Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish you all a VERY Happy New Year!!!

My time over Christmas (and during my bloggy break) was wonderful!

The Lord takes such good care of us, and yet I am still amazed when He does! We all got sick as soon as I posted about taking a break, but my MIL was down, and pitched in to take care of all of us! It was wonderful! It also made me very happy to have everything done in advance so that I was not sick AND flustered at the same time! While some baking did not get done, it was not the end of the world, and was not missed a bit!

Christmas Eve morning found me in the kitchen by 7:50 starting the Christmas baking. My MIL joined me 20 minutes later, and by 10 there were two Christmas Logs completed (vanilla and chocolate, Jesus is so special that He gets 2 birthday cakes, just ask Miss Pear, she will tell you!), pink icing cake with the first two layers baked and cooling for icing, 1 tray of cinnamon buns in the oven, a second rising, and a batch of rolls rising too! We were so accomplished that we even had time to play at the park before lunch!

Christmas was wonderful! We enjoyed an early supper before an excellent church service! We returned home for dessert and presents. Miss Pear did so well opening gifts, and played with each one as she opened it and from the very first present seemed surprised that there was another for her! She did not want to leave her new toys, books, and slippers (clothes were okay though!) to got to bed, but was convinced!

Christmas morning was so much fun with our stockings filled by Baby Jesus and one special present for Miss Pear from Daddy and Mommy. After a breakfast of cinnamon buns we went for a walk on the beach that was fun and very windy which made the waves beautiful! We returned home for our traditional lunch of waffles, strawberry syrup, whip cream and sausages and spent the rest of the day resting and playing before our big Christmas Day Supper!

Boxing Day was special, it was the first time I have actually hosted it because down here it is not a big deal, but in Canada it is! So we had a favorite family over along with one set of their parents for a full fledged Canadian Boxing Day! It was so much fun we did it again the next day with our neighbors...I may never eat again.

New Year's Eve for us is always a quiet night in! We used to always have Chinese take out, but with Miss Pear's allergies we have not found a new restaurant in our new home, so I found a recipe for P.F. Chang's Honey Chicken we are going to try! We will probably watch a movie, but in all honesty Mr. Pear is recovering from a bad cold, and I am on the tail end of a flu bug, so it will be a quiet and early night.

I was thinking about the New Year, and even though my life does not follow the calendar very closely now (no more worrying about year end or the end of fiscal quarters for this girl!), I still use the end of the year to think about changes or improvements I would like to make, and to set goals for myself. I look at my Bible reading and make goals, look at my crafting and make lists, look around the house and make plans, and look and my family and think about how I can show them my love better and more! (Okay, in all honesty I work on that last one all the time, but I have to throw it in too!)

Lately I have been talking to a lot of friends and I hear a common theme. "I am overwhelmed, I am tired, it is too much!" And while some of this is a legitimate season in life, some of it is really rather bad planning, or an inability to say no, or just trying to jam so much in that schedules are bursting at the seams. So as I reflect, review, and set some goals, I thought I would share here.

My mottoes in managing our home are numerous, and include:

• "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." Col 3:23
• "that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
  to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. " Titus 2:4-5
  
• Run your home like a business, but with a lot more love! (I cannot remember who told me this one!)
• Give yourself EVERY advantage! (This one is my own!)

What I plan on sharing in the next few days is going to focus almost entirely on the last motto, to give ourselves every advantage for success, and is going to be about what I am doing in a couple areas, but I would love to hear about what you are doing to so that we may encourage one another!

So to start with, I have a question for you:

Do you use the New Year to evaluate and set goals for yourself? Some other time of the year? Or just whenever the need arises?

Christian Books Code

When it comes to books, I cannot keep a deal to myself.

Christianbook.com emailed the end of the year 10% off your order code the morning after I was discussing it with a friend and promising to send it to her, which somehow made me forget to post it for you! An oversight I must fix!

Plus they have a lot of sale items too!

Until midnight Eastern time December 31 save 10% off your order at Christianbook.com with code 271835.

We are having a wonderful Christmas season, and I will be back in the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

I have all kinds of things I would like to post about, and talk about, but it is Christmas, and while I am on top of things, there is still baking to be done, a special date with my husband tonight, and company arriving tomorrow!

So for all intents and purposes, I am starting my Christmas bloggy break now.

If something that is just too good to not share, and cannot wait until the new year I will pop back in to post, but if not, I will see you in the New Year!

May the Lord, Our God, bless you and your families richly this Christmas Season.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1-5

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

Cleaning Plan - Zone 5 - the end

Well, this is the last (finally) post about our cleaning schedule. You will be happy to know that actually DOING the cleaning schedule is going much better than actually POSTING it! With this mini-series done (Hopefully not as long as I remember the North and the South being when I was younger) we will be returning to the Freezer Meals series - really!

I have to confess that my papers have lots of pencil marks of adding stuff, moving stuff, and reminders to make sure the garbage cans are out the night before garbage day as the morning dash is not my thing, and pick up starts as early as 7:30 AM !

So, with the close of this series, what did I miss? How do you do it different? What is your favorite housekeeping guide or help?

And what I really want to know is: How many of you have a cleaning schedule and (mostly) keep to it?

So without further ad0:
Zone 5 – Week 5
Living Room and Dining Room

Start by decluttering!

1. Clean cobwebs
2. Dust blinds
3. Clean windows (stairway too)
4. Dust ornaments and pictures
5. Straighten out built in
6. Wipe fingerprints from stuff
7. Clean leather chairs
8. Vacuum under cushions
9. Vacuum under furniture
10. Vacuum stairwell
11. Shampoo carpet twice a year
12. Polish kitchen table and chairs
13. Clean off/out Miss Pear’s table and chairs
14. Sort through Miss Pear’s toy basket
15. Sort through and tidy Miss Pear’s book table
16. Dust lamp



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3 - which includes the "dumping room" aka the guest room
Zone 4

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

A Special Mommy Moment

You have heard the old saying "Never argue with people who buy ink by the barrel"?

