Sunday Blessing

Ten years ago today, I watched... like many of you, stunned... in disbelief...


And then I remembered...


"God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne."
~ Psalm 47:8

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The world may change; it may seem to fall apart, but HE is sovereign over ALL! Praise His holy name!


"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
~ Hebrews 13:8

Preparedness Challenge #25

Wow. There's been enough "events" in the last 2-3 weeks to warrant every last person to start considering prepping as a wise decision. Two hurricanes that came ashore and dumped plenty of water as tropical storms, fires raging in Texas and California, a few earthquakes scattered here and there, and now a power outage that effected everyone from Yuma, Arizona to San Diego, CA and on down into Mexico. I'm sure I've missed something else, but each of these caused serious disruptions, not to mention situations that resulted in incidents from inconvenience to death.

I really like public utilities. They make life much easier. But we put ourselves in great peril if we depend on them unnecessarily or without thought to a back up should something go wrong. But I'm preaching to the choir here. You KNOW that it's wise to have alternatives.

Michael Bunker said in a podcast once that he doesn't really take someone's words seriously, but rather the persons actions. Now I've paraphrased that, but that sums it up. We can SAY we're all for prepping, but unless we're actually doing something to work toward being prepared, we're obviously not getting the job done.

Let me be the first to say that we'll never be 100% prepared. Nope. I just don't think it can be done. At the same time, I don't want to be presumptuous and arrogant, assuming I don't have to do anything. So my challenge to you (and myself) is to act sensibly, not panic, and make it a lifestyle to do something regularly to be prepared. Do something to make your family more sustainable, gather something to be prepared for an emergency, or put something away in your food storage. One thing a week.

I'd love to come up with some acronym to help remember these three ares; something like...

SL.ES.FS

(sustainable living . emergency supplies . food storage)

I'm not too clever, so it probably won't be me who coins anything catchy, but I'm thinking we need to memorize these three phrases, think on them during each week, and then act to make them a real part of our lives.

By the way, it's probably pretty obvious, but my favorite area of prepping is in the area of sustainable living. Originally we were so far from being sustainable that the gap was huge with so much to do. So most of our dollars right now have gone toward getting ourselves in a situation of being more sustainable. On the other hand, having emergency supplies and food storage would help sustain us immediately in a crisis. I need to work on these two areas.

Living so far away from town, food storage has been a part of our lives for a while and I often don't think of our purchases as true "food storage" since it's normal to stay stocked up. Especially in winter. This is a good thing, but I need to remember to take inventory regularly. Thinking of camping gets me going on the emergency supplies. Ideally, I should be balanced in all three areas, but it just isn't always the case.

• This week, I planted some fall vegetables, got the low tunnels up, and covered them with a protective bird barrier. I have Agribon and plastic to cover them as the temperatures drop lower winter approaches.

• I purchased some previously used corral panels in order to bring home 3 Kinder goats to raise for milk production. I just need to get the hog panels over the corral panels. And a shelter. At least it's forward progress!

Join the Challenge

To join the Preparedness Challenge, just write a post on something you did this week to prepare and then link up below or leave a comment. Even one thing a week adds up and it will encourage you to do even more! And by participating in the challenge, it will get you thinking about prepping on a regular basis. 

Please only post on preparedness topics. And be sure to take the Preparedness Challenge picture and add it to your blog so others know you're participating and hopefully they'll join up, too!

Please be respectful of our topic and only add a post that is preparedness related in order to retain the integrity of the link up event. THANK YOU!!

A Home For Everything

Once upon a time there was a cozy little house that was home to a nice little family. All was well there except a few stacks of things that kept getting in their way, making the whole house feel cluttered. While nobody really liked the piles very much, it made the mom particularly unhappy (and sometimes grumpy)! Often, family members couldn't find what they were looking for because they really didn't know where to look for a certain item.

Photo Credit

Okay, obviously this is my house, but could it be your house, too? Stop right now and look around. Any piles of stuff laying around? Papers, kitchen items, school stuff, clothing, toys? Maybe books or electronic gadgets? I'm not spying, I promise, but if you're like most of us, there's often something stacking up around the house. Take a minute and ask yourself why it's all there and not someplace else.

