Home to Harvest: The Beginning

Back when I was a teenager my mom asked me the loaded question "What's your goal in life?" and my response was simple - to raise a happy and healthy family. For as long as I can remember I've always had that same big picture goal. That's it. Sounds kind of boring, and maybe lacking any real direction or ambition, right? Maybe for some. Sure, I've had LOTS of other goals throughout the various stages of my life, but the main theme has always stayed the same. Back then I don't think I realized what a happy and healthy family would really consist of, I just knew that's what I wanted. As I grow older and into my thirties, I'm slowly figuring the details along the way, and I've got to say that I'm here for it. Maybe some gray hairs starting to poke through, permanent bags under my eyes, and laugh lines for days, but I'm here for it.

Anyone who knows me well knows that what you see is what you get, but also that I can be a bit all over the place. Always chasing ideas, success, a sunrise, my kids, chickens, laundry, etc. I like to call it controlled chaos. At the end of the day, I know it's probably just this stage of life I'm in - working mom of two kids under the age of 5, a wife, and everything in between. It can be a lot. Which is why coffee exists, right? But as I continue to chase after all of the things, there has been one word consistently ringing in the back of my mind for the last several years: Simplicity. I started asking myself how I could not only simplify the crazy that comes with raising kids, and life in general, but how I could start appreciating the beauty of the slow and simple. I started to wonder how life got so busy where people stopped enjoying the little in-between moments of every day life.

So I set out on a personal mission. I was going to start being more intentional about how I lived my life, and the type of atmosphere I helped to cultivate at home for my family. I fell in love with my vegetable garden, getting my hands dirty and enjoying time away from the distraction of my phone or computer. I started making authentic relationships a priority. I found out how much I love bringing people together and gathering, and how much I value tradition. I realized how critically important my role as a wife and mother are, and how important my relationship with God is. It's in this learning process that I finally accepted that my worth doesn't come from my career or how high I climb towards the glass ceiling; At the end of the day, my biggest and most important job is the one I have within the walls of our home.

Family, home, relationships, authenticity, the simple things. Ultimately it's these things that I value the most, and how Home to Harvest was born. By creating HTH, my hope is that I can share this passion and these values with other people, and pass this lifestyle onto the next generation. For now, HTH will be a place where people can come and find a friendly face, read and share ideas about simplifying life, get a glimpse into the day-to-day life at the [unofficial] Schmidt Family Farm, and maybe snag a few homemade goods in the process. Someday we'll see where life takes us and expand, but for now we're ok with growing slow.

Xoxox,

Lindsey