In the last few posts, we have been taking the journey of ridding our homes of clutter.  Clutter can cause stress, anxiety and can honestly just devour our time!  I hope that you are still cleaning out those closets, drawers and cabinets. While making sure that our home falls into the "Well-Live Home" category, we must not forget that all of the organization and decorating in the world will not in and of itself convey the warm feeling that we want others to feel when they enter our home.

As I was thinking about what a "Well-Live Home" looks like, I began to think of the people who live there and I have a short list of things that we really can't overlook when creating the home environment that we wish to convey.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself.  I hope that you will review these and use them as a guide to developing the home that you dream of.  

Is praise and encouragement freely given out in your home?  If not, this is a great place to start making a change.  My oldest son learned to make his bed when he was only 2 years old!  He took it upon himself to do it.  I know that you are thinking right now that you only wish that your 2 year old would do that.  Well, not this perfectionist!  I would go in and remake his bed!  I cringe now to think that I did that!  I gave him the message real early that his efforts weren't good enough!  

Do you communicate acceptance and love, allowing for different strengths and weaknesses in your home?  It is highly unusual for someone with a creative brain to also be a math whiz and vice versa.  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't put our best effort into what we aren't the greatest at, however, we won't all become Martha Stewart and we won't all be Albert Einsteins.  I am just not good at sewing.  I have tried several times over the years.  I have sewn by hand and I have used a machine.  On one of my endeavors to make a skirt early on in my marriage I was having a knock down drag out with my sewing machine.  The needle kept coming un-threaded, then the stitches were loose and I may have lost my cool!  My husband very calmly walked over and set the lid on my machine right in the middle of my temper tantrum!  My mom was always such a good seamstress and I learned quickly that sewing was not my forte.

Is everyone in your home, family and guest alike, treated with respect?  This is something that will build confidence, self esteem and emotional intelligence in your family members.  Having a respectful environment will ensure that you will be the house of choice for your kids friends to hang out at!  Treating others with respect and kindness will make you the "friendly house" on the block and you may have neighbors showing up for a quick chat and a cup of coffee!

Are you emotionally available to those who live in your home?  Have you ever been talking to someone, I mean just pouring your heart out and realize that they were more interested in something that they were looking at on Pinterest?  Paying attention to others while they are talking has become somewhat of a lost art.  Making other human beings our priority is essential to having a "Well-Lived Home."  

This post by no means an exhaustive resource for the emotional well-being of your family and home, but it is a real good place to start.  Keep clearing out the clutter!  Spring is right around the corner and I want to get out and enjoy the outdoors!  I am looking forward to some spring planting and gardening. Please share your comments and thoughts below.  Thanks for being a subscriber!  

Julie Atkins

Milkweed Farms

Here we are already approaching the end of January!  How are you doing on the resolutions and the plans that you made to get your life in order for 2019?  The "Well-lived Home" is an orderly home.  It has a space and place for everything!  We hope you will take the journey with us to make your home a livable, happy place to dwell.

My cold weather plans are to get the inside of my house in complete order so that when the weather turns nice I can enjoy my garden, my grandchildren, some time for entertaining around the grill and some all around sunshine. I decided to start with the thing that I dreaded the most......the basement!   I would have posted a picture of my basement just to make you feel better about tackling whatever areas of your house that you fear, but I was afraid that my basement pictures would show up on the next hoarder's show.  Let me just say that I have stuff!  Lots of stuff!  Stuff that I don't need and that clutters up my life!  It takes up space that I could use for something better. Honestly, the things that make my heart sing and rejoice are not objects!  So why do I have so much stuff?

“Owning less is better than organizing more.”
― Joshua Becker

While I am somewhat of a turtle when the weather is cold, I have made some baby steps toward a few of my "2019 de-clutter the house" goals!  After the single digit temperatures and the 12 inches of snow that we got dumped on us last week, working in my basement seemed somewhat appealing.  

