homemaking — See Jamie blog

Springtime Flower Garden

on April 26, 2011

My flower garden makes me sooooo happy in the springtime, so I want to share it with you. Although I don’t get out and work in it often enough, I feel closer to God whenever I do because He lets me have a little part in helping make things grow.

I’d like to have a pretty wreath on the front door, but birds build nests in it, and then we can’t go in and out that door for weeks for the sake of the baby birds. So it remains wreath-less. The hosta to the left took a few years to get going, but is doing well now. I forgot what that delicate purple-flowered ground cover is called but I love it.

This rose stays a nice manageable size, and is a gorgeous bright pink color! (Downside: it tends to get black spot worse than my other roses.)

This rose bush gets HUGE, and is a peachier shade of pink. It stays full of blooms all through spring and summer, and usually into October!

Under the ornamental cherry tree, I have lavender, mums, peonies, purple irises, and more.

Right now I have two kinds of irises: a solid dark purple, and these two-tone bearded irises. But thanks to Ken’s grandma, I’ll have about eight new colors of iris next spring! EXCITING!!!

This variety of columbine is so dark purple it almost looks black.

My lilacs are blooming like crazy this spring! I wish this could be scratch-n-sniff because they smell truly heavenly. Seriously, I think heaven may be lilac scented.

Teeny, tiny, yellow roses. I adore them.

Blue-purple vinca with hot pink azaleas in the background.

I wish they were more sturdy, but for the beauty of an individual blossom, it’s hard to top a peony. These soft pink peonies opened yesterday, and I have two other colors that haven’t bloomed yet.

These rhododendrons are still young and small, but the blooms are a delightful shade of purple. I love purple flowers of all kinds because they are a bit more of a challenge to find. Besides that, they look fabulous with yellows, pinks, even an occasional orange (like my summertime daylilies) for contrast.

I have plans to get the family to help me do some major expansion of our flower beds this spring. It will be a lot of work initially, but my eventual goal is to have more naturalized areas in our yard, and less lawn to mow.

Join the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregan Cottage for more gardening fun!

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: gardening

Antique Desk Makeover

on April 15, 2011

I love what paint can do for an old piece of furniture! (See more of my previous furniture-painting projects here.)

Lindsey has a desk in her room, and Kathryn has been wanting a desk in her room, too. I think she’ll use it often — for letter-writing, occasionally doing some of her schoolwork, and so on.

When I bought this 1941 vanity table, it had already been painted black, so it wasn’t original. I liked it’s shape, and I used it as my computer desk for quite a while (before I bought a new one that served my purposes better). I thought it would be adorable in Kathryn’s room because it suits her style, and it’s a nice petite size.

But black does not go with Kathryn’s all-white bedroom, so a little makeover was in order. (Another of my spring break week projects!)

This week we cleaned and organized Kathryn’s room (I can’t seem to stop organizing and cleaning!) so we could make space in her room for the desk. She is positively pleased!

Re-purposing something I already have into something that is even more perfect is so fun — and frugal! Anytime I get the itch to redecorate, I start looking around the house to see if I can just move something from one room to another, use something for a different purpose than I’m currently using it for, or slap on a coat of paint to transform it! Seriously fun!

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: thrifty living

My Spring Break

on April 9, 2011

Oh my gracious. I have cleaned and organized like a MAD WOMAN this week!

I started to write out all the things I’ve been doing this week, but that just made even more tired! In short, I’ve cleaned and/or organized just about everything in this house, and made plans for cleaning and/or organizing the few things that have escaped my grasp this week. I declared war on dust, donated bags and bags of stuff we don’t need, and even made my houseplants happy. (I even bought them a couple of new friends!)

I accomplished most of my overly-ambitious to-do list, and then some.

But the most notable thing about my week has been that Ken and Lindsey were gone on a mission trip to Dominican Republic, and Kathryn has been with her dad and his family for spring break. This is the first time EVER that I’ve gone more than a day without talking to Ken.

Thankfully, I did have Lacy the WonderDog to keep me company — but she’s not the best conversationalist. Besides, she was too busy watching bunnies nibble clover in the yard.

Ken and Lindsey should be home any time now, and Kathryn is coming back tonight.

I really enjoy some alone time, but this has been entirely. too. much.

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: WonderDog

Spring Break To-Do List

on March 29, 2011

Next week we’re taking a spring break from homeschooling. In fact, next week there is absolutely nothing I am required to do. So I’m making myself a big fat to-do list. And I’m excited about it. (Making lists: it’s a sickness. Just like my addiction to books. And tea. And cute notebooks…)

To Do List Next week I’m planning to:

Do oodles of reading!
Weed and prune my front flower bed.
Sand and refinish an antique desk for Kathryn’s room.
Write a few blog posts I haven’t had proper time to write.
Order butterfly larvae for nature study.
Plan the remaining eight weeks of our school year.
Repair a few holes in the quilt on the master bed, and wash it.
Wash the leaves on my indoor houseplants, and re-pot if necessary.
Clean, clean, clean! Anything that doesn’t move is going to get cleaned. (And maybe a few things that do — like the dog!)
Organize, organize, organize! My mission: de-clutter and simplify!
Donate stuff!

