Mother-2-Mother Blog

Why You Should Visit Amish Country - The Amish Home and Farm

2015-09-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

I spent the week-end in Lancaster, PA recharging my batteries and admiring the Amish. It's been several years since I've visited, but regardless of the time span between my visits, I always find it to be peaceful. Who can't use a little peace in their life, right. We may recharge our batteries and seek peace in different way, but we all need to stop and take action at some point.

Watching the Amish and their way of life causes me to pause. The fields of corn, horse and buggies, roadside produce stands, handmade quilts and the slow pace take me to a peaceful and simple way of living. They are gentle people with a deep belief in God and family above all else. They have a deep sense of community and helping their neighbor without the distraction of modern technology. Most importantly, they are self-sufficient, independent, and they take care of each other. They pay taxes, but no welfare or social security benefits for their community. They have no desire to integrate into our society, their lifestyle is a choice. Plain and simple is their motto and they live it.

During my visits, I've taken tons of pictures and I thought I would share some of them with you in a two part post on the Amish and their lifestyle. This is Part I - The Amish Home and Farm. This home was actually lived in by Amish and Mennonites families for many years. It is now used to educate the public about the Amish and their family.

Amish homes are usually quite large. Most families have 7 or more children so many bedrooms and bathrooms are needed. When parents get older they remain at the home usually in another house on the property called a dawdi haus, which can used as a guest house or for elderly parents. It is rare that an Amish person is put in a nursing home or sent elsewhere to live. The Amish take care of each other for life.

The Amish are a deeply religious community; however, they don't attend churches. Families take turns hosting church service at their homes. The picture above shows an Amish living room that has the furniture removed. When a family is hosting the bi-weekly church service, the furniture is removed and church benches replace the furniture. Benches are set-up in the house, barn or buggy house on the property. Wherever the service will be held benches are placed on both sides of the room. Women sit on one side and men on the other. After a 3 hour or more service in German, lunch is served and everyone socializes while the children play. Sunday is the day of worship, so only the basic chores are done at home and businesses are closed. Visiting neighbors is high on the list for the Amish on Sundays.

Once married life begins, there is no divorce. The women take care of the home, husband, children and kitchen gardens while the men bring home the money, work the fields and take care of the farm animals. There are some Amish men and women who work outside the home or farm. They own businesses such as making furniture or outdoor storage sheds and yard furniture. They also work as waitresses, in factories or other jobs with the English, non-Amish. I own 2 storage sheds built by the Amish. Their work is superior.

Those who work on the farm are ready to go at sun up and stop working at sun down. They eat a hearty breakfast before heading out to the fields, return around noon for lunch and again for dinner. They usually start their day at 5:30 am and are in bed by 8:00 or 9:00 pm.

The above picture is a typical Amish kitchen. The cook stove and the refrigerator are powered by propane gas. Lights, faucets, sewing and washing machines, blenders and mixers are powered by compressed air. As in most homes, the man sits at the head of the table and his wife to the right of him. The oldest child sits on the opposite end of the father. There are no pictures of family or children hanging on the walls, Amish do not take pictures. They do hang quilted wall hangings, a framed list of their children and their birthdays, framed puzzles etc.

Amish women serve hearty meals. They typically preserve hundreds of jars of vegetables, fruits and meat during the canning season to feed a family of 9 or more during the winter months. They are masters at baking bread, pies, cakes and they are able to grow their own fruit for jams, jellies, pies and cobblers as well as vegetables in their kitchen gardens. Their gardens and flower beds are meticulous. You won't find a weed in them. The children start in the morning pulling weeds to ensure that nothing distracts from mom's garden. They butcher or use Amish butchering shops for their meat. Self-sufficiency and being experts at it is the name of the game, and the Amish know how to play. They are astute at making things happen.

Amish women are experts at sewing and quilting. They do the sewing for the entire family. They make their dresses and aprons, pants and shirts for their husbands and all of the children's clothing. They also make quilts, diapers for infants and a host of other items. Most prefer the old Singer treadle sewing machines shown above.

They do shop at local stores such as Wal-mart for plates, glasses, and other home goods as well as undergarments, socks, hosiery, Birdseye diapers/pampers etc. Most stores provide hitching posts for their horse and buggies while they shop.

