sshhhhhhh..... silent sundays: glorious local strawberries

chicken farmer comeback!

I know I've just told you I no longer have my Chicky girls, but finally good news is reappearing after my universal bitch slapping. Peggy, my partner in chicken farming, gets to keep the our girls on her new property!!! Her new property is so lovely, I know the Chickie's will love it. She also just lives a couple miles down the road so I can still enjoy Chicken T.V. with my 3 favorite leading hens... Florence, Galinda, & Fluevog.  

debt smackdown.... knowledge

So, we all know logically how we can reduce debt. Stop spending and attack the debt. Yup, easier said then done. My brother recommended I read the book Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. So, in the spirit of saving money I borrowed it from the library... Sorry Dave. But I have vowed to myself to follow his plan of financial fitness. First step in his plan is to get an emergency fund of $1000 stashed away & NO touching. Next step the "debt snowball" of destroying your debts from smallest to largest, with each debt paid off that destroyed payment gets rolled into paying off the next and so goes the snowball. 
This is a good plan... I just need to start making more money with the busy summer season that has started here on the island. Fingers crossed for an awesome money making debt smashing summer!

 I also picked up the documentary Maxed Out for more debt reduction inspiration. There were some heartbreaking stories which made me not want to be in debt anymore. I did shed some tears. 

sshhhhhhh..... silent sundays: a bug's life

plentiful rhubarb

I grew up hating rhubarb. My mother was always making rhubarb crisp from our rhubarb plant in the backyard. I only loved the crispy top and was scolded often for picking it off of her lovely baked treat. As most kids do, I grew up and now I kinda like it. Still not a lover of it but I am working on becoming an appreciator of this strange plant which is a vegetable but most often utilized as a fruit. 

Well I'm going to honor it's vegtable-ness and make rhubarb pickles!  I've gotten a recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine to do just that. I will tell you now that I cheated... I used 2TBS of pickling spice instead of her recommended spice concoction. 

Ingredients...

Chopped and stuffed....

Pickling liquid added & Ta-Dah... Rhubarb Pickles!

They are actually kinda tasty too. A bit like bread & butter pickles, a little sour a little sweet. 

bitch slapped by the universe...

So... It's been almost a month since my last confession, I mean post. I've been fighting off a hard core bitch slapping from the Universe. You name it it has gone wrong, including no longer having chickens so no more chicky farmer posts of the 3 most beautiful chickens on the planet, sigh. Since I do believe in only saying something if it's nice....I've been silent. 

In a positive light, this slap down has made me come back fighting and refocus on where it is I am going. Let me remind you as well. 

LONDON! I'm going to London! Why?! To learn how to become a great shoe designer at the University of the Arts London! How am I getting there?! By bitch slapping my all American debt to zero. Oh, yes I'm gonna bitch slap back my friends! So I will start a new recurring post on how my debt smack down is progressing. So that I have more people holding me responsible for getting it done. That way someday my blog will no longer be of an interim girl, but of an "in the thick of it" girl with posts from LONDON!!!