Not all those that wander are lost....

So where have we been?

Well, the answer is far from simple. Of course I could describe how busy we have been. The end of summer and the months before winter had brought many changes to our lives. A wood stove (that we hadn't planned on getting this year) for one created a rush to get enough wood cut before the snow fell kept me quite busy, along with weatherizing the house for the coming cold. Melissa's business kept her engaged, and before we knew it the new year was upon us.

Yet, although those reasons are true...it is not the full truth.

Our Journey has not been without its trials and tribulations and as such there were times when what we set out to do last November was put to the test. Money of course was a big issue and although we had reduced our living expenses there were (and still are) times when the bills we couldn't cut outweighed our income. Our garden, although starting with a bang, fizzled out at the end and we lost a lot of our crops. Vehicle repairs and home repairs added up and the strain on our relationship as a family became quite heavy. I really could go on and on with a long narrative of negative experiences, but it's self-defeating and a little self-serving.

You, see the truth of the matter is...we survived! Everyone struggles, but it took me awhile to figure out that it's not the struggle that matters, but how well you handle them. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", right? Easier said than done, but there is some truth too it.

It wasn't so much the new problems and challenges our new life style presented; it was how we dealt with them. Frankly when I looked at these things we were going through they weren't all that different from the issues we had pre-homesteading...it was just the way we handled them. In the past we would have bought our way through the difficult times. We would have spent ourselves happy buying new toys and things to make us feel better and mask our hurt. This time around though that money wasn't available to shelter us, and we had to look at what was going on with no anesthesia. Yeah, it was painful but that pain brought new and exciting alternatives to dealing with it.

Jesus Christ brought us through it, plain and simple. No need to mince words here...its a fact!

So, for the last few months there's been some anguish, disappointment, and failure. But, there has also been some really great things going on too. I've hid from this blog for awhile, partly in self-pity and partly from facing certain truths. Here's the thing though; we didn't quit...we pushed on and we're still here ready to begin a second year that's as full of hope and grace as when we first started. We only slowed our steps on the journey, now we're ready to run again!

A visit from family

Note: It is far easier to post in the winter when things are a lot slower...

That being said, July has been a good month with lots of things happening including my older brother James (Aka: Wojo) and his family visiting from Vegas. We spent nearly a week with them and had a blast.

James and his wife Jean have lived in Vegas for some time now and we rarely get to see them. James is a Worship Leader at his church and heads a Dave Matthews tribute band called Dangerous Hours, Jean works for a law firm. They are moving to Alabama soon and that will be great because they'll only be 11 hours from us.

James' son, James Jr. lives in Texas and it has been a number of years since we got to see him so that was really nice. He's 15 now, the same age as my daughter, and has grown a lot since the last time we saw him. I know his school's football team is trying to get him on the field, but like his dad he's dedicated to his music.

They also brought their friend Cookie, a girl from their church. She was fantastic and we were glad to have her as a guest. Gabrielle got along great with her!

While they were here we tried to get a number of things accomplished besides relaxing with a cold one on the deck (which we did plenty of:P), and telling Chuck Norris facts! One of my projects I really wanted to do this year was move some very large pine stump fences and make a decorative boundary across the front of our family cemetery. When my father passed away we decided to have him buried on the property at a place where he and my mother always wanted to build a home. It's a beautiful hill with large maples over looking a small valley, and although they never did build that house...it sure is nice visiting him there.
It was a good thing my brother and nephew helped in this endeavor. The stumps where very large and heavy, and a good ways into the woods. We knocked it out in just a few hours, but there was no way I could have done it myself.

We also brought the whole crew Geocacheing and made a day of it...with a picnic included. We were 2 0f 4 on caches found, but I think everyone had a really good time. I know me, Melissa and Gabrielle did! I think my brother and his family might be hooked.

All in all, it was fantastic to have them here. Last time they were up for a visit my trucking schedule was a mess and I had very little time to see them. Sometimes, when homesteading gets tough and the struggles seem endless, I have to remember why we are doing it. Family.
A year ago I wouldn't have been able to spend the quality time I did with them. I'm thankful and I'm blessed.