We are avid gardeners and have often wished that we had a place to put grow lights and start our garden seedlings indoors.  While thumbing through my seed catalogs this last week, it occurred to me that if I cleaned off one of my shelves in my basement storage room that I could set up my little indoor garden.  The room was such a mess and the thought of it was a bit overwhelming so I decided to take a few small bites each day out of the mess that I so dreaded.  My goal was to donate anything and everything to my local thrift store.  Of course, there are a few things that I just can't part with, but those are few and far between. 

I can almost hear your thoughts.  You aren't a gardener.  You don't want seedlings starting in your basement!  I get it!  I really do!  But you do have something that you could really use some extra space for.  Or maybe you just need to clean out and organize to free your mind from the clutter.  

I started on Monday and decided that I would go down and just pick out 25 things out of that room to donate.  I thought that I would be down there for hours digging out and loading 25 things into my car. To my surprise, I had my car loaded in just 45 minutes.  Tuesday was a carbon copy of Monday and by the end of my short session, I could really see a big difference.  On Wednesday and Thursday I decided that I could spare an entire hour so I worked for my allotted amount of time each of those days.  This place was really changing!  I was actually excited to go down there on Friday and decided to even add a few fun things just to make my new little basement green house an enjoyable place to be!  In just a few hours this room that I had dreaded to even enter was neat, orderly and I had extra space for my little green house!

Every one of us has that junk drawer, room or closet that we avoid cleaning and organizing.  Bringing order to your home is freeing, physically and emotionally. A new week starts tomorrow!  Make your plan and tackle something.  Anything!  

As always, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas.  Please post them in the comment section below.  Until next time....... happy cleaning!

Julie Atkins

Milkweed Farms

So here it is 2019!  I have always been a resolution maker.  I am a reader of self help books.  I read everything from books on finances to books on how to overcome my personality quirks!  Some have stuck and some have not.  Over the last few years, I have come up with a way to keep those things that I want to change about myself or my circumstances right before my eyes and to stay on track.  It is simple and takes little time but has come to change my entire life!  This will be my 5th year of using this method and I must say that I am still pleased with it.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a few goals that when the next year rolls around get copied right on to the next year's list of goals.  I usually have quite an extensive list so not obtaining one or two doesn't throw me off course.  

The technique that I use is similar to journaling.  I go shopping and pick out a blank notebook that is pleasing to my eyes and that is just large enough to get me through the year.  It can't be too large because it needs to be small enough to go into your purse, briefcase or backpack.  I refer to my book as my exterior brain.  I refer to it several times a day and even use it for daily to do lists.

After you have purchased your little book, begin to make chapters in it regarding your goals in regard to finances, health, home rehab or repair, commitments to God, or whatever your resolutions are.  Leave several pages in between each one for adding to your thoughts and ideas as you begin to tackle each one throughout the year.  

Some examples of what I do are:

Finances.  I write out my goals and include scripture for supporting what my goals are.  I write out my debts and how much I want to pay off on each one.  I list out how much I want to put into savings and how much I want to give away.  This is an area requires you to be reasonable so as not to sabotage your own goals.

Health.  My health goals include lists of things that are important like keeping track of the water that I drink each day and daily exercise routines that will benefit my body.  I include the titles of a few books that I want to read on the subject so I can easily remember to order each one as the year goes on.  

God and charitable goals.  I list a few individuals that need blessings throughout the year and a few ideas that I have to become the blessing that they need.  This list will grow as the year goes on and some may drop off as other names are added in.  It is good to have a charitable organization that you can donate some time to.  Although it will help those who are less fortunate, it will be you that is the most transformed after the year is over!  If you have never tried this, don't deny yourself the blessing!  You will not be that same person that you were before you started doing this!

House rehab and repairs.  Who doesn't have an around the house to-do list?  Its endless and can seem so overwhelming at times.  Write down your top 10 most important goals for this.  Make them achievable.  Start with the largest and if it is too large, break it down into baby steps, making each step count as one of your 10 goals.  For example, repainting a room would count as only 1 goal, however, landscaping your yard would need to be broken down into sections.  Include some pictures, color swatches, book titles or whatever will keep you interested and excited about your projects.

