Defining Happiness

This is what I need to be happy.

A roof over my head, it doesn't matter how large as long as everyone has their space. We live in a 3 bedroom duplex with a large back yard.

A place to garden. I have a large back yard, I and I intend to make some nice gardens this year. I would also like to set up a place for chickens and I love to find way's to avoid waste and create independence from the government. I want to buy a solar oven that my friend told me about, but I think my dad could create one with sheet metal if I figured out the design. That's one thing I want to try and do with him. I want to set up some kind of clothes line to dry my clothes but I am a bit worried about relying on the weather and the yucky air that we have around here. I want to plant absolutely everything that I can that will stick around and continue to produce year after year, like peach, pear and apple trees. Also of course, a big patch of strawberries. I want to be able to can everything that I can but I know that is going to depend on my ability to buy the bottles and my ability to find the space to store everything (maybe under the bed?).

Time to think. I would love to just work on things that involve my skill set. I can cook and I think I have talent as a gluten free baker. I can write, I think I have talent but I know that I need to read a whole lot more in order for my writing skills to develop more. I like to draw but I don't make time for it. I love to read, but get distracted by all there is to read. I also enjoy scanning in photos and working on family history, but I frequently put this off as well since I have to work on other things.

Of course, I also love being a mom. I like to help my kids but sometimes get stressed out about all that I need to do. Mostly about how I can sort out what happened last year and figure out what I can do this year to help us survive. I plan on utilizing the public library and teaching them as much as possible, I hope they can become well educated and avoid the situation that I am in.

Lastly I know we need money, in order to stay where we are and to move forward. I want to avoid the need for too much money, I plan on buying stuff at yard sales and the like and I am happy with that. At least it keeps things out of dumpsters and reduces the great burden of stuff that people have over accumulated. Plus for some reason I find clothes that look better on me at yard sales than at the store. I also want to develop food storage and 72 hr. kits.

So basically, if I didn't have to worry about money, I would figure out how to write books, develop gluten free and healthy recipe's, and I would set up my house in a sustainable way and tell the government to shove it. That would be happiness to me.