Thirteen Essential Kitchen Tools for Starter Cooks

As a young person, in charge of my own kitchen, I was overwhelmed by all of the kitchen gadgets out there. It's kind of hard to know what is actually helpful and what just ends up taking up space.

There are a few things to take into consideration when registering or just deciding what you need in your kitchen:

1.  How much space do you have? Do you have a lot of storage space, or just a little?

2.  How much cooking experience do you have? If you've never cooked in your life, the basics will get you started and as you become more experienced you can collect more specialized items.

3.  What will be practical? If you're moving into a one bedroom apartment, it might be kind of silly to register for 12 place settings of china. Maybe one or two would be more practical (I think it would be fun to get two place settings at the beginning and add to it on each anniversary...you could even pick a new pattern each time!). Or maybe you have absolutely no use or desire for fine china!

Okay, so without further adieu, here are what I consider to be essential kitchen tools for beginner cooks...

1.   Mixing bowls.  I think this is pretty self explanatory. You use them to mix things up.

If you don't have a lot of storage space, serving bowls can double as mixing bowls. My mom had something very similar to this while I was growing up.

Except hers were 70s, pea green. We used them for everything! I made countless batches of chocolate chip cookies in them...and we served countless dishes to company in them. They work. If you work them. :)

2.  A hand mixer. So you can mix things up. Cause things need to be mixed up.

You can use it to whipped mashed potatoes or make yummy cookies or cakes.

3.  A skillet. There are debates on what types to use. Some say nonstick. Some say stainless steel, and still others say cast iron. Do your research and decide for yourself. We all have different priorities and information means different things to different people.

Whatever you decide, decide on quality. Don't go for cheap. They warp and don't cook evenly. Invest in your family and in your sanity and go for the good stuff.

4.  A saucepan. Again, do your research and decide what fits with your needs and lifestyle.

5.  A cookie sheet. To make lots of yummy cookies! Sheet pans also work well as cookie sheets, so it might be nice to have one of each. I personally don't care for stoneware for cookie baking. I prefer stoneware for pizza and casseroles.


6. A 9x13 baking dish. You can bake cakes and casseroles in them. There are tons of uses for them. Piece of advice...Pam is not for baking...when you put it in the oven it creates a sticky coat on your bake ware that can be extremely difficult to remove.

7.  A cheese grater. So you can grate cheese that doesn't have that gross cellulose stuff on it. Seriously, freshly grated cheese is yummier. A fine grater is used for hard cheeses like Parmesan. A course grater is typically used for softer cheeses like cheddar.

8.  Knives. Good ones. The ones that can cut your fingers off VERY easily. But here's the thing. Good knives are an investment. An investment that is worth making. If you need to gradually collect them, choose a multipurpose knife to start out with.

But if you choose to make this investment, take care of them. Read the instructions and properly care for them so that your investment will pay off. Good knives will last a lifetime (some of them are guaranteed to!).

9.  Measuring cups and spoons. So you can properly measure stuff.

10.  A colander. So you can drain liquid off of noodles, potatoes and grease off of meat.

11.  Wooden spoons. For stirring stuff. Cause you know, you're gonna need to stir stuff.

12.  Spatulas for baking. And spatulas for flipping things and scraping the bottom and sides of your skillets. For stirring stuff and scraping the sides of bowls and pans to incorporate ingredients properly!

13.   Cutting boards. So you don't scratch the surface of your table or counter top with your super duper sharp knives! The thing with these is that you probably should have more than one. It's not wise to cut up raw meat and veggies on the same cutting board. Cause who wants their veggies marinating in raw chicken juice, right?!

Okay, so I'm sure I've left things off. What do YOU think are essential kitchen items for a beginner cook? And specific products you recommend?

Beginner Cooking Know-How

I say "Beginner" because I'm barely even qualified to teach a beginner and most of these are obvious to seasoned cooks.

Okay, so to be honest I'm pretty sure my mom and Grandma tried to teach me all of these things. But for some reason I didn't listen and ended up having to learn the hard way.

1.  Read. the. entire. recipe. before you start. Okay, so a lot of recipes rely on the chemical reactions of the ingredients to produce the desired end result. Sometimes that means letting something sit overnight or doing things in a certain order. If you don't read the entire recipe you may find yourself in a bind and unable to complete the recipe or complete it incorrectly and getting a less than desirable result.