Might I rephrase this for mommies?

Never play squirt toys with children who have water by the bath tub...

Do I really need to explain this?

Please excuse me while I go dry off.....

Project Friday

I have a new thing that helps me out in the kitchen so much I just have to tell you! A friend of mine and I get together on Friday's for Project Friday. Now I would be lying if I said we managed this every week, it is more like every second week...almost.

But on Project Friday we get together to do a project or to finish a project, usually baking. So one Friday we made pie crusts, and took them home in disks ready for use. Last Friday we made gingerbread man dough. We have made bread, hot chocolate for gifts, and a ton of other stuff. As a rule, unless absolutely necessary, we don't do the actual baking, just the preparation of the dough and clean-up.

And with two sets of hands and eyes is makes light work and the children are all playing together where we can see them! (Or helping us).

As for sharing supplies and keeping it "even", we take turns at each other's houses, with the one hosting being responsible for suppling the ingredients, but if all of a sudden I am short molasses, my friend will share hers. In the end it all works out!

This has been a tremendous help to me, so I would encourage you to find a friend you can do this with too! It is also helpful for crafting activities too! And if you are wondering how to get your Christmas baking done, now you know what works for me!

More Christian Books Codes for Christmas

I LOVE Christianbook.com! They always have great prices, plus they run great promotions leading up to Christmas!

Last Friday I shared a code for 10% off your order of $35 or more (and Bethany shared a free shipping code: 271825DABVQT but I am not sure what the expiry date is)

If neither of those coded tempt you, how about this one?

Upgrade your shipping to UPS 2nd Day Air at no extra cost!

Here's the scoop:

Between now and noon Eastern Time on Thursday December 20th, we'll upgrade your shipping for in-stock items to UPS 2nd Day Air® for the cost of UPS Ground®. It's easy!

1. Fill your shopping cart with unique gifts and bestselling favorites.
2. Enter promotion code 271827 as you enter the checkout process.
3. Choose UPS 2nd Day Air® as your shipping method.
4. Complete your order and enjoy UPS 2nd Day Air® delivery for the cost of UPS Ground®!
5. Repeat this process on every order you place between now and December 20th at 12:00 noon Eastern Time .

Happy Shopping! You can start by clicking here: Christianbook.com

Menu Plan Monday - December 8-15

Saturday

Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Pizza leftovers
Supper - BBQ Hamburgers

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Soup
Supper - Pineapple Meatballs and Rice

Monday

Breakfast** - Granola Oatmeal
Lunch - Sandwiches
Supper - Farmhouse Chicken

Tuesday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Chicken leftovers
Supper - Lemon Garlic Slowcooker Chicken and Rice

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Supper - Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Out for Lunch
Supper - Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Slow cooker Beef Roast

Saturday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Company - Hawaiian Pizza (Ham, pineapple, red onion, sweet pepper), Pepperoni, Sausage, Pepper and Onion Pizza, and Salad
Supper - Probably leftovers....

Breads
French Bread
Winnipeg Rye Bread (recipe to follow)


Cookies
Granola Chips
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Tropical Muffins
Berry Oat Muffins
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Other
Work on Christmas Baking list! Christmas Cake is done, as are two batches of the Mars Bar Square, and the ginger bread cookies are awaiting icing, now I just have the rest of the list!

Christian Books Code

For Frugal Friday this week I have a little tidbit to help save you money on your Christmas shopping.
Christianbook.com is having 10% off your order of $35 or more if you enter coupon code 251447AD between now and December 19!

Of course, we would love it if you would click through our site to theirs as we are affiliates!

Cleaning Lists - Zone 4

It has been a weird week. I have been busy all week, and while I have a clean house to show for it, either house work took a lot longer than usual, or I was doing a bunch of other stuff but cannot remember what it was...although I do see wrapped Christmas presents under the tree, so maybe that was it!

And I happily completed Zone 1's work this morning!

Zone 4 – Week 4

Master Bedroom
Start by decluttering

1. Dust and polish furniture
2. Clean cobwebs
3. Dust light / fan
4. Spin mattress
5. Wash mattress cover and pillow covers
6. Empty garbage
7. Dust blinds
8. Wash curtains
9. Wash windows
10. Clean off night stands (magazine toss!)
11. Straighten drawers
12. Clean out under the bed
13. Clean phone
14. Switch out quilts (November and May)



Mrs. Pear’s Desk

10 minutes a day until caught up!

1. File all papers
2. Enter Pamper’s points
3. Sort through desk inbox
4. Clean out computer inbox
5. Clean out bloglines
6. Clean computer
7. Toss out used up pens etc
8. Sort cubbies in Roll Top
9. File BSF papers
10. Deal with recipes to type up
11. Clean off tops of desk
12. Tidy one drawer
13. File Miss Pear’s home schooling stuff
14. Dust and polish
15. Handle all outstanding correspondence and thank yous.


Closet
Start by decluttering

1. Straighten top shelves
2. Arrange shoes
3. Take suitcases to basement
4. Dust shoes shelves
5. Deal with any gifts hiding in there!
6. Look through Miss Pear’s reading box
7. Vacuum closet
8. Dust corners and behind door




Master Bathroom

1. Wash area rugs
2. Scrub the floor
3. Sort through stash under sink, pull out stuff to give away
4. Tidy and clean cabinets
5. Clean up and clean out medicine cabinet
6. Make list of needs to watch for sales on (hopefully not buy ASAP)
7. Clean scale



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3 - which includes the "dumping room" aka the guest room

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

It's a Souptacular at Boomama's!

