Growing Home
May 2026 - Issue 001
THIS MONTH ON THE HOME FRONT
When I was about four years old we lived in an old farmhouse in central Illinois. My Mom decided to plant an herb guild garden and she heard that it was a good idea to use a garden hose to help you layout the space you wanted to plant in. She overestimated and used the entire length of our hose to do so, then proceeded to hand-dig all the sod out of the enormous circle. Turned out to be a happy mistake though. I can still remember how it felt to be in that garden when it was finished. We rarely had vegetable gardens when I was growing up but I am certain we always had herbs. To this day, as a grown woman with five children, I still equate chives to a sense of home.
It was 2024 when I planted my first garden. We moved into a rental home that sat on a double lot which had been neglected. I asked if we could garden on it and the property manager said yes. I knew we likely wouldn’t be there long-term and I wanted to design a garden that would bless the next renters. We found old edging stones buried around the yard, dug them out and placed them precisely to establish beds with four-foot paths. I broke down all our moving boxes and used those to suppress the weeds and grass in newly established beds. After purchasing a few bags of mulch and realizing how expensive it would be to fill all my new beds adequately, I spotted an arborist on our street and flagged them down to ask for a truck load of wood chips. They took my address down and one day, months later, they showed up with a full load for us. We hauled that mountain of wood chips to the backyard every spare minute for a week using 5-gal buckets and a friend’s wheelbarrow. Little by little over the next year I went deal-hunting for perennial plants. I got them from the local greenhouses at the end of a season and the grocery stores before bad weather. I bought bare root plants and dormant bulbs from big box stores. I attended plant swaps where I could bring some seeds I hadn’t used and leave with cuttings or seedlings other folks had brought to trade with. I put the finishing touches on a garden I could envision but would never get to see the month before we moved away. A majority of the plants were in their second year and were coming awake as we left. I potted up one tiny chive plant and a successfully propagated white geranium to bring with us.
Our new home doesn’t have a yard but I’ve learned to make do with whatever little we have. Every spare inch of the back porch has a planter or grouping of pots filled with little plants. My big goal is to develop stock to be able to propagate off of and multiply in advance of finding a property to grow in-ground on again. But aside from that, I am just grateful to be able to establish a pocket of living things to check on, tend to, and watch as we get our own transplanted roots re-established in our new home town.
FROM THE TABLE
Thunder rolls, lightning crashes, gentle rain is falling. It is 57 degrees out and, due to the showers, less light than it would usually be by this time on a clear spring morning. My four older children are fast asleep.
6:14am. The baby stirs, cooing joyfully to the familiar ceiling becoming illuminated once again by the light of day. His breathing shifts and he searches for where to suckle milk. Luke comes quietly up the stairs, finished with his early morning routine – quietly plodding through a Master’s Degree online in the hours before work and after the kids go to bed at night – heading to get ready for a mid-week work day. It’s the one day of the week that he gets a ride from a friend so that I can have the car.
Padding steps come down the hall. A lanky four-year-old in long-sleeve construction jammies climbs into the side of the bed left vacant by his Daddy. Baby smiles brightly at his big brother. “Can we make waffles this morning?”
More times than I can count we begin our mornings with those words. Down the stairs, baby on my hip, hair still up, we go. He gets out the waffle iron and plugs it in. Little sis comes down, following the sound of a kitchen astir. We measure and mix. “I can do it,” he tells me and pours a portion of batter into the iron. Reaching into the fridge behind him I pull out a handful of eggs of varying hues – they came from a farmer we just met at the market. The cast iron skillet, seasoned by over a decade of our fried-egg breakfasts, is heated in preparation. Soon a refreshed 9yr old and a bed-headed 6yr old will join us.
“Rain is dripping, Mom!” A clear observation, an exciting proclamation, but also a coded question. In case I missed the message he clarifies, “Can we get the umbrellas out?” Many days have not held the rainy conditions that were required to put such a tool to good use. Many a day the same question has been answered with the disappointing maternal instruction, “Umbrellas are only for rain.”
A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. I answer the way that I did this morning for the request for waffles,
“Yes.”
