Home Sweet Home

Quarantine sounds like such a negative word to me.  I hear and read of so many people complaining that they have to stay home!

Not me! Not for one minute.  

"Home is where the heart is"  has always been a favorite quote of mine and now it is being put to the test.  I pass with flying colors cause there is no better place I would rather be than HOME, SWEET HOME!

Blessed to share my nest with my Precious Husband and now one of my adult children.  It is truly a blessing and honor to get up each day and do what it takes to create a home for my loved ones.

Quarantine, empty grocery shelves, no TOILET PAPER, oh my!  We are living our lives right now sheltering in place and wondering what the future holds.

This world as we know it seems to be turned upside down and topsy turvy but I know that my Lord has it all in His hands just like the song I sang as a little girl.  "He's got the whole world in His hands, the whole wide world in His Hands, He's got the whole world in His hands!"

I know no matter what happens I can trust the heart of my loving Heavenly Father to see His Children through whatever comes about.  That is a fact that brings peace and confidence to my heart as I shelter in my HOME, SWEET HOME!

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Domestic Accomplishments

Last week I felt like I got my yeast rolls nearly perfect.  Attested to by my family also wink wink.

Do you ever feel like some things are more work than you would like to do and so you opt out for a quick mix or grocery store purchase?  Me too but I don't feel good about it.

This week when I made the rolls, twice in fact, I decided to put all the dry ingredients together so they would be a quick fix next time.  That felt good.  Yogurt pancakes came to mind and I continued measuring flour and baking powder, etc. into my Ziplocks.  

Precious Husband loves his chocolate chip cookies so that is made ahead too.  Just add the butter, eggs, vanilla and chips. Walla - cookies hot out of the oven in nothing flat.

I put all my make-a-head mixes in my little picnic basket and it stores nicely in the pantry.

Yes! I am feeling so domestic and so accomplished (big smile)!

I am a messy cook I must admit and there was flour all over everything by the time I got done.  Oh well, I make the mess and I clean the mess up so nobody can complain.

Hugs and Blessings,

Mèmére

National Laundry Day

(Pinterest)

So on this morning's news I was told it was National Laundry Day.  Well, it just so happens Mondays are a laundry day for me.  So yippee! My laundry is done for another day and I also celebrated a national holiday.  Washoooo!

❤   With a grateful heart I must add how much I appreciate my washing machine and dryer.  I am blessed.

Hugs and blessings,

Mèmére

"It's All In The Presentation"

Image from November 1998 Victoria Magazine

If you know me very well you have heard this come off my lips quite often,

 "It is all in the presentation!"

I simple adore this delightful photo and all the delicate detail.  Sweet little chocolate covered shortbread laying not on a plate or saucer but on a lovely tatted hankie.  

And the milk bottle!  I don't really drink milk, although I am a dairyman's daughter, but I simply love this milk bottle. Note the labeled lid.  😊

Put it all together and it is every bit delightful to the eye and to the senses.

Yes, it is definitely all in the presentation!

Blessings & Hugs,

🦋❤️🦋Mèmére🦋❤️🦋

Thank you Betty!

I totally agree 💕

Click on picture to be able to read it.

🦋❤️🦋,

Mèmére 

Housekeeping Tip

I have lots of the bags made to take to the store and save the environment but alas I usually forget to take them into the store *sigh*

My tip for you is something I found through FaceBook and it works like a charm.

Take an empty coffee can or oatmeal box and put a good size hole in the middle of the lid.

Then loop one bag into the next and stuff in the can as you go along.  Push hard and you can fill that 'ole can very full.

Pull the last bag up through the hole and walla a neat and tidy and compact place for all those plastic bags.

👉Note to self: try hard this year to remember the canvas bags that are stored in the car.  Put them to use.

Blessings and Hugs,

💕Mèmére💕

Modern Convenience

Modern technology amazes me.  I speak in the direction of my phone and ask Siri to let me know when to take my chocolate chip cookies out of the oven or switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer in 55 minutes.  No fuss. No muss. No hasstle.

