Dec. 4, 2006 Now Advent is Here: Nov. 28, 2006 The Home Companion: Remade Oct. 26, 2006 Autumn, cold and inspiration Oct. 26, 2006 More on the binders... Oct. 19, 2006 The Household Notebook Part 2
So Donna has put up her household notebook... giving me some great ideas and a new desire to re-organize mine.
MamaJen has her Kitchen and school binder (one and two) up and the invitation has gone out over the internet to suggest that all homeschoolers participate in showing us what you've got!!
Like MamaJen, I like to use the printables made by Donna Young... you should certainly have seen them around by now, if not you NEED to check them out.
Of course, you can always make your own!
I'm a bit annoyed... I just realised that I had forgotten to keep a
reading log for DS this year! Oh well... no time like the present.
Feel like sharing notebooks?
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Oct. 12, 2006 Fascinating... Jul. 25, 2006 Comment answers...
A couple of things... The book Literature Alive is no longer in print, unfortunately. Last I heard, there were just a couple of copies left through the Author herself.
You can read her blogs here and here.
As for the kitchen... I spent the weekend rearranging books in the
house. There is now a bookcase in the kitchen *grin*... WITH my
homeschooling books LOL. It is actually there for the purpose of
my cookbooks, and to remove all my books from the children's
rooms. I have MANY, MANY books!!
I will post a picture later!
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Jul. 21, 2006 The Elegant Kitchen
Our kitchen is not huge... not when you consider it is also our dining room and the main entrance we use to get into our house.
To be honest, it is practical to come into the kitchen, rather than
through the front door... the floor is linoleum and much easier to
clean from mud when the kids track it in!
In an effort to make my kitchen a little more roomy, and easier to clean, I set out to establish some Simple Elegance in there.
I started some time ago, by removing the old, drab, blue curtain, and
making my new white curtain, as some of you may remember. It
still looks good, and I open it up during the day, to let the sunlight
into the kitchen. This floods the rooms with light, and makes it
look MUCH nicer!
 See how pretty the white is?
Well, with the success of that, I decided to move my table
around. Intially, I had my table right next to the door, to give
a breakfast nook effect. It was nice, but I had a terrible time
keeping the old shoebox tidy. It is an old wooden box, it used to
have a lid, but that never fitted on top with all the shoes in
there. So we turned it on it's side the other day, but I was
still not satisfied. Finally, I looked at the improvement my
white curtain and tablecloth made, and decided that a cloth covering it
would help... and that moving it BACK beside the door was best.  Here
is the result... makes a great place for my handbag too! The kids
shoes are on top, and DH's and mine are under the cloth. I am not
completely satisfied with the result, so I can guarantee that it will
change soon! When I moved the shoebox though, I of course had to move the table too... this resulted in something I had not planned on...  Yes...
the leg came off. Well actually it is something a bit more than
that... the leg had become terribly loose, and the table was
shaking. When I moved it, it became really
wobbly... so I flipped it over to tighten the leg. The I saw the
problem... there was some wood missing, an old break, and the repair
job was terrible. We think originally the wood had been there,
but some time ago we found some wood and wondered where it came from...
so now we knew. Unfortunately, it was not repairable... so I took
the leg off, and later DH came home and took that whole stretcher off,
replacing it with a brand new, stronger one. He did a GREAT job,
because the table no longer rocks!!  And
here is the result... I have a beautiful kitchen! The white
tablecloth is covered with my clear vinyl... responsible for saving the
cloth from many a spill and sticky finger! My homemade pinny is
on one chair, and there is a cover on the other chair... this gets put
over my daughter's seat to prevent her sticky fingers from making chair
cleaning a daily job! The end chair is DH's speacial chair... and
beyond is the new shoebox location.
So... not perfect, but definitely Simply Elegant enough!
