What I've Learned About Organization

This has been brewing in my mind for quite some time. But before I get started, I want you to know that I have not totally achieved this organization thing. I'm still learning. I am a stay at home, home school mother of 4  and a farmer's wife. You may be in a completely different stage and setting. If organization doesn't come easily for you, I will not judge you.

I function best in an organized environment. I have OCD issues with making my bed and a few other things. (well, I thought I did. I just looked up that term and maybe it really doesn't apply. I kinda hope not anyway.) I like order, hate clutter, love schedules, and have passed at least some of this on to my children. Being flexible is not my strong point but God is teaching that one to me in a variety of creative ways.

1. Your children will seldom be neater than Mom.
I have seen this over and over. People tell me that they can't get the children to pick up after themselves or be neat. But one peek at the master bedroom or the kitchen, and you know Mom has higher standards for her kids than she's willing to follow herself. I must set a good example for my children. That means making my bed, hanging up my pj's, putting away my shoes and the like.

2. You can't put things away if you don't know where to put them.
We mom's have to have a plan. Hooks in the bedroom for pj's, hooks in the bathroom for towels, hooks in the entrance for coats. Drawers for gloves and hats, shelves for shoes, baskets for blankets. You get the idea. I am not a fan of toy boxes. Things get thrown in and lost, broken, or ruined. We have totes for lego's and little toy cars, nice cloth bags for the doll clothes, book shelves for the books, and a little kitchen cupboard for the toy dishes. Granted, when we have guests over and it's time to clean up the toys, it can be a little confusing. But we generally help with pick up or send them home and do it ourselves. Who doesn't like to skip that part if you have tired children? Each of the children has their own personal 'treasure drawer' and no one is allowed to dig around in it without permission. This gives them a place to put their stuff.

3. A hamper in each room saves the dirty clothes clutter.
I keep a hamper in each bedroom and each bathroom and I get pretty frustrated if I see dirty clothes on the floor! My children often gather and sort the laundry for the regular laundry days. I have a laundry cart in my tiny laundry room and it makes sorting the clothes very simple.

4.Get rid of clutter. Get rid of clutter.
Oh, did I just repeat myself? I am a bit obsessive about this one and yes, you can ask my husband if this trait has ever caused issues in our marriage. I am a pitch-er! If the dresser drawers won't shut easily, we have too many clothes. I often go through our clothes and consign, or give away what we don't need or wear.  Mail piles up on the kitchen counter and drives me crazy. At least once a week I sort through it and organize and pitch. Several times a week, I make a sweep through the house and gather up the children's paraphernalia and put it on a pile on the table. I give them each a chance to get their stuff and put it away then I pitch the rest.

5. Have regular clean up times.
Like before naps, or before supper or bedtime, designate a room to a child and pick everything up and make it neat and tidy. Sometimes I say, "All hands on deck" and we all pitch in together. Or maybe I'll say everyone has to put away 5 things. It's so much more fun to wake up in the morning and start my day in an un-cluttered house! 

6. Have a meal plan.
I've tried it all- to weekly menus to monthly menus to none at all. Right now, I'm not really planning menus but I do figure out in the morning or the night before what we're having for supper. That way I can have the meat thawed, put in marinade, or whatever it takes. The more of a plan you have, the less grocery trips you have to make for that one elusive item you thought you had. 

7. Teach your children to work.
You don't have to do it all alone. I read once that if you are feeling overwhelmed as a Mom, you need to delegate more responsibility to your children. Of course, all things considered- they may be too young to help and you might need some outside help. But if they are between the ages of 5 and 11, like my children are, there is MUCH they can do. My boys have been cleaning bathrooms for a long time, and all 4 keep their bedrooms clean. 

