Very occasionally, procrastination actually pays off

 

 Those are words I may never have expected to hear myself say.  I fight procrastination every day of my life.  I guess it may be a common character flaw to many people.  But this time it did work in my favor.  I'll explain.

For many years I've had a large collection of Taste of Home magazines.  You can read about my Christmas issues here.  Every couple of months, I like to get out part of my stash of older Taste of Home magazines -- the ones for the particular season we're in-- and browse through them.  (I often do this with my Cook & Tell newsletters as well.)  Invariably I find some neat recipes that I had forgotten about, or ones I had meant to try and never got around to.  I keep most of the out-of-season magazines neatly stacked in a bookcase, and transfer the ones for the current season to a bakers rack in the dining area where they are handy for browsing.

I was thinking in mid-October that I needed to get out the Thanksgiving and Christmas issues.  It's been such a busy year for us and I couldn't even remember the last seasonal issues I had brought out.  (I keep a folder of healthy recipes and one of slow cooker recipes stacked atop my seasonal magazines in the bakers rack.)  So I reached under those folders to see what season was there.

Lo and behold!  Thanksgiving, starting with the very issue you see at the top of this post!  And, stacked just beneath them, the Christmas issues!  There was no need to change out the issues, as I had apparently never changed them out at any point in 2023.  They were just as they'd been left in 2022.   And rather than being disgusted with myself for procrastinating, I am actually very thankful for it, as it has saved me some work at a very busy time.  Now I can browse Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes at my leisure.

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

I'm joining Sandra for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

The Weather:::

It's overcast and cloudy, cool at 56º with 9 mph winds.  High humidity though.  I'm headed out for a walk in a half hour.

As I look outside my window:::

Birds are flitting about; phoebes have a nest in the garage eaves.  Most everything is lush and green from recent cool rainy weather.  Most trees are fully leafed out now, except for a phenomenon I have never seen before -- some trees apparently had their leaves damaged by freezing  (27º) temps in mid-May and the leaves have all shriveled up and turned brown.  This has mostly happened with beech and oak trees, though many trees of these species are still fine.  It's so strange! 

 

Right now I am:::
 

Working on a blog post while waiting to meet up with a friend to walk.

 
Thinking and pondering:::

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"  (Romans 11:33)

Praying about and pondering some situations I'm having difficulty understanding.  It reminds me about the godly wisdom of Elizabeth George when she says of Romans 11:33 that we can take every inexplicable situation in life and file each one in between the "bookends" of God's wisdom and God's knowledge.

She wrote in Loving God with All Your Mind: "We must accept in faith that the events of our lives are accomplishing something in God's plan for us and for His world.  He is at work and in control of our universe and our lives, and He has His reasons, which are un-understandable,  unsearchable, inscrutable, inexhaustible, unfathomable, and impossible to grasp.  The reasons behind His decisions remain in the realm of God, and you and I must rest in the knowledge that they are His domain, not ours.Therefore, we probably won't understand the how's and the why's on this side of heaven."

There are four chapters of the book dealing with this verse!   What a blessing for handling the inexplicable situations of our lives.  This should be required reading for every believer.

 

On my bedside table::: 

 A lamp, three books,  a pen and a jar of lavender-infused oil for helping with insect bites.

On my tv this week::: 

Nothing this week.

 Listening to::: 

The sound of an occasional car passing on the road below.  Unidentifiable birds calling sporadically.

On the Breakfast plate:::

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast.  Lunch will be a salad with cubes of ham, cheese, and avocado.

  On the dinner plate::: 

 

Leftovers. An egg bake with ham, some egg roll in a bowl, white chicken chili.  I'll probably roast some veggies to go along with it all.

 

On the menu for this week::: 

I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning.  A few meals on my menu plan:

Loaded sweet potato salad

Hamburgers

The weather was hot, and I had planned a whole week full of main-dish salads, but it turned cool, so now I am having to shift gears!

 

On my reading pile:::

 

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donna Otto

We Travel an Appointed Way by A.W. Tozer

Licensed to Lie by Sidney Powell

On my to do list today:::
 

Work on blog posts
Possibly some errands with my hubby
Go for walk.
Work on felt food.

Phone call with my daughter of the heart, Jennifer

 

Plans for this week:::

Plan menus and make grocery list
List some notions, patterns, cards, and kids' books on Etsy

Declutter some bookcases
Take a box to the thrift store

Write blog posts
Work on my Sunday School lesson

Dust bedroom

What I am creating:::

January cross-stitch sampler
Felt food for some toddler birthday gifts

 

Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::

This quote I found in the Daily Walk Bible devotional for June 11 (I'm ahead of schedule):

 

"When the forecast calls for storms, ships need a strong anchor; buildings, a sure foundation; trees, a deep root system.  In each case, their very survival through the storm depends upon a strong link to that which cannot be moved.  David's anchor in stormy circumstances was an unshakable faith in an unchanging God."

