Homemaker's Haven--Christmas is Coming Edition

• She looketh well to the ways of her household
• She worketh willingly with her hands
• All of her household are clothed in scarlet
• She maketh herself (and her home) coverings of tapestry
• The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her

It's been another up and down week around this household--I'm starting to wonder if there's really any other kind!

One thing I've learned about myself over the years is that I'm the kind of gal that likes to have a plan. It may not be carved in stone, and I may not follow it exactly, but when things don't go according to plan I tend to get out of sorts.

My plan for my holiday decorating, for one, has gone awry. The plan was to buy a few things from the dollar stores, and to supplement with holly branches and pine boughs cut from some wooded areas around our apartment complex and outside of town, and probably a few pine cones picked up at the same time. Good plan, right? But my husband, who would have been the cutter while I was the gatherer, has been working six and seven days a week; the weather has been rainy and dreary and not worth getting out in; then hubby got sick to boot, so guess what--no holly branches, no pine boughs, and no pine cones picked up. Everyone all over the blogosphere has been decorating and showing up their lovely homes and Christmas trees and mantles and everything else, and suddenly my dollar store decorating ideas seemed--well, not as pretty as those I've been seeing.

One day when the clouds had cleared off a bit, I finally ventured out to do a little shopping--I did my Mission Possible shopping at Walgreens, and I found myself sitting in the parking lot outside of Dollar Tree, feeling sorry for myself because I was alone and had no one to shop with and all I could afford were cheap decorations anyway and what was the point when we're going home on the 18th and then I'll have all the decorations I need anyway and besides it'll be my own decorations at home and these will be cheap looking anyway and, and, and...not quite the pity party on the order of last week but heading that direction! And then...I got ahold myself and thought, why not just go see what they have? And I did.

And not much later, I found myself --still alone--but singing "Jingle Bells" as I drove down the road.

Remember the 4 "P"'s that we talked about a few weeks ago? Well, another thing I've learned about myself is that sometimes the

• Pity comes from the
• Pressure that I
• Put on myself because of my
• Procrastination

Luckily, though, once I get out of my negative "P" cycle, I do okay. Maybe the

• Pressure
• Pushes this
• Person to
• Persevere

Sorry, I know it's kind of cheesy, but I could resist! But this week I

1. Made fudge--for the first time in years
2. Tried a brand new cookie recipe
3. Made some useful and attractive jar mixes for my gifts from the kitchen series--and decorated them, too!
4. Made a pretty wreath for my door (see my Doors of Welcome post tomorrow) for less than $10
5. Made a pretty and thrifty centerpiece for about $5
6. Finally opened up my ancient sewing machine and sewed up two of hubby's shirts that needed it--luckily my husband was home when I did this--as soon as I plugged in my machine it started running at what seemed like 90 miles an hour and wouldn't stop--we finally traced it to how it was plugged into the case--we had tried (unsuccessfully) to fit it into my vintage sewing machine table a while back, and apparently when we put it back into the case we plugged some things in backward. Oops. He's now (figuratively) clothed in scarlet--or at least shirts with no unraveled seams.
7. Took good care of my hubby while he finally rested and tried to recuperate from his head cold.

My goals for the week coming are:

1. Finish my candy making and what baking I can do ahead of time
2. Catch up on laundry to make it easier to pack later in the week
3. Make my packing list
4. Pack for home (!)
5. Order the final couple of small gifts that I still need and have them sent home
6. Clean out the fridge for being out of town
7. Work on my decorating and cooking posts for this week--while I still have high speed internet!

What are you doing to make your home a haven this week? Be sure to stop in at A High and Noble Calling and check out the other homemaker's haven posts.

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven--the Reaching Forward Edition

I'm running behind with this week's Homemaker's Haven post. I've had an up and down week all week, and, I'll admit it, a bit of a pity party for myself on a couple of days. Not that things were so bad, I just let myself get caught up in a downward spiral of "oh poor me". Do you ever have days or weeks like that?

