Homemaking Homesteader

It’s Been Awhile!

11:54, 2008-Mar-1 .. 8 comments .. Link

Well I took a blogging vacation.. not intentionally but rather by default. I had a huge and building and getting on the verge of overwhelming to-do list that had to be tackled. It was getting to the point I was not sure where to even start! I shared my feelings about this with my hubby and we talked about where to start and what I needed to work on and then the next day he started the day by making me coffee and directing the kids to do their chores and that gave me the time and encouragement to start the first thing on the list. After that was done I started the next and the next and pretty soon I was on a roll! It started feeling so good to get things done that I just kept on going for the next several days. These were not necessarily major things (some things were bigger than others) but an accumulation of lots of stuff that had to be dealt with (make appts, mail off pkgs, catch up on my bookkeeping, make phone calls, make soap, label and package products, clean up of things, print books for the kids schooling, check the kids writing papers, etc, etc, etc.... ).

Since then I have been doing some organizing of my home. Mostly I have been organizing my products. As my business has grown so has the amount of things I make and the need to store them somewhere. So I have shelves and shelves and boxes and boxes labeled with different soaps, lotions, lip balms and more. Some areas of this are more organized than others so I worked to get that under control but still need to figure a better way to organize all my packing supplies.

I also made about 45 lbs of soap and hope to get another 35 lbs made next week sometime. Plus I made over 150 tubes of lip balm and still have more I may try to finish making today.

As well as all the above mentioned things my home life has been rather different I have only 4 kids at home and during the day only 3. So it makes for different feeling household. It is not that any one child is noisier or more of an issue.. it just seems to be such a strange phenomenon that when one child leaves the whole house just seems different.. don’t know if anyone else with big size families notices the same thing or not.

But anyway, the reason for the change: over a week ago Tobin and I put Emily on a plane to Washington D.C. She is staying with our older daughter, Carolyn, and her hubby at Andrews AFB in Virginia. They have had a great time visiting and touring around the area. This week she is really excited as they all have a chance to drive up to New York City and do a little sight seeing. I can’t wait to see all the pictures she promised she would take! She will be gone another week and a half. Leanne has been gone during the day filling in with the nanny job for Emily. Leanne has taken care of the twins on several occasions and has worked with Emily so she did not mind. Besides she is able to earn a little extra money to put towards her mission trip.

Having my household down by 2 during the day has also shown me what areas of household chore training I need to impart to my youngest 3 children. My older girls are so capable that I rely a lot on them and when they are not here.. well I really see what level the younger ones are at (or rather what level they are not at! LOL

). So this has been a good opportunity to stress the chores and training with them.

Well that is update for now. I hope to be back to blogging more regularly again. Just had to keep those priorities in order and boy does it feel good to be on top of stuff right now!

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It's been a while

02:06, 2008-Mar-1 .. Posted by Anonymous
Crystal,
I am happy to 'see' you back, I've missed you. I am glad that you are well.
How wonderful that you've been organizing and checking things off your list.
I love reading about your day and get encouraged to do more in my home, too. You are such an inspiration and I've gleaned so much from your blog and website. Thank you~
Peace,
Lynne in NC

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04:52, 2008-Mar-1 .. Posted by Anonymous
So good to see your post today! Sounds like you are very busy! Take care!

Yeah!

06:29, 2008-Mar-1 .. Posted by Anonymous
I have also missed you! You sound like such a great mom. Thanks for touching base with us and it's so good to hear how you are doing. You are such an inspiration! Oh, and I just stuck your oven-baked french toast recipe in the fridge for tomorrow....yummy!

Rachel
www.homeschoolblogger.com/deovolente

Glad you're back

06:44, 2008-Mar-1 .. Posted by Christy in Texas
I was happy to see your blog this evening. Since you have a son in Iraq and suddenly stopped posting, I was a little afraid. I too have military men in the family and they are always on my mind. It's good to hear that you were able to accomplish so many things on your list. You are inspiring.....

hi

06:08, 2008-Mar-2 .. Posted by busybeemama
I was so relieved to see your post this morning. I can't tell you how much of an encouragement your words of wisdom have been to me and my family! Even though we have never met I feel like I know you by your writing and pictures. I was worried something happened with your family and am glad to read everyone is fine. I'm glad you accomplished a lot too! That always makes me feel great! Blessings, Jessica

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09:14, 2008-Mar-2 .. Posted by CitySteader
So how do you train the little ones? Mine are all 6 years and younger!
Nikki

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05:51, 2008-Mar-2 .. Posted by gabbie427
I wass beginning to wonder where you were and what you were up to!!! LOL Glad to hear things are going well and you got so much of your to do list done!!!

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo

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09:01, 2008-Mar-3 .. Posted by Anonymous
I have six children, five of which still live at home. Boy does it make a difference when they get older and have lives outside of the home. I am down to the youngest two boys (13 and 15), homeschooling. During the day it seems so quiet, now that the olders are in college and working. It's funny when people meet me now, they think I only have two children. What a weird feeling, I remember, not so long ago walking around town with my six in tow like a momma duck with the little ones following behind. Time sure does fly!!!!!