{"id":107,"date":"2012-03-21T18:36:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T17:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/if-only-i-had-known-i-would-have-learned-home-economics\/"},"modified":"2012-03-21T18:36:00","modified_gmt":"2012-03-21T17:36:00","slug":"if-only-i-had-known-i-would-have-learned-home-economics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/if-only-i-had-known-i-would-have-learned-home-economics\/","title":{"rendered":"If Only I had Known…I would have learned Home Economics!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

My first EVER Boston Cream Pie!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

My first African Style Cooking Lesson<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

My first “overseas” Banana Bread!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wednesday, March 21, 2012<\/p>\n

In previous blog posts, I have spent time writing about my identity crisis, going from a full time job to more of a support\/housewife role.\u00a0 <\/span>(If you haven’t read it and want to click here<\/a>.)\u00a0 <\/span>It took me almost my full 2 years in Africa to really reflect on that transitional time for me.\u00a0 <\/span>As our first 2 years was coming to a close, and Blake and I were really praying about how we move forward, one conversation that entered, was different what if scenarios.\u00a0 <\/span>Blake said; what if there isn’t funding for us to return, or what if there isn’t a job for us, what would you do back in the states?\u00a0 <\/span>Do you think you would feel like you have to return to “work”?\u00a0 <\/span>I told Blake with a COMPLETELY honest heart, I LOVE my role now.\u00a0 <\/span>I get to support you in ways many wife’s don’t, and when the time comes, I get to stay home with our children, while many mothers don’t have that privilege.\u00a0 <\/span>It took me two international moves, a time of reflection, and an identity crisis to be able to say that, but what a great place to be.<\/p>\n

Now, having been back in the states for a couple of months, I reflect over the last 10-15 years, and I think of all the opportunities I had and I find myself saying, “if only I had known”.\u00a0 <\/span>If only I had known where the Lord would be leading me, I would have spent more time with Grandma Daniel before she passed away learning the role of “housewife”.\u00a0 <\/span>I would say more than a housewife, an “I can do anything and everything role”.\u00a0 <\/span>She was a painter, a baker, a green ware maker, doll maker, a sewer, a canner and everything else crafty maker (including cake decorating).\u00a0 <\/span>As far as I can tell she knew how to do everything!<\/p>\n

I decided, if I get to stay at home with my family, why not learn some of the things Grandma knew how to do, so the other day, I went to Joann Fabrics and bought myself fabric, a sewing kit and a pattern for a skirt that I found online and LOVE!\u00a0 <\/span>I was so excited that I was going to make this skirt, but once I got home I totally freaked out, because I don’t even know how to sew, how will I ever make this skirt?\u00a0 <\/span>Besides 7th<\/sup> grade home economics where you make yourself a pillow and stuffed animal, I don’t think I have EVER used a sewing machine!\u00a0 <\/span>Ok confession time\u2026does that make me a total dweeb?\u00a0 <\/span>Seriously, I am soon to be 29 and soon to be married 5 years, and I don’t even know how to thread a sewing machine, let alone make myself this skirt!\u00a0 <\/span>So now I have this awesome fabric that is just sitting in my house saying make me, make me, but it just sits and waits!<\/p>\n

I have learned to really cook over the last 2 years, but I am not very advanced or creative (so poor Blake gets the same 20 things year round).\u00a0 <\/span>I enjoy baking (and if it wasn’t for Sharon H.), I would have NEVER learned to make pies.\u00a0 <\/span>Things like this have totally freaked me out in the past, but guess what\u2026now I WANT to know how to do all these things, and learn how to do everything!\u00a0 <\/span>I want to learn to can Grandmas famous pickles, and make my own jam, I want to learn to sew and cook and bake and quilt and\u2026the list goes on!\u00a0 <\/span>Thank goodness for libraries, books and people that know these things.\u00a0 <\/span>I am trying to take advantage of our time at home, before returning to Africa.\u00a0 <\/span>But it really is a slow process, trying to learn everything at one time.\u00a0 <\/span>Oh boy, if only I had known\u2026I would have slowly taken lessons from Grandma and been this super star by now!\u00a0 <\/span>But I didn’t and I’m not, but I am excited to learn\u00a0<\/p>\n

I GET to be a housewife and a stay at home mom, I GET to be one of those “crafty” people, how could I not love the role that I have now.\u00a0 <\/span>In the meantime, if any of you have a “specialty” and want to teach a willing 29-year-old gal, please let me know!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My first EVER Boston Cream Pie! My first African Style Cooking Lesson My first “overseas” Banana Bread! Wednesday, March 21, 2012 In previous blog posts, I have spent time writing about my identity crisis, going from a full time job to more of a support\/housewife role.\u00a0 (If you haven’t read it and want to click here.)\u00a0 It took me almost…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.berry1.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}