And if course, I had to play along! Never mind that blogger is being mean to me and not letting me do graphics, and is being fickle about links, I was not to be dissuaded!

So without further ado....

...If you have been reading around here you know that I LOVE Tortilla Soup, and that I love Italian Meatball Soup, but what you don't know is that usually I just make Handful Soup.



(Hah! I am victorious!)


Handful Soup is not the least bit scientific or exact, and we like it that way!

Start with 3-4 cups of chicken broth (from a can, water with powder, whatever)
Add 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
Add a handfulish quantity each of a few veggies you have on hand and need to use up (onion, sweet peppers, carrots, celery)
Peak in you freezer to see if you have about a cup of leftover rice - if so throw that in too.
Season with whatever you like - basil, parsley....
If you would like barley, throw a handful in now and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes before going to the next step.
About 10-15 minutes before serving throw in a handful or so of Soup Pasta, boil for the appropriate amount of time and serve.

Leftovers heat up great, just add a bit of water

This is a winter staple for us!

12 Days of Christmas...

...like you have never heard it before!



Hysterically funny, and it must have been incredibly difficult to sing!

AHH Panic! Chicken Parmensan

Welcome to the AHHHHH PANIC! Edition of WFMW. The what do you cook for supper at the last minute when your day has gone exactly opposite to plan and you have a sick child too?

I turn to my: Cheater Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Fingers
1 pkg of spaghetti
2 cans spaghetti sauce
shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (from the container in the fridge, you know, the kind of powdered stuff)

1. Turn oven on to preheat to whatever the magic temperature is to cook the chicken fingers, and put a pot of water on the stove to heat to a boil (oh yeah, turn the stove on too).

2. Put appropriate amount of chicken fingers in 9x13 to cook, put in hot oven and cook per directions.

3. Cook spaghetti per directions, and drain.

4. Mix spaghetti and one can of sauce in pan.

5. Chicken fingers are cooked - great, take them out of the pan. Pour the spaghetti mixture in, throw chicken on top - I mean - artfully arrange chicken on top.

6. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese and a shake or two from the parmesan cheese container you always keep in the fridge.

7. Back in the oven until the cheese is nicely melted, and serve, hopefully on plates.....

8. Take a deep breath and relax

9. Clean up - in my kitchen everything used to make this meal can go IN THE DISHWASHER!

Sharing the Creativity and Work

I am finally returning to my freezer meal series for this edition of:

My tip this week is to find a friend to share the load! Once a month I meet with a friend of mine whose family preferences are compatible to mine, and whose kitchen meets my finicky standards (my friend says the same about me), so we are very well matched to do this. Before we meet I prepare two sets of meals, one for us, one for her family, and the we swap!

So I end up with 4 meals for my family out of this, which keeps Sunday's mostly covered!

This encourages me to try new things, and blesses our friendship! We plan our meals together so things are basically even, and include the recipe with each meal!

When choosing a friend to swap with:

• Make sure you have similar tastes, because if she loves spicy and you love bland it is not going to work!
  
• Make sure you are comfortable serving food from her kitchen to your family.
• Agree to meat standards (cuts of beef, chicken, etc. to use)
• Agree to serving size
• Agree how often to meet and how many meals will be swapped
  
• Brain storm together
• Share resources
• Always clearly label your package with name of meal and date
• Always include a copy of the recipe
• Always rank the meals so that the favorites rise to the top and the forgettable meals are forgotten!
• Be willing to try different things for different holidays (we are doing a cookie swap in December when we meet mid month!
• Take turns hosting
• Make sure to talk about concerns!
• Only add people if you both agree to increase in numbers and to include that particular person.
  

And while not vital, but spiritually important, while you are preparing the meals, pray for your friend and her family!

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Successfully freezing cookies and baking
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Orange-Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Converting your Casserole Recipes to Freezer Recipes
Converting your Meat Recipes to Freezer Meals
Triple Chocolate Cookies
Bacon-Macaroni Bake
Once A Month Freezer Cooking Simply Explained
Planning Your Freezer Cooking Shopping Session
Zip Top Bag Method
Italian Sausage and Tomato Sauce
Menu Planning
Freezer Cooking Online Resources
Asian Beef Kabobs
Honey Mustard Chicken

Financial Analysis in God's Kingdom

Last night I was reading this passage in Luke 14: 28-33 (NKJV):

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

I was thinking about this in terms of my business background which the Lord uses so unexpectedly in my life! When I was part of analyzing a project, and we were talking about cost, one of the things I brought up was minimizing unnecessary costs, and removing obstacles which could cause additional expense.

It got me to thinking, and maybe this is a tangent, but it was important to me. In considering the cost of true discipleship we think of the big things and the accompanying rewards of Jesus. But I began thinking about the things that are hindering me, and forcing that cost up higher, things that have slowly crept in unnoticed that could even appear well and good, but that distract me from my true importance as God's woman. And while I don't have a complete list, I do have a number of items I plan on taking care of ASAP so they stop hindering me!

I don't want to be hindered in my walk with the Lord, if anything I want to be in the fast lane!

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was 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

Cleaning Lists - Zone 3

In this zone I do not do everything every month, there is a bit of a rotation plan!

Zone 3 – Week 3
Miss Pear’s Room
Start by decluttering!

1. Dust and polish furniture
2. Straighten drawers
3. Straighten closet
4. Clean cobwebs
5. Wash quilt and mattress cover
6. Dust blind
7. Wash window
8. Straighten toy buckets and shelf
9. Straighten book shelf
10. Clean out the closet
11. Put away stray items
12. Sort outgrown clothes
13. Put out clothes that now fit
14. Vacuum under bed and in closet
15. Dust baseboards
16. Clean fingerprints off doors and walls
17. Dust Pictures



Guest Room
DECLUTTER!!!!!

