Having 3 acres of land, we are blessed with the opportunity to do a lot of projects ourselves and teach our gnomes how to work with their hands; learning the value of hard work. Earning for themselves the sense of accomplishment for doing a job well done, the reward they receive that deepens their character and cannot be taken away. We are having our post-wedding reception in December, having been in the midst of Covid Chaos when we got married in June. For part of the fun, we have decided to build a fire pit with the supplies we have on hand. Thus far, it has been a fun process.
Three of our five gnomes have been able to help us thus far, along with our pups LOL. Once I chose a location for our pit and shovel traced the circle utilizing myself as a human compass, Poppa Gnome and Sassafras started by beginning the digging process. Squizzle and WallyBingBong helped gather rocks for the lining while Poppa Gnome and I finished the digging process. Really, so long as you use items that are not going to catch fire, like concrete, rock, gravel and/or metal to form your pit/cooking surface you are golden.
Poppa Gnome and I are huge fans of pinterest and DIY projects, so we did some research before we began. We are blessed to have all of the supplies we needed here on the property, otherwise you can find the supplies at your local hardware store or some mom & pop shops in your area. Our gnomes have been growing in majorily urban living; surrounded by lots of buildings and people, landscaping and whatnot that was not theirs and have had many restrictions with what/where they could roam or play.
To be fully rural now is a beautiful thing because it allows our gnomes to see how Poppa Gnome and I grew up, with working the land and utilizing our hands to accomplish tasks that would otherwise be made easier with the luxury of machines or convenience tools. It has allowed us to show them nature and teach them safety about wildlife and they are thriving more in the last few months than I have seen in a long time.
One of my favorite pieces is having family projects that we all combine efforts on; like our fire pit. It brings us all together and bonds us in a way that only life experiences can. Our gnomes have learned that they enjoy these experiences more than the material items they had grown thus far with. We find our boy gnomes playing in the dirt hills in the yard, playing in cardboard boxes, making dirt and blanket forts, doing tricks on their scooters, climbing trees, playing with the dogs and our girl gnomes stepping in to help Poppa Gnome and I in the kitchen and offering help with tasks they hadn’t asked about before.
Having deep,life giving conversations with each of them.They are asking theological questions and discussing things that we hadn’t thus far truly realized is on their hearts or in their minds. Last week, several of us took turns trying to do a handstand in the house, laughing hysterically the entire time.These are the moments I cherish, and I foresee us having so many more around our fire pit. Gathering together to talk, laugh and make/eat smores. Our youngest two gnomes have never experienced this campfire treat before, and we are so excited that we get to share this with them.
I want to encourage you to find something to do together with your family, be it play a game or build a project, even a fun family meeting. It will work wonders in building that connection with them and reaffirming their feelings of security.
