Looking Forward to Spring

Little Dorothy is looking forward to spring. 

Today is the last day of winter!!  Here in Indiana that means 50's by day, and 30's by night.  It also means no more snow and ice.  And, some times we get a day or two of 60's or 70's.  We do get a lot of rain, but that brings flowers and green grass.

Another great thing about spring is the end of tax season in a month.  My husband is hanging in there.  He is such a hard worker.  I admire this ability to continue on day after day.  I am also thankful for his good job. And we know this season will end, making our lives a lot nicer.

This week my homeschoolers and I have been on a spring break.  My public school child is off next week for two weeks.  Grace and Trevor enjoyed three days with their Nana.  I enjoyed a quiet house!  I cleaned our carpets, too.  And I got the garage refrigerator cleaned out.  I am not sure what else I will do.  I'd love to clean the windows, but am not ready to remove the plastic.

So that is what is going on around here.  I hope you are enjoying the start of spring, too!
~Jenn

This and That

It's the Monday after daylight savings time!  Mondays are hard enough.  Tax season is hard. Trying to get over this cold has been hard. Add to an already full calendar,  and you get a bad case of spring break fever. Thankfully we are home scholars and can switch up our schedule to suit our needs. But, we need to hang in there one more week. Then I'm sending my students to grandma's house for a few days! While they are away, I will start spring cleaning.  They can help finish when they get back.  Time to evict the dust bunnies. 

I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that we can get outside and get the yard back in shape!

A Happy Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving this year. Typically I stress out about hosting. Thankfully this year was different.  I started praying for a peaceful heart several days in advance. I prayed over my menu. I prayed over my housekeeping plan. I hired my kids at $5 an hour to help with little projects that were out of the ordinary,  like vacuuming the stairs, washing cabinets,  and dusting baseboards. It ended up that I only needed one man hour.  I had a great plan, and started the Monday before Thanksgiving,  each day after lessons. By Thursday, only a few things had to be done.  And the day went pretty well, too!

The "Blizzard" of 2014

Good morning friends!  Life is starting to return to normal as our blizzard-like adventure wraps up.  Jeff went back to work today.  I am still waiting to hear from him about how the roads are. Local schools are still closed.  AWANA was canceled for tonight, for which I am extremely grateful.

It all started last Friday, when we decided to heed the storm warning and load up at the grocery store.  We, along with the rest of Indiana, all had the same idea.  I was amused to see empty shelves, especially a run on bacon.  Really?  I didn't know that bacon was a storm staple.  Now I do and will be sure to get a few packages next time.  The usual things were gone, but that didn't bother me too much, as I like to buy organic or as close as possible and those are the last things to run out.

Saturday, was pretty much a normal day, thankfully.  We had to go to the BMV, and Jeff took Ryan to a local college basketball game.  I made a batch of chili, and was thankful we avoided the crazy people at the grocery stores on Saturday, as reports were coming in from Facebook that things were getting worse at the stores hour by hour.

And then  "it" hit us Sunday morning.  Our dear church leaders had already encouraged us to stay home and watch the service online.  Thankfully, Ryan and Grace's scheduled service in children's ministry was canceled, another wise call.  We all five snuggled into the sectional and watched church via our Chromebook hooked up to our TV as huge, fluffy snowflakes started to fall and continued to fall all day.

The snow really came down hard and fast, at an inch an hour.  The temperatures started to drop, too.  And the wind was howling by evening.  Jeff and the kids kept the driveway and sidewalks clear, as we knew the temperatures were falling to below zero overnight and we would not be able to shovel on Monday.

Monday came.  Oh my, it came!  We woke to temperatures of -10 below with windchills of -30.  The house struggled to keep above 65.  We celebrated Epiphany with Jeff leading us in prayer, our nativity, and some cinnamon buns.  I was so thankful to have electricity, not everyone did in our area.  We also managed to have a normal school day.  Jeff set himself up in the office to study tax things.  I made us fajitas for dinner.  I also made us a pumpkin cake!

Tuesday arrived and we were now -15.  Jeff had to stay home again because the interstate he takes to work was closed.  It was a sheet of ice.  No chemicals can work on the ice in these conditions. Still, we managed to keep warm and have a normal school day.  I made awesome turkey noodle soup with homemade stock from a turkey I roasted Sunday.  My we were eating well during this storm!  Finally, the temperatures rose above 0, but the roads remained closed all day.  We watched part of Gone With the Wind to pass the time.