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Jul. 18, 2006 Elegance in the Home
A recent discussion over at the 4 Real Forums caught my eye... that is a discussion on the merits of Simple Elegance...
the idea that we can have a home that is elegant in it's simplicity,
that is both easy to care for, and beautiful in it's own way. Donna Marie has a great blog, with her truly moving description of it there.
It is something I had been aware of before, over at the Making it Home forums. A slowly growing movement, of women who yearn to be the 'lady' that 'ladylike' describes.
That doesn't mean we all want to wear pearls and heels all day... but
it does mean we like to be feminine, with a house that reflects that, without clutter.
Elizabeth Foss has a great blog about being ladylike, about teaching our daughters how to be a lady. It is my highest compliment to my daughter... "You're a lady!" with the emphasis on lady.
And lest you think that somehow I am being discriminatory... the
highest compliment for my son, is to tell him that he is a gentleman. They both realise the honour, believe me! She furthers the talk with another blog about bringing the Blessed Mother into our homes.
On the same theme, Imprimis Magazine had a great article by Harvey Mansfield, on The New Feminism. He raises a number of good points.
Truth be told, the ideal of Simple Elegance
resonates with many homeschoolers. So many of us want to make
life simpler. When our microwave broke, we never replaced
it. I gained more room on my worktops in the kitchen (I
desperately needed it!). I reheat in the oven or on the stove
top... and the only time I really miss it is when I forgot to take the
meat out and need to defrost it.
To make a home simply
beautiful takes an artistic touch. I love to read all the ideas
that people have come up with to make their homes beautiful and simple.
Rather than the sterile images we often see in magazines, a simple home
is lived in. A candle lit on the stove, it's scent flowing
throughout the house. A bunch of flowers from the garden or a
bowl of fruit decorating the center of the table. A simple prayer
corner, filled with pictures, bibles, rosaries, icons... whatever suits
your faith.
A bedroom taken down to being just a bed in a room.
All these things and more, make Simple Elegance. It will be interesting to see where this heads!
Edited to add... for real, Simply Elegant touches, you can read The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. This is a book I reviewed ages ago... all about adding touches to your home...
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May. 17, 2006 Thought Provoking
I just finished reading a very thought provoking book called The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer.
I thought I was getting a 'how to' book on homemaking... complete with tips and tricks... you know the drill.
What I actually got, was a book on how to make homemaking an art form, using the God given talents you possess.
Mrs. Schaeffer, a talented writer, had a gift for making the ideas come alive and become easily imagined in your mind.
The ideas were superb... if you like to draw, she suggests you might
use it to decorate the menu for the week (I always make a weekly menu,
but never considered this!).
Or if you love music, perhaps you could practise at home or when you are stressed...
She goes on to suggest ideas for those who love to write or dramatise or create or bake.
She tells you how you can share your gift with others...
It sounds very simplistic written down... but I can assure you, that if
you ever get a hold of the book to read, that you will thoroughly enjoy
it!
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May. 1, 2006 Just to say... Apr. 24, 2006 Science and Gardening
Some days, just turn out great opportunities!
This weekend, we got an excellent opportunity to do some scientific
study in the garden... although Saturday was rained out (more or
less)... we did tour a place in town that is a prime example of the Gilded Age as they called it... so history got an airing too!
Check out the nature journal for the garden adventures!
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Mar. 17, 2006 The Laundry Room
The Making It Home Yahoo group we have been decluttering the laundry room.
Believe it or not, I am one of the lucky ones... my laundry room is
small, but it had no real place to put anything, which made it a bit
messy:
So, Dh and I decided to get some shelves
in there. DH was reluctant to just put some up, being as our
electrical panel was in there, so we compromised with a 'laundry
rack'. This helped us to get such things as the bleach off of the floor, and provided hooks to hang wet clothes that cannot be tumble dried on.
As you can see, we are already using the
hooks! In the middle is a basket, in which I put the laundry
waiting to be washed.
LOOK! No more clutter on the floor! There is a mop bucket there, but nothing else.
