The Thankful Tree

Long ago, we visited Canada for an old friend's wedding.  Our host family had a lovely little Thankful Tree posted near the supper table.  Since we spent several days there, we loved getting on board with their moments of gratitude.  Written on each leaf were things like "my dog" or "Timbits," the Canadian equivalent of Munchkins!  

I was delighted with the idea and so were the Blossoms!  

This year, I printed off some cute free printable scrapbook paper and Blossom4 and I started working on the pieces.  She was intrigued.  We've done our own version a few times throughout the years, but I didn't realize how long it's been until she asked me, 

"What's a Thankful Tree?"

We hang a tree trunk somewhere near our kitchen table and each evening, each family member writes one thing they're thankful for on a paper leaf.  

I love that sometimes it's light-hearted, small things and sometimes it's deeper, bigger things.  

After a few weeks, we will have a full tree of beautiful things and we will have revelled in small moments of gratitude together all month long!

Dominique

PS - The antique wicked-looking redneck self defense device hanging in this picture is actually the tool my grandmother used to mash potatoes for her family of twelve.  It reminds me that love and hard work can go hand in hand.  

This is Your Frosty Morning Reminder

These frosty mornings have me thinking about cold weather preparation!  This is your friendly mama reminder that it's time to prepare for winter driving:

Gather:

~ a hat and gloves for each member of the family

~ a blanket or two

~a windshield scraper

This goes in every vehicle on our property.  With having young drivers, it's important that they know how vital it is to be prepared for cold weather.

Being that we have four drivers who often have multiple sisters along, this is A LOT of hats and gloves!  Swing by Dollar Tree and stock up on plain hats and simple gloves.  Their sweater-like gloves and knit hats work really well for this and they last from year to year!

You probably think - well, it makes more sense for people to just grab their hats and gloves before they leave the house.  That's less you need to own.  Yes, I agree, it is.  However, from experience, that's what gets forgotten when we're walking out the door.  We really rely on keeping these things in our vehicles.

Also, during this season, the Blossoms are never allowed to leave the house without a winter coat.  NEVER.  Even if we load in the garage, they MUST have a winter coat with them.  Even if they dart from the house to a car, they MUST have a winter coat with them.  I'll never forget the story of a local teen who drove a back road in a hoodie on a winter night and died when his car broke down.  Based on the story, a winter coat and a hat would've vastly improved his chances of survival.

Since we do a lot of driving on PA back roads, it's wise to be prepared for cold weather scenarios.  

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Before we head out on snowy roads, I do usually throw in a snow shovel too.  I'm still working on investing in enough shovels to keep in the vehicles.

Dominique

Sick Day School

One of the beauties of homeschooling is being able to do school when your kids are sick.  I'm not talking about when they're miserable, when just want/need to sleep or when they're throwing up every five minutes. Moreso, I'm referring to when they're feeling icky and are just not up to a full load of bookwork.  There is still so much education that can be accomplished in this stage!  

                                            

Today I'm sharing the Sick Day School repertoire I have relied on over the years:

#1 Reading:
This seems obvious but we always have books that we are reading, books that need to be read, or books that round out a topic we're studying.  I'm always here for good recreational reading too.  Reading comprehension skills benefit students their whole life long!  Bring on the sustained silent reading!  Bring on the browsing through interesting books!

#2 Audio Books:
I rely heavily on audio books when the Blossoms don't feel well.  It's the perfect time to bust out an appetizing book that I've been wanting them to read.  When Blossom3 had a concussion several years ago, she absorbed so many excellent works through audio books.  She had a regular diet of solid literature!  We accomplished so much when she was severely restricted in what she could do!  Audio books do not have to be expensive.  In fact, you'd be amazed at how many audio books are available free on YouTube.  Additionally, the Kindle Text to Speech feature and the Libby app make audio books accessible for all budgets. Sometimes I pick a book from their book list.  Sometimes I ask what they're in the mood to hear.  Sometimes I make suggestions.  Audio books are our friends!

#3 Documentaries and Educational Shows/Shorts:
What a fabulous way to expand on a current topic of study or venture into something you or your child have always want to research!  Documentaries and education shows or shorts are one of the quickest way to learn while lying on the couch!  YouTube is full of such things, for FREE!!!

