Gifting with Gratitude

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January 23, 2023 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

Way back when (in the early 2000s,) I loved Freecycle. It was fun and I felt so good not adding to waste. Then, we moved to Germany and I lost touch with it. Like Craig’s List, Freecycle forum doesn’t seem as popular anymore.

The “Buy Nothing Project” began in 2013 and local groups have gained popularity recently around the globe. People struggling financially or for lack of community have flocked to assist others in a gift economy. Not everything has to be a transactional relationship.

If we all bought less and shared more, we would save money and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills or washing up on our shores. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…and Refuse.
Liesl Clark, Buy Nothing Project

Since the original creators of the Buy Nothing movement recently have created an app with lots of paywalls and tricks to find a local group, my geographic group has split from them and renamed our Facebook group. Because the truth is, most of us are on Facebook and it’s just easier for us to comment, tag, and send messages through that program than to fight with an app that is less than user-friendly. And of course they wrote a book and have a podcast. But I get it. Everything grows and sometimes gets out of hand, too big for two people to maintain. The app is surely progress, but we have chosen to be unaffiliated.

The founders created some rules:

No buying or selling.
No trading or bartering.
No strings attached.
No hate speech.
Nothing illegal. So no firearms, drugs, prescription medications, or expired goods, including car seats or cribs not up to current standards.
No judgment. Every gift has equal value. Every giver and asker have equal value.
No penalties. If you loan something, you have to be OK with the possibility that it might get damaged.
No double-dipping. You can only join one group. To be admitted, you have to live in that community.

I love to see it. It’s beautiful. It’s not even a barter system. It’s just donating, lending, and sharing with neighbors. Gratitude in action.

I love how different the Buy Nothing concept is than Buy/Sell/Trade pages and groups.

I feel fortunate to be able to donate generously than having to sell items to make ends meet. Because I have certainly been there and it was stressful.

I respect anyone who needs to sell items, but we also can specify if items we are gifting can be resold or not. I do get irritated by resellers who jack up prices on secondhand items as their job or hobby. I don’t care much for Marketplace and all the scammers who prey on people selling and seeking.

Subgroups are awesome too! We also have a Community Chat group for our greater area that encompasses a much larger geographic area. This ensures we can reach a larger audience if we have attempted a gift or ask with no response or if we have a question or concern for the larger community. Sometimes, members post challenges to help us declutter or do something fun for each other. It’s endearing to see how the community comes together to help people whose homes are devastated by fire or offering to outfit a new mother whose partner suddenly left her. It’s so lovely to see people helping others.

What can you expect to find in a gift economy group?

Everything.

I have seen incredible items gifted and asked for. I am constantly amazed and surprised by what people so generously gift. And I never thought to ask for things that I know I might use once and never look at again.

BOOKS!

Home décor.

Pantry cleanouts.

Closet cleanouts.

Bathroom cleanouts.

Baking pans to borrow for a single occasion.

Crafting supplies.

Kids hand-me-downs. These are so expensive and I love to see them used and reused and loved!

SHOES!

Vitamins and supplements tried and disliked.

Foods opened and used for a single recipe. It’s lovely to offer to someone instead of throwing out or letting it sit in the fridge or pantry for months until it is indeed thrown away.

Sports paraphernalia.

Lawn equipment to borrow or keep.

FURNITURE!

Winter gear to borrow or keep.

Barn cleanouts.

Regifting gifts received that didn’t work or were received from holidays.

Incorrect orders of really nice brand new items that are a hassle to return.

Broken electronics or lawn equipment for fixing up or taking apart and learning about. This was so neat to see!

Pet items.

Homemade items.

Leftover alcohol from a party or a flavor they didn’t like. For safety and legal reasons, these are always handed to a person who shows ID.

Coupons and gift cards!

Last minute supplies for a school project.

Gardening items – even live plants! I have scored a ton of houseplants and hostas and lilies this way.

Our group does Round Robins for puzzles, books, purses, seeds, and more!

Gifting with Gratitude

Gifting

Take a clear photo of an item and post it.

Facebook algorithms cannot handle multiple photos in a post, so additional photos can be placed as comments to the original post.

Honest descriptions are important. I try to post the true description and how old an item is. I post that we have cats in case someone has an allergy. Posting sizes for clothing or an item beside a common thing like a water bottle is nice.

Some people make it fun and ask for a favorite recipe or funny story in the comments or what is the person going to use the item for?

