That's What's Up

These days are spent working, gardening, harvesting, freezing, preserving, making and spending time outside together. The garden is doing so much better this year, we've already started to harvest green and yellow beans, peppers and kohlrabi. The past few days have felt like Fall, and we love Fall so we have been able to take Simplestead Baby hiking without fear of her overheating. 

Wannabe Handmade

I am going to go on a rant.

I really hate seeing all this "looks like it's handmade" or "antique/vintage looking" stuff at big box stores. I feel like these corporations are ripping off designs from independent designers and artisans. There have been countless times I have been in Target (yup, that's right Target, I am calling you out) and have seen an item on their shelves that I saw on Etsy months ago. This would not be a problem if it actually came from the same artist selling it on Etsy, but no, it is a mass produced forgery. Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie are other culprits.

But I honestly cannot just blame the companies who carry Wannabe Handmades. There is clearly a market for these items. But if you are looking for handmade, then you should buy handmade. Check out Etsy or better yet, a local craft fair or festival. Support those who made these items cool in the first place and purchase a quality item, not some cookie cutter piece of crap. This also goes for antique looking items. Instead of some crappy reproduction, go to an antique store or a flea market. You will probably pay the same price or even less for the real thing.

Thank you for reading.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone! We are celebrating with first smiles from the Simplestead Baby! Today will be spent line drying our cloth diapers,going outside for a family walk, and starting some more seeds for the garden. Oh how we love the simple life!

Simplestead Baby

We weclome our little girl, Vivienne to the Simplestead family.

In Waiting

It is a pivotal time here at Simplestead, a quite time, a time of rest and reflection right before a time of huge change and massive activity. We are enjoying these days by reading, making and just being with each other. We smile, laugh and reflect about our lives together for the past nine years before the days of "just us" come to an end.

In a month or less our daughter will be born and our lives will forever change. We are so excited and welcome this change with open arms. We want to be the best parents we can possibly be and give our baby girl all the wisdom and love we have created over the course of our lifetimes, plus share our journey with her with all the years that lay ahead. We also can't help but be a little nervous but I think that is normal for any first time parents.

We are also introducing another little soul into our lives, a black lab puppy. If you keep up on the blog, you would know of the loss of our dear Marci Dog. It has been a little over a month since losing her and I have to tell you, daily life without a dog is extremely hard for us. We have the cats and rabbits to love and snuggle with, but nothing replaces the love and security of having a dog. 

Yes, we know we are crazy to have a newborn and a puppy, but honestly I am not concerned. We have been through many hard things in our lives and this is a challenge we want. I have raised many puppies in my life so I know what I am in for. I have no false expectations about training a new puppy, it is not easy, it takes time, it takes patience. Jake will also be home for paternity leave after the baby is born so both of us will be present to care for everyone. The dog also comes next week so we will have a few weeks to acclimate before introducing Baby. I know having a newborn will be challenging as well, but I still want to do it, same with getting a puppy. The way rationalize it, if I never did anything because it was hard, I would have done nothing in my life.

But until the dog and baby arrive, things are very quiet. It is hard for me to just relax in the quiet, I like to have a lot of activity going on and believe me, I am going to get my wish soon. On the other hand, I think Jake enjoys the quiet but also likes activity. He is very adaptable. I try to quiet myself with reading, spinning and knitting (my lower key projects I call them) while Jake can easily curl up on the couch and read for hours. Jake has taught me to slow down and relax this winter. I have to remind myself that spring will be here soon and we will be with the dog and baby, planting the garden, going to the farmers market, hiking, and camping. I need to savor this quiet time because spring will be busy and perhaps exhausting. 

Life, Death and a New Year

On Simplestead we like to write about happy things, positive experiences that are moving us in the right direction. But life isn't a constant string of beautiful moments. In between there is hardship, frustration, and loss or mediocrity. That is reality and if we want to have a great life, we have to learn to deal with everything life throws as us, the good and the bad.