I started off well--last Monday I did my Homemaker's Haven post, cleaned out the fridge, caught up on laundry, made a pot roast and generally got my week off to a good start. My plan was to do some shopping the next day--for the recipe/review posts for my food blog that I needed to do, and to start scouting out or gathering things for my budget holiday decorating that I mentioned last week. But as often happens with plans, things go awry in spite of our efforts--my husband made an appointment at the dealership to have some necessary maintenance work done on our vehicle-which meant no vehicle, no shopping for me. Okay, I can handle that. I decided not to start my Christmas baking yet--too early to keep it all without freezing, so that was postponed until late this week or early next week. Next, the weather got yucky--cold and damp and drizzly. I hadn't done any shopping yet, so I couldn't start decorating, or cooking or anything really creative. I got some news about an acquaintance that opened up a big can "what if's" and "if only I'd"--not bad news, just something that made me start to look at my own achievements--and lack thereof. My husband worked some extra hours last week, too, so I was alone most of the time-it was a snowball in the worst way! By the end of the week, I didn't even want to do anything fun or interesting or enriching. And so I didn't. And felt even worse.

I've been thinking for the last couple of days about where I went wrong--I started off well, but went downhill fast--each little thing built on the next--to paraphrase Song of Solomon--it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. I was also thinking about when the apostle Paul wrote (my paraphrase, again) "Those things I that I know to do, those things I don't do; and those things that I know I ought not to do, those things I do". Can I get a witness?!

But God is faithful and brings us encouragement and the good sense to know that His loving kindness is new every morning. And I think about some other words of the apostle Paul, found in Philippians, chapter three--"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Going up, anyone?

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven

• She looketh well to the ways of her household...

It's time for this week's Homemaker's Haven, sponsored by Stephanie at a High and Noble Calling.

Last week was an easy week in some respects; we were out of town for several days, so my week consisted mostly of getting ready to leave and recouping after we got back.

Today I got a wonderful "prize" in the mail--remember a few weeks ago when I sang the praises of a wonderful organizer I used to have that was out of print? Stephanie had an old one that was barely used and offered to send it to me--and it came today! I can't wait to start using it--I'm sure I'll be the most organized gal on the block by the end of the week!

My goals for this week are:

1. Clean out the fridge--priority since it didn't get done last week
2. Catch up on laundry from the trip
3. Clip this week's coupons
4. Clean out my coupon binder--I know there are some expired/soon-to-expire ones lurking in there
5. Start my Christmas baking
6. Plan my menus
7. Work on two reviews and a giveaway for my food blog
8. Pack away my fall decorations
9. Get started in my new planner
10. Bible reading--Isaiah, chapters 40-68

My project for this week:

Start buying/making Christmas/Hanukkah decorations for the apartment--all on a budget of $20! I did pretty well for fall, but I did have some things from home to help. This will be a bit of a challenge, as all of my Christmas and Hanukkah stuff is in Louisiana. We'll be going home on the 18th, and we'll do most of our decorating there, but I don't want to postpone all of the holiday cheer until then. My goal is to see what I can get for cheap or free to make some cheery holiday decorations for my Doors of Welcome post, coming on the 15th, as well as a centerpiece for the table and a few other areas.

What are you doing this week to make your home a haven?

Until next time...

Homemaker's-- "Haven" or "Hovel"

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

It's time for another Homemaker's Haven post, where we set goals and seek some accountability for our efforts to fulfill them. This week Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling has a good post titled A Mary or Martha Thanksgiving, about keeping our priorities straight this busy holiday week.

Let me preface this next part by saying that I'm so glad I read the post this morning from Fishmama at Life as Mom about not comparing ourselves to others. She's been working on what she simply calls the "Get a Good Habit Going" challenge, where she works on one or two small things to get her routine in a better working order.