Thanks Melissa for the photos.

Keep it secret...keep it safe

For those of you that have never tried Geocaching....you've got to give it a chance!

Although we have had the link up on our blog for sometime now, it was just the other day that we actually tried our hand at it. What is Geocaching you ask?

(from their website)
"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

As far as the "high tech"goes it is true that you need a GPS device; luckily for us we had one that we purchased a few years ago. I haven't looked at prices on these things in some time, but I believe you can get them pretty cheap. Ours is a Garmin Nuvi 200 and is very basic, but it does the job. All you need is to be able to type in coordinates and most dash-board GPS allow this.

So, how does it work? You go to their website, www.geocaching.com and register (easy process). From their you can type in any postal code or town and it will give you lists of Geocaches in that area...and their is usually a ton. Just in our small town their was a lot! At that point you get the coordinates, put them in your GPS, and away you go..

We have found 6 geocaches so far (in 2 days) and all 6 were within a two mile radius of us. A couple we couldn't find, but we'll be back again for another try:) Once you find a cache you can take/leave an item, then log your visit on the website. My description may come off as a little dull, but believe me it's addicting.

In fact, if you like to walk or bike, have free fun, and enjoy nature...it's really the way to go. Next time we'll take some photos so we can share them. I hope if you try it you'll have as much fun as we have had.

Struggles

With so many things that have happened over the last month. I struggled to decide which topic to write about. I decided how ironic it was that I struggled, when that is kinda what I wanted to write about... struggling. LOL, I know I'm not making any sense, but hopefully that will change.

It seems that lately we have been overwhelmed with things... things to do, places to go, people to see, jobs to do. I have found that the hush of winter is not at all as bad as I once thought is was a few months ago, when I was bored out of my mind. I have found that things when thought about or dreamed about are oh so much more romantic and well lets just say it...EASY. But you add the above "tasks" to your dreamy little wonderland, and you have struggle.

Yes I know we were warned that things would be hard and they are, but I don't want to lose sight of the goal. It gets overwhelming when the journey is not enjoyed, when all you want is the end of your task to be near.

Money struggles. Yeah I know cry me a river, but we all are going through it so I though I'd share our story, it's our blog after all! We've not been desperate yet, not starving yet, but we have gone without, and a bill or 2 have been late. It's definitely not for lack of trying, just didn't balance the budget properly and my work is unstable at best. We have managed to keep our heads above water thankfully for now. But it has put jobs behind, like the chicken coop. We have yet to finish that, so it sits partially done and we still have no chickens.

Garden struggles. Ok we all know that this is new territory for us. We've NEVER done the majority of things we have attempted to do, but yet we still try pathetically. The garden, oh the garden. She's a force to be reckoned with. It's a love/hate relationship we have with our garden. So far she has been planted for about 1 month. Well the first half of it anyway. The out come in 1 month is 3/4 of it didn't sprout, so we replanted a bunch and cheated and got some starter plants. Well it was MIL who got them, I think she felt bad for us slaving away and getting no results. The second part of the garden is all Pat. He has been a regular ol' farmer!! He's spent hours sowing, and weeding, and just loving it and it's worked. And the result...we have growth!! Well I should say sprouts, but it's growing and that's all that counts. Now we're told the hard part comes, the bugs...haven't had to deal with that yet, as nothing had grown before. But we're armed and ready with piles of books, magazines, and precious advice from loved ones.

Time struggle. Where does it go? I remember sitting by the fire this winter and anxiously awaiting for the sun to warm us and spring to get sprung. Obviously summer is nearly here and you can tell by the looks of our barren blog that time has gotten the best of us. I think time is one of the hardest struggles of all. But we have all been through it and I'm sure all want and need more of it. But alas...that's life right?

So I thought with this post, I'd put a few pictures of around the homestead here at True North. Hope you enjoy..

Better late than never

So it's been damn near a month since we posted. The month of May is jam-packed with fun things and we got a little caught up in all the excitement and found no time to blog. Mothers day, my b-day, memorial day, highland festival and planting the garden. We'll post about them all when we stop to take a breath. The pigs are gigantic. Still haven't gotten the chickens yet and we've been learning so much!

