Hello out there...

Okay.  So why am I jumping onto the blogging bandwagon?  Is it because I need a little free therapy?  Maybe.  Is it because I am hoping to find some kindred spirits out there in online outer space?  Of course.  But I guess mostly I have to admit that I feel as though something is missing in my life.  I feel like I should be doing more or contributing more to my family – as if carrying two kids for nine months, cooking, cleaning, loving, helping, caring, working, and trying to be the best mother and wife possible aren’t enough, right?

I have just about had it with the “Final Notices” we have been getting in the mail.  I know I am not the only one out there, and I am not too proud to admit it.  My hubby and I SUCK at balancing our checkbook.  There is a lack of communication when it comes to our finances, and we are living completely paycheck to paycheck.  We have done the usual cut backs that most families are doing.  We make our own pizzas on Friday night.  We only go out to eat for the current birthday/anniversary/etc.  I am in LOVE with shopping at Aldi, which is like the cheapest grocery store on the planet.  We grew our own garden this year and put up a clothesline.  I even started making my own laundry detergent!!  It is PHENOMENAL by the way (and works out to cost ONE CENT PER LOAD – are you kidding me??????)  My biggest accomplishment was that I quit smoking.  My vice, my crutch, and  my LOVE.  I do feel better, and I will be a better role model for my kids, the health benefits are great and we will be saving a TON of money.  It has been 3 months now, and although I still want to jump out of a window sometimes, it is getting easier.

But in the midst of all this stress with money issues, our family has really started to come together, and we have realized that the money isn’t really all that matters.  I must admit that I think the only people who say “Money doesn’t buy happiness” are the people that actually have it…  I know that I would be a lot happier if I could pay my bills on time.  But our family is getting back to the basics.  We are spending time together in the garden instead of watching movies.  We are fixing up old things and appreciating the cracks rather than buying new stuff.  I am canning and crocheting and loving it!!

So maybe that’s what this is all about.  My new found old-fashioned lifestyle.  My successes and failures with handmade and homemade.  I still don’t really know what I’m doing, but I am willing to try anything because I am LOVING the direction that my life is headed.  I am so excited to start this journey, and to have all of you be a part of it with me. So here it goes.  “My name is Sarah. I am a wife and a mother and I am a blogger.”