Sometimes I find it very difficult to take the time to write this blog. I get so busy and thanks to internet and WordPress app, it can take over an hour to write and publish each post. So here I am at 2:35 in the morning starting a fire to knock out the chill and trying to type up the post. Honestly ever since going to the hubby's mom's house I have been rather discouraged and have found what I want to say difficult to put into words. The stepdad greatly insulted our lifestyle and choices while we were there making it plain we were not welcome back due to the way we have chosen to live. The things he said were hurtful and have taken time to process. What was even more hurtful was that the hubby's mom did not defend us or disagree with her husband. Needless to say, it was a very long and uncomfortable weekend that made us feel out of place and uncomfortable. We returned home questioning whether we were doing the right thing but we know we are. This is what we have been called to do-- we don't always understand it and we don't understand why there are people out there who judge us so harshly especially family (people who should love us no matter what)-- but we press on knowing in our hearts we have made the right decision for our family. God has a wonderful plan for us and oh my the blessings He bestows on us daily is just overwhelming!
Our life is simple and plain and we work hard but we enjoy it. We thrive in the silence the woods offer, the simple joys of just being away from all the beeping technology that fills the Nana's house. We always feel peace in being home.
We have marked out the spot for the cabin and the hubby and children have begun clearing it but we continue to go back and forth on what we need. We considered a larger cabin like a 20x24-- but then there is the logistics of a bigger foundation. We consider a smaller cabin like a 10x12 with two small add on bed chambers. Each area would have its own foundation. We consider the different methods such as traditional notch style cabin, butt and pass method or the one we lean toward the most-- vertical or blockade style. We have at maximum 8 inch trees. The vertical style is more suited to smaller trees than a traditional style cabin. We keep going back to the foundation -- the easiest thing would be to pour concrete piers or even a small footer but we really want to do this the pioneer way and use rock for the foundation. So many choices and we have to get it right. We can't just redo this. Once the trees are cut and the cabin started we can't just change our minds.
We long for a cabin with real walls and some type of insulation to keep the heat in better than our tent does. But we want to make the right choices as well and not just build something we are dissatisfied with. We plan and draw and go back and forth on all the things we can do.
With the warmer days we have had we have cooked and washed outside. The hubby and oldest daughter continue to work on wood. It is a never ending job but they are becoming quiet proficient in it.
As prices of things continue to go up, I am trying to apply more and more old ideas to the present situation. We have been using brown rice instead of potatoes in our meals due to the price of potatoes. The other night we made sausage fritters which is just a jar of sausage I had canned mixed with flour and eggs and milk powder plus seasonings. I make these into a thick paste and make patties and fry them up. On the side we had white gravy and leftover sourdough biscuits with brown rice. It was very good, simple, and filling. Yesterday morning I noticed we had quite a few biscuits and sourdough rolls getting old so I broke these up and soaked them in a bit of milk while made a syrup of butter, sugar , and milk on the stove. After the syrup cooked awhile I added nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. I mixed this into the bread chunks and baked it. I think the syrup would have softened the bread sufficiently without having had to presoak in the milk water. It was actually delicious with our morning oatmeal and used up the leftovers we had.
I have also been sewing quite a bit. The hubby likes the new Amish style shirt I make him but he says he prefers the arm range movement of the frontier style shirt. So I made a practice shirt with all the Amish pattern except for adding the sleeve gussets of the frontier shirt. He greatly likes this style and it was not a difficult change to make. I have been knitting socks for all of us to continue to replace the store bought socks which wear out so quickly. I have also been sewing myself a wool petticoat in the evening. And so that is how life goes around here-- we work hard everyday but we enjoy each moment.
I do hope everyone has a blessed week. Thank you for not giving up on me as I have struggled to put out a new post.
No comments:
Post a Comment