{"id":87,"date":"2026-01-07T02:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/?p=87"},"modified":"2026-01-07T02:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:06:23","slug":"another-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/2026\/01\/07\/another-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Start"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why I Am Living a Homemaker\u2019s Year<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Life is full of ups and downs.
I\u2019ve seen my fair share in recent years, and especially in this most recent year! That is why here I am, starting again. Many starts and re-starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here we are again… <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello, my name is Tracy. I\u2019ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Paul, for almost 35 years now. That still feels a little surreal to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have fourteen children.
All ours.
No twins.
No triplets.
None adopted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aren\u2019t Catholic.
We aren\u2019t Mormon.
We do own a TV\u2014though we don\u2019t have much time to watch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That usually covers most of the questions people ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband likes to tell people we\u2019re passionate Protestants.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven of our children still live at home. The rest have grown and flown the nest, starting lives of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We didn\u2019t plan to have a big family. And I certainly didn\u2019t set out to be a homemaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a teenager, I had my entire life mapped out. I wanted one child. Paul didn\u2019t want any. I looked forward to the career I had chosen and imagined what I thought would be a perfect life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, both my mother and my grandmother worked. Staying home as a grown woman never entered my mind\u2014not as I planned the future, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet\u2026 there were women the Lord placed in my life who made a deep impression on me. I didn\u2019t always have words for it at the time, but they stayed with me. Quietly. Persistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spent many summer days with my great-grandmother. She had kept her home her entire life and never held a formal job outside of it\u2014but she worked harder than anyone I knew. She tended a beautiful vegetable garden and flowers, too. She fed strangers who wandered up from the street. She always had food waiting for family and friends who stopped by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Jean Murray lived across the street from us. She often invited me in for a hot breakfast before school. I rode to and from school with her family because my mom didn\u2019t have time to cook in the mornings. What struck me\u2014even then\u2014was that breakfast was always ready, her home was always warm, and she was there to greet her family when they returned at the end of the day. Everything felt touched by her care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Aunt Judy\u2019s home was different, but every bit as memorable. There were puzzles on the table and homemade donuts in the kitchen. I can still picture the cereal boxes lined up perfectly in a row. There was order, beauty, and a deep sense that each person in her family belonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In high school, Mrs. Kathy Crawford was my home economics teacher. She knew I was headed to nursing school, yet she often encouraged me to pursue home economics instead. I think she saw something in me long before I did. I\u2019m grateful for the love and nurturing she poured into me\u2014and I\u2019m still blessed to be in touch with her today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mama wanted to stay home with me, but life didn\u2019t allow it. She worked faithfully for nearly 37 years, doing what needed to be done for our family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I had my first child, something shifted. Within weeks, I knew I didn\u2019t want anyone caring for her except Paul or me. Ironically, I was working in a childcare facility at the time and would have had her just a few doors down each day\u2014but I could already see that no one cares for a baby quite like her mama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I resigned before I was scheduled to return to work. I found jobs that allowed me to work nights so I could be with our children during the day while Paul stayed with them at night. Those were exhausting years\u2014but worth every bit of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I began to believe I was meant to be home for my children and my husband. Paul prayed with me and reminded me we would figure it out together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than thirty years later, I still believe that was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made. I have loved this life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing, though: I didn\u2019t grow up watching a woman care for her home full-time. I was an only child. If you had told me back then that I would be managing a household this size, I would have laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even now\u2014after decades of doing this\u2014I\u2019m still figuring things out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, we\u2019ve lost parents, welcomed babies (and more babies), celebrated marriages, faced serious illness, endured job losses, and weathered seasons of uncertainty. Every time I feel like I\u2019ve found my footing, something shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019ve learned is this: much of homemaking