Kids Archives - SelfSufficientPath

Why We’re Pulling the Trigger

August 17, 2018 Joe SSP YouTube Channel Leave a comment

We’ve been working towards the goal of moving to our new homestead for over five years now. But though we were laying soft plans for that long, we really got serious a couple of years ago. There were lots of reasons, but the straw that broke the camel’s back is an interesting (and infuriating) story. I got home one night from my father’s property and found a piece of paper stuck in my door. I at first thought it was some kind of advertisement. But it wasn’t. It was a letter from our local code enforcement officer. No, it wasn’t a thank you note. Or an invitation to a birthday party. Or a solicitation to the code enforcement officers’ ball.

Making a Family Heirloom (and Memories to Boot)

March 17, 2018 Joe SSP YouTube Channel Leave a comment

My family likes old things. Antiques is too grand a word for it. The word “antique” calls to mind things to be put on a shelf and looked at. Not to be touched. Certainly not to be used. But our prized finds are things that are old and beautiful, but also useful. A few months ago we found an old Eskimo wooden toboggan at a church yard sale. The price was $5.00. But I waited too long to buy it. I was being too clever for my own good; trying to look less interested than I was to try to get the price down. When I went back to the table to pick it up, it had already been sold.

(Almost) Ready to Roll!

January 24, 2018 Joe SSP YouTube Channel Leave a comment

We began the process of obtaining our property and the home building process in March. Our expectation was that we would be moved into our new homestead by August, September, maybe October at the latest. It’s now January, and we haven’t yet broken ground. What caused the delays? Was it financing? No, we had that in hand. Delays with the builder? Nope, they were pretty much good to go from day one. No, the issue was the huge number of hoops we had to jump through. We split a piece of existing, undeveloped property. This, for some inexplicable reason requires the approval of multiple government agencies. One of these, which shall remain nameless (let’s just call them the Department of

In the Jaws of a Dilemma

January 17, 2017 Joe Blog Posts Leave a comment

Okay, hypothetical question here. Of course this has NOTHING whatsoever to do with me or any real-life scenario. 🙂 Let’s say you’re hunting on the last day of archery season. You already have two deer in the freezer, but of course there’s no such thing as having too much venison. Now, let’s say you have to leave the house at 4:00 for a family obligation. You’re planning to stop hunting at 2:00 to accommodate that. At 1:30 a group of mature does walk out at 30 yards. Do you shoot, knowing that tracking, gutting, and transporting the deer to the processor could make you late to the family event? Or do you let them walk? I made my call. Um, I mean,

2016 Spring Gobbler Season

June 14, 2016 Joe SSP YouTube Channel

Well, our 2016 Spring Gobbler Season is in the books. It didn’t go as planned, but we had a great time, including a fantastic morning hunt with my daughter Amanda. We may not have taken the kind of trophy we did in 2014, we it was a success in more ways than one.

God Please Bless These Children

April 26, 2016 Joe Quick Update

So I was working in my shop yesterday evening when the girls came and asked me if I had any “small bottles”. My dad-senses immediately kicked in, and I asked them what they were up to. Apparently they had harvested some blue bells and, soaking them in water, had concocted a perfume. They now wanted to bottle the product to give to their mother (and to sell the rest). While the whole project was wonderfully cute, what really got me was the name they came up with for the labels; “The Sisters Perfume”. With me working from home, and their mother home schooling the girls, our family is incredibly close. And these girls have a bond that will last for

Mrs SSP Facebook Post

March 3, 2015 Joe Quick Update

Abby brought me her doll & a handkerchief asking me to “dress” her doll. As I was fumbling with it she said, “And this time can you make it not ” inaplopiate” Because last time you could see her bottom”. LOL I’m glad she knows what’s inappropriate …I know some adults that don’t know that.:))

Kids Love It Outside, If You Can Get Them Out the Door

November 9, 2014 Joe Quick Update

So, we were visiting my father this weekend. After church on Sunday, we drug the kids outside for a walk around part of the property. Abby wasn’t very enthusiastic, as she wanted to stay inside watching a movie. I have nothing against movies, or tablets, or game consoles. But kids playing and exploring on a farm is a different kind of fun. You can see Miss Abby eventually got in the “swing” of things. We searched for arrowheads in some recently-turned earth, checked out some deer tracks, swung on some wild grape vines, and generally had a great time. You can see Amanda got a turn too, and even Mrs. SSP got in on the act. My point is this.