Today, as I said above, Jeff is back at work.  I just received a text from him saying the roads were icy in patches, but thank God he made it safely.  The temperatures are supposed to be in the 20's today.  We could get an inch of snow later.  But by Saturday, we are supposed to get rain and be in the 40's.  What a weather week!

Settling In

In the last few weeks, we have been working hard to make our new home, home.  We have yet to hang things on the walls.  That always takes time.  I need to make sure furniture is not going to get moved and I need to see where to put old favorites.  However, boxes are empty and we are able to park one vehicle in the garage, a sign that we are almost there.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.  Besides working on the house, we hosted a family birthday party for Trevor's 12th birthday and visited a favorite state park, which is now less than an hour away.

Coming Up For Air, Briefly

The past month has been quite eventful.  We love our new home and location.  Jeff continues to enjoy his new position as well, making it all worth the effort.  Some of the highlights of this month:

• Jeff and I celebrated 19 years of marriage.
• We closed on our house almost 2 weeks earlier than planned, making our packing a bit challenging.  
• We moved two days before my birthday. 
• I turned 46 (!) spending the day cleaning up the rental house. 
• We got back to our lessons while unpacking.
• We started looking for a newer van. 
• My baby turned 12!  

Here are a few random pictures I took this last month.  

Wordless Wednesday: Sprucing Up

Been Doing a Little Baking

Hello friends.  I was going to post this for Wordless Wednesday, but decided it would not be fair to post yummy pictures without any details! 

What is it that when the fall air turns cooler, I suddenly feel like baking again?  The family rejoices.  I groan because the temptation is usually too great for me and my weight loss stalls or worse!  But, it is fall and I want to bake! 

These pumpkin muffins are a favorite of ours.  I can't recall where I found the recipe.  I liked it because it had the most pumpkin in a recipe that I've ever seen.  The typical recipes just has a bit of pumpkin in them.  These muffins are going camping with us soon. 

Pumpkin Muffins

In a mixing bowl combine:  2 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup of oil (or apple sauce), 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin, and 1 cup white sugar.  To that add:  1 1/2 cups of  whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. (If I don't have those spices, I substitute cinnamon and ginger.)  Mix.  350 oven for 12-15 minutes.  12 muffins. 

The oat bars are a recipe I found from Lisa at Olive Plants All Around My Table.  They are excellent!  I did add a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon to my bars.  And I substituted dates for the raisins, as that is what I had on hand.  I will be making these again, soon, also for camping. 

So, how about you?  Been doing any baking, lately?  

WW: Homemade

This Week At Home, 2012, Week 20

Little notes I write to remember each precious one!

Ryan and our Dorothy, the blur. 

Monday...

Praise the Lord for rain and a cooler day!  The rain came through while we were sleeping, but left cooler temps.  I was a bit worried when it reached 90 this weekend.

Today I had three or four simple goals that turned into a total tidy of the house and working on mountains of laundry.   We changed all the linens on all the beds.  Picked up and put away things.  Got the bathrooms clean.

The kids also got their Summer Enrichment Program up and going.  That's our fancy name for summer school.  They don't want me to use the "s" word. 

Dinner was a simple chef salad to use up some vegetables that needed eaten.  Plus, we have had such feasts all weekend long that we needed to be "good" tonight. 

Park playdate!

Tuesday...

I am loving, loving, loving this weather!  It's sunny, warm, and there is no humidity!  We are also loving our Summer Enrichment work.  The younger two actually begged me to start reading aloud again.  So we started reading The Phantom Tollbooth, a funny story about a boy's travels through an imaginary world.  The youngest also finished their first week of spelling work, getting all their words correct on the post test.  And they both did a little math.  Trevor exclaimed tonight,"I love summer school!"  (Score one for mom.) 

After lunch, we spread a blanket on the trampoline and enjoyed the sunshine,and some giggles.  We also were able to see our bird friends, the Scarlet Tanagers, which only visit the tree tops! 

