UP Dreams: Seven Months and Then Some...What Have I Learned?

Seven months (and 8 days) ago, we made the decision to move to the UP.

It has been, and continues to be, an education, let me tell you!

So what have I learned?

Some very random thoughts:

Money (even a lot of it) is not enough:

I don't wish we could have prepared ourselves better for our move. Moving is expensive. And you never know what you are going to need. I think we brought plenty of money with us to get started in a new land. But it's not enough. Because no amount would be enough. Truly.

It's a good thing that the the human person is (almost) infinitely adjustable (if they wanna be):

I stopped coloring my hair. It was just time and the right atmosphere to not have to worry about that anymore. Some days it bothers me, because red is the color of elves and fairies and creative people. But now there are some days, I want to take a scissors and weed whack off the part that was colored, leaving the strange (to me) new multicolored, interesting gray stuff. Maybe gray can be the color of elves and fairies and forest creatures, too.

forest creature?

I stopped wearing school clothes (ever). My favorites these days are comfy pants, hikers,

comfy pants DO go wth hikers...I don't care what you think

and thermal shirts in layers (mixing unrelated colors is best!). Makeup is ALWAYS optional, and not the norm. Bob the Lawyer goes to his office in jeans and a T-shirt, unless he has court.

I have re-learned how to cook (inexpensive) things from scratch. And homemade is sooo much better and better for you, anyway.

chicken breasts with a balsamic mushroom sauce

the beginnings of cherry crisp (I picked the cherries :)

I have learned that I can survive with ZERO impulse buying of ANYTHING. I can't believe how much of that I used to do. Sometimes the anticipation of saving for something is more fun than just getting the thing. I am SOOO slowly making over my bedroom, but I keep looking at and refining my ideas. Think birch and aspen (read: FREE). Lurk at my Pinterest account if you wanna see more of my ideas.

should I make this...

OR THIS!!!???

FREE stuff rocks:

I am SO busy every day at my shop. But instead of spending money to create things, my creative endeavors revolve around my craft stash and even more, on free stuff. One example, did you know that all you need to make paper is paper?

free paper with free weeds and stuff in it

ALL of us have plenty of junk paper in our lives to remake into seriously lovely handmade stuff. Learning to make paper from junk, including dryer lint and cattail fuzz has me looking at everything I throw away from a fresh perspective.

Standard of Living is such a relative term:

I have so much more stuff than I need. I have a house with lovely cold well water and lovely warm heat. I have a new comfy bed made by my lovely husband. I have a cute fully functioning kitchen

my kitchen is not always diagonal

in which to prepare our meals, I have warm clothes, a handy laundry room, two vehicles that perform nicely in winter or summer weather. I have a comfy living room

it was just a thing I did one day...along with taking artistic blurry shots to hide the dust...that's a kitty box in the corner

to relax in at the end of my day. I have plenty of books,

you can never have too many books

a computer and an iPhone. I have a lovely shop

free signs are the best

with a grand piano and more than enough space to create. I have acres of forest and field waiting for me to explore and build on and garden. I have a garage full (not really...I have a HUGE garage) of camping stuff. And these are just the big things. Plus (and this is even better) I have a loving husband,

Bob shoveling the garage roof...don't you wish you lived in the UP?
also....see all the tracks in the backyard....they were NOT made by Bob or any other PERSON

and two boys who aren't afraid to tell me they love me. Has anyone ever really had something that is MORE than all that?
In addition, I have:

The Forest