Today, I'm going to talk about my plans, goals, and ideas. I am the type of person who always has their life planned out for the next few years, so getting a chance like I'm getting is both really exciting and scary. We are getting to move back to near my family so I will get a lot of support.
Good news is I finally got my two associate degrees from a local community college, so my next goal is finishing a bachelor's degree in either psychology or elementary education in the next three years. My immediate goal is to begin as a teacher's aide in the district my children will attend so that I can build more experience and gain contacts within the district so that when I'm able to start student teaching, I'll already be able to get a contract without too much trouble.
Another thing I plan on doing is getting my children their own pet to love on and learn how to take care of. Responsibility is important to learn early, and what better opportunity than to have their own animal to play with, feed, and take care of?
I also want my own chickens and garden so that we can have fresh eggs and vegetables to eat, which saves money on our food bill. Plus home grown food is so much more nutritious because we will be creating our own compost and feeding our chickens real vegetable scraps. I'm going to be talking about little tips and tricks I've found that helps out little farm work well and produce lots of goodies.
Last thing I'll talk about is one of my oldest and best loved hobbies, fish keeping! I've had two different types of fish tanks, but who knows what I'll be able to keep this time. My favorite types of fish as well as equipment I use will be topics on this blog as well.
Perhaps eventually I'll be separating the topics into their own blog, but for now they're all together. Since I'm so new, I'll have to learn as I go.

So I have realized that I really need to organize my sewing items and materials into something that isn't huge or bulky. Does anyone have any ideas for projects or places I can get something like this?

Upcycling, Reducing, and Reusing

Instead of talking about a project of mine, I want to talk about a passion of mine. My goal with this is to inspire you to take your own steps to benefit this country and globe in any way you can.

As I have mentioned before, reducing my personal waste and consumption is very important to me. I'm sure this is not just me, but I know that reducing your impact can be overwhelming. It really isn't if you begin to take small steps now to cut down on what you end up throwing away.

Here are some steps you can take to start your own journey. I have done quite a few of these myself.
http://www.glamour.com/story/5-things-you-can-do-to-protect-the-environment-without-turning-your-life-upside-down?mbid=social_facebook_fanpage

Personally, my methods for saving and keeping waste down are simple. I refuse to buy something unless I actually truly need it. I don't need a lot to survive, which means that most must haves for others aren't important to me. I try my hardest not to purchase food items that are double or triple packaged. As much as I can, I grow my own food and then use the waste plant parts as compost. I also take all of my compostable materials and compost them, which allows me to use less fertilizer and soil for the next year. The foods I grow will help cut down on transport costs and wasted fuel that would be used if I bought everything from the store. Plus, it's healthier too. Another thing I do is purchase as many things as I can second hand from thrift and resale stores. Too many perfectly good things are thrown away every year.

Have you ever thought or realized that being conscious of the environment can save or even earn yourself some money? Repurposing old and worn out furniture with paint or stain can get you a decent profit, allowing you to turn around and resale for higher than you paid for it.

Real lasting change can only come if we all make a concerted effort to change ourselves. You must decide to want to change and lower your dependence on things to make you happy. Only you must personally decide to make the change. It's not something someone else can make you do. I would encourage you to make the jump; the results just might shock you!