Baking Bread and Finding Purpose, Personal Musings of a Domestic Sort

It's amazing what different seasons in our lives can teach us. The more I look back on my life, the more seasons I recognize, and the more I appreciate different and new growing periods in my life.

As I currently adjust to living in a new place, working only part-time (if you can even call it that), and being home the majority of the time, I'm beginning to realize this period as another season. And, as I realize it, I am trying to learn from it...Yes, trying is the keyword. 

You see, I am used to being fairly independent (however with my still recent marriage, I have gladly accepted a position of more dependence as well as submission), busy, and hard working. I have always been described as a go-getter and found pride (probably too much) in that status. In this current phase, though, I am spending more time at home, taking care of things around the house, and supporting my husband in a more subtle way. While I gladly accept this position, I will admit, it has not been easy for a "doer" to adjust to what seems like "not doing." However, I came across this scripture this past weekend (again, as I stayed at home while my husband hurried the opening of his new hotel), and it gave me some new found direction and peace of mind. Psalm 115:1 reads, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness," (NLT). This scripture reminds me that our purpose is not our own. All that we do should be to the glory of God, for his will not ours. I realized that with all of the reflecting I had been doing on "not doing as much as I could be" that I was completely missing the point. God has granted me with this time of serving in a different way. If nothing else, I need to do all that I can do in my home to honor God. So, as I love my husband, I am honoring God's purpose. As I make healthy choices for my family, I am honoring God. As, I look for and apply budgeting tips and tricks, I am being mindful with that which God has blessed me. And, yes, I am honoring God. 

Whether you are in a period of busyness or calm, I hope you can apply this concept to your life as well. All that you do, do it for his glory.

All that being said, I have taken up using this period as a time to work on healthier, more sustainable, and more cost effective living. One aspect of this endeavor has included finding different ways to shop as well as different meal and food prep options. (This attempt has really been threefold--helping us budget, living more practically, and making better food choices.) 

My most recent adventure involved taking on the task of making homemade bread. Tired of not knowing exactly what is in our food and excited about being able to make things myself, I am trying to take on tasks that allow us to control what we put in, on, and around our bodies. (I've even made our own cleaning supplies but more on that in another post.) 

I am happy to say that with a little recipe tweaking and committed kitchen time, I was able to produce two lovely and extremely tasty loaves of homemade bread! Woohoo! (The mister continues to reconfirm how much he is enjoying this latest recipe too.) Check it out, these loaves are gorgeous (although I'll not be entering any bread baking contests just yet)! 

Are you interested in trying your hand at homemade bread, check out my recipe and let me know how it goes. This Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is delicious and super easy (as far as bread baking goes)!

Whether baking bread, putting in time at a difficult job, or just loving those around you, I hope you can find your purpose just as I have in glorifying God in all that you do. And, as always, make it, Tote-ally Wonderful!

--Leesha

DIY Front Door Letter, Simple & Rustic

Who doesn't love a simple, DIY project? What about a project that can be completed in one sitting and that

adds instant character to any home? Exactly, everyone loves a project like this! So, when I was looking for a fun easy project to add a little charm to our front door, I couldn't pass on this one. It requires little investment in materials and time and turns out sooo cute! Read on to check it out, and make your own!

DIY Front Door Letter

Materials Needed:

• Jute Twine (any color, but I used natural), $6.99
• Wooden or cardboard letter, $3.00
• Artificial flowers or other embellishment, $5.00 for 2 sets
• Ribbon, $3.00
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, already had
• Wire cutters

Project Steps

1. Plan your wrapping and practice. The very first thing you'll want to do is analyze your letter and
   decide what is the best method for wrapping and completely covering. (If complete coverage is not  the look you're going for here, then proceed to step 2.) As anal as I am, I wanted my letter symmetrically and completely covered, so I did a couple of practice wraps. Typically it's best to start on a flat edge and then curve around. You might also have to "rewrap" some sections to cover everything, but more on that later. Test some of the lengths of you letter and see what direction will work best. 
2. Anchor your twine. Once you've decided where you want to begin, it will help tremendously to anchor the first several "wraps" around your letter. This is where the hot glue comes in. Put a dot at the very beginning edge of your wrap and then on several flat sections of your first piece to keep the jute strands from spreading too much.
3. Wrap and cover. After anchoring your initial pieces, just continue wrapping. Again, you might find it easier to wrap a flat section, cut your twine, begin again, and rewrap sections for complete coverage. That is what I had to do here for the angle on the end of the "C". I actually had wrapped the end to a stopping point and then restarted it in the very beginning "round part" of the "C".
   