Dinner was an experiment. I took my regular meatloaf recipe, shaped it into a round flat circle, put it in the middle of the crock pot and put four pricked potatoes around it.  I wasn't sure the potatoes will cook right, not being cut up, but the whole thing was a success!  I am going to do this again.  It's nice not having to heat up the kitchen.  (Still no oven and no word about when that will change.) 

Library time!

Wednesday...

Ah, Wednesday!  The weather continues to be perfect, by the way.  It's warm, but the humidity is low.  Yippee!  Today, we took our little friend to the bakery and library.  Then we  went home for grilled cheese.  We also had the pleasure of  meeting friends at a park in the afternoon.   We had a nice time at the park with our friends.  The mom has been Grace's small group leader this year in Sunday school, and I've known her forever, too.  Our sons are great buddies, so it was nice to get them together.  We didn't do formal studies today.  Life was enriching enough! 

Dinner was chicken brats, brown rice, and steamed zucchini.  The handy man called and is coming tomorrow morning!  I may have an oven next week! 

New shelves installed, waiting to be painted.  Old stove on the floor. 

Thursday...

Jeff is off today!  It's a day for mowing, running errands, karate, babysitting, and the men came to demo the kitchen!  That leaves me without a working stove/oven now until sometime next week.  They removed the upper and lower cabinets and built an upper and lower shelf.  It's not ideal, as I did not have cabinet space to loose, but I think it will work since that is the only option without getting a totally new kitchen.  The new stove/oven will be so nice.  And right now I am getting really skilled at cooking without one.  I do miss baking, a lot.


Friday...

Packing up and shipping out!  See you Tuesday!!  

Lake Michigan! 

Too Busy or Blessed!

Merriam Webster defines busy as :

a : engaged in action : occupied b : being in use busy>

2

: full of activity : bustling busy seaport>

3

: foolishly or intrusively active : meddling

4

: full of distracting detail busy design>

Thankfully, I can eliminate the "foolishly or intrusively active" definition from my life, but the others fit, especially this week before a major holiday.  It is time to take a deep breath and get to work.  Another praise is that I have been faithfully cleaning my house the last several weeks, so this is not going to be as hard as it could have been.  And I am not doing ALL the cooking.  (Praise God!)

This is my plan inspired by Like Mother, Like Daughter's recent post on how to get ready for Thanksgiving.

Monday...

We still have gym,dance, and a full day of lessons.  In between all this, I am going to get the laundry all caught up and put upstairs to be put away before bed.  Then, I am going to work on the non-public areas.  They are mostly tidy, I will just vacuum, dust and swipe down the two upstairs bathrooms. 

Tuesday...

No school today or for the rest of the week!  After a walk at the park with my walking buddy, I will make a grocery run for last minute items.  I'll keep the kids busy with making a banner to hang in the dining room, name cards, and things like vacuuming the stairs, getting cobwebs down, and sweeping the front porch area.  They may decide they would rather do school.  *grins*  

Wednesday...

Today I will make ahead as much of the food as possible.  I will also clean the guest areas of our home.  We have church tonight, too.  

Here are the foods I am responsible for:  gravy, rolls, macaroni (homemade), sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn pudding, fruit, a cake for an uncle's birthday which is Thanksgiving, whipped cream, and drinks/ice.

Thursday...

My biggest concern will be for my attitude!  I must remain thankful for a house full of loving family and not resentful of the work.  Many, many years I went to someone else's home and now it is my turn to rise to the occasion.  Am I really too busy or just blessed? 

So, how are you getting ready for the big  day?  

~Jenn 

This song says it well... 
 

Afternoons

Afternoons have ALWAYS been very difficult for me to get into a solid routine.  I am a morning person.  I am full of energy (after my coffee).  I can get so much done in the hours between 6 and 8AM.  So, why is it that between 2 and 5 PM, after lessons, I am dragging and struggling to finish strong?  Oh, I do some light chores, like folding laundry, or making muffins, but I am willing myself to keep going, and more likely than not, I am folding clothes while watching a favorite show via Netflix, like Hoarders. There should be some relaxation time, as I've been going for 8 hours at that point.  But there needs to be balance,too. I have tried and failed so many times to structure my afternoons.  I have prayed for the strength of character that I need to keep my focus during these hours. 

