Summertime, Socially Distanced of Course

Our summer is quickly coming to an end with schools starting soon.  Our oldest goes back to college in two weeks!  The youngest goes in three weeks and our middle goes in 4.  Three kids at 3 different schools is fun, really.  I am thankful they are all in-state.  We are 1 hour and 15 minutes from two of the schools and 1 hour 30 minutes from the other.  They are just far enough away that coming home is possible but not likely to happen too often.  For the first month, they will stay put and we will come to them if they need anything.  The semester will go quickly as they will all be home for 8 weeks the end of  November.  Already looking forward to it! 

Monday our state becomes a masked state.  I know it is a controversy, especially if you have clinical reasons not to wear a mask.  I just wear mine and go about my life.  Hopefully, this trial will ease some soon. 

We did manage to get up to Lake Michigan for a day trip on Jeff's staycation week.  We were able to avoid the crowded beach.  We had a yummy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.  We walked up a dune trail.  We sat on the beach and read books while Grace produced a lovely watercolor.  I never want to take for granted again these times with my kids at the beach.  I was tempted to despair a little.  I wanted a week at the beach, not 3 hours!  But I realized that 3 hours was more than some get so I needed to be thankful for them.  

We have been riding our bikes, playing disc golf, walking to the little park when the weather is not unbearable. We were going to go camping but the weather turned super hot and humid so we have put that on hold for September and October.  I am looking forward to camping this fall, something Jeff and I can do together without children.  

Speaking of the empty nest, since the kids have been home since March, I am ready to send them off!  It is time for them to be working towards something productive. Yes, I will miss the daily interactions.  I will probably not hear from the oldest very often.  I will eagerly await any and all text messages.  Thankfully, I have been down this road a couple times now and I am prepared for the emotional toll.  I am actually looking forward to a few of the perks of the empty nest, especially, less food to buy and fewer dishes to wash.  It has been 22 years since Jeff and I lived alone.  

Summertime freedom is almost over but there is still a lot of summer left to enjoy! 

Saving My Sanity Right Now

Curbside pick-up!

I don't know about you, but routine grocery shopping has never been something I love to do.  I say routine, because, I did love grocery shopping with my dear husband when grocery shopping dates were a thing.  We used to go to Trader Joe and Costco while the kids were at youth activities at church.  Those were the days!  Now, well, shopping is my sole job and I prefer to be as quick as possible.  Enter curbside pickup!

First, you put a fun little app on your phone to build your list as you go.  All I have to do is notice that I am running low on an item, quickly grab my phone and add it to my list.  I don't have to spend time thinking about what we need.  As the week goes along, I see my bill rising.  Sometimes the growing total prompts me to take off an item or two to keep under budget.  It's rather useful as a budgeting tool.  I have also taken my app out when shopping at another store to compare prices. 

Once my list is finished, I reserve my time slot and wait for my grocery fairies to go to work for me.  There are a few things I usually like to pick out myself, so I still go to another smaller store to get those things, fresh produce and meat on sale.  But that trip is quick and usually a few days later so I can also pick up anything that we may be low on at the moment or is a better deal at that store.  I am usually out and about anyway so I can make this an easy stop. 

At the appointed hour, I hop into my van, drive 7 minutes to the big box store and wait for the nice, friendly people to load me up.  I actually cannot imagine walking around a big grocery store gathering all this stuff all by myself!  I used to do that with 3 kids???  Another perk is that sometimes my darling husband will stop and pick up the groceries for me on his way home.  I do not like to use this option very often because I would rather have him home as soon as possible, but it is a good plan B. 

So, that's my current sanity saver!  Do you use grocery pickup?  Do you have anything saving your sanity right now? 

Let's Talk About Routines

Hello friends!  Like a lot of homemakers, I have been all over the place with routines in my 25 years of being home.  Probably like most people, I go for spurts and then life happens and I get off track.  When I first found Fly Lady, back in the days of homeschooling littles, I thought my life was set!! I had found my guru!! I remember printing out routines each week with a grid labeled Monday through Sunday.  Nothing would make me happier than checking those boxes off.  And I think along the way I learned to be more organized. 

