Finding My Inner Amish

Posted April 6th, 2009 by Jen in family life, features, religion

This was a scheduled post to fit into my April theme~a magical, simple, and refreshing time of renewal. The dream began a few weeks ago with the gift of an Amish friendship bread starter. You take care of the dough starter for about ten days, then split it into four new starters (three to give away, one to keep) and bake a batch of the sweet bread for yourself.

This enchanting, pastoral scene led to an all day baking session with a friend to stock up on meals and fill our freezers for those days when company is coming or time is scarce. We even wore cute aprons. I became delusional that I was born for baking and meal planning and living, well, sort of like the Amish. Simple, slow, homemaking and picking daisies.

(Excuse me while I go pull a frozen pizza out of the oven.) However, at this moment, I’m finding that I have no inner Amish and it would be all but deceitful to write such a post. I’ve had a rough few days and maybe rougher ones ahead. My house is a disaster with clothes, toys, and random items strewn helter-skelter like a really bad hair day. I feel far from the peaceful Amish that I picture in my mind’s eye.

I passionately miss my husband, who’s working out of town, my live-in mother is convinced the house will burn down just because a bad battery sent every alarm screaming through the night, and the dog has worms (the cat is suspect as well). I have parent-teacher conferences in two and a half days and a performance evaluation in one. And I can’t even come up with three more friends to give the next batches of Amish friendship bread starters to.

If you find my inner Amish, you can send it packing to Pennsylvania, because it would not be at home here.

I’m so glad that next week I get to celebrate the Resurrection, and, as you can see in my sidebar excerpt, I’m hoping for the power of the living Christ to be at work in me. I NEED it to be, and I hope (I know) that the resurrected Christ is more meaningful than my Amish fantasy.

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10 Responses

  1. Renae April 6th, 2009 at 10:00 pm

    I made that friendship bread for about a year. I finally learned how to just keep it going without having starters to give to everyone. Oh, yeah, and I was newly married, taking pottery classes, and maybe working part-time. I had a bit more time then or so it seems. ;)

  2. halfmoon girl April 7th, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Ok, I love this post. I was having a niggle of incompetence inside when I read that you were doing the Amish Friendship Bread as I failed at it last time- because I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to take it either! I love your transparency here, Jen. Life is full, and we can’t do it all. Praying that your interviews and evaluation go smoothly.

  3. tipper April 7th, 2009 at 8:24 am

    Oh Jen-if I lived near you-I’m come give you a big hug, and take the amish bread stuff!! I’ve been feeling kinda like you-to many things going on with not enough time to get them done-and a horrible 7th grade math year on top of it all. I’m glad you shared your thoughts-it helps to know we all struggle with getting it all done and measureing up to our own expectations. I hope the coming days are better for you and for me-and we both get to celebrate the greatest event in history. Silly-but on Easter Sunday-I’ll think of you and know you are feeling the same excitment, awe, and gratefulness I am.

  4. Heather April 7th, 2009 at 8:26 am

    Oh yes, I know this SO well. I have days and even weeks where I am very organized and doing all sorts of homemade things–like baking bread, and doing laundry, and you know –house stuff, and then things fall apart. I get a new video game, my RA gets bad, too much work online, and suddenly the house falls apart and I realize that I am only partially domesticated.

  5. Fencepost April 7th, 2009 at 11:55 am

    Welcome to my world! Sometimes there just seems to be too much life going on. Then it subsides, atleast for a little while.
    Hang in there!!

  6. e-Mom April 7th, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    This post made me smile… you’ll make it my friend. We’ve all been there! :~D

  7. Jen April 7th, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Renae, wow, a year is great! Yes, we all had more time “way back when!”

    halfmoon girl, no need to feel incompetence when you have me around. :-) An 83 year old lady even turned me down for the Amish friendship bread! Thanks for your prayers, my day went smooth, except for the note from Little L’s preschool teacher that “he put rocks in Cyrus’ underwear.”

    Tipper, thank you!! The bread is actually delicious and now, after a few batches, I’ve learned a great modification to make it much healthier. I meant to share it in this post, but obviously wasn’t feeling very home-makey at the moment. I’m sorry about the bad 7th gr. math year-that’s a terrifying thought! I will think of you on Resurrection Sunday, too! You are a blessing.

    Heather, I have the same problem with consistency. I like how you worded it – “I am only partially domesticated.” Yep.

    Fencepost, thanks! It’s like how people say there’s too much month at the end of the money, only I’d say there’s too much duty at the end of the day.

    e-Mom, smiling with you. :-)

  8. mrs darling April 8th, 2009 at 10:43 am

    Jen Im sorry but Im laughing hysterically at your plight. Take it from one who has lived the outer Amish life; ITS NOT WHAT ITS CRACKED UP TO BE!

    Its lots and lots of work. It gets into your blood and you can never get away from it so you work and till the ground and garden and bake the bread and set the milk to ferment and churn the butter and suddenly you wake up and ask yourself why? I mean, dear me, costco is down the road and why I am doing all this and then you realize there is an inner modern woman and you would love to embrace her but you’ve lived the outer Amish life so long that it has a noose around your neck and you cant get rid of it no matter how you long to be a 21st century modern woman.

    Oh wait…I guess I got caught up in my own mind here and now Im using you as a therapist.

    Oh dear, but this did set me off and I am still wiping tears from my eyes. Now if only knew where the tears came from; from the laughing or from my own sad story.

    Bwahahahahaha!

  9. Mandi April 9th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    Praying for you in this busy season of your life my friend!
    I have always wanted to be Amish too, although Mrs. Darling’s comment caused me to pause just a little and think it over more carefully! LOL!
    Sometimes we do get what we wish for and it just isn’t all it is cracked up to be eh? : D

    Happy Easter! ( :

  10. Jen April 10th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    Mrs. Darling, that was great! I’m glad to have offered you some therapy. :-)

    Mandi, thanks for your prayers, my friend! Yes, our deepest wishes aren’t always what we expected them to be…

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