On my prayer list:::

 

Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country

 

 There's the Happy Homemaker Monday for today!

 

This 'n' That

 

A vintage postcard from my collection

 This snowy January morning I just feel like sharing a few random thoughts.  I'm working on some special New Year posts (and also some end-of-the-year book talk) but they aren't ready yet.  Hence, a few minutes of this 'n' that.

January is a wonderful month for new starts and so yesterday I got everything together for a new cross-stitch project:  a January sampler from Prairie Schooler.  I got this pattern in 2021 along with the one for the February sampler one,  but started the February one first.  

 My plans are to stitch each of the patterns in this booklet.  I already started the tiny "Snow Day" one just because I think it is so cute and would make a fun addition to winter decorating.  Also, it will be super quick to make!

The February sampler has been finished for awhile and I've just washed it.  After it dries I plan to press and then finish it as I did December to use in the same way on a clipboard:

 I am not a fast or prolific cross-stitcher, but I do love it!

In other crafting news, I just finished some play food for our friends' children:

felt cheeseburgers like the one below  (I skipped the sesame seeds this time, feeling that these kids wouldn't go for them)

and crocheted donuts similar to those below (only I skipped the bead sprinkles thinking they might be unsafe in the hands of rambunctious little boys).  I did two strawberry frosted ones, two chocolate ones, and two white frosted chocolate ones.

Another project I never showed any photos of (except, I think, on Instagram) is some crocheted covers I made for wooden hangers:

I have one more to go, I think.

Does anyone else feel like doing little puttery things in January?  I think maybe a lot of us do, or possibly it's just me.  But I don't think so.

One little task I'm hoping to tackle today is to take all of my post-type earrings off a simple plastic canvas holder I made years ago.  

 
This holder is stuffed full of earrings by now and I literally can't find room for all my earrings on it.  The other day it struck me that if I just removed all of the earrings I no longer wear, there would be room and I would be as thrilled as I was back when I blogged about it in 2016.

So my plan is to remove all of the post-type earrings, clean them, and put them away.  Maybe eventually some of my granddaughters may want them.  I only wear dangle type earrings at this point, now that my hair is a lot longer than it used to be.  I honestly prefer them and don't see myself going back to the other type.

Another task (my hubby and I are working on this one together) is going through all of our food storage and taking inventory using this form:

We did this a couple years ago, but it needs doing again.  We weren't as good as we could have been about checking off the boxes when we removed something from storage.  We've gone through our main big pantry, but still have a couple other storage areas to do.  That's probably happening today since it's snowy outside.  Eventually we plan to inventory the freezer also.

I've also been going through books, mostly cookbooks, and being more ruthless about donating them.  I've got a "Making Space" box going with a variety of items in it that I'll be donating.  As I come across things -- a pillowcase, a pair of pants, boxes of Christmas cards, books -- that I'll never use again, into the box they go.  A Making Space post should be coming later this month.

 I don't think I ever posted about a new bedspread we got.  It was inexpensive but the color combination is something I've been wanting for a long time.  I love it!

 
And then there were some recent sunrise photos I never shared here.  Here are just a couple.  We don't often see pretty sunrises from our vantage point here in the woods.

Well, I'm sure I must have wasted enough time for today.  There is so much to do and I'd better get back at it.  What are you up to on this snowy day?

Just in time for fall cleaning -- a homemade dusting spray that I love

 

Now, I don't necessarily do what I would label Fall Cleaning.  I try to follow the Flylady system and it really does work well if I stick with it.  A huge bonus of this system is that you can just jump in again, right where you are, if you get off track.  One way or another, whatever system you follow, we all need to clean, and many of us now try to use more natural cleaning supplies for many of the tasks.

Back in March I wrote an entire post about handy homemade helpers.  Up to that point I had never found a homemade dusting spray that I liked.   Now, I am happy to report, I have!  I researched DIY dusting sprays and eventually landed on this one, at One Good Thing by Jillee.  

Well, I am sold on this formula!  All it takes is water, vinegar, olive oil, and a few drops of lemon or orange essential oil.  You have to shake the bottle before spraying, which makes perfect sense, because after all water and oil don't stay mixed.  

This works better than any dusting spray I have ever used!  It's super effective, cleaning surfaces as well as dusting them.  And surfaces seem to retain their shine longer between dustings.   Jillee explains how it all works in her post, so you will want to head over and snag the formula for the DIY Dusting Spray.  I have even taken a bottle of this homemade spray along for times when my cleaning tasks at my volunteer job have involved dusting.  Now that I've discovered this super formula, it's the only dusting spray I will use. 

