Creative Ways to Keep and Release

After I wrote yesterday's post I realized that in '09 I started several "keep and release" projects that have and should help reduce clutter and the accumulation of things. Here are a few of my projects and how I've progressed.

1. Photos - This was my big project this fall. I used it as a Christmas gift to my sibling, in-laws and older children too. Photos degrade no matter how carefully you care for them and certain photos; color and instant, fade in just a decade or two if they are of lesser quality. I scanned my

photos into the computer, labeled and corrected over 1000 photos from my family and my husband's family from the 1890's until 1997. In the process I realized that I would have had only a few years before losing some of the instant photos as unrestorable - they were horribly grainy and losing color. All of the photos I scanned in I touched up with a photo editing program and I labeled them (sometimes just a best guess) as to year and who is in the photo as well as any events I knew of. One of my grandmothers had written on the back of almost all of the pictures she had so it was not a hard as it could have been. This would be a great project to do with an elderly relative if they are available to reminisce. I made a copy of the file for over 10 people and have the satisfaction of knowing that our family photos are now preserved for future generations. I'm not going to throw out all my original photos, but they can all go into storage in closets, labeled as to decades and I will not have piles of photos waiting for me to deal with them - well at least after I do the ones from 1997 to the present...

2. Old recipe books. I use to collect recipe books - especially the ones from churches, junior leagues and community fund raisers. These books took up a large portion of a bookshelf and some I only look at to get one recipe out of occasionally. I'm going through the books and taking out the recipes I want keep. Right now I am just placing them in plastic sleeves in a three ring binder, but I'd like to transcribe them (including the source, date and all my cryptic notes of substitutions). My full shelf has been reduced to a three ring binder. I also do this with recipes from magazines and newspapers too. I use a binder with a clear front pocket and use different decorative papers to denote which recipes a book holds (one for family recipes and one for recipes from cookbooks and magazines). I bought dividers for the notebooks and have divided the recipes in the usual way. I would not do this to a cookbook that had a lot of recipes I use or one that I thought was valuable for it's historical or even sentimental significance (a signed copy of Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking?).

p.s. The photo is one of me at age 5 making a pie.

The Beginning of Out With the Old in With the New

I bought my husband a new jacket this afternoon. He's needed a new one for awhile now and I've been watching sales and prices on the style and color he's been interested in. The jacket I found was almost 75% off and is exactly what I've been looking for. After I brought it home and he tried it on he went to hang it up in the coat closet. I reached around him and pulled his old jacket from the closet. We took his gloves out of the pockets and I folded the jacket up and placed it in a bag of things I've been getting ready to take to Goodwill or the Rescue mission - because I have an unwritten rule that when something enters the house as new (or new to us) something has to go. This helps to keep the house uncluttered, closets accessible and also helps me remember that processions are tools to be used (even if their use is just to create atmosphere or beauty).

After Christmas is a time for us of bringing in the new and challenging ourselves to let go of the old. How many sweaters or turtlenecks does any one person need? I've actually thought about assigning a number to how many of one thing we should have, but that's a bit legalistic so I just try to use common sense. This works not only with clothing but with home accessories, small appliances, cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. If I haven't used it in the last year out it goes - with only a few exceptions.

As we approach the new year take the challenge and go through your closets - what do you not wear anymore (or enjoy wearing anymore), what do you not use, or read, or play with. Spend a few minutes and challenge yourself to remove as many items as you brought in at Christmas.

Laundry Day

I've been doing laundry for as long as I can remember. I know I was about two when my mom taught me to fold towels and washcloths and I think I was about 6 when I started ironing pillowcases. I was born at the end of the age when everything, including all sheets and pillowcases were ironed. I also remember that my very frugal mother went right out when perma press fabrics hit the stores in the mid sixties and bought all new sheets so she would never have to iron another sheet again.

I also remember finding glasses and towels in my grandmothers new boxes of laundry detergent. I guess she would let me be the one to open them and remove the "prize". Although I remember the smell of different detergents like Tide, All and Era I don't remember them being near as strong scent wise as they are now. In fact one of my big gripes is how pervasive the smell of detergent and fabric softeners is. Maybe the American public has accepted the idea that personal scent should come from whatever detergent or "flavor" of softener is used. These detergents and softeners are made using petroleum products and synthetic fragrances which can be irritating to the skin and can also cause people with chemical sensitivities to have headaches and other symptoms, some of which can be quite serious.