STRAIGHTEN OUT THAT CLOSET!!!!

1. Clear off top of computer hutch
2. Clean out computer hutch and dust
3. Clean out email inbox
4. Fill paper stock
5. Check computer supplies
6. Clean cobwebs
7. Wash window
8. Dust blind
9. Dust baseboards
10. Dust pictures

Upstairs Bathroom

1. Wash area rugs
2. Scrub floor
3. Straighten and dust cabinets
4. Clean Bathtub
5. Scrub bath toys and place in new bag
6. Wash down outside of toilet, potty seat and stool
7. Throw away empty bottles
8. Dust pictures
9. Dust blind
10. Wash window



Loft

Start by decluttering

1. Empty garbage can
2. Dust blinds
3. Clean windows
4. Tidy bookshelves, cull books
5. Dust and clean bookshelves
6. Dust corners for cobwebs
7. Dust pictures
8. Clean off top of sewing machine
9. Tidy sewing machine cabinet
10. Tidy linen cupboard



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Menu Plan Monday - December 1-8

Saturday

Breakfast - Banana Crunch Muffins (from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on the sidebar - they were delicious!)
Lunch - Pizza
Supper - The Leftover Pizza as we took a Tree Decorating break!

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Spicy Chicken Chili
Supper - Hamburgers

Monday

Breakfast** - Toast and fruit
Lunch - leftovers
Supper - Company for Dinner - Teriyaki Flank Steak, Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole, Spiced Green Beans, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Tuesday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Marinara Sauce and Pasta

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Supper - Turkey Bolognese


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Farmhouse Chicken

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Rice and Veg

Saturday

Breakfast - Orange Overnight French Toast
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta

Breads
French Bread
Winnipeg Rye Bread (recipe to follow)


Cookies
Granola Chips
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Tropical Muffins
Berry Oat Muffins
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Other
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Lemon Pie

Work on Christmas Baking list! Christmas Cake is done, now I just have the rest of the list!

Oh the wonderful weekend

I am so glad that the weekend is here.

Miss Pear is still not feeling well, but her ear does not seem to bothering her as much, so that is good. Of course she is feeling just well enough to look for mischief!

We finally had much needed rain today. I am so thankful.

We started putting up the Christmas tree tonight, and will finish in stages over the weekend.

There is an item that I must seek God's will on, and so far I am hearing little, so I will be seeking Him and enjoying my family this weekend.

See you on Monday.

Nurse Mommy

I just wanted to pop in to tell you that my dear friend MomRN2 at My Quiet Corner is having a wonderful blog party today sharing our Christmas Traditions! I plan on participating after my little patient with her ear infection is in bed tonight.

Until then I am Nurse Mom on duty!

Cleaning Lists - Zone 2

The kitchen zone is kind of a funny one. A lot of these things I do more often but want to make sure are done well once a month, but some things get skipped to every second month or broken up into a multi-month rotational project....

Zone 2 – Week 2
Kitchen
Start by decluttering!

1. Empty Fridge and clean thoroughly
2. Clean front and top of fridge
3. Clean microwave inside and out
4. Clean stove / oven
5. Wash down front of dishwasher
6. Empty dishwasher filter
7. Wash small appliances, knick knacks
8. Empty toaster oven
9. Straighten cupboards and drawers
10. Wipe fingerprints off wall
11. Clean blind
12. Wash inside window
13. Clean fan/vent, hood filter, hood
14. Scrub down a couple cabinet fronts
15. Clean lights
16. Tidy under sink
17. Fill baking supplies
18. Fill and reorganize spices
19. Vacuum beside and under fridge
20. Vacuum under oven
21. Tidy top of cupboard pantry
22. Wash out garbage can
23. Wash down step stool
24. Clean out Coupon/Flier shelf
25. Toss out all old coupons
26. Tidy Home Management Binder
27. Clean phone
28. Return cookbooks upstairs


Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Christmas Update

We took Miss Pear to the doctor's this morning, and the good news is that she does not have strep, but the bad news is that she has a very bad cold and the start of an ear infection. We are hopeful that we caught the ear infection soon enough that it will not be painful!

So while she has been resting I have been working on Christmas stuff.

So far:

1. All presents that have to be shipped are shipped
2. Christmas shopping is done except an angel tree gift (we just got the tag)
3. Cards are almost done (International is done, Canada is ready to mail, US is addressed but not quite done yet)
4. Baking is started

Leaving the rest of the cards, that one present, gift wrapping, decorating and baking.

Not bad for the last week of November.

We always try to have our Christmas shopping done for Thanksgiving so that we only have a few online things left with no mall ventures, and then we polish off the online shopping with the Black Friday / Cyber Monday specials.

I also try to have all the cards done that first week in December with the international ones being done first and hopefully before that!

And ideally everything is wrapped and under the tree, and all the baking is done a week before Christmas.

Now if I could just make up my mind about holiday menus.....

What kinds of guideline dates do you use to help avoid the last minute craziness?

Last Day of Free Shipping....

You all know that I LOVE to shop on line for presents and books and lots of other stuff, so when I came across this little tid bit below, I had to share. Of course I am pining for their tea set for Miss Pear, and the dolls, but am trying to restrain myself.....

Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are sponsoring a giveaway at inashoe.com to help get word out about the FREE SHIPPING Vision Forum is offering until Midnight tonight

Help spread the word on your website or blog then leave a comment a

Life in a Shoe to enter!