Here's my guess as to the top 5 reasons for piles around the home...

#5  lack of time to deal with it or bad routines

#4  you plan to use it in the immediate near future 

#3  you're afraid that out-of-sight means out-of-mind, so you've left it where you can see it

#2  one of the kids left it laying around when your back was turned and now it has sat there for a week!

#1  you're not sure what to do with it because it doesn't have a "home"(and other family members are suffering from the same dilemma)

If lack of time or poor maintenance routines are an issue, give yourself 10-15 minutes each day to tackle the piles and you'll find they're shrinking fairly fast. Do it for 30 days and you'll have that habit in place. If you plan to use it in the future, there are ways to manage it that will keep the item at hand while still keeping them "in mind".  If it's the kids, you have a parenting issue, not so much an organizing one, UNLESS... they're like you and they don't really know where to put it.

I've tried to make a home for each item in the house for a few years, but seems like I avoided a few items because they were tougher to find a good location to park them. This summer, my goal was to find a home for EVERY LAST THING!!! That's right... every item down to the last paper.

To do this, I found I had to go back and do a little purging... again. But, purging needs to happen on a regular basis anyway. I got my donation box all set up and items are headed to the thrift store. Next I had to do some creative problem solving for these tough to place items.

I found that if I narrowed down WHERE it should go, based on where I use the item, then I at least had a starting place. Next I usually took everything out of the space where I wanted to house it and just stared. Yep, you read that right... stare. And think. And imagine. Sometimes I'd google some ideas on the Internet, but usually I thought about how I WANTED the space to look with the item in it. Then I worked backwards thinking how I could get it that way. Sometimes other items had to be relocated to make way for the new item.

One area in particular that was an issue for me was my jewelry. It has been in some trays in a drawer for years, yet I really did NOT like this solution. I wanted it in my closet where I actually dress, however, my shelves were full of books that had no real home. So I imagined how I wanted my closet to work and started to work. The books came out and went to the room where they should have been in the first place. Then after a deep clean, I moved the jewelry in place and started organizing. I had a bunch of old boxes with some sentimental pieces handed down to me, but they didn't look too good.

A large basket with a lid hid them all nicely and stayed in keeping with my "vision"...

Notice it gave me a little more space on the shelf as well. Always a nice bonus. But I'm going to be careful not to fill it too quickly! The remaining trays were stacked neatly on the shelf to the right (sorry, I don't have a photo!) and are easier to accessorize with my outfit. 

What about those books I had to relocate? Well, for 8 years I had been holding out for some built in bookcases. I finally decided that a few dollars spent on a movable bookshelf of lesser quality was worth my piece of mind and I ordered two to solve our book dilemma. All the books are finally in the school room or upstairs in the girl's space with a few cookbooks in my kitchen office. Oh, the joy of having a home for my books!! Now when there's a book lying around, I actually have a space to put it in!

Be sure the new home...

• fits your item and doesn't have to be stuffed in there!

• is actually where you use it or need it

• is labeled or is easy for everyone to remember what belongs in that space

• announced to the entire family!

• looks attractive or pleases you in terms of feeling neat and organized

• gives you room to grow if it's something that will accumulate over time

As the summer wore on, I found homes for all kinds of things... electronic chords, computer disks, toys, ... I feel like I'm on a hunt now to find a home for any remaining item that is "lost". It's kind of addicting!

So the moral of this little story... if you have a stray item that's been lying around, find a home for it... right now!

Give Away: Lilla Rose

I have such a lovely give-away to share with you! Remember the post on Keeping Our Femininity? Well, fellow Homestead Revival reader, Jill Wright, contacted me and shared one of the things that makes her feel more feminine is to wear a Lilla Rose hair accessory.

I'd never heard of Lilla Rose before, but they're so beautiful... and practical. Now we're speaking my language! Jill sent me one for my daughters to try and it's been in use ever since. Let's just say that one is not going to be nearly enough for three girls!

