Biography

I recently decided to leave the busy lifestyle of being a corrections officer to start enjoying the simpler things in life. I am a country girl at heart, born and raised in Michigan and the outdoors is where I'm meant to be. I never enjoyed the hustle and bustle of alarm clocks, deadlines, meetings, training, watching the clock, not ever having enough time in a day, and just simply missing out on what's important, like my kids. Sometimes we get caught up in a lifestyle and think there isn't any way out. For some, they love this busy lifestyle, for others, it's just not working. So I decided to take a leap of faith, and jump into a life where I don't have an income (with the exception of royalties from two previous published poetry books), no time table, no alarm clocks, no deadlines or meetings, and most important, where I don't have to "find" time for my kids. I now enjoy the simple things in life. It was hard at first, and sometimes it still is. I paid off my house, sold my car that came with a payment, paid off my credit cards, knocked down all my bills to the lowest they could go, such as cutting the cable bill in half, lowering my phone bill, and most importantly, I started to search for resources that are available to us everyday, we just need to know where to look. I took advantage of the internet, hit Google's homepage, and started searching. I live on .5 acre of land and with the use of books bought through Barnes and Noble, or those given to me by family and friends, I have learned how to grow enough food to feed myself and my two boys for the season, and well into the winter months. Last summer my mother taught me how to can my own food and how to freeze certain vegetables. This year, she is going to teach me how to pressure can which I am extremely excited about. My father has taught me how to make compost for my garden, how to properly raise chickens (this year I am building a coop with recycled materials), how to plant food and utilize my resources. Not only am I learning how to be self sufficient, I am teaching my children how to be as well. Plus, the time spent with my parents and children through this process is priceless. I hope that you will follow me through this journey as I show you things I've learned along the way and things I'm still learning. Everything from creating a garden, utilizing resources, to recycling old pallets and turning it into furniture. So far I have made 4 chairs, two tables, a fence, a fence gate, raised garden beds, a front deck, all by using free resources and only investing my time and a few boxes of screws. It's amazing at what one can accomplish when you take a leap of faith and start searching for resources that are here for the taking.

You can also follow me at:

http://www.facebook.com/ayresacreadvice.com

http://ayresacreadvice.blogspot.com