So today I want to share some of the ups and downs we faced last year, not to provoke sympathy or pity, but to illustrate the cycles of life and to show that no matter what, we all have good and bad times and we have to rely on our family and friends to persevere. I also felt talking about these things will help us heal and pay homage to those we have lost.

At the beginning of 2012, we had to say goodbye to our dear dog, Heidi. She was a nine year old red lab who was so gentle and sweet and loved going everywhere with us. We knew she was slowing down but she continued to love to go hiking with us. We were fortunate enough to have another dog come into our lives right before Heidi passed, a yellow lab named Marci. Marci was full of love and energy and Jake was teaching her how to be a bird dog. Unfortunately we also had to say goodbye to Marci a few days ago. It was so hard because Marci was only five years old. Both dogs died at home with us, all within a year. The loss of a companion animal is a deep pain that is so hard to get over. It is very hard to walk into the house and there isn't a dog to greet you. The house feels so empty. We still have our two cats and the rabbits, but nothing takes the place of a dog.

I know that with the aspirations of a farm, we are going to encounter animal death. It is just the nature of the game. You have to kill animals to eat them, animals get sick and die and we don't know why or can't prevent it. We have to deal with death, it sucks. It isn't fair to lose those you love.

Besides the dogs leaving us, we also had to endure the loss of two others this year.  In June, we lost my best friend, Kelly. She was only 26. It was so hard to loose her. The circumstances were awful surrounding her death. She was and still is very important to me. She could always make me laugh and she always made you feel special, because she was so special. She was beautiful and full of life, and that is how I will always remember her. Her death affected everyone she knew and  no one is every going to be the same without her.

Prior to Kelly's passing, I had an early term miscarriage in February. That was a very hard and heartbreaking experience. Jake and I were shaken by the whole thing. We wondered if we would ever be able to have a successful pregnancy, or if we were even ever meant to have babies. We just never thought it could happen to us, truth is, it can happen to anyone. No matter how healthy or young you are, if that baby is not developing just right, your body knows. Jake and I had each other, along with the support of all of our friends and family and that support helped us stay strong and positive. After a few months, we decided to try to get pregnant again.

In July, I found out I was pregnant again. At first I was terrified because I did not want to loose another baby. But we relied a lot on faith to get us through. We pray everyday for this baby to be born healthy and happy. I felt as if my best friend, Kelly, smiled down upon me and put in a good word for us to let this baby come into our lives because I found out I was pregnant soon after Kelly died. Now we are almost 31 weeks along and our little girl will be here soon. Carrying this baby has been the highlight of our year. We can smile down at my belly and look forward to being parents. There is a silver lining to all of this.

Life goes on, no matter what. Some days you don't know how you are possibly going to carry on, but you do. We persevere, we heal, we forgive. If I have learned anything from 2012, it is that we are not in control and the more we try to believe we are, the more the universe reminds us that we are not. We must learn to rely on faith and on those we love and to live in the moment. Don't dwell on the things that don't really matter, shed yourself of the things that don't serve you or your purpose.  Hold those you love tightly. Embrace the New Year.

All cabins, all the time

Today I want to share one of my favorite sites with you (the name is rather clever). It really makes me smile when I am having a crappy day and it subsides my homesickness for Northern Wisconsin. Cabin life has always been an aspiration of mine, it is more a state of mind really and these beautiful photos can take me deep into the woods anytime. The simpler the cabin, the better.

Fall Day

Lazy Sunday

Ah Sundays. I like having a day before the week starts where we don't have anything particular to do and we can be at home together as a family. It also helps if I make yummy food to entice everyone to stay around and stalk me in the kitchen. Today's menu was homemade chicken noodle soup and sandwiches on freshly baked pheasant bread. I made my own chicken stock for the first time from one of our parents' chickens and it is amazing!

Hail

We had to do an emergency rescue on some of our container plants yesterday when a huge front came through that produced hail. Good thing we were home otherwise we may have lost our precious basil plant.