REFLECTION | I’ve had a deep longing for a piece of land to root deeply into, to establish a homestead that feeds our bellies and hearts. I’ve held it in my heart for so long and every so often I cry out in prayer, “Will I have a homestead, Lord?” Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Yet, as we have built a home from place to place and multiplied from one sweet baby into a brood of children, I have had so many years to glean from others, to ponder, plan, and prepare. The homestead I would have designed a decade ago doesn’t compare to the one I’ve planned to-date, and something tells me that His plans are even greater than these. I don’t know how much longer we may have to wait until my longing is fulfilled but I know I’m more ready to steward it with each passing day and I’m thankful for how gently He’s leading us along the way to His “Yes”.
IN SEASON
Our second month living in a townhome complex in a new city.
On the Porch with the Children
If you have never heard of Azure Standard, you are in for a treat. I was introduced to this bulk-food business based in Oregon while we lived in Texas. When you create an account with them you pick a “drop” location near you. This is where you go, along with everyone else ordering from your area, on the delivery day, to help unload the semi-truck and pick up the items you purchased. I get a lot of organic pantry staples throughout the year from Azure and am so thankful for the ability to source organic ingredients in bulk for my family of seven. The first order I placed from Tennessee happened to be just a few days before the order deadline for my new drop location. It also happened to be the time of year where they offer plant starts. I decided to be surprised and ordered the perennial herb bundle. There were several plants that could have been selected to fulfill that order on their end but the ones I received were: Munstead Lavender, Lavender Bergamot, Marjoram, Sage, Thyme, and Lemon Balm. These were lovingly tucked into the few terracota pots I had managed to bring from Texas. I knew they would quickly out grow those though.
After a month the children and I went to a couple of garden centers in our new area and came home with three deep planters that would fit our space to re-pot the herbs into, as well as a bunch more seedlings. We found a variety of mints: Apple Mint, Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, Pineapple Mint, and Mint Julep. The following day when I ran out to pick up some more potting soil I discovered a rack of discounted seedling bundles. I brought some home and we divided them up between the planters and I assisted each child in planting the remaining ones into our now-empty pots. The back porch looks so lush now and I am not the only one taking great delight in it. The children were so proud to tell their Dad which plants were “theirs”. We sit out back and rub the lemon balm, taste the mint, or snip a few sprigs of thyme for a meal. Utter luxury.
Rhythm
5:30-8am Children wake up
7-8am Breakfast
8-10am Dressed, Free play
10-11am Walk to the mailbox
11-12pm Lunch
12-2pm Naps, School time, Dinner prep
2-4pm Tea time, Chores, Pool
4-5pm Dinner
5-7pm Family time
7-8pm Bedtime
Weather
May 5th: 67*F at 10pm and 100% chance of rain.
May 28th: 86*F at 1pm and overcast
THE WORK
This month we focused on rest.
That may seem counterintuitive or unconstructive, but the wise design was modeled first for us by Yaweh and it is becoming increasingly apparent to me, as a mom of five, just how foundational it really is. When I start to feel anxious energy rising in me it is usually due to the amount of tasks on my internal (or external) “needs done” list that, measured against the fuel gauge of my capacity, which then projects an outcome of: impossible, futile, burn-out. The other night it was happening and, after a little cry, it occurred to me that I was simply tired and my highest priority needed to be rest.
Sometimes I need accountability to prioritize rest. I’ll put checks and balances in place by saying to my kids, “I know I only have the energy to do these dishes and the load of laundry upstairs, so if you see me doing something more than that please remind me to rest instead.” It’s hard to see things that need doing and just let them be, but there is a time and place for taking the break rather than burning out on the rabbit-trail of endless to-do’s as a primary caregiver.
Laziness isn’t the same as resting. One of our family values is diligence, faithfulness, finishing strong. If we are faced with a task or assignment that we don’t feel we’re up for but, nevertheless, must be done we expect ourselves to rise to the occasion with a respectful attitude toward all those around as as we do. There is a satisfaction and confidence built in doing hard things and doing them well. But, as we prepare and hope and plan for a lifestyle of fulfilling hard-work, perseverance, and problem-solving, I believe one of the most fruitful ways to do that is to master this exercise of rest.
Our home rhythm includes homeschooling. We have historically done schoolwork year-round, taking breaks for the Spring and Autumn Biblical Feasts, and some of the best weather around those times of the year. We also do our work six days a week and take a solid rest day at the end of the week. This has felt less hectic than the alternatives, and our rest day is a savored treat, rather than a sense of overindulgent inactivity.