#4 Narration:
This is a multi-faceted tool.  Sometimes we have a journal entry, composition, or story that needs to be written.  I grab a laptop and have them narrate those works to me.  Additionally, narration is a powerful tool for students to process what they are learning.  I like to have the Blossoms tell me what they learned while listening, watching, or reading.  

#5 Flashcard Apps or Math Games:
Simple math is another great way to get some skill-sharpening in when they're not up for the usual load of bookwork.  I like to keep it to short bursts, but when they spend a few minutes on these, it's helpful long-term!

#6 Handcrafts and Small Brain-Stimulating Games:
Crocheting, painting, friendship bracelets, coloring, tangrams, magnets, and any other sort of small brain-stretching games are great choices for those not feeling well.  I don't expect long attention spans with these during sick day school.  I've just found that hours of TV make the Blossoms feel worse.  Short bursts of good activities interspersed with rest seem to help much more in the long run.  I don't push; I make them available.  I might grab a fresh glass of water and bring a few of these activities over to them.  I don't mind when the activity eventually falls to the wayside and they drift off to sleep.  

Ultimately, I want the girls to rest when they don't feel well, so I'm always shooting for a good balance.  When I lie around, I just feel worse.  When my mind is occupied and I have the opportunity to rest whenever needed, I recover more quickly!  

I hope our Sick Day School repertoire helps you navigate those in between days of sickness!

Dominique

PS - I couldn't resist all the animal pics.  We do lots of animal time when folks aren't feeling well here.  

Solutions for Busy Families

Solutions, solutions, solutions!

I love a good solution!  We've had to make some adjustments lately for our busy family of six.  With two Blossoms in college, five jobs between the two of them, other relationships to consider, plus the rest of the family's 4-H, craft show, homestead, and church schedule, we're all on the same team.  That's what I keep telling everyone.  

We're all on the same team!

~ Sunday nights, we have a big pow-wow about what the week is looking like, and what needs to be done.  This helps to relieve the frustration of Daddy walking in and saying, "Grass needs mowed today," and the resulting panicked responses of, 

"I have a huge exam today."

"I have a lengthy paper that I'm finishing today!"

"I have to go clean the airBnB today."

"I was already planning on going to ______ today."

Our Sunday night pow-wow helps to gauge everyone's stress level and what kind of expectations we have for each other.  It helps those of us who have an easier week to pick up some slack or pitch in and help other family members.  It blesses my heart so much when one of the other Blossoms says, "Don't worry about that.  I can do that for you," to one of their sisters.

Our Sunday night pow-wow helps the younger Blossoms to be aware of what to expect for the week.  Meaning, it won't be a week in the hammock reading. It also helps us nail down open time slots for concentrated family time because...

~ We now schedule family time!  During our Sunday night pow-wow, we look at what evenings or afternoons we are all home and available.  We block a certain amount of time out on our schedules.  It doesn't mean we do anything fancy - hang out in the living room or on the porch and chat, throw a ball in the back yard, listen to each other, line dance in the back yard, or have a pizza night.  Because the time is blocked out, sometimes we get to do more - go fishing or go out for ice cream.  Either way, the quality time takes TIME.  We're prioritizing that time by eliminating the "I wouldn't have scheduled  _____ if I had realized you wanted me to be here for family time!"

~ We now have a weekly homestead work list.  Saturdays have always been homestead work day here.  There are different work schedules to consider and we still try to all be doing homestead work on Saturdays.  Some weeks there are just different demands though (like Saturday craft shows for the Younger Blossoms).  Since there is a list posted, all Blossoms consult the list and work on the weekly tasks in more convenient time slots.  We're perfecting this approach, but this solution is helping us stay on the same page and stay on top of things.  Ya gotta stay on top of the demands of farm life.  Otherwise, the poop piles just get bigger and grosser.

~ Morning pow-wows after devotions are still very important here.  We each talk about what our schedules hold for the day, as well as the imperative tasks to accomplish.  This really, really helps to keep everyone in the loop and be understanding of one another.  Blossom2 works early mornings two days a week, so we're still figuring out how to keep us all on the same page when she misses that morning's pow-wow.  For the most part though, it's still working for us.  

