A few weeks ago our family took a hike together on a lovely Sunday afternoon. Garin slept peacefully in his fancy mei tai baby carrier, while the rest of the children ran up and down the trail searching for animal tracks and wild violets and unique rocks.
Along the path I began to notice wild onions. I told Ty about them and he bent over and pulled a bunch from the soft earth. He called the children over to take a look and smell the pungent odor and next thing I knew, we had a horde of children scavenging for these little yummy jewels!
It was at that moment I remembered.
I remembered who I used to be. I remembered a younger version of myself learning to live off the land, cook meals from scratch, search out the simple things in life.
And I smiled.
I smiled because that memory is precious to me. I smiled because I often long for those days once again.
Then I had moment of clarity.
Why must that life be a MEMORY? What happened to that young mother? Where did she lose her way and start making everything complicated and overwhelming.
I began to trace pieces of my former self along the chronology of my married life. My happiest years were spent living life simply. Every morning, I arose to sit on my front porch and read my Bible. I taught school to one child as I held his younger sister in my arms. I spent my afternoons and evenings among nature and friends. Sundays were truly a day of rest and the garden was full of yummy treats.
My pace was slower and my mind was less cluttered.
And I can tell you precisely where and when my world began to speed up and my steps began to falter, and I have made great strides toward regaining that former life (the jelly, the garden), but sometimes I lack the inspiration.
A while ago, I mentioned on my facebook page my new love of old homemaking books. Truth be told, this isn’t a NEW love at all, but an old one rekindled. Recently, I purchased The American Frugal Housewife and A Garden Supper Tonight at our local historical museum.
Talk about inspiration!
Sometimes as homemakers, we need inspiration to keep going forward…or to go back to our roots. For me, it started with wild onions picked by my family on a Sunday afternoon and served up on Monday for lunch (cut up as you would green onions and added into our ground beef). Ahhh! It’s good to be back!
What or who inspires you to keep going as a homemaker? How can you be an encouragement to others?
Annie @ Beauty In The Surrender says
I have a bunch of ramps, or wild onions, in my fridge right now as we speak! In fact, they grow all over the place in my yard!
As a homemaker, I want to give my family what I didn’t have growning up- a real nurturing family environment. I want my husband and children to be given a home where the meals simmer and cook all day, breakfast, lunch and dinner are eaten at the table together, the clothes sway in the breeze on the line and where mom always has the time to stop and show her this recipe or how that utensil works.
Amy says
Those are beautiful sentiments, Annie!
Jamerrill @ Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling says
There is so much about homemaking that I’m learning now as a wife and mother. This is where our homeschooling lifestyle is such a blessing. Our daughter can learn homemaking skills now – what a gift! In the past year I’ve taken several great leaps. I’ve started using cloth diapers, making my own laundry detergent, cleaning with vinegar and raising chickens {butchered roosters too, wink}. It really is freeing to live as simply as possible. Now, I have to remember to try the wild onions in our ground beef. Great idea!
Amy says
So rewarding, isn’t it? 🙂
Jamerrill @ Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling says
Yes – loving it! 🙂 Have you done any canning? I haven’t “earned that badge yet.” I do make homemade applesauce and apple butter. Thats as far as I’ve gotten 🙂
Amy says
Yes, I have been canning since about 2004. I do mostly salsa and jellies and pickles, but I guess that would earn me a “badge.” lol
Nikii says
I can honestly say that my inspiration as a homemaker comes from the Lord Himself. I am inspired to make my home a haven for my husband, whose job is very stressful, and for my son, because I want his memories of his childhood to be much better than mine. My son, who is just now 4 1/2, has loved to help me in the kitchen for as long as I can remember – seriously, from about the time he could sit up, he would try to “help” me cook and bake!!! Also, he loves to help me garden, so we plant flowers and an herb garden each year. I love the smell, taste, and texture of fresh herbs! We water our plants together and all of this has become part of our “science” in our homeschool. I love it! And, I feel so blessed by the Father to be able to do this with my child. We are definitely making great memories together, ones that I pray he will carry on with his family.
Thanks, Amy, for always being such an encouragement to those of us who are homeschooling and to all of us who are trying to honor the Lord in our roles as wife and mother. I love reading your blog!!!
Christy dR says
I”ve grown up a city girl, and I LOVE the city, but I also love the country STYLED living. It’s a weird twist, but I think it comes from the fact my mom started on a “health” kick somewhere in the middle of my growing up years. Started making bread and such. My dream home would be a big old house, with a big old yard, right smack dab in this neigborhood we live in. 🙂 Though my mom started doing the extra stuff later, she always cooked from scratch, so I’ve learned to do that. But I long to be good at other things.