Handy homemade helpers

I've been meaning to put this post together for a couple of years now, and actually thought that I had, but I guess I haven't done so.  I can't seem to find it, anyway, so if it is there, no one else is likely to find it either.

There are many homemade helpers I've come to rely on.  Some are mixes (and I know I have blogged about those, but maybe I should consider doing so again); many are household helpers like cleaners, etc.  Here's a rundown of the ones that have worked best for me:

Tub and Shower Magic.  That's it in the photo at the top of the post.

I never want to be without this one.   A combination of blue Dawn® dish soap and heated white vinegar, it works better than anything else I have ever tried.  We have hard water, and this has been the very best shower cleaner I've used.  Just writing this reminds me that I need to refill my spray bottle.  Today.

Dryer balls work very well.  When using these, I use only one tennis ball and it is fine.  I usually just use white vinegar in my laundry as a fabric softener.  But for loads that seem prone to clinging, or for really stiff items like work jeans, I will add the dryer ball.  

Homemade toilet cleaning bombs.  I keep a jar of these under each  bathroom sink.  

The toilet really needs to be relatively clean before you add one of these -- I think of them as "freshening" more than actually cleaning.  But they are great for freshening up a toilet quickly before company arrives, or sometimes I will pop one into the toilet at night before going to bed.  The ones below were made using a silicone ice cube mold in the shape of oranges.

Homemade fabric softener.  I usually just spray the tennis balls with a small amount of this rather than using the essential oils.  I do know that essential oils would be healthier, so maybe I will get into doing that.

Vacuum Cleaner Bag Sachets.   These are easy to make and I really like how well they work. You just put a sachet into your vacuum cleaner bag when you change the bag, and a nice fresh scent results.   The directions and "recipe" came originally from Tipnut.   I have modified it slightly.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried lavender* (I buy the dried lavender from the bulk herb section of our local health food store)

1/4 cup dried rosemary*
 (I buy a large spice jar of rosemary from the spice section at Dollar Tree)
1 Tblsp. cloves*
 (Again, I buy in a spice jar at Dollar Tree or Ocean State Job Lot)
1/2 cup cedar shavings

1 Tblsp. baking soda

5 to 7 drops of essential oil (your choice)

Coffee filters
String

*Or use 1/2 cup of your favorite herbal blend instead of the lavender/rosemary/cloves.

Directions:
    •    Mix ingredients together then store in a sealed glass container for 1 week.
    •    Place 3 Tblsp. of mix in the center of a coffee filter.  Gather up edges and tie tightly with string.
    •    Store them in a sealed glass jar until needed.

Instructions For Use:
    •    Pop a sachet into the new vacuum bag each time you change it. When you vacuum, the fragrance from the pouch will fill the room.
    •    Instead of using a sachet, you can add a few tablespoons of the mix into the new bag when changing it.
    •    If you prefer a stronger fragrance, add a few more drops of essential oil to the pouch.

This is another one I try not to run out of.  When the sachets get low, I make more and add them to the sealed glass jar.

I have found that these sachets also work great to keep linens and blankets fresh-smelling in storage.

Crocheted Swiffer Sock.   I need to make one more of these.  I've made three, but wash them frequently.  They work wonderfully and I like not having to spend money on the swiffer refills.  I've recently made another of these to take to our little cottage.

Lavender Room and Linen Spray  is so easy to make with just a few ingredients.  I had had a purchased lavender room spray and when it ran out, I tried making more using this formula and was very pleased with it. 

Peppermint spray to deter ants, from Jess at Mom4Real.  This one works very well.  It also helps with silverfish and spiders.  Occasionally I have even used it as a cleaning spray and it smells wonderful!

Photo by Mom4Real

  Homemade fruit and veggie wash, another from Jess.  It works great!  I had at one time tried a different recipe for this type of product and I just didn't feel confident that it was working as well as it should.  This one is much better, and so easy!

There are others that have not worked so well.

A daily shower spray that I tried was such a disappointment.  I didn't throw it away, however, since I knew that if I ever happened to run out of Tilex Daily Shower, it would be much better than nothing.  And now, I have not been able to purchase Tilex Daily Shower for many months.  It's one of those things that has inexplicably disappeared since the coronavirus, and I've had it on order for months.  So now I have a different homemade recipe -- still not as effective as I would like, but it helps.

(And -- this is not homemade, and I really have no idea what dangerous chemicals might be in it [the label doesn't say] -- but I have recently found that the LA Awesome daily shower cleaner sold at the Dollar Tree works extremely well.  It is made in USA, at least, so that is one thing.)

An all-purpose cleaning spray is nice, but I haven't found one yet that works as well as I would like.  I'm still trying to figure out one that works well.  I might try this 3-Ingredient All-Purpose Cleaning Spray; I have everything I need on hand.  It seems to be mostly for kitchens, though.

