Under Construction.
"Under Construction" - a title that fits well for both my blog and my life, no? Which should we talk about first?
How about life.
Yes life, as ever, is "under construction". In the depths of February, I always begin to contemplate life and what we're doing and if it's working. The cold of this month seems to bring about chapped, raw skin on both my hands and my heart. So I diligent balm them both.
For the home, that balm means my husband once-again has to assure me that what we're offering our children is enough. Enough friends? Enough social time? Enough education? Enough love? Our home is our school room and our lifestyle, in many ways, is our curriculum. Gardening lessons and classic literature take precedence over facts and worksheets. In my mind, I'm the Mom who drills her children into submission and knowledge where they succeed at spelling tests and math quizzes. In reality, I value growing food, being kind, adventuring in fairy tales, and learning to wash your armpits a bit more.
For my heart, that balm means I need to reassess once-again that I'm loving Stuart well. Am I tending to his needs? (He likes quiet time and freshly baked bread, fyi.). Am I honoring his desires and gifts? Am I forcing him to do one-too-many house projects? Is he secretly desiring a wife that won't constantly be pestering him to dream with her? (Answer: probably, but he vowed to stay with me, so joke's on him.).
As if the emotions weren't enough to bare (along with the weight of the snow stuck to my coveralls and boot), the house this time of years feels very "under construction" as well. Many projects are on 'the list' and yet very few make it to the point of execution. The hum of spring is close enough that it tickles it's way into our minds and budget, making it a bit harder to sink into any heavy indoor projects. So instead of funding a new living room floor, I've instead funded a hefty-delivery of perennials that won't arrive until late March. Despite the fireplace that needs to be resurfaced in stone, and the other that needs to be constructed from the ground-up in the kitchen, the living room floor that needs to be redone in wood, the closet that needs to be broken out, the laundry room that needs to be finished, and the beams that need to be hung, I sit instead of dream of spring and order tomato seeds. Ya can't do it all, folks.
And that's just life. What about the blog?
The blog is very much "under construction" as well, though this is far more literal. For the past few months, we've been pouring into an entirely new Elliott Homestead experience for you all - one that we pray will make it more fun to browse through recipes, learn about farm life, share in our thoughts and dreams, and find exactly what it is you're interested in. My goal for this next year is to pour more words through my fingertips and onto your screen to bring new life and knowledge into your own home. That will be coupled with our weekly episode on YouTube where you can come hang with the family in video-form.
Truth be told, I work best with constructive messes and deadlines and overly-sized goals on the horizon. Even though it's all "under construction", it's all very clear and beautiful in my mind's eye (at least... it will be). Don't worry - I promise reality will catch up with my imagination soon enough.