We Are Leaving Easy Street

When our children were younger I was fortunate enough to take summers off for the most part and spend precious time with them. We "played" summer camp and did educational and fun activities throughout the day. We had a schedule that took us from quiet mornings learning to cook and read to chore time at the barn and garden. We spent time caring for and riding our horses, had art time and swam for hours at the community pool. Although I do remember being exhausted, it was a good time in our lives. I was on track with who I wanted to be and lived very authentically...for a few good years anyway.

As the kid's grew and schedules got tighter our lives changed quickly. Once we were very self sufficient here on our little homestead and had planned to teach our children these values...but, that wasn't the case. To make a long story short, we forgot our mission. Our careers took off and our lifestyle changed. We were too busy and because we could, we took a wrong turn down Easy Street.

Day by day we would buy something we could make or repair. We stopped more often to get fast food on the way home from gymnastics or ball practice, and we began subscribing to services we swore we'd never pay for...TV, trash pick up and cell phones for kids under 16!  We stopped planting a garden because we let spring go past without noticing we'd forgotten to  prepare our plot and then...Walmart opened up 5 miles from our country home. Need I say more?

I recognized our wrong turns many times (I wrote a very similar post two years ago) and have seriously tried to get back on track...especially during the years I homeschooled our son. Bless his heart, I'm sure he has repressed memories of planting with the signs and Three Sisters gardening...Google it!

I'm writing this more for myself than for any other reason really. It helps me to feel more organized to see it written in black and white...but here goes...if you are even still with me...

We are getting back on track this summer. My business is in the perfect stage for me to do this and summer is the perfect time, with the long days, to get organized. We are going back to the basics and trying to be as self sufficient as possible. I'm exhausted from trying to keep up with current trends, from social media to the newest business model. Before making this decision, I was at the point of being so overwhelmed I accomplished nothing day in and day out for weeks at a time.

We live in a world of information overload. I've spent countless hours keeping up a website, blog, facebook pages, Etsy and Ebay accounts and now Pinterest boards....and all for what? Business? That's what we tell ourselves. I made the most money I've ever made in my lifetime the last year we lived in our mobile home, before the internet or any paid advertising. We only "think" we have to do things like "they" say to be successful. I've been most successful when I've done things authentically.

My heart and gut tell me to slow down! I'm cutting back. I'm taking back some precious time that I want to spend with family and friends and getting reorganized into a simpler lifestyle...which includes my business.

With this said, this will be my last blog post until about August. You may see photo shoot postings that I will  be working on that I need linked from my website, but for the most part I am going to be pretty busy offline.

If you want information about vintage rentals please visit my website, www.thejunkranch.com. You will find all of my information there.

Your best bet for the most up to date information will be from my Facebook page....And you may certainly contact me for appointments for shopping and rental or design consultations. See the side bar for my contact info.

If you'd like more information on living a sustainable lifestyle there is much "out there" these days. The Urban Homestead  is a favorite and a wealth of info about doing this in small spaces. You don't need to live on a farm or even out in the country to be more self sufficient.

Thanks for reading and I will see you back here in about a month!
~Angie

Bring out the Swans...it's still raining!

Hand Poured Soy Candles in Vintage Swan Pottery Vessels

All of this spring rain has surely put a halt on any outdoor picture taking I've wanted to do this last week...or two! On a brighter note, the time inside has given me the opportunity to get a little more organized and I did happen to get a few more individual inventory shots of my rentals.

In the photo above I'm showing two of my vintage pottery swans that I've hand poured scented soy wax into. These are available for rent for entry tables...etc. They will burn for your entire event or longer and will  greet your guests with a pleasant aroma of your choosing. I stock all of the popular fragrance oils and can order by request....such a special touch for your special day or event!

A chipmunk sipping rain water from a leaf that had blown up on our front porch

The daily rains have also forced me to slow my roll and to try to enjoy a somewhat slower pace...giving me an opportunity also to notice that there is another world existing right under my nose that I'd ignored for quite a while...

A fledgling wren I found in the herb garden

I love my work, but I also love living out in the country and farm life. It takes balance to do it all. I'm still working on that...and focus! 

This summer, I'm making it my goal to live a balanced life. I'm blessed that I can and I'm very grateful! I love my life on the farm and my design and rental business that I run right here from home. It's the very best of both worlds. 

As I look out my window now...it's raining...again, but, that's okay.