The Homemaking Party

Gorgeous flowers in Ashton Gardens, Utah. We visited Lehi with my brother's family in April. Who can tell me what kind of flower this is?

Don't forget the Summer Spoolie Swap starts soon! Sign up info can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party! Hope you're having a beautiful week!

Teaching Our Daughters to Thrive

Friday night was our local homeschool spring formal and my two oldest teens had been planning the night for months. Sixteen year old Lynzie wanted a Cinderella dress---complete with multi-colored butterflies---so I put aside everything and made it for her the day before the dance.

We arrived to a gorgeously decorated ballroom and a lovely dinner laid for the guests. It was their time to enjoy so I hung back with a couple friends and chatted the evening away. Sometimes, while my mom friends were off visiting with other moms, I had time to just watch the kids dancing, playing, laughing, and enjoying their special evening. ...and I did a lot of thinking. {A seven-hour prom gives one lots of time to think}.

Lynzie is about a year and a half away from a state of full independence. She's already expressed her desire to stay home with us until she's out of her teen years. She doesn't yet know that love changes everything and, if she's anything like her mama, she could be married and expecting her first baby by 20!

I stood there watching her brilliantly smiling and moving gracefully around the room and all I could think was---live. I want her to live. I want her to thrive. To reach into the great big pot of life before her with both hands and scoop up every bit of wonder and throw it up into the air and let it come showering down over her. Then I want her to raise her hands and spin and delightfully dance in every ounce of it.

I want to teach her how to conquer fear.

I want to teach her to find fulfillment in blessing others.

I want to teach her to look for diamonds in the rough.

I know I'm not the first mom-of-a-teen to panic at the thought of running out of time. I don't know why we tend to think 18 is the magic number at which the clock strikes midnight on our influence in the lives of our children.

God, please help me to remember that the best way to teach my daughter to thrive is by living the example of an abundant life myself.

Linking with:

Homemaking Party @ Classical Homemaking

Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers

Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz

Wow Us Wednesdays
Coffee and Conversation

How to Dry Flowers Using Cat Litter

We sure do love our cats---even if they do cause lots of cat-astrophes around our house! It's always been important to me to teach my children to be gentle with animals. Thanks to some help from Sam's Club, our family was able to donate $100 to the Bella Vista Animal Shelter so animals in our area can receive care while they're waiting for homes.

Don't let these two innocents fool you. They may look lean and lazy---but get them indoors and they're terrors! Even though I love cats, I've not had much luck with having them live solely indoors. Three times since I married Jamie 18 years ago, he's attempted to gift me with an indoor kitty; and all three times, the cat has eventually ended up being a mostly outside cat. Maybe I'm feline intolerant or maybe I just get blessed with hyperactive cats but I have very little patience for the curtain-climbing, furniture-clawing, and book-gnawing that goes on with some inside cats. I do much better when I can share a sunny spot with them on the porch---away from my cat-attractive collection of antique books.

A good quality cat litter is important in keeping the litter box area of your home smelling fresh, but did you know cat litter can be useful in lots of other ways that really have nothing to do with your cat? Here are just a few ways you can use cat litter outside the litter box:

• Place an old book in a container of cat litter and store it for a few days to remove musty smells.
• Mix cat litter with potting soil for more even water distribution around your plants.
• Sprinkle litter in the bottom of trash cans to deodorize them.
• Use litter instead of rice, beans, or sand when filling crafts or bean bags.
• Deodorize your refrigerator with a bowl of litter on a shelf.

Did you know you can also use it to dry flowers? I love to use dried flowers and other plants in crafts and drying them with cat litter is simple and can be done quickly. Here's how I make a dried flower bookmark using an easy drying technique:

Begin with a flower or plant that can be flattened. Pansies and daisies are great choices, as well as clovers. 

Next, find an airtight container large enough to fit the flowers and add at least an inch of cat litter. Lay the flowers in the container and cover them with a light layer of cat litter. Close the lid and keep the container in a dark closet for 3-5 days. For thick flowers like roses, it may take a few days longer. 

Once the flower is dried, begin creating the bookmark. I like to start with a pretty piece of scrapbooking paper and stamp or glue on words or quotes that inspire me. I buy secondhand copies of my favorite books so I can cut out bits of the book pages to add. {I acknowledge this completely enrages some people.} 

Then I apply a thin layer of glue from a glue stick in the area I plan to add the flower. I press it down carefully, starting with the center of the flower and then gently pressing the petals and stem.

When the glue dries, I cover the bookmark with clear packing tape. Sometimes I lay the bookmark between two sheets of clear contact paper, press down, and cut around the edges. 

Then I use a hole punch to add a hole for a pretty ribbon. Use a match to melt the ends of the ribbon so it won't fray. This is a pretty way to preserve a flower from a special day and makes a great gift, as well.

My cats may not have direct access to my books very often, but that doesn't mean they can't still enjoy great literature. My little readers love to entertain their feline (and canine!) friends with their favorite stories---outside.