I've tried homemade Soft Scrub recipes, and they work okay, but they quickly get too stiff and difficult to use.  The other day Mr. T suggested trying just plain baking soda, and really that worked as well as the homemade scrubs I've tried.  One of my bathroom sinks really seems to need something more abrasive than just a spray.  The baking soda is fine but it's not as quick and easy as using a spray.  So we will see if I can come up with something better.

There you have it ... some of my favorite handy homemade helpers.  Hope this is an encouragement to other frugal homemakers!

Making space

 

 Time for another post as to what all is leaving or has left here recently.  Here goes:

August 17-31
Some from the linen closet, some from the craft closet, some from my dresser and elsewhere

To the trash —
 Some old makeup — lipstick, pressed powder, etc.
A bunch of partially used travel size toiletries — probably 2 dozen or more items
A strawberry bath pouf  — as noted before, this is the sort of thing that  happens when you have, or when people think you have, a strawberry collection
Remnants from some type of craft foam kit
A pair of comfy cotton pajama pants that have completely lost their elastic

To the thrift store —
2 bars of unused soap
2 small empty glass apothecary jars
An Oriental Trading kit to make 6 fall decorated votive holders
A bargain pair of green capris that I’ll never wear
4 vintage restaurant creamers with some cracks, etc.  Hopefully they are a fun find for someone!
A set of red nesting heart-shaped tiny tins
A set of Christmas pillowcases bought on clearance and used once — they don’t fit our pillows
A bright pink hand towel with a strawberry design (see bath pouf above)
A glass floral bowl and 3 rose-shaped floating candles (gift set I didn’t even know I had)!

To my young granddaughter —
Some chunky foam stamps in fun designs like shells, butterflies, western gear, frogs, and more

To our little camp —
2 dish towels
A wonderful Coleman rack for cooking over a campfire
A ceramic penguin lamp from my childhood — need to buy a shade, but this will work in the grandkids’ sleeping and play loft
A pretty decorative fall plate that will be nice for fall decor here

And that's it for now!

Making space ...

 

August 16 — Wow, it has been awhile.   Becki at Field Lilies has been making space again and she's been inspiring me.

Even though I haven't posted about it, I’ve been accumulating things for the thrift store:

Three ziplock bags with filled with greeting cards that I will never use.
Assorted small frames
Assorted magnets I’ll never use again
Some booklets of iron-ons for crafting
Several books we won’t finish reading
A nice navy blue checked shirt of my husband’s; it’s a very large XL and makes him look as if he’s lost 50 pounds.  (He keeps pulling it out of the closet and wearing it and someone invariably asks him if he’s okay.)
A blue glass swan
A Power Mate Jr. attachment to a vacuum cleaner we no longer own
A white glass vase with a motif of pink roses

These things came from here, there, and everywhere around our house, but the last three above -- swan, vacuum attachment and vase -- came from the linen closet, which I am focusing on this week.  Everything listed below came from there, too. 

To our cottage —

A package of green mesh shelf liner
A towel rack we aren’t using here

To the trash —

A huge bag of assorted towels, baby blankets, etc. that got stained with some unknown substance while stored on the lowest shelf of the linen closet.
An old shower curtain I’d been saving to use at the beach — it got stained too
A tapestry rug with a fun design of lighthouses; barely used, but the rubber backing has disintegrated, so …

I have the lowest shelf of the linen closet now fully decluttered.  There are three or four more to go.  I've snatched things off them here and there, but hopefully I can get the rest of the closet completely decluttered this week.  We will see!

Making space ... week 12

 

Yes, I'm still trying to make some space.  Here's the tally from March 9-20:

Things from here and there

To the trash:
Many containers of dried up play dough, plus assorted cutters for same
A bunch of brand-now, but inferior crayons
7 (yes, seven!) partially used bottles of lotion in various scents
3 large, dried up glue sticks
A remote so old we don’t know what it went to

To the thrift store:
4 boxes crayons
2 boxes white chalk
2 boxes colored chalk
2 boxes jumbo colored sidewalk chalk
3 glass candleholders — 1 votive, 2 taper size
1 box vintage yellow taper candles in the “slim” size
7 floating candles — 6 “candy corn” and 1 star shape
1 baby outfit from my daughter’s infancy
Other odds and ends of kids’ clothing — 2 very nice sleeveless dresses size 8 (won’t fit any granddaughters for a few years yet, so …); a pair of corduroy pants, same size; 1 white polo shirt, same size … probably more.
A decorative ladybug made to resemble a strawberry (this sort of thing happens when you have, or when people think you have, a strawberry collection)
A navy blue striped long-sleeve tee
A pretty plaid shirt with silvery trim and black velvet collar (it has never fit …)
3 other plaid shirts; I love them but they will never fit again

Plus, I did give some items of kids’ clothing to my daughters for their kids.