I prefer to use vegetable based detergents and have found several that do a good job. Charlie's Soap is one of my favorites http://www.charliesoap.com/ . Seventh Generation and method are two other companies that make plant based detergents as does Cirta-Solv http://www.citra-solv.com/pplaundry.shtml. Some of these detergents have a scent but it is very light and is made with essential oils. Charlie's has no scent.

I also use oxygen bleach instead of chlorine. Chlorine is harsh on clothing, people and the environment. I use pretreating sprays to help break up greasy or set stains. You can make your own pretreating spray with 2 tablespoons of citra-solve or castile soap and 1 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup of water - mix in a spray bottle and shake before each use.

Wash anything that you think might have had a sugar based substance in cold water to avoid setting a sugar stain (those ugly yellow stains). In fact wash almost everything except diapers, sheets and pillowcases in cold water unless they are excessively dirty w/ grease. Cold water washing will help extend the life of clothing by protecting colors and will help you save on energy costs.

If you are having problems with static cling there are plant based softeners and dryer sheets on the market. Be aware that softeners keep towels or work out clothing from being as absorbent as they can be.

A Christmas Gift

I've decided to share a not so secret, secret recipe on my blog as my gift to you for Christmas. It is an original recipe and the baking technique is one I developed myself. If this were the days before church and community cookbooks when cooks kept their best recipes secret and passed them down to their next of kin by word of mouth this would be one of my "secret recipes", but since we live in a different time I'm publishing it on the web for all to see. :-)

This is my granola recipe. I make it about once every week to week and a half (for most families this recipe would last three to four weeks - it does freeze well) and we eat it for breakfast, on top of yogurt and straight as a snack. If you don't like nuts or coconut you can leave them out, but maybe you'd be better served finding another recipe to try if you don't like both. I use thick cut oats (which I buy in 50# bags) you may use old fashioned rolled oats - the granola just won't be quite as chewy. If you've never tried agave this is a great recipe to try it in - use the dark organic for best flavor. I think granola is a great homemade gift - a bit unexpected. You can find clear treat bags on the baking aisle of a store like Michaels to put it in.

Coconut Nut Granola

Place dry in a large bowl and mix together:

8 cups thick cut rolled oats

1 cup raw sliced almonds

2 cups other nuts and seeds coarsely chopped (pecans and walnuts are our favorites. I’ve used sunflower seeds too - or pick one nut your family loves and use three cups of just that one)

2 cups coconut, shredded or minced, unsweetened

2 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)

In at least a two cup liquid measuring cup mix;

1 cup vegetable oil (I use 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup canola most of the time)

1 cup honey or agave (I use 3/4 cup agave and 1/4 cup honey)

2 tablespoons real vanilla

Mix this all up well with a fork or whisk, pour over oat mixture. Mix well with large spoon. Pour onto 2 large pans that have been greased, evenly spreading mixture (I use two broiler pans or three regular sized cookie sheets). Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir well. Replace pans, rotating pans on racks and close oven door. Turn off oven wait 25 minutes. Remove granola from oven and cool completely before adding any dried fruit you’d like and placing in air tight container or plastic bags. The true secret to this recipe is the baking method - instead of stirring every 15 minutes (which I could never seem to do successfully) you must remember to turn the oven off. The first time you make this I suggest checking it at the 20 minute mark. Some ovens run hot or your pan might be thin or dark which would mean a shorter baking time. Freeze what you don't think you'll use up in a week in well sealed freezer bags.

It's Soup Weather

I really like soup. It can take me from cold, hungry and miserable to warm and full in just a few minutes. Soups can also be quick and easy to make. In fact I'm fixing soup tonight. I froze the smoked turkey that I cooked off the bones after Thanksgiving and tonight will be good night for turkey and rice soup.

There are a lot of recipes for soup - really good ones, so I thought instead writing out a recipe I'd blog on some tips to making good soup.

1. Use a good base. Soup base is easy to make yourself using vegetables or whole chickens, but if you don't want to take the time make sure you buy a base (sometimes called stock or broth) that doesn't have lots of sodium and monosodium glutamate. Cream bases are also pretty easy to make just follow the instructions to a good recipe. The easiest soup in the world is probably a chowder of some type (I'll include instructions at the end of the post).

2. Fats carry flavor so include a bit of a good olive oil or some butter (just a tablespoon or so) in your soup if it doesn't naturally have much fat in it.

3. Throw carrots and celery in the pot just washed and with tops removed. After they are cooked chopping them up is a breeze. If you're going to cream the soup you're making throw onion and garlic in whole. or just chopped in half. If you're using organic onions wash them before peeling and add the skins to make your broth even better (remove before finishing soup) and to add a nice golden color.

