Author: Rebecca Ellis

Since my childhood, I have had a passion for home-making. I cultivated home-making skills in my high school years and went on to get a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, which helped me become professional in the field of home-making. I went on from there to obtain a Masters Degree in elementary education which pairs beautifully as I home-school our four children. I am also a Christian. All of what I think and do is based on the doctrine that I was created to eternally glorify and enjoy God. That thesis, is the foundation of all my decisions as a wife, mother, and home-maker.
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Household Cleaning on the Cheap, Practical, and Natural

There are four reasons I choose to use natural cleaning products:

  1. Financially Prudent-Natural products are cheap. White vinegar is less than three dollars for a hundred and twenty-eight fluid ounces. A box of baking soda is less than fifty cents. And a bottle of hydrogen peroxide runs less than a dollar. I have spent hundreds of dollars on cleaning products in my lifetime, but in reality the same job can be done for a lot less expense.
  2. Simple-I don’t need a closet full of cleaning products to clean every surface in my house. I can have a spotless house by using only a few basic, and appropriate products. The cleaning aisle in a grocery store is potent with commercialism. To just clean a bathroom, I can find: shower cleaners, toilet cleaners, tile cleaners, multi-surface bathroom cleaners, and glass cleaners. That is five products just for one room! My entire cleaning product list for my home is about five items. And I don’t purchase any of those items in the cleaning product aisle.
  3. Versatile- I can use baking soda as a gentle cleaning scrub for my toilets and bathtub, as well as an oven cleaner and sink scrub. Baking soda is multi-tasks in my home as a de-greasing, whitening, and de-scumming agent. Hydrogen peroxide is a great disinfectant, not only for injuries, but for the bathroom and kitchen as well. White vinegar, is cheap and works effectively as a multi-surface cleaner and mild disinfectant. Combined with baking soda, vinegar has an extra power boost to remove scum and grease.
  4. Natural-I believe natural products are better for the environment, of which caring is part of the stewardship the Lord has given humanity. I also believe, or at least hope, that using natural products whenever I can is easier on my family’s hormones and overall health than chemical products.

My Regular Cleaning Products

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White Vinegar: I used to purchase cleaning vinegar. Cleaning vinegar is more concentrated than standard white vinegar and therefore a better disinfectant and cleaner. However, I found it was not necessary. I did not notice a difference in the cleaning capability between the two vinegar products. And although I needed less concentrated vinegar for cleaning than standard white vinegar, I still found myself using the same amount. I also like multi-tasking products. White vinegar can be used in cooking, but not cleaning vinegar. For more details on how I use white vinegar see my blog-post, “The Role of White Vinegar in My Home.”

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Hydrogen Peroxide: I use hydrogen peroxide in my bathroom and kitchen as a disinfectant. It kill harmful bacteria and helps me keep those places in my home adequately sanitized. For more details about how I use Hydrogen Peroxide, check out my blogpost: “Hydrogen Peroxide: My Gentle Disinfectant.”

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Baking Soda: My favorite cleaning product. Baking soda gets a workout in my home. Baking soda does a lot more than make chocolate chip cookies rise! It is my scrubber, whitener, deodorizer, and cuts grease. (TIP: I have found it cheapest at Aldi, but Wal-Mart is not far behind in price).

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Cheap oil: I use coconut oil. I get coconut oil very inexpensively by buying it in bulk and storing it in the freezer, however, olive oil or another inexpensive oil can do the job. A little warm oil rubbed into wood and hard floors does wonders. I sometimes add a drop or two of an essential oil for bug deterrent and scent.

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Hot Water: Boiling water is a great cleaning agent on its own. I use hot water for a variety of cleaning jobs, but often mix it with baking soda, vinegar, or oil, depending on what I am cleaning. I often boil a big pot of water for washing my kitchen and bathroom floors.

My Cleaning Tools

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Microfiber cloths: I was gifted a set of microfiber cleaning cloths from my sister a few years ago and have found the uses of microfiber cloths to be many. I use a dry fine fiber cloth to clean windows…no spray cleaner is needed. I use a courser cloth for basic dusting. It gets the dust off my furniture without the use of any cleaning agent.

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Rags: I like washable rags. I do not buy paper towels. I re-purpose cloth baby diapers, old hand towels, old dish-cloths, and old T-shirts as cleaning rags. I use rags for all sorts of things. Primarily, rags are used for cleaning my floors since I don’t use a wet mop. I can see the floor a lot better if I am close to it. I can also get every corner with a rag. I feel a mop misses a lot of cleaning potential. I know the day will come when scrubbing floors on my knees will be too physically taxing to do, but until then, I will boil water and scrub my floors by hand.

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Bucket: any large mop bucket will do. I find them useful as “sick” buckets, or “laundry soaking” buckets as well. Honestly, there is no end to the use of a cheap plastic mop bucket. I have a couple.

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Broom and Dustpan: A broom and dustpan is used several times a day in my house…generally in my kitchen and generally after each meal. I like a simple grass broom and plastic dustpan. Nothing says a house is clean as well as a clean floor.

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Vacuum: I believe every household should have a really good vacuum, it is worth the investment. My husband bought me a Dyson years ago, and it cleans better than any vacuum I have ever owned. I would empty a regular vacuum bag every month, but the Dyson is full after one cleaning. So, I believe the Dyson gets a lot more dirt out of my floors than a cheaper vacuum. After switching from carpet to wood flooring, I find the Dyson works just as effectively on the wood floors as it did the carpet. A lot of vacuums are less effective or require adjustments between various surfaces.

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Dust-mop: This is a recent purchase now that our house has wood floors. I like the quiet, cleaning power of a dust-mop on my wood floors. I choose to buy an inexpensive mop with a washable mop-head. I do not want to be out money on a regular basis for products like Swiffer cloths for my mop.

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Scrub brush: Usually, I use the brush for carpets, but it has worked on some tough surface stains as well.

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Rubber Gloves: I often protect my hands while cleaning. I get dry skin pretty easily, especially in winter months, or if I am pregnant or breastfeeding. Also, when I use hot water, it is usually at a temperature too hot to touch, but the gloves make it tolerable. I also find that I am willing to get into crevasses and nasty places if my hands are protected.