Hoping to post another list in a week or two!

Making space --- Week 11

 

 It's actually later than week 11, I'm sure, and it's taken me far more than a week to dispose of all these items, but I'm finally posting some totals from my recent decluttering efforts.

February 13 - March 6:  

Things from here and there

To the thrift store:
Assorted unused birthday cards that I’ll never use
1 “cut glass” bud vase
1 small glass dish with poppy decals
1 red acrylic sweater
1 pair of khaki pants
1 blue flowered vest — I still like it, but have replaced it with a blue paisley vest that I like better
1 pink seersucker bathrobe I’ll never wear again
5 collectible bells that were gifted to my daughter as a teen
5 glass votive candle holders
An unused candle in a tin
A dozen music CDs and a couple cassette tapes
A large container of oversize lego-type bricks and the parts for a plastic marble run

To the trash:
A “Made in Turkey” vase, clear glass with violets painted on it — as soon as I started to wash it, two cracks developed
Two handmade candles with a “grungy” look made by rolling them in melted paraffin, then spices
A half-dozen nearly used jar candles
A Christmas pillar candle with no scent left
A child-painted wooden plaque that had seen far, far better days
A pair of brown jeans that I loved to death
A pair of black cotton knit pants, likewise
A pair of socks (with a small hole) that just doesn’t fit well
A tube of envelope glue
3 “eye of God” ornaments made by grandchildren
2 large hot glue sticks
Reading glasses that don’t work for anyone
An old sweatshirt I never wear
A favorite sweater with too many rips and holes to wear again
A bunch of CDs and cassettes
Many items I'd kept for kids to "dress up" in

Cleaning out second bathroom drawer:

To the trash:
1 plastic medicine cup
1 used tube of travel toothpaste
Some hair removing mitts that don’t really work
Some Avon fragrance samples
A ziplock bag full of skin care samples that are far outdated
A tube of hand lotion that just isn’t good anymore

Cleaning out the “junk drawer” in the kitchen

To the trash:
12 pencil-top erasers
1 package removable adhesive
5 pieces chalk
1 floor protector for chair or table leg
3 pencils with nonworking erasers
1 plastic protractor
3 metal compasses
1 hat for a Fisher-Price little person
2 calligraphy pens with no points

To the thrift store:
A container of replacement pencil leads

To my Christmas wrap storage:
2 rolls of sweet Christmas-themed packing tape

Cleaning out a large, deep drawer where we kept all manner of photos:

To the trash:
Probably hundreds of useless photos and negatives
A fancy family photo album with one large photo in it; this album is broken, moldy and unusable

Plus, I've actually thrown away many more things that I just haven't taken the time to write down.  This looks like quite a list, but I have a long, long way to go with this decluttering task.

Making space ... week 10

 

Yes, it's another Making Space post.  A few more things have left the house in the past week or so and I'm working on yet another box for the thrift store.

February 5 — cleaning out a drawer where I keep candles

To the trash —

A bag of 8 smallish candles — the type used in Swedish angel chimes.  These had once been red, but have faded to pink.
A partially burned set of wavy dark red tapers.  Pretty, but unlikely to be used again.
A handmade white Christmas tree candle made by me, many decades ago.  Once white, it’s now stained and discolored.  I’ll never burn it, so out it goes.
A used up candle in a tin
A used up jar candle

To the thrift store — 

A pretty resin candleholder with a flower garden theme  -- I love this, but hate dusting it so it's been stored.  Someone else might as well be enjoying it.
A set of hanging candles with a gingerbread man theme
A floating candle in the shape of a mitten
2 small figural Christmas candles — one a drummer boy and one a toy soldier
3 jar candle toppers — so pretty, but a pain to dust, and I rarely buy large jar candles anyway.

🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿   🌿    🌿   🌿  

And from a few other areas here and there

Also to the thrift store —

 * A blue plaid thermos -- I hated to let this go.  It's the wide-mouth type and is probably from the 1970s, so not that old.  But my daughter didn't want it and my hubby didn't think he'd use it, so out it went.  I hope someone witll be overjoyed to find it.
* A large blue glass vase

Also to the trash:
A Folger’s coffee canister saved for storage
Two plastic-covered metal shelf dividers I’d used in craft storage

And that's it for now!

Making space ... week 8

 

 I've been steadily plugging away at decluttering in various areas -- these are all areas that were out of sight, but I still feel great to have so many things leaving my house!

January 5 --To the thrift store: 5 or 6 iron-on craft transfers — bought to use on sweatshirts back in the day.  4 spools of thread, one white and three black.