I have warned the family that once I am on a roll, anything is fair game. If it’s not organized or cleaned up to my standards, then I’ll do it myself. They’re kinda scared about that, so I anticipate them doing a bit of cleaning/organizing of their own this week! {Insert evil-sounding laugh here.}

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking

My Prayer Binder

on March 16, 2011

I pray often throughout the day — usually quick prayers asking for wisdom as situations come up, or a little whispered prayers for a friends anytime they come to mind. But my intentional prayer time was lacking: very haphazard, disjointed, sporadic.

Then I remembered that a friend had mentioned having a prayer binder; this sounded quite delightfully organized. I like anything that is delightfully organized! So I asked her what exactly was in her binder, and she gave me some great ideas to get started. (Thanks, Michelle!)

I had to have something cute, of course, so I found a clip art photo I liked, and combined that with two quotes about prayer to make a pretty cover:

“Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.” -William Wilberforce

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” -Abraham Lincoln

My new prayer binder:

Inside my prayer binder, I have five tabs, as follows:

Praise — I like to start prayer/quiet time with praise, but I want to go beyond simply thanking Him for all He is doing in my life. This tab has a list of worshipful verses written out into prayers. I have five or so hand-written pages, but I’m continuing to add to it. (Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word is fantastic for getting started on these!)
My Husband — Sometimes I write out specific prayers for loved ones, so this tab is where I have prayers for Ken. I also did a few google searches to find a nifty list of other suggested prayers for husbands; I printed this list as is, but as I’m praying through it, I’m tweaking the list to fit Ken better.
My Children — It is my privilege and responsibility to pray for my children! I have a list of daily prayers printed off here, plus my own custom prayers (try Praying Like Paul to help develop your own), and a list of prayers for my children’s future spouses.
Myself — Prayers for myself go here for things like having a gentle spirit and speaking edifying words.
More — This tab contains all those other prayers I mean to pray but often forget. This includes: prayers for the pastors at my church; prayers for our country; prayers for extended family and friends; prayers for orphans and for adoptive families; and prayers for the marriages of our wedding clients. I also have extra pages to jot down specific prayer requests.

The tabs:

One of the many great things about this binder is that it’s so easy to change around. I know it will morph and grow the more I use it. It does not take the place of the spiral-bound journal where I actually write what I learn or hear during my quiet time. I also have another smaller spiral-bound notebook I take to and from church to take notes during Bible study and sermons. (Um, yes: I like notebooks.)

You are welcome to print these lists of prayers for use in your own prayer notebook:

If you’d like to keep up with my new posts, please consider subscribing! You can get all new posts delivered directly to your email inbox!

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: prayers

Raising Homemakers

on February 7, 2011

Despite how much I adore cute little aprons and cookie-baking, that’s not what being a “homemaker” is all about.

I’d be delighted if you’d pop over to read my article today at Raising Homemakers, based on my thoughts about being a homemaker and raising them:

“The Privilege of Raising Homemakers.”

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: Raising Homemakers

Meal-Planning Help!

on January 19, 2011

OK, friends — I need HELP! I am bound and determined to:
A) get better at meal-planning, and B) cut our monthly grocery expenses!

So, here’s what I need from you:

What’s your favorite go-to meal? I’m looking for family-friendly lunches and suppers. Healthy is a BIG plus.

Do you have a favorite blog for easy, healthy meal ideas?

I hate the idea of the whole couponing thing because I don’t want 382 bottles of shampoo for 43 cents! Most of those blogs completely overwhelm me. I just want to reduce my grocery bill! How do I start?

Please, leave me some suggestions or helpful links in my comment section – and feel free to promote your own blog or blog post if it applies! I’m sure others will benefit from them as well!

(PS – isn’t the retro apron in that clip art adorable!?!)

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking

Chore Reward System

on December 15, 2010

I would love to claim the brilliance of this idea, but I totally copied it from Jenn at Daze of Adventure. It’s just too good not to share with you, too!

We don’t do allowance. If you live in this house, you ought to do your part in household chores. Sometimes, though, it feels like all I’m doing is reminding somebody to do chores. This idea uses motivation, instead of me nagging.

Rather than earning money, chores earn glass “gems” which are then put into a jar. We decide ahead of time upon a goal or prize redeemable when the jar is filled. In this case, Kathryn has decided upon a girls-only trip to Menchie’s frozen yogurt place. {Yummy!} Once she has redeemed this, we can decide on a new goal for the next time. I’m only doing this with Kathryn right now because I thought Lindsey might think it too childish, but she has asked if she can have a gem jar, too! I believe what makes it able to span up to older kids is that the goal could be anything agreed upon by both child and parent: money to go to a movie; a trip to Starbucks; anything!

We put our jar in a spot where we can easily see it, because that helps with motivation; it sits on a bookshelf in our school room. A clear jar is best so we can see how full it’s getting. We bought our jar at Hobby Lobby for $1, and let Kathryn pick what color gems she wanted. I tied a bit of yarn around the neck of the jar and attached a little tag that reminds us what goal Kathryn is working towards.