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Long handled Shower Scrubber: This is a tool I would have never thought to purchase on my own. But my husband, who has done a lot of cleaning in his lifetime, found it to be a very useful tool. So he bought me the shower scrubber. Since I am petite, I have found the long handled scrubber to be a valuable addition to my cleaning tools. I am able to clean the bathtub walls and ceiling with ease. The scrubber is a triangle shape, so it gets corners and edges suitably as well.

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Toilet brush-Nothing special. This is the tool I use for cleaning toilets. I clean with baking soda and white vinegar, and scrub with a regular old toilet brush.

Occasional Uses

Peppermint, cinnamon, and lavender oil: Both Peppermint and Cinnamon are insect and spider deterrents, so I often use them in warmer months on the floor baseboard to keep insects at bay. I use a mixture of lavender oil with a sprinkling of baking soda on my carpets to help deodorized them on occasion.

Murphy’s Oil: A natural classic-my grandmother has used it, my mother has used it, and I still do use it. Murphy’s Oil is a MOSTLY natural cleaning product. I use it to clean all my floors and wash down wood walls and surfaces as well. I reserve it for a periodic thorough cleaning. It is not a part of my regular routine. Murphy’s Oil brightens floors and surfaces better than the natural products I use, yet is a product I am comfortable using.

Natural Dish Soap: My favorite dish soap is a Canadian Brand called Attitude. I find Attitude dish soap to be affordable if bought in bulk online. And it works just as effectively as Dawn, which is unusual for a natural product. Attitude dish soap is also thick, unlike many watered down natural dish-washing soaps.

Magic Erasers: These are an essential item in my household. I do not know how my mother cleaned without them. They are great to remove finger smudges from the walls, brighten the chrome on faucets, clean stainless steel, and they have never failed to get paint and marker stains out of my counter tops. I keep Magic Erasers on hand for the times nothing else will work.

OxiClean powder: This is a product I have used for more than clothing stains. A mixture of OxiClean and hot water remove most carpet stains. I have used OxiClean to spot clean my carpets for several years.

Up to this point in life, I have used a large variety of store bought, commercially made cleaning products. There was even a time I made my own cleaning solutions by mixing various natural ingredients. And I also have spent extra money to purchase naturally based cleaners. Natural-store bought products are pricey and often a disappointment. The chemically based products often work great, but also cost money and are questionable in their safety for humans and environment. Home-made products can work, but take time. I also found a lot of ingredients aren’t necessary to clean effectively. So, I don’t create mixtures or buy specialized products anymore. I fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, poke a few holes in a box of baking soda, and that is about it. I will discuss in more detail through separate posts as to how I clean and use each product.

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Why I am Grateful for Halloween

Both my husband and I were raised not going trick-or-treating. Neither of our parents were supportive of that aspect of Halloween. My family did make pop-corn balls, candied apples, light Jack-O Lanterns and warmly greet our neighbors who were trick-or-treating. Jim’s family probably did less than that.

My husband and I have pondered how our family should engage in Halloween since our first child was born. We have friends and family that take various positions on the issue. Some so completely avoid Halloween they will not even attempt to engage in conversations about it. Others of our acquaintance, complete embrace the day with all its festivities. Most of our friends and family take a more middle ground in the festivities of Halloween and pick and choose various methods of what makes them comfortable interacting with the holiday. I do not debate the subject, because I do see a variety of perspectives. Those who believe it is harmless to dress up and knock on the neighbor’s door for some candy, to those who will have nothing to do with the day and avoid it in every respect. All have valid reasons and I can respect that. But what is right for us? I am not accountable before God for how my friends and family chose to celebrate or not celebrate Halloween, but I believe it is important for our family to have solid reasons for what we choose to do or not partake of the holiday or any holiday for that matter.

My conclusions concerning Halloween are completely based on the Gospel.

For a Christian, Halloween is indeed a harmless day. We are told that Christ has conquered sin and its punishment, death. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Colossians 1:13.  “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:54-57. We are no longer a part of this world, we have become supernatural, eternal beings who are not dictated by the evil powers of earth. Because of Christ we are a new creature. Evil things have no power over us. Romans 8: 35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Superstition and fear of evil and death are no reason for us to not celebrate Halloween. Christ has given us eternal life and victory. 

It is because Christ has conquered sin, death, and hell, and made evil powerless, that our family chooses NOT to celebrate the holiday. Halloween is a pagan holiday. It celebrates evil things like sorcery, witches, death, and demonic powers. It is a day that is historically and currently known to edify what is morbid. From the skeletons dangling from shop windows to the blow-up witches hanging from the grocery store ceiling, it is very clear that Halloween is a Holiday that celebrates evil and death. There is no power of those things over us Redeemed, but evil still holds on to those who have not been redeemed by Christ’s blood. And for the sake of the gospel, I cannot endorse the Halloween festivities. Out of compassion for the lost souls, I have no right enjoying a holiday that celebrates the horror lost souls face. And celebrating a day that glorifies evil and death is a contradiction of my faith. Yes, Christ has died and conquered any power of such evil. Yet, It is because Christ died to set me free from darkness, that I cannot justify embracing a day that celebrates the darkness from which Christ died to set me free.

Yet, despite the fact my family does not promote or take part of the fun and enjoyable aspects of Halloween, I have no problem using Halloween as a tool against sin, death, and evil. In fact, I have recently concluded that I am very grateful there is a Halloween. When else do the neighborhood children come knocking on my door in mass numbers? What a privilege it is to open it and share the kindness of Christ with them. I admire churches that take a pro-active approach and reach out to the neighborhood with trunk-or-treat and fall parties. Halloween is an amazing tool that we Christian’s can use to the advantage of the gospel, and I am not about to waste that opportunity. So, I am not against methods that wield Halloween to reach lost souls with the truth. After all, what a great time to see someone turn from the darkness of sin and death to celebrating the death of sin!

There is an older lady, who is a dear friend of mine. Her compassion for her neighborhood is an inspiration to me. On Halloween she gives out gospel tracts and shares the gospel message with everyone who knocks on her door. Her desire to reach her community with the gospel is incredible. Halloween is not the only pagan holiday tradition of which she takes advantage. She organizes a community Easter Egg hunt in her backyard every year. She has had dozens of neighborhood children scrambling in her yard to find Easter Eggs, while she uses the eggs and her conversation to share the gospel with them and their parents. She also organizes neighborhood baby and wedding showers for those in her neighbors who are expecting or getting married. Sometimes, she has just opened up her doors a certain time every week for any neighbor lady who wanted to join her for tea and cookies. Her perspective is so mission minded, that the battle of what to do about Halloween is irrelevant. She simply sees the precious children, in need of a Savior, who come knocking at her door one evening out of the year.

