I'm Mrs. Finnegan!

Well, I am now officially Mrs. Finnegan! Scott and I got married on Friday and it was as perfect as I could ever have imagined. Our civil ceremony had a lot of faith based touches, thanks to my wonderful friend Judge David H. Judy of Middletown, PA. The people who were supposed to be ther were, some unfortunately were not able to attend, and were greatly missed, but all in all, it was a nice day. Despite having a gown that weighs a ton, it was cool and I didn't pass out either.

So, now to work on that future we are planning. . . I think I found a small house plan to use for our home that we want to build. I am so ready to start getting rid of "stuff" en masse. I wish I had a dumpster I could just empty everything into and a moving truck to put only stuff that we can move without help into so we could just get out and get on with life. I will be happy when our lease is up and we can actually start the future we want.

In the meantime, I keep reading and studying and planning as much as I can. We are looking for a piece of rural land in Texas, don't ask me where, I have no clue. Maybe we should just toss a dart at a map and where it lands is where we go?

My husband by the way is soooo totally awesome and I am so happy and BLESSED!

Shelf Reliance/Thrive and The Q

I am so excited to be getting involved with this wonderful new company called Shelf Reliance. It will help me put a grocery store in my home. Always have fresh veggies, meats, eggs on demand, milk and fruits that tast as good as they would if I had gotten them at the market this morning.

What is Shelf Reliance? In short, Shelf Reliance is Emergency Food Storage. But that makes it sound simple and expensive - which it isn't when you consider how much you get for your Dollars.

I will be a consultant with Shelf Reliance in a few short weeks and I am so excited for the opportunity to share this with my friends and others.

So, think of these scenarios and how would you handle them, are you really ready?

WHAT IF:

THE PRESIDENT GOT ON THE TELEVISION TONIGHT AND STATED THAT HE WAS INSTITUTING MARTIAL LAW FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS? Would you have enough food in your house to feed your family for 30 days without leaving your house for ANYTHING?

THERE WAS A LOCAL DISASTER IN YOUR AREA AND YOUR WATER SUPPLY WAS CUT OFF FOR A WEEK, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SURVIVE?
Do you keep a gal. of water per person per day for a week at bare minimum in your home for emergencies? Do you have a water purification system? What if you lost power? How long would you be able to keep the food in your refrigerator or freezer stored before it started to spoil?

WHAT IF YOU OR YOUR SPOUSE LOST YOUR JOB AND DIDN'T HAVE MONEY FOR FOOD AND THERE WAS NO GOVERNMENT HELP AVAILABLE?

With your own Grocery Store in your home, these are things you wouldn't have to worry about. Yes, you can start small and work a little bit at a time building your food storage base through your regular weekly grocery shopping, that's how I got started and I will always use my regular shopping to build my food storage as well as my Thrive Q program.

So, if you are interested in being prepared for the future and whatever it may hold. Start doing your research, think about creating a 72 hour kit for every person in your home with things you would need for an emergency evacuation. Don't wait until the last minute, there won't be time! Prepare now so you can have peace of mind in case of a catastrophy.

Email me for more information, these topics will be covered in depth in the next several weeks through upcoming posts.
With Shelf Reliance you can keep foods in your home that will keep your family fead and healthy no matter what the circumstances.

Not Homestead related but so much fun!

Only 52 more days until I marry my best friend!

I am so happy! Despite the fact that I told myself I wouldn't tell my mom he asked me to marry him, I called and told mom the truth today, I feel better despite her demands, I am happy to let her have what she wants and still be able to marry my best friend.

I am looking forward to our future. In less than a year we will be on our way to our homestead and a wonderful new life, not an easy life, but a wonderful future.

I can't wait to be Mrs. Finngan

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

Well, it seems like it has been raining forever! I'm ready to build an ark for heaven's sake. Oh, and along those lines of thought, I didn't make it to the Rapture, guess I'm not good enough or something, or somehow someone got it wrong, which is what I believe, since only GOD knows when HE will end the world and rapture his people.

Anywhoo, I have my garden in, and the rain threatened to wash it away it seems. The onions seemed to be coming out of the dirt but they have settled and started to grow. My pepper plants are getting big too, no broccoli growth yet, or any evidence of squash or radishes, but it looks like my shallots are coming through.

