i will never be a size 4
Not as long as I live a life where fresh garden potatoes and scrambled eggs from my own hens are on the menu. Cover up that beautiful gold starch and protein with some smoked maple cheddar...heaven I enjoyed my breakfast this morning since I had time to cook. I am taking the morning off from work while a technician cleans and services the oil furnace downstairs. Turns out my hot water, heat, and everything else that causes warmth comes from that little box and it needs some TLC. When I ran out of hot water this weekend I realized it was because I ran out of heating oil (not something you think of buying during a heat wave). When the oil guy came to put 100 gallons in the tank and restart the furnace, flames shot out of it. He looked at the inferno, then looked at me, and said calmly. "You should get this cleaned. Soon."
So here I am, 500 bucks in the hole because one day I ran out of hot water. Welcome to home owning folks. All of a sudden one little thing happens and you realize all these expensive parts need to come together to fix it. It's going to be a frugal July. That's for sure.
So there's amazing things about my own farm. Like backyard breakfasts of this caliber. And there's also the money pit of home upkeep and repairs. Not a new song, but one I'm happy to sing.
P.S. That's a small plate. I'm not a lumberjack!
posted by Jenna at 9:01 AM
20 Comments:
Looks yummy! I remember when we bought our house and our A/C went out - I was so upset I couldn't call a landlord to fix it (still paying for that one).
so what if is a large plate, it looks great and knowing you grew it yourself, I'd say have another serving or two!
Looks delicious!! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
There is always something that happens when you are a homeowner. I just expect it at this point, and have a special "house fund" set up specifically to cover all those little nuisances.......
Yeah, like Maria said, if you can set aside a little bit each month and build up a coupla thousand dollar repair fund, it'll cut down lots of repair-related stress.
On the other hand, new mortgages do not help free up extra cash. It might be a lean couple of years. Good thing you've got lots of eggs and taters to live off of, and the animals for entertainment!
What I love about your blog, book, all your writing, is your honest candor.
-Brenda
I was so there once- right after buying my house by myself.
Saving as much as you can out of your pay for emergencies is a super-sound idea. Yes, things will be lean for awhile, but the great thing is that you'll get used to it, and maybe even learn to enjoy living that way as a game.
The best part is that you'll learn to live beneath your means, and you'll save up quite the nest egg. Once that happens, you'll have an amazing feeling of freedom, because you'll be able to pay cash for anything that comes down the pike and not even worry. Having money on hand is the most freeing thing. Living simply is also freeing.
So look at this setback as a huge shove from the universe in the right direction.
And in the meantime, are you gonna finish those potatoes?
Oh my gosh, that looks good! I could eat just potatoes for the rest of my life and be happy. :) I love them.
I'll never be a size four and I don't care. I'll probably never be a size eight either. I'm healthy and enjoy food and life. Five kids have streched me out something fierce. I've come to realize the body I have is the body I'm stuck with and I need to love it regardless.
Food looks amazing and yes, houses are expensive.
Oh that looks soooo good! I've been a size 4 and let me tell you it's over rated, I'd rather eat good food and be healthy than go without! I can't wait to get chickens and grow more than just maters and peppers!
Hopefully the cleaning of the furnace will be the end of unexpected expenses. We bought a 20 yr old house and have replaced the heat and air unit, the roof, and all major appliances in the first 4 yrs that we've been here, and not by choice. We've had to forgoe our dreams of hardwood flooring and landscaping, in our case that would be large gardens and fruit trees, and have even had to put off vacations at times too. Homeownership is always full of surprises, but I'm always grateful that we can afford to have a safe home for our children.
I hope things start to even out for you soon.
Blessings
That looks delicious, and I now know what I'm having for lunch.
The costs associated with home ownership kind of worry me, but it's still something that I really want. I suppose it's just a process of learning to manage and make sure that things are maintained, and that there's enough money if something happens. No small order, but it sounds like you're on the right track.
Oh yum. That looks ever so much more enjoyable than the frosted shredded wheat I ate this morning.
Farming & home owning sure are a learning experience! I'm surprised you bought a house and didn't know the furnace made your water hot and heated the house.
Unexpected repairs/expenses are frightening. I hope you can build up a buffer.
You made my library's blog today:
http://iwastoldtheredbecake.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/made-from-scratch-discovering-the-pleasures-of-a-handmade-life-reviewed-by-alice/#comment-56
*waves from the west coast of Canada*
You've earned every calorie, sistah!
That picture is food porn and is forcing me to buy potatoes at my local organic food store this evening. I hope you're happy :)
I think the water hauling and mucking you do evens out the potato brekky. When we bought this house, the hot water heater went within a few weeks. It's like the house is testing you -- d'you mean it? Are ya stayin? Can ya take a joke? On the upside, we found a super awesome plumber right away!
Being a size 4 is overrated. I was a size 3 for most of my twenties but also a neurotic mess. Now I'm in my 40's,and I'm a happy, stable size 10.
Oh just wait until you have kids. Then you'll realize size 4's are so overrated. Too much upkeep. Geesh! I'm just happy to still be in the single digits. I like to look at it like the amish do: my work outside and around the house is my excercise and the body I get from that is what God gave me so I'd best love it!
Upkeep on owning a home sucks but the payoff of owning your own home is SO worth it. You can paint what ever the heck ya like and leave old heaps of car parts (or in our case, odd toilets)around and no one can tell you otherwise. However, the toilets are a bit embarrasing and redneck. Oh, well. It is a farm!
OMG that looks sooooo good!
First, yum @ the potatoes. I made a stir-fry of peppers, onions, corn, potatoes tonight for supper as a matter of fact. Good stuff.
Second,my husband and I swear there are house-gremlins that delight in torturing appliances, wiring and hot water heaters in a dance of slow death and cash flow. Sigh.
Finally: Pfffft at being a size 4!
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