Homekeeper's Journal 1-19-2011

 Click above to participate in the Home Keeper's Journal!

In my homey kitchen …..
It's clean! It's clean! It's clean! And there is sticky rice soaking for lunch later today. Having a friend over for Bang Bang Chicken and sticky rice...haven't seen her in at least 6 years so I'm really looking forward to our lunch today and to meeting her cutie pie little boy!
My thoughts on being at home ……
I know this is where I belong...I just hate that I can't seem to "get it together" when it comes to being organized and keeping on top of clutter and cleaning. I don't want to be anywhere else, I love this job! But when I look back on from whence I came, I'm amazed. God is faithful. God is good. And God is not done with me yet...thankfully...
A constant habit I have of making my home comfortable is ….
Constant habit...hhhmmmm....I'm not sure on this one. My constant habits seem to be being inconsistent and being to out-of-sight-out-of-mind-y. If I had to choose something, it would be making delicious and nourishing meals.
If I could change the decor of my home ….
Definitely new furniture and family pictures on the walls. And less stuff, more open space.
What I want my children/spouse/other family to remember about my home is …
… that it was a comfortable, inviting place where they could be themselves and feel welcome. (copying from the Christian Homekeeper Network...I'm working on this one, but that is what I would like)
Home …
is where I want to be...with my family and friends...doing the work set before me and letting the love of Christ flow through me. I miss that mark way too often, but I'm constantly working toward that and I know that God is helping me get there.

Christian Homekeeper's Journal ~ June 22

Join in the Home Keeper's Journal here...

What’s going on in my kitchen this week …..is not a whole lot, really. I recently realized that I'm kind of bored with food, although this has not kept me from eating it. I haven't been making meal plans...supper time rolls around and I have no plan, nothing sounds good to eat...yet somehow, I manage to come up with something. The dishes seem to have a mind of their own and one minute the counters are clean, the next they are covered in dirty dishes...or so it seems.

This week, I have simply not been able to get a handle on ……housework, particularly of the kitchen variety. This is largely due to a change in some medication that I take for high blood pressure. The last several days, for about 3-4 hours after I take my pill in the morning, I am about worthless. So very tired and unmotivated. Today wasn't quite as bad, but I did end up going back to sleep after my hubby went to work instead of staying up and trying to get something done, like laundry and dishes.

It's so hot here …..I think I could bake a cake on my back porch. It's brutal in the late afternoon!

If I could have a pantry built to order ….. it would have lots of shelves, big windows to let in fresh air while I worked, lots of counter space for kneading bread or whatever, lots of little drawers for organization (I always imagine the pantry that Manly built for Laura Ingalls Wilder in The First Four Years (I think that's the book...the one where they house he built for her catches fire and burns down), nice cool tile floor, and everything neatly organized.

The one place other than where I am that I might like to live is …..a place that is partly sunny, 77 degrees with a slight breeze all year round. Nice hammock weather. But since that place only exists in my mind, I guess I might like to live in the mountains somewhere, in a little cabin that we build ourselves...with a gorgeous view of a crystal clear mountain lake. And no bears. LOL...

The most comfortable shoes I have ever had …..are the beat up old Eastland sandals I bought back in the mid 90's. I still have them....I refuse to throw them out, but I need to see if I can get them repaired as the one side of one of the sandals is coming apart. They've been everywhere with me, even hiking in the Appalachian foothills. My bestest friend since kindergarten thinks they are unsanitary, but I love them. They fit my feet just exactly right! I haven't worn them in a few years though (the lack of tread makes them slightly dangerous. I should just wear them around the house...) so I'm sure any germs have died off by now!

My favorite things about summer ….. well, since I can't stand the sun, the heat, the humidity, and Dumb Stupid Time (DST) that was forced upon our state (by a Governor who didn't give a hoot what the people of Indiana wanted) sometimes it's hard to remember there are good things about summer. I love tomatoes fresh off the vine, still warm from the sun. I love to make my family's legendary "California Salad"...it just tastes like summer, and it's only really good when tomatoes are in season, don't bother with store bought tomatoes! I love cool melons, fresh veggies and fruits...sunsets witnessed on bike rides with my daughter...and those wonderful, yet often rare, days where it's just perfectly warm enough, but not too hot, to take a nap under a big ol' shade tree.

I know I need to ……quit staying up so late. Stay on top of the housework. Spend more time with my Bible and its Author. Play with my kids more. Not beat myself up because I'm not getting it right all the time. Yah, relax a little...it's ok really.

Homekeeper's Journal ~ June 8, 2010

This is my definition of “Homekeeping” Managing effectively all the activities and necessities that make our home 'home'...meals, laundry, cleaning, organizing, fixing, finding, etc. are all an important part of keeping the home, but creating and maintaining a peaceful, loving, God-honoring atmosphere is just as important, if not most important. Now, if I could just manage to actually do that consistently...

My favorite place to practice the profession of homekeeping is...when I first read this one, I thought "Home, of course!" But my favorite place in our home to practice the profession of homekeeping is the kitchen, the heart of my home. I love to cook. I love to eat. I love the fragrances and textures of the meals I put together. I love a challenge, sometimes making dinner is on the order of Biblical Proportions - making something out of nothing. I love doing the best I can to feed my family healthy, nourishing foods. And I love spending time with my daughter, showing her how to bake, cook, and be a keeper at home.

I do/do not find joy in keeping my home and I think the reason is...I enjoy it because it is my calling, what I was created to do. It gives me deep satisfaction when my home is orderly, peaceful, and functioning smoothly. I don't enjoy it when there is chaos, disorder and disharmony...especially when I have to accept that it is my responsibility to establish peace, order and harmony in my home and I am not able to do it, either because I am slacking or procrastinating or being selfish about 'my' time and 'my' rights or because others in the home are less than cooperative.

At this point in my life, this is what I believe my children, husband and/or other family members think about our home….people tell me our home is cozy, homey, welcoming. Yet I tend to focus on the things that I didn't do and should have, the things I wish were different. I think my family recognizes that I do a better job of homekeeping than I ever have, although there is still lots of room for improvement.

The things I wish someone had told me about homekeeping when I was young...is that it takes a lot of planning and forethought to effectively manage a home. And when I'm the mom, it's my job...not my mother's. She is not going to come and clean my house for me!

The messages that I received about homemaking and being a wife/mother when growing up were...my mom worked all of my life. I didn't think much of it because that's just the way it was. But I suppose if I had consciously picked up on a message it would be that you do what you have to do. My parents divorced and my mom had to work, but even after my parents remarried each other, she still worked. God wasn't a big part of our lives, so I had no idea what God's ideal plan for wives and mothers was.

6 blessings that God has given me this week are...the book The Way Home, by Mary Pride, a change in my heart attitude toward my children and my role in the home, seeing my husband handle a difficult situation with one of his sons in a godly and effective manner, provision, precious time with my children, a repentant heart.

Join in the Homekeeper's Journal by clicking on the journal graphic above!