Organic Ideas

In our move from the city to the farm we are completely changing our lives around. And as we do so, we have been taking the opportunity to decide what is really important to us. What are our values? What is essential? What is extra? 

  

How do we want to shape our home and our businesses? 

I'm sure these values will change as we grow. Most of them are very different than the list I would have made five years ago, and that list is different than the one from ten or fifteen years ago. But it's where we are now. 

Here (in no particular order except for the first one) are some of the things that will govern our decisions in the next several months:

Biblical Principles

We are followers of Jesus. First and foremost we will strive to live life the way God wants. We will incorporate principles of stewardship, honesty, integrity, reliability, respectability, and kindness (and many others) in everything we do. We decide things after prayer and study. We make mistakes and we forgive one another. This guides everything we do. 

Buying Local

When possible we prefer to patronize small businesses. We recognize the hard work and immense effort required to run your own business. We want to see our friends and neighbors be successful, so we will be a part of that as much as possible. 

Building Community Relationships

We want to know our neighbors. We are part of a church here, and when we move we will join a church there. We look people in the eyes. We listen. We will learn your stories and be honored that you share them with us. We will partner with local businesses. 

Authenticity

Y'all know me. I not only share my successes, I also tell you about my mommy fail moments, my goofy side, and some of my disappointments. We are real people on an exciting adventure. We will share with you our attempts to try new things. We'll let you know what works and what doesn't. We truly care about our friends and family, and as we start businesses we desire to be authentic with our customers as well. 

Barter

We believe in trade. Cash is just paper. Credit and ATM cards are even less than paper. They're just promises of transfers between banks. But do they actually send a physical dollar over for every electronic transaction? I doubt it. Money has no intrinsic value. Don't get me wrong. I'll take your money. But "barter is better". Want something we have? Make an offer for trade.

Family 

Part of the reason for this move is to be nearer my parents, and also to provide a better family life for ourselves and our daughters. If we start an endeavor and it impacts our family negatively, we'll make changes. We will look for ways to support families in our sphere of influence. We will treat our customers and community as extended family. 

Gratitude 

We are thankful. We have been given so much. We are thankful for each and every customer. We can not adequately express the gratitude we feel for our family and friends who are cheering us on and encouraging us, but we will try. Thank you. We love y'all.  

Giving Back

I like purchasing from companies that do good for others. TOMS is one example. For every pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child somewhere in the world. There are others; Burt's Bees gives money to non-profit start ups. I want Not A Farm Girl to be that kind of company. I recognize how extremely blessed I am. I want to now bless others and make the world a better place than I found it. I haven't worked out all the details, but to start with I am going to donate a percentage of Not A Farm Girl products (lotions, soaps, shampoo, etc.) to shelters for women and girls. I have other ideas for future service projects after we move, more about that as we go.

Organic

Most people associate organic with food. However, there are several definitions in the dictionary, and one definition from Dictionary.com is: organic - simple and healthful and close to nature.

That's what we're about as a family and that's what Not A Farm Girl will strive to be as a business. 

What Goes Around

At 2:20am last night I was suddenly wide awake after hearing the high pitched "beepbeepbeep" from our alarm that signals an outside door had been opened. I thought most likely the door leading to the garage hadn't closed all the way and the dog had pushed it open, so I went to check. I considered waking Chris, but he has to get up even earlier than I for work, so I let him sleep.

As I made my way down the dark hall I was confronted by a person turning towards me from the kitchen. 

My brain registered that it was my twelve year old daughter Carter before my body did, so I stood there clutching her arm and gasping in air as one does when surprised, and trying to slow my racing heart. 

Turns out she and Lesleigh (my thirteen year old) had decided to sleep in the back yard because it was too hot in the house. "We left you a note, Mom." 

Um yeah, maybe I would have seen that if it wasn't pitch black and the middle of the night. 

Which reminds of the time there was no note...

About three or four years ago I woke in the middle of the night, and as moms are wont to do, I checked on my girls. (At that time their ages were about eight and ten.) Carter was nowhere to be found. I was whisper calling her in a panic. I woke my husband. Finally I woke Lesleigh and asked if she knew where her sister was. "Yes", she sleepily replied, "She's in there." I looked where she was pointing. The closet!! Carter had made up a little bed on the floor of Lesleigh's closet and pulled the door nearly shut. 

When I posted that mommy nightmare on Facebook, my childhood friend posted in reply, "Karma. That's all I'm saying."

Oh, right. 

My best friend Betty and I lived around the corner from each other on a T shaped cul-de-sac. I lived on the long leg, she lived on the right top side. The very cool thing about it was that our back yards met at a corner. We learned at a pretty young age -I'm thinking I was about four or five- that we could pile stuff up and climb over to visit. 

