An Update and Announcement

Hello Friends! Yes, it's been one of those weeks. It seems as if I take one step forward and about 5 back, promptly ending up on my bottom!!! But things are slowly getting straightened out and coming together, as they always do. It is just so hard to forget that the Lord has a light at the end of our tunnel right when we need it, especially when it seems your blindfolded in a bottomless pit of errands, chores and commitments.

Anywho, I cannot get over this weather! It's been nice to get an early start to the yard and garden work, but chances are when the temperatures get back to seasonal, there will be colds running rampant. And I miss those soft, gray days of rain in the Spring as you slowly watch the land come back to life. This feels more like a "WHAM! You want Spring, I'll show you Spring!".

Boy, seems like I'm doing a lot of grumbling..... I'm sorry! Here are the updates. (They make me smile!)

• St. Patrick's Day was a bit of a non-event at our house this year. I made the typical corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot, but beyond that, nuthin' much special. Although, my Mom and Aunt Jeannie were here to share the dinner. (I'm the only one in the house that really likes it, everyone else had venison!)
• Sugaring season is over! This is both a blessing and a bummer. A blessing because we had syrup to make and my Dear Hubby was getting tired. A bummer because we didn't get as good of a run as last year, though we had some of last year's left, so we're good.
• DH and I decided to go in on an order of "Easter Egger" chicks with some friends, and we're expecting them soon. (O.k., my heart just seized up at the thought that I have. nothing. set. up. for. my . new. babies. N.o.t.h.i.n.g.) So the Light Brahmas are out this year, but there's next year!
• DH and I are currently in negotiations, well really discussion, about going in with some other friends for meat birds. UPDATE: DH came in while I was writing this and I asked him about it. We're going for it!!!!!!
• I have now watched a total of 3 documentaries on food/nutrition/agriculture/medicine while folding laundry. I've watched "Foodmatters", "Forks Over Knives" and "Ingredients". They all have got me thinking about so many things, more than this post allows for. I need to take some time to write things out (it's the only way I can really process information, writing it out in black and white. Or blue and white, depending on what pen I use ;) Once I've done this, I plan on posting a review/synopsis of sorts. Just a note, these will not be paid endorsements, just my humble opinion.
• Sunday afternoon was gorgeous! After church Daddy and the boys worked on yard work while Princess and I started her flower seeds. We sat out at the picnic table. enjoying the warm breeze.  Then the boys came up and started their little pizza garden kits they had received from a local gardening store for joining the kid's club. Good thing they were free. There is no way I would have dropped $10 each for these little kits! They had a good time watching the peat pellets expand and planting the seeds. Their kits came with oregano, basil, tomatoes and green peppers. Princess had a kit, too, though hers was and herb garden. All the trays are sitting up on top of the fridge, waiting to germinate!
• Nearly all of the green peppers that I started about two weeks ago have come up! Hurray!!!!!! I just need to get to my herbs and flowers. I also started some lettuce and spinach on Sunday. I'll have more on that soon.

And now, for that announcement! In lieu of the fact that it has been hectic for me lately, I've decided to focus on at least one weekly post, which I will be calling Thrifty Thursdays. If someone else out there in the blogosphere is using this, I really apologize. Sincerely, truly. But I have some really neat things to share, and I don't feel that I can commit to any more than one post a week at this time. Although, I'm thinking of sharing more things on my face book page, so if you haven't "liked" me there, you can find some more of me and my ramblings. Tomorrow I will be sharing my up cycled outfit from a pair of jeans and a second hand dress, so make sure you visit!

Thank you all, Friends, for stopping buy and taking time to read. I pray you have a lovely night.
Blessings,
Kelly

Homemade Salves and Lip Balm

Hello, Friends! Did ya miss me? Sorry I've been out of the loop for a while, but I've had quite a bit going on and to deal with, so blogging had to take a back seat. (Actually, forget the back seat, blogging had to stay home!) I'll give some quick updates before I get into the salves and lip balm.

