Homesteading Where You Are: Make

Week 2 in the seven part series is today.
If you missed last week, check here for the introduction.

This week's prompt is "Make".  Oh, I love that word. "Make".  If you're a regular reader around these parts, you know "making" is what I do.  Food, lots of food.
 
Desserts, lots of desserts.  (AND lots more food stuff....I'll get into that next week!)
 
But also clothes
 
hats,
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8C-xGNGwbCw/T6X6lfrLA1I/AAAAAAAAE7g/1d12Jtp9764/s1600/hats.jpg
diapers,
 
outerwear,
 
toys,
 
stuffed animals,
 

games,
 
home furnishing , patterns (click here),

 quilts.
 
Goodness, that's just the start.  Look at the tabs above to see more of that which I have created.  Making is what I do.

Now, let me take this chance to knock out a couple misconceptions/questions I seem to get regularly.

1) "Wow, you're so talented." I am not.  I always fire back that I'm without doubt not more talented than others.   I have been at this creating gig for a number of years, I just keep learning and adding my knowledge.  Most of what I do is self taught and not hard.  Nothing I do is so challenging that you can't do it too.  I always say be brave enough to try and have the patience to complete. That's it. Totally do-able.

2) "Where do you find the time?"  I always find time for making things because that's what I enjoy.  Yes, life is busy with work, two littles and the critters to care for.  But, I don't watch TV.  Instead, I try to carve out a little chunk of time every week to create. Sometimes it's naptime. Sometimes it's evening. Sometimes it's in the passenger seat of the car as we go someplace.  Sometimes it's with my kids participating.  Sometimes it's 10 minutes. Sometimes an hour.  Rarely more than that at this point in my life.  Even just a few minutes here and there adds up and projects do eventually become completed.

3) "Are you making that for the blog?"  No.  I do not "make" anything for my blog.  I do take pictures of things I do for my blog, but I don't make anything specifically to post.  I live my life and create as I am inspired.  If it's something I want to remember or I think others might enjoy, I do post it.  But if I spent my time thinking of things for my blog, blogging wouldn't be fun any longer.

4) "Don't you get sick of making bread/making yogurt/sewing little quilt squares again and again, sanding, etc?"  Most of the time, I don't get sick of making things. Even if it's the same thing again and again.  To me, there's nothing like the excitement of an idea, the process of doing, the admiration of what was completed and the enjoyment of using/consuming that what was made.  It's exciting to learn something new and it's comforting and peaceful to work on something familiar. I like each part of the process of making most things, so I don't get tired of making.  If I did, I might take a break from doing it, but I'd soon return.

5) What are you working on next?  Oh goodness, I have a list. As always.  I have two more pieces of furniture I want to refinish in the near future, as well as others in the distant future. I want to repaint our guest room. I want to create something spectacular to spice up the look of our new and improved bedroom. I have a chair that needs to be reupholstered. I have a few more toy ideas for my kids.  He wants his own apron.  I want to make her more dresses.  If she ever gets hair, I want to make bows. I'm working on making our barn into a kid friendly play zone (slowly).  I want to make cold frames out of old windows.  I want to create something with my pictures to give the hallway a pop.  I want to make some more cinnamon raisin bread (hey, I never posted that, did I?!).  I want to get over the fear of dunking bagels in water before baking them (it gives me the heebie geebies!).  I want to make soap with the milking goat we hope to get. I want to make a programmed conveyor belt that delivers laundry to drawers so I don't have to lift a finger.  Hey, a girl can dream, right?  No shortage of making on my end.

Let me hear from you now, what are you making? And what are you hoping to give a whirl?

And my dad makes lots and lots of great stuff too.  I'll be posting more of his creations tomorrow.  Don't miss it! :)




And do check out these other fantastic Homesteaders.  They will surely have lots to tell you.

Daisy, at MapleHill101, currently homesteads with her family in the suburbs of Central Florida.  Her vision is to move to a more rural property in North Carolina later this year and continue fostering a self-sufficient lifestyle, which includes chickens, a large garden and a permanent clothesline. 

Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as much self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.



Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

Sue – at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.

6 comments:

  1. The photos are adorable. I never knew that dunking bagels gives you the heebies geebies. That's funny. I completely agree that most people can do a lot of the homemade things listed, but I still say you are talented. :) When you figure out that laundry conveyor thing, I hope you post the how-to so my handy man can build it! ha ha

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  2. You are funny and inspiring. I feel like sewing! :-) And yes, you ARE talented. Not everyone has the gift to see things to make quite like you do. Loved your photos especially the one of baby dumpling. Sooo sweet.

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  3. "Make" is the absolute perfect word for you! If I had to describe you to someone else I would say that you make all sorts of things, just like this post explained. It is so true about making time to do what you enjoy. People are busy, but if something is important to you, you will carve out time for it. I can't wait to see your future creations, especially that cinnamon raisin bread!

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  4. You are talented even if you say you're not. :)
    I can sew some but have yet to make a dress with sleeves. Maybe I'll try to conquer that this year. At this moment I am crocheting a scarf using a new zig zag pattern. I cloth diapered my daughter and I never even thought to make some myself and now the diapering days are over for me. I just love your blog.

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  5. Cute photos! Have you read the book Making Home by Sharon Astyk? Awesome book, with tons of great ideas. I took her online Food Preservation class a few years ago. She's a real wealth of information...

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  6. Such lovely things (and little people too). This year as my big project I have decided to make a quilt for our bed. I've been saving the pattern for quite a few years so it's about time to make a start. I look forward to reading more of the series and seeing more of the things you make. Thanks for sharing.

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