This is the typical wardrobe for Amish girls. The dresses are calf length and made in muted colors. Pink, green, purple, blue, brown and black are acceptable, but no prints are allowed. Prayer coverings are black or white and they are pinned onto the solid colored dresses. Hook and eye closures can be used, but no buttons are used on the dresses. Coverings are pinned onto the dresses. Prayer caps are white and heart shaped. Shoes are black although I have seen the Lancaster Amish wear sandals, Crocs, sneakers or go barefoot.

Around age 9 the cape is added as shown on the green dress. The black hat is actually a bonnet and is worn over the prayer cap when going to town or other public places or events. A black cloak is worn in the winter. The black bonnets are worn over the white prayer caps and may be worn without the cloak, but the black cloak can't be worn without the black bonnet. Amish women do not cut their hair, it is parted down the middle and worn in a bun under their prayer caps. They are not allowed to wear prints or jewelry, not even a wedding band.

This is a picture of a nursery or small child's bedroom in the Amish home. They have the usual furniture that you would find in a nursery: a crib, rocker, changing table and dresser. Bottle warmers, mobiles and monitors won't be found in an Amish home.

Diapers and pampers can be stored in the changing table. I bet this baby is worth a mint. Their hardwood floors are the wide planks and absolutely beautiful as well as spotless. Amish women take their ability to keep house seriously.

This is the typical Amish boy's room. They wear black pants that hit about the ankle, muted color shirts with buttons, Snaps, hook and eyes, and suspenders are used for pants. No zippers are allowed on their clothing. On Sundays, they wear black pants, white shirts, black vests or jackets. Straw hats are worn in summer months and black felt hats in the winter. Married men grow beards without a mustache.

This is the typical dress of a married Amish woman. Her aprons are black, dresses are the muted colors a described above. Her husband's clothing is the same as the boys as described above.

Amish women usually give birth at home and are assisted by a mid-wife. They can use a birthing center or hospital if they desire.

It looks like an older son is replacing posts on the farm. He has several of his little siblings on the wagon, and making sure everything is the way it should be after making a turn. Amish boys work the fields with their fathers at an early age. Women and girls also help if needed. The equipment is pulled by horses or mules.

This unmarried young man, no beard, is working in the fields on another farm. Corn fields are everywhere in Lancaster. The corn is harvested in stored in the farm silo. The Amish are masters of their domains. This young man is handling a team of 6 horses to do what I don't know. Women are subordinate, but equal partners in their marriage and are involved in the daily operation of making the farm efficient and productive. They can be seen hand picking various vegetables or helping with the harvest of corn.

Amish use wringer washers to do laundry, which is normally on Mondays. They use diesel generators to power the agitator. The washer is usually located in their basements or summer kitchens. Not only do they hang their laundry out year round, they also iron their laundry.

Lancaster is a combination of things. Traffic, shopping malls, horse and buggies and endless rows of corn. It's a place where you can lose yourself in the simplicity of a culture that is admired and misunderstood. The beauty of the farm houses and acres of rolling land capture your deepest senses and draws you into a life that can only be admired by those of us who relish our smart phones and laptops. I have much love for my Amish brothers and sisters and their ability to persevere in the mist of modern technology. Their calming affect takes me back to the days of running through the cool grass bare foot, eating homemade ice cream or drinking ice cold water from the hand pump down the lane on my grandparents farmette. It was the best.

If you have an Amish community nearby and you haven't visited, you should. We can all learn from them and it's a great family activity. Stay tuned to Part II - Quilts, Transportation and Great Food.

Sunday's Best Linkup - #37

2015-09-12T16:30:00.003-07:00

Welcome to Week 37 of Mother 2 Mother's Sunday's Best Linkup. It's hard to believe that school is back in session and fall is around the corner. We're continuing our Leaves Are Falling theme this week. We're looking for posts on fall crafts and decorating, recipes for apple sauce and other canning recipes, your photos with fall colors, fall flower arrangement ideas, fall tablescapes and anything you would like to share on the season.

We also welcome other recipes, crafts, DIY, home makeover and gardening tips, SEO and blogging information, sewing projects, patio and deck makeovers, front porch makeover ideas, organization tips, ideas for backyard hot dog roasts, and more.

