A Clean Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen!

Ok..so I suppose the title of this post isn't totally accurate. Kitchens can't be happy...but women who *work* in those kitchens can! :o) I try to keep my kitchen in a general cleaned-up state. I clean up as I go when I cook or bake. Dishes are done often  and I wipe my counters *numerous* times a day! My island can be a bit of a catch-all though and it drives me bonkers! Even with just a few papers on there it looks so messy! I took the time to sort through and organize any things on the island (and have the children put away their belongings...I remind them that the island in the kitchen isn't the place for their sunglasses....even if it is called an *island*! haha!).

I am posting these pictures (and words) because I wanted others to see a normal, less-than-perfect kitchen. It isn't magazine-worthy. The cupboards and counters aren't made from expensive wood or marble. The island was bought at a consignment-type store. It's old and the paint is peeling in a couple places. My floors are *not* pretty to look at....(honestly I would love to rip them up and get to the wood floors beneath but that will be a LOT of work that we don't have time for right now). So ~ I said all that *not* to complain (at all)! But just to show you that a less-than-awesome kitchen can be clean, tidy and look (at least to me) appealing just because it is well-kept. 

You don't need a lot of money to have a clean kitchen. All it takes is some elbow grease and sweat! If you constantly work at keeping it tidy and well-organized it doesn't take much time at all!

Side Note: I got that little CD player inexpensively. I have a Return to Me soundtrack in it right now which I play quite often. It has Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason and others playing on it and I *love* it! Return to Me is one of my favorite movies actually! I think they have the whole thing on Youtube if you want to watch it!

I gotta run! Things to do! I just wanted to pop in and share the joy of a clean kitchen. I know some people (my daughter is in this category) clean up after all is said and done....when it is overwhelming. Whether it be in the kitchen or with anything you do.... I encourage you to clean as you go. It makes everything a whole lot easier! And definitely keep your kitchen tidy! It makes it a joy to be in, cook in, sing and dance in (along with Dean Martin), and spend time with family in. The kitchen can be such an important part of a home. You'll enjoy it more if it's *clean*!

Have a great week! I hope you found encouragement here!!
Warmly,
Katy

6 Ways to Keep Your Home Tidy

 I am far (so very far) from perfect and my house is nothing fancy. I live in a fixer-upper. Some of our walls are imperfect. We still have siding to put on the dormers of our home and we need to replace some more of the windows. Our home is just as imperfect as I am. However, a happy home doesn't have to be a perfect home. It needs to be tidy, comfortable and full of joy and love!

In this post, I am sharing six of the ways I work at keeping my home tidy. This is not a "how to deep clean your house" post...just some ways to keep it tidy from day to day so the chaos of clutter and mess doesn't bog you down!

1. Clean as You Go 

Whether you are cooking, wrapping gifts, crafting....no matter what you are doing it helps to keep things from getting overwhelming by cleaning up as you go. Put garbage in the trash can and put things away where they go. It can take a little extra time up during the process of whatever you are doing...but in the long run, it saves you from a big mess afterward. I *always* do this and it is so nice not to have a messy kitchen after making supper. While things cook I will wash a few dishes I have used, wipe the counter and throw things away.

2. Place Baskets in Areas Where Clutter Happens

I use baskets because I like them....but you can use whatever sort of container goes with your home's decor. To have baskets in places where clutter seems to multiply helps me by taking all things that don't belong in that area (that belong to others) and place them in the basket (I put some of the items away if they belong to me or I know where they go). This removes the mess from the immediate area and confines it to the basket until things can be properly put away (I let the family know they need to get their belongings out of the basket).

