Wednesday, May 22, 2013

How We Homestead Series Week Two

The second week in our series on "How We Homestead" ponders
Living Simply

Hop over to these blogs to enjoy their take on it:
Amber@Making a Home
Meg@BitofLife 
Staci@LifeatCobbleHillFarm 
Tammy@Our Neck of the Woods 


To my way of thinking, 
people need to follow what matters to them, 
and the rest will fall into place.
We're all on our own journeys,
so we have to find our way with the sense that God gave us.
That doesn't mean that we have to go it alone.


 

Since embarking on this homesteading trek,
so many folks who are on a similar trail,
have aided me in learning simple, but valuable skills.
 These ideas aren't new, but innately feel right.
Breadbaking, learning to knit, 
or finding a new use for everyday items can be their own reward.
It can be something as simple as hanging clothes on a line,
instead of relying on electricity to do the drying,
and then paying attention to the way it makes you feel.





Part of embracing the homesteading lifestyle
is making do with what you have.
This is far from a sacrifice.
It's more of a challenge to our creativity.
We find ways to use things that others might find useless.





Learning to be more self-reliant
is one of the foundations of homesteading.
By simplifying our needs, we set ourselves up for success.
Instead of chasing a monetary goal or career position,
we have decided for ourselves that we would rather spend our time together experiencing a spectacular quality of life, 
doing things that matter to us.
We don't need to keep making more money,
we choose to enjoy doing things that don't require it.
But it's not just about saving money,
it's shifting the focus of your life.



Luxury is a state of mind.
A warm bath with essential oils and a favorite read
provides comfort and relaxation like nothing else.
Enjoying a homemade meal while listening to 
"A Prairie Home Companion" each Saturday night 
is a family ritual that nestles us in for the evening.
Being able to repair our own vehicles,
allows us to save money for splurges like vacations,
while fostering a self-sufficient mindset.
It all adds up.
It's just a matter of where you want to spend
your time, energy and resources.



By simplifying your life,
you learn to focus on what is meaningful.
Only you can determine where the priorities lie.


"Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple."
-C. W. Ceran







Blog party, Linky Party








Motivation Monday Linky Party Sunday 6:30 pm at www.alifeinbalance.net







20 comments:

  1. Beautifully written Daisy and so very true. I adamantly believe that we all have to decide for ourselves our own path and what we want our life to look like. Otherwise we will never be happy with it. :) I enjoyed reading this!!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad I got to be a part of this series!

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  2. Luxury *is* a state of mind! Amen! It's so true that you do not have to spend a lot of money to feel very luxurious, and being self reliant certainly makes me feel richer than any one thing ever could.

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  3. Yes, I agree! I love your lines - "By simplifying your life, you learn to focus on what is meaningful. Only you can determine where the priorities lie." Such a wonderful way to wrap up the post. After I got out of college I was in the mindset of making a lot of money and having a lot of things, but somewhere along the way I realized that wasn't happiness for me. I switched up my way of life and have never been happier!

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  4. "Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple." oh yes this quote says it all and you have certainly figured it out. Money does not and should not be the only thing in life that we can rely on, we have resources and skills that are better than money and it is nice to know how to use them and be happy. B

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  5. Thank you for this. So many people don't understand the desire to live this way and make the lifestyle change. I have decided to transition as best I can into living a homesteading lifestyle. With this often comes the feeling of going backwards in terms of the way society thinks we should live... to counteract those feelings however, is the joy that comes with being creative and doing it on your own. The sense of accomplishment that comes with making your own clothes or finding an alternative use for an item is exhilarating.

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    1. Perhaps they are not supposed to share the same journey...

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  6. I loved everything about this post, simply...making do with what we have.
    :)

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  7. You put it all so well, Daisy! I'm going to print this post up and keep it in my journal as a sort of reminder. Such wise words.

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  8. A very nice post. I love the idea that our simple living lifestyles share some common elements but all look so different.

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  9. This was a great post, Daisy. I really like your little jewelry frame you made. Very cute and functional!

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  10. Thanks, Amber. It's a recent project and I love using it.

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  11. Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing at the Backyard Farming Connection!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!