Dec 5

A Decade of Homemaking

This November I will have been a homemaker for the last ten years. It is still surreal to me that it has actually been ten years since I’ve had a leave the house job.

When I started off as a homemaker, to be perfectly honest, I really sucked at it. I couldn’t cook, I could do laundry, but I didn’t have a clue how I was going to spend every day. I had no idea what to do.

My adulthood arrived in a quick three year span… I went from high school, to first job, to management, to moving out, and home-ownership, to unemployment, to finding a new job, getting married, and then moving to KS. It was a crazy few years.

Just after our first anniversary, we moved to Coffeyville. It was then that James suggested that I stay home. We were newly married, and in a new house. I had a few job offers, but we were thinking of starting a family, and our future. The more we discussed it, the more we realized that I should be home. It would be tough, but  we decided to bite the bullet, and see if we could make it. I’m glad that we made that decision for me to stay home.

After ten years of staying at home, I finally feel like I am hitting my groove with homemaking. This last year has been a strange transition for me… The kids are getting older, and I’m starting to find time for what I want to do, instead of what I have to do.

I’m excited to see my interests shift into home decorating as the school year progresses. It is nice to have a little extra time to work on home projects.

In the next year I want to spend more time finishing up projects, and decorating our space too. We’ve lived in our current house for six years, and I finally want to make it look like our home.

There have been a lot of sacrifices for me to stay home, but it has been worth every single one. The kiddos are happy, and being a stay-at-home wife has kept our marriage happy too. I really appreciate all of James’ hard work, so I can stay home and be a mom, and a happy homemaker too…

 

Dec 4

Crocheting Around The Clock

I have been crocheting for over a month now, and I can’t stop. It is so much fun, and it is a great little project to work on in the evenings too. I have been making lots of scarves, pot holders, and I’ve started working on an afghan too. I need to make a yarn run though.

So much fun, but now I don’t want to do anything else…

Dec 3

November’s Clutter Count

November’s de-cluttering went a little better. I was motivated to work on the boy’s room. James also got me motivated to clean out the scary closet.

We ended up cleaning another 391 items out of the house. Many of those items came out of more toy clutter, and the scary closet storage too. It feels good to get a bit more clutter out of here too.

December is my last month that I am counting de-cluttering totals. It has been a fun project for 2012. I’m glad that my house is finally getting a bit more in order.

 

Dec 2

New Nook

We have been in the rearranging mood around here. It started off with me wanting to move the gazelle into the living-room for the holidays, but it just didn’t fit. We tried rearranging the living-room a few times, but it just wasn’t working out. We then decided to move our focus to the foyer.

The foyer has always been a troublesome room in the house. It is a room, but it isn’t a room, it is very open, and there isn’t any storage… It is also the room that you first walk into when you come home, and most of the time it is a little cluttered. After a little bit of furniture moving, I think this time we’ve got it just right.

We moved the love seat under the stairs, and we turned the foyer into a little den. I still have a nice sewing space too, and now we finally have a truly usable space. I would still like to address the jacket clutter, but that’s another project.

I love the way that the room turned out. It has quickly become my favorite spot to catch up on my reading, or crochet a bit.

Dec 1

December’s Monthly Menu

I can’t believe that it is December already, this year is flying by. I have a tasty menu planned for December. I think I’ll be in the kitchen all month. So here we go it’s December’s monthly dinner menu.

  • 12/1/12: Panko Chicken, Spaghetti, Green Beans, Biscuits, and Cherry Pie
  • 12/2/12: Turkey Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits, and Homemade Brownies
  • 12/3/12: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
  • 12/4/12: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 12/5/12: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/6/12: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, and Chow Mien Noodles
  • 12/7/12: Tostadas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/8/12: Hamburgers, Chips, and Whoopie Pies
  • 12/9/12: Panko Fried Chicken, Spaghetti, Homemade Bread, and Cherry Pie
  • 12/10/12: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/11/12: Spaghetti, Green Beans, Homemade Breadsticks, and Coconut Cake
  • 12/12/12: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
  • 12/13/12: Hamburgers and Chips
  • 12/14/12: Tostadas,Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/15/12: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 12/16/12: Pot Roast with Potatoes, Homemade Bread, and Chocolate Bundt Cake
  • 12/17/12: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Bread, and Cinnamon Rolls
  • 12/18/12: Hamburgers and Chips
  • 12/19/12: Panko Chicken Tenders, Spaghetti, Green Beans, Homemade Bread, and Chocolate Bundt Cake
  • 12/20/12: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/21/12: Beef Stew, Homemade Bread, and Vanilla Cake
  • 12/22/12: Homemade Pizzas- Cheese (no sauce), Cheese, Pepperoni, Triple Meat, and Veggie
  • 12/23/12: Chili, Saltines, and Homemade Brownies
  • 12/24/12: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Cheese Dip, Homemade Salsa, and Re-fried beans
  • 12/25/12: Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green beans, Corn, Homemade Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, and Chocolate Pie
  • 12/26/12: Turkey Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
  • 12/27/12: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Cheese Dip, and Homemade Salsa
  • 12/28/12: Panko Fried Chicken, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, and Biscuits
  • 12/29/12: Tostadas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 12/30/12: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
  • 12/31/12:Beef Stew, Homemade Bread, and Cherry Pie

Happy December everyone!