Hello!

Just a quick introduction. My name is Susan Mase. I’m a wife, mother, Oma and a teacher of the 30 years. I have a passion to preserve the ways of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Canning, cooking from scratch, stocking a pantry to get through the winter, milking cows and making butter was simply a day-in-the-life.

I’m no expert…

I had a hand-crank, toy sewing machine that I used to make Barbie doll clothes.  When I was 9 years old, my mom enrolled me in a sewing class at the Singer store in our local strip shopping center. I made my very first dress complete with sleeves and a zipper in that class.

I grew up working our very large garden, canning vegetables, jams, and jelly. Our pantry was well planned and well stocked.

After I married, I realized very quickly that I needed to build a well-stocked pantry of my own. I’ve refined the process, reassessed my needs many times over. And I’ve learned skills that my grandmothers never gave a second thought.

Learning “old” ways…

Many years ago, I decided that if my grandmothers could make soap without a formula, in a cast iron pot, over an open fire, in the yard…I could make soap with more modern calculations. With this notion, Windmill Ridge Soap was born. I made laundry soap, bar soap, shampoo soap, shave soap and other bath products. My family, my DH and I would sell soaps and bath products at the Farmers Market in Rockwall, Texas. We developed quite a following and loved teaching people about the wonderful virtues of handmade soap…Real Soap. We participated as a vendor at the Rockwall Farmers Market for 5 years. After the passing of my father in 2017, we decided that Windmill Ridge Soap would undergo a transformation.

A New Direction

In 2018, Windmill Ridge Independent Living was born with a philosophy that we would now be “teaching a man to fish” so to speak. I’ll teach you how to have a well-stocked pantry and you’ll be stocking up on foods that your family knows and loves.  This digital platform that seems to be everywhere will enable us to reach for more people that one day a week at the Farmers Market.

So with that said, here we are. In upcoming posts, I’ll be tackling Meal Planning and how it will save you money. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite links that I use and I’ll be sharing recipes and YouTube videos.

Getting to know each other…

So, please give me feedback, ask questions, share your concerns, share your successes. We are all here to learn that being prepared for life’s everyday emergencies is More Than Beans and Rice.