La Maison ~ Home, the French Way

March 1, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 9 Comments

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to “play house”. No matter where I was, I nested. At home, my room was my sanctuary and I loved making it pretty and comfortable. Next door at my grandparents’ house, I would play by the hour in a corner of her den, setting up a little “house” in which to play with my dolls. On vacations I would even claim a little area as my own in which to play.

As a little girl I longed for the day I would have my own home. When David and I married, we rented a tiny, one bedroom apartment. Despite its diminutive size and our lack of furniture or much of anything else, I still enjoyed making it a home. We’ve since lived in four additional places in our nearly 35 years of marriage and in each one, I’ve done my best to make it attractive, comfortable and homey.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee.

From what I’ve read about the typical French woman, home is of vital importance. It is her sanctuary, her respite from the world, the place where she can be herself. The French woman may decorate her home in any number of styles and yet there is always something unique and personal about it. Perhaps because the French value their history and are more likely to renovate rather than demolish and rebuild, there is a sense of permanence in the typical French abode. Likewise, the passing down of treasured pieces of furniture and other items is common-place so you aren’t likely to see a French home furnished entirely with brand new furniture and decorated to look like the showroom of a furniture gallery. It’s more personal…a look that is the result of layering new and old items in a one-of-a-kind way.

French homes tend to be smaller than the typical American is used to, with rooms doing double duty. While newer American houses are likely to have two living areas, plus a dining room, the French woman living in an apartment probably only has one living area with a dining table at one end. While we seem to keep building larger homes with more rooms, the French woman wonders why a family is afraid of intimacy. I thought this quote from Entre Nous was interesting:

“Eventually, you Americans will have a separate room for every person, including a special bathroom for each pet, and your rooms will be so large you will be able to avoid authentic human contact at all costs!” (Entre Nous by Debra Ollivier pg. 193)

Hmm…makes you think, doesn’t it? I’m a loner by nature and value my privacy, yet even I am perplexed by many of the homes I see being built these days. I pretty much quit watching those house hunter shows on HGTV because I was rather put off by all the young couples with only one or two tiny children who absolutely HAD to have at least 4000 square feet, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, one or two offices and a separate playroom for the kids. While I do know that too many people crammed into a small space, especially without adequate storage, can be very stressful, I think we often go overboard the other way. There should be a happy medium, don’t you think? While I don’t have any personal interest in the “tiny house” movement, I’m truly pleased to see that some are beginning to consider smaller homes.

Another thing that is usually different about the French woman’s home is that her living room is generally set up in order to encourage conversation rather than being centered around the entertainment center.

Where electronica reigns in many traditional American living rooms, books are king in the French one, and they’re present everywhere: lined up in built-in bookshelves, spilling onto the floor in small piles with well-worn spines and dog-eared pages. (Entre Nous by Debra Ollivier pg. 192)

Now that’s something I truly share with my French sisters. My home is filled with books. The laundry room is the one room in my house without books and if I thought the cats would leave them alone, I’d probably have some in there as well. And while we do have televisions, I haven’t yet caved in on the issue of a large, flat-screen t.v. for the family room. When we bought this house, we bought a nice entertainment center to house the television and other equipment. When the doors are closed, all you see is a pretty piece of furniture and I insist on keeping those doors closed unless the t.v. is in use. It’s located next to our fireplace so the furniture is situated in such a way that we can just as easily watch a crackling fire as the latest sit-com. I know that media rooms are all the rage but I much prefer our library. We have a separate room with built-in bookshelves, nice stereo system, the piano and organ, and NO television. It’s a quiet retreat from busy-ness and too much input.

I’ve recently had a surge of my old interests in interior design and homemaking. I’m starting to spend more time puttering about, re-arranging decorative items and planning a few changes. David works long hours in a stressful business so I feel that the least I can do is make our home a peaceful sanctuary for him. I’m getting in touch with my “inner French girl” and seriously considering ways to make our home life more serene and pleasurable. I’m sure you’ll be reading more about this from me in the coming months and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Creating a Beautiful Life ~ My Bedside Table

February 23, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 16 Comments

Creating a beautiful life is something each of us has within us the power to do. We can intentionally create the life we desire. It doesn’t happen overnight but each step brings us closer to our vision of a life well-lived.