That is who I would like to be. And though our children are young, I want my children to also see the souls of others as more important than a holiday they choose to celebrate or not celebrate themselves. I want trick-or treaters to knock on our door. I want to give out treats, so that our house will be the best stop for trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. I want to draw the lost to my door, so that I can build a report and share the gospel with my neighbors.

Halloween is not a creepy holiday I wish would pass without notice. But it also isn’t a holiday that allows me the opportunity to allow my children to indulge themselves in costumes and candy. Halloween is a gospel sharing tool that comes once a year, knocking at my door.

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Smart Phone: Friend or Foe?

I got my first cell-phone when I was dating my husband in 2007. It has been a little over ten years since I have owned a cell. It has become so much a part of my life, I cannot remember how I managed without it. A smart phone, is truly more than a phone, it is my brain. But as I have trended through the years with a cell-phone, I have realized that it can be a useful tool in my hands, or a tool that is destructive. Like everything in my life, I weigh it in the balance of value.

My perspective on my phone is that it is a tool. It is a tool for my housekeeping, children’s education, Spiritual growth, necessary calls, and building relationships. I have rules as to how I use my phone. And I ALWAYS stick to them.

My phone never comes between me and real people. I purpose to ignore it, even silence it, when we have family or friends visiting, we are spending time together as a family, or I am on a date with my husband. I don’t look at it during a conversation unless I tell the person I am with what I am doing and it pertains to our conversation. I do not answer a call or text when I am with someone, with the exception of my husband or babysitter if I am not with him at the time.

I do not use my phone for entertainment. I do not have games, movies, or apps on my phone. I don’t use it to kill time. I don’t have time to kill time. If I am sitting still with my phone, I am texting a friend, working on a grocery list, or shopping online for something we need…like recently house-hunting. Soon…Christmas gift shopping. But I spend time on my phone only when I purposed to do so. Generally Sunday mornings are very calm in our homes and I have an hour of quiet before we go to church. Saturday’s are also a little different from weekdays and I may spend time working on something on my phone. So, I do use my phone, but it is purposed. Last night, I was finalizing my grocery list, which I had been working on little by little throughout the day. I didn’t get it done until my husband and I sat down together after the children were in bed.

If an app is becoming a time sponge, I delete it from my phone. As I try to keep eternity in perspective, random phone browsing becomes a frivolous task. There are loads of great ideas out there, but if I am not purposeful in my pursuit of knowledge, it becomes useless noise in my life. I have found a lot of apps were more of a distraction to my home than a blessing. How silly to tell my child, “I am trying to find some great ideas about how to home-school,” instead of taking that time to read her a book? She doesn’t need a lot of eye-candy to learn, just love and MY TIME. I have simplified my pursuit of information by choosing only to look up something if there is a need. And even then, I try to go to books before the internet. I find books to be a more reliable source of information and less consuming than a phone. I have deleted great apps like Pinterest, Facebook, and Zulily. Because they are simply taking too much of my precious time from the eternal pursuits that are most precious.

I don’t look up health information on my phone. This rule is one I had to adopt a few years ago as I realized how often I had misdiagnosed myself or the children through Web MD. Put in a list of symptoms and one can diagnose themselves with anything from terminal cancer to a bug bite. The loads of information on health bred a heart of fear in me. It does me no good to know too much about what I don’t know for certain. I rely on articles, books, and real people for my medical information. That includes my knowledge on health and nutrition. I don’t read posts from Dr. Axe anymore. But I will check out stacks of books at our local library and have read some fantastic and very helpful books.

My phone is not attached to my body. I usually put it on the kitchen counter, and it stays there pretty much all day. I don’t carry it around the house with me, unless, I am going to be spending time pressing Jim’s shirts. Then, I will listen to podcasts or something to fill my head with good thoughts.

How I use my phone:

I use my phone to aid in my housekeeping. I create my grocery lists on my phone as I discussed in my post: My Modern Shopping Techniques. I also use my phone to purchase a lot online. I find I can score great deals and have it shipped to my door for less than I can drive and purchase an item locally. I also buy used clothes on E-Bay and Poshmark for myself and family. I use a note app to make to-do lists and plan menus. I also make a list of errands in order for shopping day.

I purpose my phone to be used for my Spiritual edification. I listen to several preaching podcasts daily. I also keep the ESV Bible app on my phone.

Of course I use my phone for necessary calls. Setting up appointments, ordering a birthday cake, calling for information about insurance…. We all have those business, un-fun calls to make. And that is certainly a necessary use of my phone.

My phone is also for building relationships. Other than texting my husband daily, I text or call family members and friends. I make a point to keep up with people by using my phone. I text pictures of my children to their grandparents. When someone asks me to pray for them, or I volunteer to pray for a concern someone has, I like to touch base on occasion and see what God is doing in their lives. I also text to simply see how an old friend is doing. I also try to judge why I am texting. Very often, a phone call is more personal and clear than a text, so I try to be cautious about over-texting and making sure I am calling people as needed. I had a friend from church who is praying for me randomly call me last week to see how I was doing. It was refreshing to get a personal call. It meant more to me to hear her voice and we got a lot of conversation in five minutes that could have never fit in five minutes of texting so beautifully. Honestly, an old-fashioned phone call is lovely. I have discovered that although texting might seem convenient and un-intrusive, most people want their lives to be intruded upon.

So my phone is a wonderful tool for many things of eternal value. But it’s use does have its place. I don’t want to miss out on creating or savoring a moment with my loved ones in the room because I am on my phone. Very often, my phone can wait. And I have never regretted putting it down to pull build railroads on the floor with my children.

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Cherished Old Recipes

Most people have a few keepsakes. A piece of jewelry passed on through generations, a box of old love-letters, something meaningful that reminds us of our heritage or a special person. I have a few such items myself, but readily admit, my most cherished keepsakes are old recipes.

I was able to get my Grandmother’s old recipe box after she passed, and I have poured over it again and again. What I love about old recipes is their ability to live on through generations. Whenever I make Grandma’s corn pudding for Thanksgiving, it reminds me of her. It is a way of passing on a heritage of food to my family, as well as remembering people who cooked that same recipe years and years ago.