3. Do a 15 Minute Tidy Before You Go to Bed (or leave the house)

Every night (or before I leave the house) I always do a pick-up time. I call them a 15 minute tidy. I'll tell the children it's time for one and they know what to do. Sometimes I just do one on my own. I go around the living room and pick things up...fold blankets, fix pillows on the couch and put things away. I like the living room to be tidy most but if I have time and notice some things need tidied in other rooms, I will do that too. It just takes a few minutes of your time and then, when you wake up in the morning or get home from running errands, things are tidy! It is a glorious feeling! :)

4. If Something Needs Done...Do it

Okay, those of us training up children need to teach them to be responsible and to clean up after themselves (see Tip 5). That being said...I make it a habit to do what needs done. If I am walking by something that needs picked up...I pick it up. If my husband leaves clothes on the floor...I will pick them up. (He doesn't need scolded about it.) If there is a paper on the floor...I pick it up and throw it away. Yes, it is annoying at times...and I will speak to my children about it if they were being irresponsible or neglectful. However, noticing things that need done and just doing them makes me happy to have them *done*. :) It helps keep your home tidy and a place where people can enjoy being!

5. Delegate

If you have children they should have chores. This teaches them responsibility and teamwork. Even young children can have chores that are suitable for their age. **Do not delegate to your husband though (it's not your job to give him housework).** My children alternate vacuuming, dusting, putting clean dishes away (from the dishwasher...and the sink dish rack. I wash them), putting their laundry away (Madelyn washes her own laundry too). The boys help clean the toilets (....since anyone with sons knows how boys are). Our chores and rotations work well for us. Each family has their own dynamics of what works for them. What I *do* know is that if you are not training your children up on how to properly care for their home ~ you are hurting them rather than helping.

6. Purge

The last tip I have is to get rid of things you don't need or want. Don't let guilt or over-sentimentalism (is that a word?) make you hold on to things that are just collecting dust in your home. Too much stuff isn't necessary and it can make your home uncomfortable for your family. Take time to target specific areas each week that can be gone through. For example, make sure to go through your children's clothing from time to time. Take the old play clothes and make them into rags or throw them away. Clothes that are decent but too small...hand them down to friends who could use them, sell them, or donate them! :)

So there you have it...my little list of things I do often to keep my house tidy! :) I hope you find this helpful! If you have any tips to add...please leave them in the comments below!

Have a great week friends!
Warmly,
Katy


Linked up at Strangers & Pilgrims

New (to us) Furniture!

I was super excited to get a new hoosier cupboard! The previous owner, unfortunately, was a smoker so it smells a bit...but I have washed it down and put cedar chips throughout it and have already noticed a big difference! (I've been burning many fall candles as well!)

There is a genuine flour mill inside of it too! How fun is that!?

I am so thrilled for the extra storage *although we don't have much in there at the moment due to the cigarette smell*. You will notice hanging on a couple of the nobs are Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox! Those were gifts for me from my dear friend, Joann! :)

The cupboard that *used* to be in the dining room (where the hoosier cupboard now takes up its residence) is now in the living room...

The above pic was kind of dark...so here it is with the flash...

Sleepy Stella...

And the bookshelf...that *was* in the living room had to be moved...so it found a new home in the school room (I have lots of bookshelves in there!). It isn't ideal but until my addition is done (where the new living room will be) and I have more room for this furniture love of mine..it will have to do!

I seriously have a love for old furniture. I love to acquire it and find places for it to fit perfectly in my home. My home isn't large though...so I need to be selective in what pieces I can use (I usually can find a place for it though ~ I *make* it work!).

It has been a beautiful week here so far and we have been busy preparing for our family's fall festival (that is on Saturday)! If you are local, I hope you will stop by! We have over 80 vendors plus pony rides, a mini-petting zoo, hay rides, a hay maze for children, food, cider, and face painting! If you aren't able to stop, be sure to visit my blog next week! I'll be sure to post fun pictures! :)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you are having a great week!
Warmly,
Katy

Linked up to: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Homemaking: Using a Planner

I am definitely a Type-A sorta girl...I love to make lists and always need a planner. In high school I always had to keep a planner for my assignments and now, as a wife and mama I keep a planner as well. It helps me keep track of appointments, make lists and get things *done*! :)

I have an A5 sized Filofax. It is my go-to place all day long. Each night, I plan things that need done the next day. :)

I bought a laminator a while back (it was on clearance on amazon for a *great* price). I finally decided to break it out and put it to work...and oh my, now I am addicted to laminating! ;) I decided to make a few dividers and then, just got carried away with laminating.