is seasonal. Life moves in rhythms. What works in one season rarely works forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That realization is what led me here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This space\u2014The Homemaker\u2019s Year<\/em>\u2014is my way of documenting what it looks like to live faithfully through the calendar year. Not perfectly. Not impressively. But steadily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My prayer is that the Lord would use it to teach, to anchor, and to encourage you\u2014no matter what season or situation of homemaking you find yourself in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why I Am Living a Homemaker\u2019s Year Life is full of ups and downs.I\u2019ve seen my fair share in recent years, and especially in this most recent year! That is why here I am, starting again. Many starts and re-starts. So here we are again… Hello, my name is Tracy. I\u2019ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Paul, for almost 35 years now. That still feels a little surreal to say. We have fourteen children.All ours.No twins.No triplets.None adopted. We aren\u2019t Catholic.We aren\u2019t Mormon.We do own a TV\u2014though we don\u2019t have much time to watch it. That usually covers most of the questions people ask. My husband likes to tell people we\u2019re passionate Protestants. Seven of our children still live at home. The rest have grown and flown the nest, starting lives of their own. We didn\u2019t plan to have a big family. And I certainly didn\u2019t set out to be a homemaker. As a teenager, I had my entire life mapped out. I wanted one child. Paul didn\u2019t want any. I looked forward to the career I had chosen and imagined what I thought would be a perfect life. Growing up, both my mother and my grandmother worked. Staying home as a grown woman never entered my mind\u2014not as I planned the future, anyway. And yet\u2026 there were women the Lord placed in my life who made a deep impression on me. I didn\u2019t always have words for it at the time, but they stayed with me. Quietly. Persistently. I spent many summer days with my great-grandmother. She had kept her home her entire life and never held a formal job outside of it\u2014but she worked harder than anyone I knew. She tended a beautiful vegetable garden and flowers, too. She fed strangers who wandered up from the street. She always had food waiting for family and friends who stopped by. Mrs. Jean Murray lived across the street from us. She often invited me in for a hot breakfast before school. I rode to and from school with her family because my mom didn\u2019t have time to cook in the mornings. What struck me\u2014even then\u2014was that breakfast was always ready, her home was always warm, and she was there to greet her family when they returned at the end of the day. Everything felt touched by her care. My Aunt Judy\u2019s home was different, but every bit as memorable. There were puzzles on the table and homemade donuts in the kitchen. I can still picture the cereal boxes lined up perfectly in a row. There was order, beauty, and a deep sense that each person in her family belonged. In high school, Mrs. Kathy Crawford was my home economics teacher. She knew I was headed to nursing school, yet she often encouraged me to pursue home economics instead. I think she saw something in me long before I did. I\u2019m grateful for the love and nurturing she poured into me\u2014and I\u2019m still blessed to be in touch with her today. My mama wanted to stay home with me, but life didn\u2019t allow it. She worked faithfully for nearly 37 years, doing what needed to be done for our family. When I had my first child, something shifted. Within weeks, I knew I didn\u2019t want anyone caring for her except Paul or me. Ironically, I was working in a childcare facility at the time and would have had her just a few doors down each day\u2014but I could already see that no one cares for a baby quite like her mama. I resigned before I was scheduled to return to work. I found jobs that allowed me to work nights so I could be with our children during the day while Paul stayed with them at night. Those were exhausting years\u2014but worth every bit of it. I began to believe I was meant to be home for my children and my husband. Paul prayed with me and reminded me we would figure it out together. More than thirty years later, I still believe that was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made. I have loved this life. Here\u2019s the thing, though: I didn\u2019t grow up watching a woman care for her home full-time. I was an only child. If you had told me back then that I would be managing a household this size, I would have laughed. And even now\u2014after decades of doing this\u2014I\u2019m still figuring things out. Along the way, we\u2019ve lost parents, welcomed babies (and more babies), celebrated marriages, faced serious illness, endured job losses, and weathered seasons of uncertainty. Every time I feel like I\u2019ve found my footing, something shifts. What I\u2019ve learned is this: much of homemaking is seasonal. Life moves in rhythms. What works in one season rarely works forever. That realization is what led me here. This space\u2014The Homemaker\u2019s Year\u2014is my way of documenting what it looks like to live faithfully through the calendar year. Not perfectly. Not impressively. But steadily. My prayer is that the Lord would use it to teach, to anchor, and to encourage you\u2014no matter what season or situation of homemaking you find yourself in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[22,21,20],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-welcome-introduction-about-me","tag-christian","tag-homemaker","tag-homemaking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/88"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtek.com\/homemakersyear\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}