Basic Homestead Skills Paying Off!

As I've previously blogged, we've started to focus on learning basic skills in our home to increase our self sufficiency and help us take more control over our own lives.  The less we rely on other people for our basic needs, the more we will be able to handle adversity in times of trouble.

Similar blanket to what my daughter makes. Pics coming soon.

Lately, it seems that many of our skills are being put to good use and actually starting to become a source of additional income!  This is partially why we began to learn self sufficiency skills, to provide for ourselves by making our own goods or selling/trading with others.

My oldest daughter has become quite good at crocheting, which she just learned this past Christmas.  She can make stocking caps, scarves, blankets big and small, dish towels and more.  She had made baby blankets and wash cloths as gifts throughout the year. It seems word has gotten around that she makes a pretty good blanket that she has begun getting requests...paid requests.  She also started to babysit around the neighborhood and is now being requested for paying jobs as a babysitter too. 

Who knew these little gems
could be profitable?

On our recent visit to our local Farmer's Market, I asked where all the honey sticks had gone.  The store attendant said the supplier had not returned calls in months and they no longer had a supplier.  It wasn't three hours later that the same daughter had done her research and determined she could make honey sticks and sell them at the Farmer's Market for a marginal profit!  She got our impulse sealer out that we use on our mylar bags and placed it on a counter.  Pulled a thin, clear straw from an empty styrofoam cup on the counter and proceeded to fill it with a honey bottle.  She quickly impulse sealed both ends and gleamed with joy! A quick review of her math and I agreed.  Her cost was $0.18 per straw and they used to sell at the Farmer's Market 3 for $1.  To a 13 year old, she might as well have discovered sliced bread!

Wifey is getting requests to babysit in our home all of the sudden.  Cha-ching!  I keep telling her that if she could blog about her sewing and crafting activities, I'm sure there are scores of women who could benefit from the dresses, skirts, hand bags, pencil holders, crayon wraps, etc and learn how to make these things for themselves just like she has. The rewards of blogging, sharing and learning never cease to amaze me.


I've blog constantly about how our still blossoming gardening skills have begun putting food on our plates.  I've begun expanding my carpentry skills and successfully added a living room niche for more books space, shelving and spool rods for Wifey's craft room upgrade and a large shelving system in our garage to get more organized.  This past weekend I added a wall mounted desk enclosure in a daughter's room to allow her private study time away from her "bratty, noisy sisters". LOL.
It pays in several ways to learn basic skills.  It can fill your soul with pride, your body with nourishment, and your pockets with a few coins. 

What skills do you enjoy?  What skills do you want to learn?

~OJD

Settling In and (Another) New Sewing Machine

Kohl is plum tuckered out. Eyes open but he
won't even raise his head.

Kohl seems to be settling in nicely. He's VERY mellow which is a nice attribute in a family dog. Well, it is for us anyway. We've got enough energy screaming through the house with six girls running amok. I previously blogged how we adopted him at the age of eight (a few weeks ago). His previous family didn't think he was getting enough attention after a family member passed away. Well, he gets SO much now, occasionally I find him hiding under my bed. My three little girls LOVE to hug him around his neck. Doesn't matter what I say about giving the dog a break. They chase him everywhere.

The older three daughters are becoming more and more interested in sewing. They see mommy making all the skirts, bags, and shirts and want to join in. Naturally, Wifey explained to me that this is the perfect and logical reason why she NEEDS more sewing machines. Of course CraigsList has them listed ALL THE TIME. Grrr.

Wifey came across a Grandmother who claimed she had around six machines. Unfortunately for her, she says her daughters don't want to have anything to do with the items. She has been instructed to sell them rather than hand them down. What a pity. I don't know ANYTHING about sewing machines but I can appreciate fine machinery. Wifey bought two machines that day. One came with a fold out sewing table. Pictured is the one that did not.

Now there are four sewing machines at my house (one needs repair.) Wifey has started teaching our 10 year old how to sew. She made her first hand bag the other day.

You know what I say about it all? Whatever makes them happy. I'll be in the garage if you  need me :-)

CraigsList + $25 = Happy Wifey (aka Win-Win)

.

An urgent call was heard yesterday at the OJD house. "We've got to go!" Wifey found something she was looking for on CraigsList and felt if we didn't leave right away, someone else would snag the deal. I had already been out shooting all morning, which I'll blog about in a bit, and was surely ready for a relaxing break on the couch.

I couldn't relax however, knowing that Wifey would be heading to an unknown house, with unknown people living there. Safety first. So I drove. Misguided by our Verizon GPS, we finally found the house. A man stood in the driveway next to his pickup truck. We both exited the vehicle and Wifey asked where the item was located.

Pointing to the old sewing machine table already loaded in the back of his truck, the man said "Right there." My puzzled look prompted him to say that he was just about to take it to the dump. Seems he had already listed it four times and had no buyers. It belonged to his mother and had been collecting dust in the garage. He didn't know if it even worked but he wanted it gone.

Wifey jumped up in the truck bed, spent about ten seconds looking at it and exclaimed "I'll take it!" I whispered to her "You should haggle the price." She looked at me like I had a third eye on my forehead and handed over the full amount: $25.  A few more words with the man and he gave us a free VCR from the truck bed as well. We loaded it up and brought it home. Turns out, everything works fine. The drawers were all filled with countless sewing supplies. I noticed a spool of thread in one drawer which had a $0.40 price tag from TG&Y. There was a wooden spool or two and numerous other items I couldn't begin to tell you what they were.

All I know is that for $25 and less than an hour of drive time, Wifey is extremely happy. That's what I call a "Win-Win."

For more pics, see Wifey's blog (now linked.)(now corrected, grrrr)

Easter Jewelry Made By Mommy

Our girls were delighted with their Easter necklaces and happily wore them to church. Mom is getting VERY good at making things with her sewing machine AND by hand.

This post was originally sent from my Droid Incredible via SMS text but for some reason pictures are not going through. I'll have to dig through the Blogger instructions to find out why. Otherwise, I might start trying to blog via email from my Droid.