Heart & Home

Heart & Home

"...that the way you experience life in your home is determined by how you do your housekeeping."

"...little domestic habits are what give everybody's home the special qualities that make it their own and let them feel at home there."

I just love these quotes from the beginning part of the Home Comforts book (by Cheryl Mendelson) - It is so, so important to me for our home to be a place that not only others feel appreciated, embraced, and welcomed but those of us living here feel ever and always at home.

"It includes familiarity, warmth, affection, and a conviction of security.

Being at home feels safe; you have a sense of relief whenever you come home and close the door behind you, reduced fear of social and emotional dangers as well as of physical ones."

As Christians, we can be secure at an even deeper level.

Psalm 122:7 (NASB)

7 "May peace be within your walls,

And prosperity within your palaces."

Deuteronomy 33:12 - [And] of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; [and the LORD] shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

On top of feeling secure and like a sigh of relief in our homes is a need to keep our homes, as in be a keeper of them.

Even those who don't invest much into their homekeeping - it is an undercurrent, an ever flowing need.

Yet another snippet to share that I really liked and underlined it when I first got the book:

"What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home.

Whether you live alone or with a spouse, parents, and ten children, it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can anywhere else."

How much more are these things true when CHRIST is the light and love flowing from our hearts and into our homes?

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Is He welcome where we live?

Luke 10:38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

What about when the Lord isn't our top priority? What about hurting hearts, torn emotions and confused paths that tangle everything all up?

Psalm 42:5

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Maybe you, them, her, him... maybe any in this state just need to know there is hope beyond what the world has pushed into their paths.

As far as hope in homekeeping... it must be revived if it is weak.

"It is not in goods that the contemporary household is poor, but in comfort and care."

That sounds sad but we have all either been there before, seen others in it or are there now.

Proverbs 7:11

She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home;

Isaiah 27:10

For the fortified city is isolated, A homestead forlorn and forsaken like the desert; There the calf will graze, And there it will lie down and feed on its branches.

The author of Home Comforts really hits the subject at the heart of it when she shares a few paragraphs on page 8 about the results happening from neglecting housekeeping. The effects are negative ones in so many ways.

She ends this section with these words:

"The result is far too many people who long for home even though they seem to have one."

I believe the longing for home originates from a longing for God. Either longing to know Him or longing to experience Him again.

Psalms 63:1

Verse Concepts

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalms 143:6

Verse Concepts

I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land.

Selah.

When that longing is met, I believe it breathes life like never before into the home.

Thoughtful questions:

*What does your home feel like when you walk in the door?

*What atmosphere do you sense over all?

*Do you sense a power greater than yourself keeping you present in the motions of your daily tasks?

*Is the light in your eyes gone and do you feel a lack of hope in your home care? If not, do you know someone who seems to be in this place?

*Is your home flowing with milk and honey or more like a parched land today?

Home Comforts

I have been reading my enormous hard back copy of Home Comforts with such .well, comfort. Smiles.

Loving home and making it cozy, clean and comfortable has been with me for most (if not all) of my life. My mom said that when I was growing up, she could tell the condition of my bedroom (almost every one was shared with my

sister) by my behavior. If it got too messy, I misbehaved and as soon as it was clean, my mood settled.

I also loved homes of just about any kind because I would find something welcoming or inviting in them. I lived in or visited homes from Georgia to Ohio on quaint streets, condominiums, apartments, mobile homes, two story farm houses, all the way to the most simple of homes in the mountains of TN.

To this day, I recall the dining tables, living room settings, kitchen set ups, and much more.

When I grew up and ended up in my own home (and I've lived in a little shack, apartments, mobile homes, military housing, rental homes, and now the home we hope to stay in after being on this piece of land for over 20 years) ... I love having my own routines, homey places and more. There are aspects to homemaking that I don't love or I only like sometimes (like keeping the floors clean, scrubbing the back and bottoms of toilets, and organizing

paperwork) but I love making our house a home.

 Homemaking inspiration:

Home Comforts with Cheryl Mendelson

The first part of the book has a section on the author's domestic roots while growing up and on through to her own places. She shares some things on how her two grandmothers did homemaking their own way and shared some of what those ways looked like. She shared a quote from The Odyssey that said:

"Each day I long for home, long for the sight of home."

Starting out a Home Comforts series:

One - I know we are busy. I was trying to do this detailed, wonderful, and beautifully inspiring series for us from page one to the end of the book.

I'm realizing that it might never be if I keep such a perfectionistic view of how it must be. I will just share a bit as we go and we can discuss as we decide. Sound good?

Our own Homemaking History: What do you remember of your grandmother or grandmothers homemaking style? Do you remember how she/they washed dishes? Cooked? Had special recipes? Sewed? Crocheted? Cleaned? What else?