There is a lot more that could be said about organizing a house. I like to look through the freezers every now and then and use up those forgotten items. And speaking of freezers, mine wouldn't win an award for being neat. I also like to clean out and organize the pantry frequently. I hate throwing food away.
Our mud room is this teeny tiny space that is supposed to store a lot more than it's actually capable of. Depending on what day you visit, you just might be shocked at the condition of that room. I always say you don't need a large space to be organized, but that room makes me wonder. I often feel grumbly inside when I step into that room, but after a thorough scrubbing and organizing and an attitude check about how much I have, I feel content again. First world problems definitely.
I have 2 daughters who are in the pack rat stage right now. It can be super frustrating. When I ask them to clean up their room, they do, but they save a lot more stuff than I would. Several times a year, I go in and clean it out and pack the 'junk' away. I save it in a hidden location for a month or so, just in case I eliminated something precious. I learned that the hard way. Then eventually I get rid of it all.
We have issues sometimes with the children's drawers looking awful. I set up a plan where I would make random drawer checks and reward anyone w/ neat drawers. It was amazing what a couple of quarters could do as an incentive.
I hope this is an encouragement to you with maybe just one helpful idea. We need to figure out what works for us and go with it. Habits form in a month, so one month of consistently adopting a new habit and you're hooked!:) 

How To Decorate

My brain has been begging to blog for days, weeks even. I promised myself a stress free Christmas and so I refused to give in to the blogging urge unless I had time. Today I have time. Today I am relaxing and doing a lot of nothing. I lay in bed until a shocking  hour, washed the sheets, did one load of chore clothes, heated up leftover soup for lunch, invited cousins over to play with the kids, and caught up on blogs and such like online.

Now I have time to blog.

First off, you will probably never come to my house and say, "Wow, if only I could decorate like her." I'm not a super creative artsy Pinterest type person. Oh, I peruse Pinterest, dreaming of the ability or even just the desire to get all crafty. But in the end, I try a new recipe. that's who I am. and I'm okay with it, at least most days.:)

Soon after we got married and were all settled into our old but cozy trailer, I invited my very talented, creative friend to my house, to decorate. I pulled everything out that I owned in that department, and she set to work. When she was done, my house was beautifully decorated. A week went by. I simply could not stand to dust around all the stuff on that shelf. So down came most of it. Soon I was tired of almost cracking my head on the shelf. Down came the whole shelf. After more time had elapsed, I felt this creepy crawly feeling when I looked around my house. Too much stuff! I started taking it down. Soon I was back to where I started before my friend arrived. A light bulb moment happened just then. I can decorate. But I decorate MY way. And I'm happiest in my own house when I decorate it my way.

My Decorating Tips:
1. Be yourself.
2. If you like it, it's great.
3. Be yourself. (Am I repeating myself?)

Over the years I have discovered my style. It's all about simple, clean, and cheap. Please forgive me if this offends you.:) I may 'blow' my money in areas that you would find offensive. But seldom will I spend money on decorating my house.

As a woman, I know all about competition. I love to go to Elaine's house or Mary Beth's house or Fannie Ellen's house or Char's house, where everything is tastefully decorated. They have a gift, unique to them. I love to soak in the beauty when I'm there. But I operate best when I am me, and when I decorate my house according to what suits me best.

We as women would do well to stop the competition, the 'she has-I want-I need' mentality. We can serve God best by using our own gifts and talents. I want you to feel loved and cared for at my house. I want my house to feel like a safe, comforting, and fun place to be. I want you to experience God's love through me and my family's actions of service to you.

And you know what?

I'm not even offended if you don't like my decorating style.

Losing Brittany

This past week has seemed really long for me, but not nearly as long as it has seemed to my friends, Randy and Lavertta. Last Sunday morning, their 15 year old daughter Brittany, was in a car accident with her 2 cousins. A drunk driver hit them and Brittany was life flighted to the hospital, where she died soon afterward. The cousins were injured but not in serious condition.

As I wrestled with the whole situation, I kept thinking, This is not how it is supposed to end. We pour into our children's lives, praying that they will grow up to follow God and raise their own family some day. We smile at the thoughts of weddings and grand babies in the future. We never entertain the thought of burying them at the age of 15.

Ultimately, it didn't end there. We know that. What Satan intended for evil, God can use for good. Brittany is in Heaven with Jesus, and she won the final victory against Satan.

I grew up with Brittany's mom, and we spent a lot of time together in the youth group. I was in their wedding party 19 years ago. I can't tell you how much it hurt to see Vert go through this. I heard her say that if only one person comes to Jesus, Brittany's death will not be in vain. And then she added, "But oh! How are we going to let her go?"