• So far my dear hubby has made 1/2 gallon of syrup, and 1 quart of it has already been consumed!
• DH has about 5 more quarts that are nearly finished to syrup, with more out on our "arch".
• I finally bought a magazine about the different chicken breeds and have made my final decision about what kind of chicks we are going to buy. (I'm keeping it secret for now, just in case I change my mind!)
• I've made some plans for the garden, deciding to put the annual herbs in containers and not in one of our raised beds. Then I'll transfer the perennial herbs into 1 bed by them selves, making more room for veggies.
• Also in gardening, I've decided to plant carrots this year, despite vowing that I never would again. Then I learned that carrots have been on the "Dirty Dozen" produce list in the past. Potatoes have been, too, so I'm giving them serious consideration as well.
• I'm getting all of my seed starting paraphernalia together so that I can get them planted SOON. At least the bell peppers!

And now for the moment you've been waiting for!!!!!!! Salves and lip balm! (By the way, I can't seem to locate the cord that connects the camera to the computer, so I don't have pics, but as soon as I do, I will!!!;o))

If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, you know that I have committed my self to getting rid of chemicals in my family's toiletries/personal hygiene. A few weeks ago I actually hoed out a closet in my bathroom and filled a garbage can of tubes and bottles that contained sulfates and parabens. (Most of the products were old or nearly gone.) Now I am trying to replace these things with all natural products from the store (be sure to read the ingredients, some products labeled "natural" can still contain chemicals) or even better, make my own.

So back a Sunday or two ago, I got home from church and shoo-ed everyone out of the house, because I was going to make the kiddo's body wash, some lip balm and salves. I grated like a maniac, and heated, poured, and stirred as well. The only thing I really had a recipe for was the lip balm.

Here is the link. for that. Now, I don't now what I did wrong, but the honey did not mix well with the other ingredients. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't allow the mixture to heat long enough together or not, but the honey was left on the bottom of my measuring cup. And this recipe make more than 1/2 an ounce as the recipe states. Make sure to have plenty of little lip balm jars! I used a drop of peppermint oil, but it wasn't necessary. I keep a jar of this on my night stand and (try!) to use it every night before bed. I gave the other jar to Princess, who is a lip gloss/balm collector. She was super-dee dooper psyched when I gave it to her.

For the kids' body wash, I grated a bar of Kirk's Natural castile soap and added it to about 2 cups of hot water, heating it on medium over the stove until the soap flakes were dissolved. I added more hot water and let it cool a bit before pouring it into a couple of mason jars. Unfortunately I didn't dilute it enough, so I had to reheat it and add more water a couple of days after because it had turned back to a solid. I have to work on the correct water/soap ratio for this, but it was a start.

For the salves, again I didn't measure, but I used a combination of olive, sweet almond and Castor oils. I used about 1 cup of oil in all, pouring it into a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup that sat in a medium sized bot of water over medium heat. I added my grated beeswax and stirred until the beeswax was completely liquefied. Then I removed the measuring cup and added lavender essential oil. I poured this all into 2 small mason jars and let the salve cool before putting the lids on. I (again, try!!) rub this on my hands every night before bed, slipping on some cotton gloves after. I've also used it before heading out when it's been quite cold and I'll be wearing gloves. This salve is a bit greasy, but it works well on keeping my hands soft and free of cracks and dry skin.

The next salve I want to make is a calendula salve that I have read is good for eczema. I've developed to patches of it on my face, on either side of my chin. I look like a little baby that is chapped from drooling! And, although I can't find the exact place that I read it, I'm going to give it a try. I even bought a package of seeds so I can grow my own calendula this year.

Well, Friends, I now this post seems rushed, but I still have lots more to get to up here on my hill, including taking a shower before I head to town. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to leave one below, email me at HomespunInspirations@gmail.com or "like" my face book page. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to visit me.

Blessings,
Kelly

An October Surprise

It may be hard to tell, dear readers, but that IS snow! I took this pic around 6:45 THIS MORNING!!!!!

And we are expecting more from Saturday night to Sunday morning. There is a winter storm watch for our area with possiblities of power failures, so I will be preparing for that today and tomorrow. I hope to be back today with a baking plan for tomorrow, and I have to make some changes to next week's menu plan. See you soon!
Blessings,
Kelly

What I've Been Up To

Hi Friends! It's been a while since I've been able to write a post, although I have been able to read some of my favorite blogs while taking a break. As you can see from the photos above, I was very productive in the kitchen! My mother and I shared a table at one of the local craft fairs, and I decided to do baked goods this year. In all, I had 4 cakes, 9 dozen cookies, 18 mini loaves and 3 regular to sell. The bad news is I came home with almost everything minus only a couple mini loaves and a dozen cookies. The good news is the freezer is filled with baked goods, and I was able to share, as well.  I may have only made enough to cover the cost of the table, but I now have readily available snacks, goodies to offer unexpected company, and gifts. It was well worth the 2 days of baking!