4. Soups are great for hiding veggies in. I grate summer squash, zucchini or broccoli stalks into soup for extra nutrition.

5. Use short cuts if you need to. I keep frozen hash browns on hand to throw in soup so I don't have to chop potatoes when I'm in a hurry. Velveeta is not as gourmet (or as good for you) as cheddar but it makes good filling soup. A block of cream cheese or some sour cream added to just about any soup kicks it up a notch.

6. If a soup calls for dried beans you can always use canned instead.

Here's a quick easy chowder recipe; in saucepan over medium low heat melt 1 tablespoon butter (or use olive oil) cook 1 chopped onion until soft. Add 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Add 2 cups of water to pot. Grate a carrot and add to the pot. Dice two potatoes and add to pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (12 to 15 minutes). Add 1 can of corn, drained (or frozen). Pour 2 cups of milk into pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped ham, turkey ham or a few bacon slices to make it even hardier. Heat through and serve.

Smells of the Season - Naturally

I love the smells of Christmas and love to have my house smell like cinnamon and spice or fresh cut Christmas trees, but what I don't like is the idea of using petroleum based candles w/ artificial scents or some kind of diffuser that throws synthetic scents (made w/ petroleum products) into the air. Actually I don't have much of a choice even if I didn't care about the origin of my household scents because my husband is very sensitive to scents and has even had an asthma episode triggered by a scented lotion I was wearing. My solution has been to find and use scents that are made from essential oils or natural elements. Below are a few of the recipes and concoctions I've come up with.

Stove Top Mix

In a small sauce pan mix 1 cup orange or pineapple juice,1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, lemon or orange peels, 4 or 5 cinnamon sticks, 3 or 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Allow this to stimmer for a great scent. This can be kept for quite awhile (the sugar acts as a preservative) as long as you keep adding water. Simmer any time you like or place on burners that have just been used and are still hot. If by chance you have a wood stove this is a wonderful thing to keep going on your stove all day - just remember to keep adding plenty of water.

Essential Oil Spritzer

Use a sprayer that will spray a fine mist. Mix water and essential oils of your choice (a few drops will do it). Spray into the air when ever you want scent. This can also be used to spritz pillows or spray it on yourself for light scent. Some suggestions for essential oil combinations are; orange oil w/ rosemary, rose w/ vanilla, lavender and rose, cinnamon and juniper.

Reusing Old Potpourri

I rarely ever throw out old potpourri because it is easy to refresh its scent it and reuse it. I place it in a baggie and store it using appropriately colored potpourri for each season. When it's time to use it I pick out which essential oils I'd like to use and drop a few drops into the bag. Shake well and then pour into container. If scent becomes too faint just add a few more drops of essential oil.

There are other tricks like keeping a bit of bread or cookie dough in you freezer and baking to fill the house w/ fresh baked scent (I had a Realtor suggest this to me once). Candles effect air quality by producing soot and the higher the scent the higher the amount of soot produced according to the FDA so we burn candles only minimally.

The Season of Peace and Joy?

The Christmas season can be "the best of times and the worst of times" for me depending on how much I attempt to do. A few years ago I realized a lot of my joy in the season was being robbed by exhaustion and I sat down with my family to talk it out. At the time I was buying or making gifts for my children, their spouses, each grandchild, my father and step mom, mother in law, sister (and her family of three children), brothers (and niece and nephew) - 36 people the last year I did it! We were also having a big Christmas dinner w/ turkey, dressing, etc. and I was also usually hosting at least two and sometime three Christmas parties a year including a cookie exchange and one large adult event. The kids were usually in a Christmas production of some sort that included multiple rehearsals and my chauffeuring skills. What on earth was I thinking! it was crazy!

The first thing we did was pare down the gift list. Each unmarried child gets presents, each grandchild gets a pair of pjs and each married child gets a family gift. One year we gave everyone an ice cream maker and last year it was waffle makers. We also talked to our extended families about gifts and cut down significantly.

At the same time we decided that our very favorite meal (Except for the vegetarians among us) is steak, roasted veggies, a great salad and a wonderful dessert (cheesecake most years) so that's what we have for Christmas dinner now. On Christmas Eve we have a party w/ whoever is in town with all kinds of party finger food and punch - almost all of which can easily be made ahead and warmed up.

This year I have three Christmas events on the calendar - only one at my house. Maybe some day I will be back at the place of having multiple gatherings, but right now I'm content w/ my simplified season. I have noticed that although days are always full, they are not too full to enjoy the sights, sounds and moments of Christmas. Best of all there is time to experience the awe of contemplating Christ born to us - fully God come down to dwell with us as fully man. Part of this contemplation is reaffirming that my worth to God and those in my life is not dependent on what I do, how much I do and how well I do it, but rather it is in the fact that God loved me first and there is nothing I can do that earns His love. It is His gift to me. The best part of Christmas.