A “beautiful life” will look different for each of us because we aren’t all drawn to the same things. However, I believe we all desire:

1. A little peace in a hectic world

2. Intimate times with people we love

3. Time to dream and pursue our hobbies

4. Daily routines and rituals which nurture us

5. Our homes to be a place of beauty and comfort

Today I’d like to show you a small step I took which encompasses all five of these.

The bedside table. It holds the items we need while in bed. A lamp, the book we are reading, tissues, our phone and any number of other items. In a way, it’s one of the most utilitarian pieces of furniture in a bedroom. Have you ever stayed in very small hotel room which only has a bedside table on one side? Have you been the unlucky person who gets the side of the bed without? No lamp for reading. No place to put your book or phone. No clock. That’s when you realize the importance of the bedside table.

In my recent efforts to declutter and redecorate my home I’ve fought the “I don’t know where to start” and “There’s so much to do” demons. I’m trying to focus on one tiny area at a time. Tunnel vision, you might say. I’m more of a big picture type so this is a challenge for me. But I’m making progress!

I decided to take a serious look at my bedside table and see what I could do to make it more functional and prettier. My personal rule for the changes I’m making around the house is to start with what I have before purchasing anything new. In a way, it’s a two-step process. First I clean, organize and decorate an area with things I already have. Then I make a list of new items I might like in order to take it up another notch. One by one I’ll add those new things but I’m not letting the absence of something new prevent me from fixing up an area.

Here is the before photo of my bedside table:

I removed everything, dusted and then gave some thought to what was on the table.

I need a lamp, of course. This and the matching one on my husband’s table were purchased very inexpensively about 25 years ago. I think we are overdue for an upgrade. But remembering my rule about using what I have, this will do for round one of this little fix-up project.
We may be amongst the last folks to still have a landline but there are a couple of valid reasons we do. This phone (which happened to have been sitting on my desk when I took this photo) is old but has better sound than the newer ones we have downstairs. It’s not attractive but there’s not much I can do about that.
The tissue box with back scratcher stuck inside. Sheesh. Not very decorative. But hey, it’s winter and my skin gets dry and itchy.
I’m embarrassed to say how long that book has been sitting there only partially read. By the time I drag myself to bed at night I’m often too tired to read anything other than Facebook.
The control for my side of our Sleep Number bed.
A candle. Stuck in the corner and never used.
A tube of lotion.

And after:

I swapped out the tissue box for one in the guest bathroom and put the back scratcher in the drawer of the nightstand.
I moved the phone to the back corner and brought the candle forward.
The Harper Lee book is still there but I added one that I’ve read before and can enjoy little snippets of when I’m too tired to focus.
The rose was given to me at the restaurant where we ate our Valentine’s Day dinner. I think I may start keeping a single flower here all the time.
I put some matches in a little shot glass so they would be handy for lighting the candle.
I added a small glass for water and a tiny notebook and pen for those late night ideas I don’t want to forget.

What you don’t see here is my cell phone and that’s one of the changes I’m making. I am now charging it across the room so I’m not tempted to use it at bedtime. There is substantial evidence that the blue light from a cell phone screen interferes with melatonin production and one’s ability to sleep well. I suffer from insomnia a lot of the time so this is something I’m going to change.

In fact, my struggle with insomnia is part of the reason for this bedside table re-do. It’s all part of my new bedtime routine.

Turn down bed and spray pillows with homemade lavender linen spray.
Light the candle.
Turn on some music on my phone across the room and set it to go off after a certain amount of time.
Read awhile.
Blow out candle.
Snuggle with David and hopefully fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

So that’s Phase One of this project. I do have a few items I’d like to purchase for my bedside table at some point in the future, though.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee.