Once choosing a recipient, only then may the chosen person private message about it. If the person doesn’t respond within 24 hours, then choosing another recipient is reasonable.

I’ve seen gifts of time or people offering to pickup items for neighbors, friends, and family members. I love the people who offer to take things off your hands if you want to gift it but don’t have time or energy to sort and post it.

It really is a community.

Receiving

If I see an item I want up for a gift, I comment that I would like the item for me, or one of my kids, or my husband, sometimes why, and when I might be able to pick up the item.

There is no guarantee that commenting first or being able to pickup anytime will get me the item.

Some very popular and generous gifts are raffled off randomly either with a spinner app or names/numbers in a hat.

We do tend to see the same names come up a lot. We’re a fairly small group and I love to recognize people whom I may not really know in real life. Because we homeschool, my kids don’t participate in anything and we stay home a lot.

Certain people seem to get a reputation as being the plant lover or dog rehabber or foster parent. Some people are pickers and gather items off the roadside to regift so as to keep things out of the landfill.

Once chosen for an item, only then may a recipient private message about it, and in a timely manner, or it might go to another recipient.

Asking

I love how people ask for help or for an item to try or borrow, or something specific they realize they want or need. I’m not comfortable with doing that, but I love that others are! It truly shows how we are growing in community and helping each other when we can feel safe to ask and receive help.

Tip Tuesdays

Each week, one of the moderators of our group posts a tip to help us be kind or informed, based on the original rules or issues that have arisen in our group or community.

Wishful Wednesdays

Each week, one of the moderators of our group posts an image for a thread of asks that we can look over and see if we can meet anyone’s requests. It’s lovely to see these needs being met every week!

Thankful Thursdays

Each week, one of the moderators of our group posts an image for a thread where we can express gratitude over a specific gift or situation that has helped us in any way. It’s just gorgeous to see all the blessings!

Helpful

Archiving chats: in Facebook Messenger, instead of deleting chats after gifting or receiving, ARCHIVING is a great way to maintain the communication without clogging up my Messenger app. I can go back into the chat window history for addresses and gifts/receipts. Super helpful for when I find the charging cord that went with the thing or the 3rd book in the series I gifted last week.

Including the item in a message is helpful. Sometimes I gift or ask for several items in a week, so it helps for everyone to keep things straight. Something simple, like “Thanks for the blue shirt, I can come anytime tomorrow.”

Communication is great! Things happen. Let people know if you are running late or have some conflict with pickup. Letting people know you got the item is helpful too.

We are still in a pandemic, and lots of people are trying very hard to stay well, so please be kind and let people know if you or someone in your household is sick or has been exposed to someone is sick.

When gifting items, I usually leave them in grocery bags on my front porch. If there’s wind or precipitation, I place them inside a Rubbermaid bin. I attach sticky notes or cards to the bags with the recipient’s name. For larger items, it’s easier to set up a time window or even interact and help them load it into their car.

I love our local gift economy group.

I have enjoyed being generous in donating some of our items we no longer need, want, or use – clothes, books, décor, plant starts, craft supplies, our old TV and surround sound system, a water dispenser when we got a whole house system.

I have been gifted some amazing things! Homemade afghan and pot holders, vintage décor, holiday items, Indiana glass bowl, clothes, plants, furniture. I even scored a treadmill!

It’s such a great way to keep things out of landfills and into the hands of members of our community who really want or need it.

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Suburbia, Random Musings, April Harris, Ridge Haven, Pam’s Party, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Grammy’s Grid, Growing Garden, Jenerally Informed, InstaEncouragements, LouLou Girls, Fluster Buster, Life Abundant, Penny’s Passion, Try it Like it, Soaring with Him, Slices of Life, Artful Mom, Modern on Monticello, Pam’s Party, Answer is Chocolate, Momfessionals, Lisa Notes, CWJ, Imparting Grace,

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Easy Summer Meals

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June 13, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

It’s summer and the kids are home more – whether they’re home from public or private school, co-op, or college. Mine still take some classes and participate in various day camps – and for the first time, my middles have overnight camps!

One of my biggest concerns for summer is food.

For whatever reason, the kids seem to eat more – quantity and frequency. They’re probably growing and more active and the sunshine and warmer temps make them hungrier.

Our local libraries provides lunches for kids under 18 and I think that’s great! When my kids go to events and classes at our libraries, they are pressed upon to take the food and some of it they like.

I’m struggling to keep us in Gatorade and Body Armor in the flavors we prefer!