Last Thursday I had a Four Wind's work shop, where I learned about beavers and muskrats. It's amazing how wonderful and unique each of God's creatures is! The children don't have school on Friday, so I think we might expand on our beaver/muskrat knowledge and make a fun "beaver lodge" out of chocolate "mud" and pretzel sticks. I'm trying to think of some likely places to find either animals (or at least signs of them) to go on for a "field trip".

Speaking of field trips, Saturday afternoon we went to an open house put on by a local Omya quarry. This is an annual event that we have gone to for about 4 or 5 years now. We always enjoy it, and learn something new. The kids, (mostly the boys!) love to see the huge loaders and dump trucks that work in the quarry. After donning a hard hat, you can get on a school bus and go down into the quarry. This year I opted out of this part, as school bus seats and my herniated disc just do not get along! I did get to see a double rainbow though! The kids came back to the van with bags of rocks that they had hacked away at with hammers. Next spring they'll join their brothers and sisters out in the flower garden. (the rocks, not the kids!!)

So that's what I've been doing. I'm hoping to get some more posts this week, as I have to more to share about using oatmeal and getting the home and garden ready for winter. Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Kelly

Lessons From Irene

Just up the road from us. This is only a little intermittent stream that is washing the land away.

Another little stream. You can see where the water should be flowing in it's banks, but has jumped and is flooding the meadow and the road.

A damn broke, causing a river to flood a horse pasture , the road and a soccer field across from the pasture.

The river responsible for taking out Route 4 in Vermont. You cannot believe the debris left in the river bed.
 Early Monday morning.

Happy Wednesday, Friends! It's raining rather hard here in Vermont, and I'm praying we don't see any more flooding. They are starting to get progress made on the bridges and roads that we lost from Irene and there are so many who have damaged property or even lost their homes and farms.

The little stream that caused the below damage, just one day after!

Monday August 29, the land eaten away when the stream out grew it's culvert under the road.

The above pictures are from Sunday August 28, when Irene swept in with all her rain. These are all places that are very close to our home. And these were taken in the afternoon, when we had just started to witness the damage. If you saw any of the news coverage, then you know that there was much worse in nearby communities. At one point on Sunday, we thought that we might be stranded with all of these little streams threatening to take out the roads around us. We were blessed to wake up Monday and realize that we were not stranded, however little more than 2-3 miles from us, there are communities that were and still are.

No one in Vermont can believe the damage caused or the toll it has taken. But, there is a hard lesson to learn: prepare for the worst and most unexpected, pray for the best, be ready to do what is needed before, during and after an emergency.

I prepared before the storm by :

• getting drinking water ready
• gathering all of the flashlights, batteries and battery operated lanterns together in one central location
• purchasing propane tanks for the camp stove and having that in a easy to get spot
• taking stock of the pantry
• planning easy meals that would take little work and fuel to make
• baking the day before so that we had baked goods to supplement our store-bought bread supply
• having a cleared out spot in the cellar should we have to move down there, with air mattresses, camp chairs and card tables
• rain buckets were out to collect water for flushing toilets
• having cat and chicken food and supplies to last for a while
• putting important documents in our emergency binder should we have to leave (which I was NOT planning on having to do)

This may not seem like quite enough to some, and perhaps too much for others, but somethings are pretty much a matter of not needing to think about them because it is part of our everyday life. For example, we have ample firewood should we need to cook on our outdoor fire pit because we heat our home and hot water with an outside wood boiler.  We have an outdoor fire pit mostly for the novelty of roasting marshmallows and enjoying a campfire right at home. As I was thinking about having to cook meals without electricity, the fire pit seemed a glorious life saver! Our pantry is usually well stocked with canned fruits, veggies, cold cereal, oatmeal and powdered milk because having a stocked pantry is part of our lifestyle. We also have a chest freezer in the cellar full of meat, frozen fruits and baked goods. Yes, the meat could go bad quickly (although my in-laws live right behind us and have a generator that they let us use to plug in our fridge and freezer) but the fruits and baked goods would be handy and slower to go bad. We have a source of protein from our egg producing chickens. (And although it pains me to say this, if worse came to worse, we could butcher a chicken or two.)