A clock. We got rid of our clock radio years ago as part of my effort to decrease the amount of light in our room at night. We have a small battery-operated alarm clock on David’s side of the bed but I’d like one on mine, too. Especially since I am not keeping my phone nearby anymore. I’d love something pretty like this:

2. A lacy placemat for the tabletop. Our bedside tables are actually antique end tables which belonged to David’s grandmother. I think they are pretty and I like the fact they have a drawer. They are in pretty good condition but there are some worn areas on top. I keep a crocheted placemat on top but I’d like new ones. Isn’t this pretty?:

3. And isn’t this tissue box holder adorable?:

4. A crystal carafe would be a lovely way to have water nearby for a sip or two during the night. And I wouldn’t have to worry about swallowing a moth or some other little creature.

I did a little Pinterest search while writing this post and found a couple of good pins:

30 Ways to Style Your Bedside Table

How to Style a Nightstand

So that’s the latest project in my quest to create a beautiful life. What about you? What’s on your bedside table? Is it merely utilitarian or have you created a little place of beauty beside your bed? Feel free to share a link to a photo in the comments or email me. I’m always interested in seeing what others have done.

Have a lovely day and remember – you can create a beautiful life, too.

Company Ready in 5 Easy Steps

February 17, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

The phone rings. Someone wants to drop by. You’ve got 15 to 30 minutes. Yikes! You glance around. The house is not, shall we say, “company ready”. Where do you start?

Ready For Company in 5 Easy Steps!

1. Assess the situation.

Take a deep breath and assess the condition of your home and who is coming. If it’s your lifelong best friend who saw your childhood bedroom and held your hand during labor you might just want to take those 15 or 20 minutes to bake some muffins and brew a pot of tea. She won’t care what your house looks like.

On the other hand, if it’s your boss or the neighbor who trims the grass along the sidewalk with a pair of scissors you will probably want to at least take out the overflowing kitchen trash and move the clean laundry from the sofa.

What you don’t want to do is start organizing the linen closet (family joke – my mom used to do this sort of thing) if the sink is full of dishes. Think in terms of what is going to be most noticeable to your guest and start there.

2. Tackle the gross or embarrassing stuff first.

Does the litter box need to be scooped? Did someone put something stinky in the kitchen trash can? Was your husband alphabetizing his Justin Bieber record collection and left them all in the middle of the living room floor? Take care of those things next.

That is, unless your goal is to make your guest feel really good about her own housekeeping which is actually a rather kind thing to do. Many years ago, close friends invited us to drop by after church. Their son’s dirty underwear happened to be lying in the middle of the living room floor. Everyone had a good laugh over it and I honestly appreciated the fact that I would never again worry about the state of my house with those friends. It was a bonding experience. Ha!

3. Do a clutter sweep.

If you have children at home, this is where you get them involved. It’s probably their mess anyway. Give them a laundry basket and have them race through the house gathering up toys, socks, shoes, books…anything that is out of place or belongs in another room. Stow the basket in a room your guest won’t be in and shut the door. In fact, shut the doors to any rooms that are messy and you won’t need during your guest’s visit.

While your kids are doing the clutter sweep, you can be working on the kitchen. Now this is where I’m going to put in a plug for a return to separate kitchens with a door that closes. Open concept kitchen/living areas have been all the rage for years but my favorite house I ever lived in was the 1930s-era house with a large kitchen at the back of the house with doors that could be shut to the dining room and hallway.

But if your kitchen is open to the living room or family room where you’ll be entertaining your guest you’ll want to make sure dirty dishes are stowed away in the dishwasher or at least rinsed and stacked in the sink. Wipe the counters quickly with a hot, soapy rag on which you’ve sprinkled a few drops of lemon essential oil and sweep the floor if you have time.

4. Touch up the bathroom.

This is where The FlyLady’s daily “swish and swipe” routine will save you. If you’re in the habit of taking about 2 minutes each day to “swish” a little cleaner around the toilet bowl and give the sink, counter and mirror a quick “swipe” then your bathroom will stay presentable all the time. Pull the shower curtain across the tub, toss dirty towels in the hamper, make sure there is soap and toilet paper, and put out a clean hand towel.

5. Ambience

In that final minute or two, fluff the sofa pillows, light a candle, turn on some music (hopefully not one of those Justin Bieber albums) and put on some lipstick. Then welcome your guest with a smile.

*Update: This post was featured on The Glamorous Housewife!