My husband’s family has traditional foods as well passed on from generations. A cranberry Jello salad is popular at holiday meals in his mother’s home. I have made it on occasion and always look forward to sharing that tradition with his family as well. It is fun to combine foods from both our pasts into the traditions of our own family.

My Mom’s folks lived up the road from us as we grew up. I have many memories surrounding food with them. Grandpa had a huge electric cooker. I remember him cooking it full of creamy corn chowder and inviting us all over for dinner. I have his recipe…clipped from a newspaper with his scratchings on it. My Grandma would invite me and my sisters over on occasion to bake. We made incredible old-fashioned molasses cookies with her, bread shaped into bunnies for Easter, and she taught me how to make pie crust for Dutch apple pie. Several times, all of my siblings and I got to make a batch of root beer with my grandparents. It was the real stuff with yeast, tons of sugar, and root beer extract. I have not had any Root Beer that good since my childhood.

As my blog post on the Food: One of the Most Unifying Tools in the Hands of Homemaker states, food has a way of creating memories and can be used as a tool to bring people together. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I find myself drawn to old family recipes. It is also a way of learning about history and culture. My Dad makes his own venison jerky. It is unlike anything one can buy at the store. The jerky Daddy makes is like a piece of edible history. It can take me back to the pioneer days when drying meat was the best way to preserve it for a long trip.

Old cookbooks and recipes are incredible finds. I recently read through a vintage Fannie Farmer cookbook. It was not only fun to read, but educational to see the perspective on food a hundred years ago. Quality food was very important, now a box of hamburger helper is considered food. In the time of Fannie Farmer, ground meat like hamburger did not even exist! There is a recipe about how to make Hamburg meat. It involved hand chopping chuck. Food preparation and eating has certainly changed through the generations.

I love to see my grandma’s notes and yellowed, soiled recipe cards. One card alone tells a story of meals cooked and served. I can see grandma cooking on the stove with her recipe on the counter and grease from her pan spits on the card. Now grandma is gone, but I have that card and grease spits on it from my stove.

My sentiment toward recipes may seem silly to some, but old recipes are keepsakes that have incredible value to me. They are very personal to an individual and family, as well as a beautiful way to incorporate heritage and build memories into one’s own family. I look forward to continuing my cooking journey through some of grandma’s old recipes!

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The Crisis of Misplaced Affections

We are moving again. We have been renting a large farmhouse in the country since our move to The South two years ago. We truly love living in the county, but it isn’t cheap. Old farmhouses require constant upkeep, there is always something broken or in need of updating…well…it is old… and the utilities on the home are anything but economical. Yet, despite its faults, the old house has served our family well, and we have been able to use it to show hospitality to friends and family on a regular basis. However, in an effort to be wise stewards of what God has given us, we are in the process of buying a smaller home in the suburbs. So instead of nearly 3,000 square feet we will have less than 2,000. And instead of six acres surrounded by fields and space, we will have a half acre surrounded by neighbors. In some ways, I am looking forward to this change, and in other ways, I admit that am sad to leave the farmhouse.

Life at the farmhouse is the epitome of my ideal. I am a country girl. I love the space and freedom. No one is going to call the fire-department if I want to cook some s’mores on an open fire in the evening. None of the neighbors will think a thing if we don’t rake up our leaves…ever. We can be as loud as we want without causing any annoyances. I enjoy hearing the sound of nature, like the quiet chirping of crickets at night. I let my children roam unattended and explore. I love having a home that provides peace and quiet for our guests. I can see the starts at night and the sunrises in the morning. I hear roosters crow across the neighborhood when the sun breaks out. We have a view of a lake from the front porch and the view from the back yard is a hay field on a hill. There is a lot of character at the old farmhouse. BUT despite my heart’s desire to have this life, God has other plans in mind for our family.

Everyone has an ideal life. For me, it would be a small farm in the country with a great view and a few chickens . . . maybe goats or sheep. I would be at home and very happy with such a life. Perhaps the Lord will allow that kind of living for me on earth and perhaps He will not. Striving for an ideal is not a sin, in fact, often desires are God given for a purpose, even if they are never fulfilled. But when my desires causes me to wrestle with God’s will for my life, it most certainly becomes sinful.

And my sinful reluctance to embrace the twists and turns of life will have an effect on not only my own heart, but the hearts of my children. Two years ago when we were pondering our move from the Midwest, I told my children that it was all about whether God would say “yes” or “no” to our move. He chose to say “yes” and move us. Now He has chosen to move us again. Just this time it won’t be so far. I want my children to see God’s work in our lives, and my desire to follow God, even when my heart cannot see the good of the change. Whether my children are raised running through fields or riding their bikes down the neighborhood street, has no bearing on if they will learn to love God. But my attitude toward God has a LOT to do with their Spiritual walk.

As I was faced with our need to move this summer, I was also confronted with my materialistic heart. It is easy to become idealistic in life, and cling onto that ideal as though it is what defines us. Just because my materialistic desires are not a high end sports car or a mansion on a golf course, does not mean they are any less sinful. I desire a home in the country and a lot of children running around, a few farm animals, and natural beauty. But though that may seem like a wholesome desire, it is just as much a selfish, materialistic one as wanting a condo on a beach. Things are not wrong to want, but we are warned about setting our affections on them. It is easy to hold an ideal way of life so dearly it become the defining factor of life. My ideal should not define me, and it should never be in competition for my affections toward God. So, this year, through our need to move, it was a healthy realization this summer on how attached I had become to my version of an ideal life. I valued my ideal above God’s best.

Along came the aspect of contentment in my ponderings. I spent a lot of time thinking about Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” What is the secret to contentment?

For a time, I felt it was my need to surrender. I needed to surrender my ideal; my dream to God for whatever He had in store. Then I continued thinking on surrender and realized that there would be no need for surrender if I was truly satisfied in God. Because if I am completely satisfied in God, I will joyfully follow Him anywhere He leads. Therefore, the secret of contentment in every circumstance is not surrender, but satisfaction if God. I do not have to battle God about moving us, against my desire to stay until I finally, even reluctantly throw up the white flag and surrender. I was at fault for something far more detrimental than surrender. I had deceived myself into thinking I could be satisfied in something God gave me, more than Himself. It was idolatry. I was in sin for having misplaced affections. It took being faced with leaving my ideal address to see how misplaced my affections had become.

