Happy Easter.... From Fourteen Years Ago....
I really am amazed at how little room is allotted for laundry in the average home. In a mobile home or apartment it’s far worse!
Our floorplan leaves exactly 10” of space between the wall and the dryer door when open. We can just barely walk between the washer and air handler on one side of the room and the wall. Talk about a tight squeeze!
How I wanted to at least turn the dryer so that it’s door opened out into the walk space. (Too much re-wiring.)
Or perhaps we could move the washer and dryer so they were both facing the floor instead of the wall. Huge headache and too much plumbing work. Not good.
Tim suggested a stackable washer and dryer. This would be fine except that they cost a fortune—about $900 to $1200.00. Average cost on Craigslist--$400.00. Condition -- VERY iffy. No thanks!
I pondered and pondered—sigh.. another sleepless night-LoL!
Then it hit me! I just needed to keep the laundry on ‘short accounts’. In other words, if we gathered the whole family’s laundry and washed it EVERY DAY, it wouldn’t take up much room at all. Duhh… Wherever were my brains?
How much space does a load of laundry actually take up? Answer: Not much at all.Linking with BTNOP Monday Metamophasis Close button...To facilitate sorting the day’s laundry, working with what I already had at hand, I decided to remove the ‘miscellaneous’ collection on the overhead shelf and put three baskets up there instead.
Here’s how I ‘re-did’ our itty bitty laundry room....
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De-clutter and clear off the shelf or cabinets over the washer/dryer. All you really need is soap, bleach, water softener (in our area) fabric softener sheets, and stain remover. (OK- the can of starch and a dryer rack for shoes or delicate items can stay too--but that’s it! :o)
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Put a very narrow hamper in the hallway for everyone’s clothes. Collect clothes DAILY.
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Sort the day’s collection into three small baskets for lights, whites, and darks.
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Wash at least one basketful daily—more if needed. Use small washer loads if necessary.
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Put it away—Now :o)
I finally had to admit that there’s no room in our laundry room for baskets and piles of clothes. None at all.
That was all I really needed know to solve this problem. A little bit of laundry never hurt anyone..but a lot will BURY you!
Tuesday Tea - Tea Time … On the Go…Like
Amy of a Tea Girl in a Coffee World, sometimes we have to take our tea where we can get it. Her last ‘tea time’ was on an airplane! (Any scones on that tray, Miss?) Her pictures of her daughter’s experience of flying were so full of warmth. :o)
Note: The cup above says coffee...but I assure you that it had TAZO tea in it. :o). That's how the girls serve it at the college.
It got me to thinking…. If you only knew where I blog from sometimes..you’d be surprised! It’s often far from home….
At my son’s junior college… I bring strong tea from home, usually in my Starbucks cup. It’s mostly like to be Irish Breakfast tea or Earl Grey…two bags please! It’s 7:00 am!
I know..that’s coke..but I’d already finished my tea..LoL! This is such a lovely place to work. Very quiet. It’s a new campus and the locals haven’t discovered it yet. Perfect place to blog. Airy… and bright… no distractions. Think I’ll have another sip…
In the Library…. My favorite tea? Easy…TAZO AWAKE … because that’s usually exactly what I need—To wake up.
My 16 yr. old comes with me and studies while his brother is in class. Christian likes to work ‘by himself’. I think he wants everyone to think he ‘belongs’ there. I indulge him. :o)
While I’m on campus, I usually take a walk and I love getting photos of their beautiful grounds in Magnolia.
Even there the drought has taken it’s toll though. The fountain looks so refreshing in these rainless days!
The gardenias and roses have just barely survived. I know Tracie will like to have these for her
Cottage Flora Thursday’s garden party…If you love flowers, be sure to link up with her. She’s an excellent gardener and her flowers are exquisite!
Do say a prayer for rain in our area if you think of it. We are drying up something awful! Especially in West Texas. Our farmers and firefighters thank you!
On the Deck…My favorite place to have tea is..right on the back deck swinging in my porch swing… listening to the birds chatter..feeling the gentle breezes.. So refreshing! Or I take it along for my morning walk along with a camera of course. When you have visitors, a break is sometimes ‘in order’. This is my ‘escape’. Short..maybe just 15 minutes..but very sweet!
I love having tea in a pretty cup and saucer while I nibble on dainties, but some days are just too busy. Still… I’m never too busy for tea…
Do you find ways to have tea ‘on the go’? I’d love for you to join me. Coffee or Tea-- I’m not particular. The important thing is that we
take the time for that comforting ritual..wherever and whenever we can. :o)
Do join me for tea--we'd love to see your beautiful tea cups and settings! What are you drinking today?
I'm linking with these lovely ladies for tea time.....
Thanks so much for joining me!
Wednesday~Twelve Colorful Names of God Worship Banners
For the seamstresses among you, I thought I’d share the banners I sewed for our church (in a school building), Grace Community. I’ve mentioned these before but never taken good photos until this week. We wanted to make the school feel more ‘worshipful’ by hanging these each Sunday.
The theme of these banners are the 12 names of God as described in various parts of the Old Testament. Hubby and I researched the names and their meanings. I wrote little phrases at the bottom of each banner to summarize the meanings. Then we chose the 12 colors from the colors of the stones used in ‘the New Jerusalem’ as described in the bible in Revelation 21:19-20.
My friend, Shannon Mucha, designed the graphics to symbolize the meanings of the ‘names of God’. She is not only a great photographer but also a superb graphic artist.
She drew each of these symbols (clip art size) and I made transparencies from them and ‘blew them up’ with my projector to about 2’ by 2’ or so. A thin line at 4 x 5” is almost an inch wide or more when blown up.