Modern trends amuse me.  Spinners to calm your anxiety.  What?  It was pet rocks years ago.  Who thinks up these things and probably makes a small fortune from their creativity.  How about various and multiple shades of color in women's hair.  I see it everywhere and on all ages too.  Personally I hope it is a trend that will come and go quickly.

Modern conveniences.  That is something that can be quite helpful, economical and creative.  I recently purchased a tool to clean, core and slice pineapple after reading the rave review that I read here.  Jill has so many good ideas, tips and suggestions on her website, One Good Thing.

Canned pineapple is quite pricey for the amount you get.  For less than the cost of a small can of pineapple tidbits I can buy a whole fresh pineapple and process it as I please.  Sliced, crushed, tidbits and chunks.

When I made my first attempt at using this amazing tool I was completely sold.  Like using the timer on my phone no fuss, no mess, no hassle.  Perfectly sliced rings of pineapple.

If you enjoy fresh pineapple or like me use pineapple a lot when you bake you might want to look into this little amazing tool.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Too Many To Count

Cookbooks! Cookbooks! Cookbook!  Yes, I have an affinity for cookbooks.  I have quite a selection too!  Been collecting them for about 40 plus years I guess.  I have inherited loved ones cookbooks, I have purchased vintage charmers at my favorite thrift shops.  In the beginning years of my collection I belonged to a cookbook book club where you purchased several to start at a very low price and then once a month you purchased an additional one till your commitment was complete.  That was fun.

Finding a place to store all these is always a challenge - a very fun challenge though.

My favorite cookbooks tend to be those compiled by clubs or church women who include all their tried and true recipes.  These are the best - who would want to put a yucky recipe in a book with their name attached?  I have quite a few recipes actually published in cookbooks like this too. 

Funny thing about all my cookbooks?  I really don't use them a lot when I am looking for a recipe.  More often than not I go to my computer and google the desired culinary creation.  The cookbooks are more for reading like a novel almost - they encourage my homekeeping and cheer me on.

How about you?  Have a favorite cookbook you can't live without?  Would love to hear about it in the comment box.

Shopping My Shelves

I will leave the Christmas trees up till New Years but today I began putting away all the other decorations.

I love to shop from my own shelves when decorating.  It is so fun to rethink or repurpose an object that I already have.  So when I removed the Christmas decorations from my dining room table I went shopping and what you see here is what I came up with.  First the tray and tea set but there was no height so I added the crystal candle holder.  Still not enough height to suit me so I put the whole tray on a heavy upside down cut glass bowl.  Ahh - I like it.  Something totally different and new to me without spending a penny.  My idea of fun. 

 

 

 

Monday Memo: Get Busy

Now to get busy cleaning up the aftermath!

Books Books Books!

Monday I began the chore I have put off forEVER - cleaning up the enormous number of books I own which seem to multiply like rabbits.  Tuesday I continued the labor of love and today I hope to finish the job.  

My office, my library, my sanctuary and refuge is my favorite room to come to but not when it gets so cluttered and books are stacked ten deep in piles all around my chair.  My chair is the only chair in the room and that is because this real-estate is mine alone and there is no one to blame for the mess but me.  Precious Husband's office is pretty much a mess all the time but the big difference is that when he decides to clean his real-estate he can do it so quickly - amazing to me.  

This cleaning challenge this takes me days because honestly I am slow and I get so easily side-tracked.  I pick up the stack of my mom's journals and read through the one dated 1975 and read about what she was doing the year after Daddy died.  I read about what we did together to prepare for my wedding in '83.  I am glad she journaled because I read about things I have totally forgotten.  She quit keeping her journals because I think she feels her life is a little boring now - that is sure a shame.

I pick up a book and to my delight realize that it is one of my very favorites and that I have two.  In the box it goes to share with someone special that will undoubtedly be blessed with it like I am.  I sit in my chair and leaf through another book that I had forgotten I had and also forgotten how good it is.  Yes, these are all reasons I am still in the process of over-hauling my books.  It will feel so good when I do get done - maybe today : )

If you need a good book I do love to share.  I will even bring a chair in for you to sit and take your time.  We could have tea - I would like that.