Do you ever have "one of those days"? I think I've had one of those weeks, which I've had before, but somehow it seems worse because I started off so well. I set my clock and got up just a bit earlier, I kept the television and the computer turned off, did some necessary shopping and cooking, but somehow slid back into mediocrity and worse. I did get to bed earlier some nights, not so early others. I set my clock anyway and got up and did my morning/daily routine about half the time, which is an improvement, but not as well as I had expected. I totally flubbed up the extra baking. One day I started and realized that while I had stocked up on most of the things I needed, I was missing a vital ingredient. So I switched gear and went a different direction, but I have burned or messed up in some way almost everything I've attempted, so I am taking a step back and regrouping! Today I have to run a couple of errands, catch up on laundry, and straighten the living room/dining room/kitchen; and then tonight and tomorrow I'll either get my baking done or throw that plan completely out the window, according to the results I get!

Last week's menu plan went pretty much as I'd planned, although not in the order I listed them. I made everything I'd listed except the pot roast, and I'll hold off on that until next week. This week we're planning on leaving bright and early Wednesday morning and won't be back until Saturday night, so the next two nights will be using up leftovers or making something quick and simple.

This week's goals are:

1. Clean out the fridge--besides the current leftovers which we'll use, there are some things "lurking" in the back that need to be thrown out.
2. Be sure laundry is caught up to simplify packing and traveling
3. Pick up and put away my "hot spots" on the coffee table and dining table
4. Pack
5. Do my baking--or not(!)
6. Take the time to keep myself mentally and spiritually grounded by spending some time with the Lord in prayer and reading my Word--holidays can be stressful, even when they go smoothly, which brings me to...
7. When the room gets hot and stuffy and the kids get loud, and there's no place to go to be alone--take a deep breath and go to my "happy place" and don't let the stress get to me--which is easier if I don't neglect #6

How have you done this week on making your home a haven?

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven, 11/16

Welcome to this week's Homemaker's Haven , sponsored by Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling.

This week Stephanie has thrown down the gauntlet and given us some challenges to complete in five areas:

Begin Your day in God’s Word
*Challenge: Share what you have read in His word that has encouraged you today with others on your blog or in the comments.

I have some thoughts that have been swirling around in my head, bits and pieces of scripture, a sermon, and conversations with others, but it needs a separate post--hopefully to come later in the week, so stay tuned.

Complete Your Morning Routine
*Challenge: Share your morning routine on your blog and cross it out as you complete each item
My morning routine is (or should be) the following:

1. Get groomed and dressed for the day
2. Make bed
3. Make and eat breakfast
4. Start day's routine
5. Prayer and Bible reading/study

(I shared a couple of weeks ago why I think it works better for me on most days to get my day started before I have my prayer and Bible time. To be honest, sometimes it works better, as in I stay awake, but it can be counterproductive if I get distracted or sidetracked by my day--more on that later! :0) )

Have A Plan

*Challenge:Share your to-do list on your blog, cross each item off as you finish it.

1. Wash, dry, hang/fold one load of laundry
2. Cook bulk ground meat for this week's menu plan
3. Empty trash
4. Vacuum
5. Clip this week's coupons and work on coupon binder

What’s For Dinner?
*Challenge: Try to plan a menu out for this week and share it on your blog. Plan at least one meal that you can make from your pantry.

1. Chili for chili dogs
2. Spaghetti
3. Jambalaya
4. Chicken and dumplings
5. Homemade pizza or stuffed bread
6. Mexican cornbread
7. Pot roast

Complete a Project!

*Challenge: Choose a larger project to complete in your home today. Be sure to make it manageable. I find a large project is easier to complete if I set a goal of working on it for a set amount of time per day instead of trying to tackle it all at once (like my basement!).

My big project for this week is start goodie baskets for family we'll be seeing next week for Thanksgiving. We won't get a chance to see them again before Christmas, so that means doing some extensive baking this week and early next week. Watch my food blog, Secrets of a Southern Kitchen, I'll be sharing some recipes and pictures there.

Be sure to visit Stephanie and the other participants in this week's Homemaker's Haven challenge.

What have you done to make your home a haven lately?

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

Welcome to this week's Homemaker's Haven post, hosted by Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling.

Last week we discussed the importance of working to make our homes a haven from the world for our families, using the 4 P's--Prayer, Prioritize, Plan, and Progress.