4. "Seal." After covering the letter, you'll want to do like in the beginning and glue several of the last "wraps" around your letter. This again just helps to keep the jute in place and makes for a cleaner look. Then finish it off with a last dot of glue to hold the end of the jute twine in place.
5. Decorate. While you may choose to leave your letter unembellished, you'll at least need to add a ribbon to hang it. This step is the last that you'll want to do. At this point, I cut the artificial flowers for mine and placed them with hot glue to add an extra flourish to the design. I then measured the ribbon and practiced tying the bow, so that I'd have a good length when hanging. (You'll want to judge yours based on how you want it to rest on the door.) After measuring, I secured the ribbon to the letter with a thin line of glue underneath the "open side" of the letter. Once you have added the ribbon, you've got a great finished product. All you need to do now is hang it and enjoy!

This is a great DIY project that costs less than $20! I think you'll have a hard time finding a wreath or other door decoration for any less than that. Plus, you get the pleasure of saying you made this yourself and it looks Tote-ally Wonderful! (I made mine with my sister, too, which made it even better!!)

--Leesha

(Our Tote-ally cute front door!)

Three Tips to Get Organized (and a Few Products to Help You Get There)

Whether heading back to school or not, many of us still take advantage of the end of summer and beginning of fall (Wow! How did we get here already?!) as one of those "refocusing" times in the year. It gives us the opportunity to look back on what we've accomplished in the first 3/4 of the year (Another shocker, right? We're already 3/4 of the way through 2013...) and decide what changes we need to make to make those last few months count. I don't think I know any better way to do that than to get organized! So, today I have for you 3 simple steps to help you get organized and a few of my favorite products (if you're interested) to help you get there! Read on and let's finish this thing strong together!

1. Compartmentalize. One of the first steps toward getting organized is finding a place for everything. This could be as simple as getting a few totes, separating a few items, labeling them (of course!), and neatly fitting them into a closet. However, if you're more focused on "organizing life in general," this may be a bit more difficult. Let's make it easy on ourselves, though, and consider it with the same mental picture in mind. If you can simply section your day, your time into neat "labeled" chunks, you'll be a lot more efficient and much more organized. Think of it as stuffing your hours into "totes" labeled with their respective responsibilities--relationships, health, work...Once you have some of the major sections of life compartmentalized, consider breaking it down even further.

2. Minimize. I don't know of anyone who doesn't have a little extra of something. So, the second step toward organizing? You got it, minimize! If you don't need it, get rid of it. (A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used it in the last 6 months, you aren't going to.) This step applies to "stuff" just the same as time. I think we're all guilty of devoting our time to unnecessary things, so think about it, and decide what you need, and ditch the rest. You'll be amazed how freeing this is!

3. Utilize. The final step toward organizational perfection is utilization--using what you have or what you're best at--to maximize you're capability. If you have a system for organizing your home, put it to use. (Personally, I like to revert back to compartmentalizing here. Our home is organized by purpose and design. My business supplies are organized using folders, totes, etc.) In terms of work or business, structure your time, so you can "divide and conquer." For some, this may mean completing the tasks that aren't your "strong suit" first, while for others you'll need to complete your favorite projects at the beginning of the day to get your focus going. At this stage of organization, you're simply finding what works for you and applying it.

Now, I promised you 3 Tips and a few of my favorite products, so I'd  be remiss not to include both. My favorite products focus on the three same premises as my tips, and this, honestly, is how I organize my work (and life). I like to call this set "My Mobile Office." It is composed of the Organizing Utility Tote, Fold'N File, and Zipper Pouch (three of my favorite Thirty-One products), which come together nicely to help me compartmentalize, minimize, and utilize.

The Organizing Utility Tote has lots of pockets to carry pens, glasses, snacks...or anything else you'd need in a day. Even better? It has enough pockets that you can compartmentalize everything!

Another aspect of this set is minimizing what I have to carry but maximizing my efficiency. The Fold'N File does this perfectly! This product is designed to carry hanging file folders (which I love), but it is also spacious enough that I can also stick some binders and other folders in the back half. So, I can carry everything I need for my business and for teaching all in one place and everything still has it's section. Score!

Finally, the Zipper Pouch is perfect for all the extras. This product can be utilized as a bit of a catch-all, but for me, it actually carries my computer and other technology needs. (I have a netbook, so it fits perfectly!)

Put the three together, and you have one very organized set! What are you waiting for? Get organized! I promise it'll make life Tote-ally Wonderful!

--Leesha

Looking for your own "Mobile Office" or interested in creating your own organizing set? Visit my website at www.mythirtyone.com/leeshachamberlain or connect with me on Facebook. I have a great special going on right now that I'd love to tell you about!

(Disclaimer: I am an Independent Thirty-One Consultant. The views expressed here are mine alone and do not reflect those of Thirty-One Gifts.)