Kelly K. Smith

As another year passes, I look back and see all the wonderful things that happened this year. Life goes so quickly! There are also many things I wish I could change. I sit here and ponder over 2007 and know without a shadow of a doubt it could’ve been better than it was. I failed God in so many ways, it breaks my heart. I know my walk with Him could be and should be so much stronger. I have decided once again to homeschool my son. For those of you who read my previous post, I was going through some transition and I didn’t fully give it to God before I completely took over and made the decision to put my son back in school. He was in the public school system for two and half months and he will not be going back after the holidays. I knew something wasn’t right and I did not feel peace as I repeatedly dropped him off at his bus stop every day. Many mornings I drove back home with an emptiness in my heart and tears in my eyes. God was trying to tell me something those mornings. That when I make decisions on my own, peace will not be there. SO…. as I look back at 2007, I did not feel peace about alot of things. What a revelation. To know that I have not been communicating with God and trying to listen to what He has to say. I want to start this New Year with recommiting myself to God, the way I did in the very beginning. My first love. The way I longed for His peace and spending so much time with Him just getting to know Him. Oh, how I wish I could have eleviated so much heartache and pain just by finding out what it was He wanted me to do. I can’t do anything myself, so why am I trying to? (It’s that control thing! LOL) I want my life to change this year. I want some freedom in my life. Freedom in my marraige. Freedom in my finances. I want my relationship with my son to once again flourish as we start homeschooling again. I want my extended family to be restored as a whole again. I want the fire in my heart for God and everything He has for me to ignite! I wish you all a blessed New Year also. A year full of commitments to God and to your families. And for all of us to realize we are nothing on this earth without the Living God and the wonderful sweet spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

Do you ever wonder what you are doing? I know this sounds like an odd way of starting this, but do you ever look in the mirror and say to yourself, “What in the world am I doing?”. I ask for forgiveness from God for wanting to do things my way and not listening to His voice. Sometimes, its hard to listen for His voice, when I have feelings of my own stirring inside my head all the time. I guess I am in a state of confusion at this moment, and I know God is not a God of confusion. What to do about certain situations in my life seem to be so overwhelming.

Sometimes we go through periods of life that are smooth and seem to flow into each day just fine. Then there are times that are so pivotal, that it seems to change us from the inside out. From how we go about our days, to what we focus on that wasn’t a focus before. We are an ever-changing people, and sometimes that’s hard! So what is it you may ask? What is the reason I am writing this or feeling confused? A year and a half ago I started homeschooling my son. I felt in my heart that is what God had for me. I didn’t realize that maybe He was doing this for me as much as He was doing this for my son. I have changed this last year. My relationship with my son has changed, and I have changed as a mother. God showed me how to have extreme patience during those times. I have loved every bit of it.

I had started my own home business during that time, and hoped and prayed that would make ends meet in our household since I was not out working a full time job. So as I write this everything seems to be changing. What am I doing, I ask myself, how can I make this work? My family is in need of financial freedom and I am not ashamed to say that. Not only do we need to change our minds when it comes to matters of money, but we need to make sure God is always first. I have been listening to some Financial Peace University CD’s from Dave Ramsey and to be honest, they are very convicting. How can I ever have financial peace in my life, when I am struggling with basic money principles!

So as I write this, I am having a hard time realizing I may have to go back to work and put my son back into school. I have been with him, side by side for a long time, and I don’t want to let go. I am praying that God would close doors that need to be closed and open the doors that need to be opened. I wonder if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing for my family, am I giving my all to help this family survive! I do know that part of having financial peace is having the income coming in that can get us to that point. I have sent my resume out to a few places this past week, and have an appointment at a local county school here in the morning to see if they have an opening for my son. School started over a month ago here and I have already been told by a couple other schools that they are full. What do I do? Where do I go? Those questions are just swirling around my mind. But I know I have to listen to the voice of God. Please pray as I go on this new journey, if this is the journey He has chosen for me in this season of my life. I know it’s not always up to us how our lives are directed, because God orders our steps. Sometimes, it’s just hard not knowing those steps!

