Happy Homemaker Monday

I'm a very happy homemaker now that fall has arrived! I've been baking, drinking flavoured tea, and doing the massive seasonal clothing swap! Fall is here and I love making my home a peaceful place in which to relax!

Today I'm participating in Happy Homemaker Monday. Here's what's going on in my world this week:

The weather.....
Thankfully, we're finally seeing some cooler weather! My air conditioning has been off for four days now and baking is only warming the house up by a couple degrees. We spent the late afternoon and early evening outside yesterday and coats were essential! The leaves are just starting to turn and fall. I've not noticed any chimney smoke in the air yet---but I'm sure it's on its way!

Right now I am....
My husband took the older kids to evening church and I stayed home with the youngers who've been in bed for hours. I've been working on my devotional book that I'm hoping to publish Thanksgiving week. It's almost time for my husband to come home and we're planning to watch Murdoch Mysteries and have popcorn. We always put everyone to bed early on Saturday and Sunday nights so we can hang out.

Thinking....
I'm thinking of time I can set aside this week for writing. I'm really feeling an urgency to get this book out so I'm trying to balance that with the reality that I'm a homeschooling mom of nine children and can't lock myself away for hours every day to author books!

On my reading pile....
I'm currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for a Victorian Sci-Fi and Fantasy class I'm writing. After that, I plan to read my friend Sherri Beth Johnson's new book, Valynn. I finished the first in her series, Georgiana, last week and really loved it!

On my TV.....
We don't have TV service but do watch things on Netflix. Lately my husband and I have been enjoying historical shows and are really into Murdoch Mysteries. We also like to watch Time Team, a British archaeology show.

Something fun to share....
Well...would you like to see the first draft of my book cover?

On the menu for this week....
I've really been craving Mexican so I know I'll be making Taco Dip. I make a big 13x9 pan of it and we eat it with chips for dinner. I've also got chili on the menu, as well as chicken and dumplings and BBQ chicken.

Looking forward to this week....
This coming weekend is our city's annual arts and crafts fair. Each year, my second daughter, Selah, and I get up early one morning of the fair and drive out to the grounds where it's held. A hay wagon drives us from the parking lot to the fair entrance and we enjoy walking around looking at all the booths. I always let her pick out a treat of some kind and sometimes we each purchase a souvenir. There are always several booth owners who give her presents. Last year, someone gave her a polished rock necklace and the year before she was gifted with a scarf.

Looking around the house....
There are clothes everywhere!! It's always a big event when I get out the seasonal clothing totes. With several children sharing each closet, I can't keep all their clothes in them year round. Whatever is not in season is stored in totes in the garage and making the switch requires lots of sorting, trying on, and washing. My washer and dryer have been going all day and I've still got a huge pile!

From the camera....
Our son, Liam, was supposed to be baptized today but I had a couple of kids who weren't feeling well so I needed to stay home with them. I went ahead and made his celebration cake anyway, as he was looking forward to it, and he placed this car on top as a decoration. He'll have the opportunity again soon to be baptized and I'll make him another celebration cake on that day. He's not opposed to the idea!

On my prayer list.....
A personal prayer is for my three year old daughter, Brenna, who is going in for an echocardiogram on Tuesday morning. There's a possibility she may have some heart issues so we're getting some tests done to find out.

Hope everyone has a beautiful week. I encourage you to make the most of your homemaking this week by focusing on atmosphere and attitude. The most cluttered of homes can be peaceful when an effort is made to keep it full of kindness and joy!

Make sure to visit Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for more inspiration.

My Return from England--Featuring Warwick Castle

Pultney Bridge selfie --- Bath, England

Hello Friends! Wow, it's been awhile since I've hosted our weekly Homemaking Party! I've returned from my England trip and am getting settled back into the regular routine. Some really fun things are in store for the next couple months---namely, I'll be releasing a book shortly!

There were lots of really amazing things to see and experience on this year's tour. I'm hoping to share them all with you over the next few weeks. One of the fun places we visited was Warwick Castle.

They've got a lovely exhibit called the Victorian House Party. The castle and grounds are owned by Madame Toussad's so there are some really amazing wax work exhibits throughout the castle.

Here are my friend Leta and I---punished for bad behaviour!

I feel so blessed to have been able to visit England once again. I'm hoping my husband can travel with me next time!

Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party. I'm excited to see what everyone's got to share!

Ideas for Bridging Generational Gaps

About once a month, a local assisted living facility asks for community members to come sing and play music for the residents. Our homeschool group participated last year and my teens loved bringing their guitars or piano music and playing songs the residents recognized and could sing along with.

It's important to me to teach our kids that they can have a big impact on their communities right where they are and in every stage of life. I want them to have the opportunity to learn from and be influenced by people of all generations. We live in a community that, until recently, served as mainly a retirement community for many years. There are a lot of opportunities here for the youngers and olders to mingle. Ministering at an assisted living center or to other people in our community is just as edifying for my children as it is for the residents.  As they see the joy they can bring to people, it gives them the chance to build relationships with them.

There are lots of ways to bridge generational gaps between the young and the aged. The main thing is to get over any preconceived ideas about one another's interests and, instead, open up dialogue. The older generations love to talk one on one so the best way to find out what they're in to is just ask!

Here are some more ideas to help younger people enjoy the wisdom and influence of the older generations:

• Take a nature walk together and collect items for a fairy pot. If the older person has difficulty outside, the younger person could bring all of the supplies to their room, open up a sunny window, and work on the project with them there.
• Cards, board games, and puzzles are always fun and challenging. Pick games that aren't super complicated but will require all players to strategize. These sort of mind builders are beneficial to every age level.
• Prepare a picnic to enjoy together in or out of doors. 
• Bake cookies or make and decorate a cake together. One of my favorite early memories was when our neighbor, Alice, invited me over to make oatmeal cookies. I was only about six years old and I remember she's the one who taught me to sift flour!
• Spend time looking at cloud or rock formations and use your imaginations to decide what they look like.
• Do a simple sport like badminton, ping pong, or bounce a ball back and forth while visiting.
• Visit a lake or river to go fishing or skip rocks in the water.
• Work on a project like repairing a small engine or building a birdhouse. 
• Have a conversation about something special like their father's tackle box or their mother's sewing box. 
• Look through photographs together.
• Do a service project together like preparing gifts or writing cards or making hats and blankets.
• Find some old newspapers or magazines and have the older person talk about events or ads from their point of view.
• Play with Legos or make a model car.
• Cut paper dolls from magazines or make scrapbooks from pretty pictures. My great-grandma loved to do this with me when I was little and I have several of our scrapbooks made from seed catalogs.

No matter the activity, the important thing for all generations is to know that we have true friends and are being loved and respected for the valuable people we are. Spending time in real relationships is important for all ages.

I'd love to hear your ideas for bridging generational gaps. Let me know in the comments below!