It’s January and for the first time in my life when this month hit I was excited to get gardening catalogues and start my planning.

Admittedly I’ve done nothing BUT I am excited! Doesn’t that count?

This year I’ll try and do better by the onions, carrots and lettuce. I’m thinking of picking up a few more Smart Pots for those. Not too many because I’m still gardening in a small space.

I’m finally reading my copy of Momma’s Guide to Growing Your Own Groceries by Kimberly Eddy. That has me stoked even more. True this gardening guide is not written with the container gardener in mind but it is written to help you get started growing items you will actually eat (rather than just start fondly at). Having lived in Europe Kimberly’s book is great with practical advice on thinking through the placement, design and application of your garden so that your grocery budget will be reduced (the ultimate goal).

Kimberly has been at this (13 years in 2005) much longer than I have (year 2 wahoo!) so I’m counting on her advice to help me have a better harvest. We did GREAT! with our tomatoes and potatoes last year. This year I’m adding better cucumbers, lettuce, onions, carrots, and peppers to the bunch.

So are you gardening this year? And if so what are you planting?

I’m on week three of Queen of the Castle and it’s like Lynn is watching me or something. She KNOWS what is going on in my life.

You see last week I realized I needed to start taking better care of myself. I fall of the vitamin bandwagon much too often and I have the telltale signs. Listless and last night after dinner I had a cramp in my foot which can be a sign of a calcium deficiency. I’m not a big milk drinker and they had stopped carrying the yogurt I like at my local grocery store. I hadn’t bothered to find a replacement, I’m not a big organge juice drinker and I let my calcium supplements gether dust.

Well Lynn KNEW! You see week three in Queen of the Castle is all about taking care of mom. Knowing when you’re feeling run down that it’s time to take care of you. Seriously who takes care of us if we don’t?

So mom if you’re feeling a bit run down about now make a few changes. It could be a litte more sleep (it’s okay to say no). Or maybe eating a healthier breakfast for good energy. Or even just making it a regularly scheduled even to have a pampering session while someone else watches the children.

Take good care of mom.

On an average morning I get up an hour or so before my daughter and have my devotions, get things going in the house, breakfast ready etc. Dinner is planned and ready to go and  I have a bit of web work under my belt. Then she wakes up and the day begins in earnest.

But lately I have noticed a little less pep in my step.  About the last few months to be exact.  I’ve been feeling the need for a tune up.  A jump start. And no I’m not into cars.  Sometimes it’s energy but mostly I was looking for a little motivation. I know what I do is important. The little peanut growing by leaps and bounds is proof daily of that.  And so are all the emails of thanks for this tidbit or that. But still…

Being a big reader I have been browsing the homemaking book sections lately looking for something more than just your average how to organize, clean, cook book. I have tons of those and have written a bit about it myself. I wanted something more.

So when Lynn Bowen Walker contacted me to take a look at Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker I jumped at the chance and am glad I did.

What a great read! And I mean that sincerely.

It’s not just that she added all those wonderful vintage (and some modern) quotes from books I know and love.

It’s not that the book is arranged so that each week’s focus is timely to the season and time of year and even possibly how you’re doing right about that time in this big job of homemaking.

Nor her new words for the week that gets a nod ’cause I can soooo relate.

Not even for the timely scripture at the end of each chapter or prayer example to remind you what this homemaking is all about and Who you ultimately serve by giving it a go.

It’s that this book is a big hug for women out there who need to know that the work they do at and for the home and home life is truly important.

And YES! there are homemaking tips in there. These are practical application tips and even recipes that Lynn has learned along the way and is passing along.

Designed for the Christian homemaker (and by the way whether single, married, with children and without if you have a home of any size and/or description (palace, to studio) you are a homemaker) this book is a year long, 52 week long advice book on picking up your chin and being proud of what you do.

Right now I’m on Week Two where I am reminded to Give Homemaking My Best. There is the suggestion, especially if you have children or a spouse who may not quite understand, to give it your all and then take a vacation. One that takes you off the premises so others in the household may understand all you do I do this now and again.  Also incorporated is the reminder that no one is super woman.  This is perfect wisdom for one of close friends who is struggling with feelings of inadequacy on not being able to work part-time, raise two children and foster for two more who are under the age of five. This in addition to being a wife and very active in her church’s music ministry. It’s okay to say no. To only do the amount you can do well. When we start giving less than our best it’s time to cut back. No comparison to anyone else. No other homemaker, blogger woman, business executive etc.

See how inspiring the book is?

Although listed as 52 Weeks of encouragement you’ll read through each chapter (which is for the week) rather quickly and be tempted to jump ahead. My advice? Read your chapter at the beginning of the week and use that week to digest and apply the tips Lynn provides. As with a foreign language, which this may be for some of us, it sometimes takes digestion over and over to get the message.

You can also visit Lynn on her recipe blog at Queen of the Castle Recipes. Did I mention there are recipes in the book?

Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker

As much as I love reading and writing about homemaking stuff. And even doing much of it. There are quite a few things I’m just not into and so these ares suffer. Here are the ones I can remember…

1. Washing dishes with the water on full tilt. I know this is sooo bad. It stems from my childhood. My lovely mother only gave my sister and I one chore and that was to wash the dishes each night. How we ever got away with so little I’ll never know. I’m trying to make it up to her now. When we washed we would run the water the whole time. Once we were staying with my grandmother and we were washing the dishes after dinner. She lost it when she saw our “method”. I’ve been much better in my old age but I noticed lately I’m back to that bad old habit. I try to reign it in often. Something about that rushing hot water running over my hands is so soothing.

2. Folding laundry. I detest this and so we often have laundry baskets full of laundry in various bedrooms. Occasionally my husband will have pity on me a pull out his military background to whip the piles into shape. I even bought the
flipfold which makes the laundry neater but doesn’t make me do it more often.

3. Washing up the dishes at night. I’m much better at this now but when we first got married we would leave a whole sink full of dinner dishes (cooking and eating) over night and not do them until we got home from work the next night. Ooooh! My coworkers were aghast when I confessed. I don’t do this anymore simply because with my being home we are cooking more and there more mouths eating and my goodness it would be hideous! But you still may find a stray dish or two come morning.

Well okay there is probably a lot more because nobody is perfect.

Just felt like sharing.