The test of my true satisfaction in God is when He takes something away from me that is precious…my ideal for instance. If when my ideal life is taken away, is my joy unhampered as I revel in Christ even more deeply? Christ must be my complete satisfaction, not my husband, not my family, not my address, not my health, not home-schooling, not finances, not consistency, not anything else. Because God gives and takes away what He chooses. If God is my complete all in all, than all those things that are important to me are not necessary for me to surrender because I will already see them as His.

I do believe I am finally at the place of that test. We move in a month. Despite my sadness in leaving our home in the country, I am coming to terms with a greater value in our move. There will be more people! We will have opportunities that are not possible where we currently live. I am looking forward to meeting our new neighbors and finding ways to minister and reach the lost souls there. We can be a larger part of the lives of people simply because we will be surrounded by them. I look forward to settling in our own home and being closer to our church family as well, and will be able to be more involved with the lives of people. It won’t be an round-trip hour drive to take a meal to someone in need.

I am also looking forward to the time that we will gain from the move. When we first moved into the farmhouse, I remember being surprised at the amount of time it took me to clean and for my husband, a half a day to tend the lawn. At first that was a struggle because it took time from my children and ministry. But we became accustomed to it. Now, moving into a smaller home, will give me more time, because instead of taking two days to clean house, I can get it done in a morning. And instead of a half day to cut grass, my husband should be done in a couple hours. It will be good to have more time in our lives for other ventures besides home-care.
Financially, the move is a smart one. Instead of throwing money down for the comfort of heat and cooling on a monthly basis, we will live in a more economical home and be able to put that money toward other things. We are also able to invest in our own home, instead of sending out a rent check on a monthly basis. It is for the best.

As I consider the blessings from our upcoming move, I also realize that there is a lot I do not know about God’s purpose in our new location. I look forward to seeing what He has in store for His glory through our family and our new neighborhood. My heart is grateful. I am grateful because my heart rests in my Savior. No matter what change He brings into our lives, I know that in Him I can find my complete satisfaction…eternally.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
Psalm 63:1-5

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Raising Daughters in a Fashion Doll World

Saying “no” is very much an easy solution in dealing with child training. No, we do not do sleepovers. No, you are not taking ballet lessons. No, we do not allow fashion dolls in our home. No, you can’t have any candy. A dear mentor of mine encouraged me to be a mother who tries to say “yes.” Saying “no” can be an easy solution, but it can also shut down doors to teaching opportunities and experiences where my children can grow. So, I am learning that very often there are ways to say “yes” to things within biblical perimeters. I am not saying that my answer is “yes” to everything, but I try not to give an immediate “no” until I have thought something through.

I had a Barbie doll for a short time as a child. I truly enjoyed playing with it. But after having concerns with the impact the unrealistic image that doll could have on me, my parents choose to substitute my doll with another toy of my choice.

Like many young women, I did have a season where I struggled with having a godly perspective about the shape and weight of my body. I don’t believe playing with a Barbie doll had nearly much influence as the conversations and perspectives of the friends I listened to at that time in my life. But as a result of my struggle, even before I was married, I decided I would never let the world influence my daughters about what their body should or should not look like. I never wanted my children to own a fashion doll.

I truly was naïve then, in thinking I could protect my daughters from being critical of the body God gave them by not allowing them to play with a Barbie doll. And I wasn’t brilliant to think I had power to protect them from ever being exposed to worldly influences. At some point, my children will be exposed to the influences of the world. I can choose if I will be the person to discuss things with them or not. If I don’t address issues with them, it will be someone else who will. I have come to realize that I am unable to protect my children from the world, but I am able to prepare them how to respond biblically when they do encounter worldly perspectives. I actually fail in teaching my children how to think biblically if I protect my children from the exposure to the evil around them. They will be in shock and unable to grapple with what is out there if they are faced with it when they are on their own. I must make it a point to gradually, and purposefully address issues like body image with them while I am able. I currently have control of when and how they are exposed to things right now and I can teach them how to interact and perceive worldly influences in light of Scripture. Or I can even to allow another trusted adult, like a grandparent, Auntie, or godly older woman to also to be a part in the development of my daughter’s Spiritual development.

Allowing my daughters to play with fashion dolls is a perfect opportunity to teach them how to think and play appropriately with clothing and dolls, without being influenced by the image the doll portrays. Fashion dolls can be a great way for little girls to learn how to make and design clothes that are modest and creative. My girls also can learn how to fix hairstyles by playing with the doll’s hair. I consider incorporating fashion dolls into my girl’s lives as an asset.

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This is what I do. I buy used Bratz dolls. I take time to repaint and make them into child friendly wholesome faced dolls, instead of the seductive, dolls they are. A few years ago, I came across an amazing up-cycled version of fashion dolls by an Australian Artist, Sonia Singh. Sonia remakes the gaudy dolls into something lovely. She freely shares her methods and patterns about how to do that yourself. I spent time learning what she did and made dolls for my daughters from her website, Tree Change Dolls, and her printable instructions on Etsy. I have been able to create sweet faced fashion dolls for my daughters thanks to Sonia’s printables. For instance, the little blond doll pictured above is the same blond doll pictured at the top of this blog post. It is true! Following Sonia’s instructions, I can easily make footwear, hairstyles, faces, and clothes. It is incredible fun to be a part of the doll’s transformation and I know my daughters will enjoy repainting their own dolls in time.

My other concern with fashion dolls is finding them around the house with nothing on. I want to teach my children that it is wise to cover up and be discreet. So, my next step for the dolls is to make permanent swimsuits for them. The swimsuit will be stitched on and my girls can change their doll’s clothes, without the doll ever being completely undressed.

Fashion dolls can be used in an incredible way in my daughters’ lives to teach them about discretion, appropriateness, and modesty. As my daughters get older, I know they will also be able to learn how to create outfits for their dolls. So, the dolls will play a role in allowing my daughters to be creative with clothing learn some sewing skills, and have simple fun playing with fashion that is not over sexed. So instead of telling my daughter’s “no.” I have found a way to use a worldly toy to the advantage of teaching my children biblical principles, homemaking skills, and art.

