Misperception and Failures

It's been fun to have women here and there comment about how they are enjoying the new blog.  What an encouragement to know people are reading and benefiting from our new endeavor!  A while back, I was telling one sweet lady a story about a failed beauty recipe I had just tried.  She said, "Oh, you should include that on your blog!"  A conversation about misperception and failures followed, and it was a great topic to discuss!  She thought it worthy to post in order to make sure people have a full picture of who I am.  Thanks for the idea, Colleen!

Let's start with misperception.  It's in regards to how people perceive...me.  It all began back when I declared that I was going to major in home economics.  The misperception then was that all I was going to do was spend my parents good money on learning how to bake chocolate chip cookies and sew something.  The mocking was most potent during my freshman year at Masters.  :-P  Over those four college years, the mocking subsided as all of us students matured and understood more about the work load we each carried.  I dare say that by senior year, many came to respect home economics majors because they saw the incredible work load of presentations/projects but also because they realized the value of what we learned in that department, both practically and spiritually.  But the misperception of holding a degree in home economics never ends completely, as I've found out.  Instead of being made fun of for baking chocolate chip cookies as Little Suzy Homemaker in home economics, you are perceived to be a Martha Stewart who knows it all and can do it all in Family & Consumer Sciences.

I am neither of these ladies.

Might I have a certain advantage knowledge-wise of cooking, sewing, home management, family finances, and the like?  Sure.  But that doesn't mean I'm perfect.  Neither is my memory.  And I did NOT learn all I know from my home ec classes.  Just ask my mom how often I called her when I was newly married for advice, especially as it pertained to cooking (and...how often I still call her...).  :-)  Mothers and grandmothers have a wealth of information that you just can't learn in four years of classroom, textbook teaching!  And experience is also key in all the areas home economics covers.  I learned a lot about the chemistry of cooking in Principles of Food Preparation, but I have learned so much more about cooking through 8 years of being the chef in my home.  It's been wonderful to see the science in action and figure out why some things work and why other things are epic fails.  The third way I have increased in my abilities beyond a home ec degree is the wonderful World Wide Web.  There is SOOOO much available at our fingertips to help each of us improve in the areas we struggle with!  Just incredible!

In no way do I want to demean my degree.  I highly value the knowledge and experience I acquired in college -- and the practical/spiritual training I received CERTAINLY changed me more in those four short years than any other time in my life.  (And I got a hubby out of it!)  But I just want to make sure that my friends and readers know I'm imperfect.  I fail every day in some area of home or family management.  Things are not always clean and straightened and perfectly decorated.  I get overwhelmed and behind in household tasks.  I have to seek out information and help often in order to discover new ways of doing things or how to do it at all.  All areas pertaining to Home Economics - Family & Consumer Sciences are areas that are ever changing.  We would be wise to be active in our pursuit of making our homes the most efficient, comfortable places for each of our families.  A four year degree just doesn't cut it when you're talking about a lifetime of home and family management.  Remember: knowledge, advice, and experience... all wrapped up in a neat bow of PRAYER! Then our management will grow to be a beautiful gift to our Employer.

As for the epic fail Colleen said I should tell you about...  I tried Dining on a Dime's recipe for leg wax.  (YES, leg wax.  Hey, don't fault me for being curious!)  I don't even really remember the recipe other than that it had lemon juice, sugar, and water.  You're just supposed to boil it for however long and then let it cool.  Well, lemme tell ya.  I let it boil, and boil, and boil.  It wasn't looking the way I thought it should.  I turned my back for a second, and smoke started pouring forth from the pot.  Oh heavens!  The pot went straight outside.  I had no idea what to do.  It [should be] common cooking knowledge that hot liquid sugar will burn the shananagins out of whatever it touches.  But if it cools, it will harden.  I'd never made hard candy until that night.  :-P  I did manage to save my pot (though I did somehow get a shard of hard candy in my eye while trying to clean it...NOT comfortable by any stretch of the imagination).  But there is still a pyrex bowl of dark brown hard-as-a-rock "candy" sitting on Hubz's work bench in the garage.  He said he'd try to get it out.  But I betcha I'll throw it away before that.  I'll stick to my razor and shave cream for now, thank you.

