COVID-19
It's in headlines all over the world. It's in your country and it's in mine.
It's changing life as we know it and created panic in the hearts of many, perhaps most.
There's no need for me to expand on this pandemic, the news surely has enough to help you stay informed, so as I was pondering the writing of today's post what really came to mind was a desire to encourage all of us to keep a positive spirit, to look within our homes at what we can do to make these next months of living a relatively reclusive life more of a joy than a burden.
If you're a regular reader of my blog there's a high chance you are crafty in some way and/or enjoy being a homemaker, which probably means you have quite a supply of fabric, threads, wool, paper, lace, patterns, recipes and the like right within reach.
Perhaps you have a number of UFOs in your stash which were set aside long ago?
A whole Pinterest board of recipes to try that you never got around to?
Cupboards to re-organise or de-clutter but finding the time or incentive hasn't been easy?
A regular time of prayer and Bible study each day which though well intentioned at New Year just hasn't come to pass?
Old friends who live far away you keep meaning to call but somehow the years pass and other things took precedence?
Those books you bought because they looked interesting or had great patterns or ideas in them; are they collecting dust in the bookcase?
Wouldn't it be lovely to share ideas for things we can do within our homes as the world leaders of our various countries grapple daily with a situation that has not been faced in our lifetime.
Whether you agree or disagree with your national leaders is not important here in my small corner of the blogosphere; I'm concerned with your ability to be calm and occupied at home, and to be mentally and physically well.
Your home should be a safe place to just be yourself and hopefully to find pockets of joy, accomplishment and peace, even as you attend to the needs of others within its rooms.
Blossom and I have done as much pantry preparedness as we can given the current grocery climate, and now both of our households are self isolating as much as possible. We shall visit each other once or twice a week and do what we can to make those visits fun for the children whilst enjoying mother/daughter time as well.
The photos above were taken this morning.
Whilst waiting for Blossom, Cully May and Rafaella to arrive I gathered the ingredients for a batch of scone dough and suddenly remembered that Cully May loves stars, so I found my unused yellow star cutter and got to work creating star scones for our morning tea.
Am I the MOST popular Nana in the world at the moment?
I certainly am in Cully May's opinion! She ate three star scones and asked for more, declaring "Nana, these are delicious! They're my favourite scones!" And I must tell you that many tight squeezy hugs followed. She and Rafaella also enjoyed a large cup of weak milky tea each with their mummy and I.
Simple things.
Star scones, grandchildren, a beloved best-friend-daughter, and no pressure to go do anything else for there's always tomorrow.
I'm thinking to blog more frequently, perhaps three times a week now, as I have so much to share with you and truly desire to lift both our hearts as we walk what seems a slightly different path in the months ahead.
And whilst we're on the subject of walking a path...why don't we begin by walking the room?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WALK THE ROOM?
If you've not heard about my habit of 'walking the room' every few years I'll share a bit from the original 'walk the room' blog post I wrote around new year back in 2015...
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With an entire year to immerse my soul in the domestic arts ahead of me, I've been meaning to fill my diary with all my 'home-centred' ideas so I don't forget them, but...I keep forgetting to write them down.
Do you find yourself doing that?
A great idea (or three!) comes to mind and you plan to follow through but are remiss in making a note of it, so pretty soon you've forgotten what it was? The story of my life.
Another thing that stalls my good intentions for bringing some domestic control to my home is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work I see before me and simply not knowing where to begin.
As I was walking through each room around New Year my memory was jogged by a scene from one of mine and Blossom's favourite lazy day chick flicks - "Under the Tuscan Sun".
(I will just let you know that I fast forward through some of this movie - what we love about it is the entire process of transforming the villa)
(I will just let you know that I fast forward through some of this movie - what we love about it is the entire process of transforming the villa)
Let me set the scene: the main character, Frances, has arrived in Italy newly divorced, and on impulse purchases an old run down Tuscan villa called 'Bramasole' which she plans to renovate and call home...
Naturally there is an aftershock when she takes possession. Arriving with her suitcases and nothing else it dawns on her the enormity of what she taken on, but as she walks through the villa and slowly takes in her surroundings she makes this observation that resonates very strongly inside me:
"Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you."
(Frances Mayes, Under The Tuscan Sun movie 2003)
Over the ensuing months she works relentlessly with the help of some odd Polish handymen...
...to create a home from the rubble.
Even though I am not renovating a neglected Tuscan villa, I do desire to make every room in this house a place of 'welcome' and refreshment, a sanctuary even, so I decided Frances had sage advice for me to draw from this year.
One room at a time, politely re-acquainting myself with it's nuances, writing myself notes about the things I need, and want, to do with it to fulfil my vision.
That's when my phrase "Walk The Room" was birthed.
On the top line of my paper I wrote the name of a room, and over a few days last week I 'walked my rooms' and made notes on everything I could think of that I'd like to do for them.
The kitchen (to my thinking) is the heart of a home, and the projects and chores listed for it on my sheet is longer than the plans I have for my other rooms....
...but each 'walk the room' list is just as important as another.
I will spend my Sunday afternoons reading through each room's plans and decide what I'd like to accomplish over the following week.
I'm sure I'll add to each list along the way, but I'll also be crossing things off them. I envisage a lot of satisfied smiles over early evening cups of tea in the months ahead as this house becomes more of a 'home'.
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The photo above shows the original walk the room download sheet, and there was a newer one shared in 2017...but now it's 2020 and it's time for an even fresher sheet to download.
And you know, this time I'm not in a rental home anymore, but in a home of our own so my vision for what can be done in each space widens a bit. My husband has a hammer and drill and he assures me often "This is YOUR home now, Mrs Reynolds, and we can do whatever makes you happy."
Oh, goodness, I love that man!
So if you'd like a task for the coming week it's to download my newest "Walk the Room" lined paper and print up one for each room in your dwelling.
Then gently walk through each room and look with new eyes at your surroundings, writing down the things which come to mind, things you would like to do within that room this year.
I'll be doing the same thing this week and once I have my lists complete I'll add them to my new Homemakers Heart binder, right near the front where I can refer to them often.
In case you missed last week's free pattern, which became the cover of my Homemakers Heart binder it's over HERE.
I'm hoping to put together the door stop tutorial tomorrow and then share it with you on Thursday.
Apart from that I have patterns to write for the next set of Faith In Hand stitcheries, and a new bread recipe to try which features orange and currants - sounds delicious, yes?
Psalm 91 is a wonderful reminder of God's power in our lives when we surrender to Him.
Why don't you stop for a few minutes right now and go read it?
Bless your precious heart,
love
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