2.  Get out all of your ingredients before you start. Or at least make sure you have them all. I do like to get them all out in the beginning though. If the recipe contains different sections you can get your ingredients out in sections. But put them away as you use them. That way when you're done you won't have as big of a mess to clean up.

It can also be helpful to measure everything out before you start.

3.  If you have the opportunity to create a registry (whether for a housewarming or wedding or just because you want to)...first determine what tools you will most likely have use and room for and then do research about which ones will serve your family best. Sometimes the cheap Walmart version will serve the best, sometimes the high end kitchen store option will serve best. Be willing to invest in your role of "keeper of the home".  Having good tools will make life easier and make you more likely to enjoy being in the kitchen, or at least get you out of there faster!

4. If you have a dishwasher, unload it before you start cooking and load it as you go. That way when you're done you don't have a sink full of dishes. If you don't have a dishwasher, fill the sink with hot, soapy water and at least put the dirty dishes in it as you go.

5.  Margarine is NOT butter.

6.  Be a learner.  Don't be offended when your mom, grandma or mother-in-law takes over something you're doing...take it as an opportunity to watch and learn and hone your skill. Ask them questions and really listen when they answer. Then take that knowledge and apply in it in your own unique way. And who knows?! After you've gathered the wisdom and knowledge of a few women (or men), you may be able to combine the pros and cons of each method and blow them all away with your culinary prowess!

So there you go. I know I didn't cover everything that could be covered...I didn't want to overwhelm you all with my vast culinary knowledge (liar, liar pants on fire!). Juuuust kidding!

What do you consider to be essential cooking knowledge to a beginner?

Betty Crocker's Ugly Step Sister

I admit it. If Betty Crocker were a real person and she had an ugly step sister, I'm pretty sure it would be me.

She'd be her lovely self creating beautiful culinary wonders in the kitchen...she'd never have flour on her face, dress or in her hair.

And then there'd be me, looking over her shoulder in a cloud of flour...hair a mess and streaked with flour...trying to learn her secrets...and failing miserably!

Last week I made my first successful batch of from-scratch biscuits. After two other attempts I finally got it right. They were light and fluffy and delicious. Of course, now I'll have to remember how I did it...which is just as likely as it was that I'd create something edible in the first place!

Of course, if I'd just followed a recipe in the first place I probably could have gotten it right the first time...but when I do that I feel like I've cheated and am a fraud for accepting compliments.

I love understanding the 'why' behind a recipe. I love going into the kitchen and understanding how different ingredients work and putting them together to create something yummy.

It's funny though, while I typically am disappointed when something doesn't work, it's almost as exciting as when it does work. Because then I get to figure out WHY it didn't work, and go into the kitchen better prepared to produce the desired result.

Don't get me wrong, I do use recipes. There aren't enough hours in the day or ingredients on the shelf to experiment 24/7. And when more than just my sweet, little, compassionate family is going to be eating it I get all self conscious and usually search out a recipe...unless I've made my own a bazillion times and my family has assured me that it is ready for public consumption!

I recently went on a trek to find a good vanilla cake recipe and so far, this is it! I also recently made this chocolate cake with the referenced frosting. While it was good, it wasn't the best chocolate cake I've ever had. But it was quick and easy and the frosting (which was just a simple buttercream) was yum!

Last week, I went in search of a cookie recipe that I already had the ingredients for. I didn't find any, so I went in the kitchen, got out the ingredients I was willing to use and set out to make a shortbread cookie. It didn't really turn out that way, they were more like sugar cookies, but I'm determined to get it right eventually! And I had a fabulous time tossing the ingredients in like a mad scientist!

What do you LOVE doing? Are you good at it? What do you love about it?

Holding Back the Floodwaters

I am always intrigued by other peoples homes. Seeing or being inside someone else's home is like a little glimpse into their souls. You can learn a lot about people just by being inside their home.

It's difficult for me not to get caught up in comparison. Not because I'm jealous of their material possessions, but because I feel so behind.

Yes, when you come into my home you can learn a lot about me, but what you learn about me is not what I want to be true.

It's like when you're paying off debt. You may no longer be that irresponsible person who created those debts, but you still have to pay them. And sometimes it feels defeating.

Our living room is half painted, the bathroom is covered in a variety of paint colors because my daughter thought the bathroom should give a preview of the paint colors in all the other rooms. I feel like my housekeeping efforts are like a rickety dam with a crack in it, barely holding back the flood waters.

