{pretty, happy, funny, real} on June 29

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

Today was a perfect day for laundry on the line - sunny and warm and windy! White sheets flapping in the wind, and a little girl running gleefully. . .

. . . so pretty!

Such a beautiful day and a beautiful girl!

{happy}

Playtime on the floor! I caught Jack mid-laugh.

 

This little boy makes me happy :)

What a cutie.

{funny}

Arden has been taking special interest in her own little baby these days. If I do something with Jack, she wants to do the same with her baby! The other night we all went for a walk by the river. She saw me putting Jack into the Moby wrap, and wanted her own.

A few twists and knots with a little pink blanket, and she was thrilled!

{real}

We've been doing some more living room rearrangement. This week we moved one of our antique organs (it doesn't really work) from the music room into the living room. I've been wanting to try it as a TV stand, since our current stand is too low for this small TV and puts all the buttons right at Arden level. It's kind of on a funny angle in the corner, because of the extended back of the TV. It may need some adjustment, but I think it just might work.

I love the woodwork on this organ, but I'm puzzled by the artwork!
What kind of an organ has a lady in a bathing suit on it?

I had a real moment of delight in the midst of the rearranging. We disconnected the subwoofer from the DVD player to move it, and Arden started poking into this hole.

Now, I know she had put various bits and pieces in here before. But this time, she reached in and pulled out a puzzle piece that had been missing for months!!

I had searched the house at least six months ago looking for it and had pretty much given up. It belongs to a puzzle that I had as a child, and I was sad to see it incomplete. Now this smiling mouse can rejoin the rest of its friends. What fun to find!

And with that, I wish you all a wonderful week. May hidden treasure surprise you somewhere along the way!








~lg

Order: Household Management

With my homemaking goals in mind, I am working out the details of daily household management. This is the order that will allow us to put relationships first. This is the rhythm that I hope will allow for those grace notes of wonder.

DAILY STRUCTURE

It is still a work in progress, but this is the structure I’m working with these days. It’s hard to have a set schedule with a nursing two month old, so I need to be realistic and flexible. I try to keep in mind some priorities that aren’t tied to particular times of the day.

Priorities

For me:

Scripture and Prayer

A walk outside

For the children:

Cuddle time

Bible and prayer time

Outside time

Book time

Music time

For the house:

Healthy meals (planned in advance)

Dishes & kitchen clean up

Laundry

Other cleaning task

Schedule

By 9:30                 

Me – Bible, breakfast, shower, dressed, bedroom tidied

Morning                

Tidy up dining room & kitchen with Arden

Get Arden dressed, face washed, teeth brushed

Make beds & start laundry (with Arden)

Snack

Bible and prayer, cuddle time

Arden’s nap

Cleaning/down time

                 

Lunch & cleanup

Afternoon               

Go outside after lunch

Book time/quiet time

Snack

Cleaning/other activities

Supper prep

Supper & Bedtime           

Supper & cleanup

Playtime or outside time, clean up toys

PJs & ready for bed

Storytime

Bedtime

Evening                 

Finish cleaning kitchen

                               

WEEKLY STRUCTURE

Monday:  Kitchen clean-up, clean out fridge, budget, meal plan, shopping list for the week

Tuesday:  Grocery shopping

Wednesday:  General tidy, hallways

Thursday:  Bathrooms

Friday:  Bedrooms

Saturday:   Vacuum & mop floors, outside chores

~lg

Relational Homemaking

Just a little peek into our home . . .

Homemaking.

I have the choice –

Is it a series of chores, or a sacred career?

Am I biding my time, or building the kingdom?

I need some kind of framework on which to hang the fingerpainting of my days.

I need a vision that puts the mundane into perspective.

I need the why behind the what.

At the end of the day, my home is a gift from God, and I am its steward. It is not an end in itself, and I am not the Master. I am a servant, and all we have belongs to the King.

My home is the environment and atmosphere in which my family grows, and so its design is crucial to the direction of our growth – toward or away from God, into or out of love.

Here the physical should mirror the spiritual. This is a place where what is most important should be most visible.