Decluttering Challenge

February 2, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

During the month of January I participated in a decluttering challenge group on Facebook. The idea is that you get rid of one item on Day 1, two items on Day 2, three items on Day 4, etc. By the end of the 31 days, your house is 496 items lighter.

Did I actually get rid of that much? No. I didn’t keep up with it every day. And a few of my decluttering jobs yielded so many tiny items that I didn’t actually count the number. But I DID get rid of more than I would have otherwise which is a good thing.

I cleaned out the bottom part of our linen closet and threw away a couple of wastebaskets full.
I cleaned out the large, middle drawer of my desk, yielding half a large wastebasket full.
I hauled three large plastic totes FULL of clothing, books, kitchen items, etc. to the local Re-Use Center, as well as an old television.

It’s the tip of the iceberg but it’s a start.

I’m now kind of addicted to this decluttering thing and have high hopes for the state of my storage areas by the end of this year.

Would you like to join me this month? I’d love to have company on this journey to household organization.

Here’s how the decluttering challenge works:

Each day you get rid of the number of items corresponding to that day. For instance, today is February 2 (yeah, we’re starting a day late) so you get rid of two items. If you’d like to catch up, make it three. Tomorrow is the 3rd so get rid of 3 items. If you follow this exactly, every day, by the end of this month you will have released 435 items from your home.

If you decide to join me I’d love to see or hear about what you are decluttering. That was the part that was fun in the Facebook group. We posted photos and/or shared lists of items we got rid of. I don’t want to set up a separate Facebook group for this, at least not at this point, so here are a few ways you can participate:

Post pictures on Instagram with the hashtag – #LWDdeclutterchallenge.
Post on the Life With Dee Facebook page. Again, use the same hashtag – #LWDdeclutterchallenge.
Comment here on the blog. You can come back to this post to do so or on any post during the month of February. I respond to all comments here on the blog so you can be sure I’ll see it.
Email me at deepiercy@gmail.com and put LWDdeclutterchallenge in the subject line.

This is a fun and fairly painless way to declutter. I recommend that you get a large box or plastic lidded container and designate it for this project. Decide ahead of time where you will take your discarded items which aren’t trash. As I mentioned, I took mine to a Re-Use Center. The one we have takes anything usable and then gives it away free. I love this idea! But there are lots of other options, depending on what’s available in your community. The important thing is to get the items out of your house as soon as possible. If you live near a drop-off location or pass by one regularly, it’s not a bad idea to get rid of the things you declutter the same or next day. You don’t want to get second thoughts and start rummaging around in your giveaway box!

Now, this isn’t the only, or even the best way to declutter. This is just one way. Here are some others:

The 31 Day Detox

31 Days to Get Organized With Peter Walsh

Declutter Your Home in 30 Days

40 Bags in 40 Days

The 6 Week Decluttering Challenge

Challenge: Declutter Your World in 10 Days

Or just make up your own rules. Maybe you commit to getting rid of at least one item a day, and more on the days you have time or are especially inspired. Even one item a day means you’ll have gotten rid of 29 items by the end of the month.

The important thing is to pick a method that you will stick with.

So, are you in? If so, leave me a comment. If you plan to share on Instagram I’d appreciate a link in the comments. I’ll search the hashtag periodically but if you leave me a link I’ll go follow you right away. And if you aren’t already following me, here is the link to my Instagram profile:

life_with_dee

Oh, one more thing. If you participate in one of the ways listed above, your name will go into a drawing for a copy of the popular book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.

Disclosure: This is an affiliate link.

I have a copy in perfect condition which I’ve already read. In the spirit of decluttering, it’s time for me to release it and let someone else enjoy it.

A day in my life ~ A look back

January 19, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Updated post:

I have been thinking about doing a “day in my life” post for awhile and decided that Monday, January 18, 2016 would be my day. I would write down everything I did and then write a blog post about it. That got me thinking about the handful of times I’ve done this in the past so I did a little search. The last one I did just happened to be in January, too. This was back in 2013. It was interesting to me to see which elements of a typical day have remained the same and which have changed.

I’ll post yesterday’s “Day in My Life” later this week but decided to go ahead and repost the one from 2013 today. This was back when I was blogging on Tea With Dee and I know many of you weren’t readers back then.