I ordered 5lbs of alfalfa seeds for sprouting. I just can't seem to get enough of them. I don't think I will be planting anything else in the garden, I am praying my lettuce will come up eventually, my arrugula is looking good, the basil is trying hard, I think it just needs more sun, same with the cilantro, but it's still early.

I never did actually get a zucchini plant or two. I have no clue where I would put one now. I still want to dig a whole somewhere for potatoes that are sprouting in my pantry instead of wasting them.

I haven't even stirred the compost since it hasn't been sunny and it probably hasn't had much opportunity to "cook" but I may add some water to it today, really should go check on it at least. I keep hoping something will be ready soon to put around my veggies and encourage them to produce and grow.

In the meantime, to keep busy, I am still looking for a job, and until then, I am working on DIY projects for our wedding which is 75 days away! I did all the programs yesterday (with a lot of help from Staples!) I ordered a bunch of stuff off of the internet, my champagne flutes and cake knife set that I will decorate with the celtic knot charms I ordered (and adding lace and green ribbon). I got my earings which are celtic heart knots, and I found a great message board on Etsy that will be customized with our name and wedding date. It is made of burlap and will have our name in a script font in black with our date in fuchia. I also found some shamrock petals that will go with the pink rose petals on the table and cake table. If you can't see where I am going with this, my Fiancee is Irish and I am even having our cake decorated with falling shamrocks! He has NO CLUE!

I am getting excited about our future. Wedding, marriage and eventual move to Texas, I can't wait!

In the meantime, in preparation for a move, I have started to declutter and I am tossing stuff left, right and center! I don't need old videos anymore since no one watches them, cookbooks will go to the college Culinary Arts Library, LOTS of stuff is going in the trash, and some stuff will be sent to different re-uzit shops in the area.

Scott and I are already talking about building our house and what things we will want in it. It seems sureal that we will actually be building a home and have land next year. It actually seems like a dream that we are actually getting married in only 75 days. I am so happy and even more blessed to have such an awesome man in my life!

As always, thanks for reading my mindless posts!

Yummy Recipes

Came upon this and tweeked it a bit - I hope you enjoy it!

TURKEY ENCHILADA'S

1LB Ground Turkey (as low fat as you can get it)

1/2 small onion chopped

1pkg Taco Seasoning

2 small cans tomato sauce

(If you like your food spicy, toss in a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies)

Refried Beans*** (see below to make your own from scratch for pennies)

Sour Cream - Light

low fat cheddar or jack cheese

tortillas - plain corn or whole wheat

Saute your turkey with the onion until all the pink is gone

Add Taco Seasoning and stir in

Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 small can of water

Mix well and let this simmer until almost reduced by 1/2 (you don't want it too thick since you need the sauce)

For the beans:

Take 1 cup Pinto Beans and rinse well

put the pinto's in a pot with some water to cover and add a few tablespoons of baking soda to help alleviate the gas after they are cooked.

let them come to a boil and drain.

Put the pinto's in a clean pot and boil the heck out of them until soft.

Drain the pinto's (retaining some cooking water to aid in mashing) and let cool enough to handle.

With a potato masher, mash the beans untiil smoothe and add salt and pepper to taste

Proceed as follows:

In a hot pan (preferably cast iron) heat the tortillas on each side until slightly browned and NOT CRISPY - they must remain pliable

top each tortilla with some bean mixture and then some meat mixture and fold over to close. Place the tortillas in a casserole and top with sauce and cheese.

Bake at 300degrees for about 20 min until heated through, toppingn with the cheddar cheese just before serving. Let sit until the cheese melts.

Serve with sour cream, and if you like, red rice and guacamole.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms

Happy Mother's day to all the mom's out there!

I was surprised with flowers from my sweetie - tomorrow is my Grandfather's birthday, gone 26 years and I still miss him horribly.

Now, with lots of junk coming down on me from my kids behavior, I am even more than ready to move to Texas. I know it seems as though I am running away, and maybe I am, I want to keep my family intact and live a more simple life.
Steps to doing this:
Pay down debt
Get a full time job to save $ for move and needed stuff (appliances, camping equipment, etc. . .)
start de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff I don't need and don't want to transport to our new home.
Keep learning how to make good homemade stuff, bread baking is coming along but not quite perfect yet. I also want to get a sewing machine and some fabric and start making things if I can.