Blow the dust off your old posts and link those too. They're great for inspiration. Don't have posts that fit into the theme, link up whatever post you would like to share. We would love to have parenting tips, DIY projects, homesteading, homeschooling, and your posts on family and life. Your linkups and giveaways are welcome here too. Anything goes, as long as it's family friendly and you may linkup as many posts as you would like.

Each week your hosts will select their favorite post and it will be featured the following week. An image from your post will be used on my blog the following week with a link back to your blog. Be sure to check back to see if you're a Sunday's Best featured blogger. All Featured Bloggers will have their posts Pinned to the Sunday's Best Pinterest Board.

What's New: We would like readers to select their favorite posts. Voting will start at noon every Friday until mid-night. We will be adding the post with the most votes from our readers to our Sunday's Best featured bloggers. Be sure to have your blog readers and social media followers head over to vote for your post on Fridays.

All posts linking to Sunday's Best will be promoted on Twitter.

In addition to the reader's and hosts selections, a post for our monthly themes will be selected and featured each week as well.

If you are interested in becoming a Sunday's Best host, please contact me for details at rhonda@mother2motherblog.com or email one of our other hosts.

Your Hosts Are:

Rhonda - Mother 2 Mother Kim U. - Pinterested Parent Kim M. - Life In A House of Testosterone

Here's the rules, please connect with us on social media before you leave or subscribe to/follow our blogs:

Mother 2 Mother: Please like my Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, BlogLovin or subscribe/join my blog on the right before you leave.

The Pinterested Parent: Please like Kim's Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin before you leave.

Life In A House of Testosterone: Please like Kim's Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin, or Instagram before you leave.

Last, please help us grow by placing our button on your sidebar. If you are selected as a Featured Blogger please let your readers and followers know. They may want to join the party too! For those who have a Link Party list/directory, please add us. I appreciate your help in promoting the linkup with Re-tweets and shares. Now lets party!

The Sunday's Best Posts are:

Kim U. selected DIY Pumpkin Jars from The Scrap Shoppe Blog

I selected How To Make Sushi Towels from Tiger Strypes

and

Fall Vignette with DIY Grapevine Pumpkins from Inspiration For Moms

Kim M. selected How To Keep the Clutter Out from Clean Scentsible

The Readers Selected:

Save Time by Making a Standard Grocery List from Medium Sized Family

and

The Favorite Theme Posts

Leaves Are Falling

Ghost Pudding Cups from Summer Scraps

and

Halloween Party on a Budget from Living Off Love and Coffee

Congratulations to our featured bloggers! All of the posts were great, and I appreciate each of you linking up. I would like to invite all of you back to linkup your post(s) again, it could be selected this week. While you're here take a minute to visit these great blogs. It's a great way to meet and connect with new bloggers. Be sure to PIN or share any posts that you like, we all appreciate a little love.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday's Best Linkup - #36

2015-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 36 of Mother 2 Mother's Sunday's Best Linkup. It's hard to believe that school is back in and session and fall is around the corner. We are starting our Leaves Are Falling theme this week. We're looking for posts on fall crafts and decorating, recipes for apple sauce and other canning recipes, your photos with fall colors, fall flower arrangement ideas, fall tablescapes and anything you would like to share on the season.

Our lovely Kim M. is taking a break for few weeks, she will be returning shortly. Here's the rules, please connect with us on social media before you leave or subscribe to/follow our blogs:

Mother 2 Mother: Please like my Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, BlogLovin or subscribe/join my blog on the right before you leave.

The Pinterested Parent: Please like Kim's Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin before you leave.

Life In A House of Testosterone: Please like Kim's Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin, or Instagram before you leave.

The Sunday's Best Posts are:

I selected Cookie Monster Brownie Cookies from Marty' Musing

and

Easy Dinners To Go by Diana Rambles

Kim M. selected She Shed Reveal from Ella Claire Inspired

The Readers Selected:

80+ Bags For Food and Drinks Sewing Patterns from Wesens Art

and

The Favorite Theme Posts

Leaves Are Falling

Fall Centerpiece from Krystal Kitsch

and

Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail from Growing Up Gabel

An InLinkz Link-up