Cookbooks

 

Sweet Heather over at http://heathersblog-o-rama.blogspot.com/ asked me about a cookbook I have when she saw a prior post with this picture:

 

So I thought I would send a picture to her through my blog of the cover because it is a very pretty cookbook.  It was published as a fund raiser for our local city library in Maricopa and gives quite a bit of history about the library.    

So there you go Heather, hope you enjoy the picture.

It's All About Home!

Allow me to share some quotes this morning from one of my very favorite authors and Bible teacher, Kay Arthur.

"A sanctuary you can create, a harbor of safety for loved ones from the storms of life, your shelter in the world - from the world."

"This is part of the joy, the wonder, of being a woman.  Here you celebrate the expression of being you as you take a house and make it your home.  What you create in your setting makes it uniquely you."

"Like the fragrance of a delightful potpourri, your sanctuary is filled with the scent of a woman.  For, in large portion, the presence of you, the essence of you, permeates and sets the atmosphere of this place called home."

"You know, for you've watched the power of a gentle smile, of a non-condemnng, listening ear, of open, forgiving arms, of your words and tone of voice, the mystical effect of a soft answer that turns away wrath, the power of words of kindness and encouragement when they grace your lips . . . "

"As you walk through your home, turning out the lights, closing another day, there's a sense of satisfaction, of accomplishment, as you give one last, loving touch, putting away the remnants of the day. . . knowing that with everything in place, when you awake you can begin with a sense of peace and grace."

Advice on Clutter

My greatest homemaking challenge has to be CLUTTER!  Does paperwork multiply when we turn our back?  Sometimes in my home I think it does and then like a magnet it draws in other odds and ends from all the far corners of our life. 

My homemaking tip today that works for me is simple but it works for me.  If I take an area that is vulnerable to clutter I focus on making it so pretty and attractive that I would not to mess it up with clutter again. 

Works for me.  My kitchen island is a great example.  It is such a handy place to be tempted to lay things down that don't belong there.  To leave too many kitchen things out but if I make it simple and pleasing to my eye I will do what it takes to keep it this way. 

A spiritual tip that Mrs. Billy Graham shares is keeping your Bible open on the counter to give the busy homemaker refreshment through out the day.  I have done this for a long time and I have benefited by her tip.

Beautiful Season of Life

Can you believe it is the middle of January so soon?  I personally enjoy the time from New Years through April the very most.  Our yard is truly showing the signs of frost damage but the days are warm right now and wonderful.  Sunsets are especially beautiful this time of year here in Arizona and I so enjoy watching for signs of spring.  Hope to get some little baby pansys planted this week.

I am working hard to establish a new weekly schedule.  I enjoy having lots on the calendar because it challenges me to keep my priorities straight and keep up my routine.  Priorities and routine - always a good thing.

My little refuge/sanctuary I often speak of is at this time in total disarray.  The floor is literally covered with papers that I have been sorting through for future use with our Women's Ministry.  Tonight I am determined to get the floor all cleared up and the table made tidy again. 

Now I shall bid you all a good night and head up and remake my little office into my cherished refuge. 

Leaving you with a quote I found tonight that I hope will bless you:

"A gentle and quiet spirit is not only imperishable; it is precious in the sight of God. It's also one of the hardest qualities to cultivate. Far from a sign of weakness, a gentle and quiet spirit is the sign of a woman who is strong in faith, mind and character." --Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

 

In My Home Today

Thought I would share with you today some word pillow pictures of my home.

Wish I could share the scent of my home today too.  In the kitchen I have an apple pie candle burning that just smells so delicious.  My office - my sanctuary has a soft wonderful vanilla-lavender candle sitting on a warmer filling the space and making it so relaxing.

With the recent news-making weather we had our days here in Arizona are finally a little more normal and the evenings and mornings are quite delightful.  I am so looking forward to being able to wear a sweatshirt. 

Tonight's menu reflects the break in the heat too.  We will have roasted garlic rosemary chicken with red potatoes along with acorn squash baked with butter and brown sugar.  A nice green salad will accompany this made from artisan lettuce I picked up at Costco.  Precious Husband loves red potatoes so I think this menu will go a long way in making our home a haven tonight. 

One last pillow that is good for a smile: