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Showing posts with label Seasons at Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seasons at Home. Show all posts

Monthly To-Do Lists ~ Free Printable


"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."
~ William James 

I am forever creating to-do lists. The feeling of crossing off an entry is delightful! It seems like there are two women in this world, one that loves the list and the one that shuns it. Lists are excellent if you are a Mary-minded person but can be a detriment to a Martha-minded woman (if not properly prioritized).


With that in mind, here is our monthly to-do list printable that may help to organize your days.  Unlike daily lists, monthly lists focus on larger projects and need to do's that often get neglected. They give you the ability to see what needs to be done on a larger scale and from there tasks can be delegated into your daily routine. 


These sheets can be utilized for your homeschooling and homesteading projects. They would certainly make a nice addition to your home management binder. I three-hole punched ours and inserted them inside the "monthly work" section. What will you do with yours?


If you have any problems accessing the printables, please let me know! Simply download from the link below, save and print.


This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: Modest Mom Monday'sMake it Yourself MondaysHomestead Barn HopNatural Living Tuesday'sTeach Me TuesdayRaising HomemakersMake Bake CreateWise Woman Link UpChristian Homemaking, Wildcrafting WednesdayWhatever You Want WednesdayFrugal Days, Sustainable WaysHomemaking WednesdaysHomemaking Thursdays,  From the Farm Blog HopFarmgirl FridayClever Chicks Blog Hop and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. Black and White drawings are by the lovely Kate Greenaway.


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"Give Thanks" ~ Free Inspirational Art Printable


Beautifying your home is a very pleasant part of being a homemaker. I personally love the challenge of a frugally prepared project! You will find some autumn inspired ideas here that you can create inexpensively from your surroundings.

We are also sharing this printable of a "Scripture Picture" using chalkboard art. Perhaps you can use this as a thrifty way to decorate your home. It would also make an encouraging gift. Search for frames in second-hand stores and add your artistic flair with paint, items from nature or craft supplies. We printed ours on white card-stock, cut it down to size (leaving some white border as a "matting") and placed in an 8 by 10 inch frame.

To use, simply download from the menu below and print. Happy homemaking, ladies! 

"The family is an art form.
A family is an exciting career, because an art form needs work."
~ Edith Schaeffer, Excerpt from What is a Family?

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Autumn Potpourri of Posts

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Summer Inspired Beauty for Your Home

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To have your home pervade the pleasures of the sunny months is very relaxing therapy for the homemaker. These seasonal decorations can be prepared with zero expense and an abundance of love.

A simple vase of flowers from your backyard is always a cheerful welcome!

Don't forget the simplistic beauty of summer produce in a vintage style basket.

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Some sand and shells make a delightful decoration.

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Add a candle for a dreamy scene...

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A mason jar with sturdy wire will make a lovely lantern.

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“If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.”

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Summer Selection and Slowing Down this Season…

Summer is upon us *dreamy sigh*… Thoughts of homemade ice cream, outdoor fun with the family and stacks of books fill my heart.  Here is a list of summer inspired activities that you may enjoy this season. 
Some recipes you may consider making is our avocado salsa and some angeled eggs for an outdoor picnic. What about a batch of deli-style refrigerator pickles to go with all those summer sandwiches? When the heat kicks in, you can blend up some frugal coffee beverages!


If mosquitoes are a problem in your area, consider making your own bug-spray.

If you plan on preserving, here is a list of recipes you may want to try.


Are you planning to slow down this season? I sure am! This weary pilgrim may post once a week but no more than that during these upcoming months… She has made lots of plans with her loved ones.



We do have another series prepared for this blog that we are very excited about! It will include pretty and practical printables for the pioneer-spirited souls… However, it is a *surprise* and will start in the fall :)


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Spring Inspired Beauty for Your Home

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Here are some spring decorating ideas from an expensive retail store that you can produce for *free* in your home. A pleasant nature walk with your family will provide the resources for many of these peaceful settings.

Some collected pebbles and rocks could be dropped into an antique jar or glass vessel. Add a candle or a few dried flower stems (my choice would be roses, what about you?) for this simple vignette.

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Forage for larger, smooth stones of the same colors to create this serene ensemble. A mason jar would be attractive for this project as well. For a romantic look, add a strip of ribbon or lace (or replace the rocks with an assortment of beads and pearls).

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Place any vintage volumes and "artifacts" in a tray to provide a nostalgic look.

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Though the toppers may be hard to reciprocate, the decorative jar certainly isn't. Some antique clip art, attached with a vintage style tag, twine and trinket gives your home a tranquil, naturalist ambiance.

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“… Are we who have been made in the image of our Creator to be less creative than those who do not know the Creator? The Christian should have more vividly expressed creativity in his daily life.” 
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Winter Inspired Beauty for Your Home

Oversized Mason Jar
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Here are some winter inspired ideas that can be reproduced in your home based on findings from God's creation. Bundle up, take a stroll with your family and gather some treasures to decorate your nest with seasonal charm. 

"To every [thing there is] a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven…"
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

This oversized mason jar is simple to make with pine tree clippings, pinecones, a candle and natural twine. Anything involving a jar is a favorite with me!

Holiday Potpourri
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Dry your own citrus pieces, add in some cinnamon sticks, pine-cones or pods from trees...

Place them in a clear vase, glass or vintage jar for a fragrant display...

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Cut up branches from your property into chunks to create this simple idea...

Silver Rim Glass Hurricane
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Use a mason jar or candle votive and fill it with pine needles, baby pinecones and add a candle...

Pinecone Cluster
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After all, it is the little details that makes one smile...