Flash forward to this past year, again with littles and a house that needs my attention.  (Just an aside here, this stage of life is hard.  As moms, we labor to raise our babies, teaching them to do chores alongside us, and they grow up and become a vital part of the housekeeping team, but then they leave you but said chores do not go away! So here I am with work to do and fewer hands to do the work.) 

It came to my attention a few months ago that dear Fly Lady now has a free smartphone app. Glory be!  All her routines in one place and I can add my own for customization!  Plus I can check them off as I go, a win. 

Right now, my goal is to have my morning routine done before babies arrive between 8 and 8:15AM.  It goes better if I get up at 5:30, but I have not mastered that yet. 

Morning Routine

• Make bed
• Ride bike 20-30 minutes
• Get dressed to shoes (includes a shower, teeth, etc...) 
• Eat breakfast
• Empty dishwasher
• Start a load of laundry
• Kitty box #1
• Cat bowls changed 
• Swish & swipe bathroom(s)
• Powder room reboot
• Adjust thermostat
• Talk to my precious mom

Then, I try to get my afternoon routine done by the end of naptime, usually 3PM. 

Afternoon Routine

• What's for dinner?
• What can I do now to make dinner easier later? (Lazy Genius question)
• Drink your water ( my cue to refill my water bottle)
• Reboot laundry
• Fold clothes
• Homeschool paperwork/emails 
• Sweep kitchen
• Be a reader!

I am usually pretty good at getting both morning and afternoon routines done, but my after-dinner routine suffers at times, depending on if there is an after-dinner activity or a dreadful attack of apathy occurs. My future self depends on this routine happening, but so far it is the hardest to make happen. 

After Dinner/Before Bed Routine

• Check calendar and forecast
• Hot spot clean up (dining room table is usually the worst offender)
• Shine your sink
• Vacuum living room, set up for babies (I do this in the morning a lot.) 
• Personal hygiene
• Go to bed at a decent hour
• Kitty box #2
• Put away laundry
• Bible

I am blessed to have Mondays off to get errands run, appointments made, groceries bought and my house blessed.  The key to Fly Lady's weekly home blessing is to do the middles!  Set your timer for 15 minutes and quickly go through each item.  It does take me longer than an hour but I do not mind.  Fly Lady also breaks the house into 5 zones and there are lists to do in each zone as well as weekly missions.  I am hit or miss on those.  She suggests a daily 15 minute decluttering, but I try to at least do a weekly one.  This summer I plan to do a daily one in the garage.  I need to purge in there but it is too cold right now. 

My Weekly Home Blessing

• Vacuum
• Dust
• Mop
• Windows/sliding glass door
• Trash/recycling
• Tend to plants (water, fertilize) 
• Change sheets
• Change bath towels
• Save the veggies (My own reminder)
• Declutter in this week's zone 

How about you?  Do you have routines?  Do you wing it?  I'd love to know.  :) 

Time For a Reboot

Well hello, friends!!

I am back.  I am going to pick up where I left off because so much has happened in almost 2 years, 2 years!!!  Anyway, I am going to blog to please myself, record my hum-drum life so that I can remember these precious days the Lord has blessed me with.  So let us do get on with it!!!  :)

My most beloved kitchen appliance, my slow cooker, died last week.  I have been known as The Queen of the Crockpot around my circles for awhile. I mean I really loved that thing!!!!  We were joined at the hip.  And it was a nice one, an All-Clad!!!  It lasted for over 10 years.  I always told myself that if anything happened to it, I would rush out and get a new one.

Enter the Instant Pot!!  My father purchased this Instant Pot a few years ago and never used it beyond the first few times experimenting.  He, bless his heart, decided to give it to me, way before my slow cooker died.  I was always curious about them and scared to death of them at the same time!  Silly really.

I have decided to give it a go, a real go.  I am going to wait for 6 months and see if I can live without my slow cooker.  This one is a basic model, 6 quarts.  I think it will do fine with my shrinking family.  (3 in college this coming fall!)

I just love how the Lord orchestrates things like this.  He knew my slow cooker was going to die. He knew my Dad had an unloved Instant Pot. He even knew that Walmart pick up was going to give me 36 eggs for the price of 12 this week.  (What??)  So my first pressure cooking will be of hard-boiled eggs!  Wish me luck!!

Protecting the Food Supply

Protecting the food supply is one of my most important jobs as a homemaker.  It involves so many aspects of economy.  Aspects that I have had to develop over the last 22 years.