~ We invite each other on Google Calendar.  When I really don't want the girls to miss their cousin's graduation ceremony or I really need them to be home to watch the Younger Blossoms, I set up an event in my Google Calendar and invite them (and vice versa).  It probably seems ridiculous, since we all live in the same house, but it sure helps us all to plan around important things.  

~ We had a Fair: What To Work On list on the whiteboard.  The Older Blossoms know the drill but the Younger Blossoms were mistakenly thinking that summer meant you do nothing... all day... every day.  That's not how we roll here.  There's plenty to work on independently, and Mom doesn't have to be looking over your shoulder all the time.  I talked through each item when the list was posted.  I instructed how to access some of the resources needed to accomplish the tasks and they whittled away at that list.  It helps.  

As you've noticed, no solution 100% solves a problem, but it helps.  That's what we need, tools that help keep our family's relationship a priority and tools that keep us on the same page.  We're constantly tweaking these things to work for our family, but the more we communicate, the better daily life can be!

Informing for the Sake of Unity

Perhaps this is a new series - Parenting Teens.  It wasn't really planned, but I was making some observations the other day and thought I'd share them with you while they were on my mind.

As the Blossoms grow and get busier, I've found how necessary it is to keep everyone in the loop as far as the family schedule.  

Every morning after their personal quiet time and then, our devotions together, we pow-wow about the day and days ahead.  On Monday, we also especially pow-wow about the week ahead.  

When changes inevitably must be made, it is SO important that I make sure all of the Blossoms are aware of these changes.  When they understand expectations and plans, the whole day runs smoother.  Attitudes are better.  No one likes to be surprised... in that way.  I mean, if you're talking surprise ice cream, that's a totally different story.

"Wait, I didn't know so-and-so was stopping over!"

"I didn't realize I had to have this done by then!"

"I didn't know we were leaving at this time!"

"I don't have this exam done; I can't go to that!"

With having four Blossoms, everyone is not always in the room when I make a comment or adjustment to our schedule for the day.  And when 3/4 know of different expectations, that 1/4 can really throw a monkey wrench in the mix when they don't know they were supposed to be ready an hour earlier because we now have to run two more errands before Bible Quiz practice.  

Blossom1 and Blossom2 have Google Calendars and we share important events with that program.  It's very helpful!  I'm still getting used to checking their calendars before I answer when someone asks if we're available.  You'd think I'd remember if Blossom1 made a chiropractor appointment or that Blossom2 has a live lecture.  BUT I DON'T.  Use the tools that are out there to boost your brain power!

There's a degree of common courtesy underlying this whole approach.  Understanding that I'm dealing with people.  It's courteous to keep everyone in the loop.  Herego, I do my best to inform everyone.  

It's kinda funny but I've taken to making Public Service Announcements in our house.  Sometimes I even use a silly announcer voice.  Sometimes my PSA is me singing out "T-30 minutes til lift-off!"  When you've got this many people leaving the house, it's just a good idea for everyone to know when time is tickin'. 

It may sound ridiculous to make PSAs as there are only six of us, but let's be real, there are SIX of us!  We need to be on the same page!  I got tired of realizing I'd missed a Blossom or two in passing because someone was in the bathroom or something.  I've realized that one way for me to parent well in this season is to be careful to inform EVERYONE.

Sometimes that means I ask the older Blossoms, 

can you be available for this event?  

Do you have room for this event in your week?  

How will this affect your workload and productivity for school, if we say yes to this?

How can we make this work?

There's something respectful about that.  Correspondingly, when I communicate that I want them to prioritize something, they usually extend that same courtesy and respect to the Rugged Mountain Man and me so we don't have to play hardball.  

It's just a different approach from when I'd wake up in the morning and say, "We're going to the library today!"

Planning helps us develop and maintain unity in our family.  Unity is my God-glorifying goal.

The Dot System

I'm always on the lookout for good organizational tips and tricks for keeping this place running like a well-oiled machine.  

As the Blossoms grow, it's getting harder and harder to tell their clothes apart when doing the wash.  I find this confusing, especially when we're folding!  I don't have time to hold up each article and say, "Who does this belong to?"  Maybe you're laughing, but they all own at least a few pairs of black Adidas track pants... and everyone gets irritated if their pants disappear into the great abyss of someone else's dresser.  