If you stop by my house unannounced, it's very likely that I won't let you in because my house is a mess.

To be honest, I do see areas of growth. I do have a laundry pile, but I'm pretty sure I could get it all done in one day...which is a huge improvement upon years past.
I feel like I'm missing something. Other women who are my age and at my approximate stage of life have clean, decorated, homey homes. And I want that desperately. But I feel like I'm missing some chip in my brain that renders me incapable of that. Not because God didn't give me that "chip" but because I broke it somehow.  And I honestly have no idea how to fix it.

I know that I'm probably going to get some emails asking if I'm okay, and I am okay. I probably just need a hug. But the only person I've seen today is the FedEx man and it seemed a little out of his job description and kind of inappropriate to hug him! :)

Okay, I'm going to go reinforce the flood gates so maybe the dam won't break today. :) Pray for me?

Granola Bars!

The desire to cut out processed/convenient foods has greatly impacted our lives. I think that most of us dread  and are turned off by the time that is involved in making things from scratch. And I'll be honest, it does require a lot of time in the kitchen...but I honestly don't think that whipping up a batch of granola bars takes any more time than running to the store to pick up a box of granola bars...and you skip all the extra junk that is in store bought granola bars!

I will say that I prefer to send a piece of fruit and in the winter when our orange tree is producing, that's pretty much our staple school snack. But I like to mix it up a little sometimes with some homemade goodness.

The thing I love about these granola bars is that I know exactly what is in them, they are sturdy--they can survive a backpack and still remain intact, and it's easy to "mix it up".

Here's what you'll need

4 1/2 cups of oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup (you could substitute brown sugar, if you prefer...use the same amount either way)
2/3 cup melted butter
2 cups total of whatever "pieces" you want to add--chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts

Preheat your oven to 325 and prepare a 9x13 pan (butter/flour whatever you want to use to keep the bars from sticking).

Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I don't bother with a mixer...a pastry blender would work well...I use a spatula). Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the well. Mix everything together and spoon and press into your prepared pan.

Bake around 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown.

Let me know if you try them and tell me what you think or how you improved them!

Avoiding Convenience Foods

Photo Credit http://www.whattomakefordinner.org/

I absolutely know what it's like to be dog tired. I know what it's like to get to the end of the day and realize that I haven't even THOUGHT about dinner.

I also know the temptation to drive to the drive thru at that point. I've been there and done that.

Fast food and even most store-bought convenience foods are hard on the budget. And over the last few years we have gradually cut out 95% of our fast food/convenience food consumption. I do still buy the occasional box of Dino Bites and even less often we go for fast food.


The thing is, I still have days where I'm dog tired...and realize at the end of the day that I have no idea what we're gonna have for dinner. All of this has been a learning experience for me and I've discovered that there are a few things that profoundly effect the peace of our home around 5 o'clock in the evening and make dinner a much more pleasant experience for my whole family.

1.  Meal planning. I don't do anything fancy. There are some really cute, free (woohoo! who doesn't love free stuff?!) menu planning pages out there. Sometimes I'm all fancy and use one of those and sometimes I use a blank sheet of paper that nobody but me could make heads or tails of. My family really enjoys it when I post my menu plan on the fridge so they can check it and either get excited about dinner or check their attitude and count their blessings that they get to have their least favorite meal instead a bowl of grasshoppers.

I should note that I don't necessarily decide in advance on what day we will have which meal. Sometimes I just make a list of the assortment of meals we'll have for the next two weeks and then decide on a daily basis what we'll actually have on that day.

2.  Make a grocery list based on my meal plan. I try to base my menu plan around a few key ingredients. Like if one recipe calls for half of a whole chicken I would either have that meal twice or find another recipe that calls for the other half of the chicken...so I don't end up wasting half a chicken because we're having beef all the other nights...you know what I mean?

3.  Make a big batch of ingredients that take a while to cook, like brown rice (which takes 25-40 minutes) and beans (which can take HOURS to prepare) to keep in the fridge (I know that you can buy canned beans but I just think dried beans are healthier). Tonight I did a variation of Cheesy Beef and Rice. The rice was already cooked so I threw it in the casserole, and since I had them in the fridge I included lentils...so I cut at least half an hour off of dinner prep time (and the dishes I would have had to dirty to cook them are already done!).

