Goals for 2012

The new year helps us all to reflect and make changes, if needed. I think its important to continue to learn and strive towards being a better person. Here is a list of things we want to work on, some are business related, some are personal and some are a way to do our part in being more "green"and/or self sufficient.

1. Make more pre-prep meals for freezing and canning.
2. Save seeds from as many varieties as we can, to start our own collection of seeds.
3. Make more things from scratch, for instance we just switched to make all our own butter but we want to do more, like cheeses, pasta, ketchup, mayo, and etc.
4. Raise a percentage of our own meat.
5. Eat seasonally and preserve enough so that we don't have to buy non-local veggies and fruits.
6. Serve a series of community dinners, with all local food.
7. Hold a food swap.
8. Teach a canning class and a series of cooking classes.
9. Switch to more natural products by making them ourselves; shampoos, conditioners, laundry soaps, etc.
10. Read more books.
11. Finally open an Etsy shop for my knitted items.
12. Take a sewing class or read a sewing book (my grandfather sent me my great grandmothers sewing machine).
13. Exercise more, like taking walks, yoga and swimming every day once it warms up.
14. Gain more followers on our blog.
15. Try new recipes and blog about them.
16. Go on more than one date night a year.
17. Create how to videos on homesteading.
18. Attend the farmers market every week for a year, see below.

(Things have changed a bit since the begining of this year, some of the crossed out will be added to future goals.)
We have also decided to attend the local Saturday farmers market every week and make a detailed list of everything that is grown in our area. This way others will have an idea of what is available locally and when. We define local, in this since, as within 30-35 miles of where it is sold. It will help us to know what others are growing, know when to start planting and help us develop relationships with other farmers. We plan on it becoming apart of our weekly harvest Monday post.

We are looking forward to the coming year and will be blogging about our adventures as we achieve these goals. Happy New Year!

Check out our long term goals by clicking here.