Behold, the dot system!  
(which I read about in some random mom organizational book ages ago)

Blossom1 is the oldest.  She gets 1 dot.

Blossom2 is 2 dots.

Blossom3 is 3 dots.

Blossom4 is the youngest and she gets 4 dots.  So simple!

All you need is a Sharpie when you're folding.  Find out who the item belongs to and mark the tag with the right amount of dots.  The beauty is that as the girls grow and favorite items of clothing get handed down to smaller sisters, you just need to add the right amount of dots to keep the label current!  

This works SO much better than initials!  I don't label everything, but when we have lots of Adidas pants that are similar in a whole range of sizes, I bust out my Sharpie and get right down to dotting the tags!  

Jeans that look similar... 

Bible Quiz and Fine Arts team shirts that are all the same but different sizes belong to different Blossoms... 

Junior sizing that is so inconsistent, no one can predict what item actually fits what Blossom...

whatever else I am confused about.  

Just dot it!

Figuring Out Supper

For many of us, what we're having for supper is the decision that haunts us all day.  

It seems we've developed a bit of a routine over the years.  My brain needs its energy to countless other innumerable challenges - 

from helping Blossom2 access her online learning platform when for some reason, it just won't link despite all the access codes in the world... 

to tackling slope and y-intercept challenges with Blossom3 when my brain is still absorbing my morning cuppa tea...

to helping Blossom4 remember to oil-pull for the health of her tonsils...

Oh wait, and supper?  Did you say supper????

My tried and true method is this:

Decide on supper when you're dealing with breakfast, 

the very first meal of the day.  

When the Blossoms filter in after devotions and chores and I'm puttering about in the kitchen with them... I decide on supper.

(I do realize that moms of littles probably aren't puttering about the kitchen; they're scrambling about the kitchen.)  

But you're in the kitchen, so decide on supper.  Don't worry about what you're in the mood for.  Don't worry about what sounds good.  Look at the time that you have for preparing supper.  Look at the menu you made before you went shopping.  

Decide.  Just decide.  

Then, pull the meat out of the freezer and put it on a plate to thaw all day.  

Good job!  You conquered that decision!  

I Always Need Another Zipper Pouch

Mamas, 

Sometimes our disorganization just needs a simple solution, a little thought toward fixing the problem.

Currently I'm spearheading two separate t-shirt and sweatshirt orders, a ticketed four course formal etiquette dinner for my co-op students, and a 4-H fundraiser.  

There are lots of people handing me money.  

You think you'll remember who handed you what... until you don't.  

I picked up a cute zipper pouch at the thrift store, threw in sticky notes, and a pen.  I even included a sign-up sheet so I can check off people's names as they pay.

Voila!

When someone hands me money or a check, it goes in there and gets labeled immediately.  

I can be a good and faithful steward of what is entrusted to me, without fear of losing someone's payment (or my mind.)  

That's big, y'all.

Grace

Life seems always busy these days.  I plan to the best of my ability.  I say no.  I get sucked in.  I say yes.  I balance.  I pray.  I think.  I plan.  I work harder.  I work smarter.  I delegate.  I wake up and do it all over again.  Again and again and again.  

I'm just trying to be faithful with what the Lord has given us 

and where He has led us.  

Sometimes, the grace I need to keep going comes from soaking up beauty in the Lowe's parking lot.  

It was just me, the Rugged Mountain Man, and Binney... because a Golden Retriever is an essential part of choosing a new grill.  

And time just with the Rugged Mountain Man chatting in the truck on the way so we can finish a sentence or two.

We just finished up the Fine Arts season at the Network Fine Arts Festival last week.  It was earth-shatteringly AMAZING.  To see the culmination of months of hard work!  

To watch our young people S T R E T C H outside their comfort zones.  It's so so so good.  

When Blossom1 went to the State Fair Queen competition, she didn't want to me to be burdened by all that needed to be done, especially the parts that had to be handled by me and not her.  

I was happy to do it!  

Until you have your own children, can you really understand what I mean when I say, 

"Baby, when you shine, I shine."  

This sums up a lot of what I do on a daily basis.  Things like making a dragon costume when I feel like reading a book.  Or hunting down Fairy Godmother glasses in the basement for a Fine Arts costume.  Or giving feedback on a dramatized quoting when I just want to go to bed.  Or listening to ANOTHER piano solo.  Or coaching Blossom3 through her worship dance, just one more time.