I love reading these myself so if you’ve ever done a “Day in My Life” blog post or YouTube video I would love for you to leave me a link in the comments so I can check it out. Or if you have a favorite one done by someone else I’d like to see it, too.

(Originally posted 1/29/13):

I haven’t done one of these in quite awhile so I thought I’d share a look at my day.

5:30 – awake for no good reason and unable to go back to sleep
7:00 – decided to take a “power nap”
7:45 – David came back upstairs with my tea and to kiss me goodbye
8:30 – at computer, drank tea, checked email, worked on blogs
8:50-9:15 – lengthy walk with Shiloh, saw a rabbit, enjoyed warm weather and envisioning my garden and chickens this spring
9:15 – fixed myself a bowl of yogurt with honey and raisins
9:30 – finished up my menu post for Dee’s Kitchen which I had worked on yesterday, shared and promoted it on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, a couple of cooking blog linkys
9:45 – looked for a YouTube video I had tried to watch yesterday when our Internet was slooowwww.

This will give you a chuckle:

10:00 – 10:15 – responded to blog comments
10:15 – 11:00 – showered, dressed, stripped sheets off bed, made to-to list and plan for the day.
11:00 – 11:45 – put sheets in washer, put away clean dishes from dish drainer, washed dishes, wiped counters, refilled sugar container, watered and fertilized houseplants, tidied downstairs
11:45 – 12:30 – wrote blog post for The Well-Groomed Hippie, listened to some music and got a bit distracted online (oops!)
12:30 – 12:50 – took Shiloh for a walk, put sheets in dryer and started a load of jeans
12:50 – 1:15 – lunch (tuna sandwich, crackers, a Cutie, and water) while watching a YouTube video I had loaded earlier
1:15 – 1:35 – miscellaneous stuff online, started a draft for another blog post
1:35 – 3:20 – I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I laid down for what was supposed to be a 30 minute nap and just crashed.
3:20 – 5:30 – walked Shiloh, switched laundry, vacuumed downstairs, a little computer time, folded laundry, set out stuff for dinner, put sheets back on bed
5:30 – 6:30 – made biscuits, got homemade chicken noodle soup going, not sure what else I did
6:30 – while waiting for veggies in soup to get tender, checked Facebook, walked Shiloh and waited for David to finish unclogging the drain pipe from the kitchen
8:15 – dinner finished, kitchen clean, going to watch “You Can’t Take It With You”