Let’s work on some closets!
Bathroom, hallway and even kitchen closets can all be organized with a little purging. Some of us have so much stuff in our bathroom closets! A lot of the stuff not used in the bathroom closet can be thrown away because most of the stuff is used portions of just about everything from make-up, shampoos, perfumes, and everything in between. If you haven’t used a certain product in your bathroom in the last 6 months to a year….get rid of it! For the items you used on a daily basis, purchase a small plastic basket to put on your bathroom counter top, and fill it with those products you use regularly. I use baskets in my closet, under my bathroom sink, and even on the back of the toilet to keep stuff organized and grouped together. If you have small children, NEVER_EVER keep bathroom-cleaning products within reach. I like to keep all of my cleaning products grouped together in my kitchen closet. Yes, I have to go all the way to the kitchen, but it reduces the risk of them being under the sink or in a closet where most of the family gets into on a daily basis. The main thing you need to know about the bathroom is PURGE. I have met people that have stuff in their bathroom from several years ago, especially make-up. You should replace your mascara every 3 months. Your eye shadows every 6 months to a year. Now there is nothing wrong with having a lot of products, as long as you use them frequently. If you have something in your bathroom from 2 years ago and have never used it, or used it only a few times and got something else instead, there is no need for it. I love beauty products! I love make-up, wear it everyday! I have eye creams, moisturizers, a lot of make-up and a couple of different lotions, but I use them all. I have talked about baskets and bins and Rubbermaid containers. I use them a lot when it comes to organizing and you will too on this adventure! Let’s move on to the hallway closet. Everyone is different in what they put on their hallway closets. I have 2 closets, one in the hallway and one by the front door. The one by the front door I keep folded up blankets and winter coats. I keep my winter coats in there to have more space in my bedroom closet. In my hallway closet I keep linens, towels and rags. Since this closet is the closest to my bathroom I also keep other bathroom stuff in there. I have baskets that hold all my stepdaughters’ hair bows and rubber bands. I have a little 3-drawer container that holds all my nails products. Polishes, remover, cuticle treatment, files and buffers. I also have my own pedicure bowl for giving my feet some wonderful needed treatment. I have a bag that keeps all my pedicure products together, like foot scrub, loofah, file, and lotion. Now I know you all don’t have exactly what I have in my closet, but this gives you an idea how to group things together to access it easily. I can go anywhere in my house and find it instantly. I know where everything is. Everything has a place and there is a place for everything!! Have a great time purging and getting things in their rightful place!

Do you ever feel like there is a tug of war going on deep in your soul? I certainly do. A tug of war for my mind, my heart, my soul and my very life. I picture myself standing with my arms open wide and a pull from both sides. I know in the spiritual world there is a fight going on between good and evil, between God and Satan. My life is the very thing they both want for themselves. Sometimes that tug is representing the fight within myself. I fight and struggle with wanting to be the person God created me to be. To live for my Lord and communicate with him daily. Living my life in a way that is pleasing to Him. On the other hand, a struggle with wanting to keep the pleasures of the flesh. Bonded to sin in such a way that I have shackles around my wrists. So as my God fights for me and Satan definitely wanting my life, I am swaying back and forth, hoping I am closer to one side than the other.

Long before I asked Christ into my life, I still felt that same tug of war. I was not a christian, rejected Christ time and time again, yet my Saviour was still fighting for me. I didn’t recognize it then ,of course, but I felt something was taking place. Father God knew where I would be today, and where I will be 50 years from now. He knew what kind of person He could mold me into. He knew one day I would be called a daughter of God, a sister of Christ. God is a jealous God. He wants us all for Himself. So He fights for us. Fights for our lives, struggles with Satan for what belongs to Him. Believes in us when we don’t even believe in ourselves. There is a reason God’s Word tells us to fight the good fight. We are in a war. A war within ourselves to “not do what we don’t want to do, and do what we want to do”! A war among Satan and his tactics and God and His marvelous ways.

