What is Living From Scratch?

You're probably wondering what I mean by "living from scratch". Well, it's going to be different for everyone. I've heard it referred to as "simple living", "living deliberately" and "being aware". To me, it's a little bit simplicity, a little bit tradition and a whole bunch of "being present". I want to connect in a more significant way to my family, my friends, my community and my environment. I hope to accomplish this by learning skills that, while new to me, have been serving humans well for centuries.

I know that this explanation is still pretty vague. Sorry about that. I'll try to clarify with examples. Everyone loves examples. I love to cook, so I plan to do it even more than I do already. Long before huge grocery stores, people ate fresh-baked bread,so, I plan to provide my family with yummy, fresh-baked bread from my oven on a fairly regular basis. I want to learn canning and other methods to preserve food. I'm going to start gardening (and anyone that has seen what I do to houseplants knows what an adventure that's going to be!).  There are lots of plans rattling around my head. Some of them will work amazingly well. Others will be amazing failures, I'm sure. I hope you stick around to experience all of them with me. If nothing else, I'm sure you'll get a few laughs!

The next few posts are going to be about some guidelines I'm setting for myself. Now, these are not "rules" and they are completely flexible. This exercise is about changing the lifestyle of myself and my husband and raising our two boys in an environment of love, trust and self-reliance. Living from scratch, living deeply and intentionally, is not about seclusion or going without. It's about paying attention, finding the beauty in every day living and experiencing life with all five senses.

This blog is not intended to convert anyone to a different lifestyle. Everyone does what is best for them and their family. No two families are alike and no lifestyle will work for everyone. I simply would like to share my families adventures. Maybe you'll try some of things I try. Maybe you'll shake your head and think I'm crazy. I just hope you get a few minutes of enjoyment out of reading my ramblings every morning.