We once lived on a 3-acre farmette in the countryside of Pennsylvania. Our children and dogs had generous space to run and play, chasing fireflies around an old Magnolia tree. We had dozens of peony bushes where I cut flowers, gifted them to friends, and filled our house with it’s sweet scent. I hung laundry on a line and loved venturing out to nearby Amish markets and vegetable stands. When I think of a slow and simple lifestyle, I think of these memories (easily forgetting so much of what I did not enjoy about the state.)
I suppose this is the downside of having lived in so many places. When you’ve tasted and seen certain things, sometimes it’s hard not to compare the present with the former things. I miss the land we had in Pennsylvania but love living near the beach as we do now. I miss the accessibility to the mountains and woods like we did in California, but love freedom that we have in Florida. No single place that we’ve lived is perfect, attesting to the reality that true contentment isn’t found in people, places, or things, but in deep satisfaction of our good and gracious God. Rather than dwelling on the high points of every place we’ve lived and secretly wishing we could “have it all” in one location, we can take what we loved and implement it where God has placed us now.
When perusing books at our local library, I came across a book that I immediately fell in love with: “Simply Living Well” by Julie Watkins*. Her practical recipes and intentional, yet inspiring lifestyle reminds me of the creative traditions I witnessed in the Mennonite and Amish communities of Pennsylvania. Her lifestyle showcases that a simple and slower lifestyle can occur no matter what space one lives in. This book teaches the value in low-waste living, and I appreciate her balanced approach that isn’t burdensome to the reader. Yes, it’s easier to buy detergent at a store rather than making it yourself. Yes, plastic-wrap is the most convenient covering for leftovers. But this book helped me to see that there time-tested swaps that are not only environmentally-friendly and help save money in the long-run, but are actually fun to make. There is also something to be said about working with one’s hands and crafting some thing that is both useful and beautiful. And so, this book sent me on a journey of incorporating some of what I had left in Pennsylvania into our present living.
Here are a few things that I’ve tried my hand at since moving into our home here in Panama City Beach:
Headache Balm
This salve is made from beeswax, shea butter, and several different essential oils. I deal with chronic tension headaches and migraines and thought this would be fun to make as well as helpful to use. It doesn’t eliminate the headache but it is a great to use when massaging the forehead.
(The beautiful jar of lavender was gifted to me by some sweet friends from their lavender bushes in California. How dreamy!)
This recipe can be found in her book.
Homemade Playdough (scented!)
The kids loved this one and so do I! This was easy to make and my girls spent hours making pizzas and castles and taking in the sweet scents. I made this in October and it’s kept well in a glass container since then.
From top to bottom (of picture 1):
No Dye | We wanted to keep this one the off-white color but we did use lavender oil to scent this one.
Cocoa Powder | This dyed the ball brown but also made it smell HEAVENLY. It was hard not to eat this, ha.
Turmeric | This bright yellow came from just a little turmeric. To make it smell sweetly, we added lemon essential oil.
Paprika & Cinnamon | We tried paprika to make it look orange but that didn’t seem to work well and the smell was quite strong, so we added in cinnamon which gave it a different shade of brown and an amazing scent that cancelled out the paprika.
Beeswax Wrappers
I’ve heard of beeswax wrappers but didn’t know much about them. I found one on sale at Fresh Market and now understand the hype behind them. These are an excellent alternative to plastic wrap. They are anti-microbial, can be washed, and reused again and again. Just simply top your container with one of these or cover your fruit or cheese, and it will keep very well (better than plastic wrap, in my opinion.)
Buying them at the store is pricey so I decided to try Julie’s recipe and make my own. These are 100% cotton pieces of fabric painted with a beeswax and pine rosin mixture and baked to seal it all in. It is a little messy but the kids and I had fun making them.
The other recipes from her book that I’ve made but haven’t photographed are homemade dish detergent (from vinegar, washing soda, and citric acid) and citrus spray (from vinegar and citrus peels). Both work wonderfully! I am going to soon attempt her laundry detergent recipe, dish detergent tablets, an all-natural hair rinse, and whipped body lotion. If you have any tried and true recipes, please send them my way!
*I do use Amazon affiliate links in this post, however, I am not affiliated with the author or the publisher. I just genuinely love this book and want to share it with you! P.S. This is not a Christian or faith-based book.