God will win in the end. No matter what seems to be in the middle of that tug of war. Mud, Slime, Sin! God has already chosen YOU! He has chosen me, long before I even realized it or even accepted it. Although that feeling will never go away, getting pulled from one side to the other, Satan will never give up, but know that God will come with the victory!

Kitchen, Oh wonderful Kitchen!
Everyone definitely has things in their kitchen they can purge! Do you really need ten wooden spoons? Seven spatulas? What about several of the same size saucepans? Ok, here we go! Get a box labeled “To be given away”. Charities can always use kitchen items for families just starting out after a loss, or women starting out after getting out of an abusive relationship and need to start from scratch. Have a giving heart, even if it is something you use.

As far as pots and pans and skillets, I have one of every size: small saucepan, medium saucepan, and deep saucepan for all kinds of noodles. I have 3 different sizes of skillets. I have a muffin pan, cake pans, and stoneware for my oven meals. You should be able to get to your kitchen and find what you need to prepare a meal, not searching 20 minutes to find what you need to make your meal. My cupboards are all organized from the bottom to the top. I keep pans, skillets and stoneware grouped together in the bottom cupboards, and of course up top are all the bowls, cups, plates, glasses and plastic containers.

Now, a little word about all those plastic containers we keep for leftovers; you have to draw a line somewhere! Will you really use all of those at the same time in your refrigerator? Is it even big enough to hold all of those? NOT! So get it down to just a couple you can use n a weekly basis. Most food is not supposed to stay in your fridge for days and days, maybe a day or two. So you can free up a lot of space just by disposing of many of those plastics! Once again, group likes together. I know it sounds so simple, but you would be so surprised at who just puts stuff everywhere in their cupboards. They may have bowls in three different places! I have seen it!

Did you know you can inexpensively line your cupboards with left over vinyl flooring squares that can be purchased at your local flooring store? Good tip! Now for your kitchen drawers you can purchase a silverware divider. Utensils holders on the counter top are good also, for your bigger utensils. In others drawers that hold items such as pens, pencils, coupons, bag clips, etc., you can purchase little baskets at the local dollar store and place them in there. They have long skinny ones, and some are four by six inches. It makes your drawers so much more organized than just throwing things everywhere.

You should know where everything is the instant you need it and it makes your meal preparation time much quicker. Another tip to help your kitchen look cleaner and more organized is to keep your kitchen sink clean! Do your dishes right after your meal and run that dishwasher when it needs it. Even if you have lots of stuff on your countertops due to limited space, like me, if your sink is clean it will look so much better.

Keeping up with Usernames and Passwords!
For those of you who are like me and are registered on multiple sites on the Internet, keeping up with all those usernames and passwords can turn into a complete nightmare! Well here is a simple solution. Go purchase a pack or two of 3.5 x 5 index cards, a box for the index cards that also has the ABC dividers already in it. Anytime you register for a site, file that sites name alphabetically with your username and password. It sounds so simple, yet many of us just try to remember and memorize all of that information. I probably have over 50 sites I am actively registered on so this makes it very simple for me to pull the box out and find what I need. Also, I would keep it in a safe place, a drawer or some thing similar, especially if you have bank account username and passwords stored in the box. Short and sweet!

Keeping a File Box
Here is a good solution for those of you that just have papers GALORE lying everywhere. Remember what I said about there being a place for everything and everything having a place? Keeping a file box can save you so much time and heartache. You can get hanging folders for a file box at Wal-Mart and they also carry file boxes. When you purchase file folders you will get the little tabs to write what will be kept in that file. Things that absolutely need to be filed are:
Rent or Mortgage receipts
Bills
Check Stubs
Phone Bill Statements
Tax Refund info and W 2’s
Titles for Vehicles
Birth Certificate
Social Security Cards
Marriage License (or Divorce, Child Support, Paternity Papers etc.)
Product Warranties
Information for your Animals (vet bills, shot records, etc.)
Insurance Info (health, accident, cancer policy)
Car Insurance Info
Medical Bills and Statements for the whole family
Home Insurance (rental insurance)
Credit Reports
Past Due Bills (if needed)
Student Loan Information
Personal Receipts
Business Receipts
Misc. File
Important Mail
Wills
Estate Information
Living Wills
Loan Information
Children’s School Records
Progress Reports
Immunization Records