How do you let your 15 year old daughter go? How do you watch your children go through the intense grief of losing their beloved sister? How do you send your children out the door to school for the first time without her? How do you get through walking past her room, or cleaning out her suitcase, or finding her things lying around the house? How do you watch her friends cope with the huge loss they are facing? How do you laugh and smile again? How do you celebrate Christmas? And how are you supposed to ever enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend again?

The funeral service was very meaningful. As we sang a song about God's Grace at the start of the service and I saw Brittany's dad raise his hands in worship to God, I completely lost it. A man who has lost so much, yet he is praising God in the midst of it all. This is not some superficial faith he's got. It's the real deal. God has carried the family through these past few days in nothing short of a miraculous way. The strength they portrayed  in the midst of their raw grief was not their own.

And now I'm home again. What effect does Brittany's death have on me?

Last week I struggled so much with being a Mom. It felt like I was impatient and frustrated all the time. It felt like the issues we were dealing with in our children were huge. I felt like I was in a huge battle and I was handling everything all wrong.

Brittany's death has been a huge reminder for me to enjoy today, now, with my children. I've been reminded to focus on what's going on in their hearts instead of the outward actions I'm seeing. I've been challenged to say less and hug more.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.      Hebrews 12:1-2

Family

Family- for many, that is a painful word.

For me- it evokes warm, fuzzy feelings and lots of good memories.

Last night, my family celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a very loud gathering of people. The young boys were playing football in the basement, the younger children were playing school, and loudly trailing the 'cow bell' through the house, the adults were having various conversations throughout the house, some of them talking loud enough to be heard above the din. There were several quiet conversations sprinkled in too. Little Josiah was trying to fall down the stairs. Mom/Grandma's delicious food was devoured. It was a special evening. There were 40 of us there, which means about 25 were missing. Like I said, it was loud.

My family looked like this 30 years ago-

Now we look like this-

The siblings-

The grandchildren-

Random fun pictures of my family-

I am very blessed. I have some of my best friends in this bunch of people. There has been a lot of pain in our past, losing Dad being one of the big ones, but it has brought us together. We will never see eye to eye on every issue. But like a wise person told me once, "If we can't love when we disagree, we have nothing to offer anyone." And I keep coming back to that.

Too often our preferences or beliefs can completely divide families and friendships. It's the 'I'm right and you're wrong every time' mantra that gets us into a lot of trouble. We can accomplish a lot more by taking our concerns for our family to God and letting Him change hearts than we can by trying to be the Holy Spirit in their lives.

And so today, I'm thankful for my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews and every in law, and out law :) in my family. My life is so much richer because of them. I am blessed.

Sunday Reminisce

Yesterday before we left for church, I snapped a photo of the kids like I used to do so many times. I felt a bit nostalgic as I remembered how Sunday mornings used to be. They are still far from a walk in the park, but the dynamics have changed a bit in the past 5 years.

Yesterday's photo:

5 years ago:

3 years ago:

Last spring:

Ah, what fun to look at old pictures!

Friday's Musings and Recipes

The children are watching "Little Women" and I have 2 blissful quiet hours before me. I could take a nap, or go for a walk, or clear the garden, (Nah, let the boys help w/ that) or sit outside, at least. But first, I must blog. I need to write.

I've been trying to quickly sew a few doll clothes for the girls. My serger totally didn't cooperate. After spending an hour last night and close to that this morning, and lots of prayers and frustrated feelings, I gave up. I sewed a few items w/o the serger and were my girls ever thrilled. But me- well, I'm still frustrated over that machine. Boy, do I love it when it goes well. And hate it when it doesn't.

Leon is harvesting full blast this week. We are trying to have a flexible schedule around here because of it. Today it was get up, do school, eat a big breakfast at 9:45, clean, do laundry, lunch at 1:45 and then free time for the kids and their mom. Hmm. I kinda think I could get used to it. We could've skipped lunch, but oh, no, not here. Here, where everyone is always hungry, and not always hungry for Mom's healthy concoctions either. Sigh. My spinach, peppers, onions, tomato, grilled chicken salad w/ herb dressing was just for me. My children even call my salad dressing 'soggy silage'.:) Favorite foods around here are meat and potatoes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, made almost any way, cooked broccoli, cheesy green beans, raw peppers, cucumbers, homemade pizza, and soup.