Even though I knew it was time a new installment, this week's post is a little bit late because of another P--Procrastination. And the main reason I procrastinated--lack of Progress toward working my Plan and keeping my Priorities! (and probably not enough Prayer, either!)

As I look back over my post from last week, I realized that there were several things that I wrote about that I didn't actually do--even though I know from experience that it works better for me that way.

• There were several days that I didn't get up and get dressed or start my morning routine right away. When I don't, it messes up my whole day--everything runs late, and I just don't get as much done.
• While I set myself a couple of goals for the week and wrote about them in the post, I didn't write them down on my list or in a planner that I actually looked at daily--as a result, my priorities did get a bit skewed.

This week's goals are pretty much the same as last week's, although slightly re-worked:

1. Prayer IS my priority
2. Tweak my morning routine, and actually DO it
3. Write things DOWN-whether a grocery list, to-do list, or whatever-list

What are you doing this week to make your home a haven?

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

This week I'm joining a new meme (that's blogger talk for themed posts) called "The Homemaker's Haven" , sponsored by Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling. The purpose of the meme it to help us all stay focused and accountable as we work to make our homes a haven. She has a good introductory post about using the 4 P's--prayer, prioritize, plan, and progress as tools to keep our days ordered.

Prayer--I know there are many who recommend praying first thing in the mornings, but I find that this can backfire on me. If I get up and come straight away to the couch to read and pray, I'm still half asleep, and I have trouble concentrating. Sometimes I find myself dozing off, or else so distracted thinking about what I need to do, that I'm not really reading or praying. On days that I'm at home, I find I do better if I get up, get myself groomed, make my bed and do a few little things to get my day's routine started. It may be as simple as starting a load of clothes in the washer and putting something out to thaw for dinner, but once the initial rush of the morning is over and those little nagging things are done, I can sit down with my Bible and spend time in prayer, journaling, planning my day, etc. I find that I often end up spending more time with the Lord then, because I've fully awake and I don't have that feeling of urgent daily, un-done tasks to distract me. My goal is to keep the important at the top of my list of priorities, which brings me to...

Prioritize--Have you heard that saying, that sometimes the important is drowned out by the merely urgent? Sometimes, like with morning prayer, I do better to tackle just a few of those "urgent" things and get them out of the way so that I can concentrate on what's important. The problem with this is that if I don't watch it, I start to view everything as "urgent"--from those that are, to those that may not be. Setting priorities can be something of a hit-or-miss thing, because what's important looks different to every one of us, and can change from day to day--or even hourly for some us! Sometimes the simple act of writing it all down can help us determine what is important vs. what is merely urgent. And that brings me to:

Planning--One of my favorite planners of all time was one I bought from a Christian bookstore. It was from Focus on the Family and was called "The Fruit of Her Hands". It was spiral bound, and undated, so that you could pick it up and use it at any time. It had a blank monthly calendar on a two page spread, and a page or two of blank, lined pages for you to make notes. Then came 5 weekly pages, divided by days. Each week had a scripture to read and mediate on, and daily columns that could be used in several different practical ways. There was room to write down appointments, notes to yourself, dinner menus, or whatever you wanted to write. What I liked about it was the flexibility--I could jot down what was important to me for that day--be it a prayer request or a grocery list--and if I didn't use it for a week or two, I could still pick it up and start back where I'd left off.

Unfortunately, that particular planner is out of print and no longer available, but the principles I used during that time still apply, if I'd just use them. I have a tendency to let time get away from me, and before I know it, the day, week, or month is almost over and I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I thought I would! And once again that brings me to...

Progress--In order to see progress, Stephanie has challenged us to do something to make our homes more enjoyable, whether it's getting rid of clutter or adding something beautiful. My goals are to :

1. Clean off the coffee table and the kitchen pass through, including making a place for the things that seem to get piled up, and putting them there
2. Get back in the habit of writing things down, whether in a planner or on a scratchpad, so that I can keep in mind short term and long term goals, and see the difference between the urgent vs the important
3. Spend more time on the important and less on the urgent

Until next time...