Simple Living

There is hardly a day go by that I don't find myself sitting down with a cup of tea, visiting my favourite blogs.  The writers are like old friends; kindred spirits.  They tell me about their days, their families, their meals.  They show me the progress on the left sleeve of the sweater they are knitting, or a new dishcloth pattern.  I see their Christmas trees being brought in and decorated, pumpkins carved, eggs painted, closets tidied and organized; simple details of  lives being lived.

I have heard people, who don't seem to understand, comment that no one cares about the minutia of other peoples lives, but I beg to differ, these are the most important things.  When I stand at the checkout counter I am bombarded with the stories about Miley and Britney and  Angelina and Brad all over the magazines. People-stories help us to create our own lives in the way that we want to live them. 

 I understand that blogs don't tell the whole story. Behind the scenes there might be squabbles with partners and children, there might be health issues, there might be fears about money and jobs, but those are the things that we don't need to know.  This is not the part of life we want or need to focus on.  We all have struggles, but it is in the snapshots of beauty and grace-filled bits and pieces that recognize abundant living is available to all.   

In this blog I want to emphasize the simple life.  Simple things should not be confused with the easiest things. Knitting a pair of socks, for instance,  is not easier than buying a pair... but they carry with them such a sense of accomplishment with each wearing.   When I say simple, I don't mean minimalist.  I live in a house with lots of stuff accumulated over a lifetime.  When I say simplify in this context, I mean to part with those things and activities  that do not make me happy and do not reflect the person I am or the family  want to create. When I say simplify, I mean that I create simple meals of simple ingredients, I work hard to support local businesses and farmers and artisans instead of  contributing to the consumer-driven economy. When I say simplify, I mean I am trying to use the simplest of ingredients to clean my house, to save me money and to lessen the impact of harsh environmental toxins in my home. When I say simplify, I mean I am trying to get away from as many disposable items and plastics that I can in an effort to save money and be environmentally sensitive.  In creating this blog, I should make it clear, that I do not consider myself an expert in anything,  I am just sharing bits and pieces of my life as I live it. 

I am excited to spend lots of time working on this blog, and my  hope that you come and visit me with a cup of tea in hand.  

Knitted Dishcloths

My grandfather taught me to knit with wooden sucker sticks.  I think I was about three.  Since that time I have always been a knitter, not a fancy knitter, but a knitter nonetheless.  I tend like little simple projects; hats, mittens, socks, shawls, and dishcloths. I think always want to move on to the next project so instant gratification of small projects is good.

Right now, I am knitting a stack of dishcloths.  They are the perfect project to take with me or pick up in the evening. I make all of my cloths in an off white cotton, and vary the patterns.  Sometimes I add a bit of colour as a border, but I find that the white is easily cleaned, and I like the look of the uniform cream where the coloured dishcloths tend to fade. 

Intentional Homemaking

I am amazed how content I am in my home and my life now. I remember just a few years ago, I always felt the need to escape, to find solace in a local coffee shop or bookstore and even at my workplace. My house felt congested and chaotic, it did not reflect the person I wanted to be. I was angry and frustrated, because things were in such a state of chaos. I wanted something different but most days the house was a mess; garbage cans overflowed and spilled onto the floor, dirty dishes littered the counter, bedrooms had heaps of clean and dirty clothes, my laundry/sewing room looked like a bomb had gone off. I would spend all day cleaning and organizing, and in my wake was just more chaos. This was not a reflection of who I was, and what I valued.

I realized that the thing that I value most is my home, not just the building that I and my girls reside in, but the environment that I create with my moods and my habits. I wanted to create memories of peace and beauty, of wholesome meals and simple pleasures. I wanted a house that reflects us, our interests and personalities.

One thing that singledom has done for me is demand that I be self-sufficient. Rather than this feeling overwhelming, it has been empowering. I no longer wait for someone else to do a job I know has to be done. There is no anger or blame, there is just planning and action. The buck ultimately stops here. I am the one responsible to pay the bills, mow the lawn, take out the garbage, do the laundry, cook the meals and look after the chickens. The girls are a tremendous help and I am so proud of all that they do to help create our house of dreams. We finally have streamlined most of our belongings and put routines in place that make our lives run more smoothly.

Houses do not become homes by merely living in them, it takes vision of what we ultimately want, planning and work to create sanctuary. There is no place in the world I would rather be than puttering in my kitchen, or cleaning out my chicken coop, or knitting by the fireplace. I think we all deserve this feeling whether we are living alone, or with others, in a one bedroom apartment or large home. The feeling we create by intentional homemaking are gifts to ourselves and those that we welcome into our private domains.