Weekending: Wood Rack and Fire Pit

Jake whipped up a handy wood stand for the back patio today. He used some lumber we salvaged from my Dad's move a few weeks back. It's large enough to hold a supply of logs and the apple wood we use to feed the angora rabbits.

We also finally busted out the screened fire pit Dad gave us for Christmas. I can't wait to christen this baby on a spring night with a nice cold hard cider in my hand. Friends are welcome to stop by so we can enjoy a nice fire amongst urban sprawl.

3,024 things to do over the next 18 days

56 eggs, turned three times a day for 18 days for a grand total of 3,024 egg turns.  112 are down so far.

These eggs are from my father's flock.  This is the first time he is supplying his own eggs.  We shall see if his good-for-nothing rooster can dodge a trip to the stew pot if most of these are fertilized.  There are always a few eggs not fertilized and that is why the incubator is more crowded than it should be.  Some of the eggs are also a bit older than I'd like (around 6 days) but they should still be viable.  The variety of egg age, size and breed are what I love about hatching these guys.  So many variables!

We did this last year and it was one of the highlights of 2011 so we figured on doing it again.  It is a big commitment but the payoff is even greater.

The Grow List

As we continue to make everyday changes, I have comprised a list of things I would like to implement by the end of next month. I feel these pursuits will challenge us to rely less on commercially produced items and save us money while instilling our values of living a slow life.

Start a kitchen container garden so that lettuce, tomatoes and herbs are within arms reach. One less item I have to buy at the grocery store.

Pre-plan more dinners using fresh ingredients. Natural Health at Home has a Gluten Free Meal Plan that I would love to try.

Buy locally made soap.

Use the dryer 50% less. I figure now that the weather is getting warmer, I can dry clothes out on the rack outside, or I can get my husband to rig me up a clothesline.

Make my own dish soap and handsoap and store in mason jars with these nifty mason jar pump lids.

Make my own face oil.

Find a local source for grass-fed beef and pork.

Trials & Tribulations of Our New Lifestyle

I like to mostly blog on here about the things we are doing to live a more simple, present, low impact life. I try to project a very positive outlook on our future and try to fill you in on our projects and plans as we take things step by step until we obtain the lifestyle we dream of. If it were a perfect world, every plan would pan out, and everyone we come in contact with would love what we are doing and would want to do it also. But that is not reality. Converting to this lifestyle is hard work, and you have to be prepared to do what you believe in, because you may be going at it alone.

In most cases, the majority of people we know think we are bat shit crazy. Or they think that we have these dreams now, but someday (when we have kids) or when we magically come to our senses, we will put all of this nonsense behind us. When we first started down this road, I myself thought that this would be a fad. I figured we would try it for a while, but it would just lose its luster and we would go back to the way we were. But that did not happen, once I started downsizing, making, growing, researching, and prioritizing, I wanted to take it further. Jake and I were hooked, not because of the stigma of what we were doing, but because we were happier, we were wealthier (not in the monetary sense), and we were healthier!

We get a lot of flack from friends and family. Not all of it is mean-spirited or even said directly to our faces, but we know there is talk about our lifestyle. Not that our friends and family love us any less, but our current interests tend to alienate us a bit (I mean you can't just open up a conversation about how your compost needs more nitrogen or how you need to get your tension right when your spinning). We've been referred to as Hippies, Amish, or Wannabe Farmers. I say we are all of the above. Some have learned to accept our lifestyle, others ignore it, others make fun of it, and once in a Blue Moon, we "convert" someone.

I figure that even if we can get anyone to talk about what we are doing (positive or negative), that may ignite a spark into someone else, or perhaps give one person a bit more tolerance and understanding. I don't expect everyone to do what we are doing, or to even want to do what we are doing.

