Making Your Home a Haven Challenge

Good Evening Ladies! I just stumbled upon something I had not seen Crystal's Blog,Making your home a Haven, find it here. This is what being a good Christian Women is all about! I am writing out my Schedule TONIGHT in hopes to start following it tomorrow~

SEE MY SCHEDULE AND HOW I AM DOING~~~ HERE!!!

Amazing Cleaner~Cheap, homemade & Natural! Better than Bleach!

I know this is going to sound crazy,But it really does work! Try it!A family member works in the Oil Field and is always covered in gunk. Needless to say the show has a permenent discusting soap scub and gunk stain. I have tried every fancy product on the market to clean this and nothing works.I have been trying to be more "green" and use homemade more natural (and cheaper) cleaners. I use baking soda and Vinigar to clean my toilet bowl and it does wonders. So I had an idea.I wetted the shower and tub a it. I sprinkled baking soda all over it. I poured so vingidar on my sponge and put some in a spray bottle. I added the vinigar to the soda and WOW like magic it ate away all the scum nd gunk! I have never seen the tub so clean! Give it a Try!

Home Companion Book

Hi Ladies!
I am now using a home compaion book. This has been a life saver! This keeps me organized and if i am sick it helps keep the home running smooth. I am adding to it all the time!
Here is what I have in it:
1. Weekly Items ( I reprint these each week)
A Weekly Cleaning Chart
Weekly Home Blessing hour Ck List
My to Do list
Menu
Grocery & Shopping List
Ck register and Budget sheet
Freezer cooking forms
2. Daily Rountines ( These are in slip covers)
Morning, afternoon, and evening rountines
Weekly Plan
Weekly check list ( Quick overview of housework)
3. Monthly ( this is in a tab with a coby of the months calandar, I bring it to the front each month)
Bill Pay log
Monthly Balance and budget sheets
Monthly pantry and freezer invenory
Monthly home cleaning check list ( I use this to grade my self once a month)
4.Important info
birthday list
biller information
Family health and doctor info
Important accts and other info
Babysitting info
Energenct plans and info
5. Phone numbers and addresses
6.Recipes
7. Cleaning Information ( Recipes anf tips ect)
8.Price Book
9. Pockets
Bills to pay
Paid Bills
Envelopes, stamps, ect.
Cards
10. Copy of Diet ( I have migraines and have to follow a strict diet)

More Mary less Martha: Part II

Why Once a month Cooking?

Ministry.Imagine the possibilities. My favorite reason to use freezer cooking is ministry. Now I know you are thinking "How on earth is freezer cooking a ministry?" Simple. You have food on hand when you need it packaged and ready to help others. Imagine... You hear word of a new mother in the church under bed rest, you have an extra lasagna and spaghetti in the freezer. You can take it right over. All her family needs to do is heat and enjoy! What a great alternative to taking them junk and processed foods! With freezer cooking two batches is a easy as one. You can easily make extras of all your best recipes to take to the elderly, visiting families to your church, new people in the community or those in need. The possibilities are endless! Does your son or daughter have friends from school who are "latch key kids"? No one is at home in the evenings and afternoon to welcome the children and see that they stay out of trouble. I know you would love to help those children but the idea of after school snacks for all those kids is a scary thought! That is the case no longer. With freezer cooking you can make tons of delicious and nutritious after school snacks. You just take em out of the freezer when needed.

Family. Your family needs healthy tasty foods. In this world of Go, GO Go! Its hard to provide meals in a manner that works for everyone. Freezer cooking is the answer. You know all those "meals" you get at the burger place and pizza you have ordered in because its more convenient when you are in a hurry? You will not have to do that anymore with freezer cooking. You have fast home cooked meals ready for your family. You will have more time to spend with your family and it will be of a higher quality. Your family will be happy and healthier.

Money.We all know that buying in bulk is the cheapest. So why don't we buy it bulk? It goes bad. Not anymore. With freezer cooking and a little planning you can buy in bulk and what is on sale and save your family lots of money. You can give that money to a worthy cause. Best of all you will no longer spend hundred on wasteful convince foods.

How do I get started?

Well, First you need to decide what kind of freezer cook you are.

You can cook once every X. Some times a cook once a month others once every two weeks. I decide based on whats on sale, when we get paid and how much I have in the freezer.

You can double. This is the easiest way to get started. Next time you make you award winning lasagna why not double or triple or quadruple the recipe. It is just as easy to make 4 lasagnas as one and you will have 3 in the freezer ready to heat and eat.

You can also freeze in portion sizes. When we have tons of extra lasagna I freeze it in individual portions. When I am hungry for something for lunch or someone needs a snack or comes home late we have individual size portions ready to heat and eat.

Freezer cooking is just like all those fancy frozen dinners and lunches in the freezer isles at the grocery store. The only difference is freezer cooking is healthy and cheaper.

What have you got to loose?! Try freezer cooking today!

The lost apron

The amazing apron. A necessity in the days of old. Until recent years a women would not be caught dead with out an apron.

Why an Apron?

