Farmhouse, Cottage style

Wow, it has been a long time since I have shared a post. 
Truth is I am so much better at making elaborate plans than following them!! This year my planning is less, but I have some FOCUSED intentions!! More about that in another post. 

As I clean through my house, no noise except my own thoughts, and I have a lot of them!!

Some things have come to me.  I have let magazines, HGTV, and Pinterest define style for a long time!

I love Johanna Gaines, but I have come to realize that her style, while it is called farmhouse style does not fit with my memories of farmhouse style.  It's important to note here I am a farmers daughter, I grew up on farms in "farm houses."  We did not hang farm tools on our walls and we did not cut up barn wood to make signs.  I love the look and if Johanna Gaines offered to redo my house, I'd reply with a "Yes, Mame, please do." and if it is your style I would love to drink that special kind of family cozy in along with a fresh cup of hot coffee and lots of chatter and laughter.  Also, my idea of the perfect girl date.

My idea of farm house and cottage style goes back to a summer I stayed with my great aunt & uncle.  I think I stayed for a week, but it could have been just a weekend.  I haven't thought of that place or them in years.  But this morning as I cleaned my home the memories came flooding back.  Maybe it happened when I put on my apron, maybe when I rebooted the laundry, but it all came back the sights, the smells, the sunshine through the windows, everything.  I have to admit it took longer for the names of my aunt and uncle to come to mind.  For any family members who might read this blog I am talking about Aunt Midge and Uncle Gene.

Their house was cottage to me.  The downstairs was actually just two rooms, on one side a kitchen and dining area.  The other side, separated by the stairs on one end and a tiny bathroom on the other, was the living room/sitting room.  This home was a tiny little cottage, and it was also a farmhouse.  It had a true farmhouse sink, cast iron, double sink with attached drain boards.  It may have been the only cabinetry and counter space in that little kitchen.  I do remember a floor to ceiling cupboard unit spanning one end wall, built in wainscoting style.  And that was the first time I ever saw pegboard in use.  A large panel of it stood on one wall and held so many kitchen items, and my aunts apron.  My aunt also had a modern washer  :-) Every morning she pulled this portable contraption up to the sink and hooked it up to the faucet.  It was small probably meant to be used in apartments.  But there was only two of them most of the time.  I don't remember a dryer.

There were flowers in a mason jar or tall drinking glass, whichever fit the best and was handy.  They were fresh cut by uncle and lovingly place in their vase by my aunt.  They were like their home simple country folks.  Their home held more stuff than the minimalist movement would appreciate, but it didn't feel cluttered it felt homey.  Every piece held a memory for them.  They had endured hardship and loss and sunshine and rain.  I remember a table in the living room with a puzzle on it.  This was entertainment, never to be rushed to "finish" the puzzle, instead it was there to ponder, search and enjoy for a few minutes or even a long hour in the slow moments of the day. 

The order of the day served the needs and people of that house.  Seed time and harvest, cooking, cleaning, all of it had a purpose and no one seemed to question if what they did mattered.  They didn't spend hours arranging the perfect flower arrangement, that used what they had and it was perfect!
I don't remember them complaining about the work, and I didn't see them rushing to do, to go, to be, they just did the next necessary thing. 

So that is what my heart's desire is chasing this year, 2020.  To FOCUS on the slow, deliberate work of each day.  To listen for God's still small voice and obey.  With God's help I desire to create a home that is lovely in the truest sense of the word.  One like my Aunt and Uncle's that welcomed me into their space and their lives, even if only for a season. 

The Plan week 1

Already a late start, but not really.  Today is the first day of my 100 day journey to wellness.  I am a little late getting this blog post up, but no worries I am on target with my new beginning.  I am not getting paid for any of the items I reference in my blog.  This is my personal plan of attack for the next 100 days.  Also, I will post items that are leaving my home on this blog and if you are local or want to pay for shipping I will give them to you, my goal is to get them out of my house.

So...without further ado here is the plan for this week and going forward.

Our Home:

I will be working through the Organized 365 program over the next 100 days.  Here's a link to her home page : Organized 365 I purchased this program a couple of years ago.  I did not pay the current price, but I invested a lot of money for me.  I listened to Lisa's podcast and renewed my mind for months before I ever spent any money.

I am also using the home management binder from Do It On a Dime  Do It On A Dime household binder  to keep on task with daily home maintenance while taking on the task of decluttering every room and surface.

Above picture also include some just too beautiful paper products I will be using as well.  I purchased these from my local Dollar General.

My Body:

I am using Trim Healthy Mama to plan all my meals and eat on plan for weight loss.  

I am working out at my local Snap Fit for fitness and strength.  I also plan to incorporate T Tapp exercise videos for toning and elongating my muscles.

This week's plan:

work out 3 x  Tu, Wed, Fri at Snapfit

Dinner Menu Plan: 

(in no particular order)

crockpot - Smarty - Pants Stroganoff (S)

crockpot - Wipe Your Mouth BBQ (E)

skillet - Cowboy Grub (E)

skillet - Taco Time (S)

salad - Grand Greek Salad (S)

salad - Layered Salad (from Saving Dinner cookbook modifying to make an (S))

Pizza - THM (S)

We always have Pizza on Friday nights and since THM has several options I can stay on plan and not feel deprived.  

All of the recipes are found in the Trim Healthy Mama cook book except for the Layered Salad.  We are having a church picnic this week and I really needed to find a dish to pass that would be rich enough so I wouldn't feel deprived passing up the other great dishes.  I chose an S salad, because I can look for some meat to pair with it and stay on plan.

Finally, if you are not familiar with the S, E, FP, XO letters please check out Trim Healthy Mama

My Soul (mind, will, emotions):

I will continue to work with my therapist on all my wounds, new and old.  I also hope/plan to work through two books. during this 100 hundred days:

Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst

Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley

Spiritual:

Anyone who knows me personally already knows this is the core of who I am.  Without Jesus and my Faith in His word, Who He is, and the Holy Spirit as my primary counselor, I am nothing.  So to go along with this truth here are two scriptures God has already given me to start this journey:

Proverbs 25:24 "It's better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home." 

No matter how lovely my home becomes, if it becomes more important than the people living in it, I have lost sight of what is most important. God had to show me this so I would not become a martyr about the work or get upset whenever someone messes up the spaces in our home.....I could do that 😜

Mark 8:36 (NLT) "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"

Very similar to the other verse, but more weighty.  I cannot make my home, my body, my meal plan, my workout, anything in this plan more important than the relationship I have with Jesus.  The relationship that gave me salvation and eternal life.  I am prone to idol worship,  no not the kind that looks like a statue or a shrine and I don't bow down and worship physical idols.  I DO put my hope and trust into people, situations, and stuff.  Things like, "as soon as the house is clean and organized, we'll all be happy."  OR "when I hit my goal weight and fitness level, I'll be happy and my marriage will be better."  God knows me so well, He is already warning me about the dangers of becoming focused on the outcome of the next 100 days, and how I could think it depends on me and when I complete it everything in life will suddenly be great.  

Life is just hard some times, God is good, and He knows how to keep  me humble.  

If you think I left out my family, oh no.  My prayer is this will give us a space to live life together, to do life well.