I love making all that I can from scratch to avoid all the weird stuff in the store bought stuff these days. But sometimes I don’t have time to make it from scratch.
I used to beat myself up a lot because I worked really hard to make it all from scratch. I’d learn something new and I thought, “Now I never have to buy it again”.
But then life would get in the way. Between a full-time job, the drive time to and from work every day and just keeping house, doing laundry and cooking as many meals as I can, there just aren’t enough hours.
It would really bother me when I needed something and I had to buy it because there wasn’t time to make it.
Do you ever feel like that?
I had to work hard at letting that go.
I can’t imagine trying to do all the things I do now if I had kids at home. I’m so in awe of those mothers with one or more kids at home that work a job, take care of a house and still make anything from scratch.
Those moms (and probably some dads too) need some major kudos. If this is you, please share a few tips on how you keep your head above water. I’m sure someone else can use them too.
It took time to convince myself, it’s okay to not be able to do it all. Although it still frustrates me.
I didn’t want to work frantically to get it all done and then be frazzled from working so hard. What I really wanted, is to get a fair amount done and then sit outside and enjoy our farm.
I work in an office all day. At 8:30 am I get to work and I don’t leave the building until 5:30 pm. I truly have no desire to be inside any more than absolutely necessary when it’s decent outside. Living in Kansas, for the biggest part of the year you can be outside, even if you have to wear a coat.
I like sitting on our patio looking at my garden and the yard and enjoying the feeling that this is ours, watching the dogs run and play and just listening to the birds.
But the guilt I got from spending that time outside enjoying the place, kind of countered my enjoyment of it.
It took some time, but I finally got there.
I read story after story of other people who did homesteading. Constantly making their own stuff and cooking from scratch, growing a garden and tending to animals.
Not all, but a big portion of those people that I read about, were full-time homesteaders and didn’t work an off the farm job. They work, and they work hard, but for the most part they work on their farm.
The people who do have jobs, aren’t always able to do everything from scratch, just like me. But I didn’t seem to notice that so much.
I ‘d love to be one of those on the farm, full-time homesteaders one day. And that’s my goal …. some day.
But, until then, I’ll do what I can from scratch and when I don’t have the time or the gumption, I’ll just have to buy the best quality I can buy. I’ll enjoy my flowers, watch the dogs play and just enjoy being home.
I’m learning to live seasonally.
That’s not an easy thing to do. I was raised in a grocery store. Mom and dad had a garden and as much as dad didn’t like store bought, mom really didn’t mind it so much.
She cooked from scratch and grew the garden and we ate from the garden most of the time, but when mom wanted something out of season she had no problem going to the store to buy it. I don’t think dad even thought about that too much.
When you’re used to having anything you want and any time of the year you want it, you never actually think about if it’s in season or not.
As I decided I wanted to be more seasonal, working towards growing our own food and being more sustainable, I realized we didn’t eat that way at all. I also realized that took a lot more cooking. The kind of cooking I didn’t know much about.
So I continue to learn, I continue to do what I can and when I can’t get it all done, I get over it.
Some day I hope to be that full-time homesteader, that completely sustainable, able to enjoy the outside during the working hours homesteader, so I can get things done on my schedule.
But until then, I’ll do the best I can and relax and just enjoy the process.
Until later –
Health, Wealth & Blessing ~ Tracey