Surviving the Holidays - Part 4

Thanksgiving is over. The house is almost back in order and I am finally caught up with all the laundry. All the cleaning I've done this week has brought to mind several of my favorite made at home cleaning formulas.

There is a product called CitraSolv that I have found available at Whole Foods as well as my local grocery stores. It's a citrus based cleaner that can be used several ways. I dilute it w/ water and use it as an all purpose cleaner. It has a nice citrus scent and works well on greasy spills and spots. Since I'm using about 1 tablespoon in 3 cups of water it goes a long way. I add peroxide to make a carpet spot cleaner.

The same company makes a dish washing liquid that I like better than Seventh Generation and some of the other non petroleum based liquids. This dish washing liquid also makes an incredible shampoo - and is way less expensive. A good shampoo is a good detergent. I remember that years ago Consumer Reports gave people disguised dawn dish washing liquid and asked them to rate it as a shampoo against several others. The Dawn came out on top. If you have normal to oily hair give the CitraSov dish washing liquid a try (no sodium laurel sulphates or parbens).

I have an interesting way of mopping our kitchen floor that uses the CitraSolv all purpose mix. I use a mop that holds disposable pads but instead of a disposable pad I use microfiber cloths or old wash cloths. I dampen the cloth and place it on the mop. The floor is then sprayed only in gunky spots with the all purpose cleaner. After the floor is sprayed I spritz the mop with the all purpose spray and mop for awhile. When the cloth is dirty I take it off the mop wash it out and repeat the process until the floor is clean. This way I am not dragging dirty water all over the kitchen. I think the floor gets much cleaner w/o dealing with sink or buckets full of dirty water. I also never have to buy a refill pad for the mop - just throw the dirty cloths in the washer. A wood floor can also be mopped this way.

Surviving the Holidays - Part 3

There are 18 people in my house now and another 10 coming by Thanksgiving. In order to enjoy the holidays I have had to think about what is important and how to accomplish that with the least stress possible. This works whether you are enjoying the holidays alone, with family or with a large group.

My secret is that the over arching meaning to the holidays is not about me or how wonderful a meal or how beautiful a house I can have. The meaning of Thanksgiving is to convey thanks to God for His bountiful blessings. Secondary to that for us it is a time of gathering and building relationships as family and friends. Christmas likewise is to celebrate Jesus who was and is God but who chose to humble himself and become man in order to work out God's plan of redemption and then secondly it's a time of passing on the wonder of humanity at that act to our children. Thirdly for us it is about the fun of gathering and traditions.

So, if these holidays are not about how well I preform, how clean my house is and how wonderful a cook and hostess I am then I can relax and enjoy the chaos of 13 kids under the age of 12 much more. My kitchen is never totally clean because as soon as everything is put away someone gets a snack or gets a drink, but I can take the time to read a few books to a five and two year old (or write this blog) before doing the next round of put away/clean up because some of the time I can remember what is most important.

Surviving the Holidays - Part 2

One way I survive the holidays well is to have tried and true recipes that I pull out year after year for dinners, parties and when I need a dish to take. During the holidays I might try one or two new recipes just for fun, but never at the last minute and always with the understanding that it's for our own consumption (unless it turns out to be one of those special things that I just have to add to my favorites file).

For company I have a few meals that are simple as far as prep go but special as far as taste and presentation. My favorite company meal is grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, salad and dessert.

Grilled Chicken

Count one breast or 2 other pieces per person. I like boneless pieces for adults and throw in legs for children. The night before or earlier in the day flatten breasts and boneless thighs with a meat mallet. Place meat in bowl and pour over marinade or your choice (I use lemon or lime juice, olive oil, and some herbs and salt and pepper). Marinade meat for several hours. The secret to wonderful chicken is to ONLY cook it until it is done and remove it promptly. Cooked chicken is no longer pink, but does have clear running juices. Dark meat can be cooked longer without getting tough because it has more natural moisture. Some people suggest that you learn how a done piece of chicken "feels" when tapped with a spatula or tongs. A raw piece has lots of give or bounce a done piece feels firm when tapped. A very firm piece is over cooked.