One Mans Trash.....

The past couple of weekends marked the beginning of Garage, Rummage and Yard Sale season. I love this time of year. It's like a sport for me, hunting down that treasure that's oh so needed.

I picked up quite a few things for us this time around, couple shirts and a great pair of $100 coveralls for $9. I especially like if for finding clothes for Gabrielle. You know she's still stuck in the name brand world so that's what I keep my eye out for her, 3 shorts 2 shirts...score!

Household things are pictured here. The chair is by far my favorite find for $2. Pat's going to try and replicate it so we have a few more around the homestead. The planter was .50 cents and the cupboard was $4. I did practice bartering a lot, everyone that I made an offer to accepted. So offer away, it really works! Great deals for great stuff wouldn't you agree?

Thank You

I want to personally thank all of those who have recently visited and commented to our blog. Since the publishing of the article in USA Today, the response from friends around the world via comments and emails have been overwhelming and truly heartfelt. It means a lot to us that you have taken the time to read our stories and share yours as well. We plan to visit each and everyone of your blogs and try to respond to all that have taken the time to comment to us. Thanks to you all for your support of our little journey.

An Unexpected Path In Our Journey

About two weeks ago I received an email from Judy Keen, a reporter from USA Today, requesting an interview. She said she had found our Blog while researching for an article she was planning on writing; an article that would, amongst other things, show how some people might be changing their lifestyles due to the economic situation in America. Although our decision to begin our self sufficient journey had less to do with America’s economic position and more to do with our personal choices on how we wanted to live as a family…it was a factor, no doubt.
Out of curiosity I ‘googled’ Judy Keen. At this point we weren’t even considering doing the interview, but we wanted to see who this reporter was. We didn’t have to look very deep. Nothing alarmed me though…she’s been in the business for some time, had some pics with past presidents, and, although naive on my part, it seemed she had a kind face. So, after a few cups of coffee, and some discussion, we decided I should give her a call and see what this was all about.

To make a long story short, we obviously agreed to do the interview, and let a photographer into our home. Why? Well, after long and lengthy conversations between me, Melissa, and Gabrielle…we came to a decision.
When we first started considering changing our lifestyle we did a lot of research on the internet…homesteading forums, Blogs, ebooks… and what we found was an entire network of people and families that were either doing what we wanted to do or were on the verge of making some serious changes in their lives. Their reasons for doing this were as varied as the people, but ultimately we discovered that we weren’t alone. We weren’t crazy. Other had come before us and succeeded. It gave us hope and inspiration, and still does! So, I guess we hoped that maybe we could give some of that back. I know it sounds cheesy and dramatic, but honestly it’s how we feel.

In the end, I think Judy Keen did a fine job with the article. The responses from it, and our Blog, have been great! People from all walks of life have been emailing us and leaving comments…

I had thought that maybe we could give others inspiration and hope, but as it turns out…it was all of you that gave it to us. Your kind words and insightful thoughts have been taken to heart. Thank you.

You can find the article here.

Ps. Thanks to the person that left the comment that this was 'The Wojtowicz's free family fun day'. Brought smiles to our faces.

Build it and they will come.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, taking care of our pigs has been nothing compared to the preparation in getting our homestead ready for them. Fencing and housing were the big concerns...and our budget...under $100 for a large pen and their pig house.

The Plan: Our first chore was deciding where to put the pigs. Although at first this seemed like a relative easy decision to make, it turned out to be harder than it looked. We have quite a bit of property, but wanted to keep the pigs close, so as to be able to keep a close eye on them and make feeding and watering convenient...but how close? Having never raised any farm animals before we were concerned about smell; everyone told us how bad pigs stink. We also considered our view. From our deck we have a beautiful view. One of our favorite pastimes is to sit on our deck, with a cold brew after a hard days work, and watch the local wildlife. The last thing we wanted to do was spoil this view with a pig pen.
After much deliberation we decided on an area off to the North side of our house. There's a lot of briers and thorns in the area and I thought it would be nice if the pigs could rid us of the eye-sore. We would be able to see our pigs from the deck, but our view of the Landscape would not be obstructed.