I know what I want for furniture in our new home, so that is something to save for too. Getting rid of as much as possible so we don't have a ton of stuff to pack and move.

I want bicycles and dirt bikes too! :)
Fishing equipment for the guys

All in due time.

Right now I need to find a job! Sooo frustrating when I shouldn't be working weekends but it may have to be a sacrifice I make for our future.

Still looking for land. And we keep talking about the things we want to do in the house we will build, we are definitely on the same page, hardwood floors, tile in the kitchen, my wood stove/oven, haven't brought up the composting toilet yet :) or the need for propane refrigerator (huge expense), but it will all happen in due time.

One year from today we should be on our way (or less!) Now if I can just survive the next 90 days to our wedding! Lots of Drama there!

Take care everyone!

So excited - about compost?

HURRAY! THE COMPOSTER IS SET UP AND FULL TO THE TOP!~I wonder if anyone else ever got this excited about creating dirt? That's what it is really, taking trash and making dirt for my garden. All from stinky food, and grass clippings, leaves, some water etc. . .

I decided to "Help" and tried to put the first compoter together and it cracked so I went back to Lowes and they exchanged it. I also brought home a bunch of plants for the garden. Broccoli, arugula, peppers,(red, yellow and orange), onions, shallots, tomatoes,(grape, roma and big boy) yellow squash, radish seeds and cilantro. I am also considering getting a Jalpeno pepper once the tomatoes start coming up - FRESH SALSA - YUMMY! The only thing I couldn't find was lettuce and zucchini (go figure) so I will plant seeds for those and if they don't come up, I will get just a few plants the next time I go to Lowes- hopefully I will have some food from my garden this summer, even though it will be small and all around my house, I look forward to some sort of harvest. I am even going to try to dig in some potatoes. Who knows?

I can't wait to get on our own land with a tiller to have a 3 season garden. Yummy, fresh veggies most of the year, lots of hard work but oh so rewarding.
The rain started as I put the last of the stuff into the composter and closed the lid. Now to wait for a nice sunny few days so I can stir it! COME ON DIRT!!

I'll soon be a composting fool - and worked in the garden

Oh my freaking heck! dug up a TON of dandelions out of the garden, more to be weed whacked. I raked up all the leaves from the back yard and my wonderful Scott went to Lowes to get me a Composter! I have a ton of stuff to go in it, so it should be good to start my journey to a new future as a homesteader by tomorrow.

moved some hosta, planted some flower bulbs in the front garden and I am looking forward to planting my veggies this week.

99 days left!

Oh if only that 99 days was until the day we leave to go to Texas, but it's even better than that! 99 days left until I marry the man of my dreams.

Wedding plans are coming along. All I need to do now is get my gown altered, pay for the cake and reception, order our knife/flute set and pay for my makeup/hair. Oh, and find a car to take us to the ceremony etc. . . I made all the silk floral arragements including bouquets, I made my hair accessory, my invites are in Alaska being printed by my friend Megan. We even got my ring and have had Scott's ring for a while. The only concern I have is my gown. I hope it can be altered b/c I don't want another gown, I want to wear this one! (I also don't have money for another gown either!)

I am so thrilled to be looking forward to the future. The next Countdown Clock will be until the day we leave for Texas - approximately 380 days. Lots of work to do and saving to do as well. I can't wait!

Plans and Dreams

My New "Rosie's"

Today was another great day. I worked at the Soup Kitchen and really got things clean, (the deep fryer and some oven racks) which made me feel like I had accomplished something. I only need to do 6 more hours and I will be done with the community service I owe, but I enjoy it so much that until I find a full time job, I will continue to go and help. I am so blessed to know that my family doesn't have to rely on a Soup Kitchen to eat! I wonder what they would do if that was all that was available to them and they didn't like it. I guess they wouldn't eat, huh?

My "Rosie" Coveralls arrived today. (see above) ADORABLE and I have plans to get a few more plus some overalls, work boots etc. . . all in due time.

Right now I have a wedding to plan and pay for. I am really excited b/c I FINALLY found my wedding band on Ebay - less than $100- for solid 14K gold! (plus I got an extra 10% off just for using paypal!) I was at the jeweler yesterday and they wanted $375 for something similar!! Sorry but that's my budget for my entire wedding reception at a very fancy restaurant! (yes, a VERY SMALL group of friends!)