Cleaning Lists - Zone 1

I had intended to post this list this morning, but our daughter is sick again today, and it turns out she was exposed to strep, so tomorrow morning we will be at the doctor's office for 8 AM.

In the mean time, here is the list for cleaning in Zone 1 during that partial week 1 of the month!

Zone 1 – Week 1
Front Porch

1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Sweep off Front Bench
3. Sweep the porch
4. Throw away dead plants
5. Prune back the front bush as needed
6. Get rid of unwanted items
7. Return stray items to their rightful places (toys)
8. Add welcoming items!


Entrance

Start by Decluttering!

Then start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor!

1. Clean Cobwebs
2. Dust windowsills and front door
3. Clean switch plate of hand prints (walls too if needed)
4. Dust Baseboards
5. Straighten Coat Closet and return items to right places
6. Sweep, vacuum, or mop the floor
7. Vacuum entry carpets outside and air them out
8. Add touches to make it more welcome!

Laundry Room

Start by decluttering and returning stuff to it’s right place!

1. Tidy cupboards and check supplies
2. Dust/Vacuum corners top and bottom
3. Vacuum sides of washer and drier
4. Vacuum dryer vent
5. Wash top of washer
6. Clean out washer detergent dispenser
7. Clean out detergent cups

Downstairs Bathroom

1. Dust cobwebs away
2. Wash area rug
3. Dust base boards
4. Refill Toilet Paper Basket
5. Dust lights

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Christmas Baking Lists

Two years ago I sat down and wrote down all the Christmas baking I do each year. This kept me from having to sit down each year and try to remember all the baking I do. So now, each year I just pull out the list and get started! It saves me SO much time!

On my list is:

Christmas Cake
Shortbread Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Cookie Square
Pink Icing Cake
Vinatarta
Mars Bar Square

Each year I also bake Cinnamon Buns ahead of time and pop them in the freezer, then Christmas Eve after supper I pull them out, let them thaw over night, and then warm them up in the morning for breakfast (with fruit and stuff, to tide us over to a big brunch).

If I make changes, or add stuff, I just update the list for next year!

And of course, I store it all in the freezer, and then use my special snowman plate and pull it out a plate at time so we always have variety!

This year I am going to also plan out my menus and then type them up so that I have a list because every year it is the same thing of asking myself what we do again!

My plan is by this time next year to have menu lists for all the special occasions in our lives! Of course, birthdays will still be a case of "What special thing can I make you?"

So that is it, it is a kitchen tip that works for me!

Praying for Noah

I am sure you have noticed my little button on my sidebar about praying for Noah. Well, I just was over there reading, and Noah is very sick and has been rushed to surgery, he is a very sick little boy. Please pray for Noah and head over here for updates, his parents are great about updating when they can.

Cleaning Lists - Zone Plan

Now that Thanksgiving is over, and we have almost recovered, I wanted to resume sharing my new cleaning lists by sharing the zone schedule and then zone lists this week!

Zone Cleaning Schedule

Zone 1 - Week 1 – Entrance, Front Porch,
Laundry Room, Downstairs Bathroom

Zone 2 – Week 2 – Kitchen

Zone 3 – Week 3 - Miss Pear’s Room, Guest Room, Upstairs Bath, Loft

Zone 4 – Week 4 - Master Bedroom and Bathroom

Zone 5 – Week 5 - Living Room, Dining Room

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Menu Plan Monday - November 24 - December 1

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And now Miss Pear is sick with a cold that includes very big sneezes, so we are laying low right now, again.

Saturday

Breakfast - Maple Scones (from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook on the sidebar, they were so delicious!)
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Orange-Apricot Glazed Porkchops and Yam and Carrot Casserole Leftovers

Sunday

Breakfast - Maple Scones made Saturday
Lunch - Pancakes
Supper - Lemony Chicken with Pasta

Monday

Breakfast** - Toast and fruit
Lunch - leftovers - we seem to have lots of breakfast leftovers from the weekend
Supper - Soup and toast

Tuesday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Hamburgers and Homemade Hamburger buns (both of which we have to make)

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Supper - Farmhouse Chicken


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Spicy Chicken Chili and Rolls

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Chili Leftovers
Supper - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Rice and Veg

Saturday

Breakfast - Orange Overnight French Toast
Lunch - Costco Pizza
Supper - Philly Cheese Steak Wraps and salad

Breads
Hamburger Buns
French Bread
Winnipeg Rye Bread (recipe to follow)


Cookies
Granola Chips
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Tropical Muffins
Berry Oat Muffins
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Other
Hot Chocolate (for gifts)
Lemon Pie

Work on Christmas Baking list! Christmas Cake is done, now I just have the rest of the list!

~ from the More with Less Cookbook (can be found on my sidebar if you want to check it out) I am trying to cook through this cookbook a bit, so I am trying to make one thing a week from it but am really not being successful at that with all that is going on.
** During the week it is just Miss Pear and I for lunch, so we eat some strange lunches....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 118:29 (NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving!

$2 Sale!

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is having a huge $2 sale! It goes through the end of this week and is on all her ebooks and CD's, plus she is giving away a free copy of Make Ahead Batters!

Definitely check it out!

And might I recommend Secrets to Supermarket Savings??? It helped me SO much!

New Homemaking Binder

I am so glad that I spent all that time updating my cleaning lists because the old ones were just not good enough for the wonderful package that arrived!

PicketFenceMom at Ponderings from Picket Fence Cottage held a Bloggy Giveaway in the Fall Y'all Celebration, and I won!

It is such a wonderful prize!

It is a wonderful binder with a beautiful picture of sunflowers drawn 16 year old Elizabeth, and it PERFECTLY matches my kitchen! I would not be exaggerating to say that all my papers were transfered from one binder to the other within 15 minutes of opening the package!