11:20 – After numerous interruptions we finally finished the movie and I’m going to bed to read a bit. That’s all, folks!

~~~~~

Here are links to other “Day in My Life” posts I’ve done:

A Day in My Life – July 2008

A Day in My Life – February 2010

A Day in My Life…Part 2 – February 2010

French Friday ~ My Special Day – September 2010

An Ordinary Life – March 2011

My Day as a 50s Housewife

This post is linked up at Time-Warp Wife.

No Buy January

January 5, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

Several years ago one of my favorite people to follow on Flickr did a challenge which she referred to as “a slow year”. For a period of one year she eschewed consumerism. Instead she chose to:

“Refurbish, recreate, restyle your wardrobe and life. Slowly.
Can, jar, forage and wildcraft foods, grow a garden, bake bread,
recycle everything last thing, barter & trade, simplify!” ~Riana Lagarde

It was an amazing challenge to read and follow for a year. Riana Lagarde is one of the most creative and resourceful women I’ve ever known. Since that year she has done similar challenges for shorter periods of time. These are always very inspiring. In fact, because of her example I’ve done something similar in January a couple of times. You can read about the first one here.

I find that January is an excellent time to do a challenge like this. December is a rather “spendy” month because of Christmas so a “no buy January” is good for the bank account. Here are the reasons I like to do this each year:

1. As mentioned, it’s a good way to recover from the extra holiday spending.

2. It is good to take stock of what is in my freezers and pantry, use up anything close to expiration, and get these storage areas cleaned, defrosted and organized.

3. While I’m not generally one who does much shopping other than household goods, Christmas shopping can sometimes get me into that mode. A “no buy January” puts me back into my usual frame of mind regarding shopping.

4. It encourages creativity. If I run out of something or there is something I think I *need*, I am forced to think outside the box.

5. It gets me back in the habit of baking bread, making homemade tortillas, etc. I’ve gotten rather lazy about these things in the past couple of years.

The rules are pretty simple. With a few exceptions, I just don’t plan to buy anything during the month of January.

I am allowing myself $20-25 a week for dairy and fresh produce.
My son’s birthday is this month so we will buy him a gift, but I plan to make his birthday card.
We should have enough dog food but we will need another bag of cat food before the month is out.
I have a monthly, standing hair appointment (today, in fact) and I don’t plan to skip that.
At Christmas, my cousin and I made plans to meet in the city for lunch on the 15th.
My daughter and I are meeting at a coffee shop later this week to discuss a project we are working on. A cup of tea is about $2.

Also, this is my project, not my husband’s. If he wants to go out at some point that’s his decision. This only applies to the things *I* purchase.

I’ll keep you posted throughout the month and do a summary of how it went at the end of January. There will probably be photos about this on Instagram and Flickr if you’d like to check those out, too.

Dee’s Favorite Homemaking Books

November 4, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 23 Comments

I’ve been reading and collecting books about homemaking ever since I was a new bride. Even after 34+ years of marriage I still enjoy reading about homemaking. I don’t always get around to putting it all into practice on a regular basis but I do love a good housekeeping book. Especially the old fashioned, out of print ones.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Dee’s Favorite Homemaking Books

Over the years I’ve bought a ridiculous number of books about keeping house and read many others from the library. I thought I’d share some of my favorites. These are ones I own and have read repeatedly.

Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson – This is probably the best and most comprehensive of them all. It’s not the sort of book to sit down and read cover to cover but when you need to know how to remove a wine stain from a tablecloth or how to store fresh herbs, you’ll find the answer here.

Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise by Pam Young and Peggy Jones – I actually read another book by these two sisters first, “The Happiness File”. I loved it so much I just had to read the book about how it all began. Pam and Peggy are hilarious and their story of how they went from being total slobs, albeit creative ones, to competent managers of their homes is rather inspiring.

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley – The FlyLady – These days everyone knows who The FlyLady is but back when I first discovered her she was just sending out a bunch of daily emails from Yahoo Groups. Actually, I think it was still e-Groups at that time. Did you know that her methods were inspired by Pam Young and Peggy Jones, the authors I mentioned above?

Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken – I love this book. It’s a great mix of old-fashioned homemaking charm and practical, modern information.

Keeping Up With Keeping House by Mary Kaltman – I found this at a library book sale many, many years ago. It was published in 1971 but feels like it could have been written even earlier. The author served as the Food Coordinator and Housekeeper for the White House for four years. Her advice about home management is excellent.

How to Have All the Time You Need Every Day by Pat King – My little paperback copy of this was used when I bought it and is even more “used” now. I have no idea how many times I’ve read it. The author, a mother of TEN children, packs so much wisdom and practical advice into this small book.