The biggest part of this job is shopping for food. Looking for deals, using coupons, writing a menu and making a list takes time. Going to more than one store is also a good idea, thus shopping the sale ads.  I admit that I do not do this as often as I should.  One of my excuses being that we have too small of a small freezer.  One day I hope to have a separate freezer in the garage again.  Another excuse being that I dislike shopping.  I really need to work on this attitude.  I realize that I am blessed to have the resources to go to different stores to seek out bargains.

Another big part of protecting the food supply is rotating the food that I buy.  I have a dark, small, but deep pantry.  It is so easy to put things in and forget that I have them.  It is also easy to open a new item before using up an old of the same item unless I keep a watchful eye on things in the pantry.  At the beginning of the year, I took everything out of the pantry and reorganized.  I also updated my family on the new arrangement so that they would be able to help maintain order.  So far, so good!

Cooking the food might seem like a no-brainer part of protecting the food supply.  How many times do I buy something and then forget to make it before it goes bad?  Vegetables usually fall into this category.  I really hate tossing produce.  I have also been known to buy something because it is a bargain and then have no plan as for how to use it.

Storing the food properly is also crucial to protecting the food supply.  When I get home from a shopping trip, I must put things into the freezer that will be used later in the week.  I must make sure that leftover food is used up or frozen.  Eating leftovers cuts down on waste only if they are indeed eaten.

Reducing waste is a top priority and a big job.  Because I have the privilege of staying home to care for my family, the job falls to me.  It helps us stay out of the drive through, too!

Snapshots From Around the Home

A few snapshots from around the home... 

 Visiting our uncle who is in the hospital. 

 Making bread. 

 Playing games. 

Messages with Scrabble letters.

Our feeder's stalker has taken two doves. :( 

That One Room

We have lived in our home for three years!  I say that with some amazement, as these years have really flown by.  For Thanksgiving, we moved the dining set into the dining area for the first time since living here.  I do not like eating on carpet, so we were using the dining area as a sitting room and eating in the kitchen nook.  Well, I finally decided to give moving into the dining area  atry now that we are all over 14 and I really love it. We have a lot more room.  And as an added bonus, I have a room in my home that stays pretty clutter free, too.  We all need that one room!  Here are some pictures.  It certainly is not fancy, but it makes me so happy to have this dedicated space.  I did not know what I was missing.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

It is perhaps the most wonderful time of the year when all is blooming or about to bloom.  It seems the grass could not be any greener and cannot grow any faster, too.  There is an almost constant hum of lawn mowers about.  We are no longer in survival mode.  We thrive!  (Well, try not think about the allergies this season brings!)

Tomorrow our home learners will have reached day 180, which is always a great day.  They have loved their online school.  Each has grown in ways that have surprised and delighted me.  God blessed our efforts beyond my expectations.

We are looking forward to some time off but the kids will be very busy with a couple trips, camps, a youth group overnight outing, and band camp for the oldest.  The few weeks of summer will go quickly.

It is a time to grow things, ride bikes, read for pleasure, swim, create, and enjoy all our blessings.  It is blooming time for plants and our own lives as well!

Found Treasure

This past week, I went to three thrift stores looking for spring shirts for my boys.  I found a little more!  I really enjoy thrift stores.  But you do have to go with an open mind, and be prepared to hunt for what you need at several stores.  I usually tack on a thrift store outing with another errand, so that I am not wasting gas.  I regret the early days of my marriage when I thought thrift stores were tacky.  Oh the money I threw away!!!

Winter Survival Tips

The older I get, the less I like winter.  I suppose it has to do with a fear of driving in snow, mostly.  Also a loss of freedom to be outside without extreme measures to keep warm.  And I terribly miss camping this time of the year.  Not to mention the longing I feel to see my flower friends!

They still love winter!

So in recent years, I have decided to make an effort to combat this dislike of basically half the year.  I have come up with some winter rituals to keep me focused on the good parts of this time of the year.

1.  Celebrate the minor holidays.

After Christmas and New Year celebrations, the winter can really start to feel like a drag.  That is why I have made an effort to celebrate holidays like Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. We also are blessed to have two winter birthdays, so I try to make those special as well.