And The Hidden Art of Homemaking looks absolutely wonderful, so I cannot wait to dive into that!

The whole package has blessed me so much! It has definitely spurred me on to finish updating my home binder, and that is helping me so much!

Thank you!

Fresh Nutmeg

Yesterday I posted about our Christmas Cake Baking experience, which was wonderful and resulted in our whole house smelling wonderful! One of the tricks I use is to buy the nutmeg "nut" instead of the already ground stuff. It is not technically a nut, so it is okay in our house!

To use it you just grate the nut on the fine part of your box grater or whatever you have to grate fine! The nutmeg has no outer shell, so you just go for it.

It smells so delicious, and with the Christmas season starting, it is wonderful on eggnog!

However, have a very light hand with it because it is much stronger and more delicious than the pre-ground stuff!

Yummy!

Our house smells so yummy today. I say this every year on Christmas Cake baking day!

I am using a family recipe, and I am the third generation to bake it. It is my husband's family's recipe, passed down through his dad, and it is so delicious. Keeping in mind that I loath fruit cake, it is surprising that I love this one! But we call it Christmas Cake because it is not the traditional fruit cake. It is not soaked in liquor so you can actually taste all the delicious fruits and spices.

This was the first year that a forth generation baked this recipe. Miss Pear was old enough to help stir the fruit, and then help stir the fruit into the batter. Of course I helped a lot, and was the one to pour the batter into the pans.

The cake is now in the oven for the last hour if its three hours of baking. The whole house smells so good!

We are expecting company this morning, so before we made the Christmas cake I made up Devil's Food Cake with Fudge Icing - although I have not iced it yet, it is still cooling!

But our house is all ready for guests, so now I am going to get myself ready, and finish my BSF for tomorrow morning!

Super Savings Saturday

I am really enjoying this whole sharing your deals thing with Super Saving Saturday, I am picking up tips and tricks, and it is helping me and encouraging me a lot!

Last Saturday we went to Costco and stocked up on milk, cheese, fruits and veggies. So when I went shopping to Pavilions (Vons/Safeway family) on Tuesday it was really just to shop the sales, I did not need much. But here is what I got!

Pavilions - Tuesday

Curve's Cereal (on sale for $1.50 minus $1.1o coupon doubled) Free

Doritos it was supposed to be 2 for $3 after coupon, but when I got home I saw that my coupon did not go through, so it was 2 for $5

2 x Fruit Loops and 2 x Rice Crispies (4 for $10 minus $4 store coupon - 4 x $1 off coupons, one of which was doubled) for $1

4 large cans of Dole Crushed Pineapple for $5 (no coupons, just needed it for baking)

6 boxes Ritz crackers (large boxes, $3.99 ea. but BOGO, minus 2 x $0.55 coupons, one of which was doubled, minus $6 in store promotion) 6 for $4.32

5 cans Swanson Chicken Broth (Sale was 5 for $4 minus $2 store coupon - 0.25 coupon that was doubled) 5 for $1.50

4 Boxes of Uncle Bens rice (on sale for $1.50 each minus 2 x $1 off 2 coupons, one was doubled) $3 (Also gave me a $1 off Catalina on my next shopping trip to Pavilions/Vons/Safeway)

2 Boxes Barilla Pasta (on sale for $1 each minus free coupon entered at $1.89) $0.11

1 Jar Barilla Pasta (on sale for $2.50, should have been free after coupon, but it was only entered at $1.89 and the gal was so frazzled I just could not argue with her, and the pasta was only supposed to be entered at $1, or the actual value I paid, so it balanced out in my favor) $0.61

Totinos Pizza Rolls (big bag on for $6.99 - $0.50 coupon that was doubled, and we have some crazy plans over the next two weeks where a couple easy lunches, this with carrot sticks, would be good) $5.99

2 x 24oz Sun Ripe Raisins (On sale for $3 each minus 2 $1 off coupons, one was doubled) $3

Total Spent = $29.53
Total Savings = $77.67 or 72%
Savings from just shopping the sales = $52.24


Target - Wednesday
(I stop at Target on a day when I have the car and am going to pick up my husband from work, usually this would have been done on Tuesday, but we ran out of time running errands)

5 x Betty Crocker Cake mix (Devil's Food was on for $0.97 then I had 5 x $0.50 store coupons) = $2.35

4 x Stove Top Stuffing ($0.79 - $0.50 store coupon each, but my fliers did not have the extra $1 off) = $1.16

Kraft Marshmallows $0.89

Wilton Gingerbread Man sprinkles $3.99 - $0.50 store coupon (not sure where this one came from) = $3.49

Lindt Truffles for someone special's stocking = $2.50

Total: $10.39


So now I am going to try to do this week's shopping tonight so that I am not caught in the mad crunch of Thanksgiving shoppers - I am praying for it to go well!

Cleaning Lists - Saturday and Sunday

You will probably laugh at my lists, but doing it this way allows me to stay focused on what is important. Obviously some of the daily tasks disappear too, but I will just focus on my "assigned" Saturday and Sunday tasks!

Today is Saturday
1. Grocery Shopping and Errand Running
(if not done during the week, or if I will not be able to go on Tuesday, like this week when we will have company))
2. Gardening
3. Catch up activities
4. Family Play Time!
5. Prepare for Sunday


Today is Sunday
1. Church
2. Family Play Time
3. Rest

On Sunday I try to have a crock pot meal or something I can just microwave for lunch as we get home hungry, I try to have the preparation done on Friday. I try to always have a supper from the freezer so it is usually thaw, put in oven, serve with rice from the rice cooker and veggies.