 I've yammered on about what I did, what did I learn? That I have so much more to learn about! Yes, I have a fire pit and plenty of wood, but not really the skill (or pots!) to cook over an open fire. Also, I hadn't really thought about toiletries or household goods. And what if we had had to evacuate? I honestly didn't plan for this because we live high on a hill, but even so, we could have been stranded. Their are also other emergencies where evacuating is what needs to be done.

My plan know is to learn more about using our fire pit as an alternative cooking source, buying the necessary items for this, i.e. cast iron pans and pots. I also need to get working on making kits for the car should we need to leave our home.

Please forgive me if this post is rambling, I've been working on it all week between house work and a multitude of errands! It can be difficult to pick up your thread of thought from the day before.

Have a lovely weekend!
Blessings,
Kelly

Wordless Wednesday

I want to thank you all for your prayers in concern to Irene. We made it through just fine, however, many of our Vermont neighbors have not fared as well. We have whole communities that are stranded or only accessible by walking, ATV or helicopter. There were also lives lost. Please continue to pray for Vermont, as we have quite a road to recovery. I'll be posting more about our visit with Irene soon. For now, I thought I'd share some more pleasant photos.

A Friday Update

Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you are all doing well. I thought I would share a quick update of what is happening up here on our hill. I was going to do a post on planning for the school year, but with a very disorganized kitchen, some drama in the chicken coop and a hurricane headed for us, I thought better of it!

I have managed to get some things ticked off of the to-do list for this week. As you may have read on Tuesday's post, we got the school supplies loaded into the backpacks. Yesterday I took Princess out for her shopping trip, where she got to choose 2 new shirts and set of earrings. (The boys got new tractor shirts and baseball hats! John Deere, Massey Ferguson, International Harvester, etc.!) On Wednesday I was able to help Princess and Wheels go through their bureaus and weed out the things that they don't like/don't fit/have too many of. We were able to get rid of quite a bit! I was also able to remember to buy black ink for the printer and actually get to my desk and the desk top computer so that I can make up and print the new checklists. I did type up and print out a checklist for chicken chores. (I'll be sharing that in a later post!)

As I mentioned earlier, we've had some drama out at the chicken coop. Wednesday evening Wheels let the big girls and boy out to free range, as is our usual custom. Immediately after letting them out, our rooster Samuel went after Fanny, one of two of our older hens. He was being so aggressive that she flew up on to the top of the run. (our run is covered on the top because we have had so many hawks around this summer, and it's just safer all around!) Samuel strutted and squawked while Fanny rested and checked out her best route for escape. When she finally made it back down, he nabbed her again. This time I'd had enough! Poor Fanny had started growing back her feathers that she'd lost due to another aggressive rooster that her previous owners had (FYI they butchered said rooster!), but was bald again thanks to Samuel. Long story short, Samuel was put in solitary confinement where he will remain until we can find a new home for him. Moral of the story, (admittedly, there is a naughty little side of me itching to write something, well, naughty!) DON'T MESS WITH THIS CHICKEN MAMA'S GIRLS! We also have a laying pullet that may be egg bound, or just broody. I'm keeping an eye on her and we're set up in case we have to help her pass the egg. I'm really hoping she's just broody, but she seems rather lethargic.

So, now we have Hurricane Irene gunning for us. Hurricanes are not a normal event for us here in the Green Mountain State. We're land locked, and seemingly safe nestled in the lush mountains that are our state's namesake. However, we are due our portion of extreme weather, I guess.(Click here to see the projected path of Irene.) For today, I'm going to have the kiddos pick up toys, tools, etc. that are laying around outside, while I concentrate my efforts on the kitchen. I have clean, empty mason jars on the counter, a waffle maker with no cupboard to call home, a homeless pressure canner and a basket full of cucumbers and zucchinis. Plus, much more! After finding homes for these items, I want to get a head start on shredding zucchini and mixing up dry ingredients for zucchini bread and breakfast cookies. Then I'm going to put up some drinking water in case we lose power, and see to other emergency preparations.

