Blog Stats

Take a Letter

I normally type away on my blog without paying much attention to my stats. However, I recently discovered Blogger in draft and have enjoyed looking at what brought you here and what posts you are most likely to read. If you have a blogspot blog, you can try it out. Go to draft.blogger.com to sign in, then you can click on the stats tab.

I learned that your favorite posts this week are:
Be a Cheerleader
My Card File System
Good Books
Boiling Water

My top referrers this week are: (Thank you so much!)
The Vintage Housewife
Hearts in Service
Lawendowy Dom
S.H.E.'s Organized

The top keyword searches were:
50s Housewife
Home management notebook
Pantry List
Cleaning Lists

The majority of you visit from the USA, but there are also quite a few of you from the UK, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, and Brazil (in that order). Welcome!

I'm glad to know a little more about my blog friends and I want you to know that I'm glad you stopped by! You make my heart smile!

Early Morning

Friday Morning

I'm not naturally a morning person. If I didn't have any sort of schedule to keep I would stay up late and sleep late. Sometimes though, especially in the summer when I don't have anything on the agenda, I love to go to bed a little earlier than usual and get up early the next morning.

I don't set an alarm to jangle my nerves, I just decide that I'm going to wake up early and I do. It's especially nice if I can wake as the sun is beginning to rise. I quietly make myself a cup of coffee, wrap up in my robe, and take my Bible and reading glasses out onto the back porch. I read and pray as the sun peeks over the horizon and the world slowly wakes up in the cool misty stillness before the heat sets in. It's the best way I know to feel close to God and His creation and releases the stresses of my week.

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
-Psalm 30:5

Hope your mornings are refreshing to your spirit!
Much love,

It's a Hard Life

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~Sam Keen

Good Books

I LOVE to read! I mean, I really love it. I always have a stack of books next to my bed (I can never read just one book at a time) and a wish list of books I want to read. I'm insatiably curious about what everyone else is reading. When I see someone in a public place reading, I always try to catch of glimpse of what it is. I love to peruse other people's bookshelves too. Nosy much? ;)

In case you are as nosy as I am (and so that I can try out these fun Amazon widgets) here is a list of books that I own and are currently in a pile on my night stand and also some that are on my wish list.

Currently reading or re-reading:


Told you I can't just read one book at a time!

On my wish list:


What are you reading?  What books are on your wish list?

Be a Cheerleader!

Three Cheerleaders

No, I don't mean to put on a uniform and cheer for your favorite football team (although that's great and aren't those gals in the picture adorable?), I'm talking about cheering on your family. It is SO easy for our families to get discouraged. There is gloomy negativity everywhere we go.  Let's turn our homes into places of restoration.  I also think we need to encourage ourselves.  It's hard to be in a positive frame of mind if we're down in the dumps.

How about if this week we pay special attention to being encouraging?  Wouldn't it be more fun if we could all do it together and share our successes? Here are some ways that I plan to cheer on my family.

1. Ask for God's help to focus on the positive.
2.. "Catch" them being good and praise them for it. "It's so thoughtful of you to offer to play a game with your sister!" or "Thanks honey for researching all the different dishwashers so we would know which one would be the best buy!"
3. Be aware of what I'm saying and try to make sure that my positive comments far out way any negative comments (including the comments to myself in my head).
4. Find a small, practical,  fun way to bless them such as renting a favorite movie, taking them for ice cream, surprising them with an outing, etc.  Do a little something nice for myself too.  Maybe I'll light a scented candle in the bathroom and have a long, relaxing soak in the tub at the end of a busy day.
5. Say something nice about each member of my family to other people.
6.  Respond to complaints and problems in a positive manner and with hope.
7. Avoid any passive aggressive behavior.  No heavy sighs and martyrs faces while I say something like "Don't worry, I'll take out the trash myself.  I do everything around here anyway."

I didn't plan on listing seven things, but I guess that gives us one thing to focus on for each day of the next week.  What a happy coincidence! :)

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints."
Philemon 1:7 (NIV)

Boiling Water

Water Running out of Samovar into a Pot

Did you know that there are many uses for boiling water other than making tea? I love when something so ordinary is so useful (and cheap)!

It's a great way to get rid of the pesky weeds and grass that grow in cracks in the sidewalk or driveway. Pour boiling water on them and by the next day they are dead. Of course, you have to be very careful around kids and pets when you are carrying a kettle full of boiling water, but you won't have any poisonous chemicals left on the sidewalk. It's completely organic.

I found out today that you can get rid of ants with boiling water too. Apparently if you pour several gallons of it over an ant bed (keeping in mind that the boiling water will kill any nearby grass) it will kill the ants. We've had an invasion of fire ants in our backyard and we are hoping this will work. We've already used ant poison, but it hasn't completely eradicated the awful things. If you don't have fire ants where you live, be very glad.

I also used boiling water today in a stinky sink drain. What is it about warm weather that makes the drains stink? I poured some baking soda down the drain and followed with lemon juice. After it foamed up for a few minutes I poured about a gallon of boiling water down the sink. Not only does the drain smell sweeter, but it keeps the pipes from getting clogged up as well.

Boiling water is also a good way to sanitize your cutting boards that won't fit in the dishwasher.  If you rub them with lemon juice first it will help deodorize them too.

What are your favorite everyday household multitaskers?

Details

The unconsidered.

The common.

The simple.

The overlooked.

Small things.

Moments of happiness.

Savor the details today.