About the Authors: Dawn

I'm Dawn.  My mom mentioned she has a milestone birthday this year -- so do I.  I'll be 30 in a matter of days.  When I look at my life, I feel way too young to have a husband, three children, and our own home.  But at the same time, I feel mature enough mentally and spiritually to be 30.  It's incredible how being married, having children, moving a lot, and just life in general can grow a person up!  And so that I can return the public favor of poking fun, my Hubz will be 30 in May.  ;-)

As mentioned, I have three kids.  A 5 year old son (JG), a 4 year old son (EA), and a 1 year old daughter (EM).  Add to that caring for our new single-family long-term home, meal management, husband care, etc. etc...and my days are quite full!  This is our first official year of homeschooling.   JG is in kindergarten, and EA is in preschool.  And boy was it a wake-up call to see how much that adds to the home management plate!  It's a good lesson in learning to prioritize -- and how to let go of the lower priorities if they don't get done!  I do enjoy being able to stay home and fulfill my God-given calling.  There is so much to do that I honestly have no idea how women who work outside the home manage!  My brain doesn't compute that simply because of how busy I am without spending time at a job elsewhere.  Those women must have an extra measure of grace and strength from the Lord!  :-P

I have a bachelor's degree in Home Economics - Family & Consumer Sciences.  I can't begin to tell you how often a gal gets made fun of for spending four years and so much money to learn how to "bake chocolate chip cookies and sew a dress."  It is SO much more than that!  Food prep (science behind cooking), meal management, home management, childhood development, early childhood education, nutrition, nutrition for children, sewing basics, intermediate sewing and beyond, dynamics of family living (best class ever!), professional and philosophical issues, interior design, entrepreneurship, undergraduate thesis and research...and those are only the classes I remember!  Those four years drastically changed who I am in personality, ability, and spirit.  And no, a home ec degree is not just a "Mrs." degree.  There are a MYRIAD of professions one can go into with such a degree.  Though it is QUITE beneficial if you do end up as a Mrs.  ;-)  Which is precisely what the Lord had for me -- I got married about two months after graduation.  Fine by me!  Those four years and thousands of dollars were far from being a waste.  How many people can say they use their degree 24/7 year in and year out??  Even sleeping is being a good steward of your time (part of home management)!  Not to mention, as my mom reminds me, those years and money were well worth it for me to meet my dear Hubz.  ::swoon::

Disclaimer:  Just because I do have an official degree in Home Economics does NOT mean that I am a perfect home manager.  Who is?  Martha Stewart?  Yeah...she doesn't have a husband or kids in the house (that I'm aware of anyway) or a limited budget.  We are all sinners and battle laziness and pride, both of which hugely affect the state of our homes and lives.  Trust me -- I've come a loooong way in how I manage my home from the first year of marriage with no kids to now -- almost 8 years and three kids.  Each child has forced me to let go of pristine living even more -- which is a good thing for me.  It is both humbling and refreshing to let go of perfectionism.  I'm realizing it's ok for people to see that we LIVE in our home!  That "relaxed" look my mom spoke of is not a bad thing so long as it's not due to laziness.  We must strive to find a healthy balance in the state of our homes -- spiritually first, then practically.  :-)

It's commical how different my mom and I are in our likes/dislikes in home management.  I DO NOT like to do dishes -- I still haven't figured out why exactly other than the standing for forever and getting dry hands.  I HATE cleaning bath tubs and showers that have tile/grout.  Loathe.  Consider it a drudgery.  I love to organize things and would spend a pretty penny on organizational stuff...if I had a pretty penny!  Can one be too organized??  A place for everything, and everything in its place -- that's how picking-up becomes a breeze!  Which means I like to fold clothes and put them away.  I've always dreamed of having a linen closet that looks like the towel section of Bed Bath & Beyond.  And perfect dresser drawers means you wear more of your clothes because you can actually see all of them!  (Obsessed, you ask?  Probably.)  I like to sweep and vacuum because it gives immediate satisfaction and a huge face lift to the home.  Don't do anything else but clean the floors, and things look much better!

I'm excited to be co-authoring this blog mainly because I LOVE gathering/using ideas and therefore love contributing to the big 'ole Idea Pool.  (There's a post on why you should be on Pinterest coming in the near future...)  Take what works for you from this blog, and use it!  Use the ideas and tailor them to your life.  The goal is to help you all become more efficient home managers to free up your time and money so it can be spent on the most important things in life -- God's kingdom and your own little kingdom!

