https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog daily 0.75 2021-06-10 https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/home-1 monthly 0.5 2019-12-22 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5dffec0858924f4510c80942/1577053221860/IMG_9512.jpeg Blog - home https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/japanese-cuisine-night monthly 0.5 2020-05-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e6229d5972667493a14e/1578493511072/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-49.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e615125da30c4207042b/1578493500983/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-48.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5ff054a681fdb0da50a/1578493466078/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-35.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5f2e19af805700ac020/1578493455421/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-30.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5ec40c89a03543a483d/1578493444164/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-21.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5d9dc85c857dfaa53d9/1578493430952/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-18.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5d4e19af805700abbf9/1578493425168/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-16.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5c2054a681fdb0d9e5f/1578493405926/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-13.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5c12bf7fe00a3ab3e14/1578493402442/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-11.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e5a9054a681fdb0d98da/1578493483770/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-9.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e590ff63115c0a9e8fd7/1578493357945/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-5.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/5e15e58e054a681fdb0d9487/5e15e58f1508dc7f6dcb2c70/1578493357566/FinchCookingClass_Japanese_110519_FINCH-4.jpg Blog - Japanese Cuisine Night https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/biscuits-that-made-me-cry monthly 0.5 2020-01-31 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5e3461f195862d328a8505b7/1580491258004/buttermilk-biscuits-32-754.jpg Blog - Biscuits that made me cry… https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/why-i-do-this monthly 0.5 2020-02-10 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5e41b968875aae4226828258/1581365928022/shutterstock_92708092_ABC-Analyse.jpg Blog - Why I do this… https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/what-a-wonderful-worldwell-sort-of monthly 0.5 2020-03-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5e5f2e9b44fce322bd7debd8/1583296159485/pantry.jpg Blog - What a wonderful world…{well sort of..} - Picture Nat King Cole with his smooth voice .. thats what this perfectly organized pantry is like for my hubs..buuuttt we have SIX people in our family and only two of them are adults that care about an organized home at this point. So how do we tackle the daily and weekly tasks? We could chat for hours but I will spare you and share what you would see at the closing of my home organization questionnaire: (In case you want/need help I do home evaluations and can be your personal home organizer-just PM me:) First, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS figure our a way to put like items with like items. ALL the scissors in one location, all the pencils/pens etc. It will simplify your life greatly!! Then develop a cleaning schedule that works for you. Here is my weekly schedule: (forgive my kindergarten teacher alliteration background) Mopping Monday-sweep, vacuum and mop the house Tidy Tuesday- pick up all items on the floor and put away Washing Wednesday-fold, hang and put away laundry Thorough Thursday- Clean bathrooms (toilets, sinks, showers, tub) DUST all wood and clean mirrors Frugal Friday-search for ways to save or sell. Make meal plan for week and order groceries Sabbath Saturday-REST-Do the minimal. Serving Sunday-for me this has always been a day where I am serving others either through some form of ministry or otherwise. DAILY: wash & dry a load of laundry-even if its not folded (that waits til Wednesday), Clorox wipe potty seats in powder (guest) bath, take out trash, run dishwasher *note we are a family of six MONTHLY: wipe cabinets exterior, doorknobs, walls where hands touch often, stair rails, light switches (more often if there has been sickness) Check for piles of paper/clothes/other- sort/declutter/discard Now.. wouldn’t it be a wonderful place if it could stay that way? Just kidding of course! I will take all the dirty-fingered messy love I can get! One day they will be gone and my house will be too clean! https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/grannys-bread monthly 0.5 2020-05-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5ed1cefef426f87f63025328/1590808361116/Basic-Homemade-Bread_EXPS_TMBBP19_32480_B06_20_5b.jpg Blog - Granny’s Bread - I can remember being in college and my mom MAILING me homemade bread! Growing up Granny Pace kept us in good supply of bread but when we moved too far for her to deliver, she gave my mom a cup of her “sacred starter”. It had been handed down to her from her mom, and now my mom could make her own! It soon became a favorite in our new town and people called in “Beth Bread”. When I left home in 2001 it was one of the things I missed most other than the people . …And then I got married. If you have read anything on this blog on why I started “Little