Since our summer schedule is a little more hectic and sporadic, I have to think about meals differently.

My 16 year old has a part time at a local grocery store and often has to take a quick lunch to eat during breaks.

My 12 year old son has elite baseball games and tournaments and we often travel and need to bring snacks and meals with us – because sometimes they’re in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere.

My kids are pretty independent and know their way around the kitchen. They can make their own healthy meals and often do so. I also want to provide easy options for when we’re in a rush or have different schedules. I’m super impressed when they make quesadillas, little pizzas, fried rice, or homemade ramen!

We love bento and other fun containers to keep foods fresh and cold for lunches and snacks on the go.

Breakfast items I’m buying:

Cereal Cups
Oatmeal cups
Grits pouches
Organic poptarts
Dinosaur eggs oatmeal
Bolthouse protein shakes
Breakfast lunchables
Croissants
so many eggs (my husband has a coworker with chickens!)
Frozen sausage links (we love the Jones brand and I stock up at the commissary.)
Frozen pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks
Nature Valley almond butter biscuits

Lunch and snack items I buy:

Tuna pouches
Annie’s mac and cheese cups
Ramen (my kids prefer organic pouches for quick and easy but often make their own homemade ramen with leftovers!)
Indian meal pouches with lentils or chickpeas
Rice and beans pouches
Canned soups and chili (Annie’s is a favorite)
Spam (we lived in Hawaii for three years)
Hillshire Farm honey ham and salami
Lunchables – Oscar Mayer uncured ham, Hillshire Farm, and Kroger Simple Truth are literally the only ones my kids will eat!
Hormel wraps
Peanut butter crackers
Protein granola bars and protein brownies – Clif, Kodiak, Luna, Kroger and Meijer brand
bananas, apples, grapes, oranges

What we make for dinner:

I try not to stress over having dinner later in the summer. I prefer we eat together as much as possible. I am often thwarted by baseball games and the kids’ other activities.

I’m making many slow cooker meals for when my son has baseball games or my daughter works late or has aerial gymnastics class. We can eat whenever we each get a chance, and often still mostly together.

We also do a lot of grilling (some favorites are burgers, tritip, and salmon) and we love big salads.

How do your meals look in summer?

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Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, April Harris, Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Sunshine, Mostly Blogging, Uncommon Suburbia, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, OMHG, God’s Growing Garden, Ducks in a Row, Ridge Haven Homestead, Fluster Buster, Shelbee on the Edge, Slices of Life, Miz Helen, Randomosity, Try it Like it, Bijou Life, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Pam’s Party, Answer is Chocolate, Bijou, Momfessionals, Modern Monticello, CWJ, Create with Joy,

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How Does My Garden Grow?

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May 23, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

We’ve lived in this house for about five years now, purchased it two years ago after we realized we were staying and my husband retiring from the Air Force here.

I feel like it’s finally starting to feel like home.

The kids love to help me in the garden and enjoy the veggies and herbs we grow. We all love bird watching and seeing the wildlife in our backyard woods.

We’ve always rented and it’s so nice to finally have a place to call home and the kids can start to grow some roots figuratively and literally. We have no family and few friends and always feel like outsiders since we’ve moved around so frequently.

It took me over a year to get the front yard weed-free. We had so much crabgrass from all the years of neglect. Neighbors who have lived on this street for decades have stopped to compliment my hard work, that it’s never looked better.

It’s a stress reliever for me to work in my yard and garden. I love cutting the grass and digging in the dirt, weeding, all of it.

I’ve had the herb garden since our first year here. The oregano, chives, and sage does come back every year. I can’t seem to get hardy rosemary and my thyme didn’t come back this year, so I had to replace it. I buy parsley and basil every year. I keep fighting cilantro which does ok until I harvest some, then it seems to get mad and wilt or go to seed.

I have strawberries, some lettuces, and a rogue green bean! I transplanted my Russian sage and a trumpet vine on the other side of the fence.

I love gnomes, mushrooms, and frogs. I have lots of fun little statues around the garden.

My spiderwort is very happy this year! I also have a huge hellebore. I got some free Heucheras that are doing great. My lavender is coming back from winter. The irises and gladiolas won’t bloom, so I think they need more direct sunshine, so I will have to find another place for them. In early spring, we have lots of daffodils and hyacinths.

I have a small sun-loving garden in front of our wood pile, at the end of the driveway.