Betty had a very cool playhouse in her back yard. And on the particular night she was referencing with her "karma" comment she and her brother were going to sleep in it. So we made grand plans. Wild plans. The best plans a five and seven year old could come up with. And on that fateful night, we *almost* got away with it. 

My grandmother was babysitting. As soon as she put me and my brother to bed and turned out the light I climbed out the window and crept stealthily across the backyard, slipped over the fence, and into the playhouse. What exhilaration! What joy! A secret sleepover! 

Our celebration was short-lived, however. Before very long, Betty's dad came out and asked if I was there. I sheepishly crawled out from under the sleeping bag and allowed him to walk me home. It turned out that my grandmother also had that need to check on sleeping children; she had noticed my absence and phoned the restaurant where my parents were dining. They rushed home and called the police, who then went door to door looking for me. To this day I remember the fear and relief together evident on my parents' faces. 

So I guess in a way I deserve those middle of the night mommy frights. 

Here's a picture off Betty and I a few years later. (I'm on the left, she's on the right) I had moved away at age seven, but we remained friends; we remain friends to this day. 

Have you had any of those scary "Where is my child?!!??!" moments? What childhood adventures did you have? I'd love to hear all about it. 

Not A Farm Girl Buying Local

We have become firm believers in buying local. Two or three years ago, I wouldn't have really understood the importance and value of supporting local businesses. 

Small business owners depend on loyal repeat customers. Big chain companies can afford to lose a few customers. Mom and Pop shops can't. They work long, hard hours. They put their heart into their products and services, and that passion often makes a noticeable difference in the quality. 

Buying local might cost a little more than purchasing from a chain store, but it's  good for the local economy, because those business owners return the money to our community through their purchases and giving. 

That being said, I don't buy local simply for the sake of buying local. If I get lousy service, or a mediocre product, I'm certainly not going to continue to patronize a local business. But when I find one that excels at what they do and engages me, and views me as a person, not just a dollar sign, you can bet I'll be back! 

Valentino's Pizza is just such a shop. 

Lee Alanouf is awesome. He'll spin and toss the pizza dough and put on a show for us. He remembers our "usual". He talks to us while he's working and doesn't make us feel like we're interrupting. 

Another reason we love Valentino's? They give back to the community, donating over $40,000 to the Casa Youth  Center since 2009. 

But the real reason we return is the taste. They make everything fresh each day in the shop; the dough, the sauce, everything. The pizza is amazing!

Do you buy local? If so, what are your favorite shops?

Naturally Urban Farm in Bellflower, CA

I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon and Eric Schermerhorn at their home yesterday. They, along with their seven children and Jay (helper on the "farm") have a large organic garden and raise chickens right here in my town. 

They call their city farm "Naturally Urban". Be sure to visit: Www.naturallyurban.blogspot.com

I enjoyed visiting with them and learning about gardening. The interview will be posted on my YouTube channel: NotaFarmGirl. 

              Shannon and I

Here are some take-aways that I learned during our chats between takes. 

*keep your ground covered by mulch or foliage. Exposed ground loses both moisture and soil. 

*walking barefoot while you garden allows you to feel what's going on in the soil. 

*blackberries and raspberries like to grow downhill. 

*if you live in the country, keep a couple extra chickens for their predators. It's natural, unless they're eating more than their fair share. As Jay says, "Everyone's got to eat."

Me with Jay and either Fluffy or Puffy. (They're sister chickens that look alike.)

Shannon also highly recommends this book:

She said, "When they say 'Five Minutes a Day' they actually mean ONLY five minutes a day." She gave me a loaf and it was super yummy! I've already ordered my own copy. 

I am amazed every day by how willing people are to share their knowledge and expertise. I am thankful for friends old and new as I journey from the city to the farm. 

Drowning in a Sea of Things

In my blog description I say we are moving to the farm to lead a "simpler" life. By no means do I think simpler equals easier. In fact, in many ways, it will be much more difficult than our life in L.A. We will have land and gardens and livestock. We may have to renovate our home. We will have to be more careful with our spending and live a more frugal life. So, that being said, in what way will it be a simpler life?

One thing we have decided to do to "simplify" is to own fewer things. Chris has introduced me to the tiny house movement. Check out http://tinyhouseswoon.com/

We are not tiny people by any means, and its doubtful we would ever be comfortable in a true tiny house, but the idea of living with only what you need really appeals to us. Maybe in part because of how much that contrasts with our current lifestyle. 