4.  I unload my dishwasher before starting dinner prep so all I have to do is stick the dishes in as I am done using them and most of the dishes are done before we even have dinner. The kids are also in the habit now of putting THEIR plates in the dishwasher. So I don't have a sink full of dishes staring me down and overwhelming me after dinner and I can sit and enjoy dinner with my family in a stress free environment!

Convenience foods are...convenient but it's not that difficult to make homemade dinners more doable. And nothing beats the fun (and confidence boost) of my kids trying to think of the name I should give the restaurant they think I should be head chef of.

Pumpkin Pie!

Today started out rough. I had this wonderful plan that I was going to work outside in our yard all day.

I wheeled the lawn mower out to the front yard, fully expecting my plans to gracefully fall into place. But after an hour of trying to start the dumb thing and actually crying (yes, I did cry over the fact that the lawn mower wouldn't start...I'm ridiculous...I know...I'm pretty sure there was a pride issue here) I finally gave up (that is painful for me to say...maybe God was workin on my pride??).

So instead I decided to wing my way through making a pumpkin pie (w/ a graham cracker crust to change it up and homemade whipped cream), completely from scratch. I researched the components of pumpkin pie and then decided to kind of wing my way through it.

Yes, those are kid fingerprints. Don't judge me. :)

I started off making graham crackers. I doubled the recipe so my family would have some to eat since they are soooooooooo good. I put half into a plastic bag and crushed them and mixed them with a little coconut oil and pressed them into a baking stone.

Then I mixed up the goop for the filling. I used honey and maple syrup as my sweeteners in place of white sugar, four eggs, typical pumpkin pie spices, a little salt, a little vanilla, some of the fresh pumpkin puree I whipped up yesterday and whipping cream (most recipes call for condensed milk but I don't have any and canned milk seems kind of yucky to me!).

I filled the crust with the filling and stuck it in the oven until it looked done to me.

 I kind of chickened out of the whipped cream but at the last minute whipped up a batch. So YUM! And just as easy as getting cool whip from the store (easier in my case because I had all the ingredients--heavy whipping cream, honey and vanilla--on hand).

I pulled the pie out of the oven and let it cool for a bit and then served up pieces--complete with a dollop of whipped cream--to my family.

 And the verdict?! While it tastes REALLY good (although probably not the best I've ever had...but it was very much fresh and THAT was a nice change)...the consistency was not what I had hoped. Using honey and maple syrup make it a little heavier, I think, than white sugar and some adjustments need to be made there.

Also, if I use the same proportions I think two smaller pans would work better...the filling struggled to get cooked completely through because it was so thick.

Overall it was a success. Not because it was the best pumpkin pie ever consumed...but because I put myself out there to create something (which has been really difficult for me to do in the past!), I did my best and even though it wasn't a complete success I learned something and hopefully my next attempt will benefit from the wisdom and experience I gained from this one.

The Crazy Bike Lady

My awesome new bike!

So today, while I was riding my awesome new bike, I caught myself talking to...myself. And not, you know, in my head talking to myself. I was actually mouthing the words.

My little luggage rack...it extends. So I can even ride it to do small shopping trips!

I'm pretty sure I'm officially our towns "crazy bike lady". Pretty soon I'll be pulling one of those child seats full of cans and bottles and swatting at invisible flies.

My super awesome cup-holder and basket!!!

Anyway, so last week Michael received an extra grant from school. Whenever we get extra money we try to really hard to use it for things that will have a long term positive effect. So we buy things like meat that are hard on our budget but that will keep in the freezer and ease the grocery dilemma.

Well, so Michael decided that we would purchase a bike for me to ride around town when the kids are at school to save money on gas. Woohoo! So far it's saved us $7.26. Not much but it will add up over time! I'm looking forward to keeping track of it.

The funny thing is, after a day of feeling really good about being able to make some purchases that we need and looking forward to making some repairs (like a broken window in our living room) we found out that the transmission on our "wild indian wagon" was going to need to be rebuilt. There went the remainder of our little cushion. And our window is still broken.

I have to tell you, I was angry. I was frustrated. I felt guilty, like I had misused our funds.

When I go to the grocery store, it's stressful. All the way there and all the way through the store I pray. I ask God to help me make wise decisions and to make purchases that will benefit my family and make the best use of our resources.

And so, when we received this extra money and I was able to go to the grocery store, I was still counting on being able to do our regular grocery shopping (I didn't purchase things like eggs that are fairly easy to come by in our normal budget...I bought meats and things that we don't normally get to buy but that will last a long time). But with the car repairs, it just wasn't possible.