If you are like us, and unaccustomed to being prepared for hurricanes, you can check out these 2 links:

• Hurricane Preparedness
• Ready.gov Hurricanes

My dear hubby will be working on cleaning up a spot in the cellar just in case we have to go down there. We have plenty of canned goods, dry pasta and cereals, powdered milk, etc. I'm going to put a tote together of some items to put in the car just in case we should have to leave, although I doubt that that will happen. I would just rather be safe than sorry. Tomorrow I'll be posting more on emergency prepping, if I have time. I might be too busy prepping to post!

The most important thing I will be doing in the midst of all this, is praying. Despite all of our preparations and checklists, we need to remember that the Lord has this all in His hands.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

 my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

Do not forget to pray, dear Friends, no matter what you may be facing. Our Father is faithful, merciful and loving. 

Well, Friends, that is all for now. I have a pullet to check on and a kitchen to clean!
Blessings,
Kelly

A Cool, Rainy Day

One of two raised beds that my DH built for me!

Catnip in the herb garden.

Forbidden fruit! Blackeberries growing in a flower bed!

Tuesday greetings to all! If your in Vermont like we are, then it's gray, cool and damp. I'm not complaining by any means, though, because I've taken advantage of the weather to get some baking done. Saturday was the usual batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies and breakfast cookie bars, along with a batch of chocolate chip banana bread. Today I've got snack mix cooling while a batch of chocolate zuchinni bread is filling my house with it's yummy aroma! I'm hoping for cool mornings this summer so that I'll be able to bake and show hte kids how to make things during theor vacation.

Despite the cold and dreary weather this weekend, my darling husband was able to build 2 raised garden beds for my herbs. The original plan was for just 1, however, he was able to get enough lumber for 2. It's for the beast that we have 2, because my herbs filled the first and have overflowed into the second. It was very exciting to plant my herbs that I had started from seed back in March! I also had some that we had purchased from a home and garden store, and my mother in law was very kind to give me a large bunch of chives from her garden. The chives I had started look rather puny, so if they don't do well, I at least have one established plant. In my herb garden I have, catnip, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, basil, chives and I have sweet mint to plant. I'm not sure if I want to have any more herbs this year, or if we'll use the rest of the second bed to plant veggies.

The kids are looking forward to the end of school, although they've been forewarned that summer will not be one long session of sun, trips to the Rec and video games. Daddy and I have talked to them about helping with chores and keeping up on reading and math if they want to do fun things. So far I have thier workbooks and folders out and some tentative plans for Paul Bunyan Day (June 28). I also have new chore magnets to finish making, daily checklists to put in plastic sleeves, reading charts and worksheets to print out. We're going to have a definite, but flexible, daily schedule.

In all of my planning, in the back of my mind has been the fear of total, utter failure; however, this morning during my personal Bible study & prayer time, I felt led to look up the words "commit" and "plans" in my concordance. What a blessing to have the Lord speak to me through His word and calm my fears! Here are the Scriptures that I'm holding fast to:

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Proverbs 14:22

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

So exactly what do these mean for us? First, we have to commit our plans to the Lord, and for His glory. We need to make sure that our plans are in line with  Scripture (good), that we look for wise counsel and are diligent in our efforts. The security and peace that I feel after coming to this conclusion is absolutely amazing! And I hope these verses give any of you with plans or decisions to make, a source of comfort and inspiration.

The day is getting along, so I need to get back to housework! Have a wonderful rest of your day and see you soon!

Blessings,

Kelly





A Somewhat Wordless Post

My mother's kitten, Sunny

Wheelz with his 1st catch of  Memorial Day weekend

My planter with some store bought and homegrown plants.

Princess on her egg laying throne.

Many blessings all!
Kelly

Getting the Garden Ready

Seed starting supplies

Flat #2 doing very well with green bell peppers and herbs

Princess helped on the second round of seed starting

We were blessed with a double rainbow!

Happy Friday,  Friends! We had a beautiful start to the day, but it seems determined to cloud up! I actually have a load of laundry hang up outside for the first time in 2011, and hoping that the skies won't let loose until it's all dry.