Roasted Vegetables

Use 1 small potato per person or 1 sweet potato per 2 people. Chop potatoes and vegetables of you choice into bite sized pieces (I use carrots, onions, peppers, Chinese eggplant, green beans and asparagus and place in a bowl (I do the green beans and asparagus separately). Drizzle olive oil over and a good pinch of any herbs you want to use (I use an Italian herb mix most of the time). Toss everything until all are coated with oil. Transfer to cookie sheets (use two if you are doing more than 4 to 6 servings). Sprinkle salt and pepper over. Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes and then add any soft veggie like green beans, asparagus or summer squash to roast for an additional 15 minutes. If you like everything really caramelized add 10-20 minutes.

Dessert

For this time of year I'd do something hot. A great quick, fool proof desert is baked pears or apples w/ cream. All you do is core the fruit (McIntosh & granny smith are good varieties of apples to use) and place on a buttered cookie sheet (you may need to trim the bottom of pears so they will stand up) fill core cavity with cinnamon and sugar and bake during dinner at 350 degrees. Remove from oven after about 1/2 hour (fruit will be soft) and place on dessert plates or in bowls. Drizzle cream over and serve with a spoon.

Surviving the Holidays - Part 1

I was thinking about what to blog about this week. Should I share my favorite pecan pie recipe or talk about how to use hydrogen peroxide to get cranberry stains out of carpet? I could and maybe I will later, but what struck me as I thought about Thanksgiving next week and Christmas a month after is that even though I have been the mistress of my domain for 35 years just thinking about the holidays can raise my stress levels. I actually like the holidays and for the most part enjoy them but (and it's a big but) there are things about them that I never seem to quite get a handle on or get done to my expectations. I've been working on it and changing things - although dropping a "tradition" seems to be especially hard on teenagers for some reason. :-)

Below is a list for myself on how to get through the next six weeks or so with joy, money to spare and relationships intact.

1. Make a plan for days spent w/ company including menus, special decorations, shopping lists, activity ideas.

2. Check guest needs like towels, sheets, pillows, toiletries and restock now.

3. Stock up on healthy snacks for kids and adults.

4. Think through how to keep kitchen clean and house relatively neat even w/ company. If company is family ask them to rotate kitchen clean up duties. (we will be doing this this year :-).

5. Simplify Christmas decorations and make sure to update lights to newer low wattage bulbs to save electricity (unless doing so will stress you budget too much, if so try replacing one type a year).

6. Plan before hand whether you'll send cards, emails. If you decide you want to then plan a night to actually do it.

7. Keep a careful calendar of all events and parties w/ starting times and ending times if stated.

8. Keep a list of possible gifts and sizes with you everywhere you go (I do this all year long).

9. Think about your gift list. The keyword this year is simplify. Make something, recycle something or get adults to agree to give something to a charity.

10. Plan fun (for you) activities and enjoy the season.

11. Most of all do not forget why we have Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don't neglect personal time reading the Bible and praying (it's one of my first inclinations when things get crazy). A quiet spirit is incredibly attractive and life giving, but we can't be that person if we aren't "placing the oxygen mask on yourself first". There is a reason why taking care of yourself first is important and not selfish - we can't give out of what we do not have. I've tried - it just doesn't work.

Baby Steps - Organization That Works

If you have problems organizing your home or keeping it organized chances are at some point you've tried a major overhaul of you spaces and/or methods. Most of the time major changes do not last because you have not really thought through how to maintain the change once it has happened. If you change things using "baby steps" change is much more maintainable. I mentioned flylady last week. Using a site and system like Flylady works because it is about slow gradual change with visible results. If the idea of flylady is overwhelming or a bit silly to you it's easy to use some of the same methods yourself w/o signing up for reminder emails. Start with decluttering for 15 minutes a day. Set your timer and work from room to room. As you declutter think about how you use your spaces. Are things in logical places and grouped together according to how they are used. If things have a place they belong that is defined it is easier to remember to put them away and get other family members to do the same instead of just throwing them in a drawer or closet.

When a room is decluttered don't move on until what you have defined as not being clutter has been considered. Take the entry for instance. What do you want to do in the entry. Will it be a place to take off shoes or would you really rather not have any shoes in the entry. Where should they go? Is there an entry table that seems to collect mail and odds and ends? If you don't want it to collect mail where should the mail go when it's brought in (actually it is best to sort mail as it comes in and not put it down). Where should your purse and keys go? After you have those things defined keeping the space clutter free is so much easier.