I got this lovely forsythia free from a Buy Nothing group. I bought two purple azaleas and transplanted some grape hyacinths from the yard. There’s also some forget-me-nots in there from seed that I hope aren’t choked out! It was so pretty when it bloomed.

I have two rose trees that were just given to me and I really hope they make it, but their roots were chopped pretty bad, so we will see.

I have three kinds of mint in a half barrel pot so it doesn’t take over. I have prolific lemon balm growing, so I may have to put that in another pot or thin it out.

I love, love, love roses and I wish I had a larger space for a magnificent rose garden.

I’ve had roses at every house I’ve lived in and it’s always sad to move and leave them. I hope they’re being loved and cared for by whoever lives in those homes now.

There was one rose already here when we moved in. I have acquired the others from our local Buy Nothing group and I’ve purchased two – a Blue Girl and Elizabeth. I also have lavender, mini irises, and a peony that has been transplanted for the third time and looks like it might finally be happy to bloom!

I also just ordered some allium that I think will look lovely poking up around the roses. They also are supposed to ward off pests.

I just read that white geraniums ward off Japanese beetles, so we will see if these work!

Here’s my first rose bloom this year – Blue Girl!

The backyard is a lot brighter after we had the walnut trees removed. We tilled the soil and fertilized it well. This is our second year with a nice little vegetable garden. We had a truckload of topsoil and compost delivered last month and that really helped!

I love the raised beds my husband made out of pallets. We have carrots, beets, radishes, bok choy, leeks, green onions, sweet onions. We have several kinds of sweet and hot peppers.

We have peas, potatoes, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, raspberries.

I plan to get in green beans and sweet potatoes this weekend.

In the far right corner, I am slowly building up a shade garden with more hostas, astilbe, bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, Solomon’s seal, and a little lacy Japanese maple.

The hostas were almost all here when we moved in. I have divided them and acquired more from our local Buy Nothing group.

This is the edge of our backyard fenceline and I love the birdbath from Lowe’s and plan to get a 4×4 to make a more permanent bird feeder.

I have a jungle on my deck. I bring all my houseplants outside for the summer and they love it!

I love annuals in pots that attract hummingbirds and also help to keep mosquitoes and wasps away.

Lots of houseplants were given to me from our Buy Nothing group. I also scout the clearance corners at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart.

The clearance section also a great way to get very cheap orchids and tropicals!

These two plants were crammed into one container and very unhappy and I think it was only $7 or $8. I separated them and they seem more cheerful alone.

My bathroom windowsill is full of orchids! I can never have too many. Many people don’t want them after the blooms fall off. Maybe they’re not interested in waiting for more blooms or think orchids are difficult to maintain. I don’t know. But I love them!

I’ve always loved geraniums on the front porch. I bring my big geraniums inside for the winter, and they’re happy under the dining room window, so these are about four years old!

So, the landlady replaced the front door and sidelights all of a sudden with no notice while my husband was deployed. She wanted me to paint it, inside and out but I refused. After she berated the poor contractors from Lowe’s who didn’t have the holes drilled for a deadbolt, she painted it herself, white. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the old door, which was red, like the frame surround. I would have never chosen this plain door with plain windows! Now that we’ve bought the house, I plan to get a beautiful front door and sidelights someday.

We have a magnolia and redbud tree that the kids enjoy when they bloom.

I toy with removing the boxwoods and barberry from the front of the house, but they’re quite large and I worry it would be a huge job and mess up all the other plants. I think it’s odd that the boxwoods do great on one side and always look burnt and yellowed on the other side. I don’t think they get enough sun. I’m not sure what to replace them with, and I can’t afford replacement plants that large, so it would look silly with tiny plants.

We have a hedge of lovely lilacs in front of our garage.

I’m so, so proud of our little pollinator garden.

Coneflowers were already here and I have added hyssop, bee balm, salvia, milkweed, SO MUCH YARROW, dill, fennel, a passion vine, cardinalis, foxglove, black eyed susans.

I love how all the plants are getting established and seem happy.

I enjoy working in my yard and garden and I’m constantly moving and evaluating and adding. I can never just sit and not think about how I could change or update some part of it. I love how it’s growing every year!

How does your garden grow?