Well for one its practical. We are so very wasteful modern working women and homemaker alike wear an outfit for a few a day or a few hours or a few minutes and it is dirty. You waste resources washing and drying the garment. Also clothes wear out allot faster when you are washing them all the time. Now as women we waste millions of dollars on t-shirt and jeans or sweats to "wear around the house." We wash these clothes all the time to. With an Apron you can wear an outfit multiple times with out washing. The apron protects your clothes and keeps them neat and clean.

Our families?

The apron is beneficial to you and your family. Why? Don't you feel better when you look nicer? I do. Maybe June and Lucy knew something we didn't. Unless they were involved in a really really nasty job like painting they wore there dress and apron. When company or their husbands arrived the messy apron was removed the hair snug was removed and they were beautiful. Wouldn't your husband feel better if he came home to see you in a comfortable dress instead of those old sweats or worse, still in you PJ's. Wouldn't your kids feel better if Mom looked Good. Wouldn't you feel better if you looked Good? And apron gives us that Freedom. The apron has become a symbol of the ball and chain of homemaking. It is not that at all. It is a practical tool to make our work easier and us feel better.
My Quest:
I have searched the stored high and low. All I can find are plain canvass aprons with no pockets meant for grilling. This doesn't help with my work. This doesn't make me feel pretty and it doesn't protect my clothes. So I am going to do something about it. I have gathered some apron ideas. I have some $1 a yard material and some old canvass aprons. I plan to reinvent my home wardrobe with these beauties and see the difference it makes.

I will start making the aprons today 1/16/2007 as they are finished I will share the help it brings.

Here are My Inspirations:

I WANT TO CLARIFY: I did not make these! They are beautiful aprons I have seen and want to re-create! I repeat the following are not my creations but the inspirations for the aprons I am making!

More Mary Less Martha

Cook once a month. I use to think it was not possible. I have been using this method now for some time. It is amazing. The next few weeks we will look at Freezer cooking. I will post my worksheets recipes and tips! Here is to happy cooking!

Complaint Free

I challenge all the readers to be complaint free for 21 days! Wow what achallenge... Imaine the changes in our homes and workplaces andcommunities... http://acomplaintfreeworld.org/ this tells youthe "rules" and you can order upto 3 free brands... Get your entirefamily involved
I have been working on this myself. IT IS DIFFICULT! I will let you know when I complete!

Attitude adjustment

Here is A GREAT ARTICLE I encourage you to visit it TODAY:http://www.momof9splace.com/homemakeradjust.html

A Homemaker's Attitude Adjustment

Written By:©Niki

I don't know about you, but there's not a lot of housework Ireally LIKE to do. I don't like to mop, I don't like to cleanbathrooms, I don't like to fold laundry, and I don't really likedoing dishes. I do these things, but you know, I don't enjoy them abit. Sometimes I feel that the work never gets caught up. Just aboutthe time I get something clean, someone gets it dirty agan. Myhusband really likes for me to keep the house neat, and I know that.So I try (sort of), but never with the best of attitudes.In the past few weeks, the Lord has really convicted me aboutmy selfishness and my bad attitude toward my husband. The things thatare my responsibility, and should bring me joy, are the things I'mcomplaining about. I believe with all my heart that the place God hasfor me is just where I am - a "keeper at home", and yet I was feelingdissatisfied and disgruntled all the time.I have asked the Lord to forgive me, and to help me find joyin the work He has given me. I want to "walk worthy of the vocation"to which I've been called (Eph. 4:1).

The Lord has reminded me ofthree lessons which my mother has been trying to teach for years. Ijust thought these might be a help to someone else:

1. Prioritize your life, and make sure the Lord is at the top of thelist.Then, hubby is second. My job is to serve him, and if I do not carefor him properly, then I am not right with the Lord. That means, ifhe likes a clean house, then I should do my dead level best to keepit that way.

2. Be creative. Working at creativity is what elevates being ahousekeeper to being a homemaker.Instead of coming up with whatever you can find for dinner, plan amenu. Try some new recipes. Your husband will probably die of shock!Not only will it make dinner a little less boring, it will proablyhelp with the grocery bill. If he likes the house to be decorated forthe season (which my hubby does), plan ahead, and do it early,instead of waiting till the last possible minute, and grumbling aboutit (like I usually do!). Creativity is what makes homemaking fun. Itgives you an opportunity to be good at what you do. If you think youare just not a creative person, find good resources. Martha StewartLiving (magazine) is full of ideas (Just make sure you don't try herstock tips. You might wind up in jail!). Keep some spice in yourhomemaking (and don't just stick it in your cabinet).

3. Let your motivation be love, instead of duty.This is a principle which changes your outlook on everything.Remember when you were dating (or courting) your husband, and youcouldn't wait to make his favorite meal, or pie, or something just toshow him you loved him? Do you ever do that now? It doesn't seem likesuch a chore when you do it for love.The same is true in our relationship with the Lord. It is soeasy to do the right things because we know they are right, but notbecause we love and desire to please the Lord. When our relationshipis based on love for Him, nothing will seem too hard (2 Cor. 5:14) Ihave learned this lesson before, but I feel that I am learning it allover again.

I pray that this will be an encouragement to you.