Well, it looks like this kitchen is going to take on it's own look. We were able to get the cabinets at a great price but they are not very "tuscan" looking. They are a natural birch. The lighter color may actually help with the problem of having no windows in the kitchen. I am still thinking of tile counters and backsplash. We shall have to see what I find and if time will allow.

Our Phoenix Remodel

Our first project is to get the kitchen done. As you can tell it is very much needed! The first thing we did was to remove the wall between the kitchen and the room next to it.

I am hoping to achieve a Tuscan sort of look. I found some nice floor tile and my hubby is working on a pattern for the floor. I am debating on tile for the counters.

My challenge will be the fact that there are no windows. The best I can think of is to paint the walls a cream color. I will keep searching!

I have a lot of black iron accents to use. I am looking for some more pottery to use as well.

The Colors I have tentatively picked out are Terra Cotta, cobalt blue, yellow and olive green.

I started planning on what I will be able to grow this year. We just bought a house in Phoenix (Yes, we are moving again!) that we are at present remodeling so I will have to do container gardens. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs and summer squash are on my list. I am hoping to find something that I can grow onions in.

There are a lot of cinder blocks that the previous owner left behind so next year I hope to have some raised beds to put my garden in!

P.s. I will try to keep up to date on how the remodel is going!

Guests

1Peter 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
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I love having guests over! It gives me an opportunity to show them how much they mean to me. In other words: I SPOIL THEM!!

Some things I like to do for stay over guests:

*Make the bed with attractive linens.

*A bedside table with a reading light and clock. I also like to put out some bottled water and a glass.

*Leave some empty hangers and open space in the closet.

* Provide a place to put there suitcase.

* Put out a basket with things they may need like sample sized bottles of lotion, shampoo, conditioner etc. Chapstick and mints are nice too.

* leave some reading material to suit my guest.

* Place a small empty laundry basket in the room.

* Fresh flowers
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Even if the guests are only coming for a meal I will leave things in the bath to make their stay pleasant. The basket mentioned above works well. Fresh towels and of course extra rolls of toilet paper are very welcome too!

SEW AN EASY SKIRT

1. 2-1yard lengths of 45" fabric. I'm a big girl you smaller ladies will need to cut some fabric off one of the finished edge or, depending on the fabric and your size you could use one length and just fold in half andsew one seam down the finished edges.

2. Hold the elastic around your waist, stretching it a little, overlap the edges and cut.

3. Sew and press open seams on finished edge.

4. For casing, start by turning over and pressing the edge at 2".

5. Match raw edge with crease at 1" .

6. Press edge only.

7. For hem Press a 1" edge.

8. Press raw edge to crease and press only the edge.

9. Sew along the very edge leaving an opening about of about 1" for the elastic to go through. Do the same for the hem only you don't need to leave an opening.

10. Use a large safety pin to guide the elastic through the casing.

11. Hand sew opening closed.

5 months after moving I finally have a housekeeping plan that works for this house! Oh the joy of getting up to a clean kitchen! How wonderful to see the laundry room floor! What pride in knowing I can have last minute guests!

In our new home, not only do we have MORE rooms but we are on a money saving power plan that limits my use of power between 12p.m. and 7p.m. That means all my work involving big appliances needs to be done before noon and I can't start dinner until after 7p.m.

What finally helped was just writing things down. (Like when I realized that the last load of laundry to dry in the dryer had to start washing no later than 10a.m.) I had little pieces of paper all over for a while, but then I collected them and I wrote out a loose schedule.

How wonderful to know my hubby comes home to a clean house and knowing that there will be a yummy supper for him!

/www.flylady.net/index.asp (a great way to get started!)

The Heart of my "Head Start" cooking are good mix cookbooks. I was blessed to receive Make a Mix and Mix a Meal as gifts when I was a young wife. I Learned how to "tweak" the recipes by swapping healthier ingredients like whole wheat pastry flour for all purpose.

My boys loved to help mix the mixes, so it was time well spent for getting ahead! They learned how to properly measure and at the same etime learned about fractions. "Let's double it today." Let's only make half."

A God Ordained Job

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.Titus 2:3-5

(King James Version)
3The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE

Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Just spent the morning doing what I call "Head Start" cooking. Browned up 5# of hamburger and a bunch of chicken breast to freeze for slowcooker recipes and put a big batch of beans to soak so they can slow cook overnight and be frozen tomorrow. Tomorrow I will have a muffin baking spree (Cheddar jalapeno corn, tarrago...n bacon and some sweet ones for breakfast.) and cook up a bunch of rice to freeze.

P.S. 2 cups cooked hamburger is equal to 1# raw.