About the Authors: Kathie

I'm Kathie. I have lived, by God's grace, for 49 years.   Lord willing, in nine months I will be 50!  I don't feel that old, but how old is 50 supposed to feel?   I am married to a wonderful man who loves the Lord, me, our three girls, and our six grandchildren.  Our two older girls are both grown and out of the house; they split the six grandchildren between them.  Each daughter has two sons and one daughter.  It is a joy to be their mom and the grandchildren’s Nini (pronounced "nee-nee").  Our third and youngest daughter was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school and is now a college freshman.  So we are sort of empty nesters.  My husband, R, and I have been married 23 years.   We have lived in the same house all those years.  It is an older home, built in 1933 or 1936 (I can never remember).   I love this house, and I love being a homemaker.  Don't read "I'm a great homemaker" or "I'm a have-it-all-together homemaker" because nothing is further from the truth.   I had a friend once tell me my home was "relaxed."  I think she meant you could tell people lived here!  :)

I enjoy all the different areas of homemaking.  I enjoy cooking, though I'm not a foodie.  I like simple, home-cooking, and I do like watching cooking/foodie type shows.   I enjoy sewing.   I like things being organized, and that's an area I need to work on.  Nothing makes me smile like an organized closet... if they would only stay that way!  :D   I actually enjoy dusting and vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom.  I like washing the dishes by hand.   I like the solitariness of it.  What do I not like (so you know I'm just like anyone else)?  I do NOT like to pick up.  I don't like folding and putting away the laundry either.

I'm excited about this new adventure with Dawn for several reasons.  I want to be a better blogger.  I want to have a good motivation to try the recipes and frugal hints in the Dining on a Dime cookbook.  I want to be a better steward of the resources the Lord has given us.  And lastly, if I can be of help to any other mother or grandmother, that is just icing on the cake (pun sort of intended).  ;)

Welcome!

Proverbs 31:27 says, "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."


So begins a new journey!  Though we each have our own blogs as personal writing outlets, we have decided to venture forth together as co-authors of a new blog that deals with a topic near and dear to our lives - home management.


Why is home management near and dear to us?  Because it is our calling!  God has allowed us both to be wives and mothers who work in the home.  We are domestic engineers!  Home management is both a necessity and a joy to each of us because we realize that it is a gift -- a challenging gift -- to be the hands and feet of God in our homes.  We strive to be a blessing to our husbands and children (as they are to us) by being the tool God uses to help them live comfortable, efficient, and enjoyable lives.


What we think is fun is not that we're just good friends and sisters in Christ, we are also mother and daughter!  Note the two flowers on our background.  :-)  Titus 2:3-5 says, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."  Praise the Lord that, by His grace, we are a good example of Paul's command.  What is precious to us is that we have reached the ages and stages in life where the counsel and encouragement as well as practical ideas and advice can flow both ways.  Kathie has more years and life experience that have given her much wisdom to share, and Dawn has had formal training in home economics that has given her a practical edge.  One without the other would be lacking.  Just as it's easier to get along in life with "street smarts" AND "book smarts," the same holds true for home management.  It also greatly helps that the Lord has created us with specific personalities and mentalities that are drawn to the many topics involved in home management.


To refine our overall topic even more, we strive to be good stewards as we manage our homes.  God has graciously provided all that we have.  In addition to being in different life stages, we are also in different places financially and geographically.  But we have the same goal -- look for ways to be efficient and financially savvy.  The information we share will be geared towards helping our readers discover ways of managing their homes that will bring efficiency, creativity, practicality, and beauty all while being budget-friendly.


How did this idea come about?  Kathie sparked the idea by wanting to cook her way through Dining on a Dime, a cookbook that each of us have and love.  Dawn had a desire to also share some of the recipes because they're cheap 'n easy.  So after talking more about it, we decided it would be fun to cook through and blog together.  But when choosing a name for our blog, it occurred to us that we shouldn't lock ourselves into cooking.  So we expanded the idea to home management which can include cooking, cleaning, sewing, organization, home decorating, child rearing, husband loving...you name it!  If it's in the home, it's fair game.


In the next two posts, we will give a little background to each of us so that our readers can get to know us a little better!