Soup Weather is Definitly Here

I love soup. It's filling,inexpensive, warm and just right on a cold, rainy evening. I have lots of soup recipes that I like and use two or three a week during the fall, winter and spring. I try to make enough for leftovers for lunches and I'm always trying to find ways to sneak more veggies in. Here's one of our favorites;

Jalapeno Cheese Soup

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of unbleached flour

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

3 cups milk

1/2 cup half n half (or be daring and use heavy cream)

1 teaspoon butter

1 onion, diced

1 large carrot, shredded ( I also shred or grate a zucchini or yellow squash to add to the veggie content)

1 large bell pepper, diced

3 jalapeños, seeded and diced fine (if you don't have a fresh jalapeños diced canned or bottled jalapeños can be substituted)

1 cup grated swiss cheese

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (use smoked for a really nice flavor)

1/2 package low fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in large heavy stock pan over medium low heat. Add flour and stir for several minutes. Mix in stock and half and half or cream. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in heavy sauce over medium low heat add teaspoon butter and cook veggies until soft, add jalapeños. Stir occasionally.

Add cheeses, cream cheese and milk to thickened cream mixture. When cheese and cream cheese is melted add in veggies. Season w/ salt and serve.

Serve with crusty garlic bread and a salad

Saving the Big Bucks on Cleaners

For several years I've been making almost all of my own cleaners. I admit that the advertising promises or a sale price makes me look at cleaners every once in awhile but as soon as I turn the bottle over and read the ingredients my sanity seems to flow back. Most cleaners are surfactants (detergent) mixed with scent and water. Many use petroleum based detergents and artificial scents and colorings. With about 5 basic ingredients I can make a variety of cleaners for different uses that 1. cost me pennies per quart because the main ingredient is water 2. Are kind to the environment and not detrimental to the health of my family 3. Work as well or nearly as well as the harsher chemical alternatives.

The 5 ingredients I keep on hand are;

Castile soap (or citra solve) - You can buy scented castile soap - usually peppermint for some reason or unscented if you will be using essential oils.

Hydrogen peroxide

White vinagar

Baking soda

Oxygen bleach

When I add essential oils to the above ingredients I increase their effectiveness and also scent the air so I keep several including tea tree, lavender and lemon on hand too.

I buy nice long lasting spray bottles from Home Depot and label them clearly. There are many formulas that can be made just with the ingredients I've listed such as toilet cleaner (pour 1 cup white vinegar in the toilet bowl, wait ten minutes add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. It will bubble, swish around the bowl w/ a bowl brush and flush) or all purpose cleaner (Pour 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon castile soap, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 5 to 10 drops of lemon (or other scent you like) essential oil in a bottle and shake.)

Finding Out What You REALLY Like

Years ago I use to have fun by helping people decorate their homes w/o spending much money to do it. I did it often enough to come up with a way to interview my prospective "clients" before I moved any furniture or made any recommendations. One of the first things I recognised when I started working with friends and family was that most of them really didn't understand what they liked and why. I also discovered that many couples have very different ideas about style and colors and really don't understand how they can compromise. Below are two of the methods I used to help people work through understanding their likes and finding common ground.

Start by quickly thumbing through some decorating magazines, a catalog or going to a furniture store. Without giving it any thought go through and pick your four or five favorite rooms. If you're married or have a roommate have your spouse/roommate do this too. When you have finished picking your rooms go back and analyze what you like in them. Are the lines the same, are the woods similar, do the colors all fall into generally the same scheme or are they warm or cool, etc. How do you feel when you look at the room (homey, orderly, clean, etc.)?Then talk about what you like and don't like in your spouses picks. If your spouse likes clean traditional lines and you love the curves and ruffles of romance you might have more serious work to do finding something in common but many people can easily find some sort of common ground - a color, a feeling, a line that they can work with.

There is one more exercise I use to use. Close your eyes. Think about your favorite place on earth. What do you see? What time of day is it? What is the temperature like? What do you smell? When you open your eyes write all of this down and it just might give you the inspiration you need to create a room you really enjoy.

Feels like Fall

I love Fall (almost as much as Spring) - leaves turning colors and the crisp, cool evenings are such a pleasure and are good for curling up with favorite books (I'm rereading That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis). In the fall I enjoy baking pumpkin breads and anything else with cinnamon that will fill my house w/ scent. This apple bread recipe is one of my favorites to do that. It's a wonderful moist bread that gets better with age and freezes beautifully.

Apple Bread

In bowl mix together;

2 cups unbleached or whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In another bowl mix;

1 cup honey or agave

1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

1 cup applesauce

2 cups of apple, finely chopped

2 eggs

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together. Pour batter into 2 well greased loaf pans and bake 45 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven when tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes, run a knife around loaves and remove from pans. Cool completely on cooling rack and then wrap well in plastic wrap or foil and allow to age for 24 hours for best taste (one loaf never makes it that long in our house). Enjoy.