"Baby, when you shine, I shine."  

It makes me so happy to watch them shine.  It's all my dreams coming true.  

Sometimes the grace for another day comes, gazing out over a beautiful vista while we pose the Fine Arts team for pics.  

Sometimes the grace for another day comes when I lounge on my parents' back porch, stuffed full of ham, mac and cheese, and my mom's best homemade rolls, whilst the small fry perfect the redneck holiday celebration with Ranger rides and mud... and blue skies and breezes.  

May you grasp grace for demonstrating faithfulness another day, friend!

That Reminder App

I love hearing ways that technology works for people.  

Lately, the Reminder app on my phone has been especially useful.  

For years, Sunday dinner has been hickly-pickly simply because I never remembered to get the meat out to thaw on Saturday!  After taking my sister's advice to utilize this app more fully, I now set a reminder when I create the weekly menu.  I immediately jump on my phone and set a reminder to pull the meat out to thaw on Saturday.  This has become a real lifesaver for our weekends, when our schedule is a lot different from our weekdays.  

The Little Blossoms need to remember to gather eggs.  They were forgetting and I was forgetting to remind them and the Rugged Mountain Man was just getting frustrated at having to enforce such a ridiculously small micro farm detail.  There's a daily reminder for that now too.

And how 'bout those pesky free trials ending three months from now?  I don't want to forget to cancel them before I get charged.  You guessed it.  I've got a reminder set for that!

What about those random flossers I need to remember to get when I stop in at the Dollar Tree next time?  I've got a running list on the Reminder app for those things and places on my phone too.  

The Reminder app is working hard for me.  I love using technology for good!

Click. Tap. Solve. NOT.

The answer isn’t always to buy something. As the main problem solver of the house, I know the temptation to jump on Amazon and have a solution sent here.

Click, tap, solved.

My ingenuity and self control are continuous contributing factors toward our family being able to remain a single-income family.

That sounds a bit lofty, doesn’t it?

Practically, sometimes that means mismatched desk chairs that include a large squeaky clunky rolling chair from the 1970s. A bit annoying but it works. Every Blossom has a place for her bottom.

Sometimes it means using all those reusable shopping bags from my stash instead of purchasing more expensive organization options.

Sometimes it means using a shoe box instead of buying the prettier bin I originally envisioned.

Sometimes it means using the mason jars we have rather than purchasing a brand new fancy motivating water bottle for Blossom4.

I know the logistical pressure. My brain is tired and I just need to SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS... FAST. (And shopping for new stuff is fun!)

The click and solve approach is so much faster when it comes to taking problems off my plate. And I admit, there IS a time and place for ordering a solution. I’m just slowing myself down and reminding myself to think before I click. 

Can we make do with something we already have? Surprisingly, the answer is often yes.

Favorite Freezer Tip

Freezer organization is something I have to stay on top of in our house.  Over the years, I've tried multiple ways to organize and keep track of what we have.  

For years now, I've kept a whiteboard above the freezers tracking the location of each type of meat (Left Hand Freezer, middle bottom or Right Hand Freezer, left top).  I don't track how much of each item.  I've never been able to sustain that system and it hasn't really helped us all that much.  If I can find where the lima beans are supposed to be, I can usually make sure we eat them all.

Anyway, lately, I've been finding that reusable shopping bags work really well for keeping types of meat and ingredients grouped together.  I put the 9,634 packages of hamburg directly in the freezer and then, stack different types of meat, veggies, and fruits on top in these reusable bags.  

One foray by the Blossoms into the freezer for an ingredient doesn't destroy the entire system of organization.  That's what I'm talking about!

Tidbits

It's little miscellaneous thoughts that I have today.  

Just hodge-podge tidbits in a hickly-pickly sort of way.  

The dogs have diarrhea (like the war zone kind of diarrhea that always ends up on the carpet and never on the linoleum) and a friend shared this supplement with us.  I wish she could share her lovely hardwood floors with us just as easily.  Nonetheless, aside from helping Jake and Rory out, we were also tickled because many of the ingredients are good for rabbits too!  Another weapon in our herbal animal arsenal!