Fence Materials: When we first started researching getting the pigs I wanted to be able to graze them as much as possible to cut down on purchased food for them. With this in mind we needed a large pen, but our budget had to be kept in mind, and fencing isn't cheap.
Most people, who had experience with pigs, were saying that we needed to have an electric fence. This made a lot of sense to me; better containment and move-ability if I chose to "fold" them into a different area. However, I decide against this because of the initial start up cost, and, more importantly, I didn't want one more thing running off the electric meter. Our goal here is self sufficiency...not dependency. I had to take stock of what supplies I had.
Awhile back a friend of mine was doing some yard cleaning and he had quite a bit of privacy fencing that was in pretty bad shape. I helped him take it down (what was still standing!) and brought it out here to our property. At the time I planned to use it for our paintball field but never got around to it. So, for the last few years, this fencing layed useless on the edge of our woods. That was all about to change.
The fence was mostly 6' tall and was in sections of 8' lenghts. I figured I could cut it down so it was just over 3' high and use it for the enclosure. I had just enough of good sections to fence in the side of the pen that would be most visible from our house. Since the fence came with wooden posts I wouldn't need to buy any.
Now, this fencing, which was surprisingly in better condition than I thought, was painted a ghastly orange on one side. Melissa, however, had the great idea of using the unpainted side, which was a fantastic grey-weathered look, as the side we could see. the result was great...giving us a really cool rustic style fence.
As for the rest of the pen, my parents, some years ago, had raised some cows for beef. They had mostly used electric fence, but in some areas had used wire fencing. There were quite a bit of metal posts scattered throughout the property (some in good condition, others not) , that after a day of collecting them we had just enough to cover the area we needed. The wire fencing was another matter altogether.
There was plenty of the metal fence, but time and weather had knocked most of it down, entangled it in weeds, and frankly left it in pretty poor condition. The good news was that it hadn't rusted! I wont bore you with the details, but after a lot of hard work, an out of control fire, and prying it up from frozen ground, we managed to get enough of it to finish the pig pen. The cost so far....calloused hands, a few cuts and bruises, and zero dollars. Perfect.

The Pig House: After looking at a few different designs online, I decided to make a simple 'A' frame style house. We still had quite a lot of the old privacy fence left, so I figured I could use that to cover the frame work. Throughout the years we've managed to collect a number of wood supplies, through various projects and salvage, that I had no trouble finding enough 2x4's. The decking I used for the floor of the house came from the bottom of an old water bed I had dismantled long ago. With the frame built, me and Melissa, cut the privacy fence to size, and assembled (the far bigger than expected) house. We were really happy with the outcome, but due to the gaps in the fence it wasn't water proof. We needed to due something about that as I wanted my pigs to have a nice dry home.
When the basement for our house was built (7 years ago) the construction guys had left 2 very large canvas bags, the kind they fill with bags of cement and use a fork lift to carry around. These two bags have laid around the property, covered in weeds for all that time, and amazingly were still in really good condition. We decided to use the canvas, once we had cut it into usable sections as our water-proofing. We didn't want it to go on the outside since we liked the gray wood look, so with a staple gun we attached it to the inside.
Lastly, we needed something to go on the top. As it happens, back when my great-grandparents farmed this land they had pigs, and deep in the woods, lost to the wilderness, were the remnants of some old wooden pig houses. The houses were in terrible shape, rotted and fallen, but one still had a metal top piece that although rusted, was intact and ready to be placed on our new pig house. It was nice to add a bit of the old farm (we figured the pig house were at least 50 years old) to the new homestead. I'm sure when my relatives built those pig houses they never dreamed that a part of them would be used to cover swine so many years later.

The Gate: Nothing fancy here, just an old gate my father had built during his cow raising days. I think he'd be happy to see it in use once again

Me and Melissa worked really hard on this project and it was all we had hoped it would be. Spending time together, accomplishing a task, being frugal...all ingredients for our homesteading recipe. By the way...total cost of the pen and house: $0

Note: I still have enough of the privacy fence to use for a chicken coup. Thanks Hugh, the fence has been a great boon for us!

