Sunnyside Farm Fun: Looking forward ~ 2013

I can scarcely believe that 2012 has closed & 2013 is upon us, but the calendar on my fridge just doesn't lie & a brand new year is here! I always love to make goals for the new year & I must admit I do hesitate to share them here at times ~ mainly because when I share I feel obligated to fulfil the goals whereas the little book I keep in my drawer by the bed is so very easy to ignore if I so choose.....

So this year I thought I'd work my way up to it ~ I'd share some of my goals.... yes, there are some that are just too personal to write about on this little piece of the world-wide-web.

So here goes ~ my hopes & aspirations for 2013 Lord willing....

* I hope to learn the art of cheese making. Sure we've dabbled before, but this year I intend to learn how to make a cheddar that lasts longer than the two days our last lot did until the mouse ate it while it sat drying before it was matured in the fridge (which really is funny if you actually think about it).

* I hope to get my sour dough starter going again. I had so much success with my first starter until our neighbour who was house sitting decided to clean out my fridge. I tried another starter earlier last year, but it wasn't successful. My husband is aching for me to get the starter going as he mentions sour dough at least twice daily so I intend to put a smile on his face & get this going soon.

* I hope to preserve enough fruit to last the full year. My boys & hubby loved my canned fruit so much that what I thought was a large amount very quickly disappeared. It lasted into July so obviously I need about twice that amount.

* I hope to learn how to preserve tomatoes ~ every single time I pick up a can of tomatoes at the store I always wish I had been more diligent with learning how to do this the previous summer. I always thought that you a pressure canner was required for this, but have since found out that a water bath is fine ( I would love the pressure canner, but that is on the dream list for now :).

* I hope to shop locally. I've just finished the book ' Almost Amish' & am currently reading ' The year of Plenty' both which encourage trying to find your products from a local supplier. I always love knowing that my soap & moisturizers comes from the neighbour down the road, our honey is from the farmer who puts bees on our farm & the salami & bacon I prefer to buy is from a town an hour & a half away. etc so I intend to expand this & intentionally seek out & choose local products where I can. I'm looking forward to finding out more of what is available in the area.

My adorable little nephew who has been visiting us!

* I hope to learn to make my own soap. I have made a batch that went very wrong, so hesitated to try again, but I think it's time to at least have another go.

* I hope to de-clutter half our stuff ~ yes, this sounds like a huge ask, but there is so much more that we don't really need & although I tend to be practical in my choices of what comes into our home, there are still those things which just keep on creeping in. I'm not sure exactly what this will look like, but I've got a year to find out :)

* I hope to expand my winter garden. This is tricky as I only have a certain area under the watering system that is essential for any plant growth in this dry land. There is always a balance for gardening & allowing land to fallow & trying to get that right is something I am still learning, but it was so wonderful to have fresh produce during the middle of winter last year.

* I hope to spend less time on technology. This is really tricky as a lot of the schooling the children do is online based, however I will endeavour to keep that to a minimum & combine as many lessons as is possible. My time here tends to be minimal during the day ( although I am writing this in the daytime, but that is because Dave is entertaining the children right now), but I still feel that I am connected to this computer too many times a day. The first thing I have already done is to unsubscribe from a whole lot of blogs that I was getting by email (not all).

So many goals & ideas ~ trust me that little book is filling with even more :)

More than anything though I hope that this year I will fulfil the Lord's will for my life. I don't know if this year will be a year of sunshine or rain, of joy or hardships, but what I do know is that God's Will is always best!