One of my favourite things is pottering around at home, tidying, cleaning, cooking, changing doyleys, washing windows, setting a vase of flowers in a corner or on a table. They all make me smile. They're all chores, jobs to be done, and some of them are hard work. So why do they make me smile?
It's simple: they make my family happy.
Sometimes when we're homemakers, it may seem like our hard work and loving efforts aren't appreciated. You may never get a thank you for the clean bathroom or the swept porch. The fresh towels in the bathroom won't get you a thank you. The nicely set table and the full cake tin may be ignored.
But look at your family, see the happiness in their eyes, the contentment on their face when they eat the meal you prepared, or take the ironed shirt from the wardrobe.
See how they enjoy being at home.
Of course it's nice to get a thank you, and you should get them. Every night after dinner all my family thank me for their meal. I know they appreciated it, they ate it. But it is nice to hear it.
But sometimes a thank you isn't delivered in words. It may be in a kiss to the cheek, or a hug. It could be help brining in the shopping, or pulling weeds or changing a lightbulb.
When you're feeling discouraged, and tired, and wonder if it's worth your efforts, take a look at those happy faces and realised they're happy because of you.
This week Wayne and Tom helped me wash the outside windows. They were filthy after the dust storms and smoke we've had the last month, and desperately needed cleaning. Here's
how I wash the windows with just an ice-cream container of water, and they sparkle.
All our meals have been cooked from scratch, using ingredients from the pantry, fridge and freezer, or from the garden.
The meal plan was a guide and I swapped around and changed up to suit what we wanted to eat each night. That's a huge benefit of having a pantry of ingredients - switching things around is simple and doesn't cost a cent.
Over the weekend we worked outside, tidying up the garden, cleaning the cars, sweeping down cobwebs. Getting ready for Autumn and the change of seasons. I trimmed bushes and dead-headed the hydrangeas and geraniums and lavender.
I took some lavender stalks to strike. All the lavender in my garden has come from strikes from my mother-in-law's lavender garden. They were slow to start, but this year they've all taken off and during spring and early summer it was gorgeous. The plan is to put these new plants under the front windows.
I made zucchini pickle.
I made mixed berry jam.
I finally caught up with the card a day challenge, and managed to get more done for CWA. There should be enough to send off by the end of the month. Then I'll start on the nursing home box again.
I taught myself to crochet a doyley. The first one was a little wonky, and I just used a scrap of yarn I had left. The next one was better and the third one is good enough to use. Now I have something else I can make for the present box, and for our home.
My happiness was homemade again this week.
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