It is amazing how much stuff we have. I am constantly shifting piles of stuff and trying to find a home for each thing that we own. I am drowning in an ocean of things we may or may not need, but have become accustomed to having. Here are some examples of how we are stuffed:

This is my "nightstand" full of stuff. And the corner? Piled with purses and blankets and stuff. And on top of the shelves: more stuff. The next picture is my hat, scarf, and swimsuit shelf. It's Southern Cali. How many scarves do I actually need here? Not that many, for sure. Just had a thought... why do I own about a dozen scarves and only two swimsuits when I live just twenty minutes from the beach? I blame the body image driven SoCal culture. But that's another blog post entirely.

Now I am faced with the overwhelming task of sorting, selling, giving away, and packing all this stuff. It's daunting, that's for sure! Just look at the garage:

I decided to begin in the kitchen. Here's what the cabinets looked afterward:

Here's what I decided we could live without:

We are slowly chipping away at our stuff. It's not easy to let go of things, but it is very freeing. It's also easier to keep clean. At least that's what they tell me. I'll let you know whether it's true. 

We'll probably never live in a "tiny house". Nor will we be minimalists. I believe we will, however, learn to have only things we love and use and have a place in which to keep them. 

For more of our story be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel NotaFarmGirl. 

Lesleigh's Corner

Lesleigh asked to write a blog post for me. Here it is, in her words:

Our 2-week update

We have a progress update for you.  

So far we have started decluttering and sorting all our items. Some of the items are being set aside for the big garage sale. 

Our donation website is up and running and we have gotten our first donation!  If you would like to you can do so at  www.gofundme.com/notafarmgirl .  

Chris has decided what one of his businesses will be and he will announce what it will be on his YouTube Chanel.  By the way if you haven’t all ready posted a name for the contest you can do so at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcD2GLxcYI8 down in the comments. You can post more than one name if another suddenly hits you. Don’t worry we want to hear all of your suggestions. 

Make sure to go check our videos cause you’ll never know when there is a new one.

EXHAUSTING (I left my camera for two minutes...)

Pondering...

We are trying to come up with ways to earn money on the farm. Here are some ideas we have:

My ideas:
Honey
Lavender products
Goat's milk/cheese products

Carter's idea: rent the barn for weddings

Lesleigh's ideas:
Puppy breeding
raising chickens

Jason's idea: rent the farm for photo shoots

Chris would like to start an at home or online business. What should he do?
What else can we do? Please comment!!

Let the Crazy Ensue

This summer my family went on a road trip. While it was mostly vacation, we were also exploring the possibility of moving.  Moving. I didn't really want to move. I love my sunny SoCal life. It is seventy degrees and sunny year round here. I have a flip flop collection. There are palm trees and beaches and... sigh.
But yes, we are considering moving. There are a couple of reasons. One is to be nearer to my mother and father. While technology makes it easier to stay in touch, I'm just not able to give the kind of support I'd like to. Also, we are just done with the L.A. life and all the busy-ness that it entails.
Prior to the trip, we had planned to explore areas where we could stay in our current professions, and just relocate. However, that changed along the way. My cousin Valerie told me about her friend who is trying to bring back the idea of the 'gentleman farmer'. This is in reference to a farm that is  smaller than a commercial farm, but different than a hobby farm in that it supplies enough income to provide for the family. The idea intrigued me. A lot. I couldn't shake it.

What if we could pay cash for a small farm, and have no mortgage? Could we earn enough doing home-based/farm-based businesses to support the needs of our family? Could we leave the hustle and bustle of L.A. and take our kids (and the dog) across the country to a quieter, simpler life close to my parents? 

We began to dream and brainstorm. (There are plenty of miles for conversation on the way from Colorado to California.) We discussed the fact that the only plant I have successfully grown is lavender. Maybe I could have a lavender field with bee hives. And maybe I could have a few goats. Then maybe, just maybe, I could make a myriad of products, including goat cheese, soaps, honey, etc. 
It sounds like a fairly well thought out plan. Unless you know that I am SO Not A Farm Girl. I haven't any idea how to make soap or honey or goat cheese. I barely make breakfast. Although, I'm fairly certain the bees do most of the work with the honey. (At least I think they do.)  
Then I had another idea. What if we documented all of my experiences, whether success or failure and post it online? Would anyone care to read about it? We shall see, we shall see. And so, here we are.  

So Let The Crazy Begin...
Here's the plan: 
Save and scrimp for 6 months. 
Scale down, sell, give away, and pack our stuff.
Move to the country and pay cash for a small farm.
Document my experience on this blog and on YouTube.
Market my farm products online, and at farmers markets or in specialty stores.

You can help!
What do you want to see me try?
What should I make with my lavender bushes?
Any advice?
What resources are out there for me?
Where should I start?

Don't forget to subscribe and comment!