I have a section just for my family members and ways that I want to bless them or help them over the year as well as a section on things that I shy away from such as writing blog posts or public speaking.  I have found that the best way to overcome is to charge straight into what I don't want to do and each time it becomes easier and easier and is less likely to be on my list of "things that I hate to do!"

Last but not least is my de-clutter list.  I include everything from time management and getting things that are not important and that seem to steal away valuable time to labels that clutter up my house, clothes that need to be donated, and food that I shouldn't eat and needs to be removed from my pantry.

What I have listed is just a few of the categories that I use in my book.   It is important to make your book personalized and targeted just for your needs.  As I stated, I have used this approach for several years now and have found it to be the most effective way to make New Year's resolutions.  I hope that this article has helped you in your quest to become a "new you" in 2019!  

Get started cleaning up your clutter by checking out our clean and elegant Mason jar soap dispensers on our Amazon page

As always, we want to hear from you about your experiences and ideas.  Please use our comment section and share, share, share!

Looking forward to 2019!

Julie Atkins

Milkweed Farms

'Tis the time of year to take down those umbrellas and bring in those lawn chair cushions!  It is the season for hot apple cider, pumpkins, scarecrows and cozy family time around the table.  

Last week, I was admiring the beautiful pallet of color on the trees and I decided that I wanted some of that color on my dining room table.  I almost always have a candle of some type burning.  I love the way the warm glow flickers against the walls.  It reminds me of having a fireplace in our home when I was a little girl.

I decided to combine the two things that I love most this time of year and these lovely little candle holders are the result!  Well, I actually farmed out the creative part to my mom and my granddaughter.  This  project requires very little time and is so simple that it makes a great kid project as well!

I hope that you will try this as it adds a beautiful warmth to any room and brings the fall outdoor colors right to your table!

What you will need:

Smooth sided jar (I used a pint size)

1 jar Modge Podge ( You can purchase this from any craft store)

Small Foam Brushes

Fall leaves, artificial or real ( If you are using artificial, be sure they are bendable and pliable)

Twine or jute for tying bows on top of jar

Use your foam brush to apply Modge Podge to the underside of a few leaves

Coat the outside of the jar with a thin layer of Modge Podge.  Let leave sit for a minute or two until they are tacky. Arrange the leaves in a pretty pattern on the outside of the jar, being sure to leave spaces so that the candle light can flicker through.  Cover the leaves and jar with 2 more layers of Modge Podge and let dry.  Tie twine ribbons on the tops of the jars and insert a tealight candle or a battery operated candle.

Happy Harvest!

Julie Atkins

Milkweed Farms

Fall days are here!  Spiced cider, colorful mums, cooler breezes, pumpkin pie...….No, wait, I have traded in my pumpkin pie for something better!  My great grandpa was an advocate of butternut squash pie and I have followed suit!  While butternut squash is similar in many ways to its cousin, the pumpkin, I believe that it is a more delicious alternative when used in a pie. 'Tis the season that everyone is gathering up their recipes for Thanksgiving dinner and I would really encourage you to give this one a try!  I can never wait until Thanksgiving for my first squash pie.  When the cooler weather hits, so does my craving for this beauty of a pie.  I hope that you all are enjoying the cooler temps!  I wanted to share this recipe with you.  As always, I hope that you will comment and let us know what you think about it and please feel free to include any delicious recipe that you have that would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving dinner!  Bon Appetit!

Julie Atkins

Milkweed Farms

Grandpa Ray's Squash Pie

3/4 cup sugar

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

15 oz Butternut squash, cooked and mashed with potato masher (I like to leave a few small chunks so that no one mistakes it for canned)

12 oz can evaporated milk

9 inch unbaked pie shell

Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Mix eggs, spice mix, and squash.  Stir in evaporated milk.  Pour into pie shell and bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower temperature to 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.  Top with whipped cream and sprinkled pumpkin pie spice.

Note:  The Butternut squash can be cooked a day ahead and put in refrigerator to save time.