Another Monday...

I like Mondays. 

Many don't, but I do.

Monday is a fresh slate, a new start to a new week where so far nothing's gone wrong, everything might just happen the way I hope, and if I can't finish what I began today there's always Tuesday...or Wednesday...all the way to Friday.

I like Friday's too, but that's for later.

Preparing to make jam.

Each Monday I write up a long list of goals to achieve and pin it to the relevant week of my Planner, not for one moment imagining I'll be crossing all of them off by day's end, but knowing I have a plan to follow and what isn't done today can be moved across to tomorrow or the next day until hopefully by Friday evening all, or almost all, those goals have been accomplished. 

On this Monday list I write each household chore that must be done, home improvement ideas I'd like to try, main meals to prepare, extra cooking I'd like to fit in, appointments and calls to make or attend, all sewing goals, plant maintenance, bills to pay, and miscellaneous tasks that crop up intermittently like taking Bob-the-dog to the groomer, filling a prescription or filling the petrol tank in my car.

One jar of freshly made delicious strawberry and apple jam.

It's only been since New Year that I've begun this Monday ritual, but what a blessing it has been to my day to day homemaker and business life. There is such a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I take my old blue pencil and draw a line through each task as it is completed.

And I'll tell you a little secret...

After I accomplish each task on my Monday list I write that task in my planner on the appropriate day. Now that may seem a little like cheating, but what this does for me as I look back over a week or a month, is give me an overall view of what I have achieved, what days are the most productive, and what tasks I tend to avoid and push further and further down the list. 

This simple habit of documenting my days has given great insight into my homemaker character, notably where my light shines and where I run and hide.

Bordering my 'Love' stitchery to make a cushion cover.

My most productive days are Monday and Tuesday. 

Take today for instance. 

Monday appears to be a big day in the kitchen most weeks and today was no different - shepherd's pie, butterscotch pudding, chia coconut pudding, strawberry jam and two litres of fresh vegetable juice. It's also the day I catch up on business paperwork and write patterns, do the washing, water the plants and plan appointments. 

Tuesday has a fairly regular routine of dusting, vacuuming and mopping (oh, but that mopping can be pushed to the bottom of the list and held over to next week...it's my number one avoidance chore) as well as changing table runners, cushion covers and sheets. 

Preparing to hand quilt.

As a designer with her own business each afternoon I have to sit for an hour or so and hand embroider my new designs, and most nights I do another hour. Over the course of a month I can complete a new set of designs for The Stitchery Club, just by being consistent with an hour or two each day. 

It's the same with sketching new designs or maintaining my bookwork and online commitments - I make the time because I have to.

Now that same routine and rhythm of business responsibility is becoming 'normal' in how I look after our home. This was an added bonus I'd not expected when I began my Monday lists but it's really changing how I live within this wonderfully gentle domestic life. 

Plums ripening for more jam later this week.

Obviously how I do my lists isn't everyone's cup of tea, but for me this new way to begin a week has many benefits and I think over time I'll discover more...because it's changing me, growing me, making me far more aware of what I do and why I need to do it than I'd ever considered in the past.

I used to think work (Elefantz) was the biggest time consumer of my week - well actually it was. Not anymore. This year so much has already changed because with each week that passes I refine my routines, assess my time, and make wiser choices not to give more than I am able. 

By reading back through my planner, by seeing all that has been done in less than three months this year, I've come to realise that there's not need to rush, no need to panic, no need to push myself so hard...because IT ALL GETS DONE anyhow. 

In fact, because I'm not running from one task to the next without a plan, and because I prioritise tasks and do things in natural progression rather than randomly or out of sequence, I'm saving myself time...time to rest, read, pray, breathe, sing, call a friend, drink tea.

A change of season always prompts me to change things around in our home.

So I'm loving Mondays.

And Friday? 

I get to look back over the week and see all the things little 'ole me has done.

And you know, I rejoice because all I ever wanted to be was a Proverbs 31 wife and so much of what's happening on my planner pages, and more importantly in my heart and attitude, is showing that I'm living that life now. In fact, with each passing month there's a deeper commitment to the gentle domestic life and a greater understanding of it's privilege, which should not to be taken lightly. There's more laughter, joy, gentleness and calm...oh the beautiful calm in my soul, how long I have waited for that.

My husband has a stressful job and too often he would come home to a weary wife, but those times are now few and far between. Having brought balance into my own days I am now able to greet him with a joyful peacefulness when he walks through the door each evening, and even if he takes a while to wind down from his day, my calm and relaxed manner swiftly soothes the atmosphere. 

I'm learning, every day, to grow into a better version of me, because life gets better when I open my heart and let God correct my crooked path to one that is straight and true (and lined with shady trees).

It's all good.

hugs

How circumstance taught me the joy of simplifying...

Blossom and Cully May came to visit yesterday and what a wonderful visit it was. 

They stayed for the whole day so we chatted about everything under the sun, drank tea, ate corned beef sandwiches and laughed lots as Cully May danced in rhythm to Third Day, explored every inch of the house, discovered Sophie's hiding place and spent ages patting her gently and calling her 'doggy' (which did not impress our cat) and generally entertained us as only an exuberant 14 month old can. 

