Pallet for Home

In my last post, I covered the goal setting and planning tools I use around my home, with a promise to reveal my Household Control Journal.

Accused of being a control freak from time to time, for alot of people I'm also the go-to person in a pinch, so I guess there are trade-offs to being organized and keeping up with one's own life! 

It's imporant to be prepared, especially in case of an emergency, and it is convenient to be organized in your everyday life. That being said, a Household Control Journal can become a behemouth in about 2 seconds, so think about it's purpose before springing into action to make your own!  FishMama and FlyLady have their own, each with a specific purpose in mind. 

Here's mine...

Decorated with calendar artwork, my three ring binder has been the perfect set-up for my Household Control Journal.  I also have a Daily Control Journal, Medical Control Journal, a Financial Control Journal, and a History-of-this-House Control Journal, but I'll have to cover those one at a time!

~ K.I.S.S. it!

The purpose of a control journal is to tame the documents of life, so Keep It Simple, Sister! Mine includes the following categories in this order:

Emergency Contacts ~ one page for basic names, phone numbers, addresses

Emergency Plan ~ a "read this first" plan that says what to grab and what to leave in case of a major emergency (fire, disaster, evacuation, etc.)

Perscription Information ~ I hole-punch the papers from the pharmacy with our scrip info and put them right into the binder.  Easy to replace a perscription this way, since it contains all the dosage and technical information.

Personal Phone Book ~ form pages to fill in, rather than writing on the backs of envelopes and little scraps of paper here and there!

Business Phone Book ~ also filled in form pages.

Online Account Information ~ lists of who I do business with online, usernames and passwords can be included for non-critical accounts.  This can be a great timesaver!

Rewards Program Statements ~ hotels, grocers, airline miles, etc.

Rewards Program Cards ~ in baseball card holders, especially helpful to keep the wallet from getting overloaded!

Bulk Food Ordering Information ~ I keep the most current list of what I ordered, so I'll remember what I purchased, and what the prices were compared today's costs.

Pantry/Freezer Inventory ~ usually taken every six months, spring and fall.

Current Calendar ~ again print free from internet or software

Chore Charts ~ my scheduled household chores, and kids chores if applicable

Vehicle Records ~ maintenance records, description information, etc.

Maps ~ local, state, and emergency maps in sheet protector pockets

Disaster Information ~ evacuation plans, triage information, etc.

Catalogs ~ bulk food catalogs, and mail-order only company catalogs, in the back pocket.

That's it in a nutshell.  Remember to keep your journal simple, tailor it to your needs, and use it!  The best made organizers do nothing if left on the shelf.  I position mine close to my desk/computer space, so I can access it easily, I make a conscious choice to use it. 


I does not contain my weekly shopping lists, daily goals, lists of errands, etc.  because that's not the purpose. 

Plan to update the journal regularly, and write a reminder on your Family Calendar to check for needed updates every so often.  Purpose to establish the habit of using your journal on a weekly basis or daily basis at first, and eventually it will be a lifelong habit with a very positive effect on your life!

My Big Give results for the week were pretty exciting!  I was able to clean out a little of the pantry, and decided to bless another family with some of my abundance.  I also cleared out several clothing items from our closets, and a few odd dishes that really were not necessary.  So since the new year, I've given 23 items away! 

Sadly, I also broke an antique lamp because my giveaway box had become lodged under the bookshelf where the lamp was sitting.  So, my house is actually 24 items lighter, but I'm not counting the lamp in my total since I could only throw it away after the disaster! Needless to say, I was not a happy camper after that little incident, and the 30 minutes it took to clean up the glass from my concrete floors.

As far as the Pantry Challenge, I've done really well this week.  We finished off the last of the fresh strawberries from the wedding, but still have plenty of other fruits.  One night we had Crockpot Swiss Steak, and I saved half the package of steak to marinate and grill.  We also had a turkey soup made with the frozen carcass from Christmas. It stretched into lunches for two days for the whole family!  I'll include the recipe below.

We had the steaks I set aside on Friday night with baked potatoes, and steamed cauliflower, and watched a bit of Little Dorrit.  If you like costume dramas, keep reading as I have links and news for the latest BBC/PBS films now airing.

My overall spending for the week was $26.34 but the breakdown reveals I actually did quite well.  I purchased lunch for myself, my dd17 and a friend we picked up after car trouble for a cost of $8.65.  I also purchased 2 gallons of raw milk ($7.50), because my friend was going to the dairy (about 45 minutes away.)  I also was given another gallon of milk the same day, so I have enough now for two weeks!  Overall, that puts my spending in the $10 range for Week 3!  It's my best total yet!