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Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, April Harris, Pinch of Joy, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Silverado, Anita Ojeda, InstaEncouragements, Suburbia, Across the Blvd, Jenerally Informed, God’s Growing Garden, LouLou Girls, OMHG, Stroll Thru Life, Shelbee on the Edge, Fluster Buster, Ducks in a Row. Ridge Haven, Soaring with Him, My Wee Abode, Try it Like it, Penny’s Passion, Good Random Fun, Slices of Life, Pam’s Party, Bijou Life, Momfessionals, ArtfulMom, Bijou Life, Answer is Chocolate, Building our Hive, Modern Monticello, Random Musings,

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Easy Lunch Storage

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January 18, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert 11 Comments

My husband recently retired from the Air Force after twenty years. He’s the lab manager at a local hospital now.

Suddenly, he wants to carry lunches to work and he needs all sorts of lunch containers.

My daughter also started a part time job and carries lunches to work.

It helps to have access to a break room with all the typical break room amenities.

Taking meals to work saves time and money while being healthier, since we know the ingredients rather than getting greasy fast food.

For lunch, we often have dinner leftovers or purchase organic healthy quick meals.

We like to use fun colorful containers to keep foods separate for field trips and road trips too.

I love containers with little compartments to keep everything fresh and separate. Bonus if they stack in our cooler or lunch bag to make it easy to carry.

Easy Lunch Storage

Bentgo® Glass Stackable Salad

These are great to keep salad items fresh! I love that it’s glass and doesn’t hold onto stains, scents, or flavors. It also comes in plastic if you prefer. Bentgo has lots of fun travel options for the whole family!

OXO Good Grips Lunch and Salad Set

Sistema To Go

My kids upgraded to these bento boxes last summer for art camp. They love the compartments for all their little snacks and different things to eat. There are lots of configurations.

Bentgo® Kids Children’s Lunch Box

Yumbox

Super cute bento for younger kids.

Sandwich boxes

We like our sandwiches to stay fresh and fluffy instead of crushed in a baggie at the bottom of the lunch sack.

EasyLunchboxes®

We have used these for years and years – for co-op, picnics, field trips, day trips. They’re so easy and convenient and color coded! They’ve held up so well for us.

Thermos

Great for drinks or soups and stews.

Snapware

We use this for all our leftovers. I love how stackable they are in my fridge. We can take them from the refrigerator to the oven or microwave to the dishwasher. They’re portable and easy!

Reusable Food Storage Bags

Cute Ice Packs

ECOLunchboxes

See my review here.

Wildkin lunch boxes

Great insulated lunch bags with lots of room and fun prints for all ages.

MAZFORCE Original Lunch Box

Extra tough and modern lunch bag for all ages.

Bamboo Travel Utensils

Easy and safe eating utensils for all ages. Reusable!

Portable Flatware Set with Case

A great set with options for older kids and adults. I love the little case. Dishwasher safe!

What’s your favorite lunch to pack from home?

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Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Stroll Thru Life, OMHG, Jenerally Informed, Shelbee on the Edge, Grammy’s Grid, Across the Blvd, Random Musings, Anita Ojeda, April Harris, Penny’s Passion, Try it Like it, Artful Mom, Bijou Life, Slices of Life, Imparting Grace, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, LouLou Girls, Thistle Key Lane, Ridge Haven, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap, Cottage Market, Simply Beautiful, Modern Monticello, Hubbard Home, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, CWJ, Being a Wordsmith, Suburbia,

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Foodie Gift Guide

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November 15, 2021 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

My family and I love to cook and eat and cool gadgets often make our lives easier. Here are some fun gifts for people who love spending time in the kitchen or around the dining table.

We have certain kitchen essentials and have/had some fun cooking tools for our kids when they were little.

We don’t really care for many unitaskers or any multicookers. I actually enjoy cooking and my counters are already cluttered enough. I want good quality tools that are functional and beautiful that will last a long time.

We love good food and good wine. Dinner each evening is a feast.

Gift Guide for Foodies

Pepper Mill

I love this pepper mill because it’s easy to turn and refill. It gives lovely coarse grinds.

Whipped Cream Dispenser

We love, love, love this whipped cream dispenser, especially during holiday dessert season! I love making my own whipped cream with natural ingredients and flavors.

Kitchen Torch

I never thought I would like, use, or need a torch in the kitchen, but it comes in handy for more than just crème brûlée!

Electric Milk Frother

I have a microwave frother but I also love my electric frother. We can use the flavored Silk almond creams or regular whole milk, cream, or half and half.

Dehydrator

It comes in handy to dehydrate foods when we garden and can’t eat everything right away. Also fun to make homemade fruit rollups or gummy snacks from fresh fruit! Loads of uses.