Kate has thick hair, but most accessories slide right out because of the texture of her locks. Fortunately, Lilla Rose has a little video clip you can watch that helps you determine the correct size you need for their Flexi-clip: mini, extra small, small, medium, large, extra large, or even a mega size! Depending on your hair type and how you plan to wear the accessory will determine what size you need. We selected the medium for my daughter, and it works great for most styles such as a tails up or tails down, however, even with her thick hair a small would be better for a pony tail or putting up less hair. For a bun, a large would probably do the trick.

I've never really seen another product like the flexi-clip on the market. Perhaps they're out there, but the unique design is such that it bends without stressing the clip and yet, the long pen is permanently attached so there are no worries of loosing it (really great for the absent minded child!). And it's so versatile! By the way, when we received our flexi-clip, we got a small sheet with hairstyle ideas and how-to's. Very handy for those new to hair couture! 

You'll want to visit Jill's Consultant page because there's more than just flexi-clips! Gorgeous bobby-pins, hairbands, o-rings, and hair sticks as well as a lovely jewelry line. But I'd have to say the flexi-clip is the have to have item! I did a little internet looking and saw some gals using it as a scarf clip! I'm thinking a few of these would be great to have on hand for gifts as well.

Enter The Give-Away!

Here's how you can receive a $15 gift voucher to purchase any Lilla Rose item you fancy...

1. Visit Jill's page and window shop, taking some time to oooh and awww over all the lovelies. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite item.

2. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway to all your girlfriends! Leave a comment for each one that you do.

3. And this is the best... watch the sizing video on Jill's website and then come back and comment on which size of flexi-clip you think you'd wear. You'll see some great hairstyle ideas on the video and how to do them.

This give-away ends Sunday, September 11 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

First Day of School... and Dealing With Stress

Well, the year is off and running. The school year that is. Seems like my life revolves around three calendars... The traditional year, the homestead year, and the homeschool year. It can be quite the juggling act, to say the least. And this time of year is almost as stressful as in the spring when we're planting and wrapping up school.

In the first week of September, we have two birthdays, school starting, a fall garden that STILL needs some items planted, projects I'm trying to finish, routines to re-establish, committees starting up, fall Bible Study, 4H, swim team, and to top it off, I seem to have allergies every year around this time. Is it any wonder I start hyperventilating? I'm not kidding. One year, I hyperventilated for a week and ended up in the ER. At least now I know what it is and what causes it... stress.

I was so thankful today that I was able to quite literally "catch my breath" when I went out to hang the laundry on the line. I never knew a simple act of home keeping could be so therapeutic. Besides being nearly perfect weather, I got a chance to enjoy the sunshine, hear all the animals and birds, and no one else was out there but me! Am I the only one who finds this relaxing? Hmmm... I doubt it. Just wish I had known this was so helpful years ago.

Photo Credit

Two other things that help me cope with the demands and stress of having to wear so many hats include prayer and knowing when to stop. Just talking to the Lord brings a huge amount of peace and quite to my soul. Knowing He's there and that He never changes. He's not in a hurry and He knows what's really important... what HE wants me to do during my busy day and not just my agenda (which is 90% of my stress!).

About 9 or 9:30 each night, I just call it DONE. Anything that didn't make it to the top of the list today can wait until tomorrow. And sometimes that even means a blog post (I'm telling myself that as much as anyone else!). At the appointed time, I turn out the lights, finish my evening routine, and crawl in bed to read and relax. Up to that point, I've been going pretty much non-stop, so needless to say, I usually sleep pretty well at night. I've found that if I just quit and go to bed, I can get up earlier, have more energy, and accomplish enough to catch up... at least for a while!

Photo Credit

If things are really bad (ultra stress), a soak in the bathtub does wonders! It's amazing what a little hot water can do. Throw in some scented bath salts for some moisture and aroma therapy, a good book, ... have I ever mentioned how grateful I am for hot water! I think it's probably my #1 luxury item. We forget that it's not that common for everyone to have hot water. But I digress...

So, I'm rambling since my brain is fried and I'm tired. It's 9:08 and I'm posting this for tomorrow... a couple of days late. I'm sure routine will find itself at home here again... in a week or two. Then maybe my posts will be more consistant.