What worked:
Having a physical check list and our daily routines printed and visible to all is key. This makes it so everyone in the family can reference them to know where to apply their energies at any given time, in order to work toward the same ends of keeping the house running smoothly, getting the school work accomplished, and feeding everyone three times a day. I assign one room/space in the house to each day of the week, except the Sabbath, for deep cleaning focus. I have a list of tasks and the kids have one. If it is a day where we have a lot of time to focus on the chore then we do everything on the list, if not, then we prioritize what would be most called for that week. This helps me to keep track of what has been done, what needs doing, and also to be reassured that the house is being managed intentionally – not just on the back-burner for “when we get a chance”.
What we’re adjusting:
When I was growing up it seemed that we needed to hurry up and do most everything. I see that in myself still and I question passing it down to my children. I think there is a worth in working whole-heartedly and efficiently, not to dawdle or do things half-way, but I don’t think it’s fruitful to rush out of anxiety or the stress of “too much to do, too little time to do it”. Some days when the baby is restless and I’ve nursed and cuddled him to sleep, then held him through his nap so he is certain to have deep rest, I do have to rush to get dinner prepped. I may ask a child to help in the preparations, which they’re usually excited to do at this stage of their development, but as they work with unpracticed hands at tasks I set for them, I sometimes feel the urge to rush them along. I’m still learning how to soften that from an urgency into an instruction, to reframe even my own work from upset rushing into purposeful haste.
Lesson Learned:
Right now, even with a few slightly more independent children – they can tie their own shoes and make their own lunch – I’m still relied on heavily, day and night, seven days a week. If I don’t rest at intervals, and do so in a fruitful way, eventually my body just shuts down and forces a reset. Whether anyone applauds the effort or recognizes the intention, I am working on leaning into rest so that I can sustain the overwhelming privileges entrusted to me. I want to be really good at it so that, by the time we are on land and tending it, I am able to steward that privilege well too, not be run-down by it.
So, every day we have a “quiet time” where my youngest kids nap, my older kids keep busy in quiet occupations (like dolls, art, audiobooks, and independent schoolwork), and I go in my room to spend some time reseting my nervous system for the rest of the day. I may think, breathe, stretch, write, read, or talk to a friend. Just being still and quiet is helpful in a season of endless stimulation and demands. Then, during the day when the children play outside awhile, I also sit quietly in the sunshine with a refreshing drink. Both of these rhythms send the signal to my system that all is well. Inevitably someone will be causing a commotion again shortly and I’ll need that reminder.
AT THE TABLE
Tuna Salad
Seasonal Ingredient Highlight
• Radish
Instructions:
Dice a handful of washed radishes nice and small
Open and drain six cans of tuna
Mix the drained tuna and diced radishes with half a cup of avocado mayo, a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and dried chives to-taste.
Serve open-faced on a toasted piece of sourdough bread
Save the rest for a quick lunch throughout the week
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a system through which a farmer sells shares by subscription to local customers. In return for the financial support of their farming efforts, those customers receive weekly boxes of seasonal produce. We are delighted with the CSA we are a part of through Bountiful Blessings Farm. We get their “small” box and it is plenty of veg for our family of seven to supplement my staples of potatoes and onions.
If you’re in Middle TN and would like to try them out, you can use my referral QR code and get $30 off your first order:
.Other produce we received in our CSA boxes this month:
Tuscan Kale
Carrots
Golden Beets
Basil
Tomatoes
Summer Squash
Broccoli
Green Onions
Arugula
FROM THE GARDEN GATE
A Note
Learning is a fruitful use of the time spent waiting for a longing to be fulfilled.
I have done it regarding marriage, motherhood, missions, and homesteading, as well as smaller things like waiting to move houses, replace a vehicle, or start a new year of homeschool. No waiting season is wasted by preparing through learning.
A Practical Tip
Carry band-aids while on walks with kids. Period.
Listening To
the new animated film: DAVID soundtrack. When we aren’t listening to the recordings, we’re listening to our kids sing it.
Reading
Homestead Living magazine
On the Shelf
4lb Azure Market Organic Palm Shortening
1gal Azure Market Organic Coconut Oil, Expeller Pressed
1gal Azure Market Organic Olive Oil, Extra-Virgin, Cold Pressed
3lbs Azure Market Raw Berry/Wildflower Honey
The Lord has led us so gently into this new place. We’ll keep expectantly tending what’s been given to us.
