You may have noticed the new title of my blog. After reading many of my friends' and my friends' friends' blogs, I have come to the conclusion that mine is a "mommy blog." Kind of undeniable when all I ever write about is being a mom, my kids, and domestic stuff. I wish that I were more intellectual or had other interests that people would enjoy reading about it, but let's face it--my life is consumed by my kids and my family right now. That's what you get when you have a 3-year-old and a 2-year old. Well, I LOVE being a mom, so I'm going to embrace it.
At some point in my early 20's, I realized what an awesome woman my mom is. We grew up on homemade bread. My mom made 6 loaves at a time, and I'm sure she had to do that more than once a week. She can cook anything in the world. She sewed almost all of our clothes until we rudely rejected her efforts. She took up woodworking so that she could make things to decorate our house in her country style. She has more tools than a lot of men. She is an awesome teacher. She even home-schooled my younger sisters for a few semesters in high school. My parents' food storage is a wonder to behold, and it's filled with canned fruits and vegetables from her garden. I have to add that her yard is extraordinary, filled with beautiful flowers and a huge vegetable garden. What a great example for me!
Now that I'm a mom, I have this inner drive to start doing all of these domestic things. My mom taught me to sew when I was in junior high, and I made a couple of things then, but it never took. Until 2 years ago, when I suddenly wanted to sew. My mom got me a sewing machine, and I use it all the time now! I'm not a pro, in fact I've got a lot to learn, but I've made skirts for myself, clothes for Katelyn, and more blankets than you can shake a stick at. (What does that mean?) I'm even taking a quilt block-of-the-month class with my sisters.
As for cooking, I take pride in being able to make anything I have a recipe for, and I like to get creative and add my own touches to recipes. I took a year off from cooking while we were in Spokane, thanks to Le Cafe (the Sacred Heart cafeteria), but I baked several times a week. (Baking is my passion when I'm in the kitchen!) Back in Salt Lake, I'm cooking dinner every night and trying to remind myself how much I love it.
Next year we're going to start gardening. John is already getting my giant garden plot ready, and we have plans to plant almost any veggie you can think of. I can't wait! Luckily, I have my mom and my sister Stephanie, who has a horticulture degree, to lean on for guidance.
So now I'm learning to can. I never thought I would have the tiniest interest in canning, but when my sister Julie offered me a ton of pears and my mom gave me all of the jars and lids and the equipment necessary to can, I thought, "That sounds like fun--let's give it a try." I have everything sitting on my counter ready to go. I guess I should get off of the computer and get to work. I just realized how nerdy I'm becoming and thought I should share my nerdiness with my friends. Just remember the "in training" part of my blog title. I'm not saying that I really think I'm awesome at this stuff. I have a ton to learn! Here goes....
(Now I just need Jamie, Elise, and Alisa to teach me how to knit. I'm going to learn, girls!)
Book Review: Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth
9 months ago
4 comments:
Yay, I'm so glad you're feeling better and ready to tackle the domestic world! Except now I feel really bad--I don't sew, knit, can, garden or bake bread!! ;)
Mel, I love reading your blog because I feel like I relate to you so much! It seems like all of my hobbies and interests now are things that mom did (or still does) that I used to totally reject or hate to do! Isn't it funny how the tables turn?! But, if we're going to be full-time mommies and homemakers, it's so fun to learn new skills and try and create beauty around us. Anyhow, I hope your pears turned out better than mine! :-)
How lucky to have such a great mom! The good thing is that EVERY mom brings something great to the table, so my kids may be ok afterall! Knitting is a GREAT past time. Honestly, haven't done too much of it lately, but I've got 5 LONG months of winter to catch up. I think J's advise would be to look for a great knitting store first... I'm sure they are ALL around the UT : ) Talk to you soon!!!
E
I love this post. I actually read it on Friday and have thought about it several times. There is something very admirable about growing where you are planted. I love that you are a full-time mom and homemaker and that is what you get the most joy and self-worth from. What a great example. I could definitely use a booster shot when it comes to canning/food storage/gardening/etc. but I too have come to recognize the art in domestic skills as I've gotten older. Thanks for sharing your beautiful perspective!
P.S. As one of the recipients of your gorgeous blankets, I highly support you making more to share with the world!
P.P.S I CANNOT believe you included me as one of your knitting friends. I'm still a "washcloth only" girl!
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