If you're interested in free entertainment, I have great news! In case you haven't heard, Return to Cranford is playing now on Masterpiece, Sunday nights on PBS. If you missed the first episode, you can watch it online here. The second episode will air tomorrow evening.  Check your local listings for times!

When it concludes, I believe the new Emma with Romola Garai will begin the following week.  We have seen it once already online, and it was excellent.  This is another great BBC/PBS movie we will own! 

Here's the recipe for Gramps' Chicken Basil Soup and then directions on how I modified it.

Gramp's Chicken Basil Soup
In crockpot, assemble the following:
1 chicken leg/thigh portion or 2 thighs
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed, and diced
3 cloves garlic
3 chicken bullion cubes
lots of basil, dried or fresh.  We like fresh best, leaves only, chopped fine. *
sea salt
pepper
cayenne to taste (about 1/2 tsp. is my preference)
water to cover everything plus two to three cups

Reserve the following:
1/2 cup cooked barley**
2/3 cup cooked rice***

Add ingredients except rice and barley to crockpot.  Cook all day on low.  Stir in barley and rice about 30 minutes before serving.  Can also be cooked on stove.

Now here are my notes and modifications:
*basil ~ I prefer to use fresh from the garden, and because of the bulk of fresh leaves, the measurement is probably about 1 to 1/2 loose cups of leaves.  If using dry, use at least 1 Tbsp. crushed, (meaning crush it in your palm before adding to soup!).  Let it cook all day, then add more to taste at end, if needed.

**barley ~ I don't prefer barley, but will use it occassionally.  Don't add uncooked barley, as the starch will make the soup slimey and thick, like pudding.  Not a good texture for soup, trust me.

**rice ~ If cooking on the stove, you can add uncooked rice, and let simmer until the rice is tender.  Just make sure you have enough liquids to keep the soup from getting too thick, as rice absorbs 1 1/2 cups or so of liquids for every 1 cup of dry rice.  You may also use frozen rice, or leftover rice from another dish and add to crockpot during last hour or so of cooking time.

This is a very "forgiving" recipe and a family favorite here, when served with a crusty bread and green salad.

I used the carcass of my Christmas turkey to make the broth for this soup, by using the Bone Broth recipe that includes a little bit of vinegar to draw the nourishment from the bones.  The one I use is actually from Nourishing Traditions, but the one listed above looks about the same.  If you haven't made this recipe, you really should try it.  It's especially great if you've had any type of illness because the nutrients are bio~available.  I make my bone broth in the crockpot for 18 hours, or on the stove for about 6 hours.

One of the the things I love best about home educating is that we set our own schedule for school, and if we are wise, we recognize limits, observe our own boundaries, and take time to do what is important, rather than what is seems urgent. 

Being involved in co-operative classes with other homeschoolers meant that, this year, our semester started on January 4, much earlier than we have EVER started back to school after Christmas break.  With the wedding at the end of that first week, there was no way we were going to be able to do school well, so I made the administrative decision to add two weeks margin to our calendar.

The verse God has given me for 2010 is a clear guide and I'm listening.  Proverbs 31: 16 says:

16 She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

With that in mind, and the fact that I had a migraine for two days after the wedding, I've taken some down~time to think about my goals for the upcoming semester, and year. Here are a few things I will be implementing:

1.  Simplify!  ~ This is an ongoing challenge for me, and one I'm working on in all areas of my life.

2.  Give! ~ I'm going to do my own "Big Give" in 2010, as part of the Declutter Challenge hosted by AmysFinerThings.  I don't have a garage, or time for a garage sale, so my goal is to give away 730 things from my home during 2010.  I know I can do this and I'm excited about the idea.  I've added a widget in the right hand column with a counter to track the progress of my giving.

3.  Read! ~ With a Lion/Beaver personality, and a love language to others of Acts of Service, I have a hard time justifying taking time to sit and read, other than studying my Bible.  I know that this is an area I need to improve, so I am committing to read one book a month from my personal reading list, (all school materials are excluded!).

4.  Say NO! ~ My husband was not pleased with my physical condition after devoting so much time and energy to a recent project, and has asked that I take some time away from say "no" when I am asked to help with projects in the future.  I don't know how long this sabbatical will last, and he didn't know about the Proverbs 31 verse, so it was just a confirmation that I need to be at home more.