You know, I guess I thought that God owed me. I thought that since I work so hard to be frugal and be a good steward that God was "rewarding" me for all my hard work and that I deserved that money. And when it was "taken away" I got a angry (wow, sounds like toddler drama!).

But Michael reminded me of something. There is a long chain of events here. And if any of the events had varied much, we would be "up the crick".

Back in June when we were returning home from Texas, our van broke down and Michael's parents let us bring theirs home. If that hadn't happened, we would not have a working vehicle (Michael's motorcycle needs some repairs), Michael would not be able to go to work or school and he'd probably have lost both.

Also, it's very interesting that we received this unexpected money just TWO DAYS before the transmission went out. If we hadn't received that money we would not have been able to pay for the repairs.

It's amazing how selfish and spoiled I am. And how easily I fall into the mentality that my good works can earn blessings from God. And that if I'm "good" God owes me good things.

It reminds me of the Israelites when they were about to enter the promised land and God warned them that in their prosperity it would be easy to forget where they had come from, where HE had brought them from and what HE had done for them. They complained about the food, they complained when they were thirsty and constantly disobeyed God, but He took care of them. Yeah, they were in a desert but He GAVE them food (they didn't even have to hunt for it, all they had to do was pick it up), He gave them water, He even supplied them with sandals that never wore out.

God is good. Yeah, we're broke again. But we are taken care of, and while I'm not going to presume to say what God does and does not do, some amazing things have happened in the last week. And there is nothing to do but to praise God for His goodness and mercy.

Changes, Changes, Yummy Changes!

I love cooking from scratch. I love using fresh ingredients in their whole-est, most natural state I can get my hands on. I've even wanted to try my hand at canning. I love the idea of having a pantry full of yumminess that has been preserved at my hand.

Gradually I've tried to cut out canned and processed foods. This week...I learned to make my own pumpkin puree! Woohoo! One step closer to not being dependent on convenience foods!

 You might think I'm crazy, and there are a lot of details that I have to work out, but starting January 1st (I actually have a feeling it will be a gradual process between now and then) I plan to begin a year of working with the freshest, whole-est foods that I can get my hands on.

Does that mean making my own butter or buying it raw and as unprocessed as possible? Can I find a dairy farmer to purchase fresh milk from? What budget-ary adjustments will I have to make? Where can I purchase unprocessed grains to grind for flour? How do I start a compost pile, an herb garden and how big of a garden should I plant next year?

I don't know the answers to all of these things. I'm currently doing research. If you have any websites or advice please send them my way.

At this point I'm excited...and a little overwhelmed by the things I don't know.

There's a lot to be done...but I'm excited to see the results and enjoy the fruit of my labor! And see the difference a whole foods diet will make in the health and lifestyle of my family!

My first use of my fresh pumpkin puree!

Sometimes I...

It's so easy to only show the positive side of things online...obviously we all want to put our best foot forward and we want everyone to think the best of us.

Yeah, nobody follows "the letter of the law" but I certainly want you to think I do. I want you to know all the good things I do and I want to hide all the garbage in my life. So, for the sake of really being honest and portraying a balanced (well, ya know) view of my life...

Sometimes I don't feel like unloading the dishwasher so I pretend I forgot to run it and run it again.
Sometimes I stop working out in the middle of a workout.
Sometimes I sleep in and let my kids watch cartoons on Saturday morning.
I absolutely would not want you to look inside my fridge right now.
I've been on day 24 of the FlyLady BabySteps for like two weeks now.
I pretty much only straighten my couch covers when someone is coming over.
I'm behind on laundry right now and I'm folding socks just in time for my kids to wear them.

And now...for your reading pleasure (or maybe not...remember how I said this is a blog to read if you want to feel better about yourself? I'm pretty sure a monkey could write better poetry...but hey...I'm putting myself "out there"...where ever "out there" is. I thought about writing Michael a poem...but then he really dislikes my poetry so it would be more of a present to NOT write him one! So I wrote one about the laundry.)