My Favorite Organizational Tips

Here are my top five favorite of all time organizational tips - you might be surprised.

1. Spend some time in a quiet place thinking about what you want to accomplish by working at organization. Write these things down and work at one thing at a time for about 15 minutes a day until you finish it and then go on to the next thing on the list. For example if my goal was to get rid of clutter and then organize my kitchen to be more efficient I'd spend 15 minutes a day going through the house room by room until I had all the clutter sorted into give away and throw away piles. When this is done ( and I had thrown away and given away the stuff) I'd spend the 15 minutes a day thinking through and then organizing my kitchen drawer by drawer and cupboard by cupboard.

2. Time is the most important thing for me to organize. If I know where I'm supposed to be and when life is so much less frantic. I keep apointments on my computer calendar but use an apt. book next to the computer and in pencil write down everywhere I need to be when I need to be there as well as things that need at happen at home. As an example here are tomorrow's entries on my calendar;

10:00 Coffee w/ J. at G.

Call Target and schedule eye apts. for twins

Call Clubhouse and cancel membership

2:00 guitar lesson for Noah - write ck.

4:00 Alyssa @ work until 7:30

7:00 Rocky @ practice so dinner early

Evening - work on Quickbooks

Hebrews study - don't forget!

I sometimes check things off as I complete them just to have the satisfaction of doing it.

3. For fun and ease of dressing, color organize all of your hanging clothing. I even have my colors arranged like the rainbow. :-) I know exactly where to look for my brown sweater or red polo. I've done this for all of my husband's clothing too. It just makes it easier to find things in a closet.

4. If you're absent minded like I tend to be (I come from a long line of absent minded types - my mother's favorite key chain would chirp when you clapped! She would walk around the house clapping her hands looking for her keys) then you can understand why I need a designated purse and key place and have taught myself to use them. Coping skills are wonderful things!

5. Simplify your surroundings by getting rid of things and decorations that you don't love or use regularly. The less you have to deal with the easier it is to maintain organization.

Supper Time

It may seem a bit schizophrenic but in thinking about how to write this blog and keep it interesting I thought I might attemps to assign topics to certain days of the week. For now I am going to attempt to do cleaning on Monday, family friendly food on Tuesday, organizing on Wednesday, baking on Thurday and home decorating on Friday. That's my goal, of course I'm sure there will be days that I won't get to post anything, but I'm going to attempt it all the same. BTW I'd love feedback, comments and additions to whatever I'm writing about.

Since today is on family friendly fare and I am making spring rolls this evening I thought I'd write about using them for a quick, easy and fun family meal or as part of a party. When my my husband Rocky and I went out to Seattle to visit our son Jonathan and his wife Esther last June they served us Spring Rolls one evening and we both liked them so much that we came home and introduced them to our kids here. I also experimented with several different ways to make them - they can be made with raw or cooked ingredients or a mix of both. One reason we enjoy them so much is that our 16 year old Alyssa has both wheat and corn allergies and the spring roll wrappers are made with Tapioca flour which she can eat with no problem.

Basic Spring Roll Wraps

Package of spring roll wraps (large or small) - These can be found at grocery stores or an Asian market.

Package of broccoli slaw

Red pepper cut into thin strips

onion, halved and sliced or use green onions, chopped

Chicken breast or boneless thighs cut in strips

Snow peas

asparagus

Bean sprouts

Fresh cilantro, washed and chopped

Short grain brown rice

Soy sauce (we have to buy wheat free)

slices of pickled or raw ginger

oil to stir fry chicken and other ingredients if you want them hot.

You can use as many of the above ingredients as you would like or add something else in. I've used shedded carrots, yellow squash, shrimp and thin sliced cabbage.

Make rice. I use about a tablespoon of soy sauce per cup of water needed make rice. I always make way more rice than I'll need. I put cooled rice in baggies and store in the refidge or freezer for other recipes or a quick side dish.

Stir fry chicken and anything else you want hot and place in large bowl. Place individual raw ingredients in bowls on table along with a heavy frypan. Pour boiling water in the fry pan when everyone is at the table. Dip spring roll wrappers in water for just a few seconds, turning the wrap to get all of it wet. It may still feel a bit stiff. Place on plate, fill down middle with whatever you want to fill it with starting with the veggies and ending with rice for prettier roll. Roll like a burrito - top down, bottom up and roll from one side to another tucking under as you go. Turn seam side down on plate if you are premaking them to serve instead of having people make their own. Serve with dipping sauces.