I still can't believe I'm really getting married, we have been together almost 2 years and it's actually happening. I love Scott so much. We have been to hell and back together and it hasn't always been easy, but in the past 5 or so months, we have come together as a real couple, I almost fainted when he asked me to marry him - he has always been happy to just live together and I was content with that even though I knew I wanted to be married. There is a certain security I find in "belonging" to someone. (not like "property" but knowing that we belong together in a committed relationship).

I even prepared my wedding registry on Target.com - so funny - ALL camping stuff!! Ok, so I did go to Pottery Barn too, but it is almost not worth the space to even think about anything from there. I am so looking forward to my future with my family and the future we have planned.

So, tonight as I prepare to crawl into bed, I am satisfied in knowing where I am heading in the next 3 1/2 months specifically and for the next year in general.

I decided to make up a group of envelopes to do my budgeting with, ie: wedding ring, wedding cake, wedding reception, alterations to gown, all the way down to the sand ceremony items and my cake cutting set that I fell in love with! After that - I only have 2 things left to save for, the move we are planning, and our future home, (as in building supplies) ok, 3, my "PRINCESS" .

I want a modest little home, 2br, and a GREAT room that is kitchen, living room and dining area all in one, plus a big pantry and naturally, a bathroom, then a loft for an extra room (maybe not right away, but eventually). I even have the colors planned (Red or Burgandy,White and Blue/Denim).

So, now that it is getting to that time, I will sign off and head to bed, if I can't sleep again tonight, I may just take time to clean our room a bit. . .or if I am really lucky, I will dream of the future we are planning.

I am so blessed!!!!

My wonderful mom!

Was talking to Mom today, she is really getting on the bandwagon about food storage and a little worried about where we will all end up. She mentioned something to me and I told her I already knew about it (FEMA Camps). I told her I am ready to go to Texas and get a piece of land and start a homestead. SHE DIDN'T TELL ME I WAS CRAZY!!!!! I am not afraid about what is to come, God is in CONTROL and that's the important thing. I just want to make sure I can take care of my family. Nice to know Mom is finally hearing stuff that I have been saying for YEARS and believing it. What is happening in our Country can be scary, but again, I am trusting my Heavenly Father to take care of me and my family. If only we could move to TX sooner than this time next year!

Soooo READY! Did you hear about school lunches?

Ok, so the weekend at work wasn't what I had hoped it would be. I really screwed up - I'll admit it, but not as I was being treated by the end of the night. I will know tomorrow if I still have my job, or if I can be grateful to look for something else. Maybe I am just too disabled to do this kind of work, maybe my mind really is a mess and I can't do it. FINE! Give me my Rosie's overalls, boots and a shovel and stick me in the heart of Texas on a piece of land! I would go tomorrow if I had the money to accomplish what needs to be done! (ok, so a tiller would be a huge blessing in addition to just a shovel). I will compost and create great soil, and grow all sorts of healthy foods. To make matters worse, my cat is in heat - have to take care of her soon! I can only hope I will be able to go back to school in the fall and get the funding I need for another year, then we will be able to save most of it and get out of here. My car will be paid off and more for savings. I can't wait! And now I read on the internet news that Chicago schools are banning home made brown-bagged lunches? What in the world? Forcing kids to eat school lunches or go hungry? NOT MY KID! I can remember growing up and having my mom bring me a shrimp salad sandwich just before lunch period so it was still fresh and cold, and the best tuna sandwich in the entire world. Even cream cheese and jelly was a great sandwich. But now they are saying no processed sugars, no white flour, no, no, no!!! The lunch in the article was PROCESSED CHEESE FOOD, NOT REAL CHEESE (I don't ever use that "cr**), canned pears loaded with sugar, a hot dog roll made from white flour, not whole grains, a piece of turkey, again processed and full of salt, oh and of course, strawberry milk to top it all off. First of all, if you go by the Government Standards for WIC, none of that garbage would pass muster with them. So why is it ok in the school lunch system? Not for my kiddos! They may like their school lunches of chicken tenders, but soon it will be homemade lunches with REAL ingredients and no preservatives! The article stated that kids are obese, not my guys!!! underweight is more like it! (good for them, not having to live with the problems I face every day being obese). I am ready to say goodbye to Big Brother more and more each day. Everything I hear and read on the news scares me, but fortunately I have my Heavenly Father to calm me and I know HE will protect and take care of me and my family. Hopefully my business will take off soon when the advertising hits, then I will be able to work for myself and at my own pace and earn the money I am worth so I can save for the future we so deserve.

A new day great for dreaming!

Oh how I wish it would warm up already. I so want to go out and play in the dirt! I have bulbs to plant in my garden for flowers, and seeds to plant for what I hope will be veggies. I had saved seeds from my peppers for about 5 months, but none of them germinated so they were no good, have to get some heirloom seeds soon!!!! I'm reading more each day about gardening and farming. Can't wait to get our feet on some good land of our own and get some chicks and a goat or two. I am so ready to put this hectic life behind me and move to a place where I set the pace, wake up with the sun in my eyes, and garden and work on MY goals and dreams. The first thing will be to make sure the soil is good, and if not, fix it. I forsee LOTS of composting in my future. Then, for the first few years, the regs say 3 years before you can call your produce "organic" to sell, growing for our family and maybe have a roadside stand if we can. Let the Chickens free range, hope to eventually have at least 50 in 3 years or less. For now though, I would be happy if my garden grows enough for us to enjoy SOMETHING this summer! If that happens, I will feel like I can accomplish the life I so desperately want! I know it won't be easy, nothing worthwhile in life ever is. Raising kids is like working in a garden, you feed them, coddle them, love them, tend to them, and pray they turn out ok. Sometimes you fail, but it's not for the lack of trying. I look around me and see things to dispose of that won't work in our new home/life. I dream of a home that is rustic, no carpeting, just wood floors with rugs, bricks in front of the wood stove, I can't wait to bake my first loaf of bread in a wood stove. Hmm, maybe I should make a loaf today to start getting the hang of making bread from scratch. I have never had good results, but it takes practice and lots of patience. (and for me self cotrol not to eat the bread!). Off to work!

3 months, 26 days, 13 hours and counting

Hurray, spring has finally arrived! And, along with that the countdown to our big day is getting shorter. Before I know it, I will be Mrs. Finnegan! Well, Mrs. De Rosa-Finnegan. I am working at the Soup Kitchen, and having a blast with my OCD in full swing, scrubbing stoves etc. . . hands hurt like heck, but as Scott said, "whatcha gonna do when we are homesteading and you get a cut, cry?" Nope, bandage it up and get back to work! I have been day dreaming about the house I want to build, but first and foremost in my mind is working to save the money so we can actually do this to begin with. I want Chickens, and a garden to start out with, so that means a lot of working on the land and building a chicken house (Scott will do that) and getting our house started and hopefully be in it before a chill starts to set in, even if it's just a shell with the kitchen and a compost toilet! After all, I will have my Pioneer Princess to cook and heat water with and with winter months there may be less to do on the homestead, not sure about the weather in Texas. In order to prepare myself, I plan on getting my tiny garden started this weekend, digging in the dirt will be fun! I just hope I have some good dirt and I don't have to go BUY compost to turn into the soil to make this work. Ok, so back to the countdown! The date went back to the original date so I am in the process of getting out my Save the Dates, and my guest list is growing too. I think I found a place to have the reception, Alfred's Victorian Restaurant in Middletown. I was originally planning on doing everything myself, but realized that although I have done that in the past, this is not something I want to tackle when I don't know where I can have the reception. So, I work on planning the decorations, ordering linnens, ordered the yummy cake we will have, got a special Willow Tree figurine for our table, and saving for the few things I want to decorate with. Oh, and saving for the actual reception too, I am so excited, I already planned the menu. Picked out some silk flowers, planning the decorations is lots of fun since I get to be creative, and working on loosing the weight to fit into my gown (THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF ALL!). Was surprised when Scott said he wasn't going to wear a shirt with "groom" printed on it! He wants a dress shirt and a new pr of jeans! HURRAY!! almosts "Court Clothes" as he likes to call them, LOL. Well, off to get more STD's in the mail and revamp my guest list, I love to see it growing! Now if I could only figure out the one thing that is a nightmare for me, the MUSIC!

Hmm, a taste of what the future will be like?