Ode to Laundry

Laundry you lie there

a cowboy at dawn
walking ten paces
gun swiftly drawn

You lie there and grow
like a bowl full of yeast
You smell and consume
like a big burly beast

Someday I'll conquer
this challenging foe
The floor in my laundry
refreshingly show

2 Rooms down, 5 More To Go!

I finished all of the laundry room and kitchen chores and I'm pooped! They weren't really bad to start with but I just wanted to really get in there and deep clean everything. And I had a lot of reorganization to do as well. Here's a little mini tour of my house, the rest will come as I get it done! I'm just gonna warn you, the lighting is bad. We've switched over to the more economical light bulbs and they don't produce good picture quality! I apologize! Oh and just for the record, I'm not expecting company any time soon.

Gratituesday!

My house FEELS cleaner! I finished most of the laundry room and kitchen chores today.

Reorganizing the cabinets, getting rid of the hutch altogether and moving everything around was a much bigger chore than I first thought. It took most of the day, but it feels so stinkin' good to have it done.

I don't have a lot of storage in my kitchen. So when my sweet aunt was redoing her kitchen, she gave me some of her old cabinets. Which Michael and his dad were kind enough to put up for me, LAST DECEMBER!

Although I had been using them, I wasn't maximizing their potential. So today, I worked on deciding what would go where, washed out all of my cabinets and then restocked them accordingly. Tomorrow I'll finish up in the kitchen and laundry room. It feels so good to get all of this done.

I am so thankful for the extra space and for all of the lovely people who made it possible!!!

Gratituesday

Sometimes it's nice to turn off the phones, shut down the computer and turn off the tv. The lack of noise is so peaceful and allows for good conversation.

I am so thankful for our family time. Every Friday we try to have just our little family do a group of fun activities together. Sometimes we play games, sometimes we fly kites, sometimes we bake. It doesn't really matter what we're doing. It's just lovely to be together and enjoy each others company and to remember how much we like each other.

Making My Home a Haven

I'm not a decorator. I wish I was but I'm just not. At all. I can come up with good ideas sometimes, but it's rare. I think my last one was ten years ago.

I was a preacher's kid and we moved a lot. I've lived in 25 houses and I'm only 27. So it's kind of hard for me to become attached to a house and even harder for me to feel motivated to make my house all homey, just to have to move again.

My house has no personality. The walls are bare, except for a few hand prints. I don't have pictures hanging or anything that would tell you anything about who I am. It's sad really. Some complete stranger could come and take up residence and nobody would even be able to tell the difference!

So in the coming months, my goal is to make my house more homey. To actually leave evidence of who we are on the walls. Because the only thing you could guess by looking at my walls right now is that I have kids, who don't spell, but who own markers and love to draw.

Making My Home a Haven With Before and After Pics

Yay! It's a beautiful day! And, as Anne Shirley says "tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it". Today is that day! This is my opportunity!

Here are this weeks Making Your Home a Haven challenges
1. Take 15 minutes to do something I've dreaded doing--the bookcase in my hallway. The hallway probably isn't the best place for a bookcase. Quite often those walking by accidentally knock a book off.2. Something I've been procrastinating about--cleaning off the desk. I forgot to take a before picture.3. A pile I need to clean up--my dresser. It's bad!

4. Spend quality time with my family--that'll be easy but I'm not sure what I'm gonna do that's out of the ordinary.

Being June Cleaver

Sometimes I wonder what God was thinking blessing me with these precious souls to train and nurture. When I was expecting the twins people would tell me that God would not give me more than I could handle.

Well, He must have more confidence in me than I do--that's all I can say.

Very often, I let myself off the hook. Allowing my feelings of inadequacy to keep me from using my talents. I am the one talent man who buried his talent. Very sad indeed.

In my search for a miracle cure, something that will suddenly make me June Cleaver, I have read many books.

But, as you might have guessed, so far I haven't found the magic Mrs. Cleaver tonic.

I have found some things that have helped me.

Flylady is a really awesome resource. I am not subscribed to the site, but I have been in the past. The emails get really overwhelming to me. However the information is still good. The whole getting-dressed-to-the-shoes thing really does work. And I feel so good going into my kitchen and being momentarily blinded by the beauty of my sink. I may have to retry it, the site looks a lot different.

Reading the blogs of other women who have a desire to glorify God through caring for their husbands, their home and children has really helped as well. It has aided me in seeing the necessity of serving my husband and nurturing my children in a biblical manner.

Reading the book of Proverbs has given me a new perspective and opened my eyes to a lot of wrong attitudes I have and has provided me with much encouragement as well.


There is so much information out there, and so much that I have left to learn. I have so much growing to do!!