Mother Earth News Fair

A few months ago I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and this post came up for the Mother Earth News Fair. I had heard of Mother Earth News and had read their magazines while sitting in the library waiting for the kids' summer reading program to end. And I loved them.

I discovered that Mother Earth News puts on a fair in different parts of the country during the year. The closest one to me was going to be in Pennsylvania in the middle of September. I talked with a friend and we decided to attend. Our daughters decided that we couldn't go by ourselves and have all the fun, so they came with us (as a mama, that made the trip even better).  

First of all, the entrance fee is so reasonable it's crazy- if you place your ticket order early, you can get a 3 day ticket for $25. And kids under 18 are FREE. So, yeah, crazy prices.

I looked around and found a B&B for us to stay in for the weekend- again, crazy reasonable pricing. Plus, breakfast was included. The room was clean, the breakfast was hearty, and the other guests were a riot. We all had a great time together.

We left for our destination early Friday morning and arrived at our B&B around noon. After checking in and depositing our bags, we headed to Seven Springs Resort for the fair.

Let me tell you something: I was blown away. Seriously. The venue, the weather, the scenery. Oh, and let's not forget the actual fair itself! The vendors. The workshops. The education. The people. And I usually am not a real big fan of people. But these 15,000 people were just like me! They were seeking knowledge about living life. About being alive. About doing stuff that matters, not just today, but into the future. About realizing that the status quo isn't all it's cracked up to be. About finding a new way to do an old task. About making a difference. About not settling for something that works just because it appears convenient.

You are probably expecting me to describe these people as older, hippie-ish, tree-hugging, no animal product, women in long, flowing skirts, birkenstocks, and long hair everywhere. Ah, no. Not at all. There were so many families. So many people in my generation. I couldn't believe how many people under the age of 45 were there. It was amazing. And so encouraging!

I took workshops on crop rotation, herbalism, goat cheese making, hops growing...can you say 'diversity?' There were over 200 workshops to choose from! I learned so much over the weekend that I felt as though my brain had turned to mush and was leaking out of my ears.

A few words of advice:

• Take good notes. Even if you don't think it matters at the time, take them anyway. You won't regret it- you will regret thinking that you can remember everything you heard in the workshop
• Good walking shoes. Obviously. 
• More money than you think you'll need. Although, most of the vendors are set up to take credit/debit cards now on their smart phones, cash is king
• Go with a friend or friends. You can a) divide and conquer and make it to twice as many workshops if you split up and b) have someone to process information with.
• At least one bag- preferably a backpack- for you to haul stuff in. 
• Don't feel like you have to have basic knowledge in any given area in order to attend a particular workshop. I found that most of the presenters went from basic to advanced teaching within one hour. It was fascinating. 
• GO

If this has piqued your interest at all, wonderful. If not, sorry 'bout your luck.

Spring is right around the corner

It's almost time!

 

Time for what, you ask? Time for planting. Time for growing. Time for getting my hands dirty in the good clean dirt of my garden. Time to listen to the laughter that comes from sunshine and warmer weather. Time to listen to the birds as they lift their voices in song to our God.

Last year, I was overwhelmed with life and our garden felt the neglect. Oh boy, did it ever. I actually felt the same neglect as our garden did: out of control, no tending, and barely surviving.


This year, I am taking the necessary steps to release myself from the time-sucking activities that drained me last year. I am determined to not fall into the same patterns again. It simply isn't healthy. For me, my family, or our lifestyle.

My family needs the food we grow and preserve. We rely on it. It's part of my job as a homemaker to provide it. I just ordered my seeds for the year: beets, carrots, beans, squash, rutabagas, cabbage, cucumbers.  I can't wait to get out in the sun and feel the warmth on my skin.

Gardening is like life: what you sow, you shall reap. If you allow weeds and crud to take over, the goodness and good things of your garden will be overwhelmed and lost to the shadows. Not this year. Not this time.

Image courtesy of amenic181 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's a Pinterest Life

Pinterest ideas. Again. Only this time, I followed through! 

Yay!!

The idea is a binder/folder that has ALL your personal papers in it: birth certificates, social security cards, titles to vehicles or house, bank account numbers, 401(k) info, medical records, vaccination records for kids and animals :) ,  insurance information...anything else you would NOT want to lose. In our case, I added my beloved's DD-214 (separation papers from the Air Force). 

All nice and neat in a binder that you can grab and go in case of emergency. Or school registration (but we homeschool, so that is just a suggestion).

So here's what I did:

3 ring binder- not pretty (doesn't have to be)

Sheet protectors:

Add the goodies:

Viola 

 

Took me all of about 15 minutes to put it together- once I FOUND all the paperwork. Hence the need to do this in the first place. But I digress.... I did discover that I am missing our son's birth certificate and my own. So I left the spots open to fill once I get them. Our son is hearing impaired so I put his ENT's and audiologist's records in there, too. Just in case.

 But how easy is this? Put a little bit of cash in the pocket of it and put it in a fire proof safe and when disaster strikes- it's a grab and go thing!

Now, no one likes to think of disasters striking, but let's face it: it could happen. Why is my family so special that we wouldn't be struck by calamity? It can happen to anyone. Best to be prepared. Doesn't mean I'm a pessimist- just means I'm ready. 

Pinterest to the rescue :)