Cleaning out that second shelf in the corner kitchen cabinet and also the top shelf in an upper cabinet.. 

To the trash: 5 plastic ice-cube trays; 2 metal ring molds; a broken deviled-egg plate; a cracked melamine plate

To our camp: 8 Corelle plates

To the thrift store: 1 Tupperware jello mold; 2 decorative tins; a 1-quart Corning ware casserole with cover; 2 stainless steel nesting bowls.

To our local daughter: a pretty blue glass pitcher; a 2-quart clear glass Fire King pouring bowl.

January 13-15 — sorting, tossing, donating items from some of my craft supply storage.

Tossed — a partial package of jersey loops for making pot holders; a bundle of raffia; old, woodgrain contact paper saved to use in a dollhouse; 2 kid-painted wooden signs (I saved the best ones); an opened package of colorful crafting feathers; pom-poms that had seen better days; an open box of plastic straws dedicated to crafting; assorted odds and ends of VBS and Sunday school crafts; a broken wooden Christmas plaque to paint (and presumably glue); a dozen or so nearly-used thread spools; my grandmother’s pincushion, a round plastic box of straight pins (much shorter than today’s pins and so not really useful); a stenciled wooden cheese box filled with a tangle of leftover crewel yarn and some skeins of off-brand embroidery floss.  (I kept a few skeins of floss.)

To the thrift store: a paper punch,  2 types of decorative sewing trim; 4 small soft-sculptured doll heads; 3 small grapevine wreaths; 2 plastic hangers (kids size); a package of multicolored plastic coffee stirrers for crafting; a fabric “praise banner” for kids to paint; 1 bag plastic Easter eggs; 2 spools metallic craft ribbon; a large bag of assorted pompoms; the makings for satin “Victorian hat” Christmas ornaments; odds and ends of plastic canvas; odds and ends of magnetic tape; a hem gauge (I think it’s called); 2 packages of cover-your-own buttons; 2 packages fabric crayons; assorted metal buckles; a half-dozen spools of thread; 2 skeins black yarn; a box of vintage button & carpet thread; an unused candle wicking wall hanging kit with a strawberry motif.

To my local daughter: odds and ends of craft materials that her kids will use.

To sell on Etsy: a vintage white plastic buckle for a dress belt.

To our camp: 2 kid-painted wooden signs; a wreath hanger I’d been hunting for; a handmade recipe card holder.

Gift items have also been stored up here.  I’d moved most of them to a different area, but forgot some. 

So, to the thrift store: a lighted floating “color orb”; to the gift chest: a set of 3 “Autumn Romance” votive holders.

I didn't count the items, but that's a lot of stuff.  So thankful to have it going elsewhere!

Getting ready for Christmas baking

 

Today I've been spending some important time getting ready for Christmas baking, cooking, and kitchen gift making.  I cleaned and sorted the kitchen drawer where I store measuring cups and things like extracts, colored sugars, and sprinkles.  And I did the same with the shelf in my pantry where I keep baking items like flours, sugars, cocoa, chocolate chips and other baking staples.  Later this week, I'll be posting a Making Space entry that will detail everything I decluttered from these areas.  I'm hoping to get lots more decluttering done this week, so that's why I'll wait to post my list.) Suffice it to say that a lot got thrown away, especially from the drawer.

While I was working on the pantry, my hubby suggested that this would be a great time to take inventory of what's there.  He was so right!  Years ago, I kept both a freezer and a pantry inventory, using forms from Organized Home.  But I hadn't updated them in a long, long time.  I went to my household notebook and found that I had blanks all printed out that I could use.  (You can click on the Pantry Inventory form at the Organized Home Free Printables page, and the pdf will open up, if you are interested in using these forms yourself.)  Below you see my form with the baking items filled in.  I'm pretty sure this will be added to as I declutter the other shelves in the pantry!  Since Mr. T took over the grocery shopping when he retired, he usually puts the groceries away.  Baking items have definitely been tucked into other shelves in this overly full pantry.

From here it was a logical step to checking my long-term holiday ingredients shopping list, pictured below.  You can read about that here: Long-term holiday grocery list.  

 

I'm so glad I did this, because there are several items we're getting low on that would be important to our holiday baking.  I've been stocking up on butter for weeks, but we also need brown sugar, confectioners sugar, almond extract and more.

How about you?  Are you ready to begin your Christmas baking?

Making space -- week 3

 

 Well, I have done very little decluttering this week.  We were away Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday -- a lovely getaway to the ocean which I will hope to blog about soon.

Friday and Saturday have been full to the brim with hospitality, friends and family and all of the cooking and cleaning that accompany such happy times.   Again, some of these are things I hope to blog about one day soon.

