Back to basics.

Welcome to a brand new year!   

In the last few months I really noticed how much frustration,  confusion and anger there is everywhere.   Much of it for good reason.   We can easily be worn out,  worn down,  wrung out of energy and enthusiasm.    But this is no good!  We have a new year and a new start.    To forge through and make a clear path we need to know our mission.   We need to know the truth.   We can be spread too thin.  Everything about our day, week, month and year is finite.  We only have so many hours in a day and dollars in our budget.  It is what we do with them that counts.   With so much information and so many agendas pushed at us, so many distractions and choices we can get distracted and way off course.  If can identify a simple mission and if we plant our feet firmly on the rock of truth then life is just much simpler.   In the last few years we have endured so much baloney it is mind boggling.   We need to get back to basics! 

The Bible tells us that in end times good will be declared evil and evil will be declared good.  Well that ship sailed some time ago.  We have been gaslit into a meek state as if we speak up we will be called names.  People are proud of things that should be ashamed of and ashamed of things they should be proud of.   This is why, quite often,  homemaking and child rearing is ridiculed and seen as "not a proper or worthy job."  Things are entirely backwards.  I have realised that it takes a lot to be brave, truthful and unmoved and that the truth holds up for all time.   For this reason I am going to make sure I read my Bible every single day.  I buy every old Bible I can find because it not longer suits many of the "churches" who feel to eliminate it or change the words!  So gather them while you still can.

I have observed that a lot of basics are no longer basic at all.   People have lost their minds!  Throughout December I really noticed so many situations where I was just shocked how all commonsense seemed to have evaporated.  People who don't pack lunch for their child to take to school but they can buy cartons of beer.  Families with food insecurity putting a cruise on the credit card.  People have a TV bigger than a car but don't own a first aid kit.   The children have two minute noodles every night for dinner and the parents don't know how to cook and have no interest in learning.   There is no use helping them start a garden as they would never ever eat a vegetable.  There is no use giving them a food hamper as they don't know what to do with flour, rice, oats ...    In our local community the churches put on a breakfast at the school so kids that come along,  haven eaten nothing,  have something to start their day.  

There is so much beauty in the simplicity of such things as a morning routine,  a day that is planned, dinner is started,  kids are bathed and tucked up in bed at BEDTIME... did you know many kids have no bedtime?  They just sleep where they fall and when they fall.  Teachers say so many children cannot learn because they have not eaten and they are so tired as they were up late... night after night.   Yes, we have lost our minds. 

Remember Pa in Laura  Ingalls "The Long Winter"?  His clothes were falling off him by the end as we all know what he was doing in order for Ma and the children to be fed.  Now we have hungry kids because Pa wants his drinks and smokes!  What happened?!    I know this is not everyone.  I just have come across this one too many times lately.   And all I can think is we need to get back to basics....  

I am sure my regular Bluebirds are not like this.  But you know people who are.  However we are all learning and times have changed.   Things that worked for us a couple of years ago might not be working so well now.    There are housing shortages and a rental crisis.  I see people post photos asking advice on how to decorate their new rental and seriously many of these places are not fit for habitation.  This is very grim and very sad.   With this I do see many asking for help to budget, help to learn to cook and learn other homemaking skills.   I love to see this!  I try to jump in and offer something.   This is the thing... someone who wants to learn can learn anything because we have books, teachers, you tube....  endless ways to learn!   But people who do not want to learn... no amount of teaching will work... it is like water off a ducks back.   It is a great attribute to have a teachable heart.  We must make sure we have our hearts set on keen to learn,  keen to gain wisdom.  Every day we must ask what is the wise thing to do?  What is prudent in this situation? 

I now fall firmly in the category of "older woman" and we have a responsibility to be good examples,  to encourage and be willing to teach younger women.   So maybe we have failed to teach and help younger people when we could have.   I have been very blessed to have Nanas and my Mum to teach me.   I was also blessed to have older women teachers.   When I had Chloe there was a lady who lived over the road.  I guess she was in her fifties.   She was very friendly and kind.  Her own daughter also had little girls,  they were twins.   Dorrie was so practical... whatever I needed to know I ran cross the street and asked her.   With the patience of a saint she guided me.  She may have been an angel for all the help she gave me.   She was always sewing or cooking.   She got me started and taught me stretch sewing.   I might get up to putting a wrist band on or a neckline and over the street I would go to be shown the how to do the next bit! 

Each stage of life I had a teacher.  What a blessing.   So I know we have to be willing teachers,  to be ready to come alongside someone who needs help...  to step up,  to be a better member of the community...  to be the helpful one on the street.   But first to be the helpful one to our own family and their children.

Last year (and previous years....) I wrote about Nana's ways and as you all know I have endlessly encouraged home and pantry building!  Yep,  I have come at that from every angle!  Now I have realised I came from a place where I've had someone teach me or I have tried and failed until I got better at something.   But it is all very well to tell someone they could get more meals for their money by making soup when they don't even know the names of many veggies let alone how to prepare them.   Or to say get ahead with freezer meals for those busy days...  but they have no idea where to even start.   

So getting back to basics....  I hope to really break down as many things as I can into steps.   I am going to ask you for help!  We need to be able to be flexible... use what we have,  if we don't have something we need to know it's ok to substitute something or do it another way.   If a recipe calls for a certain size cake tin that alone can derail someone...  we need to make things very flexible.  We need to be encouraging and say no one does anything perfectly the first time!  If you fed the family and everyone is in bed warm and cozy then good job!  Basics are beautiful.  Things do not have to be fancy to be good,  to be delicious,  warm, nurturing...    

Now lets get busy learning,  stocking our pantry,  helping others along because the watchful know the need is real.  

I also invite you to The Tuesday Afternoon Club where we are starting some challenges to produce things for our homes and gifts for the present cupboard and work towards next Christmas!    Starting in January is the way to go!   It is amazing how a little each week adds up to so much!  I am so excited to work along side you this year.   If you are not a member and would like to join here.

To start this year off well I will post my first basics post tomorrow.   It will cover three things... how to make an easy Lasagne, with variations,  and how to freeze individual portions for emergency meals.  This also covers the basics of batch cooking...  ie while you are making your Lasagne you might as well make another!    Even if limited with meat we can do that with other add ins to get more meals than you imagined!  As there are many options and tips I will ask for your help in adding your own variations.   

Let's be good learners with teachable hearts and be willing to help and teach as well.  Also let's take every opportunity to teach skills and common sense. 

It is a fact that we are more likely to be successful with goals if we have company,  someone to encourage us.   Here I am,  I am overjoyed it I can partner with you and cheer you on as you work through your own goals and learning.   You all consistently do that for me.   💗

Happy New Year!   What do you want to learn?  Do you have goals for building up your home,  pantry or garden?  The wise woman builds her home!  Build, build and build some more!  xxx