I stayed with my best friend Becca in Kansas this past weekend, and she inspired me in so many different ways. It was the first time I saw her new house in its mostly-finished state. The last time I was there, last year, they hadn’t moved in yet and it was kind of a wreck. They did all the work on it themselves and now it’s adorable. Talking to her about it really inspired me to get working on my own house again, which I haven’t done a thing for in months.
Some ideas I have for the house:
- Some open shelving in the kitchen, filled with dishes, cute baskets of produce, and spices in mismatched glass jars
- Plants all over the place
- Tear down the outdated vanity in the half bathroom and put in a pedestal sink
- Replace the linoleum with tile throughout, and do it ourselves
- Make my own Roman shades
The inspiration isn’t just limited to home decor. For an anniversary gift, Becca gave me the cookbook More-with-Less: Suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world’s limited food resources. She explained to me that all the recipes use mostly basic ingredients that are healthy and can be bought in bulk. It stresses unprocessed foods and teaches you how to make some things yourself that you might be used to buying pre-packaged. While we were there Becca made some of the dishes and I was impressed with how good they were. So now I really want to get back on my cooking kick, and in a healthy, world-conscious way.
Finally, I noticed that Becca uses a lot of organic, fair-trade, local products, which is something I have wanted to transition into doing for awhile now. I have noticed that the older I get, the more hippie I become, except without the drugs or political activism. :) I’m not sure how my conservative husband feels about that, but I think he’ll be happy when he sees how I can save us money without compromising on quality and do good to ourselves and the environment at the same time!
Basically I want to be a perfect little homemaker, but unfortunately that’s a hard goal to reach having a demanding full-time job. It’s an ongoing battle to balance the two, but at least now I have some inspiration to keep me going!
From Amy --- Just A Titch:
I feel the same about wanting to be a perfect homemaker—it’s so difficult to balance the two with work! But I love the house ideas you posted and that book sounds awesome. I’m glad you have friends who inspire you!
From Scott:
Are there any farmer’s markets out in Katy? I’ve never looked into it, but it’s something Vanessa and I have discussed, especially with preparing food for L.
From kapachino:
I’ve heard that there’s one that meets at La Centerra on Saturdays. I’ve never been, but it’s one of my goals to go!
From Girl w/the Red Hair:
I try really hard to buy local food AS MUCH as possible!! It definitely makes me feel better about what I am eating!
From Tabaitha:
I’ve actually heard about that book. I love fresh produce from the Farmer’s Market.
From Ashley:
I don’t have the homemaker urge, but eating more organically and locally are two big ambitions of mine. It’s cool when the ethical thing lines up with the healthy thing. Good luck!
From Rae:
My mom used _More with Less_ when I was a child! It is amazing now to think of how a group that we think of as “conservative” was so ahead of the time in terms of consuming less. I guess it shows where I got my inclination from.
I really like your ideas for the house, but making Roman shades sounds so hard/impressive!
From Erica:
Sad that I missed you, but glad that you had a great trip. Once you’ve read through that book, please invest in the others. You also need to purchase the “simply in season” books. I would also recommend reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Kingsolver. Even if you aren’t planning on being a hippy, it’s an inspiring book. Love you!
From Marlena:
I LOVE farmer’s markets. I grew up in Tennessee on the Kentucky border and we’d always always go into Kentucky [which was seriously down the road] to buy produce, cheeses and DELICIOUS pies [my fave = chess pie…..never had another make it as good as the amish]. They had their own little stores with their homegrown / homemade goodies and I’ll never forget it. I’d kill for some delicious Chess Pie too. I’ve been known to eat the entire thing and then scrape my fork along the empty pie pan on stressful days. :-)
Moral to my rambling: I’m going to check out that book! AND it’s inspired me to try perfecting a chess pie. I’m too far from the amish now – I should not deprive myself of such simple
fattygoodness.