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Saving on Cheese

I read a great article on saving money on fancy blended cheese by grating your own, and I had to smile to myself because I had just realized that I really do save money by buying my cheddar cheese shredded already! I guess it just depends on where you live and which cheese you are buying, but here is what I found.

The BEST price on cheese I can find in my area is 3 Albertson's brand 8 oz blocks for $4, or $2.67 for a pound.

At Costco I buy a 5 pound bag of Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded, for $5.99, or $1.20 a pound, less than half the price!

So the frugal lesson is that we have to be careful to compare apples to apples when receiving tips on line and remember that just because it saves money in some ares of the country does not mean it will save in your area too, so be sure to check it out and be sure that it really does save you money in your area of the country!

(But I will be using the great shredding tip to make fancy blended cheese as I cannot find a good price on that!)

Updated: Martha A. you were right, this must have been a sale because the price is now back up to $10.99, or $2.20 a pound according to my friend who went this week. Still a savings, but not as much. It makes me wish I had picked up 2 at that price. Needless to say I just started checking the cheese prices again very carefully, and will have to keep my eyes open for a bit longer to make sure I know what the usual price is! (I have noticed that Costco will drop prices to clear out some older stock, but I keep my cheese frozen, so it is not that big a deal for us.)

Cleaning List - Friday

Well, here is where I make a big confession, I cannot always keep my schedule perfectly, so I keep today a bit on the light side so that I can get some projects done and also be ready for the weekend!

Today two friends are coming over and we are having project Friday - it will be about an hour to an hour and a half and we will all leave with pie dough and cookies dough in cookie size drops to freeze and use whenever we need! It is different every week, and we don't meet every week either.


Today is Project Day
1. Sewing and Mending
2. Projects that need to be done
3. Prepare gifts/parcels for mail
4. Extra Baking
5. Laundry:
a. Whites
b. Colors
c. Darks
6. Ironing
7. Plan and Prep for Sunday’s meals




Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Until Midnight tonight...

...you can save an additional 15% off your order at Biblical Womanhood with coupon code SAVEMORE

Famous Mushrooms - Revised

I am going to a lunch today where we are to bring a dish we would serve at Thanksgiving. I am choosing to take my Famous Mushrooms because they are the absolute best appetizer - delicious, easy, and most importantly, you can pop them in the slow cooker and then move it out of the kitchen so it is not taking up valuable kitchen counter space!

Plus, they always get rave reviews, so that is good too! And this way there is no whining when supper will be ready as there is a snack out! Pairing this with a veggie plate and dip rounds out a small appetizer table beautifully!

Famous Mushrooms

4-5 packages of whole button mushrooms, cleaned (the white ones in the blue tray, if they are really big I halve them or even quarter them so the finished product is a bite size)
2 sticks of butter
2 envelopes Italian or Ranch salad dressing mix.

Add all ingredients together in a Crock Pot. Turn on low for about 3 hours, stirring every now and then. Mushrooms will shrink and get nice and juicy.

Cleaning Lists - Thursday

Today is Upstairs Day
1. Clean Master bathroom (change towels)
2. Clean Master bedroom (change linens)
3. Clean Miss Pear’s room (change linens)
4. Clean Upstairs bathroom (change linens)
5. Vacuum Upstairs
6. Dust Upstairs
7. Mop Upstairs
8. Laundry
a. Master Bathroom towels
b. Master Bedroom sheets
(Week 4 – mattress and pillow protectors
c. Miss Pear’s Sheets
(Week 3 – mattress protector and quilt)
d. Second bathroom towels

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Cleaning Lists - Wednesday

Today is Downstairs Day

1. Clean downstairs bathroom
2. Change downstairs bathroom towels
3. Mending
4. Vacuum Downstairs
5. Mop Downstairs Floors
6. Laundry – Catch Up Day
7. Dust downstairs

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

I just cannot do it!

We are having warm days, if it were August I would be turning the air conditioning on, but in November it just seems WRONG!

Especially considering that Sunday night I could not sleep so I went downstairs to read, and it was so chilly I had to turn the furnace on! Monday it went to 33C. So weird.

On the plus side, the heat from the day keeps the house warm at night, and if you open everything up for about half an hour in the morning and then close it all up the cool from the night keeps the house cool in the day.

But it is so weird.

Growing up in Canada I never thought I would find myself saying, "I just cannot bring myself to turn on the air conditioning in November!"

And when we first moved to Southern California I never thought I would be grateful for my stash of curling up under blankets!

Am I the only one with weird foibles about air conditioning and the thermostat based on what month it is?

Cleaning Lists - Tuesday

Tuesday is deliberately kept on the light side as Miss Pear and I are out most of the morning with BSF! We are working on finding a way for the two of us to be able to go to the grocery store without it being a huge production. Miss Pear does not want to sit in the cart on the little car in front of the cart, she wants to walk and put EVERYTHING in our cart, so while we work on that, grocery shopping is a family event!

But basically our day is out the door by 7:20 to get Daddy to work on time (we have one car, so we share like this), back home to finish getting ready for BSF (7:45-55ish), be putting on shoes and loading up the car with our bags at 8:30. Home at 11:20ish, have lunch, nap, run errands, pick up Daddy, finish shopping, home for supper. We tried being completely ready except for Miss Pear getting dressed this morning before we left the house the first time, and that worked well. Today is the day I use the slow cooker, and if possible I get it ready the night before and put the whole crock-pot insert into the fridge.

Today's errands include getting parking passes to park on our street during the parking with pass only ban, stopping at the post office, and Target. Then grocery shopping.

Today is Errand Day
1. Run all errands
a. Non-grocery shopping on way to pick up Mr. Pear
b. Grocery shopping on way home or after supper
2. Update budget lists
3. Laundry:
a. Miss Pear’s face clothes
b. Tea Towels and rags
c. Placemats, napkins, aprons

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

The Kitchen Bible

Now, maybe this is just me, and if it is, bear with me.

