It has always been impressed upon my heart to host occasional gatherings or “workshops” where women could come together to learn and share skills in different areas of homemaking and home-building that inspire creativity and hone in on the innate, femininity that God has put in our being as women, mothers, and caretakers. (phew that was a mouthful)!
Women have an uncanny God-given knack for taking something plain and ordinary and with a little elbow grease and some creativity (and maybe some wallpaper, shiplap, and Benjamin Moore paint) can turn things into a beautiful oasis of comfort and care. A true feeling of “heaven on earth” right in our living spaces – a gift for others to enjoy. Ultimately, when we foster these things it blesses those around us….especially those who live in our homes – our family!
Over the years, a spark has been kindled within the hearts of women everywhere. A deep desire for a “slower” sense of living and a by-gone ara when things were less about outsourced, quick-paced consumerism, and more about creating with one’s own hands. The simple act of creating something from scratch – inspired by a roll of twine, some ribbon, items found in nature…(and maybe some help from Pinterest)! I’m talking about that sentimental, warm, cozy feeling of being cared for through the gift of a homemade jar of jam, a loaf of bread, a hand-knit scarf, or a handwritten note. Simple. Sweet. Sentimental. – you know the feeling! Nothing says I love you to the soul more.
As simple as the gift of a loaf of bread may seem…part of the obstacle many women face is getting back to the HOW. How does one make a jar of jam that can be consumable for others? Where does one begin to learn how to crochet or knit? Bake sourdough bread and keep a starter alive? The list goes on. Much of it is simple and rhythmic. But as a culture, we are so consumed with “busy” that our efforts feel futile. It just doesn’t seem like there is enough time in the day between caring for children, homes, husbands, and all the other things. Where on earth do we come up with the time to learn a new skill and then do it well?
Some of the best advice I once heard was that it is not about doing it all – but simply learning to do a few things well…deciding if it fits your rhythm… continuing the things that fit…and table the things that don’t! I know it sounds so simple…and it is! Add new skills as you desire or find interest and time. For example, I jumped on the sourdough bread-making train back in 2021 (as many of us did) I did so with deep focus and interest. I read all of the things, watched all of the YouTube videos, bought the starter kits – and kept alive a starter! I baked sourdough bread from scratch for a while. The skill is one I could still do fairly easily with a quick review of a recipe but in this season of life, I don’t often make your traditional bulk ferment sourdough nearly as much as I once did. I find I am out of the house a little more lately with kid activities and drop-offs vs when the kids were toddlers and babies and we had more structured nap times. Lately, I toss in some active bread yeast and use a bread maker! However, if I wanted to…I could revert back to the traditional method. The same goes for other skills you’d like to learn. They may be fun and exciting to learn at the time, and you may not use them rhythmically in your day-to-day…but once you have the tool you just store the skill in your toolbox for a later need! Being a lifelong learner and discoverer of our human abilities as homemakers is a gift! A gift that keeps giving. A gift we can pass down.
Below are photos from a recent women’s gathering I hosted – the topic was Canning 101! I had a couple lovely and very talented friends who do a lot of canning come and teach us all of the things. We learned and reviewed the basics. Watched a pressure canner be used in real-time – which helped with some of those “but what if I blow up my house” concerns that many of us are worried about when we hear the words “pressure canner”. We swapped recipes, shared ideas, and found inspiration! I am thinking the next blog post I share will be the steps I took to make this event happen – it was fairly simple with some helping hands from great friends! And I have a couple of resources I can share. So stay tuned!
Photo credit belongs to my super-talented photographer friend – Jami Groen Photography! Follow her on Instagram HERE 🙂