Clean House - more effect than you thought

I like a clean house. Although my house is almost never totally clean all at one time since by the time I've finished cleaning everything the first things I cleaned are most certainly at least slightly messed up again, but I do love those rare moments right before a big party or event when we do manage to get it all clean (maybe except for the closet we have stuffed the remainder of the odds and ends in). I generally use a method made popular by Marla Cilley at www.flylady.net . Marla uses a system that many of our Mothers and Grandmothers lived by. They had days with scheduled tasks (Monday laundry, Tuesday errands, etc.), as well as weeks of the month having a certain emphasis for deep cleaning. By following a plan like this you can make sure that things stay pretty well maintained.

I was surprised last weekend to read a research study that proports to have proof that a clean smelling space helps people make better moral choices. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33522872/ns/health-behavior/ . Interesting.

Living With Intentionality

For the last seven or eight years I have been spending some time periodically thinking through why I do things and what my aims and aspirations are for what I do. I've extended this to consider what I desire to accomplish in many area of my life. When I know what my goals are then I can extend that knowledge to living more intentionally.

I've done this from everything to parenting (my goal is to raise kids with a heart for God and others, who are adventuresome and who will spend their whole lives growing intellectually, emotionally and spiritually) to feeding my family. Since my goal in feeding my family is to use food to nourish them physically and emotionally I am careful about the food I buy and make and also about eating dinner together without distractions. Looking at what I intend helps me to resist distractions and make quicker decisions.

By thinking through what I want to achieve before I attempt a task I'm not blown back and forth and can use my energy more intentionally. This even works for things like decorating a house. My over arching goal in decorating my house is to create a home that is comfortable and visually inviting. I want people who come into my home to feel welcome and relaxed. I also want my husband to like the colors and style even if it means not getting exactly what I would pick out just for myself. Because I've articulated to myself what is most important to me I can continually work at making my home better without the pressure of feeling it must be perfect.

Here's my list of intentions for my home. Some I work at all the time, some I have down pretty well, a few are not attainable in my present home, but I'm hopeful that someday they will be.
1. I want to create and atmosphere of peace and care.
2. I want my home to smell good - not with cover up scents but clean and inviting.
3. I want my home to be orderly and clutter free (still working on this!)
4. I want my home to be kid friendly (I keep boxes of toys for grandchildren and visitors and make sure small objects and cleaners are put away).
5. I want things in my home that remind us of our heritage from our families.
6. I want my home to communicate that I enjoy nature.
7. I want my home to have a large vegetable garden.
8. I'd like to have chickens.
9. I'd like to have a dedicated guest room that is as beautiful and comfortable as the best hotel.

To Green or Not to Green?

I thought I'd better start posting with some posts that explain where I'm coming from and what to expect from this blog. To be green or not to be is a question I have had to ask myself in the last few years and my answer has a lot to do with what you will find in this blog.

I would count myself among those who consider themselves trying to live green. I believe that God created this world and placed us in as stewards of it, to enjoy it within the context of that stewardship. I also believe that we must work together to leave our children a cleaner world - one with less pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. That's why pretty much everything you see here will be free of petroleum based chemicals and if it's food the ingredients will for the most part be whole grain, natural foods without excess processing.

Living green does not mean spending more money. In fact it has meant the opposite for me in many ways. Granted there are a few things that are more expensive (soy vs. Paraffin candles comes to mind), but I've discovered some ways to compensate. Below is one of my favorite formulas for cleaning stove tops, pans with burned on food and sinks that need a deep cleaning. Use it anywhere you'd use a soft scrub type cleaner. I've never done a cost analysis on the recipe but I know it costs only a small fraction of what a scrub like it would cost in the store.

Soft Scrubbing Cleaner

measure about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a small bowl. Add enough liquid dishwashing soap or Citra Solv* to make a paste. Store in a small jar with a lid. Rub onto stove top or pan. Allow to sit for a few minutes if there is burned food present.

*Citra Solv is available in grocery or healthfood stores

Creatively Keeping a Home is Very Different from Keeping a House Clean

Creatively keeping a home is vastly different from just keeping a house clean, laundry done and food on the table. We all know the difference instinctively between a home where someone cares to create a warm, welcoming place to recharge and the house that is not a home but just a place to sleep, eat and get out of the rain. This blog is all about recognizing that we can and should exercise creativity in the keeping of our homes and that to do less is not good for the soul of the keeper nor for those who may reside with her.

Here I hope to share the ideas and resources I come across along with all the info I've been collecting for my own use over the years as well as good tidbits gathered from you - if you're willing to share.