Jackson Oliver

Born Feb 14, 2009 - 6 lbs 14oz, 19.5 inches long and the apple of my eye! Who would have thought you could love someone so much! My grandson is adorable and we can’t wait for him to grow up to be our lil’ farm boy.

Captin' Jack’s Baby Shower

The "Pirate" baby shower was a great success! I spent under $100 for all the food, decorations, prizes, and even the gifts for mom and baby. One of which was the afghan I crocheted for them (pictured in a previous post). I did extensive research on the net for any baby pirate stuff I could find (which wasn‘t a lot, had to put my thinking cap on), searched the house for all our pirate ship gadgets, luckily we like that type of thing, and pictured here is what I came up with. It was a blast and even included a “Walk the Plank” game for prizes, and cute baby pirate gift bags with maps on one side and sayings like: “Shiver me rattles”, “Swab me poop deck” on the other. A BIG thanks goes out to Gabrielle and my MIL Sally for all their help, I couldn’t have done it without them!

Rest in Peace

The end of January has proven to be a tough time for us. Melissa's mother tragically passed away a year ago, and as we approached the 1st anniversary of her passing a young friend of ours lost his life in a senseless car accident. Any words I might say here are incapable of expressing the sadness and loss we are experiencing.
I know that death is a part of life, but this understanding in no way diminishes the grief and confusion when someone close to us dies. My father and Melissa's mother, a nephew and a friend...these deaths have struck us so profoundly that we have changed how we view life, and has much to do with the decisions we made for this new lifestyle we are embracing. I only wish that I could have seen the importance of God, family, and friends long before those dear to us slipped, much to early, from our lives.

Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what's to be,
A resting place along the road,
to sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
but never meant to stay...
Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know.
For some the journey's quicker,
For some the journey's slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We'll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the lord
-Author unknown

The Teenagers point of View,

Well i am the teenager that is being forced against my will to participate in this homesteading experience. Now I'm not gonna lie the first time my mom and dad told me about this i was in totally shock, They would just say "Now Gabrielle this is a life style change,it will be fun". What are they thinking was running through my mind over and over again. Of course there is the upside my dad would be home a lot more and that was what i wanted, and i guess we would be saving a lot of money.Some of the things though are not exactly my cup of tea. First off TV...gone,as of just a few days ago i was without tv entirely and as you probably know i live out in the middle of no where and without TV, its not the best.But now at least we have some local channels, but i do miss my shows like "That 70's show" and "Secrete life of an American teenager"The cell phone fortunetly is still here. I really think i would die without it, i know your probably thinking "oh thats so a teenager thing", but its true. Though unlimited texting soon may be gone. Another big thing that has effected me is the heat. Or lack of it. It has been quite freezing in my room so i put on the parka and try not to get frost bite..lol.Bringing wood up from the basement to the living room use to be bad but know i kinda like it, kinda, probably because I'm building my arm muscle=)All in all though life has been pretty much the same for me, but we also haven't gotten the pigs yet. Really this homesteading thing isn't that bad and i look forward to the crazy events my family and i have to encounter.Which I'm sure there will be plenty of them.

True North's Homesteading Principles

As we make decisions along our way towards true freedom, we decided that we need a list of our core homesteading beliefs to help guide us as we travel this exciting and unknown road. With these principles in hand we can make sure that we never lose sight of our goals and dreams.

I. A Lifestyle Of Simplicity:
As we remove ourselves from the clutches of commercialized society we can reclaim the simple things that we have taken for granted most of our lives. With all the noise of the world around us we have stopped paying attention to the very things that we hold so important to our lives. Our relationships (or lack there of), with our family and friends and the community that surrounds us will be reestablished. Our own creativity and self awareness will be rediscovered, along with knowledge of the natural world and all its wonders. Jesus Christ will no longer be a distant friend in our lives, but a true companion and guide as we embrace this simpler way of living.

II. Self Reliance 101:
In the spirit of Homesteading we will embrace the virtues of self reliance. By learning new skills and relying on the ones we already have we will be able to provide for ourselves in a very new and exciting way. With these skill sets and a refocused frame of mind we can make what we need...instead of purchasing it, and take on the Do-It-Yourself attitude that will bring us more satisfaction than any paycheck ever has.

III. The Art Of Frugality:
By being frugal we can achieve a standard of living that is far beyond one that we have always tried to purchase. This cannot be understated for it is perhaps the core of what we are trying to accomplish. The simple act of spending less will buy us piece of mind, and the closeness of being together instead of slaving away trying to be the best consumers we can be. We will fix what is broken, mend what is torn, buy "used" instead of "new", and discover the hidden treasures of free fun as opposed to purchased fun that comes with the hidden price tag of guilt. The guilt we have felt when hard earned money was spent for something that in the end...wasn't all that fun anyways. For those things that we need, we will save for, and debt will be cast aside along with the "have it now attitude" that has been with us since we were children.

IV. Living With The Land:
In respect for the property that has been given to us, we will no longer see it as a burden, but instead see it for what it truly is; an opportunity. With our land we will grow our own food and raise livestock so that we can feed our family in a way that adheres to our other principles. With knowledge and practice there is nothing we can't grow, raise, or hunt. The satisfaction of supplying our own food will be worth all the hard work that it will take to collect this wonderful bounty.

V. Getting Off The Grid:
By relying on the powers-that-be to supply us with the energy we need, we have become willing participants in the "Plug & Play" game. This attitude has made it far to easy to simply power up anything for convenience's sake without regard to its cost. By taking on new applications of alternative energy we can free ourselves from the exorbitant costs of the electric company and have a deeper awareness and appreciation for the energy that we use. Appliances will be judged on their usefulness and ranked via priority instead of their supposed convenience.

This list of these five basic principles is a start, and perhaps, down the road it will be added to. For now though, it is a compass that we can use to help find our way.

The Rabbit Hole

So today marks a major milestone in our homesteading endeavor...I put in my two weeks notice with the trucking company I work for. It's turning out to be a bitter-sweet moment. I expected to be very happy, but as it turns out there is a lot of room for uncertainty to creep in. There are a couple of reasons for this I figure:

First, our original plan was for me to wait until the end of March to quit. Our carefully laid out plan had suddenly changed, but, frankly for good reason. The cost of me being on the road, considering the amount of money it costs for food and other necessary supplies, were digging into my declining paycheck. With the financial recession taking hold, it has finally really hit my industry. So...slow freight, coupled with bad weather adds up to less miles per week, and that means smaller pay checks. Unfortunately, my spending wasn't going down, in fact it was on the rise. The more I sat for long hours in truck stops and operating centers the more I was eating, drinking (pop), smoking, etc. We did some math and some soul searching, and figured it just wasn't worth it to stay out on the road when I could earn money at home doing odd jobs, plus help Melissa in the day to day tasks that are continuing to grow as we remove expensive conveniences from our lives. Giving her more time to focus on her business. Seems like a great reason to quit sooner rather than later, and it is...but......see, there's that doubt; creeping in like a 'thief in the night', trying to snatch our dreams away.

The second reason I'm feeling this strange concoction of emotions is that I work for a large company that pays me, offers a 401k, insurance...and all the other benefits that comes from being hired by a business that's been around for 70 years. This is what I'm supposed to do to take care of my family. Work hard, earn money and benefits, and, and...wait...I don't get to ever see or be with them. Hey, that's not what society told me it would be like. That's right though, I have a lot of programing that's been with me since my first days on this earth, and it's that over-played programing that doesn't want to let me go. It's very "Matrix" like...I'm a copper-top. Linked to the system to do my part.

In the long run...I needed the doubt. I needed to wonder if I was doing the right thing. Not to make a hasty decision or one solely on emotion. I think that in this case doubt gave me pause, and I used it to make sure this was right. It is!

Time to find out what's down the Rabbit-Hole!

It's a boy

Here's the blanket I've been working on for Jay's new baby. Dr's say it a boy, lets hope, everything he and Jordy got was blue at the baby shower. I'll be having a baby shower up north for our side of the family, that's when I'll give it to them. I bought most the yarn from the store but did get lucky and found some second hand at the re-sale shop that matched. Thankfully I already knew how to crochet. There is sooo much I still need to learn. But at least I got one thing under my belt.

The Modern Day Woman?

I have been so excited about the prospects of our new life. I felt I needed to let all the women know why I have decide to “give up” on the modern day woman so to speak.

First let me start by saying I am a 37 year old woman with 2 children, one 18 and one 15. I have always been a artistic type of gal. I’ve had every sort of art job you can think of. I used to pride my self on being “trendy", “pretty” and very “well-kept” I had MANY things I did to keep myself up. Did my nails every 2 weeks, I had hair extensions (not only cut and color, but the fake hair to boot), went to the tanner, bought all the designer name things I could. (I didn’t always have all the money to buy the REAL thing but I at least got the “knock off" version of it.) I spent many hours a week, keeping myself up to live up to the standards I thought my family , friends and especially my husband (Pat) wanted. I found it to be EXHAUSTING and really unrewarding. Pat and I were working our asses off to keep with the standard of how you should be, look, dress and feel. Pat (a truck driver) spends months and months away from home for us to keep up with the crazy “Jones” life style. I spend hours online and away from home working to earn money. In the end I asked myself, was I REALLY happy? Did I really feel satisfied? Was I really PRETTY? REALLY PRETTY? What is pretty? I know it’s a silly thought, a silly question, but isn’t that what woman want to be? Pretty? What makes a woman “pretty”? How did I REALLY feel when I looked in the mirror? Did I like what I saw on the outside, the persona that everyone saw? Was it really me? Is it how everyone views her or how she views herself? Or did I really want to be truly happy with who I was as a woman, a mother, a wife, friend, aunt, cousin, sister…a human being? Was Pat even home to see me being “pretty” ? (No, he was out working, on the road, for months at a time to pay for the “pretty“) I finally realized it is how I view myself! It was being with Pat, who always told me I was pretty. It was me being with my friends, family and loved ones, that is want I wanted…… That is what it is to truly be “pretty" isn‘t it?

Now I know what you’re thinking, I turned into this crazy tree-hugging, non-shaving, non-deodorant wearing hippy freak. But that is far from the truth. I turned into “ME”. The person I want to be, not what society wants, or the media, but what I want. WHAT I WANT! I haven’t changed my style, or personality and most won’t even notice, but I know (me, myself) that I have changed the way I live as a woman. I will no longer live up to the magazine, commercial, television version of the stick-thin, designer wearing, waif looking woman that is pretty. I have turned into… ME, just me, and I’m pretty, and all who I love know it and that’s all that counts to me!

I still have my crazy style, I still wear what I want to, I just do it for me, I don’t buy into the hype of what is hip or in style, is that really important? REALLY? I will never buy a new piece of clothing again. I buy all second hand, used stuff, and make it my own. I will mend it if it tears, I will patch if it has a hole. I may not know now how to do it all now but I will learn and that will make me happier than someone telling me that it makes me happy if I bought it! What better satisfaction than to know you did it yourself? REALLY....What woman doesn’t want to save a buck…lol.

So...what's next at True North?

Our plan from the beginning has been to chronicle our transition from commercialized neophytes to practiced homesteaders. As the Blog intro states this is about the journey. A place that we can come to and document the changes, both good and bad, as I, Melissa, and Gabrielle see them. Mostly this is for us...so in years to come we can look back at where we came from and where we were going. A written time-capsule so to speak.
However, it is also for you, the reader; be you family or friend, or even stranger. It is my hope that each of you can get something from our musings. And in turn we hope to glean insight from your comments.
Rest assured though, it wont be boring. As you witness two willing adults jump headlong into a realm of the unknown and unexpected, followed hesitantly by their reluctant 15 year old daughter (who loves designer clothes)...you may just get a laugh or two.