Here is my proposed plan: 
(Of course this is only on days we are home between 2 and 6)

2PM Go to Flylady's page and do the day's mission.  This doesn't take much time and it is fun since I know I will be challenging myself to get this done.  (Involve kids) 

**This is also a good time to deal with the leaves, if needed. We try to keep on top of the leaves instead of waiting for them all to drop.  Ryan can do most on his own, but I usually push mow for half the time, getting areas hard for the rider.

2:30PM  Fold laundry and PUT it away!!!  (Involve kids)

3-4PM My rest time. Kids should have room time, too)

4PM  Return phone calls, check email, etc.,

4:30PM start before dinner routine, cycle dishes and laundry, set table, chop vegetables, do any prep work.  Make any items that we need for the week like muffins, hummus, or bread.  (with Grace)

5PM  Start Dinner, be ready to eat by 5:30, most nights.

I'll let you know how it goes.
Jenn

Monday Meanderings

Good Monday morning to you!  Oh, yes indeed, it was another busy weekend for us.  And we are tired.  I find myself wanting to hide from the world outside my doors this week so that I can get some progress made on the house inside.  There are just too many things out of place for me to be at peace.  That said...  Here is a bit of encouragement for you all this fine Monday morning. 

"The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe.  "The beauty of Thy peace" shines forth in an ordered life.  A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul."

 -Elisabeth Elliot

"Those who walk uprightly enter into peace."   Isaiah 57:2

So, What am I going to do?  I am going to make a plan, invite my children to help me, and then I am going to pray that I do not sin in my attitude in the midst of digging out of this mess.  And if I have to, I might just figure out a way to stay home until it gets done!

Gleaning From the Past

Good Monday morning to you all! It was a lovely weekend here. The temperatures are below normal and it was raining yesterday, giving my gardener the weekend off from watering. *grins*

I find myself in a seeking mood.  I am drawn to all things old.  I have a thirsty desire to glean from ages past, especially the late 1800's to early 1900's.    This knowledge that I am seeking is all about home keeping.

Last night I curled up with a couple good "books", I will call them books, for it was indeed from my computer that I read.  Gutenberg.org is one of my favorite sites.

The first is called, The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton.  This book is more geared to a household with servants.  It was fun to read, anyway.  I just read the parts pertaining to the mistress of the house.  It has volumes on each servant's role.  Very interesting.  However, since I do not employ a house full of servants, the next book was more relevant. 


I also read bits from The Easiest Way in Housekeeping and Cooking by Helen Campbell. Some of the ideas are a little out dated, but there are real gems in these old books too.  I really liked the chapter entitled, "A Day's Work" in Mrs. Campbell's book.  The first sentence amused me.  Finally someone who understands! 

"It is safe to say that no class of women in the civilized world is
subjected to such incessant trials of temper, and such temptation to be
fretful, as the American housekeeper."

I like this quote, too. 

"In the beginning, then, be sure of one thing,--that all the wisdom you
have or can acquire, all the patience and tact and self-denial you can
make yours by the most diligent effort, will be needed every day and every
hour of the day. Details are in themselves wearying, and to most men their
relation to housekeeping is unaccountable. The day's work of a systematic
housekeeper would confound the best-trained man of business. In the
woman's hand is the key to home-happiness, but it is folly to assert that
all lies with her. Let it be felt from the beginning that her station is a
difficult one, that her duties are important, and that judgment and skill
must guide their performance; let boys be taught the honor that lies in
such duties,--and there will be fewer heedless and unappreciative
husbands."

I am also revisiting Mrs. Child's book, The American Frugal Housewife .  

I plan to look for more books in this line of thinking.  My library is in want 

of any that I can find on my own. 

Do you have any good old books you might 

recommend? (Or blogs?)  

A Cure for the Unmotivated Homemaker

Not writing this to step on any toes, but Monday is a great day to get off on the right foot, so to speak.  I hear quite often around blogland that someone is feeling "unmotivated" to get busy and down to work of taking care of their family.  I admit feeling this way too, sometimes.  This is how I get myself in gear.  I ask myself one simple question.

1. Do I have a husband who got himself out of bed very early this morning to go to work in order to provide for my well being and comfort (in other words deny himself)?  

