I love watching the Walton’s on TV and I now own the entire set of each season. This TV show was during a time that many know as, “The Great Depression”… here is the USA, back in history, in the late 1920’s and into the early 1930’s. 
Do you ever feel like “life” has taken a life of its own and …..just taken overyour life and t
here is no time for anything anymore. The more I try to tweak things and slow things down …the busier I seem to get. I laugh at times…we love to “check-in” and document what we do on Facebook. I will show up to work or meet someone at an event and the first thing they will say to me is …..”How do you do all that you do?”
Now, if you know my life or have followed my blog….you know that I am a working full-time mom, homeschool my youngest, I am a mom of an Autistic son, a wife of an epileptic husband, and involved in many, many homeschool, support groups, church events and activities. Yes, we stay extremely busy!!! We have friends that work and go home and call it a day. The thought of going out and doing anything after work is way too much for them to handle. I would ask them….how do you not go out after work? There is so much in life to experience and enjoy ….how do you not what to try to enjoy something new and different or have some fun with the small old thing that you like so much.
Now….getting back to simple traditions… 
that mean the most, what does this mean to you? Even though we are very busy doing things, we are learning more and more that being busy with people and making memories is where it is at for us!!! We love things like home decor, we love to collect things and so on……not to say that there is anything wrong with that, but we have found for us and at this stage of life that “those things” have just taken on a whole new meaning. We have begun to change our way of life and not collect and accumulate so many things but to make choices of what we do like and really want to keep etc… I have also begun to take pictures of some of my treasures and journal the story behind them in a scrapbook. My kids don’t want my “things” ….this seems to be the new trend of the “Millennials” and the “Gen Y”. So then the question is ….what do we do with all this stuff? Well, I decided to get rid of a lot and make room not only in my house but in my life for new memoires that are not made of things, but events, people, and trips etc…..
When I watch the Walton’s….I watch a family who enjoyed the simple things in life. They didn’t need much!!! They didn’t need things……as a matter of fact anyone that I talked to from this generation refer to this time (that is during the depression); a time when things were simple and sometimes they even say “the good old days”.
What is the secret to this special time in their life…..well let me share a few stories that have inspired me to make a change in my own life!
- Popcorn Sunday – you ask what is this…..well, how about popcorn
for dinner. I met a family that said they would make a big deal on Sunday night and call it “Popcorn Sunday”. They had very little money and food during the depression…so popcorn was cheap and available to them so this is what they would eat. But yet the memories of this night still exists to this day and guess what they enjoy eating on a Sunday night still…you guessed it…”Popcorn”. - Scrumple– now what is this? My dad grew up in the depression time too…..they had next to nothing…they would make toys from boxes, sticks and a bit of string would they might find lying around. My Dad’s memories of this time are referred to over and over
again and he smiles and is uplifted every time he talks about it. On Saturday night….with a family of 7 and no money, my grandfather
would create “Scrumple”for dinner (a name they made up for this dish). This would consist of every little bit of any type of leftovers from that week. They would get out the big black cast iron skillet and dump in all the little leftover bits and then cover it with oatmeal. They would they fry it up and a gourmet meal, or at least that is how my dad remembers it, was created.
- Crackers – how can this be a memory? I have a friend who grew up in a very poor country where there was not only a lack of money but of food too. No milk, no flour….not much of anything while she grew up. She was sharing with me the other night that there where nights when they would each get 2 crac
kers for dinner and they were grateful for just that little bit. There was not an option to ask for more….there was no more in the cabinet. As a matter of fact there was not a refrigerator or even a stove in the home. Any yet, the memories of these crackers kept her humble and thankful for every little thing she has to this day.
I know that some people would think I am crazy for thinking this but… I think that the time during the depression is something that we all should have lived through. It seems to have taught that generation of people for the most part….not to worry about the little things, be grateful for the little things, enjoy what you have, don’t wastes things, be creative, be resourceful and so much more.
Where are we today with things and stuff…..we have more than we would ever use! We are not a grateful people; we want more and more and yet need nothing. We complain about things we have no right to complain about.
Well, I will, as they say get off my soap box now… I am speaking to myself too on this matter. I am now trying to enjoy the little things and create traditions that will have a life time of memoires for my family to share. So much so that for dinner sometimes we have had a bowl of popcorn, I have learned to use all my little bits of leftovers to make a big pot 
of homemade “kitchen soup”… and we have even had crackers and jelly for a meal on occasion. Trying something new is good and by doing these things….it has reminded me of the friends and family that have taught me life lessons through their stories.
Simple Traditions ….can defiantly mean the most and create some of the best times of our lives and give us the best memoires to share with our families.
Did you live through times like these? Do you have some great memories to share with us? I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Tell us about your favorite simple traditions, tell us about your story during the depression….tell us something that you do to keep great memoires in a simple way for your family.
Thanks for reading my Blog today!!!
Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother
I really appreciate the opportunity to tell my story of Epilepsy in my life and what is like to live this life daily and hourly! Find out firsthand the life that some of us live and how I have adapted to a new norm.
be the head of my home, and someone who my wife can depend on ….because many times my thoughts are not clear. I have days where I know exactly what is going on and then many days where I have to just depend on my wife and children to help direct me. As a man that is something that is unspeakably hard for me.
s or other places.
alized when I started working that this was the only thing that kept me out of trouble from double bookings. I was working 3 jobs and of course trying to have a social life. Now fast forward to 30+ years later and here I am still using a planner to keep my sanity….but even better… I use several.
e day and something that I would classify as an accessory. In addition to classifying my planner as an accessory…I love bags (another sign of a planner nerd), earrings, scarves, shoes, bracelets and lipsticks (yes that was plural lipsticks). A planner to me is my life line…not only for keeping my schedule in order, but I faithfully use an A – Z file system for basic notes I need to keep for lists, journal notes, important info you just don’t know where else to store it…. and so much more.
Purple Personal size Malden Filofax. I must admit I am hooked on Filofax anything. I then use a faux Malibu by Franklin Covey for my house binder/planner; I have an A5 Color Crush for my blogs posts and a Travelers notebook that I tried using for my go to ….but now it stares at me for a purpose. I also have a small pocket-size Target planner that I use for my church schedule, notes, and ministries that I am involved in.
le in our home! Stickers and any other goodies that I can use…help me be as creative as I want to be. What goodies do you all use? Where do you like to shop?
I began decorating and using this outlet as a quick creative way to fill my crafter need. Since my days are sooo busy these days and time is short for crafts and scrapbooking…this fills the gap. I now enjoy scrapbooking and making junk journals which for me are much easier than the normal scrapbooking and I love to use Travelers Notebooks for my junk journals. It keeps in small and neat and simple for me.
washi etc… They are piling up and in light of connecting with other planner buddies….I am going to do a give-a-way . I am thankful for this creative outlet and I would like to bless someone with some goodies.
top of the aisle ready to walk down to be married….my father whispered to me….”you don’t have to do this”. He was reminding me that he had a long talk with me and that my life would be different, it would be hard, and we would not always know what was coming. He wanted me to really think about this decision and not jump into a marriage that was not a fairy tale. This
committment would be to myself, my future husband and children. It would be a life that I would choose and not forced into…..and it would be a life time committment and a vow.
This leaves situations for me to handle on the fly all the time. We can plan a family vacation, holiday or event and all of a sudden I am going it alone. I might have Graeme with me but mentally and physically he is really not there with me. This has left me many times….taking care of the kids and whatever else is needed pretty much on my own. Many nights I get home from work to find him quiet, depressed, or seizing…..so then my nights ar
e basically spent alone.
than most. We know what it is like to consistently tweak our schedule, routine, meds, family events and almost everything else. We know what it is like to just think that “we got it”, to find out we don’t…and what we thought caused the seizures changed again.
1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. An estimated 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide currently live with epilepsy. Each year at least 200,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy. In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
2 Corinthians 5:8b (NLT)
there’s no place like home.” The older I get the more tender those words have become for me.
…and we needed to head out right after a long day of work… many errands were scheduled for that night. The rain and the darkness
now. Or even a person who is not well has referred to the fact that they just want to go “home”. Where is this “home” that they are referring to? That feeling or longing to go home to a safe, secure place, a place with a sense of freedom, a place so indescribable, but you know that you want to be there.
all it my home. Are you ready to go to this home if the Lord were to call you? Have you done your housework so to speak? Have you made things right with Him so that when it is time to go “Home”, you will be ready? As the verse above states…….for then we will be at home with the Lord.
She was born to the Wilson family over in the continent of Africa….while she was a very young girl, her parents, my in-laws became missionaries. She grew up on the mission field learning how to serve others, love people who many might not love and in doing this she found her love of children. Eventually she moved to New Jersey and her life continued in serving others and teaching children. Annette loved crafts and enjoyed being with her family and helping her mom with setting the Sunday table for the guests, family and missionaries that would come to “The Sunday Meal”, as they said in the family.
Annette’s last days were spent at a children’s camp where she was a counselor to them, a friend, a mentor and someone they could feel safe with and share their hearts. Annette was on top of a green grassy hill, sitting in the sunshine, and under a large tree. I can just picture her sitting there with her beautiful full red hair blowing in the breeze that day as she taught 5 or 6 young girls how to do needle work. All of a sudden she had a very painful headache and went to the infirmary for some meds and the rest is history. In that short moment in time….Annette passed from the green 
grass to the streets of gold. Needless to say shock was the term we all used and these young girls were left wondering where Miss Annette went.
lways great to have a family day out and it is even better when you can share it with friends! We attend a homeschooled day out every other week at our semi-local Sky Zone. If you have never heard of this it is a very large trampoline fun place as you can see in the pics. Sky Zone does a great job of accommodating all ages and skill level and they keep the kids moving to each event they offer.
Resume Of A Mother 