You get the picture! Whatever is important for your household should be put into a file folder. Anything that you know should be kept in a safe place and possibly in a place easy to find should anything happen and you need it immediately! There is nothing worse than knowing you need certain information for an appointment, or visit with a lawyer or whatever and you don’t have it, and you have to search the whole house for what you need! It will all be right there in your file box! Go ahead, start finding things and getting them together and go get you a file box and hanging folders!!

Laundry!
We have all seen it! Clothes EVERYWHERE! Laundry hampers and baskets are a must in every household. Most people do have laundry baskets that they use while washing the clothes, but not everybody has a hamper in every room of the house. Get color coordinated hampers for your kids’ rooms, master bedroom and even the bathrooms. This helps reduce the amount of clothing on the floors. Teach your kids to automatically put the clothes in their hamper in the bathroom after taking showers or baths. You would be surprised how clean a room can look when there aren’t any clothes all over the floor! Also…when folding laundry, make it time for the family to spend together. Give everyone a specific piece of clothing to fold like all the shirts, towels, etc. Then make sure everything gets put up when finished! I keep a plastic bin on my washer that holds the detergent, softener and color safe bleach. It makes it easy to get to, because I don’t have shelves to put them on. Always keep those household products up high away from children!

Home Organization
By Kelly K. Smith

Organizing your home and making things convenient to find may be natural to some, but to a lot of people their lives are so chaotic they may not even know where to start. One of the biggest tips I can give you when attempting to make some sense of your disorganized life, whether it be your home, your schedule, or your office, is take it in stride. You can become organized by taking some simple steps. Please don’t try to do everything in one day. The point of doing it one step at a time is so you don’t feel overloaded and just give up. It makes life so much easier when your home is organized, or your office. Everything has a place and there is a place for everything, and when you can find exactly what you are looking for the moment you need it…POWERFUL! Really, it is! Chaos can be such a burden in our lives, in our marriages, in our very souls! God’s plan for our lives is not to be stricken everyday with menial things like getting somewhere on time, or finding something we need in the house or the garage. What a waste of emotions! Life can be easier and more peaceful by spending a little bit of time implementing these steps into your daily lives! I will write all of these in steps, to make it easier to put into action at home!

Hot Spot!
OK…here we go! Everyone has what is called a “hot spot”. It is the place that collects everything! When you come in the door, your stuff gets placed there. When your kids come home, their stuff gets put there. Your bills from the mailbox get left there and so on. That is what we call a HOT SPOT! Usually it will be the kitchen or dining room table and sometimes, if you have one, a table that sits by the front door in the hallway. Remember…there is a place for everything and everything has a place. Ways of getting around this are quite simple. You could mount a rack on the wall that will have hooks for your keys and slots for important mail you’ve received and need to go through, or mail that needs to be mailed out the following day. You can purchase a basket that could hold your papers in it. There is something about organization, that you could still have the same amount of papers piled up, yet it looks more attractive and organized if placed in a basket on the table instead of it all just thrown everywhere. Make it a point to put those things away when you come in the door and you won’t have to look at the pile all night and then have to do something with it right before dinnertime. When you can come home and put those few things in the places you have designated them to be, you will be surprised at the peace it will bring as the night goes on. Clutter and mess bring nothing but chaos.

