Beautiful Homemakers

This is Part 4 of “Organized Women Do THIS for Christmas!” Eloise Wilkin, Illustrator When I worked outside the home I was always sick either right before Christmas or right afterwards, and I know it was the stress.  But many times our children or husband brings home a cold or the stomach flu, and sometimes we just pick up something while out grocery shopping. In 2018 we had a fever and chills run through the family, and I was in bed on December 21 and 22.  Yet that was my first completely stress-free Christmas because I was DONE.  Everything on my list had been accomplished, so it was no big deal to just lie in bed until I felt better.  Within 24 hours I was fine. (See post From Christmas Chaos to Christmas Calm .) Now I am not a doctor, and some of these are only folk remedies, but this is what I do to prepare for colds and flu, because once you are sick, it is too late to run to the store! I make sure that these 3 things are done year round:...

This post is a continuation of Organized Women Do THIS for Christmas! This is Part 3. Problem #7) Sending out Christmas Cards is Stressful Do you like receiving cards from distant family and old friends who have moved away? Do you display the cards? Then you are probably in the camp of people who have no trouble sending out cards – because you value the connection that Christmas card greetings give. Yes, you can e-mail, but Christmas cards are special. Could you not care less if you receive any cards? Do you not take the time to display the cards you receive? Do you toss the cards and pictures practically upon receipt? Then you probably don’t send any cards out. This post is for the women in the middle. You like receiving cards, but getting them out is so stressful for you. Choosing the card, the picture of the children, gathering addresses, getting stamps, writing a photocopied letter or a personalized note. Oftentimes you will start…buy the cards, eve...

Problem 3) Too Many Parties, Open Houses, and/or Children’s Holiday Shows Vintage 7-Up ad I had to tell a really good friend that we wouldn’t be attending her annual party.  She is sensitive and I was afraid of hurting her feelings, but I told her the truth – I explained that we are introverts, and Christmas parties – in the busy month of December – were not fun for us.  Parties with lots of people we don’t know drain us; unlike extroverts who are often rejuvenated.  To not tell her the truth and just say “we are busy” every year would have hurt her feelings more than telling her the truth – I’ve enjoyed all the birthday parties over the years, but I can’t do December parties. She understood and was glad that I told. I had to tell another friend I wouldn’t be coming to the Cookie exchange.  Instead of enjoying a get together, I dreaded the time spent baking and the extra calories. We simply don’t need all those cookies.  We just bake the ones ...

Did you know that Satan loves the Christmas season? Yep, he takes great glee in getting thousands of people to proclaim, “ I hate Christmas! ” each and every year. If you’ve said this in the past, what made you feel that way?  Are these on your list? stress of finding “perfect” gifts and the lack of cash crowds too many parties, open houses, and/or children’s holiday shows overeating travel nightmares family troubles Christmas cards are stressful illness What are you celebrating Christmas for anyway?   Organized women know WHY they are celebrating Christmas and what their priorities are. If you are a Christian, you know it is our “holyday” to commemorate the birth of our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We give gifts in remembrance of His life, and in honor of His death where He gave us the greatest gift – eternal life for all who call upon His name for forgiveness of our sins (see The Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make ). Holy Family Pain...

  I discovered this 1926 Agnes Sligh Turnbull short story ten years ago, and periodically I feel the nudge to re-read it.   Even though it is set 100 years ago, it freshly portrays what seasoned homemakers know , and what many younger women just starting families may have never been told.     Societal attitudes in general may have changed, but the basic needs, wants, and values of people haven’t.   Life is always hard, no matter the decade, and our choices on how we spend our days working matters greatly.   A. Sarnoff Love Story   When Queens Ride By           by Agnes Sligh Turnbull , Jennie Musgrave woke at the shrill rasp of the alarm clock as she always woke—with the shuddering start and a heavy realization that the brief respite of the night's oblivion was over. She had only time to glance through the dull light at the cluttered, dusty room, before John's voice was saying sleepily as ...

Do you know that a great many women say to God, “Just show me a sign that you want me to keep this baby.”  OR  “God, help me.  Just show me a sign of what you want me to do!” On the way to my doctor’s office, I passed a home that had a sign that caught my eye.  It showed an ultrasound picture of a fetus with the word “ME” under it, and beside it was a picture of the born baby with the words “Still Me” under it, and “Choose Life!”  What a sign!   (By the way, fetus is the Latin word for baby or offspring, so yes, a fetus is a baby. ) What if every pro-life family had a sign like this in front of their house? STOP:  What have you done today to help protect the unborn? That was the message that greeted me when I opened my mailbox upon coming home from the doctor’s office.  It was on the envelope of a pregnancy center we help support. Inside the envelope was a beautiful picture of a tiny baby and a Thomas Jefferson quote:...

Easter Sunday by A. Sarnoff God has given women a natural nesting instinct, and the number one item for April is always Spring Cleaning (unless you are in Australia, and then it is autumn cleaning). We all get this innate urge two to four times a year. It can be a little freshening such as washing curtains, or it can be a complete room by room cleaning. I’ve written the ultimate A Welcome Home Checklist , and you can access it here . The second big TO DO in April is to prepare your heart and home for Easter. Sometimes it occurs in March and so I began a list of tips in last month’s post here . I talked about cookies, books, crafts, treasure hunts, decorating, and devotionals. I’ve got just a little more to add. A great way to make Easter a special holyday for your family and friends is by using the Hymns for a Kid’s Heart (affiliated link). Volume 4 focuses on Easter. It makes a great countdown devotional. The book is fantastic and you will love the accom...

Arthur Sarnoff, Illustrator 1.  Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day and create a Treasure Hunt for your children to follow!  It is so much fun for them.  You can make your own, or you can use this wonderful book! Discover the rest of the items on this post over at www.ThriveOnOneIncome.com .  Thanks!

Arthur Sarnoff, Illustrator I discovered that implementing the first and last items each February helped keep me on track for the entire year! 1. Buy birthday cards for everyone you want to send a card to for the entire year. Sound crazy or too expensive? It’s not! If you are constantly sending cards late or not at all, this will cure you. It helps to have a special card holder.  You can’t just put them in a drawer or you will forget you bought them. This can be a box with dividers by month, or a special birthday book.  Books work best if they have only ONE PAGE for each month.  They have the days of the month with a line for you to write in people’s names. Read more at ThriveOnOneIncome.com  

Come on over to my new website www.ThriveOnOneIncome.com to discover 12 things organized women do every January to have a better year! Arthur Sarnoff, Illustrator I used to feel like a mess.  I was always overwhelmed.  One day I asked an ultra-organized friend to show me how she does things.  She happily showed me all over her house, her ways of doing things, her best tips and tools, and her routines.  She even came over to my house and pointed out what specific cleaners and tools would help me with my problem areas!  Needless to say, I learned a lot from her. I had already come far by being a subscriber to FlyLady’s e-mails (Flylady.net), but my friend’s tour “behind the scenes” was the push I needed to make major changes, because I could SEE what she was doing and how it worked.  I’m extremely visual. I’m also a list-maker.  Thus, I’m sharing my list of what I learned to do each January, with you.  Read more here . My next two po...