Ok, so I know I probably won't have the internet for a week at least after we land in Texas, but there are libraries. I can only hope my phone will work wherever we end up. Why do I ponder these things now? My phone service is down and it wasn't disconnected b/c I KNOW I paid the bill, and my internet went down too for a few hours! Lets just say it's going to take time to get used to this! I think I should start weaning myself off the internet soon so I have a year to get used to it! My phone? I think I would die without my phone - it's a security thing!

The Pioneer Princess!

DAYDREAMING FOR THE FUTURE

Here she is ~ isn't she pretty?? I know, it's crazy to think of a stove in the "person" and pretty? Well to me SHE is PRETTY - especially because my Pioneer Princess Woodburniing stove will heat our home, our water and be used to cook and bake! I wish I had one to practice on now! But there she is in all her glory. I chose this because it has a thermostat control and since we like to bake and cook, we will need that little bit extra assurance as newbies! I am going to have a brick floor in the kitchen, and I picked out a few cabinets that are modular and easily moved from Ikea. I want shelving and drawers ~ bare basics. I am really going to have a hard time downsizing! Hmm, maybe I better start now! I have an idea of what I want our homestead to be and have. A large great room for kitchen, eating and living area and two bedrooms, with the option of adding a loft later on. I also want an old clawfoot tub. I want to go LOOK at oil lamps, not on the internet but in person - there has to be a place -Maybe BASS PRO shops? There will be things I will be hunting for to make sure we have them before we leave. I just got my small satellite dish, the roofers took it off when they were prepping for the new roof this morning. Yes, that was a lovely wake up call!! So, I am seriously looking forward to this! My 15 yr old informed me today "mom, I'm not going unless I have a dirtbike on the moving truck." Alrighty then, start saving kid! I am hoping the idea of baby chicks and ducks and maybe a pig will be enough incentive to get my 12 yr old excited. He is a much different kid than his brother. I start a job at the end of the week that will be one of the ways we make this move possible. I can't wait to start putting money in the bank and watch it grow as I add to it every payday. When I think of all we will need to cover, and I want to pay cash for most of it, it seems a bit overwhelming, LAND, Mobile home on the land until we get the cabin built, the possibility of digging a well, the Pioneer Princess - heck, she can go in the yard until the house is built! :) good thing she is cast iron and stainless steel - she will be able to handle the weather. I am so blessed that my fiance is skilled at building homes, working with concrete etc. . . I have so much to learn but I want to learn so much so I can grow more self sufficient as time goes on. Everything is a learning experience. The only thing that keeps me from getting too overwhelmed is knowing that this is what I am supposed to be doing, and since I know that, I also know that my Heavenly Father will provide what we need when we need it to make it all possible. Right now, my countdown clock on my computer desktop is counting down to our wedding. . . 4 months, 14 days, 20 hours, 18 minutes and seconds. . . Thank goodness it's going to be small! less than 10 people! I only wish my BFF would be here to be my Matron of Honor - but she will be in California after a move from Alaska :(. I can't wait till I can finally put my arms around her and hug her big time! Well, since the roofers are here, I hear dirt coming through the hole in the closet, time to get out the Dyson and get to work!

We've only just begun

Hi Everyone and welcome to my blog. This is all new to me, but to let you know what the future months hold, it will be notes and stories, dreams, ideas and plans on the future path our family will be taking towards homesteading in Texas. Yes, you read it right, I live in PA and I am ready to pack up my life, my kids and my sweetie and head to the great outdoors and the mountains of Texas to live a more simple life. I am tired of the hustle and bustle of close to city living, and I want to get away, raise chickens and have a garden, sell my ShelfReliance Food Storage products and learn how to relax! I want to learn how to bake bread and have a stall at the local farmers market! I look forward to cooking on a wood stove and heating our home and water with it, having a fireplace (of course this goes without saying), and building a nice cabin to live in and live off grid with no ties to the sources that keep us bound to the grid. Give me solar power, wind power, a well with fresh water, my cast iron cookware, jeans/overalls/boots and sneekers and I am ready to go! I have wanted a garden for as long as I can remember, and my son loves baby chicks, it teaches gentleness in children and as the chicks grow, will help teach them self reliance. No relying on the government to take care of us, simply, I am tired of living depending on my monthly checks and I want to work and work hard! So there you have it. My first blog post! It may not be much, but it's a start and you have to start somewhere!