And I have decided that my goals as a homemaker are inextricably connected to my relationships. All my homemaking efforts should be directed toward four main relationships, which are also gifts from God.

It is what I call Relational Homemaking.

God

How does our home nurture my and my family’s relationship with God?

How does our home reflect the unconditional nature of God’s love?

How does the shape of our home form us into the shape of Christ?

How does our home point us to seek God’s kingdom first?

Marriage

How does our home contribute to love and unity in our marriage? 

How does our home make room for intimacy?

How does our home bring us together in mutual activities and a shared vision?

How does our home promote co-labour as co-heirs of the grace of life?

Children

How does our home encourage my children to know and follow God?

How does our home provide opportunities for loving nurture?

How does our home provide order and wonder for my children?

How does our home facilitate in the training of my children?

Hospitality

How does our home enable me to offer hospitality to others?

How does our home provide peace to others?
How does our home foster deep friendships?

How does our home point people to Christ?

~lg

{pretty, happy, funny, real} "Peepo!"

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

"Here's a little baby
One, two, three . . . "

Things are feeling rather {real} tonight. The house is finally quiet, and I'm taking a bit of a break before tackling the mess that's left after the little ones are in bed. We are potty training these days! Exciting, but it can be exhausting. Progress is being made, but some other aspects of life have gone on the back burner. Things aren't exactly picture worthy around here!

But on days like this one I take great comfort and delight in this children's book. Did you recognize those opening lines?

I love Peepo! It has to be one of my favourites. It is {pretty, happy, funny, real}!

I especially love the charming depictions of {real} life inside this little British household. Things don't have to be "picture worthy" to be "picture book worthy."

So when I look around and see the mess of our everyday life, I imagine myself as the mum in this picture and feel a little more content.

Ok, now back to the kitchen to get those dishes done!




~lg

a completely useless post

I am really having a hard time putting two coherent sentences together. I've tried (and failed) to start at least three different blog posts tonight. I've tried writing just for the fun of it, something which I've been itching to do the last little while. I finally sat down with a deliciously frothy hot chocolate and a few minutes on a clean dining room table, all ready to get my fingers fired up, and . . . nothing. I know there are thoughts in that brain of mine, good thoughts too, but I just can't seem to make them proceed across these keys in an orderly fashion.

I've been thinking about homemaking and mothering and theology and how they all fit together, but the words aren't fitting tonight. No apples of gold in settings of silver. Just apple peels left in the stainless steel sink.

But I couldn't waste all this time I've been sat here at my computer, so I thought I'd at least prove I remember how to type and bring you this completely useless post!

~lg

{pretty, happy, funny, real} on June 7

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

These are the blue flowers growing on the bank under our Manitoba Maple. Does anyone know what they are?

{happy}

Mr. Man is 7 weeks old! Arden loves to hold him on her knee.

A little smile!

{funny}

They told me they were all sleeping and that's why they weren't coming when I called for supper! Doesn't look like sleep to me . . .

{real}

Still trying to decide what to do with the living room! I had finally picked out a paint colour to match our existing couch set. I wasn't a huge fan of the colours in the couch, but I had picked the Benjamin Moore historic colour Louisburg Green to go with it.

This was the living room set up:

Walls too washed out with those couches. I like the wood floors, but sometimes you just need a rug for warmth and coziness... and to cushion the toys that sometimes get tossed about!

I'd been looking for a rug for the floor, and recently picked a large (used) 6x9 one up for $20! It was a little too dark for the furniture I think, but a great deal. Here are a couple low quality bad light pictures of the rug and the colour sample of the green paint.

Trying to imagine the colour on the walls

And then some friends gave us an old couch set. At first, I was planning to put it in another room or the basement, but when I put one of the pieces in the living room temporally, I noticed it went really well with the rug, and the mismatched wood in the room, and even the old rust coloured man chair! So I figured I'd give the set a try for a little while to see if I liked it. It's a completely different look.

Couches across from each other instead of in an L-shape. Also, the man chair goes well at that end of the room.

What do you think?





~lg