What is the one thing that give you the most pleasure/pride?

[cir3ngirl]

My son coming home and saying he had won second place in a herb growing comp which was part of his schools gardening club.

[contadino]

When we bought our place, it came with a dog who'd spent the first 3 years of his life living in a 1.5mx1.5m cage and had stale bread thrown in at irregular intervals. The first thing we did, before opening our new front door, was to let him free. It took us a couple of weeks for him to trust us enough to stroke him, and a couple of months for him to stop running off every time I picked up a rake or a spade. He didn't know how to play - at one point if I threw something for him he'd hide behind me.

Now he is the perfect dog. My best canine friend. Happy. We rescued another dog - a puppy - about 6 months back, from a dogs home, and they are perfect for each other.

That their lives are transformed, gives me more satisfaction than all the things that I thought would inspire me in my self-sufficient life.

[Milims]

A pat on the back to you all!!

[Annpan]

When we bought our place, it came with a dog who'd spent the first 3 years of his life living in a 1.5mx1.5m cage and had stale bread thrown in at irregular intervals. The first thing we did, before opening our new front door, was to let him free. It took us a couple of weeks for him to trust us enough to stroke him, and a couple of months for him to stop running off every time I picked up a rake or a spade. He didn't know how to play - at one point if I threw something for him he'd hide behind me.

Now he is the perfect dog. My best canine friend. Happy. We rescued another dog - a puppy - about 6 months back, from a dogs home, and they are perfect for each other.

That their lives are transformed, gives me more satisfaction than all the things that I thought would inspire me in my self-sufficient life.

That is the loveliest thing... well done you

[yugogypsy]

Seeing all we've gotten done since February and seeing things going into the freezer already

Lois

[Martin]

perhaps not directly "self sufficient" but worth telling........
I've always tried to bring my daughter up to be strong and self-sufficient, and not to rely on others. Just before Christmas, my stepfather was rushed to hospital with heart problems, landing my wife and I with the care of my invalid mother - my daughter took herself off to the hospital, where she sat and held his hand, and comforted him for several days until he died - she wouldn't budge - she doted on her Grandad, and took it on herself to care for him.
During the period she was there she became the terror of the nursing staff - anything that wasn't quite right she got put right, and at one point reckoned she was "getting the runaround" from the staff, and could get no full information from anyone - so she physically grabbed the consultant, shoved him into a corner, and wouldn't let him get away until she had full chapter and verse from him! Thanks to her, Grandad died with a smile on his face!
I was the proudest Dad the world has ever seen!

[Wombat]

I'll agree with that!

My two are the chook tractor and the solar oven.

Nev

[Stonehead]

I thought long and hard before replying as I don't really have moments that I'd describe as giving me the most pleasure/pride. I tend much more to getting pleasure or satisfaction from the little things here and there along the way. These all add up to an overall feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that's with me all the time.

So, it's things like watching our oldest boy, seven, cook his own breakfast this morning. I stood back and watched while he prepared and cooked himself bacon, eggs, beans, potatoes fried in lard, and toast. He then polished the lot off before finishing with a banana and fresh donut. (His choice of breakfast, too!)

He not only did a good job of the cooking, but managed to have it all come together at the same time - which a lot of adults can't manage. All I had to do was curb his excitement a couple of times, and move things from the back of the cooker to the front as he's not big enough to safely lean over the pans yet.

So, a nice bit of pleasure at the start of the day.

[Milims]

Stoney - did he wash up afterwards???

[Paul]

Well for me, It was Buying this Old [180 Years almost] Cottage, and renovating it back to the period, now with restored big open stone fireplace with wood burner installed & rebuilt stone staircase, one day Ill get the place finished

Paul



PS:click on my "www" for more on my renovation

[Stonehead]

Stoney - did he wash up afterwards???

Yes. And then came out to help me clear the fencelines.

[Milims]

Stoney - can you send him down here to train my two please???

[Stonehead]

For the doubters...



The Big Lad serving up the breakfast he cooked himself yesterday.



The Big Lad washing up after breakfast today.



The Wee 'Un vacuuming the kitchen floor today (and yes, he really does lift all the loose tiles to cleans under them!).

[Millymollymandy]

I've got the same floor tiles as you - wanna spare one?

Your boys have grown up a lot since I first saw photos of them on the internet! Not so wee any more!

[ina]

Always the same with kids - you don't look at them for a month or so, and they have grown out of recognition!

Can I hire the boys for a day? My house could do with a good clean up...