But sometimes, especially when I have A LOT to do, my attitude in my kitchen falters. I may not grumble, but I lose my focus of why I am doing this (to care for and bless my family) and cease to do my work to the glory of God (Col 3:23). Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, and sometimes I feel like just ordering pizza instead.

However, with the Fabulous Holiday Trifecta coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) and all that goes with it, and all the extra baking we do, I REALLY need to make sure I do this.

To help keep my attitude right in the kitchen and stay motivated I have my kitchen Bible. Gone are the days of morning long quiet times, and that is okay, but I still crave that feeding of the Word! So I keep a Bible open on the kitchen counter to whatever I need most. I read a couple verse and keep going, mulling them over as I go. I talk to my daughter about them, I think about it while I just keep going.

That Bible's only job is to get mussed and dirty because honestly, it does. Not badly, but occasionally there are spills or splashes, and pages get bent (thankfully not ripped, but tape would fix that too).

My kitchen Bible is not my study Bible, it is my kitchen partner, and while I prepare to feed my family, the Lord uses it to feed me. It never leaves my kitchen unless it is to be put on the kitchen table in the dining room, and then it quickly returns to the kitchen.

When I am done working in the kitchen I will close it, but it stays on the counter, just upright by the phone. And soon comes out again.

By the way, I started doing this in a kitchen so very small that I would put a cutting board across the sink for more space! I simply propped the Bible up against the wall and used something I was already using, like a cutting board, to anchor it!

This tip definitely helps me in the kitchen, especially during holiday season when I am in there all the more! So it is one of my best kitchen tips, plus it Works for Me!

Cleaning Lists - Monday

As requested, I am sharing my cleaning lists, by day. They are still a work in progress, to say the least!

This week I will share my daily lists, and then next week my zone cleaning lists. They are not final yet, and there will likely be somethings that got left off the list, and some things I have as monthly zone cleaning items that may really need to be done weekly, but adjustments will be made as we go along and see how it works.

Oh, and on the daily portion I have prayer, Bible reading, devotions with my daughter, and schooling activities, I did this so that they were constantly in front of me, reminding me because I get discouraged if I get to the end of the day and realize it has not been done yet. This is how I help myself! I will just include the daily and evening stuff today!

Monday
Daily
1. Pray (family, through home) (I pray through our home bit by bit, not all in one day, everyday!)
2. Bible Reading
3. Bible Reading with Miss Pear
4. Reading / Schooling with Miss Pear
5. Make bed
6. Daily Baking
7. Sweep kitchen floor (will be mopped on downstairs day)
8. Dishes (Dishwasher filled, put through, emptied, filled)
9. Put all laundry away
10. Tidy rooms
11. Check bathrooms
12. Zone Cleaning!
a. 15 minutes in this week’s zone
b. 10 minutes at desk

Today is Kitchen Day
1. Restock Baking Supplies, Coffee
2. Dust counters and appliances (spot cleaning as needed)
3. Empty and Tidy Kitchen Freezer (move to the bigger freezer whatever I can and tidy what remains)
4. Freezer Meal Stocking
5. Weekly Planning
6. Menu Planning
7. Update “Recipe Keeper’s” lists
8. Organize Coupons
9. Shopping Lists
10. Water Plants Inside (Week 1 – Fertilize)
11. Laundry – whites, darks, colors
12. Ironing

Evening
1. Put Miss Pear’s toys away (technically her job, but I pick up the strays)
2. Pour Miss Pear’s milk and water (so much easier to just grab out of the fridge in the AM)
3. Take out Mr. Pear’s lunch for tomorrow (thaws in fridge overnight)
4. Clean Kitchen (basically clean up from supper so the kitchen is clean in the morning)
5. New Kitchen Towels
6. Clean off today’s list (I keep it in page protectors so I can cross stuff off with a dry erase marker)
7. Quick tidy

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Christmas Gifts for 2 Year Olds

Finding toys for any child is not easy right now with the constant news of recalls, but we found a couple gems in the bunch!

We are big fans of the Learning Resources "Smart Snacks" toys because they are fun and, don't tell our daughter, educational! We find that she keeps returning to these toys again and again! So they are high on our list to pick up for other children!

The first three have been in our home for a number of months, are still in regular rotation, and well loved, they also seem to spark imagination.

Or all three!


Or a new one to us that is not quite as time tested, but looks promising!


And of course we are huge fans of crayons and coloring books!

Oh a crafting we will go....

...if we just knew the way!

I really enjoy crafting, and Miss Pear is old enough to do some projects with me as long as they are not too complicated.

I am on the hunt for easy, inexpensive Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts to do with little ones. If it is a book I would like it to be one that we could use for the next few years. Links would be great too!

Do you have any suggestions for crafts for the fall through winter season and holidays?

Saving at Michael's and Joanne's

It seems I am always making something, or planning to make something, or both. I enjoy crafting tremendously, but if I am not careful it can be very expensive.

We live near both a Michael's and a Joanne's (a super one, with all the extra stuff like knitting, scrap booking, cake making, etc.), and almost every week in the paper there is one coupon for Michael's and one for Joanne's - usually 40% off one item, sometimes 50%.

The nice thing is that you don't have to go to each store as each store takes their competitor's coupons!

Joannes will let you use both in one transaction! Michael's will often make you do two transactions.

I love it - it saves me money and the time hand hassle of going to both stores!

Plus we were there last night to pick up the few items we needed for Christmas crafting (a lot we already had on hand), and the Christmas baking stuff was all 25% off.

Head on over to Crystal's for more Frugal Friday Tips