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Food: One of the Most Unifying Tools in the Hands of Homemaker

Every family has their own food culture. Favorite recipes and traditions passed down through generations, foods from an ethnic heritage, as well as lifestyle foods based on health, convenience, and economics all make up the circumference of foods a family regularly enjoys. Certain foods in each family are also traditional for certain holidays, and occasions.

My Food Heritage: My mother fed my family a diet of real food, very little sugar, a lot of vegetables, whole grains, venison my Daddy hunted and everything made from scratch. We ate out only a few times a year. My family also ate foods from my Dad’s Norwegian heritage. Lefse was a common evening treat. And for many years I requested fish soup for my birthday dinner. We also ate a lot of Mexican food. My Dad was raised in the Southwest, and my Mother met him while she was getting her degree in Spanish there. My mother has a lot of German in her heritage, so we also enjoyed plenty of meat and potato meals. My family gardened unfaithfully. I remember a couple of years of a good garden, but it wasn’t a huge part of my life. We bought most of our produce. My Dad is a hunter however, and we ate a lot of venison and wild turkey from what he killed. We also raised chickens for many years and we ate their eggs and sometimes we ate them.
My mother didn’t buy jello, cool whip, cake, frozen foods, processed foods, white bread, margarine, or pudding mixes. We never kept soda in the house. I only got pop on a very rare occasion…courtesy of my Daddy. I grew up enjoying a large variety of food. And to this day, I am always up for trying food. I especially like trying foods from other cultures. Korean food is one of my personal favorites.

My Husband’s Food Heritage: My husband has other cultivated tastes. His family had a garden throughout most of his childhood, and his mother canned, and canned, and canned. His family was also very restricted in their food budget due to income. So, he did not eat a huge variety of foods nor did he eat out much as a child. His mother is a phenomenal cook. Many of her recipes are my husband’s favorites to this day. She did use canned soups and a lot of prepared foods in her cooking, so my husband is accustomed to those flavors. My husband is still very content eating chocolate pudding from a mix, cool whip, or frozen french fries. My husband, being raised in southern states also LOVES sweet tea. It is a huge part of his life. He isn’t opposed to drinking a can of Pepsi on occasion either. My husband is not necessarily health conscious, he would tell you that is my job. Jim is particular about the taste and texture of his food, so the quality of cooking and the methods food is cooked are important to him. He would probably say that classic American fair is his favorite food genre…hamburgers, hot-dogs, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a hearty steak; all served with fries…. Although Italian foods would not be far behind.

Our family’s Food Culture: As a newlywed, I did my best to learn how to cook the foods my husband grew up eating. I had fun experimenting on him with some new recipes too, but I admit I also had a good share of failures, even though I was a home-economics major. My biggest challenge was in choosing what foods to cook. My husband and I both have a different food heritage. We both have different likes and dislikes. We are also both genetically different and were born with different dispositions toward food.

For a while, I simply tried to adapt to the foods my husband was raised eating. I stuck to a lot of his mother’s recipes. But, as children came along, my pursuit of healthier foods increased. I was also more restricted in my budget the larger our family grew. I could not afford the amount of beef and leaned heavily on meatless dishes and poultry. I don’t care what anyone says, as soon as one is buying anything prepared, the grocery bill goes up. Even a pack of taco seasoning or gravy mix is more expensive than mixes ones own spices. And additives and sugars in those packets are not healthy to intake. Eating healthy is far more budget friendly than unhealthy food. I gradually began adding whole wheat pasta to our white pasta, whole grain rice to our white rice, and making my own mixes and such. Eventually we had a diet whole grain. Other than making play-dough, it has been seven years since I have purchased white flour. I even learned how to make my own whole wheat bread, and quit buying store-bought foods as much as possible.

The change was not quick. But over time, our family has morphed into eating foods that are normal for us. How we eat is not like my family ate when I was growing up, and it is not like how my husband ate growing up. In fact, I cannot say it is even a combination of the two. It is simply a culture of food unique to our family. As my menu guide explains, I have a workable pattern for buying and cooking meals for our family.

I remember making my first pack of instant pudding. I used hot water instead of cold and ruined it. I continually failed in making my husband’s favorite chicken and rice casserole. The rice was always crunchy. Apparently instant rice was the key. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I never ate a box of mac ‘n cheese until I was married and cooking in my own. I got nervous cooking up my first batch from the box. I think it turned out okay.

What determines how we eat?

My budget dictates the majority of the food we eat. I try to have at least one meal a week without meat to save money. Other than a steak my husband will pick up on occasion, I rarely buy beef. We eat chicken a couple of times a week, ground turkey in place of ground beef, occasionally pork roast if I can get it for .99 a pound, and if we are lucky some venison from my Dad. Meatless dishes often play a role for dinner. Tonight, we had loaded baked potatoes for dinner. Another night we might have, home-made Mac ‘n cheese, or even breakfast for dinner, like waffles or eggs.

Nutrition is also something I consider valuable when planning meals. I rely heavily on whole, real foods. I try to get foods that do not have labels. So most of our food is in its truest form. I buy organic when it is reasonable, but I don’t sweat it if I can’t afford that. Honestly, I am not entirely convinced it isn’t a marketing scam. Quality is of most importance, and organic produce is often the best looking with the truest flavors. A farmer’s stand or market is ideal, but not currently most practical for our family. I buy whole grain flours, rice, and pasta. I am also careful not to incorporate much sugar into our diet. We don’t eat dessert, and I substitute coconut sugar or raw honey in most of my baking. My goal in food for our family is simply to make it as real and nutrient dense as I am able to afford. The book: Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Plank is probably the most influential book on healthy eating that I have read. Nina also has a blog with some great recipes that we enjoy http://ninaplanck.com/.

Affection and comfort also are important in the food choices of our home. I save my experimentation for lunchtime with me and the children. My husband does not need the stress of trying new foods at the end of a crazy day. So, I will have seaweed and sticky rice with kimchi for lunch with the children, but never for dinner. I often will make something that is a favorite of my husband to cheer him during a stressful time or to simply show I love him. I also do the same for my children. I like to use food as a tool to bring comfort and show love during certain times.