What we are doing is NOT easy, it takes a lot of time, energy, dedication, self discipline, risk taking and sacrifice. Our Egos are on the line every day. Sure, we sometimes look at ourselves and think -  "Man, we are REALLY living the life, everyone else doesn't know what they are missing." But we have no right to judge what is right for you, only you can decide that. We only know what works for us, and we have decided that we love what we are getting ourselves into.

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Make bread, save money

I made really good bread today, the kind that flakes and browns at the top and all you want to do is cut into it and eat the whole loaf. There is just something so rewarding about baking your own bread, plus it is really easy and cheap to make. I used this no-knead recipe and it worked out oh so nicely.

I was inspired to bake bread today because I am so tired of spending money eating out. Whenever I look at my bank statement, I am always shocked how much money we spend on going out to eat. I know I'm supposed to be one of those people who makes home cooked dinners with fresh ingredients every day of the week, but I am ashamed to say that is not the case. No, we are not eating McDonald's and to my defense we do opt for healthier dining choices, but it's not the satisfactory home cooked meal.

And let's just face it, eating out is expensive! Ten bucks here, fourteen bucks there, it all adds up. I hate to see how much we spend eating abroad and then think about how much we could have saved during the week and how much better quality food we could have been consuming if I would have just cooked some damn meals! Not to say we are never going to eat out again. Jake and I enjoy our lunches at our local coffee joint way to much to give it all up and we like to dine with friends time to time. But I need to say no to myself when I'm tired and I don't want to cook anything and all I want is the convenience of prepared food. I need to arm myself with easy to prepare meals during those times. And it really is all about preparation.

So my two loaves of freshly baked bread should get me through. I can serve it with a nice bowl of soup (hello easy, satisfying meal!!!) and make sandwiches for lunch or dinner (it's really good with chicken salad), or just eat it plain. I also cannot wait to join a CSA. Then we will have to cook so that we do not waste any of the amazing meat and veggies we will be getting.

So now one loaf is in the fridge (I think it keeps longer that way) and the other in the freezer. If one loaf can last me a week, then I will only have to bake bread every two weeks, I think I can handle that.

Day HIke - Tichigan

Nothing soothes the soul quite like a day hike. This one was only about a half hour from our place, yet when you are surrounded by nature, it feels like a mini vacation. It was cold, damp and windy. We are outfitted with the proper gear, so we were quite comfortable. Our doggie even came along for the trip. She literally carries some of the weight with her Mountainsmith dog pack. I say when traveling on foot, everyone needs to carry some of the load.

Adaptation

With the weather getting colder and the trees becoming naked, we are enjoying fall and welcoming winter with open arms. I guess I am a true Wisconsinite when I say I enjoy when the snow flies and it becomes cold enough to wear flannel and lots of layers.

Even though we welcome the new challenges of the winter season, we don't always welcome the challenges in life so easily. Lately we've been going through bit of a personal battle, trying to enjoy the present yet we desperately long to get out of our condo and own our own homestead. Especially with winter approaching, I wish I had a fireplace or a wood stove to sit by and feel toasty warm.

You can't install a fireplace in a condo, but you can buy a ceramic heater that looks like wood stove. The electric wood stove was something we wanted and not necessarily needed, but having it lets us enjoy the ambiance of a fire without having to approve chimney construction with the condo association. The model we purchased is also energy efficient and heats our living room quite well so we will not have to jack the heat up so much. We also have a simple box shaped ceramic heater in our bedroom which keeps us comfortable and also helps us save on heating bills.

We realize it is going to take us awhile until we reach or final destination, but everyday we continue in the right direction. We are still working on paying off our debt, which is going very well, and working on saving and not accumulating more debt by being creative and sometimes frugal. The holidays may be a challenge, but I have been busy knitting, sewing and canning gifts this year to help offset costs. Plus who doesn't love homemade gifts?

I'm sure most people who read this post or come visit us will get a kick out of this thing and maybe have a laugh or two about how we have a fake wood stove in our living room. But for us, it is a great compromise until we can have a real one.

As for me, I'll be laying in front of my wood stove on my deerskin rug, playing my ukulele.