Totally Organized the Bonnie McCullough Way by Bonne McCullough – If I had to pick just one homemaking book which has been the most helpful to me over the years, this would be it. The author’s daily routine which she refers to as “Minimum Maintenance” is worth the price of the book alone.

After I started writing this I thought it would be fun to search for some new homemaking books to share (and add to my Amazon.com wishlist!). I came up empty-handed. I didn’t find a single book that I really, truly want to read. Either they are very, very basic and geared toward the inexperienced homemaker or they are written from a rather heavy-handed religious viewpoint. I’m a Christian myself but I don’t think every aspect of keeping house needs a biblical parable or accompanying Bible verse. I’m certainly not opposed to Christian references. “How to Have All the Time You Need Every Day” was written by a Catholic woman and there are plenty of references to this within the book. However, the wisdom and practical advice she shares make it a true gem and I think non-Christians would find plenty of value in what she writes.

If you have any book suggestions please leave me a comment. I haven’t had a new homemaking book in ages and would love to have one to curl up with on a chilly afternoon this winter.

P.S. I’m writing this Tuesday afternoon and just this minute found out that today, November 3rd, is National Housewife’s Day. National Sandwich Day was all over Facebook yet I’ve only seen one reference to National Housewife’s Day (and that was by my daughter). That says it all, doesn’t it? Oh, well. We know the value of homemakers, right?

Dee’s Week in Review

October 31, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 6 Comments

I finally succumbed to the cold which chased me all last week. The good part is that it only lasted about 48 hours and was very mild. The bad part? As always, it set off an asthma attack. I’m currently doing breathing treatments and pretending I won’t end up on steroids. Otherwise all is well at Chez Piercy.

I have some really exciting news. I am now writing for The Glamorous Housewife! My first post went live a couple of days ago and I’d love for you to take a look and leave a comment:

Grandma’s Oatmeal Cake

What is the weather like where you live? We’ve had gorgeous sunny days the past few weeks but today I awakened to rain and temperatures which never got out of the 50s. I guess my beloved summer is well and truly gone.

On that note, it’s time to cosy up the house and prepare for winter. I’ve got a few things on my list to purchase:

candles
a coat rack (This has been on my list for ages – still looking for just the right one. Any suggestions?)
something to put damp boots on by the front door
cosy socks

If you’d like to indulge in a bit of cosy homemaking charm, I have just the thing:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Alison of Brocante Home has written this delightful download filled with her signature “puttery treats”, recipes, and lovely ideas to make winter sound almost like something to look forward to.

Adding quartered oranges to each breakfast is a sure-fire way to dose your family with vitamin C and has the added bonus of leaving you with a daily pile of skin and zest that you can chuck in to a saucepan and simmer with cloves and cinnamon so the delicious scent of Winter tickles every corner of your home.

I adore simmering citrus peels and spices on my stove to give the house a lovely scent. Looks like I also need to stock up on oranges.

On the blog~

On the Facebook Page~

YouTube Video of the Week~

The Value of a Homemaker

October 8, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Let’s go ahead get something out of the way right off the bat. While my current status is that of a full-time homemaker, I’ve also worked out of the home, both part-time and full-time. Even while working I still considered “making a home” an important part of my daily life as I’m sure many women do, no matter which box they tick on a census form. I have nothing but respect for women who toil 8 hours a day at a paid job and then come home to cook dinner, wash a load of laundry, tidy up, etc. If they also have children the work load increases tremendously. I know. I’ve done it. So let’s put away any hint of the so-called “mommy wars”. All work has value, whether paid for or not. All women have value, no matter their work status.

So let’s talk about homemaking. One thing I learned while doing a bit of research for this post is that “homemaking” is largely an American term for managing a home. I think this is one thing we Americans got right. “Homemaking” seems to encompass so much more than “housekeeping”, the more common term elsewhere. While housework or cleaning might be the first thing many think of when they hear the term “homemaker”, there’s so much more to it. I know many women who may not be the best housekeepers yet they put other skills to use in the home and are most definitely “homemakers”. Making a home is so much more than dusting and mopping and scrubbing toilets.

Think about the homes you’ve been in where you felt most relaxed, welcomed and loved. They might not have been the most spotlessly clean. The food may not have been of gourmet quality. The decor may not have looked like a spread in Better Homes and Gardens. And yet there’s an element of home within. That’s what a dedicated homemaker can accomplish and it’s no small feat.

It’s knowing how to manage one’s time to ensure that the basics are covered. If you spend your entire day scrubbing the baseboards but run out of time to prepare a meal, home isn’t going to be a very comfortable place that evening. If you decorate every room of the house for the current holiday season but everyone is out of clean underwear, an important element of homemaking is missing. Balance is the key and finding it requires a lot of trial and error. It’s a skill which I believe deserves honor. In a society which often determines a person’s value by how much money they earn, homemaking rarely gets more than occasional lip service.