I used Windsor Satin. It’s fairly sturdy (much better than cheaper satins), doesn’t pull as easily, and comes in about 17 different colors! I do wish I had lined the banners with drapery fabric. Over the last few years of being packed away and pulled out each week, they’ve begun to stretch a bit.
If you want to do this, be sure to PRACTICE first. I did a whole ‘man bowing’ picture for practice before I actually did one on a banner. Do not try this without a practice piece first!
These were the basic steps:
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Iron stitch witchery onto gold lame and then gold lame onto thin batting.
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Tape the ‘gold lame’ batting on the wall and trace the designs backwards on the back side. (Batting side.) Cut out. (I cut at an angle to ‘bevel’ the batting to the inside. Leaves Less ‘white’ showing around the edges.
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Seal the edges using fray check. Gold lame is very delicate!
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Arrange the pieces to ‘re-create’ the picture. (Need a fairly artistic eye for this part.)
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Glue all of the pieces onto the satin with fabric glue to hold in place. (Rather than pinning.)
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If your fabric is delicate, you might want to iron interfacing on the back (about the size of your picture) to stabilize the work.
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Applique each piece on to the banner with gold thread using a wide zig zag stitch. The gold thread is tricky, but it can be done!
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It was exacting work. I feel like I’m the queen of machine applique now. I got lots of practice! Email me if you have any questions. :o)
I must say, I felt like one of the men working on the tabernacle when I was doing this year long project. I had banners hanging all around our sewing room/office. I sometimes felt like crying—happy tears of course—or shouting praise to God being surrounded by these banners. :o)
It sure helped to make our church ‘in a school’ seem more worshipful, which is what my friend, Mike, wanted. :o) The church service was had to ‘install’ the banners was unforgettable!
Thursday ~ A Passover Seder—from a Christian Perspective
We celebrated a Passover Seder with my pastor friend, Lee Rushing at the Bentwater Yacht Club. It was a GORGEOUS setting! The dinner we had before the ‘symbolic’ dinner was delicious!
The Seder dinner was—well..not meant to be delicious but rather..meaningful. Salt water symbolized tears, bitter herbs like parsley- represent the trials of the Jewish people in slavery. And there are many more..
Lee showed us beautiful things like seder plates, a special three layer napkin to hold pieces of matzo bread, menorahs and a shofar. He taught the history of this special Jewish dinner from a
Christian Seder Haggada .
You might enjoy reading the true history of the
Jewish Passover Seder or the original
Passover Haggada which is the written transcript for the service. I know some of my readers may be Jewish and felt it only right to include the links for what truly is
their celebration. We feel privileged to learn more about their beautiful traditions. :o)
When Lee explained the ‘Christian’ perspective on much of the symbolism, we were blessed beyond words! Weekly communion will never be the same thanks to Lee’s teaching.
I went home much better prepared to contemplate the true meaning of Easter, I must say!
Funny..they are standing youngest to oldest here in front of the yacht club…which is also tallest to shortest. LoL! Don’t know why they wanted to stand in a line. :o)
The kids now want to have a Passover Seder at home each year.
This link gives you all the recipes and ingredients you need to do this for yourself. What a wonderful Easter tradition to pass on to our families! :o)
I hope you have a fun
and worshipful Easter this Sunday! :o) How do you celebrate Easter?
Do you have any special family traditions?
Friday ~Two Easy ‘Company’ Dinners and One Scrumptious Dinner Omelet!Got company calling but can’t spend all day cooking? I know just how you feel! I had to cook four ‘company quality’ dinners in a row. Hubby’s boss, Dan, doesn’t like ‘casseroles’ either. What to do?
Dinner #1- Grilled Italian Sausage, Homemade Alfredo, and Steamed Broccoli with Melted Cheese The beauty of this dinner is that it’s quick and easy.
Click here to see Alfredo and Omelet dishes and recipes... Close button...Homemade Alfredo Stir together…
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a pound of cooked egg noodles or linguini
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about a half a stick or more of melted butter
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a cup or more of sour cream (to taste)
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a few good shakes of powdered garlic
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salt and pepper to taste
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We add about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese after we are all done. (It tends to clump if you add it too early.)
Dinner #2 - Grilled Chicken with Chili Powder Rub, Classic Baked Potatoes, and Roasted Greenbeans I pop the side dishes in oven to cook while I’m grilling. This way I could pay attention to the grilling and not worry about the rest of the cooking.
I rubbed my chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. The color was great and the chili flavor was not ‘Mexican’ at all—just a bit more ‘spicy’.
Dinner #3 Leftover Cheddar and Sausage Omelet with fresh fruit (Super fast and uses leftovers!)
I had lots of leftover Italian sausage. Oops! Dan suggested an omelet.
Italian Sausage and Cheese Omelet
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Stir eggs and salt until uniform color and texture.
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Start some onions sautéing in small pan on the side and chop left over sausage. Set aside.
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Pour eggs in pan rubbed with olive oil on med. Cook omelet on BOTH sides.
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Pile sausage, onions, and grated cheese on one side and fold over the other half of the omelet. Let set a little while on the plate and the cheese will melt a bit.
WOW- The taste of the rich sausage and grilled onions makes this omelet POP! Hubby’s boss said they love it for dinner too.
I do hope you enjoyed this week’s newsy letter. I thought I’d end on a funny note. You never know what a bored teenager will do. You’ve gotta watch them all the time!:o)
Linking with these Wonderful Parties!!!
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Lena’s vacuum sounds real..but sadly…it doesn’t ‘work’. LoL!
On the way to Nationals in San Diego, Ca… ..then boot camp! (Still waiting to hear back about the medical review.)