On Thursday, I did manage a little decluttering — I cleared out a basket I keep near my chair in the living room.  Lots of correspondence info and devotional type stuff.  This has been on my list of places to declutter for months.  Here’s what I removed to the trash: an unused band-aid, a nearly empty tube of nourishing foot cream; a package of lens cleaning wipes that turned out to be useless; 4 defunct pens; 2 defunct highlighters; a bouncy ball with no bounce (toys are stored in the cabinet underneath this basket!); a half dozen outdated church directories.
 

I also found some things to give away: 3 sets of Scripture memory cards, also a paperback book.  And I typed up a couple of quotes I found scribbled on bits of paper in this basket, and filed them in the appropriate folders on my computer.

I think that adds up to around 20 things gone this week.  I have some great ideas for areas to tackle next week, when I hope to get much more decluttering done!

Diligence: my word for 2020

I understand that it's not a necessity to choose a word to focus on for a new year.  It's not in any way a practice that makes one any more spiritual, any more committed, or any more anything.  Vast numbers of believers don't choose a word to focus on, nor do they need to.  I didn't even think of doing such a thing until 2013.  I'd read in the past of others doing so and in 2013 I prayerfully considered it for myself.  That year I ended up with the word "Purpose".  I found it incredibly helpful throughout the year to focus on God's purposes for me.

Each year since, I have prayerfully chosen a word for the year.  Some times it has seemed as if God laid a particular word on my heart, and that has truly been the case this year.   He has impressed upon me without any doubt that my word for 2020 is to be diligence.  The word came instantly, even before the end of the old year.  But sorting out my thoughts concerning it has taken longer.

A dictionary definition of diligence sounds like a good place to start.  My very vintage Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as: "Quality of being diligent; persevering application."  From there, of course, it becomes necessary to look up the word "diligent".  This dictionary says that diligent means "Perseveringly attentive; industrious with careful attention; painstaking."

The much newer dictionary on my computer desktop defines diligence as "careful and persistent work or effort".

Sally Clarkson says, "Diligence is the energy, the inner will of determination to keep going, that provides the power to overcome in life."

I have felt strongly the need to become more diligent in the coming year, in many areas of life.  Health is a big one.  I want to be much more diligent about eating properly, specifically to work on avoiding foods that contribute to inflammation.  I need to be more diligent with my water intake and with exercise.

Homemaking is another area where I must become more diligent.  Cleaning out my childhood home has impressed upon me strongly that I don't want my adult children doing this task when I'm gone.  They would be thoroughly disgusted (with good reason) that I had let things get so cluttered and that I had kept so many things.  With my hubby's retirement, he is insisting that he will get involved and help me with homemaking tasks so that the two of us will have more free time to do things together.   So, as soon as possible, we will begin with one room at a time, deep cleaning, decluttering, and taking many trips to the dump and thrift store.

My trust responsibilities dictate cleaning out a house and outbuildings and selling, donating, or trashing the contents.  Although I've worked hard at this task and have accomplished a lot, fresh diligence is required.  With Mr. T helping me, we believe we can knock this task out in a couple of months.  As another part of this process, I also need fresh diligence for listing items in my Etsy shop.  There are still hundreds more of them to list!

Scripture memory is another area that needs more diligence on my part.  I've memorized (and retained) a lot of Scripture in the past, but that is no reason not to work at memorizing more.  As a church, we work together to memorize a short passage each month, and that is great, but I need to get myself organized to learn more Scripture on my own.

Careful spending is something else I need to become more diligent about.   If you've read here enough to get to know me a bit, you know that I am not a "shop till you drop" type of person.  I will go to great lengths to avoid a shopping trip.  I've found, though, that shopping online makes it easier to spend more than I intend.  That said, I do seek out bargains and I buy most of my books, even for gifts, on Thriftbooks.  But the spending I'm thinking most about in my need to be diligent is the weekly grocery shopping.  I've gotten rather careless over time, just buying things that are convenient like pre-cut pineapple and melon rather than doing it myself.  Our local grocery store does offer a great program where one can get 2% back quarterly on purchasing their store brands.  Last week, I saved $25 on the week's groceries because I got my quarterly rewards and also a coupon (through the same program) for $11 off on $100.  Plus, I had some other coupons, both clipped and digital.  My hubby is good about finding deals to save money at CVS, and in fact has saved over $200 there in 2019.  So we're off to a good start here!

In considering diligence,  I turned to Elizabeth George's book Small Changes for a Better Life.  She offers some great motivators for diligence, as well as some very helpful tips for becoming more diligent.  I'll share a quick quote after each one.

First, some motivators for diligence:

* Awareness of the brevity of life
There are no guarantees on the length of our lives.  "We need to seize each and every day ... and put the most into each 24 hours.  We must do as much as we can, love our families as much as we can, help as many people as we can, give as much as we can in each precious sunrise-to-sunset parcel of life ... Let your awareness of the brevity of life be a driving force."