For instance, my husband's birthday is this month.  We typically try to go up to see his mother for the day and take a winter hike at our favorite park.  This year he is asking for birthday  money for a hotel room so we can stay the night.  The hotel has a pool, so this will be like a mini vacation.  It gives me something to look forward to in January.

2.  Read good books.

I love to read, but find that I have less time to read during the school year when I am teaching my children. This is only a perception, really.  I have found that if I make time, it happens, so, I make time!  Each winter I like to read a favorite book about winter, The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I usually get the book from our library, but this year, my dear husband bought me a hardback copy of my very own! I will also make time to read other books.  I am going to carve into my day a time for reading, perhaps along with a warm drink, a blanket and some quiet music.

3.  Mind your health.

I started taking extra vitamin D several years ago during the winter when I thought I was struggling with the winter blues.  I really think it helps.  Plus, it helps me stay healthy.  I've not been nearly as sick as I used to be.  I also exercise five days a week.  I make an extra effort to increase fruits and vegetables in the winter. And, I drink lots of water.

4.  Find a hobby.

I feed birds.  I grow violets.  I play with  my cats.  Just do something inside that makes you smile.  This helps me to not think so much about the summer hobbies that I miss, like gardening.

5.  Make soup!

I can't tell you how much I enjoy making chicken stock.  It is an all day process.  It means I will be home all day tending my stockpot, and I thrive on days at home.  It has taken me awhile to learn how to make really good stock.  I think I was trying to rush it. You don't have to make it on the stove, though.   Here is a fantastic crockpot recipe.

6.  Serve others.

During winter,it is easy for me to forget others around me, especially when I am in a hibernating mood.  My goal this winter is to reach out to others, like older relations, and make a connection.  This will stretch me.  I will have to drive more.  I will have to risk coming into contact with germs!  My action plan is to have lunch with my adopted grandma once a month.  I also will send cards to others in my family who are not online.  I would like to say that I will have a friend over, but that could be pushing it.  :)


Basically, I have found that if I dread winter, I end up wasting half my life wishing for summer.  In Indiana, winter is a part of life.  It is OK to slow down and enjoy the best parts.

Getting Ready For Christmas

The day after Thanksgiving begins our Christmas festivities around here. We are not much into shopping with the crowds. Decorating is our chosen pastime. Most of our treasures are passed down from grandparents or have other sentimental meaning. It's wonderful to open up the boxes and rediscover old friends!

My great grandmother's chair

After the Fact Recording

I used to feel silly adding a task on my "to do" list after I did it. Was I trying to make myself feel better by recording more tasks. Or, did I want to feel more accomplished?  I finally decided not to ask silly questions. I write them down to remember when I did a certain task last.  And, what is wrong with feeling more accomplished!  :)

On another note, after one year, I have found a sign to go over my stove. It says, "FAMILY The Best Thing In Life."  Hooray, the search is over!

Getting Things Done

I really love that feeling you get when you have had a productive day!  So, what exactly makes a productive day in my opinion? Here are some criteria, based on what I wrote about before,  which form the basics of my daily list.  

• Pray
• Read
• Write
• Fix
• Serve
• Plan
• Cook
• Clean
• Move

I simply write these  8 things in my household journal with a note after each item.  Today's list looked like this.  

• Pray for hurting church families
• Reading Isaiah 42, and next chapter in Made To Crave
• Write in my paper journal
• Fix ??  (still waiting to fix our upstairs shower) 
• Serve my family by getting groceries, buy present for Mom 
• Plan for Friday through Sunday
• Cook chili for dinner
• Clean, do a whole house tidy with kids  
• Move, do work out with Ryan 

So far, I have been able to check everything off today's list, except dinner!  It's been a good day. I have had extra time today to spend planning my daughter's 9th grade school year as well.  I am going to make it my goal to write such a list every day, except Sunday and family days.  Just think how much I will be able to get done!  

My Little Notebook

Electronic journals, readers and calendars are very handy.  But, I  have always loved paper.  I keep a paper calendar.  I prefer books in print. And, for the last several years, I have been writing little bits and bobs in my paper notebook, along with blogging.  I call it my Homemaker's Journal.

On the first page, I have written, "Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time."  Proverbs 12:11.  Oh, do I need this verse!