I was even able to move some of my
cleaning products from elsewhere... such as the binbags
(trashbags). They were eating up space in my food cupboard, but
now they occupy a shelf on my cleaning rack, and I can fianlly put all
the food back where it belongs!
We're not sure about the final configuration of the shelf... it is adjustable and the drawer, hooks and shelves may
end up in a different position. For now, it is a central, easily
accessible (to me not the kids) location to put my cleaning
stuff. Nothing on top of the dryer (leaving me a place to fold
clothes) meaning no more bleach accidents!!
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Mar. 7, 2006 The Household Notebook
Once a staple of the homekeeper's art, the
household notebook (and all it's useful wisdom) has sadly all but
disappeared in today's society.
That is, except for those of us trying to resurrect it.
Mine is not traditional. It is not finished either! But here are the pictures of it.
The Notebook: I have yet to decorate the cover. I am planning something good though!
And inside...
A converted ziploc baggie with all my goodies in it, and some scratch paper in the cover.
Next, comes the master schedule:
Then comes my morning, evening and Sunday routines:
Followed by a weekly task list... in progress:
After that, I have my daily tasks sorted out behind a divider for each day:
Monday includes the house blessing:
as well as a list for detailing the living room and hallways:
After the daily tasks, I have a few cleaning product recipes!
Next I have dividers for each month, and a calendar in there.
Here I put in the important dates, such as when to mail my
Grandmother's card!
Then I have a recipe section for my recipes... either ones I use often or that I created or copied from a book from the library:
Next is my homeschool section... containing planning stuff for homeschool and some
actual homeschool stuff we'll be using that I have pre-preinted out.
After the homeschool stuff, I have copies of both Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 for Inspiration!
And then finally comes my address book.
Various things are found in here, including my sketch for making the kitchen curtains!
I hope this helps some people to know what a 'homekeeping' notebook is, and inspires you to make one!
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Mar. 7, 2006 A Clean House is a Happy Home
So this week, we are to do the living room.
Of course, I did a lot last week, when we were doing the front entry... but there was a problem area... my stash.
I have the library books in a box, and
my reading books, sewing books...and some junk sitting here. So I
decided to attack it.
There was a small box of junk, which I sorted through. Then I recycled the box for my recipe collection!
I piled all my books into the
box, and put the sewing stuff elsewhere. yes, that is
transferring the problem, but DH and I have already been talking about
getting me a nice box for it. I am thinking more of a sewing
table though...
Meanwhile, I had a little helper...
who is wearing an older pinny that I made years ago. She loved it! You can tell she is helping me dust! And here is a photo of her dusting!
She was trying very hard to be 'just
like Mummy'. the pinny helped, and you may notice the hair band
on her wrist... not that she really has that much hair to tie up... she
only had her first 'pigtails' (or as I call them, bunches) on Sunday!
which you can just about see here!
But in addition to the pinny and the hairband, she wanted
desperately,to wear my rubber gloves. I am not a rubber glove
fan... I can't stand the way they smell... but I need them as my hands
get terribly rough if I don't wear them. And so, she really wanted to wear them too!
Happy cleaning!
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Now... I wanted to add...
THANK YOU! for the compliments on my curtains! I am still proud of them LOL.
YES, I took out some 'before and after' photos... limited time only!
POTTY TRAINING: going pretty well... we took a break for the weekend as
we were out and about, but this morning she actually came in and asked
to go potty. Well... actually her word was 'poo-poo' instead of
potty, but still... it worked out the same
CLEANING: we're working on the laundry room this week... let you know how it goes 
I'll keep you posted on what the MIH group is doign too...
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I had enough... I decided that, since DD was fully capable of using the potty, and was doing so both on her own (on occasion) and with me putting her there, it was time for her to be trained.
What this means in our house, obviously depends on the child.
With DS, it was to let him run naked... catch him going and sticking
him on the potty.
