New - Old Things

So we have talked big about going without electricity and living the old-fashioned life, well this week we got a real taste of it!! Within two days our clothes dryer broke and the the AC went out! So, we had to make some decisions.... do we repair the non functioning items or do we put our money where our mouths are and live the life we've been dreaming of?

The AC works a little bit so we set the thermostat at 88, we never thought it would actually hit 88, in the house, but it did a few times, and our pitiful AC would turn on, and blow soft little puffs of sort of cool air at us. Of all the weeks for us to not have air......it had been so hot here! But it has also been hot in Missouri, so we have been imagining ourselves on our little farm, where we would be just as hot, but working ten times more!!

The dryer is a whole 'nother story!!! I will be the first to admit that I am very bad with laundry, it don't enjoy it, I take no pleasure in it, it is an ongoing, never-ending job!! Dane and I went back and forth about whether or not to get it fixed. Actually we talked a lot about laundry and clothes and possessions this weekend. Mostly about how we have WAY too much stuff. It is so easy to attain "stuff" these days, everywhere we turn there is some deal, some great buy that is hard to pass up. You truly feel compelled to purchase. With eight children you can imagine how many clothes we have in our house, hundreds of individual items, shirts, socks, pants, dresses, undies, coats, ect....... I was telling Dane how I couldn't wait til we got on the farm and every boy had 5 work shirts and one town shirt and one Sunday shirt, and 3 pairs of work jeans and one pair of nice pants and just enough socks, not basketfuls!! I said I might not Hate doing laundry if it was a controllable beast. Dane sat quietly for a moment and asked why I wouldn't do that now, tame the laundry beast and cut everybodys clothes to a minimum. Hmmmm, like a lot of things it was something I "dreamed" of doing when we got on the farm. But sure, why not here, why not now? Really, we do need to start working on our old-fashioned skills now. We don't want to get on the farm and not have a clue!! So that said we decided to let the dryer have a rest and Dane put me up a beautiful new clothes line!! Ileigh and I dried 5 loads today and except for an evening rain shower, it went really well. We even had a bit of fun with it!

I will let you know how the clothes pruning goes and how other farm preparations are going.

If you have read our blog, PLEASE leave a comment, it would be so appreciated, we wouldn't feel so all alone!

Thank you!

What Next?

Well, the idea is out there and while we're waiting for flocks of followers, we'll keep up with the blog. We have lots of ideas for posts and how-to's.

If you think about the 1880's and what was available, then look around your home and see what wouldn't be there, it's quite shocking! Just sitting here in my living room I see a dvd player, a flat screen tv, an electric sewing machine, ceiling fan, reading lights, a battery run clock, a wii. Not to mention plastic, plastic is EVERYWHERE! But that's a post on it's own. Now there nothing wrong with modern things or plastic even, but on our 1880's farm those things will not exist. We are working towards eliminating those items, making our way back in time. We hope to address each room, for example, Kitchen and Laundry, and then Living Room and Dinning Room, on to Bedrooms and Children's Toys ect. There's alot to get rid of and alot to acquire.

It feels like we need an 1880's wedding shower!!!

Next Monday we'll be taking in Dane's cutthroat razor, it belonged to his Grandfather, in hopes of getting it really sharp so he can use it to shave, maybe! We will also take in my Grandmas Mothers scissors for sharpening.

So much needs to be done and so many skills to learn, it's easy to get overwhelmed! Not to mention getting our house ready to put our house on the market next spring! Alas one day at a time.