The busier we get, the harder it is to get out for our daily walks.  I bet we're making it only about 50% of the time or less.  We made it out today though.  We take the victories wherever and whenever we can get them and we try not to let past "failures" paralyze us.  

The girls have been ordering makeup, clothing, hair accessories and such from Shein.com.  Though it takes about two weeks to get our orders, I must say, we have been pleased every time.  It's affordable and trendy stuff!  Today I'm rocking a jaw clip in my hair that I "borrowed" from Blossom1's purchases that came yesterday.  Girl moms have access to multiple diverse closets!  In any case, the jaw clip was a nice change from the scrunchy messy bun that I wear 98.99% of the time.  

Blossom3 came out of some head cold fog the other day.  When she's foggy, math is next to impossible and ridiculously frustrating for both of us.  I took advantage of homeschooling flexibility and had her do other things instead.  Today we sat down and did some review, learned a few tips and then, she aced two tests in a row!  I generally shoot for checking off each subject each day, but when someone doesn't feel well, it's so nice to be able to adjust accordingly.  

I always chuckle over word problems.  Sure, maybe your kiddo doesn't care about finding the percentage of the kids that rode the bus to school today, but maybe they can envision and grasp the sale percentage of a mini backpack at Walmart.  Sometimes word problems just need to be a little more relevant to make sense.  Blossom3 does best when she can imagine herself in the situation.  Then, she can rock it!  

I bought these adorable brown paper labels a few years ago.  I've found them to be so handy lately.  Blossom1 is always mixing up hair and cosmetic concoctions which are usually stored in mason jars in the fridge... just like the pancake syrup, chicken broth, salsa, pumpkin spice syrup, and the garlic salve.  Voila!  Pretty rustic labels!!  Besides, I don't want chamomile apple cider vinegar hair rinse on my pancakes.

It's about that time to turn block Amazon Stores or turn off notification on your child's fire tablets.  Ahem.  Blossom3 notified me of this AFTER I started ordering Christmas presents.  Thanks for that.  She assures me that she didn't see anything.

Hope you're well, friends.  The Blossoms and I are doing their annual dog treat craft show this weekend.  Lots of wheat flour and peanut butter around here lately!  

Have a lovely weekend!

Dominique

Pics were snapped on one of our favorite jaunts across the creek by our cabin.  We were checking out the flood damage.  Oddly enough, even though the weather has turned cold, I have just as many urges to sneak away to the cabin when it's cold, as I do when it's temperate.

It Was Only a Straw

It was a straw that broke that poor camel's back...

Not a load of bricks.

Not a burden of stones.

A straw. 

Just like a million small things seem to be what overwhelms a mama.  

And my latest philosophy is:

"Do what bothers you."

All the little things snowball and lead to loads of discouragement.  And when I'm discouraged over the insurmountable tasks that need to be done, I tend to waste time avoiding them.  (I know, it really doesn't make sense.)

Lately, I (re)send the girls off to do what they are supposed to be doing, and I do something that's bothering me.  

Even if it's only the five minute version of taking care of what's bothering me. 

If you think your house is loaded with cobwebs, at least start with knocking down that one that you can see out of the corner of your eye while you're grading math.  

If the dusty baseboards are bothering you, at least wipe down the ones in the bathroom that have been tormenting you while you do your business.  

If the wash seems like it's out of control, at least throw in the load with the jeans your daughter needs for Bible Quiz practice tonight.  

Maybe it doesn't seem like much, but I've found that it snaps me out of my overwhelm and helps me see that the journey of a million miles truly begins with a single step.

Now, I'm back to sipping my tea and doing a few things that bother me. 

Dominique

Photo Credit to the Blossoms. They were wielding my camera up at Grandma's house up on the mountain.

So Many Earrings

When I was about the girls' age, my mom made my sister and me an "earring tree" very similar to these.  It turns out that we needed the same solution here, because the earring situation was out of control!  That's super frustrating when FOUR Blossoms want to get ready to go somewhere!

We busted out the craft supplies and put these together!  It was one of the first fun projects we did as soon as the Fair was over.  

It's just colored burlap with old dowel rods, ribbon, and other fun trimmings!

This has seriously simplified the earring organization here at our house.  

The Blossoms are happy, so I'm happy!

