journeying

I feel like we've been on this more natural, more organic journey for a while. 6 years ago, I bought everything, I hardly cooked from scratch. Biscuits in a tube? sure, why not! :) Don't get me wrong, I knew how to do it, but it just seemed easier to not, and that was pre-kid. (ha!)

Slowly but surely, we began changing things. Partly, that came by happenstance the first year we had a garden. We found we really enjoyed it, and wished we had planted more, so the next summer.. we planted more. (and heaven only knows, we plant so much it's ridiculous now) I began cooking more, looking at recipes more, and hey, making biscuits from scratch? it's not so bad... pancakes, sure, why not? my own white sauce? sure... It eventually transitioned to breads... I can make bread for my family, and I know what's in it..

Then we switched to raw milk. you can gasp and think we're crazy, but we love it, and if we ever move away and aren't able to find a raw milk source, i'll be so sad.. why? Because I can make yogurt, and cheese, and butter, for pennies.. and I KNOW what's in it.

And cleaning supplies. I now clean mostly with vinegar\dawn. I recently started making my own disenfectant wipes, and I"ve been making our own laundry detergent for 1 1\2 years now.

I guess that's been the next transition. what is IN the food we eat, and to be honest? Sometimes, I don't want to know, because if I know, then I may just feel compelled to change it, and well.. that's not always easy, or cheap.

I feel like we're at that crux again. I'm looking more at food labels. Recently, I was beyond disappointed to realize that my trusty canned tomato soup has high fructrose corn syrup in it... really? is that REALLY necessary? so.. now I'm making homemade tomato soup.

I've been feeling challenged to try to reduce the amount of $$ we spend on groceries, and what's more challenging: how to reduce it, yet still eat healthy, and continue on this journey of less processed foods. I'm working to coupon more, and save money where I can, so I can reallocate monies to different parts of the food budget.

I'm thankful for friends I've met along this path, friends that inspire and encourage me to keep working at it, to keep learning. I'm thankful for how far we've come in 6 years. If you would have told me what I'm doing now, 6 years ago, I would have laughed at you. I don't say all this to toot my own horn, but more to record the journey we are on, and to realize it's not an overnight change.. it's been small incremental changes over the past 6 years that have brought us this far.

I don't offer up much information to most people about the stuff we choose to do, because I realize it's not for everyone, and I"m not going to say our way is the right way, it's just the way we've chosen to go, and that's okay. It's not often easy though, and often it feels very lonely. Most of the time, I get "you're crazy" looks when I tell people I make our own yogurt, (or whatever) but I've learned to let it be.

I'm thankful to be challenged, to be growing, to be working at being a good steward of what the Lord has given us, and learning how I can take the things I've learned, the talents I have, and give back to those who need it.