Annika made supper the other night. Her first time. She was one thrilled little lady! She has been begging and begging to do this. Seven year olds do have their limitations, regardless of what she thinks. Supper was very tasty and she did a good job.

I made something last night for supper that I used to make in our early years of marriage. I thought I'd post the recipe here.

Strogonaff Sandwich
1/2 loaf French bread, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1 lb. hamburger, fried with salt, garlic and onions
Mix meat with:
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 C. sour cream
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Spread mixture over bread.
Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Optional: layer thinly sliced peppers, onions and tomatoes on meat. Top with cheese. bake.
Slice and serve with a fresh salad.

If you want to make your own French bread, I have a very simple recipe.
It makes 2 loaves and freezes well.


French Bread
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 T. yeast
2 T. oil
2 tsp. salt
7 1/2-8 cups flour
Mix. Let set 15 minutes. Divide dough into 2. Roll each part into a log. Place on cookie sheet. It should be the length of the cookie sheet. Flatten to desired width. Brush with 1 beaten egg and 2 T. milk. Let rise  15 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

If you want an amazing spread for your French bread, here is my favorite recipe from Taste of Home.

Go-go Garlic Bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mayo
1 T. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt or use fresh, minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Mix and spread THICK on bread. bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Oh my. You won't be sorry you made it. Just try not to eat it all yourself.




I've been thinking lots about the calling God has on each of our lives. So often fear of failure keeps us from living out that calling. We stuff it, or ignore it, but it never goes away. We make excuses and decide that we aren't equipped for the job. But God wants obedience, pure and simple! When we avail ourselves to that calling, regardless of how we feel, God can do mighty things through our lives. There is nothing like the high I get after I've ministered in the area God has called me to minister in! Not because I did everything right. but because I'm where I'm supposed to be. It's not about me. It's not even about my abilities. It's about Jesus Christ in me. I am not worthy on my own.

North America is not a pretty place spiritually right now. For whatever reason, God has us here at this time and this place. But not to go about our own business and ignore the needs around us. That has NEVER been His plan. If we as Christians have nothing to offer the lost and dying world around us, then what are we doing in saying we love Jesus? It's time to be bold. It's time to real. It's time to be obedient!

A Rainy Saturday's Musings

It's a lovely , RAINY Saturday afternoon. My house is quiet. That is a rare treat. I can think. I can process stuff in my head. I can write.

This week has been busy. Leon says we have revolving doors on our house. People come. People go. Every day. I love to share my home with guests. I love to share my gift of hospitality. I love to cook and entertain. But I love quiet, too. A lot.

God has felt distant this week. I don't know why. My prayers felt like they were hitting the ceiling. I almost felt depressed. I felt lazy and unmotivated, whenever I had a minute to myself.

Leon has been very busy. I love a lot of things about the harvest season. The schedule is not one of them. A tired husband is not either.

I went to some garage sales this morning in town. I enjoyed the alone time as much or more than the garage sales. I prayed on my way to town. I needed evidence that God cared. I know He does. But today I needed tangible proof. Guess what? At the second stop, I found a tote that slides under a bed for 75 cents. It's a little thing, I know. But it was on my shopping list to buy on my next trip to Walmart. They usually cost $10. It wasn't an accident. It was my tangible proof that Jesus cares about ME!

 I stopped at the nursing home to drop off a treat for my niece, who works there. I also stopped in to see my friend, Audrey. Audrey is one of the sweetest old ladies I know. Audrey loves people and Jesus. I've never seen her without a cheerful smile. She was reading her Bible this morning. I wondered what I would do when I'm in my 80's and stuck in a nursing home. I hope I'm sweet. I hope I'm still pursuing Jesus.