With DD, this method did not works so well... so now we get the scheduling going...
She has been able to use the potty for a year or so, and is definitely
not frightened of it. Mostly, I have been waiting for weather
warm enough to allow her to roam around with a 'nudey bum' under her
dresses. I wouldn't say it is warm yet, but it certainly is not
freezing either... so now, she is busy getting potty trained... and I
have my hands full!
HOUSECLEANING TIP: When cleaning out my oven yesterday... the so-called continuous cleaning oven,
I was unable to get the brown gunk off of the oven window. In
comes DH to the rescue, like a white Knight... he gets the scraper with
which he removes the stickers from his car windshield, and uses it to
remove the gunk. Works like a charm!!
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Feb. 28, 2006 The thing about a clean house
Is that it makes me feel good... not just my DH!
I won't go so far as to say the house is perfect. If you look
closely, you might see the tea stain on our carpets, or the stuff under the settee. Admittedly, it is there because if I leave it out, the kids have to get into it! But still...
I noticed one amazing thing though... once the house is tidy, it is the
work of a minute to keep it that way... I don't have to be
perfectionistic in my sweeping and mopping because I am doing it so
often. DS is enjoying making his bed on a daily basis... he has
his father's perfectionist tendencies!
DH is someone who is happiest with a spotless house... he is forever
putting things away. You might think that I would enjoy this...
but I don't! I can't find anything!!!
Oh well... my Dad was the same way!
The best thing I have recently discovered, is the benefit of a pinny... apron. Back in the old days, aprons were worn all the time around the home. And I can see why.
If I am baking, I get into a terrible mess... well when i finally
finished my pinny, and started to wear it, no longer was I covered in
flour. Now if DD has dirty hands... I don't care. They are
not marking my clothes. Well... not that I cared too much before,
I just went out a lot with strange marks all over my clothes, and kept
cardigans and coats buttoned up... but you get the idea!
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Feb. 27, 2006 Before... and AFTER!
So you saw my before and after pictures
of my laundry cupboard... well, I redid the entrance to the home too...
being as on Mrs. Catherine's group, we are supposed to be decluttering
the home, we start with the entrance. Most people appear to have
a hall... I do not, so I just tried to make the area look pretty!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
No more TV just on my left, and no plant to my right (you can't see the plant).
The 'table' is really a bunch of CD boxes that were in the far corner. I put a tablecoth on them and some flowers!
Of course I obviously tidied too!
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So I have discovered a few things, having started an odyssey last week to become a good home-maker.
1. Keeping the house clean is the only exercise routine you really need. If you do it right (that is, following Mrs. Catherine
and the Making It Home Ladies), then you will be quite exhausted by the
end of the day. And lose about 3lbs in a few days.
2. Those extra touches really make the family happy.
3. Teatime serves a real
purpose, and if I forget it, the children raid the cupboards, but if I
go along with it, then DD is excited about 'teeth', DS wants to mess
with the teapot, and the cupboards are left alone, and I have peace in
which to make dinner.
4. Baking bread is fun, and I remember this every time I do it...
5. Peter Reinhart has an excellent book in the Bread Baker's Apprentice... and I can't wait to try some of the recipes!
6. I feel happy when my home
is clean, and tidy. It smells better... and TA-DAH!!! Those
things that always mess you up at the end of the day... you know the
ones... the things you HAVE to do before bed? Well.... they are already done!!!
I discovered this yesterday when I thought I had two cups beside my
bed. The operative word was HAD... I had already taken them down
during cleaning!!!
7. Taking the time to do something, actually gives you extra time!
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About Me
I'm a 29 year old mother of two, who loves to read, bake, knit and homeschool... You can also read my husband's 'rantings' at the link below ;)
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I am currently having problems blogging here. Please check
my nature blog for more information.
Nature Blog
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). I LOVE my new cover... I am such a fan of Monet and Renoir, that I KNEW this was the page for me!