Home. The very word speaks warmth, comfort and peace. Home is more than where we keep our stuff. Home is where we keep our hearts. It’s where we break bread with family and friends. It’s where we rest and love and pursue our hobbies. Home is where we retreat when the world has been too much with us. A homemaker’s loftiest goal should be to make the home a sanctuary for those who live there. And in my opinion, the value of a homemaker who achieves this is inestimable.

Originally posted in 2013 for the Celebrating Womanhood linkup.

Dee’s favorite household tools

October 6, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 16 Comments

Do you think of housekeeping as a job that requires good tools? You really should. Anything that is done so often as housework deserves quality tools. Muddling through with crappy equipment just makes cleaning more tedious than necessary. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorite housekeeping items.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

1. Big Wooley Dust Mop: This is a fairly new acquisition. We have a long, tiled entryway. The tile is dark brown and our dog, Shiloh, is white. Draw your own conclusions. Sweeping just seems to send all that white dog hair flying around and dragging out the vacuum every day is a pain (I’ll explain why later in this post.). But with this wool dust mop I can quickly swish back and forth in a zigzag pattern down the hall and out the front door. The natural oils in the wool hold onto the hairs instead of making them airborne like a broom. It also leaves just the teeniest hint of a sheen to the tiles. I don’t know why I didn’t buy one of these years ago – especially when we had two indoor cats.

Big Wooley Dust Mop

2. Fuller Brush Carpet Sweeper: Sometimes it’s good to reconsider old fashioned housekeeping tools. Take, for instance, the electrostatic carpet sweeper. Sometimes all you need is a quick pickup in a few small areas. We don’t have kids at home anymore and not a lot of traffic through the house most days. We have mats at all entrances and some of us are really good about using them or taking off our shoes at the door. But even so, we *do* have that sweet dog who sheds little clumps of hair sometimes. We always get him shaved late spring which helps so much that I think we will keep him trimmed short this winter, too. He is indoors all the time anyway. So, back to the carpet sweeper. I can run this back and forth over any visible bits and pieces on the carpeted areas of the house and in no time it looks clean again. I’m a big proponent of both preventing major clean ups and extending the time between thorough cleaning days.

Fuller Brush Carpet Sweeper

3. Van’s Beeswax Furniture Polish: This next item isn’t exactly a tool but it’s a favorite housekeeping item of mine. In my quest to find safe and natural cleaning products I discovered this wonderful furniture polish. It’s made from beeswax and natural essential oils. My favorite is the lavender scent. After polishing the furniture my house has a pleasant lavender aroma.

Daddy Van’s Beeswax and Lavender furniture polish

4. Feather duster: I don’t polish the furniture every time I dust, though. In between polishings, I dust with a good quality feather duster. I bought the one I have from FlyLady over 15 years ago. Actually, I have two. One is about 24 inches long and the other is perhaps 16 inches. They have wooden handles and have held up beautifully. FlyLady no longer offers the longer one although you can still get the “vintage” shorter version. This is what she offers now and I do like the idea of a telescoping handle.

FlyLady feather duster

5. Toilet bowl brush: And then there’s this toilet bowl brush, also from FlyLady. I bought this a few weeks ago and it is the best toilet bowl brush I’ve ever used. I’m going to buy a second one for our upstairs bathroom. Instead of regular bristles, this one is made of sturdy rubber and has a little extension on the side which does a great job cleaning under the rim. Plus it’s purple. Never discredit the importance of appearance.

FlyLady toilet bowl brush

So let’s talk about vacuum cleaners, shall we? I mentioned earlier in this post that dragging out the vacuum every day is a pain. That’s because I have a Rainbow vacuum. Unlike an upright that you just plug in and use, a Rainbow has to be filled with water. And in my case, most of the time that means dumping the cruddy water first, cleaning out the bowl and then refilling. Honestly, it only takes a couple of minutes but it seems like a chore. However, I’m willing to put up with this because after 22 years of use, it still works. How many vacuums have you bought in the past 22 years? We have replaced some parts over the years and it currently has bright green duct tape around one part and electrical tape holding the power cord into the base because the connection is loose. The belt in the power nozzle keeps coming off which means taking it apart, putting it back on and screwing it back together.

You know how I said at the beginning of this post that good housekeeping tools are important? I am about to the point of considering a new vacuum. I’ll pass this one along to our son (if he wants it) but there’s no question about which type of vacuum I’ll buy. I don’t know if we’ll purchase new or reconditioned but it will definitely be another Rainbow.

Rainbow vacuum cleaner

I’d love to hear about your favorite housekeeping tools. Leave me a comment and tell me what items you wouldn’t want to keep house without.