Only a little over four months until Blossom has her baby and after a lot of ill health during the first half of her pregnancy she is glowing with joy and excitement as the big day draws nearer.

She's still trying to avoid my camera but there's no mistaking how beautiful my daughter and granddaughter are.

Today the pest control man came and sprayed for cockroaches, ants and spiders. We discovered there was a lot of pest 'activity' when we moved in last month and thankfully the estate agent arranged for the problem to be dealt with. 

I stayed in the sewing room and prepared some new designs for stitching while he went about his work. Once he'd gone I put a loaf of sunflower and flaxseed bread in the breadmaker for kneading and the first rise while I browsed some cookie recipes and planned the evening's menu.

My husband prefers biscuits (cookies) to cake and I should make them more often than I do, so I dug out the recipe for Frangipane Jam Drops and having all the ingredients on hand I set to work baking. 

These are really easy to make and especially good when you have just a bit of jam left in the jar and want to finish it off.

After rolling the mix into balls I press the end of a wooden spoon into some flour and then press it again into the middle of the jam drop dough. 

As well as giving you perfect holes to fill with a bit of jam the flour prevents the jam from falling through the base of the dough during baking. 

I bake my jam drops a little longer than the recipe states as we like our biscuits (cookies) golden.

When Mr E arrived home from work we munched away on a few jam drops and sipped cappuccinos as we chatted about our day. 

I wasn't bothered about spoiling our dinner because enjoying special moments, even simple things like a cuppa and bikkies in the late afternoon, matters more. 

Life experience tells me these moments are to be lived as they come because you never know what cherished memories you are making. 

Tomorrow I'm going to give this recipe a try.

It was in a Daphne's Diary magazine and looks delicious! I have all the ingredients except the gruyere cheese so I'll use tasty cheddar and a little parmesan instead. 

Here's a close up of the Tomato Tart recipe in case you'd like to try it too.

Served with an avocado salad this will hopefully be a simple success and can be added to my menu folder.

Before we moved house I was 'shopping from the pantry' for a couple of weeks to use up perishable produce and empty our freezer, and the bonus of that was a continuation of this mindset after we settled in the new home.

We still only have the one vehicle (the Jeep is not yet back on the road) and live quite a distance from the shops so as I don't go out during the week home delivered groceries are a blessing indeed.

With my one delivery arriving early in the week I plan meals around what's in season, what's on special and what we like - but over the weekend I take note of what's left in the fridge, freezer and pantry and create meals from that, giving me no wastage and a fresh start next delivery day. 

You know, I'm quite shocked at how much our grocery bill has reduced with each week that passes living like this.

Not going out saves money anyhow, but no longer visiting the supermarket every couple of days has saved us even more. No more impulse buys, no more doubling up on items because shopping from home means I can check the pantry before ordering, no more temptations to cut corners and buy processed foods or take-away. No more mindless filling of a trolley. 

Confession time - before the last of our children left home I was a brilliant budget/menu keeper, but when we became empty nesters I began to shop mindlessly and impulsively. No wonder the grocery bill didn't reduce.

I've mostly always cooked from scratch ( I love cooking!) but before the move we usually had take-out once a week and again at the weekend to give me a break, so at first when we moved here and circumstances changed it kind of frustrated me preparing meals seven days and nights each week because I wanted a night (or more) off. But now it's become a lovely rhythm of life and I've learned some important lessons about simplifying, using what's on hand, and taking it slow. When I prepare food now, whether to bake or for a meal, I'm right there in the moment, fully attentive to the joy of making something wonderful from a variety of ingredients.

There was a time when I wanted to try a number of different recipes each week, but in hindsight that didn't go down well with my beloved. He's a simple bloke who likes simple food. And when I thought about that I realised simple food is what I prefer too. 

All those episodes of Masterchef had made me think I needed to try new things, new techniques...but since letting go of that idea and returning to tasty, familiar and seasonal meals my husband and I are  really content.

I'm enjoying baking bread every second day, picking herbs from our own pots and doing dinner preparation in the morning while the washing machine is running a load. 

I also listened to my husband and began to cook smaller serves because he's been telling me for ages that I put too much on the plate. This has also cut down on wastage as I order less ingredients and nothing is left on our plates to throw away.

So I've learned to re-value something which had lost it's importance.

Live simply, live within or under your means, only prepare what you'll enjoy eating and don't cook more than you need unless you intend putting some aside for another meal or you're giving it away. 

Learning and changing to suit our situation in life is a good thing, but I do wish I'd figured this out sooner. Having said that, it's been a real joy to share my life lessons with Blossom as I go along because she's a homemaker too, a young wife with a young family, and she is learning big lessons early on. Discussing the life lessons I'm learning is like a springboard to her because she takes my example and she thinks it through herself, then comes back to me with further insight  - so I'm learning from her as well. 

Cully May will have a wonderful example in her mummy when she one day steps out into adult life. 

I've always told Blossom the role of a mother is to teach her daughters to be a better mother than herself. She's doing exactly that and I couldn't be prouder.

Is your life in need of simplifying too?

God bless you precious one,

hugs