Last night, I helped my Mom with a small group. After the pie was served, one of the guests spilled his just-filled glass of iced tea. No big deal. Happens all the time. His wife lit into him. She really let him have it. When I refilled his glass, his wife sarcastically commented that she sure wouldn't fill it, he'll just spill the second one. These people were pushing 65. Seriously. He was a jolly sort of fellow, but after that tongue lashing, he was very quiet. I shared this story at the lunch table today. I hope my children got the message. I hope I got the message, too.

I've been thinking about the love of Christ. How I want to understand it. How I want to KNOW it. I read a terrific blog on this subject this week. One line jumped out at me.  "A love that can't be lost, because {we} never earned it in the first place."  barefoot missionary. 

"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21

Powerful verses. Powerful message.  

                                            Brooklyn reading her very first story to Daddy!!!!

My Darling Daughters

(My birthday theme this year on my blog, was to write a letter to my children. My girls' birthdays are a week apart, and a lot of what I'm feeling/thinking applies to both, so I'll take the liberty to combine the two.)

Dear daughters,

You two are some of God's greatest gifts to me. How I love having daughters. I love how you are so different from me, yet we have so much in common.

I love the girl things we can do together, the fashion discussions, the tea parties, the shopping. But somehow, I also love, love to see you shoot guns, play like wild Indians, and get dirty. I want you to enjoy life, even if it doesn't fit into my neat, tidy boxes. I don't want to place expectations on you that you can never meet.

This past year, I have watched you two learn to take your tough stuff to God- nasty attitudes, crying fits, you name it. I've seen you come away from praying alone in your bedroom to hugging and apologizing. You have no idea how much that means to me. You two have your sweet little prayer list going on. You pray for the things listed there nearly every night. Sometimes I see your light on well after bedtime, and I'm tempted to get frustrated, then I realize you're still praying. 

I am convinced that Satan loves to wreck mother/daughter relationships. He's done a pretty good job of it over the years. I pray often for our relationship. We have to fight for it, girls. It's not going to be easy. We won't always understand each other or care for each other like we should. I hope I'm never too proud to say I was wrong or to say I'm sorry. 

You two are some of my very best friends. May you always live life to the fullest. May you have a passion for Jesus that can't be contained. And may you always find a friend in your mother.

I love you both.

With all my heart,

Mom

*********************************************************************************

Brooke's birthday fell on a youth camping trip. She enjoyed the attention she got from everyone. We had a quiet party at home the next night. She ordered grilled tilapia, baked rice, cheesy green beans, and strawberry shortcake.

Annika's birthday was a special day for her. She wore her mini bride wedding dress to church. (from her Uncle Lowell's wedding) She invited several friends home from church for the afternoon. She ordered baked chicken, baked potatoes, green beans w/ bacon, and key lime pie.

And the traditional birthday breakfast in bed.......

Squeezing the Last Sweet Drops Out of Summer

What a good, busy summer we had. And now it's officially fall...I mean, the calendar says so. Who can argue with that? Tonight the children helped me pick 5 bushels of apples from our neighbors trees, for free. Tomorrow they go to an Amish farm and get turned into cider. Yummy!

Harvest 2013 has officially started. I take a deep breath and hang on for the ride. I will not complain about long days with no husband around. I will not complain about packing lunches. I will not complain about him always being tired and overworked. I will not complain....:) I will be thankful he is healthy and can work. I will be thankful my children can spend hours with their Dad on the combine, tractor or grain truck. I will be thankful that he comes home every night to me. I will be thankful.....

Today as we raced around the house during break time, and my 10 year old son was trying to catch me, I thought, surely I can still run faster than him. But alas! It was not to be. So now I am resigned to the fact that I have the athletic abilities of a 10 year old, which isn't too bad if it's MY 10 year old. But still....where did that 'fastest running girl in the youth group' go? (funny side note: we had relay races in the youth group once, and I was the fastest girl and Leon was the fastest boy. He likes to say that I had to marry him because he was the only one I couldn't outrun.)

My favorite pictures from the summer:

                                                      games with Great Grandma

Jamison's prize watermelon

                                                       Canning....snapping beans....

Slip and slide on hot days

                                                                 
                                                                    applesauce day

Cousin Fun

                                                       
                                                             Corn on the cob for lunch

                                                       (notice the kitties in the lunch bag)

It was a good summer. Yes, it was.