Sharing the food our family eats with others is also an important way to minister. Since we often have people eat with us, it is a great opportunity to share the culture of our family through the venue of food. It allows a person to become a part of our family in a way, while they eat dinner with us. If I were going to Africa and sat with a family for dinner there, I would be taking part of their culture and family through the meal they served me. It is the same in the states from family to family. We each can allow someone to enter into our zone, but sharing a meal our family would normally eat with them.

Food is for celebration. I was recently reminded of the children of Israel and how God set aside special days for them to celebrate and feast. There are days that we set aside for celebration. Generally I do not insist on healthy eating during those days of celebration. There are special seasons for feasting and being grateful. And I do not tag those times with health concerns.

Food should unify not separate. Overall, my point in creating a certain food culture for my family is that it brings people together in unity.  I use food as a tool to build my family and bring others into the dynamics of our home. Food is a method to help my family be healthy and strong, but it is not my reliance as my article on nutrition points out. And I don’t argue with my husband about food. Yes, I tend to be more health conscious than my husband, but our relationship is more important than if he eats his vegetables or not. And I make a batch of sweet tea with real sugar for him every weekend. I bring people together in our home around food. I bless my family and guests with wholesome meals for my family and guests. I use food to create warm feelings and memories. Who doesn’t cherish the morning waking up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls smothered in cream cheese frosting? We gather together nearly every evening for dinner in our home. It is the point in the day we can be together. I serve dinner on time and I am usually well planned in my menu and ingredients that making dinner is stress free. Food is such a great method to bring people together. Even taking a batch of freshly baked cookies to a new neighbor can help breech any divides and begin to build a relationship. Food opens doors of building relationships with people. I truly believe that food is a very important tool in the hand of a homemaker. A wise homemaker will study how to use food for the advantage of the gospel and the blessing of her family.

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Graham Flour Banana Bread

The nutty, warm flavor of graham flour has made this one of my favorite banana bread recipes. I make this recipe into muffins as well. And for those with egg allergies…this recipe doesn’t have them.

1/3 Cup Oil (I use grape seed or coconut)

½ Cup Applesauce

2/3 Cup Honey (Coconut Sugar may be substituted for honey. It will lower the glycemic index)

3 Small Mashed Bananas (2 cups)

1 ½ Cup Graham Flour (Whole Wheat Flour may serve as a substitute, but it will not taste quite as good as graham flour, and it will have a higher glycemic index than the graham.)

1 ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Baking Soda

¾ teaspoon Salt

1) Mix ingredients together
2) Pour into muffin tins or lined loaf pan
3) Bake bread for 1 hour or muffins for 25 minutes at 350.

Mashed sweet potatoes can be substituted for the bananas, add a dash of cinnamon for a great autumn flavor.

I often make muffins or quick bread for breakfast. It is an easy way for me to use fruit and vegetables and simple to keep on hand for the children to have for a snack later in the day as well.

I keep a variety of flours on hand in my freezer. I enjoy using various grains instead of just wheat. Graham flour is a wheat based, whole grain flour it is ground differently than whole wheat flour producing  a higher fiber and courser grain than traditional whole wheat flour. Graham flour gives bread, crusts, and even some cookies an amazing rich flavor. It is like adding graham cracker crust to baked items…simply delicious.

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My Husband’s Safe Place

A few weeks after Jim and I began dating, we were still feeling very vulnerable and cautious in our relationship. It was at that point  that a quarter entered the picture. Jim described his heart like a quarter a little boy has. Sometimes the little boy pulls the quarter out of his pocket to show it, but then puts it back in his pocket for safe keeping. I remember Jim telling me  “Rebecca, someday I would like you to have my quarter to keep forever.” We both understood that “quarter” meant his heart.

It was a few weeks later (our relationship moved fast) when Jim pulled out a slim, flat, blue box with the words “U.S. Mint” on the top. He handed it to me. I opened it to find two shiny new quarters. Based on our earlier conversation, I knew Jim had given me his whole heart. Jim told me that he actually had no trouble giving me his heart, and it came easily and naturally. I remember fighting back tears as I handed him one of the quarters to show him, that I too was entrusting my heart to his care. The other quarter I have kept until this day.

We are now eleven years and four children deep in our marriage. And I still keep my husband’s quarter safe. I do not take the keeping of his heart lightly. Our challenges on a daily basis supersede the simple crisis that popped up during our courtship days. My husband kindly bears the brunt of the burden of the care of me and the children.

It is a tough world for the only money-maker in our home. There are people my husband works with who are demeaning, irresponsible, egotistical, lazy, cranky, and negligent. Such people he is around every day for 9-10 hours. Besides the difficult people my husband engages with on a daily basis, he, like most working folk, has a job that is stressful. There are problems and crisis that pop up even simultaneously. My husband’s days are full of deadlines, schedules, classes, and meetings. Even at home, he is bombarded with phone calls in the evenings and weekends, and required to settle company concerns at a moment’s notice. Such is that nature of what my husband does. I do believe, it is a common type of life most employed people have.

My day is also full. I am greeted with a whining baby first thing in the morning. He tends to be cranky until after his morning nap. My children are not always pleasant. They argue, complain, and can be disobedient. Even when the children are cheerfully obeying, we are busy. My days are full of tending to children, housekeeping, cooking, planning, schooling, laundry, and the business of the home. I can get tired and ornery. Just like those who go to work, my days are stressful, even though my stresses and concerns are different from those with jobs outside the home, the topics of concern are just as meaningful to me as though I was paid for my work. It is easy for me to become self-focused on my needs and the troubles of the home that I neglect to have compassion on my hard-working husband.

But I have found it easy to set my selfish feelings of the day aside when I think with compassion toward my husband. Love is self-sacrificing. My husband sacrifices every day of his life by working hard and giving his hard earnings to feed, shelter, and care for the needs of me and the children. His sacrificial love for our family is something I truly cherish. I get to enjoy the days at home with my children because my husband works hard. Even those rough days I have at home, are probably better than one of his easy days at the office. I wouldn’t trade the moments I am able to share with my little ones for anything in the world. I am truly grateful for my husband’s job and his willingness to give me his earnings to spend on electricity and groceries.