Joys”, then you will note that I didn’t start our too confident as a HOMEmaker. It wasn’t until after my SECOND child was born that I felt like I might could be trusted with making bread. In 2009 I finally got the guts to ask my mom for a cup of starter and tried for the first time. My kids and I ate an entire loaf before Ben got home from work! It soon became a regular baking event. I sold it for a year or so before Molly was born and now I have decided to sell again. I am SOO excited to share with you what Home TASTES like. Seriously, when I take a bite, it takes me back to when my feet didn’t even touch the floor and I sat in a wooden chair and eating bread as the kitchen window unit blew loudly and Daddy sliced the bread on a wooden cutting board. My dears, go get in YOUR kitchen and decide what tastes like home to you! Then come back and tell me about it would ya? https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/papas-popcorn monthly 0.5 2020-05-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5ed1d60a3a6bea33d5b50897/1590810124714/3020051-poster-1280-popcorn.jpg Blog - Papa’s Popcorn https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/her-hands monthly 0.5 2020-05-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5ed1d88b123e6107721a70dc/1590810801082/Baby-Grandma-Hands-iStock_000005687565XSmall-e1352833438916+%281%29.jpg Blog - Her Hands - Truthfully I had MANY grandmothers. My dad’s mom passed when I was three. I have VERY little memories of her. But God gave me lots of grandmas. There was Granny Pace, Granny Smith, Grammy Lucy, and they each taught me something different. But I remember very vividly each of their hands. I can see Granny Pace as she crotched and knit with her crooked knuckles. I can see Granny Smith’s as she peeled a peach in one loooong strip. I can see Grammy Lucy’s as she would lick one finger to turn a page in my favorite storybook. Granny Pace passed when I was in Junior high, Grammy Lucy when I was a senior in high school and Granny Smith I walked to last week. When I look at their hands I see history. I see hard work. I see love. I see home. One day I will be a grandma (hopefully a long time from now!) But I hope my hands feel like home to my grandchildren! One of those Grandmothers left me a heritage starter for sour dough bread. I have been asked how old the starter is and I have no idea. maybe 100 years or so. Check out another post to read more about the bread. I have one grandmother who gave me a father who loves God’s Word and her gift was his faith. I have one who gave me the gift of courage to fight big fears. Each priceless. Each making me who I am. Each contributing to what HOME feels like for me. https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/toys-in-a-drawer monthly 0.5 2020-07-24 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5f1a47e8a0cd7f1a481dd7d4/1595557882349/1.jpeg Blog - Toys in a drawer https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/u6khlszx3a9xm5klspexywqv1ztry3 monthly 0.5 2020-08-20 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5f3e3d45f9d0b56600e611d2/1597914456809/th+%281%29.jpeg Blog https://www.littlejoysofhome.com/blog/the-blue-house-with-stairs monthly 0.5 2020-10-24 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dffb5d4febc2e2b105b5686/t/5f938425fe16511c0172c10d/1603504661584/blue-house_homewardboundinc_2000.jpg Blog - The Blue House with Stairs I was three. My sister got a dollhouse for Christmas. I told my parents I wanted a blue house with stairs. They told me to ask Santa. I told them I wanted a real house. They said that was out of Santa’s league, that maybe I should pray about that one. Ten months later we moved into a blue house. With stairs. After a grueling day of house hunting, the realtor mentioned a possible option to my parents, but it was a fixer upper. When we pulled in the driveway it was a Miracle on 34th street moment where I proclaimed “Thats it! Thats my blue house with stairs!” I’m sure they looked at each other with what-have-we-gotten-ourselves-into eyes as they signed the papers and we moved in October 23, 1986. We lived there for 9 years. It was my childhood home. I have tons of memories there and leaving it was the hardest thing I had ever done until 2016. I left another home that was a answer-to-prayer-dream-house. But that’s another post. Home is a big deal. Its a place where you feel safe. Some children in foster care have moved so many times you cannot count. Some children don’t have running water and electricity, like children down the street from you. Some children do not know what its like to come home to the smell of a fire in the fireplace and the smell of hot fudge cake or cookies. Some children do not know the feeling of a mom’s hug-probably the most common, comforting and first home any child knows. This year with COVID, home is supposed to be the safe place. Home is a place we are more often than ever. This year home matters a lot-like a ton. I could use this post to raise awareness about child neglect, about foster care, about social distancing, about fixing up houses, BUT, I chose to say let us all make HOME a place where people can feel safe. Our family, ourselves, and may we look for ways our homes can reach those without one, in someway or another. If you need help knowing how to show care for the homeless or motherless, contact me. I have some ways you can help. If you want help making your home feel safe and a haven that welcomes and serves your family, I have some ways I can help. If you want help making your home feel like a well organized relaxing place to enjoy and rejuvenate, I have some ways I can help. 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