Brittney - Our Greener Acres says
Thank you for that reminder! It is so easy to get caught up in everything that we forgot the simple things. I was raised where my mom had a huge garden, canned almost everything out of it, made all our clothes, etc. My inspiration to be a homemaker are my memories as a child. My parents made such a wonderful childhood for me that I want my kids to have the same memories. =)
Lauren says
The book Large Family Logistics has been so inspiring for me lately…giving direction and hope to this distracted and disorganized young mom. 🙂 Have you read it, Amy? A friend loaned me her copy, and I got half way through it and decided I needed to buy my own copy! Nathaniel is quite happy with it’s impact on me. 🙂
~Lauren
Amy says
Yes! Kim’s tips saved my homemaking years ago (back when she had a website and not a book!) I actually wrote about it here: https://raisingarrows.net/2010/10/you-have-to-buy-this-book.html So glad you found the book and Kim’s practical tips!
Andrea says
thank you…thank you… thank you… LOVE the reminders you give.I thank God for giving you wisdom to share
Lyndsay says
I have recently started trying to get back to the basics at my house too. This new baby threw me for a loop. I am finally feeling like a human again. I am so excited to get my garden in this year. It normally would already be in but we have had so much rain. I can’t wait to can, work in my flower garden, make strawberry jam and sip sweet iced tea while swinging on my front porch swing. Oh and read chapter books to my children. We are half way through Charlottes Web and we love to read outside!
You can read about our simply life if you would like at; homesteadmommy2009.blogspot.com. :o)
Dawn says
The vision my husband and I have for our family is what motivates me most as a homemaker. It’s easier to stay productive and creative when I know I’m not just trying to “survive the day”, but nurture a lifestyle for my family. I do my best to keep our lives simple and enjoyable, which seems like a breeze when you only have two kids. The fact that I stay at home and we homeschool actually does a lot to keep things simple, as odd as that may seem. Days can get hectic, but we’re still able to move at a much slower pace! Sally Clarkson’s, The Mission of Motherhood, is very inspiring and full of biblical wisdom for women devoted to motherhood.
Amy says
I agree, Dawn…homeschooling has slowed my life rather than sped it up. I feel as if I have more choice in what my family participates in as well, and often it’s all the extras that make life go too fast.
Debra Worth @ Happy To Be Home says
I have a similar feeling reading posts even from last summer. I read some of my blogposts and think “really? that was me.”
Sabrina says
I need/want to slow down, make more food from scratch (cooking more in general would help lol), make more of my kids clothes and toys at home, garden etc etc etc. I just haven’t figured out how to make it all happen and not be frazzled or hurried. We try to garden every year but because it gets so hot so fast we tend to loose things to the sun so have never had enough to can. We do have onions growing (we don’t have to even try they started growing when we tried to compost them lol). I just need to get back on track.
One way I’m going to start is by decluttering this summer. I am going to go through EVERYTHING and clean out and get rid of. I will be giving away, selling on ebay and craigslist and having a garage sale but its gonna GO!! Hopefully that helps.
With a very busy toddler I barely get homeschooling done let alone anything else (baking, gardening, crafts) I guess I just haven’t figured it out yet!! We have #3 (yes I only have two) arriving in October so I’m not sure what will happen but at least I can get my house cleaned out!
Amy says
I don’t have it figured out either, but I do know that it helps to plan a few things a day rather and a day full of things to do. I don’t have to homeschool every single day out of the year…that is freeing!
Mary Joy @Seeds of Encouragement Sewn with Grace says
My husband and I are working on simplifying our lives. We just started homeschooling ( 1 1/2 weeks ago!) and I just started as a skirts/dresses only modesty approach to my life as well. I enjoy cooking from scratch and we are working on starting a garden too…granted it has to be a container garden, but its a start right? 😀
We are enjoying the slower pace to our lives and my husband is preparing to lead family worship in the evenings beginning in May. My life has been touched by your writing over the last couple of months, Amy. Thank you so much for sharing how you get your inspiration to simplify life.
You have been such a blessing to me!
Building Home with HIm,
Mary Joy
Amy says
Mary Joy- What wonderful things God is doing in your life! I’m blessed that you are blessed by what I write here. 🙂
Becca says
So many blogs and friends talk about how rushed and crazy their life is. I don’t want rushed and crazy. I want to enjoy my life right now because kids grow up so fast. And our decision to homeschool 5 months ago has slowed our life more than I could have imagined. Yet I also have more time to bake and garden and read and hang with my girls. Slow is good and we’re working to cultivate/nurture as much slow as possible now.
Amy says
I wonder if people have just become accustomed to a fast paced life and don’t know HOW to get away from it and even know they CAN get away from it!
Jenny Brown says
Neat post. I just got the Frugal Housewife book on Kindle for FREE! Coolness!
Gayle @ TrainingOlives says
Oh, I LOVE Barbara Swell’s cookbooks! The one I have is so full of wonderful anecdotes and little quotes along with recipes that sometimes, I’ll just sit down with some tea and re-read it like a book (with the great side-effect of inspiration!).
Gayle @ TrainingOlives says
This is the one that I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Mamas-Kitchen-Wonderful-Cooking-1900-1950/dp/1883206391/ref=pd_sim_b_5
Amy says
I had no idea she had more! Thanks for sharing!