What about your mother? What routines did your mother adhere to, if any? How did she manage her work load whether from home or between working outside of the home and being there?

My paternal grandmother died tragically before I was ever able to meet her.

She had 12 children and one grandchild the same age as her youngest child.

She went out on Christmas Eve to get the youngest child (my dad who was

five) and her grandbaby a few more gifts. She got a ride from her friend who drove a mail truck and on the way home, they ran into a blizzard on the mountain. There was an accident and both driver and passenger were killed.

So... I never had the chance to know her or how she ran her home.

My other grandmother was in her 50's and died of cancer a month or so after she was diagnosed and we didn't live close to her for most of my life. I don't recall much but I remember her little home being neat and it being important to her that kids keep their feet warm :) One of my only memories of her was her scolding my mother for letting me go bare footed and putting her own slippers on my feet and insisting I keep them on. I remember the set up of her simple home and the roses she always grew around her porch.

My mother worked after the divorce (she left with the four of us girls to be with her mother when she found out she was sick and she and my dad ended up never getting back together) so there wasn't a lot of domestic things, I guess. I do remember her loving simplicity and the scent of vanilla... she simmered vanilla beads on the stove almost always. She was very, very routine and had her coffee and breakfast by a certain time in the mornings and she was always trying to make her own versions of what we wanted from fast food places or restaurants. This was to save money and because it was healthier. I went wild for the sausage Mcmuffin breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's ... they had probably just come out! ... and she made some at home by cooking eggs as roundly shaped as she could, cooking a sausage patty, and putting those topped with a slice of American cheese on English muffins. She put them in a lunch sack and microwaved them and they were amazing. I had one every morning! 

(for the readers on the email list - this is modified from our present Home Comforts discussion)

Tuesday dinner

Our dinner:

Salmon sandwiches with spinach and a drizzle of this amazing mayonnaise with my beautiful changes! What were my changes? I omitted the Sirachi sauce or whatever it is called and added a few spoons of chipotle chilis. SO delicious! My husband LOVED the mock mayonnaise and I think I will start keeping it on hand. I served the sandwiches with blanched broccoli and a splash of a sweet balsamic vinegar. 

DELICIOUS cabbage salad

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mayo-Free-Cabbage-Salad/Detail.aspx

I shredded two heads of cabbage in the food processor and doubled all the ingredients but used less sugar and oil than called for. This was so good! I took it to a church potluck and it was a hit!

Today's healthier choices

Today:

Rainbow salad with healthy, homemade dressing
Portabella mushroom pizzas

Rainbow salad:
I threw baby spinach leaves, mixed salad greens and cut up Romaine lettuce in a big salad bowl and used my handy salad shooter for all the colors. A quick note on salad shooters... I got my first at the Salvation Army for under $3.00 years ago. I used it until the motor gave out and I used it a LOT. Right before it gave out, I bought one I found at Goodwill for under $6.00. I gave it to my DIL and blessed being that she is... she gave it to me when I was despondent over the high prices new shooters costs. To explain things a bit so I don't look like someone who gives and grabs back ... the shooter hadn't been used and she was only keeping it for making salads when company visited. We live close enough that I told her she can let me know if she ever needs it and she has a bit more space in her little kitchen.
ONTO... the food! Right onto my greens, I shredded cucumbers, celery, beets, onions, cabbage, carrots, yellow squash, and I don't recall the rest.

The portabella pizzas were turned upside down (stem and brown inner side scraped out) and a little spaghetti sauce was spread in each "crust". I added 1 teaspoon of Ricotta cheese to each pizza, 1/2 ounce of sharp cheddar and 1/2 ounce of goat cheese. I topped each with shredded carrots, shredded onions, shredded cabbage, and shredded beets. I know it sounds bad but it somehow worked. I put these in the oven at 400 degrees until the toppings were bubbly. I've made these mushroom pizzas for years and I don't think a batch ever turns out the same!

Dinner:
Nut meat veggie burgers on bread (had no buns) with mayonnaise or cashew ranch dressing, tomato slices (salted and peppered) along with Romaine lettuce, mustard and ketchup.

Rainbow salad left from lunch.
Spaghetti squash with a drizzle of olive oil and seasonings.

Nut meat veggie burgers:
3-4 carrots, peeled
1 onion, peeled and quartered
one splash of OACV (wanted lemon juice but I used the last of what I had on lunch!)
1 cup of pecans
1 cup of almonds
seasonings
Sauteed mushrooms (in Worcestershire sauce, light soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar)
A sprinkle of chili powder, a dash of liquid smoke, a squeeze of chipotle mustard and another of barbecue sauce.
All the ingredients went into the food processor using the S blade. I pulsed/chopped until holding together. I had to work to make these stay together on a greased cast iron grill. I topped some of them with sharp cheddar and they were delicious in flavor but I need something to make them less soft next time. They were still a hit.