(Well, uh, YES!  He did get up early and go off to work with a happy heart! )

This is usually the only question I need to ask myself to get myself out of a bad attitude.  If I still find it hard to get moving in the right direction after getting my daily Bible reading and coffee, here is my second string list of things to do to get motivated.

1. Pray for a right heart attitude.  Remember how blessed I am to be home and how important it is for me to set the tone of my domain.  No one else is going to do this for me.  Or perhaps I will allow the outside distractions to have victory? 
2. Turn on some big band music via Pandora  free radio.  Have you a Pandora account?  Music is a great motivator for me! 
3. Get myself clean and dressed.  Put on my pretty apron.  Dress for my job.  
4. Make a list of things that need to be done, but don't make it so long that it is discouraging.  
5. Get my kids to join in.  Many hands make the work light. 
6. Start a load of clothes.  
7. Fill the sink with warm soapy water.  (It will always get me in the mood to clean the kitchen!) 
8. Empty the dishwasher.  
9. Make sure I have a plan for dinner.  This should be number one, actually.  If I lack inspiration or desire here, it is easy to find menu ideas with little effort online.  If you find yourself slacking here, remember, would your husband get away with that kind of an attitude at his job?  Providing meals to your family is an essential part of our role.  We can't afford to be a slacker.

By the time I do these simple things, I am moving and in no time the house will be tidy and there will be plenty of time to enjoy the things I enjoy!

Making Yogurt in a Crock Pot

Good Monday morning to you!  I hope you had a great weekend. I am on the mend, although, I think it is going to take another week to get rid of this cough, if I follow the same course as my husband.  You remember him?  He is the one who gave this rotten cold to me!  He is also the one who gave me flowers, did laundry, ran out and got me more tissues, and took over for me at Sunday school.  So, it's hard to be mad at such a kind and caring guy. 

Anyhow, the point of this post is not to chit chat.  I want to talk about yogurt. 
I've always wanted to try making yogurt in a crock pot.  What could be more wonderful?  What could be more wholesome?  So, I did some searching and found this supposedly easy  recipe. 

My main concern was that my crock pot is a lot bigger than 4 quarts and it can get pretty hot on low.  I also did not want to double the recipe since I had never tried it before.  I wondered if I should use the low setting or the warm setting.  Since I could not know without trying, I decided to give it a whirl on low.  Although, I did it with some fear and trembling.  How I hate to waste good milk!

This is all you need?

Well,when it was all over, I am sad to say all I got was yogurt soup!   I am so bummed that it did not turn out.  I don't know what happened. But here are some of my suspicions.   It might have been the crock pot being too big and too hot.  Or maybe the yogurt I buy is not good enough with the cultures?  

I can say that I am not going to try again right now because I will have to see about borrowing a smaller crock pot and then get more precious milk.  I really did think that I followed the simple directions faithfully.

Oh well, you live and learn.  And, I really love my Trader Joe's big containers of yogurt, so...  maybe I won't bother to try again at all.  But if you find a good recipe to try and have success, please come back and tell me. I still think it is a neat idea.  

Goals for the Week

I’m finding a need to be a bit SMART {specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time sensitive} with my plans and goals for this week! So here is the plan…

Home Management

• Do dishes every night before bed
• Sweep kitchen floor every morning
• Do 10 minute pick up every afternoon and as needed
• Clean bathrooms daily (train/ teach kids again)
• Mop floors as needed (kids help)
• Purge!  Purge!  Purge! 

 Relationships

• Write one letter to a shut-in this week.
• Hug my kids every day. 
• Look for opportunities to serve my husband (go above and beyond)
• Lunch with visiting grandma

Reading

• Read one chapter a day for pure enjoyment.

Health

• Take at least 3 walks or bike rides this week.  Does not matter how fast or far, just do it! 
• Limit sugar, keep eating those fruits, whole grains and veggies
• Find more healthy snack ideas that will appeal to the kids
• Take time to chop veggies, make salads, bake healthy bread (In other words, don't be lazy in this area!)
  

General

• Do not turn on the computer until morning chores are done, not even for a quick check of spam on cbox
• Buy some Easter treats  
• Plan our little kitchen garden

I will let you all know how I do later in the week.  What are some of your goals for this week?