Welcome! My name is Kelly K. Smith and I want to thank you for visiting me! Among the pages and posts of this site, I hope you will find encouragement and be blessed by what I have written. My website will be dedicated to writing from my heart in the areas of Homeschooling, Home Organization, Ministering To the Heart of Women, Christian Character and many more vitals areas of our lives. My hearts desire for you is to take what God is calling me to write, and allow it to minister to your hearts in whatever stage of life you are in. May God richly bless each and every one of you!

Here are a list of great cook’s tips that are sure to make things easier in the kitchen!

Freeze ground meat in 1-pound portions and place into freezer storage bags. Flatten out to the edges of the bag and remove all the air before zipping and sealing, then freezing. These flat bags of ground meats stack neatly laid flat or standing on edge in the freezer. If you want a smaller amount it’s easy just to break it off then reseal the bag. The meats also thaw quicker when stored this way.

Because most recipes call for salt and pepper you can save time by keeping a shaker filled with both. A ratio of 3/4 salt to 1/4 pepper is standard, but adjust to suit your personal tastes.

Some recipes call for half an onion. We sometimes lose the other half because it was forgotten in the fridge and dries out. Chop and freeze the other half right away, and it’s saved and ready for the next recipe. (This works for peppers too!)

Place your onion in the freezer 15 minutes before you chop. By doing this, you will be adding more flavor to your meals because the juice will stay within the onion.

Wrap fresh celery completely in aluminum foil. It will keep fresh and crisp for weeks.

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little stringy things off of it.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Put an apple in the crisper bin with your potatoes, they won’t sprout.

Dip a banana in boiling water for approx. 10 - 15 seconds, which will make the peel turn black from pulling the acid into the peel. Peel to use for your recipe and your banana won’t turn dark. (banana pudding)

If you’re juicing lemons, oranges or limes, heat for 20 seconds in the microwave and roll on the counter for a minute, you’ll get more juice.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

Peeling Eggs? Put eggs in a bowl of cold water. Crack your shells well, and peel in the water. If you are making eggs that need to be pretty, (Deviled Eggs) use the oldest eggs in the fridge - the older ones peel better.

Chocolate melts quicker when it is chopped up.

Zest lemon and place in ice cube trays. Fill with water and freeze. Add to iced tea or your favorite drink for extra pizzazz!

Garlic Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Mushrooms Place left over sliced mushrooms in a paper bag when storing in your refrigerator. This will keep the mushrooms fresh longer.

Ground Beef When browning beef for a recipe, brown several pounds and store extra in the freezer. This cuts the time needed in the kitchen for your next recipe that calls for ground beef.

Salting Meat Do not salt meat prior to cooking. This will dry out the meat.

Carrots When cooking foods that have high acid (i.e., spaghetti) place finely chopped carrots in the recipe. This absorbs the acid and you will never know they are in the recipe, as it will not change the taste.

Don’t throw away those limp vegetables. You can refresh wilted or limp raw celery, carrots, cucumbers, and radishes by placing them in a bowl filled with ice water for about half an hour.

Refresh dried out muffins by brushing them lightly with milk using a pastry brush and placing them in a warm oven for 5-7 minutes.

When stir-frying meats in your Stir-Fry Skillet, use partially frozen meats to make it easier to thinly slice into strips.

If you have left over lemon juice or orange juice when squeezing fresh fruit juice with a Juicer, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it for later use.

Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week?
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color
twist tie.
>*They are: Monday - Blue; Tuesday - Green; Thursday - Red; Friday - White; and
Saturday - Yellow. So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie - not
white (which is Friday’s - almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by
color Blue - Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy
to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread
wrappers DO have different twist ties. You learn something new everyday!!! Enjoy fresh bread
when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping.

Can’t get a jar open? Put a rubber-band around the jar lid.

For great tasting watermelon—hold to your ear and knock on it. The more hollow sounding, the better it will taste…You may get some strange looks!

To see if fresh cherries have a worm in them, place them in water—if they float…throw them out!

Throw a spoon into boiling pasta and it wont boil over.

Substitute chopped pretzels for nuts in cookies and brownies-Same great texture and crunch without the added fat…and great sub for those allergic to nuts.