Besides working hard to provide for our family, my husband takes our emotional and spiritual needs seriously. He is responsible for our hearts, and he knows it. There are days I save certain issues for him to deal with after he gets home from work. For a time, he gave our eldest daughter her reading lessons because she wasn’t putting forth her best effort for me. She seemed to do better for Daddy. He also helped potty train our littlest girl, who simply became too lazy to take the time to go potty when she needed. Somehow, Daddy was able to get through to her when mommy had no effect. My middle child wears glasses, she doesn’t like them, but it is necessary. Often our baby boy needs a bath in the evening. My husband is quick to volunteer with that task while I clean up from dinner. It helps for my husband to get involved in asking her about them when he gets home from work. So, when he gets home, there is no putting up of his feet watching TV. He is busy, just like me, until every child is in bed for the night. And then, there is me. I am a woman…emotional…hormonal…and well complicated. My husband loves me dearly and does his best to help me sort out my heart and re-focus ton the Lord.

My husband also has jobs around the house that he does. He mows the grass, fixes broken things, moves heavy things, repairs and remodels as needed. He has come home many an evening to do manual labor on the house until dark.

So, after taking the time to reflect on all my husband does and the burden he bears in life, I can easily find gratitude and compassion for him. He is tired and emotionally spent from a days work. He needs a place he can be at ease I feel very strongly that I am to be my husband’s safe place.

I am cautious about addressing my concerns. Not that I do not share my opinions and timidly hold up the wall. But that I am gentle with my words and careful about timing when I do discuss heavy topics with my husband. The moment he walks in the door from work is never the time to bombard him with my concerns, difficulty I have had with the children, or a crisis that came up. That can all wait until he has taken a few long breaths…usually after dinner. I am not saying this is how it is ALWAYS played out in our home, but I do put forth a conscious effort to give him some peace after he gets home, and time my conversations for when he is relaxed. Sometimes, I have waited a few days until he is through a stressful situation at work.

I am not my husband’s critic. When Jim is with me, he should feel free and open. He can be vulnerable with assurance of my support. He shouldn’t be on edge, wondering if he is going to do something to upset me. He shouldn’t have to worry about everything he says in case it might hurt my feelings. He shouldn’t feel my critical eye with how he disciplines the children, eats, organizes his day, or addresses a situation. My husband needs to feel at ease and at home with me. There are times I fail in this matter, but with every passing year, I am learning to allow my husband to make his own paths with my support. Perhaps I will eventually be consistant in relinquishing control of his choices and methods.

I make myself available for companionship. Jim and I curl up on the couch together nearly every evening after the children are in bed. I don’t pull out my knitting, a book, my phone, or the laptop. We might watch a show we both enjoy or a NASCAR race. It makes no difference. I am there, strictly for snuggling. I don’t mind curling up on him and doing nothing for a couple of hours at the end of the day. Being a warm companion is crucial to being my husband’s safe place. My world and his are joined. Although we both have tasks throughout the day that we must do, our hearts are all knotted up together and we look forward to being together the end of each day. I want my husband to long for that time snuggling with me. It is when he is with me that he does not get criticisms, conflict, or reproach.

I want him to be at peace with me. We have had brief seasons of tension, and neither of us like that, and work at making those moments of tension as brief as possible. I am not a perfect, supportive, devoted wife, but I value my position as my husband’s safe place and I guard that role. I struggle with submission, but the point is that I struggle. I do my best to give my husband preferrance. Sometimes that comes easily, and other times it is difficult. But i know, he loves me, and also seeks what is best for me, even if I disagree as to what that might be.

I speak highly of him. I never degrade him in public or private conversation. My husband knows, at least I believe he knows, that I do not ever paint him in a bad light even when chatting with my closest family members and friends. In fact, very much the opposite. He is a fabulous man. So, I honestly have nothing bad to report about him. I love everything about him…even his quirks are very dear to me. The husband of the virtuous woman mentioned in Proverbs 31:23, “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” I believe no man stands a chance of success if he is not promoted first by his wife. No wife does her husband favors if she complains and makes fun of him. I find much of my inspiration from women like Clementine Churchill and Elizabeth Bunyan. Women who truly sustained their husbands through difficult and complicated years. Because of women like them, we have men like Winston Churchill and John Bunyon. 

Now, one might ask if I have a bit of an old-fashioned mentality in such devotion to my husband. Perhaps that is the case, but it is my mentality about the untily of marriage that is probably the motivvation for my adoration of my husband. I believe marriage should have a mutually supportive role, adorned by a selfless love for each other. I don’t see my husband as alone, and he doesn’t see me as alone. We are one…one unit…one person. Just last night, a leaf ended up at the bottom of our sheets. I made the comment that it must have gotten stuck to “our foot.” My husband got a kick out of that, but truly, his foot and my foot are pretty much a part of the same unit in my mind. We don’t peruse our own agendas and goals. We are as one single being working together for one goal. And that goal is to bring God the most glory we are able through our lives, love, and oneness in marriage.

And if anyone were to ask where my safe place is. Most certainly it is with my husband.

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The Second Life of Grandma’s Old Hankies

Old things have gradually found a place in my home. I have a great appreciation for rekindling a period of time when life moved at a slower pace than today. Grandma’s old handkerchiefs have replaced boxes of tissues many times. I keep a hankie in my purse, apron pocket, and bed stand. If my children have rubbed their little noses raw with paper tissues, grandma’s hankies never fail to soften the blow of a cold. The soft batiste cottons of times past are easy on the nose, the economy, and my budget.

Grandma has passed a few stacks of lovely old hankies on to me. Some hankies were folded neatly in a tissue box and paper, with a note about who embroidered them and who they belonged too. My Grandmother is a great family historian. I have found her old handkerchiefs to be a treasure. It is like having a little history in my pocket. I think about my grandmother, aunt, or great-grandmother who finely embroidered the hankie every time I blow my nose, or wipe a tear. Using old handkerchiefs brings me warmth and thoughtfulness for a brief moment. Not one of those hankies can be bought in a store today. I truly cherish them. In a world where paper has replaced finery, I like to bring a little charm back into my life, by incorporating practical pieces of history. For me, grandma’s old handkerchiefs are great additions to my daily life and add a personal touch in a sweet and easy way.

I do not like all things old, for me, it has to save me money, be practical, and it is nice if it belonged to someone I knew. Some other heirloom items I enjoy using in my home are old recipes, furniture, books, and dishes. I don’t keep something for the sake of keeping it. Although, there are a few exceptions to that rule. Overall,  like to be able to use a vintage item, not tuck it away in a chest. My grandmother’s old hankies are certainly one of my favorite keepsakes.