The warmer temperatures have once again turned my mind to our garden for this year. Back in March I had started 2 flats of seeds. Unfortunately, only one flat did well and the other flat either neglected to sprout or it molded. Fortunately the flat that is doing well contains the green pepper seedlings, as well as some herbs. The other flat was mostly flowers, although I'm bummed because I had started marigolds for pest control. So, Monday evening Princess and I consolidated the two flats and restarted flat #1. We also started some sunflower seeds. (I've learned to start them inside, or else squirrels and chipmunks eat the seeds before they can sprout!) In flat #1 we started more peppers, some herbs, and flowers. I bought some seed starting pots (the kind you can just pop into the ground and they breakdown) and seed starting soil. I'm going to start the marigolds in these, as well as more green peppers. I would like to sell some if they do well.

When I started the seeds in March, I labeled them #1 and #2 on a corner. Then, using graph paper, I mapped out what cells I planted which seeds. As I'm a newbie to starting seeds, this was a must so I'd know what was doing well, etc. I'm so glad I did this because it helped when flat #1 molded, etc. When I replanted the flat, I just erased the notes and marked what I planted this time. I also made sure to put the flat in the sun as soon as I saw sprouts poking up. I have 2 seed flats, 2 plastic strawberry containers (I use them to start the sunflowers in), a large angel wing begonia, another house plant, and Wheels' cabbage plant (he got it at school) in the living room with a cage of chickens. I have a small scale farm in my living room!


Last night between rain showers, Princess and I started to clean out the garden. We had neglected to clean it out last fall  and there was a pile of leaves to get rid of. I'd like to let the chickees in there before we till it, which probably won't be for another week or two. The girls haven't been out yet and we've had atleast 2 hawks circling our area, so I thought a good intro for the girls would be the fenced in garden while I'm finishing cleaning it up. I'll bring them back in with me when we're done, though!

I've also found a blog that I LOVE! I've learned so much and gotten tons of inspiration from reading it. On the left hand side of my post, you'll see a heading "My Blog List". On this you'll see a link for Homestead Revival. Click it! Even if you don't homestead or even garden, you'll love the homekeeping posts!

It's been one of those all day posts! I started at 11 am and it's now past 8:30! Have a lovely evening, and get a good nights rest!

Blessings,

Kelly

Wordless Wednesday

Many blessings for a bright and beautiful Wednesday!

Kelly

A Lovely (if frantic!) Friday!

Happy Friday! So far it is clear skies, and despite the light dusting of snow, it feels more like spring! The birds are singing and some of our feathered friends have returned from their trip south. Monday morning I saw a red winged black bird in one of our trees, Wednesday Princess pointed out 2 robins on the front yard and this morning we saw a small wedge of geese! Winter may still have it's grasp on us, but it's loosening by the day.

Well, Friday at our house means clean bedrooms! The kids strip their beds before going to school  and the washer gets started shortly after so that there are clean linens to put back on! The kiddos also have to have everything picked up off the floor (and hopefully put in the proper place!) so that Mama can dust and vacuum. Some Fridays I spend a few minutes tidying up their bureau drawers, but for the most part, I'm letting them take on the putting away of their own laundry. I usually set the timer for about 15-20 minutes for me to be in each bedroom (the boys share a room) or else I'd spend the whole day upstairs cleaning and organizing! The upstairs hall gets dusted and vacuumed as well. Then on to Mama and Daddy's room. I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures so that pillows and comforters can be aired out on the deck. There is nothing like slipping between sweet smelling sheets on a Friday night, after a long and hectic week.  Unless of course you have a pint of Ben & Jerry's before sleeping off the peaceful sleep!

So, has anyone else put any thought into spring cleaning? I've been thinking of it often, making a mental list of things that need to be done (it would be easier to make a list of things that don't need to done!) and working on revamping my planning system. I was going to dedicate this week to evaluating and planning spring cleaning, but that seemed to get shoved aside when we came under attack of the stomach virus again!

Speaking of revamping my planning system, I've been meaning to finish up my posts on my home keeping notebook, but I have been working on it and re-evaluating it. As soon as it is done, I'll post it. The trick to keeping a home keeping notebook ( or any organization system) is finding what works for you. If it doesn't work, you won't use it and things will fall to chaos once more! Research, put some time into planning and be flexible when it comes to an organization/planning system.

Time to get going! There's laundry to wash, floors to vacuum and errand to run! Wishing you a lovely Friday full of sunshine and birdsong!
Blessings,
Kelly