There are people who are living 'more simply' then me, who are deeper into their journey. I'm O.K. with that because for me, it is not a race. There are times where I have cooked/prepared pretty much everything we ate, cleaned with, preserved from scratch, and there are times where I have not. Even in the difficult times we kept in mind our values and took steps toward them when we could.
The thing with simple living is that it is not a competition. Its a gentle journey. Its OK to get sidetracked or stumble. That is quite simply the seasons of life and we all have them. (though peoples highlight reals on social media may make it look like they don't, but don't be fooled I promise!) Illness, new babies, job changes, family problems are some of the things that can waylay us in our goals and there are many, many others. The most important thing is that we get pack up and keep moving in the general direction when we can.
The period following our third baby has been like that. It was a difficult and tiring time, beautiful but that is a story for another day. The nice thing is we are now entering a period where we are venturing deeper again with our simple living lifestyle. We have a full time staff member starting this week which is AMAZING. Having Grant home more (he is doing roughly a normal working week now). means I can re-focus my energy on the household. We are working hard towards our dream of owning small acreage.
When we first bought the shop 4 years ago Grant was working 6am-7pm, coming home to see Will and put him to bed then going back out to work for a couple more hours, falling into bed exhausted and then doing it again, 7 days a week. I was working two or more days a week as a RN and it was a tough time for our then little family. Over the years his hard work has paid off. To where we are today employing one of our staff full time, I am at home full time with our boys and we are about to put the house on the market and getting ready to buy our small acreage. It feels good. We quite like hard work, Its rewarding. But we like to be working together. We are not a family that does well being apart and sometimes the business has felt like it goes against our simple living desires. But no one is going to give us a farm (small acerage is a stepping stone) so it means we are simply going to have to earn it and gosh when we get one (oneday!) I think I may just roll in its dirt like a happy pig in the mud! And then roll our sleeves up because the one thing I can guarantee with Grant is that it will be a "fixer-upper" and a "bargain". ;)
That ramble aside....Some days just need cake! I feel cake (particularly chocolate cake, and it HAS to have icing) often adds a touch of 'magic' to an otherwise normal old day! So Will and I baked a cake....
And here the boys are enjoying it for dessert. :)
Our cherry and roma tomatoes are beginning to ripen, they are not perfect as it has been a very strange season in SA. It is currently cool and raining with a lovely breeze and only a week ago it was 40degreesC. The poor old plants don't know whats happening!
We have just pottered about today, doing a few odd jobs. After the chaos of the weekend I now feel calm and collected. The boys are happier as they had a break from each other and we are back in beat with one another. I'm going to nip inside and do some sewing in a minute which I have been looking forward too all day.
This unseasonal rain we are having is just lovely for us though! The garden is getting a good, long deep drink and I am sitting outside while writing this enjoying the cool breeze. The birds are singing, the chimes are ringing....Bliss!
May there be some beauty in your day too.
Xx
