Monday, July 22, 2013

Alternative Lifestyle

That term can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To us, it's about getting to a slower pace and a simpler life. It's amazing how difficult that can actually be. Early returns show that it is well worth the investment of time and energy so far. We have learned so much already.

#1 It is amazing how much better meals taste when you do homemade instead of ready made from the store. Yes, it does take a little bit more time....not much is faster to make than frozen pizza. However, the end result is something worth sitting down at the dining room table to eat instead of stuffing it in our faces in front of the TV. It's way better than just about anything in a restaurant too, and for a fraction of the cost.

#2 Making your own jams and jellies is a whole lot less difficult than you probably think, and, again, the taste is amazing. The hardest part of it is telling yourself that you're going to spend some time in a kitchen that it totally filled with steam. Plus, if you happen to have fruit growing in your yard, you get both fresher than you could ever dream of finding in the store and free! (Free has always been my favorite price.)

#3 Gardening done well is a constant science experiment (and it has more useful results than the experiments that happen on accident at the back of the fridge). Some of our stuff this year grew pretty well. Other things we will need to do differently next year to try to get better results. Constant learning is a really good thing, and having practical applications for it makes it even more exciting.

#4 There are few things in this world that can improve your mood like walking into a house that smells like fresh baked goods. Breads, muffins, brownies, cookies, pies - it doesn't matter which one you bake. When you come back from running to the store because you ran out of ingredients (again), you can't help but inhale deeply and just enjoy the aroma.

#5 If you tell people that you make your own meals from scratch, can things, have a garden, or bake, they will often tell you that you're crazy. Most will tell you that they "don't have enough time to do any of that stuff." Very few will be able to relate anything that you have said to anything that they do in their own lives. It really is an alternative kind of life, but one that we have been enjoying as we have started to experience it.

God Bless!