The first page I laminated is a free printable from HERE. I cut it down, colored it and then *laminated* it! I punched some holes and *Ta-Da*! This is what I get to see each time I open my planner...

I made a bookmark (using scrapbook paper and my laminator)...

And dividers (you can see the different patterns I used in the different tabs)...

The last two dividers I made that you can't see in the picture above...

And then, for fun....I just went a little crazy ~ laminating is seriously addicting! ;) I'm not sure how I will use these yet, but it's still fun to have them ready for if I do need them!

 In the back of my planner I have this book of sticky notes. They are so pretty and fun...

I always like to write out what needs done for the day, what I am making for supper, appointments and plans...

Sometimes I do a little decorating and sometimes I don't (some people like to decorate their planners to the hilt...I am not one of those people. I like to keep it pretty simple. It's a tool for me in my career as a wife, mother and homemaker and I like to have lots of room to write and plan without the fluff!)...

Are you a planner? What do you use to plan? How do you organize your days and to-do lists? I would *love* to hear about it! If you have a post about it on your blog, please share a link! I would love to visit! I always love seeing how others plan and gleaning new ideas! :)

I sell stickers for your planner/scrapbooking needs! You can see them in my shop HERE!
Kindly,
Katy

Homemaking: Nothing Higher to Aspire

“I'm only a housewife, I'm afraid." How often do we hear this shocking admission. I'm afraid when I hear it I feel very angry indeed. Only a housewife: only a practitioner of one of the two most noble professions (the other one is that of a farmer); only the mistress of a huge battery of high and varied skills and custodian of civilization itself. Only a typist, perhaps! Only a company director, or a nuclear physicist; only a barrister; only the President! When a woman says she is a housewife she should say it with the utmost pride, for there is nothing higher on this planet to which she could aspire.” 

~John Seymour

“If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.”

~Edith Schaeffer

During summer, we take a bit of a respite from schoolwork (although I firmly believe learning happens during all the day-to-day happenings as well as book-work). We are able to spend more time doing other things that we enjoy which is such a blessing.

Our green beans and corn (growing in the big garden I posted about previously) are growing well. Other than going down to weed some, we get to just let the growing happen. At home, we continue with all our daily, normal chores like laundry, dishes, sweeping, tidying etc. The other day was simply beautiful and Jaxson helped me wash Wanda-the-Honda (we vacuumed her out too!)...

We've also been working at raking up leaves and pine needles (the long, soft kind) and using them to put into the chicken run (which doesn't get much sun....so with the abundance of rain we have had lately, has been quite muddy). My muck boots came in handy...

I enjoy using this time of year to organize rooms or areas in my home. I like to open up the windows and just go through things! I enjoy rearranging furniture to find a way that works better for the room it is in...and purging out home of things we no longer need! Sometimes, areas don't need "organized" really...but I just get the urge to *freshen* things up and switch it around a bit! :) It's such a great feeling of accomplishment when I am done.

As I have mentioned many times before, I enjoy mowing our lawn. It's great exercise (as we have a good sized yard in the back, sides and front) and a chance for me to roll up my sleeves and get a little bit of sun on my arms and face. The only disappointment is that with the abundance of rain we have gotten lately, the grass seems to grow *so* quickly (much *too* quickly in my opinion)...so between days of rain, we are blessed with a day of sun. As soon as the grass is dry enough, out I go again to get it all mowed again! I joked with Chris that it was like mowing the Amazon Rain Forest! :)

Pearl has enjoyed being out and about...enjoying the grass and sunshine! Our hens enjoy time free-ranging in the afternoons-evenings. I am so grateful that the Lord gave them the know-how to coop themselves at bedtime. Can you imagine having to chase 20 chickens to get them to bed every day?

Remember that homemaking happens *out*of doors as well as inside! Planting flowers (hardy perennials are absolutely fantastic as they come back every year and spread easily!), keeping your yard tidy and pulling weeds are all a part of making your home lovely!