Tom and a TED Talk

a TED talk from life around here these days:

Finish your tea.

Breathe deeply during an autumn morning.

Read a few good words while you wait, instead of looking at your phone.

Drop everything and take a walk with your Blessings.

Smile, REALLY smile, and let them finish their story.

Hug your husband longer than a half second.

Pretend you're on the Food Network while you're prepping supper tonight.  

Pick up a pretty leaf.

Put some wildflowers on your mantle.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Current Favorite Gift Idea

For her 10th birthday last year, Blossom3 was given this sweet little necklace by her aunt, uncle, and Sprout cousins.  

The gift box said, "10 gems; one for each spunky year!"

There's another cute version in fun and trendy packaging here.

Last August when Blossom1 turned 15, her sisters thought Blossom3's necklace was so cool, they purchased this pretty 15 year old version for Blossom1.  She's been thrilled because it matches with everything and can be dressed up or down on a whim.  

In December I was stumped on what to get my purple-loving mother-in-law for her birthday.  I stumbled across this lovely ombre amethyst version and HAD to get it for her.  Everyone here agreed that she'd love it.  And she did!

Photo credit: WynnDesign Etsy shop

When the Rugged Mountain Man asked what I wanted for my birthday, I spotted this unique and classy raw diamond version that I thought would be an excellent edition to my necklace repertoire.  It came in very impressive packaging!  I love the unusual look of the raw Herkimer diamonds.

Photo Credit: crushongold Etsy shop

Search "ombre bar necklace" on Etsy and you'll find a pleasant plethora of necklaces in a range of price points and sumptuous hues.  Who could resist these?!

Aqua!!!!!!

Photo Credit: WynnDesign Etsy shop

How bout fire?

Photo Credit: LandonLacey Etsy shop

I had to share my latest favorite heartfelt gifts to give.  Go ahead, copy us and order one!

Dominique

PS ~ Act surprised if you get one from my Blossom crew.

Some Clutter-buster Solutions

I needed some rustic clutter-bustin' solutions, so I stopped by my local Amish basket maker's shop a few weeks ago and gave him the dimensions I needed.

The second tissue box is for used tissues.  We find that they are much more likely to actually get thrown away with this setup.  

Our charging station looked like a charging disaster.  

This basket fits all the tablets, journals, and headphones vertically.  Combined with my USB charging port, this system is really working for us.  It no longer makes me cringe when I walk by!

He did such a fantastic job on these baskets and they were very affordable!!  I'm so glad I finally ordered them.  

You can also get a peek at our layering guide on the wall there.  Check it out here!  It's very useful this time of year.

Happy homemaking, friends!

Dominique

Lesson Learned

Well, friends, another crockpot bit the dust.  It was less than 5 years old.  

Thank God it died while I was home though.  

I went to plug it in and it made a huge popping noise and threw out a freaky spark!  I am so thankful that nothing caught on fire.  

Henceforth, I shall check the cords of my appliances before plugging them in and leaving them "do their thang" unattended.  You know, an ounce of prevention and all that.

I'm just grateful over here.

Dominique

First Day

It's that time again.  It's the official first day of bookwork!  

The routine looks basically the same as last year, so settling in hasn't been a huge jump for us.

At some time each day, the Blossoms usually reach a point where they don't need me 100% of the time, but they still need me nearby for questions, encouragement, or conflict resolution. I consider myself still tied to the schoolroom, although most of their one on one work with me has been completed.

It was at this point that I found myself most susceptible to getting distracted by my phone and many other tasks.  Many times it's well-intentioned:

"I have a second; I should research this."

"I forgot to text so-and-so."

"I need to check into this."

I've found that I fall down the rabbit hole and I'm much crankier when they do need me.

I've approached this problem by leaving my phone in the kitchen, two rooms away, and keeping a variety of mostly non-computer/phone activities around me in the school room.

There are baskets of wash perched on the school room couch so I can fold them as the moments present themselves.

I've parked easy knitting and crocheting projects beside my chair to pick up and put down at will.  

A clipboard of coloring pages and pencils is nestled in a drawer for coloring or doodling.

I give myself the freedom to write.

Of course, there's always the schoolwork grading and recording to be done, but I like to make sure that gets done first.  

This strategy has been decidedly restful and oddly productive.

Dominique