* Awareness of the purpose of life
  "When we realize that we were made by God and for God, and that God has a purpose for each of our lives, we don't live with 'self' in mind.  We instead begin living each day ... for the Lord.  There's a new energy, a new direction, a  new diligence, a serious soberness."

* Awareness of stewardship
"God intends us to manage our time and our lives for Him and to use them for His purposes.  He intends that we live out His plan for us.  That means God expects each of us to be a good steward of the life He entrusts us with ... Seek to live each day with stewardship in mind for that one day.  This mindset stimulates daily diligence.

* Awareness of time
"Diligence simply means pursuing a fruitful pace of life from start to finish as you purposefully move through the peaks and valleys, the ebb and flow, the springs, summers, and winters of your life."

As someone who just celebrated a big birthday, I am more aware than ever of the brevity of life and the passing of time.  This has surely motivated me to greater diligence and may even be a reason I felt led to choose that particular word.

Second, some tips for becoming more diligent: 

* Write out and memorize Colossians 3:23-24. 
* Evaluate the peaks and valleys of your days and plan for using them wisely.
* Consider each day in the light of stewardship.
* Read a chapter of Proverbs each day and take special note of any teaching on diligence.
* At the end of each week, evaluate your diligence and plan for any necessary improvements.

I'm keeping this information at my fingertips for this year.  I'm sure I'll need plenty of tips and motivation for diligence as the year speeds by!

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,

"Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ."  

Colossians 3:23-24

Friday five ~ August 30

Some weeks Friday seems to roll around very quickly.  This week it seems to have taken a bit longer.  I am looking forward to the weekend!  No concrete plans as yet, other than having a friend over for supper tonight; we aren't even sure yet if my hubby will have Monday off.  But weekends are always a nice respite!

Without further ado, here's my Friday five:

1.  A nice change in the weather made it cool enough to bake cookies last Friday.  I had bought some of these baking chips on clearance at Walmart.

Have you seen them?  Here's the description:

I was quite surprised that they contained no artificial flavors.  All I tasted was salted caramel, but still I assumed artificial flavors were used.  Guess I didn't read the bag too thoroughly!

I used the cookie recipe on the back of the bag.  Here's the link:  Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies.  I made them quite a bit smaller than specified and I formed them into balls rather than dropping them.  l also used the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.

After so much hot, humid weather where one couldn't even think of turning on the oven, it was nice to be able to bake.

2.  A great time with friends on Saturday as we were invited to a get-together to see their family members visiting from out of state.  This is what we like to do ourselves when our faraway family is able to visit -- we try and host a get-together where they can see a lot of family and friends at one time.  I took along this  S’mores Pizza, plus a tortellini salad.

As mentioned in a previous post, it took less than 3 minutes for this dessert to disappear!

3.  A beautiful afternoon on Sunday for a hike to a peaceful lake.  Sometimes one just needs to be near water.  That's how it was for us and we tried to store it up for the week to come.  Something about that sailboat just speaks peace to my heart. 

4.  Seeing God answer prayer for wisdom this week.  When I'm outside my comfort zone, I might tend to ask someone who is comfortable in a specific area for advice.  This time my hubby was working on a job site where he had no cell service.  I briefly thought of consulting someone else, but the Lord impressed upon me that He is wisdom and that He promises to give wisdom when we ask.  There was no need to rely upon anyone but Him.  What a blessing to see how He answered my prayers!

Delightful graphic from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

5.  Nicer weather this week made it possible for me to work on some of my projects outdoors at the patio table on the back deck.  (We bought this table toward the end of last summer and I hadn't really thought of it as more than a place to eat.  But it's a nice large rectangular table, perfect for working on many different kinds of projects.)  Here's some of what I did:

* Planned menus and made my grocery list

* Worked on my Sunday School lesson

* Made some mailing envelopes to package orders from my Etsy shop, using repurposed calendar pages.  I made 5 larger envelopes and 1 of the smaller ones.  This is a project I plan to take up north when we go at the end of September.  If we get some rainy days (and it would be truly surprising if we didn't), I will work on a bit of envelope making.  They are easy once I get started.

Back of a larger envelope

Front of the same envelope

Back of smaller envelope

Front of smaller envelope

* Did some work in my scrapbook journal.
 
I'm currently using this as a place to journal my study of this book: Make Room for What You Love.  Inching my way through this book one question at a time has enabled me to work in my scrapbook journal much more regularly.


Oh, what an encouragement this book has been to me!  I've been so blessed by this thought:

And I really find myself thinking about it when I am about to set something down in a place where it doesn't really belong.  Try this for yourself and see if it doesn't help!

Yes, it truly has been a blessed week!  What are some blessings you've seen in your own life this week?