The front of my home is not my favorite thing...I hope to change it one day, Lord willing (but truly, in the scheme of life, it's really not that important)...I *love* dressing it up with tons of flowers though! They bring me such joy! I love the looks and smells of different types of flowers. What a glorious gift the Lord gave us to enjoy! :)

These nicer days allow us to go to a few yard sales as well. I don't go to many...mostly to yard sales of friends and loved ones...but it's always fun to see what you can find for a deal! I found this lovely sweater that I *hope* will fit Madelyn (as she wasn't with me when I got it). Don't you think she will look so nice in it? ...

I also found these fun things...

“Homemaking is a passion you can pass on from generation to generation.” 

~Elizabeth George

And now, I really must go. There are things to tend to....which are not getting done while I'm on here! 

I hope your weekend ahead is blessed....and friends, don't be discouraged by the Supreme Court's ruling today. Our Lord is *Supreme* over all. He will prevail and not forsake His people. It's terribly disheartening but not surprising as the wickedness of man continues to demand its way. Stay in prayer and continue to follow Christ. Glorify Him in all you do and pray that this purifies the true Church. :)

In loving kindness,
Katy

Get Your House in Order: Paying Bills

I tend to be a pretty organized person. I am far from perfect (and not overly organized to the point of obsession) but strive to keep a well-run household...from cleaning, organizing, cooking, appointments, and keeping care with our families finances.

I have gleaned ideas over the years from various places...and thought I would share with you how I keep the paperwork/financial part in order!

When a bill comes in, I write it in my budget binder (this is a separate binder than my normal, everyday planner that I use). I have a calendar in there and write the bill and it's amount on the date it is due. I highlight pay days on the calendar in pink. I keep unpaid bills in that yellow plastic envelope...

Once a bill is paid, I write the date and check number on the bill stub (and make an X beside it in my budget binder) and then file the bill stub in the bin below. I don't always file the stubs right away. I will keep them in a holder on my desk and then when it gets full, I sit down and file them in their proper places...

This binder also is used as my wallet. I don't keep money in it...I have another coin purse for cash. I just keep my debit card, checkbook and register in there...

All important papers get filed in this bin (below). I like to know where things are and not have paper piles lying around. When paper piles *do* begin to accumulate, the best thing is to do it sit down with the pile in front of you and just go through it ~ one paper at a time. Trash/shred or file it where it belongs. :)

I hope how I do things helps you in your household organization/paying bills/filing paperwork. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will respond in the comments below. :) This way works wonderfully for me and maybe you have gleaned something from what I have shared..? :)

This is what Ruthie does while I am filing papers...

And before I go...just a few pictures from this past weekend. We attended a wedding this Saturday (as it was an outside affair, we were *so* thankful that the rain held off! I won't even begin to count how many bug-bites I have now though! haha!)...

Chris knows how to boogie (he always makes me giggle!)...

Father/daughter pic (Chris was going in for a surprise peck on the cheek! hehe!)...

Jaxson and his faces!!! Oh this boy of mine! He keeps us laughin'...

Catching a quick pic of Xavier on the move...

And at home...the animals enjoyed their naps (oh how rough they have it!). Remember in THIS post how I told you that Stella loves the windowsill? Here she is again (obviously *quite* comfortable as you can see)...

Ruthie was laying on the floor directly below Stella...

And Winnie would rather snuggle with me (it's a dark picture because when I took it with a flash, she would shut her eyes! I wanted you to see her eyes...because her sweetness is reflected in them)...

Here's one *with* the flash...see, she's all snuggled in...

So, this post was a bit of a two-fer...two posts in *one*! A little look into some organization and a look at a bit of family. :)

I always enjoy all the comments and emails you each send me. Thank you for them! I am going to try and be better about replying in the comments. I admit, I am not always great with that. I'm so sorry. If specific questions do get asked I always *do* try to respond via email (if you have that option available with your profile) or in the comments.

Thanks for visiting!
Cheerfully,
Katy