I set out the glass gems Kathryn has earned, but she enjoys putting them in the jar.

Some examples of Kathryn’s current list of chores and how many gems she earns for doing them:

Morning chores done by 9AM: 2 gems
“Daily” schoolwork done before lunch: 1 gem
Feed and water Lacy: 1 gem
Brush Lacy: 1 gem
Shower in 15 minutes or less: 2 gems
Ready for bed in 15 minutes or less: 2 gems
Help cook dinner: 2 gems
Help shop and put away groceries: 2 gems
Bring in your dirty laundry and put away clean: 1 gem
Clean bathroom sink, counter, and mirror: 3 gems
Put away clean silverware from dishwasher: 1 gem

The more difficult — or more complained about — chores earn more than the simpler ones. It also provides an opportunity to focus on little problems, too, like excessively long showers or bedtime dawdling. If she does something above and beyond, like the day she helped us clean out the garage, we can give her extra gems.

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: family life, homemaking

Bake Sale Goodies!

on December 7, 2010

Last Wednesday, Kathryn and I made goodies for the GA’s Bake Sale. That evening, the girls went around church selling treats to all the folks there for Wednesday night activities. All proceeds went to the Lottie Moon Offering, and the girls made over $400!

The “indoor s’mores” we made require ooey gooey chocolatey goodness…

I think this little vanilla bottle is so cute because it looks a bit like an old-fashioned glass bottle, even though it’s actually plastic.

We mixed our ooey-gooey chocolate/marshmallow goodness into Golden Grahams cereal, sprinkled in a few extra marshmallows, and spread it in a pan so it could chill in the refrigerator.

Later, we cut the s’mores into squares, and Kathryn wrapped them individually. It was rather torturous to not be able to EAT all this goodness, but a few bits did “accidentally” fall off {wink, wink}, so we sampled those.

Want to make ‘em for yourself?

INDOOR S’MORES
8 cups Golden Grahams cereal (13oz box)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 cups mini marshmallows (10oz bag)
5 Tbsp butter/margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup light corn syrup (optional)

Melt 5 cups marshmallows (save one cup for later), chocolate chips, butter, and corn syrup in saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Butter 13x9x2-inch pan.

Pour cereal into large bowl. Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal; stir until evenly coated. Stir in remaining one cup marshmallows.

Press mixture into buttered pan with back of spoon. Cool at least one our or until firm. Cut into 24 bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: recipes

Super-Secret Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

on November 6, 2010

Homemade oatmeal cookies make every day a little bit better.

Fresh out of the oven. Don’t you wish this photo was scratch-n-sniff?

It’s impossible to keep these cookies around for long. Even for a photo.

But they do make for happy faces, like Ken’s as he enjoys a still-warm cookie with a mug of cold milk.

Shall I share my super-secret recipe? I got it from the back of an old metal canister, but not the [newer] canister in the photos above. I actually don’t know that happened to that old one, but I did write it down, and put the recipe in my handy dandy little binder.

So since I love y’all…

OATMEAL COOKIES

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable shortening (Note: if you use vegetable oil, the cookies will be flatter; if you use shortening, it’s very hard to mix. So I usually do about 1/4 cup shortening + 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

optional: add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips. (Our favorite add-in is swirled chocolate chips!)

Beat together shortening, sugars, egg, water, and vanilla. Add combined remaining ingredients, and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: recipes

Apple Oat Muffin Recipe

on October 20, 2010

Kathryn and I made some seriously yummy muffins last week, and they’ve gone over so well in our house (even with my oh-so-picky child), that I wanted to share this recipe with you. I think they’re perfect for this time of year!

Apple Oat Muffins

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp applesauce (instead of veg. oil)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded apple (Granny Smith or other slightly tart apple would be best)

Preheat oven to 400 F. In large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & ground cinnamon.

In medium bowl, with fork, beat buttermilk, oil, and egg til well blended; stir in shredded apples. Add apple mixture to flour mixture; stir til flour mixture is moist. Batter will be thick & lumpy. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pan. Bake 20 – 25 minutes. Makes 12 standard-size muffins.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we have!

(Note: post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for details.)

Filed Under: homemaking Tagged With: recipes

Fun Antique Find

on August 7, 2010

For some reason, shopping has always been the way my mom and I do quality time. We don’t necessarily buy anything, but we chat and browse. Nowadays, we’d prefer to rummage though a great “junk store” than shop for clothes. Today, while doing a little antiquing with her, I found this positively delightful Popular Photography magazine from February 1946. It’s fantastic!

The cover is not in perfect condition, but I’ll find some sort of sleeve or something to put it in. Isn’t it beautiful, though?

The inside, however, is pretty much perfect, and I’m actually interested in the articles. A few I’m especially looking forward to reading are:

“So This is Cheesecake” [cheesy 40's pin-up style photography]
“Photographers Ran the War”
“Philippe Halsman–Modern Portraiture” [he made portraits of film stars like Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Lauren Bacall!]