Living Life in Rural Iowa

Wow, what a busy month! With a few health issues being dealt with by all of us, harvest happening at work for me, and school activities, we were a bit busy and crazy.

When I have had energy, I have been doing a lot of cleaning, decluttering, and organizing with the intention of making life simpler and calmer at home. I haven't gotten rid of a lot except for trash and unusable goods. Some of the kids' clothes have gone to the thrift shop if I haven't been able to bless anyone else with them, but I am still weeding through a lot of fall and winter clothes for Paige and Dane. They are both growing so quickly right now that keeping up with them is a full time job! Thank goodness, they don't have a problem wearing clothes from the thrift shop!

We have been eating at home for the most part except a few concession stands here and there. We did eat once on the road at a fast food place. I don't know why I bothered with that considering the kids were hungry again in an hour…

With Week 1 and Week 2 down, the planning has begun, the wish lists have been given to you, and you have your lists ready. Right?

If you don't, don't feel bad! You have plenty of time yet to get going!

This week we will be focusing on three things. None of them are very difficult, but all of them need some time to get accomplished. That means getting started now!

1. If any homemade gifts or stocking stuffers need to be started, start now. If you are doing anything like homemade extracts, jams, jellies, butters, vinegars, candles, or whatnot, start now. Anything that needs time to cure or develop flavor should be started now. Anything you can do now should be started so you are not stressed out later!

2. Now is also the time to start purchasing gifts. To make it easier on your budget and your wallet, start purchasing now. I have a few gifts already for Dane, one for Paige, and one for each of the girls. I also have a good deal of the stocking stuffers bought, but I do that all …

It's the weekend! Time to conquer and divide! But be sure to relax too!

I have a lot of interests and I read about a lot of different things. I always want to share that information with you and I couldn't decide on the best way for a long time. I always want to sound like the expert and share this information with you after I tried it, but you know I just don't have the time to try everything I want to.

Every weekend I will share with you 5-8 articles, blog posts, videos, or books that I think you should check out. I will be posting where they came from and what the article is with a link for you to go see them yourself. This truly is the best way because I do not want to take credit where credit is not due.

So, without further ado...

New Nat Geo Movie: American Blackout - October 27th by Modern Survival Online

Wait! Don't Throw Out All the Processed Food at Once! by Granny's Vital Vittles

10 Facts About the Great Depression by Backdoor Survival

Prepper TO DO List: 100 I…

I have struggled with fatigue on and off for many years and it still never fails to kick my butt when it happens. So I have slowly been sliding back on the caffeine wagon and now I am trying to get back off. No caffeine for me unless it is in tea. Or chocolate. Caffeine makes for a lot of other problems for me in my life. However, getting away from it is easier said than done especially if I am exhausted and need to get something done!

Fatigue really is life-stopping for me. Getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home to make supper, attend the kids' activities, and coming home again is all I can accomplish some days when the fatigue sets in. Most of the time, I am fine with that because the important things in life are being taken care of. But I have so much more to do and get done! I get so frustrated!

Why do I experience fatigue in this way and manner?

First and most, I had a nasty little bout of mononucleosis when I was a teenager. When doctors say that will follow you …

In light of my No Spend September Challenge and my goal to keep my grocery budget under $130, I thought I would share what I spent.

Please keep in mind a few things:
1. I have a fairly decent pantry and food storage area that is fairly well stocked.
2. We do have some dietary needs and try to be dairy-free as possible due to lactose intolerance. We also try to keep processed sugars to a minimum.
3. No meat is bought unless it is under $2.00 a pound and can be stretched over 2-3 meals.

On September 7th, at Sunshine Foods, Chatfield:
(We were having a cookout/campfire with the neighbors at Rob's house. This is not at all normal food for us to buy! I also know that their prices are higher than ours and what I would like to pay!)
1 pkg. Graham Crackers  $2.39
1 pkg. Fudge Striped Cookies  $1.70
1 jar Sweet Relish  $1.73
3 pkgs. Hot Dogs Buns  $4.47
2 pkgs. Hot Dogs  $1.98
4 pounds Peaches  $5.12
2 pounds Apples  $4.08
1 Yellow Onion  $1.13
Garlic Toast  $2.99
1 half-gallon Lactose-Free M…