In my little paper notebook, I write my weekly menus.  I write short "to do" lists for each day.  I write cleaning lists.  I copy recipes that I want to try.  I also write down quotes that I want to remember.  And I write check lists so that when we have to be away from home for a day, I can check the list and not forget little things that are so easy to forget. It is not fancy at all.  It's written in a composition notebook that I usually pick up a few for 50 cents around back to school time.  Usually one will last all school year.  But, I love it.

Here are the last few things I wrote in my notebook:

This week I found a formula for shower cleaner, which I made today.  I will try it out tomorrow.

1 part vinegar, warmed up.
1 part Dawn dish washing liquid, stirred in.
Put in spray bottle and get busy!

This quote from J. C. Ryle , "It costs something to be a true Christian.  It will cost us our sins, our self-righteousness, out ease, and our worldliness."  Hit me where I live, in my comfort zone!

Crash Hot Potatoes (The were really good!)
Red potatoes, as many as desired, boiled until fork tender.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Drizzle baking sheet with olive oil.
Set potatoes on the sheet, gently smash with a masher, rotating both ways.
Drizzle again with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, favorite herbs.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake 20 minutes.

What one of my favorite blogs says to do when recovering from an illness, which I was this past week.  

• Clean something
• Cook something
• Plan something
• Read something
• Write something
• Fix something
• Sew something
• Serve someone

This little list inspired me to keep going.  

A Simple Summer

The herb garden is quite lush right now.  

What makes up a successful day?  Recently, this question has often been on my mind.  You see, this summer, unlike any other that I can recall, has been rather simple.  There have been more quiet days at home than usual.  We have not ran around very much.  We have spent whole afternoons reading, building with Legos, watching old movies, or playing board games.  Not a lot of heavy housework has been done either.  And recently, the heatwave has kept us inside more than I would care to be.  All this downtime has been wonderfully restoring to me personally.  We did spend a crazy week at VBS last week, but other than that we have stayed mostly quiet.

I have fought the temptation to feel as if we are being unproductive.  Quite  the opposite is true.  I think we are being wise.  A busy school year is fast approaching and we will need to be rested and ready.  We will need to be good and ready!

So, the other day, I asked myself what makes a successful summer day?  I came up with a baseline for myself.  If these things happen, then I can look back and say that I have been productive enough.

My morning routine...

• Make and have breakfast with my husband
• Enjoy my coffee 
• Read my Bible and pray
• Clean up breakfast
• Feed the wild birds, change their bird bath water
• Water the outside plants
• Take a short walk
• Shower
• Swish and swipe the bathroom (Flylady style)
• Make our bed
• Start a load of clothes
• Empty the dishwasher
• Plan dinner 
• Computer time 

The afternoon is pretty loose.  I make sure laundry is getting done, the dishes and kitchen are being kept up, and dinner is ready when my darling comes home from his hard work day.  We do spend some time cleaning in the afternoons, but we do it mostly when there are people coming over.  Otherwise, we have free afternoons to work on things we want to work on or go swimming if invited.  

These simple days of summer will be over in less than a month.  I am hanging on to each one, feeling satisfied that we are making the most of them, right here at home.  

June 2013 Garden Update

This summer, my gardening is limited to herbs and flowers.  I decided not to try to grow vegetables this year because we really have too much shade and after last year's drought, I lost the desire as well!  Plus, as I said before, my plant budget was eaten up by a certain hungry rescue cat.  So, this is what we came up with for about $30.

These Coleus perk up the shaded front walk.

I have written  many times about my grandpa's geranium, but here it is again.   I hope it makes it this summer.  I noticed a bug eating the leaves.

I bought two little pots of geraniums for the back deck.  I enjoy looking out my windows and seeing a little pop of color.  I was hoping to attract humming birds, as I have in the past, but sadly, the hummers are not coming like the last few years.

These lilies were a gift from my daughter last year.  They and the mint are thriving.  Next to the mint, in the back, you can just see the chives.  There is also lavender and basil in this area.

 In the baby pool, I planted some free Morning Glory seeds.  I will put up a tripod soon.  There is also cilantro in the pool.

 Lastly, here is the catnip that we got from the farm market.  It is loving its location.  And my kitties are loving the fresh leaves.  We will dry some for over the winter.

I would have loved to have planted some tomatoes, but these plants are truly enough.  My daughter is so kind to water each plant every morning, unless we have had rain.