That is all for now!

First post of Fall

Tonight's dinner:

Chicken breast (made in the pressure cooker last night) pulled from the bone, de-skinned and sliced. Sauteed in a cast iron with freshly sliced portabella mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil, shake of pink Himalayan salt and ground peppercorns. This went into a serving dish and I sauteed some chopped garlic (my 10 year old son loves this chore ;) and let it heat up until fragrant and added to the chicken and mushrooms.

We are also having broccoli after I finish dunking it in some boiling water for a couple of minutes and then giving a few stirs in the same skillet I made everything else. This will be served with toasted tri-colored couscous and baby spinach leaves. I might grate some Parmesan or really sharp cheddar cheese over the top and serve with pan seared, whole grain bread.

It feels good to be back in the kitchen! I mean, I've been in the kitchen almost constantly but everything has been such a blur of activity and rushing from one thing to the next. I love it when I can bring something together and experience it more than just flinging it from pan to plate.

My husband made very fattening smoothies with eggnog, nutmeg and bananas so it is a good thing we are all hopping back to healthy tomorrow!

Earlier summer garden notes

A post I just noticed not sent from earlier on this summer: (an update: the garden is almost gone! All we have left are some peppers, basil, and possibly watermelon! We are making plans for a fall/winter garden now. )

How are you?

Share from your kitchens!

Share from your living areas!

Share from your gardens!

Share, share!

How is your homemaking?

Things here are overflowing with blessings.

There have been some scary situations… some sad moments and reflections and things haven’t been perfect. What I’m choosing to focus on is the light flowing through our lives and that light is from the Lord. He pours it down from heaven and surrounds us with beauty so bountiful that the world’s countless words cannot come close to explaining it.  Here, we  are growing our best gardens ever, we are happy in our new (to us) home and still studying nutrition in research, reading, and almost living in the kitchen some days.

My husband lost 41 pounds and won a Biggest Loser contest at work and since I started my weight loss journey three years ago… I have lost 36 pounds. I prayed over this and I believe God has been showing the way to go and it is an ongoing thing… not just a one ditch effort.

We have tried herb gardens, vegetable gardens, berries, flowers, you name it over the years. With all we put in… we haven’t yielded a great deal of harvest. The closest was one of my many herb gardens but something happened the next year and it never did well again. This year, I prayed over our seeds, seedlings, soil, land, and on and on and the Lord just blessed and blessed and blessed some more! I honestly don’t know that we have lost ONE plant! We WAY OVER PLANTED in hopes to have at least some success but every spot has not only survived but THRIVED! I even won a contest from www.seedsofchange.org (I think that is it) and got 50.00 worth of seeds for FREE!

We have three kinds of watermelons, three types of cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow peppers, red peppers, rainbow chard, yellow squash, carrots, purple pole beans, basil, parsley, okra, egg plant, pineapple sage, sage, rosemary, lemon balm, dill, cilantro, several kinds of tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, specialty peppers, cantaloupe, honeydew, nasturtiums, zucchini, beets, sweet potatoes, oregano, chives, chamomile, lavender, sweet mint, peppermint, German thyme, lemon thyme, hanging strawberries, and some flowering beauties left here by my beautiful MIL when she moved.

We are so in awe of God’s work every time we mulch, weed, gather, water, and so on.

I am also doing something I have tried for around 15 years now without the first sign of success …ever. I am growing aloe! Everyone I EVER had died no matter what advice I followed or how I followed it! Now? I have so many and more being potted every few weeks! I have two nice sized ones in pottery pots on each side of our back door (inside) and another one in a planter basket on one of the end tables. I have a stone fire place front/floor/shelf and there are a row of them there. I have a huge one (a gift someone had for like 10 years) in a terra cotta pot in the dining room, a vintage bowl full of little pots of them and some on the front porch! I used cacti soil mixed with some organic potting soil and some in regular soil and others in just organic potting soil. They are doing SO well!

My daily rhythm is basically:

Getting up around 4:30 or 5:00 am with my husband and making his coffee for then and a cup to go as well as a cup for me ;) I make his breakfast (oatmeal, eggs and garden squash with onions, or grits) and sometimes a smoothie or juice.

When he leaves, I have been sitting down with my coffee and doing my quiet time… reading the Word, praying, prayer journaling and so on. This morning I changed the schedule around. Now, I am heading to the gardens before Bible time to beat the heat. I may start reading but as soon as the sun rises, I head out with my garden hat on and hand shears in gloved hand ;) I take a good look at everything, weed here and there, mulch where needed, water if necessary, and gather anything ripe and ready! I want a lovely basket or something for gathering new cucumbers, basil leaves, pineapple sage, tomatoes, okra, rainbow chard, peppers, peppers, and more peppers!