs didn't go so well.  I think I just like it here better!

Things haven't changed all that much around here.  We are still in our house, and even less hopeful that it will sell anytime soon.  It's not currently on the market, but we've been looking ahead to next spring.  We put a brand new roof on it this past spring, right down to the rafters.  The sheathing was sub-code and really seen its day.  No sooner was that finished than the well started giving us problems.  We dealt with it in one capacity or another all sumer, but in recent weeks the water has finally cleared up and seems to be staying that way.

We finally put our wood stove in!  Yay!  We've only had to use it a couple of nights recently but the furnace hasn't come on at all!  We've got a bunch of wood, 90% of which we got for free.  That will be a huge help this winter.

I'm getting the last hold-outs on my grape-tomato plants.  They produced a bumper crop!  Hubby loves to just pop them in his mouth like candy.  I also had some Early Girl tomatoes, most of which I made sauce out of.  That was a first for me and it was fun.  We had some broccoli but it didn't do very well.  And as usual the oregano plant went nuts all over the garden so I harvested plenty of that!

I have all three boys homeschooling this year.  It's a one-day-at-a-time adventure.  Some days go better than others, of course.  I feel a bit isolated myself, not being involved with the school.  The boys are busy enough themselves, between soccer right now and Cub scouts coming up. 

So, I guess that's my "re-introduction" for now!

I am going to stop posting here for a while.  Not sure when I'll be back.  I just have too many things on my plate and really, I'm not living much of a homestead-y life at all right now!  As for everything else going on in my life, I'd rather be journaling than blogging.

For my few close friends here, you can always click my e-mail link in my profile if you're so inclined, or hop over to my homeschool blog (the only one I"m keeping up with from here on out):

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CarolinaWren/

Happy Homesteading to the rest of you!

I have been hit hard lately, as I'm sure many others have, with the realization that EVERY thing is getting more expensive due to the out-of-control fuel price increases.  And I am realizing that I need to take steps in other areas to cut the overall budget, in order to accomodate higher gas prices and other things that I cannot control.

For instance, we are giving lots of thought to the errands we need to do.  We live in a rural area, and you don't just "run out for something" on a whim.  Yes, we have convenience stores and such not too far away, but for "real" shopping, we have to travel over 20 miles.  So, you start to really think before just hopping in the van.  What are we going out for, and can it wait until the weekend when we make a combined trip for several other things? 

Utilities:  this is a big "ouch" in the pocketbook.  NH has some of the highest electric rates in the country, right up there with CA.  I have become almost O/C lately, in turning off lights in unused rooms!  My kids need to learn that it does make a difference.  I will start charging the offending child 10 cents out of his allowance for each time a light is left on when they leave their room or the bathroom!!  That'll learn 'em pretty quick!   I am starting to hang my laundry out to dry, and will only use my dryer when absolutely necessary (there are 5 of us so I do plenty of washing!).  I am also hand-washing my dishes more often, so as to run the dishwasher only once or twice a week, instead of every other day.

Entertainment:  this is another big "ouch," but only because we become accustomed to a certain lifestyle.  It is definitely something we can control!!  I've already switched my Internet from the very pricey cable company to DSL with our phone comany.  It's the best I can do and really not a bad deal, since it's bundled with our phone bill.  TV can absolutely use some tweaking.  We are not watching it much these days anyway, so it's time to downgrade our package to the bare bones.  Oddly enough, DH will be the hardest sell on this!  The kids seem to do fine, as they prefer to be outside in the summer anyway.  Me, I prefer to curl up with a good book!  We will eat out far less this summer.  It's not something we normally do on a regular basis, but there is a summer-only seafood & ice cream place we love to go to when it's open.  This year, it will be a once-in-a-while treat.  We have a vacation planned for September, so over the summer we will no do much outside our immediate area.   In that respect, it is nice living where we do, with so many hiking and outdoor opportunities!  The most-climbed mountain in the world, Mt. Monadnock, is practically in our backyard.  There is nature EVERY where around here.

I am certainly not in a panic mode. but I am seeing changes in our country that we have not seen before in my lifetime (42 years, for anyone wondering!).  But I do see changes coming.  We are so used to a certain way of life, but I don't think that's a "given" anymore.  It's jus time to be ready.  For anything.

Somehow our 16th wedding anniversary came and went this past week with barely a peep!  We did go out a few weeks ago to celebrate, since we knew we'd be busy on the actual day.  It is sad how many people look at you in total shock when you tell them you've been married that long.  Such a rarity these days, I guess.  Aside from it being a Biblical mandate (to stay married, with few exceptions), I find I enjoy the stability that comes with being with the same person for a long time. 

It has also been 16 years since we were in Alaska.  We had NO idea it would be this long before we'd get back.  And as such, we have been giving a lot of thought lately to our once-passionate dream of returning to Alaska.  I guess I'm putting that out publicly here, as sort of a commitment to follow it through this time, Lord willing of course.  But He seems to be laying it on our hearts.  We are not driven, in an emotional, humanly way.  Just a quiet urging in our spirits that, for lack of a better way to put it, is calling us back.  I think really, we stuffed that big dream into a tiny box, and squelched its efforts to break free for so many years, because people would react in shock and say things like "Oh you can't do THAT!...."   After a while you start to believe them, and before you know it, you've all but let the dream die. 

Ours has been reawakened from a long-dormant sleep.  But it IS still there.  Maybe it IS time to go, and maybe that's why our efforts to sell the house and find a camp this year fell so flat.  We are still open to a camp, someday, if that is how the Lord leads, but if it's by way of a year or so in Alaska, then so much the better!  As a parent, I see the boundless opportunities for my boys in an adventure like this.  The 4,000 miles of country between here and there is just one big home schooling field trip!!  SO so much to see and learn about.  Once there, I will enjoy the home schooling freedom we'll have.  Alaska by nature is a state full of people who value their freedoms -whatever form that may take - to the point of defending it passionately.  They are not to be messed with!  I would also welcome the chance to raise my kids with a strong sense of independence - not independence from God and a life of following His Son - but an independence to be strong, Godly young men who can put in a hard day's work, provide for themselves and their families, and know that life isn't all fun and games, all the time.  I don't want to live completely isolated up there, but life in the last frontier requires you to be in tune with the world around you.  Your life can depend on it!

I have also come to realize that one thing that seems to draw me back away from pursuing this dream time and again is, plain and simple....STUFF!  Ugh.  Sometimes I hate having so much of it!!  Clearly we will have to downsize before making this move.  We will have to plan some essentials that come with us - clothing, cookware for the camper, some of hubby's tools, and so on.  And there will be some treasures that we pack up in a box, to be shipped up later once we arrive and get settled.  But there is lots and lots still left that we simply will have to part with.  Having lived in this house for over 5 years now (and that's not really all that long!) I am amazed at the "things" we have accumulated!  Oh my, but I'll have a project ahead of me...

So, there it is.  My declaration to finally follow our dream of heading to Alaska.  I hope some of you will check back in, pull up a chair and grab a cup of coffee, and join us for the ride!  It looks promising....