How to Succeed at Homemaking Without Really Trying: It's Fine to Fail

Welcome to Part 3 of How to Succeed at Homemaking Without Really Trying! Follow the links to find part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Perhaps the title of this post seems like an oxymoron to you. If there is anything I have learned through years of attempting to learn how to be a successful human being, it is that success and failure are opposites.

Oh wait, are some of these pointing the same way? Hmmmm

When it comes to the day to day of "natural living" or "going green" or "environmentalism" or "eating organic" or "mindfulness" or whatever you want to call it, I reject that above statement. I say pshaw. Whatever. It's wrong.

Because it is ok to fail. In fact, it's important to fail. And it's important to understand how to fail and how to do it with grace.

So, I'd like to share some of my "failures" with you here and talk about why they really don't upset me.

Recipe: Coconut Flour Jelly Cookies (Paleo/Gluten Free)

It is not a secret among our friends that Mr. Scrimp and I are huge fans of Dr. Who. I know, I know, we can get in line behind the entire rest of the Internet. On a typical Sunday afternoon, we can be found having some sort of tasty Sunday dinner with family and/or friends and then settling in on the couch to watch the latest episode on Amazon.  This week is the season finale, which means no more episodes for six months, and I decided to mark the occasion by experimenting with a grain-free version of Jammie Dodgers (aka The Eleventh Doctor's favorite snack).

Basically, yum.

A jammie dodger is essentially an English linzer cookie. Or, in other words, a shortbread-ish sandwich cookie made with jam. My mom taught me how to make linzer cookies when I was a little kid and I have very fond memories of them. However, eating things with lots of refined sugar and wheat flours does not agree with me, so I had to come up with a way to express my nerdy devotion that did not involve gluten.

Enter coconut flour!

Home Remedies: Switchel (for Dehydration)

Here in Ohio, it's hard to say what is and is not seasonable in the spring. Last Monday it snowed. Today it's 80 degrees and sunny.

I made the silly mistake of thinking "Oh, it isn't that hot" and mowing the lawn at the very hottest part of the afternoon. Then I was sad and feeling a little sick. Fortunately, I know just the remedy for that!

Above: Syrup, vinegar, water, and beautiful alchemy

That, my friends, is a photo of a mostly-forgotten concoction known as switchel, swizzle, or haymaker's punch. What is switchel? If you've ever read the Little House on the Prairie series, you may already have heard of it!