“There needs to be a homemaker exercising some measure of skill, imagination, creativity, desire to fulfill needs and give pleasure to others in the family. How precious a thing is the human family. Is it not worth some sacrifice in time, energy, safety, discomfort, work? Does anything come forth without work?"

~ Edith Schaeffer, What is a Family?

Live Eucalyptus & Red Berry Garland
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"He hath made every [thing] beautiful in his time…"
Ecclesiastes 3:11a


This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: Modest Mom Monday'sMake it Yourself Mondays,  Homestead Barn HopArtful HomemakingNatural Living Tuesday'sTeach Me TuesdayDomestically Divine TuesdayRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpFrugal Days, Sustainable WaysFarmgirl Friday and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. All photos are courtesy of Pottery Barn.

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Autumn Inspired Beauty for Your Home

Dried Pumpino Vase Filler
Photo Source: Pottery Barn

What I love about Pottery Barn is that their products (though expensive) can easily be reproduced in our homes if we spend a few minutes outside, instead of a few dollars online...

Here are some thrifty and doable ideas for lovely, autumn inspired decoration...

Dried Pumpino Vase Filler
Photo Source: Pottery Barn

I would replace mason jars with these vases to make it farmhouse style (and affordable/practical)...

Use whatever seasonal, dried foods and fall landscape that you have in abundance, to fill your vessels...

Some simple ideas are nuts, pods, acorns, pinecones and twigs...

Faux Pin Oak Branch
Photo Source:  Pottery Barn

Tree branches are free and beautiful to display...

Dried leaves, pressed in a frame, is a nice touch as well...

Live Olive Leaf & Myrtle Garland
Photo Source: Pottery Barn

Taking a few minutes to adorn your home is another way of showing love to your family...

Make the Home-Coming Sweet

Make the home-coming sweet!
The gladness of going,
The pleasure of knowing
Will not be complete
Unless, at the ending,
The home-coming's sweet.


Make the home-coming sweet!
No fear of the straying,
Or dread of the staying
Of dear little feet,
If always you're making
The home-coming sweet.

~ Maud Lindsay
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Autumn Inspired Posts

Victorian Autumn by Thomas Kinkade

"On the motionless branches of some trees,
autumn berries hung like clusters of coral beads,
as in those fabled orchards where the fruits were jewels…"
~ Charles Dickens


Here is a potpourri of autumn related posts from the past:


May you enjoy this beautiful season in your home with warm tea, hot muffins, walks, apples, pumpkins, acorns, pinecones, leaves…

"The autumn drifted away through all its seasons; the golden corn-harvest, the walks through the stubble fields, and rambles into hazel-copses in search of nuts; the stripping of the apple-orchards of their ruddy fruit, amid the joyous cries and shouts of watching children; and the gorgeous tulip-like colouring of the later time had now come on with the shortening days."

~ Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters



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Summer Inspired Activities


Summer is a sultry time;
Then the glare of light oppresses;
Lilacs fall, and gay laburnum,
Parts with all her golden tresses.

Summer's a delightful season;
Then we view the gorgeous flowers,
Fragrant scents are wafted to us
While we sit in shady bowers.

~ Excerpt from "Seasons" by Sara Coleridge

The warmth of the summer season beckons us to the outdoors. Here are some wholesome and educational activities to do with your family during these sun filled months...

Children and Seaweed by Edward Killingworth Johnson
  • Breakfast on the beach (I suggest going to the secluded areas in the morning before all the scanty wardrobes make their appearance). Lay out an older quilt and bring a basket full of warm muffins, thermos of hot tea/coffee, container of freshly cut fruit and hard boiled eggs. What a pleasant way to start a summer day!
  • Walk along the sandy shores, gather some sea samples and/or take pictures of them. When home, make a seascape collage, add into a nature journal, or create a shadow box with your findings. Label the date the specimens were found and at what location.
  • Create an ocean memory jar to display in your home. Layer jar with samples of sand, then a layer of shells, another sample of sand and top with the prettiest seashore find of the day. Place a lid on the jar, tie twine around the rim and hang a tag which labels where and when you found the contents in the jar. (Make sure it is lawful to take samples from the area you are visiting since it is not always allowed. If not, take pictures and drop the nicest photo strategically on top of the sand for a unique look.) This would be fun to do for all your outings as you would have a lovely display of nature jars showcasing your travels on a fireplace mantel.
Calling the Bees by Edward Killingworth Johnson
      • Pick and press some flowers. Create cards with them to send to your loved ones.
      • Tour local historical and botanical gardens.
      • Go to a pick your own strawberry patch, gather some fresh goodies together and make freezer jam, strawberry pies or chocolate dipped strawberries.
      • Listen to some character building audio dramas while you are traveling together. Wonderful lessons can be learned while driving. Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is our family favorite.
      Summer Days by Edward Killingworth Johnson
      • Read summer inspired picture books:

      Summertime in the Big Woods (My First Little House Picture Book)


      Bluebird Summer by Deborah Hopkinson


      Saving Strawberry Farm by Deborah Hopkinson


      Happy as the Day is Long by Edward Killingworth Johnson

      • Read some summer inspired poetry:
      Bed in Summer

      In winter I get up at night
      And dress by yellow candle-light.
      In summer quite the other way,
      I have to go to bed by day.

      I have to go to bed and see
      The birds still hopping on the tree,
      Or hear the grown-up people's feet
      Still going past me in the street.

      And does it not seem hard to you,
      When all the sky is clear and blue,
      And I should like so much to play,
      To have to go to bed by day?

      By ~ Robert Louis Stevenson


      Sunbeams by Edward Killingworth Johnson

      Biblical Poetry

      "Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:
      thou hast made summer and winter."
      ~ Psalm 74:17


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