Ok...I've been keeping a secret...I started through "The Art of Homemaking" book...again...without you.I'm sorry. There has been so much going on around here, too many things to post and I really needed to get back to the book.  I'd been falling back into old habits and needed to start over again.So I did. I started with "FACET NO. 1 THE TWO A's"(which are attitude and appearance) In her section on attitude Daryl Hoole says your attitude will improve if you "are at your physical best at all ... View the Post

Last week I posted about meal planning.  And in that post I said I have a list of meals that we regularly rotate through (kind of like our go-to meals that everyone eats and likes) hanging on my fridge that I use to look through when I'm planning out our weekly dinner menu. I said in that post that I'd bet if you sat down and listed the meals you make regularly you'd come out with about 25.  I got lots of emails and comments about this.  Some of you had quite a few more than 25 and others of you ... View the Post

Now there aren't many things I have under control around here right now......the laundry......my closet......the storage room......getting fully dressed before going out in public... But there is one thing that I finally have down to a science and that is meal planning.(And if that ever breaks down heaven help my family.) Here's what I do: On the side of my fridge I have hanging a list (just a simple list on lined paper...it hasn't been scrapbooked and isn't a printable...) that lists the ... View the Post

Not last Saturday but the Saturday before I knew that I would be writing this post...and after the experience I had last night I decided that the time to write it is now. Forever and always before I've donated any clothes to any charity I've washed them first so they are clean and smelling good.  I do this always.I figure that whoever gets them will appreciate getting something clean and fresh....especially if they are in a disaster or crisis situation.  If I was in need I know that clean ... View the Post

"Do you have too many dishes or toys, too much furniture?  Do you have unnecessary clothes to wash, iron, and mend?  You might have magazines and knicknacks collecting dust.  Look over each room critically, and discard or transfer to another more appropriate spot anything that doesn't belong."---Laura Snyder (A Woman's Fulfillment:  A Guide to Creative Homemaking, 1970) Do I have too many toys, knicknacks, and magazines?Yes.Yes I do. So here on the home front I've been working on a little ... View the Post

I read this today.It says better than I can the thoughts that I've had floating around in my brain these past few days.It's from one of my favorite homemaking gurus:  Sarah Ban Breathnach. "Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed by outside circumstances---worries about money, concern over a sick family member, or anxiety...instinctively I turn to homegrown rituals to restore my equilibrium.  There is an immediate emotional and psychological pay off to getting our houses in order.  We might not be ... View the Post