Perhaps I'm not the only one?

Care to share your stress relieving tips?

Preparedness Challenge #24

Saturday again and time to talk about what we did this week to be more prepared!

I'm pleased that I made a really good meal in my camp style dutch oven without using and charcoal briquets or fossil fuels other than wood in a fire pit! My Mountain Man breakfast while camping was quite a success and I think I could cook other meals in my dutch oven using a fire pit. Now to select a place out back should we ever need to cook like that at home.

And I've been working on my garden... trying to get it ready for planting fall crops. I'm trying a few things different for watering, so I've been getting that ready along with some raised beds without boxes. And I'm hoping that by the time this posts, I'll have some seeds actually in the ground!

Join the Challenge

To join the Preparedness Challenge, just write a post on something you did this week to prepare and then link up below or leave a comment. Even one thing a week adds up and it will encourage you to do even more! And by participating in the challenge, it will get you thinking about prepping on a regular basis. 

Please only post on preparedness topics. And be sure to take the Preparedness Challenge picture and add it to your blog so others know you're participating and hopefully they'll join up, too!

Please be respectful of our topic and only add a post that is preparedness related in order to retain the integrity of the link up event. THANK YOU!!

Entry Hall Remodel

I know I've been pretty quiet here this week. My last 7 days before school starts! And so many projects to finish!

• chicken coop cleaned out for fall and winter... done
• girls closets and drawers cleaned and reorganized... done
• new on-line class orientation (and computer ready) for daughter... done
• family schedule reorganized and planned... done
• desk cleaned off... done
• ready for fall Bible Study... done
• fall garden planted and low tunnels ready to go... almost done!
• September lesson plans... barely started
• entry hall makeover... well...  working on that one!

I don't know if I mentioned it earlier or not, but we remodeled the hallway last winter, right where it meets the entry hall, so that we could install a door. The reasoning behind this was so that we could shut off part of the house and heat it in zones. We're about to find out if it's going to work like we hope.

If all goes well, the wood stove will heat all of the house except the upstairs bonus room which is shut off by a door, and the bedrooms, which now are shut off by another door. The woodstove wasn't big enough to heat all these spaces, so we zoned them off. The upstairs isn't used much in the winter and it has it's own heating unit, so most of the time it won't even be heated. The bedrooms now have a small unit and will be regulated by a timer on the thermostat so it is only heated for a small portion of the day when we get up early. Maybe some in the evening when getting ready for bed, but not much.

So, back to the entry hall. We have never finished painting it and the old green paint has had white plaster on it in places for months. I knew if I didn't get this done before school started it wouldn't get done at all! The delay had to do with the color and how to paint the 12 foot ceilings that go up the stairs (now you know why we have a heating issue - high ceilings!).

The new color... WHITE! Can you believe I'm going with just white? It's my new favorite. Here's some of my inspiration...

The main thing I didn't like before was that the entry was dark. We get very little sun in the winter and I want it light and airy. (Now I totally get why the Swedish people use so much white!). And since I live in a farmhouse, I want that same feel when you walk in the door. Before, it was much too "Tuscan" with a bit of French Country flair. I still like the French Country look, but just subtle hints of it. To create that farmhouse look, I'm going to add some beadboard...

All I need to do is get a sisal rug and a light fixture, then hang some family photos. I'm leaving my antique German bench. Maybe a few pillows. And that's it. Here's the white so far...

The big question is...

Should I paint the door red?

I've always wanted a red door.

{Sigh....  }

Red is pretty daring and takes a bit of courage, don't you think? But it's cheerful and happy! And should I paint both the outside AND the inside? I have plenty of red accents in my house, so it would look fine. Just... BOLD.

The outside of my house is a grayish sage green. I think it would look something like THIS if I were to paint it.

So... for fun, I'm adding a temporary poll to my sidebar. Help me decide, friends! I could use some input (and support when I tell my husband that I'm not kidding about the red and I really want to actually paint it RED!!) And you can leave me a comment with some thoughts, too. I'd love to hear them.

Now to get back to those projects...