I'm sorry to hear about your lay-off. We've been through it a couple of times in the last fifteen years. DH works in the computer field which is very up-and-down, due to technological changes and outsourcing. He dealt with it by doing contract work, studying, and taking certification exams to broaden his skills, and he eventually found a job where he really enjoys his work and coworkers the best of all the jobs he's had so far (fingers crossed, since there's another merger in the works).
Speaking as a wife, I took it in stride, although I get very anxious about uncertainty. Things become very simple, and you dig into your resources for common sense in cutting spending, figuring out your cash flow, and you may find it brings you closer together as you face this challenge together. It helped that I had a stable full-time job with benefits, and unemployment benefits cut the sting quite a bit. DH also took simple part-time work, even when he went back to school, to extend his unemployment grant.
I worked in a business library for several years. One reference source which is available freely on the web is the "Occupational Outlook Handbook." You can browse it to find information about different occupations, training, beginning salaries, and expected growth in various fields:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco1009.htm
One thought I had is that many people would love to hire someone to do 'honey-do' tasks -- those fix-it things that we're all too busy to do. You could take out a small ad in your local neighborhood newspaper. It might tide you over until you found something better.