Food Sealer

We like our Food Saver, but we may get this Zwilling system. We like to marinate meats with no spilling. I often separate bulk buys into servings for our deep freezer. I need to remember to label everything!

Wine Opener

There are some fancy and expensive wine openers out there, but this is still my favorite! The electric ones worry me and my husband loves his waiter’s corkscrew from Laguiole from our last trip to Paris. This is easy to use and doesn’t hurt my hands or break the corks.

Wine aerator

We like aerating our red wines and the more complex white wines either direct into glasses or into a decanter for better and fuller flavor.

Decanter

We love our glass decanters to air our red wines and make pouring without spilling easier. And they’re pretty on the table!

Vacuum sealer

We don’t often have leftover wine or soda, but these vacuum pump sealers work wonders to save bottles. They can then last up to a week!

Wine Rack

We have a simple wine rack in our basement where the temperature is always cool.

Wine Books

These books are great for learning about how to pair wine with food or discovering what you love!

Also, fun cookbooks are great gifts!

Specialty Glassware

I bought an engraved whisky glass for my husband last year and he loves it!

Fun wine glasses with cute sayings or insulated/unbreakable cups for picnics or backyard entertaining are popular.

Food gifts or subscriptions

I am always excited to receive a bottle of whisky or wine.

Cheese or salami is always welcome!

I love gourmet chocolate with fancy unique ingredients. My favorite is saffron!

One year, my husband game me an olive oil of the month subscription.

We’re excited to see fun food Advent calendars in our local grocery stores – cheese, wine, beer. These make great gifts or fun to try new flavors.

Wine

Firstleaf wine gifts are versatile and they can customize which wines they prefer – sweet or dry, sparkling, white, rosé, or red.

My husband and I gave ourselves a Firstleaf subscription last year. It’s been a fun adventure!

Seafood

KnowSeafood gifts or subscription for the seafood lovers! We live in Dayton, Ohio, and finding good affordable fresh seafood is difficult. We love, love, love the selection and quality at KnowSeafood!

What’s your favorite foodie find?

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Making a House a Home

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June 15, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert 16 Comments

We bought a house!

The dream of a house can be the eternally postponed preliminary step to taking up the lives we wish we were living…If you lived in your heart, you’d be home right now.
Rebecca Solnit

We’ve rented this house for almost three years. I’m tired of paying high rent when we could be earning equity.

Aaron has about a year and a half until retirement from the Air Force.

We’re settling down in Dayton, Ohio.

Having always rented a house made us feel like we never had a home. We often wanted to do updates or improvements, but we didn’t want to sink a lot of money into a rental and landlords are often weird.

Home is another word for the Spirit that we are, our True Self in God.
Richard Rohr, Falling Upward

My husband and I have lived together in five houses:

My little 3 BR that I bought and sold within a year in the town where I grew up. It doesn’t even count because we had just met, married, and he was going away for a year, but then we moved.
The tiny hot ranch we rented in Texas where I had my two middle girls
The handicapped accessible Hawaii house on Hickam AFB that the kids still call home
The huge ramshackle rental behind the Mormon curtain in Salt Lake City, with our big vegetable garden
The German house over the Getränke shop in a little village

Now, our Ohio suburban with a creek in the backyard.

When we moved in, our son asked us if this was our forever home. He was tired of moving. We all were and are. We didn’t know then that we would be able to purchase this house and stay here.

The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.
Maya Angelou, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes

I lived in the same house for my first sixteen years. We moved to another house until I moved out. My parents now live in a house that will never be my home. I have no memories there.

My husband grew up in the same town – in two houses – where he lived all his youth and young adult life. His sisters still live there. His middle sister still lives in the house where they all grew up.

It’s hard looking back at all the houses I’ve lived in, all the houses our family has lived in during our military moves. I often get confused when I am sleepy or sick, my memories getting befuddled in all the hallways and rooms in my mind.

Home is that youthful region where a child is the only real living inhabitant. Parents, siblings, and neighbors, are mysterious apparitions, who come, go, and do strange unfathomable things in and around the child, the region’s only enfranchised citizen.
Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

I can finally throw out all the boxes I’ve saved over the years since we had to pack some items in their original boxes for the movers to ship them, like our flat screen TV.

I love getting rid of the clutter! I don’t have to save anything “just in case” we might need it at our next destination.

I only have to keep things I find beautiful, special, nostalgic.

I can paint walls, update the garden, remove and replace fixtures. I can do anything I want!

At a crossroad, a kind soul asked aloud,
“Which way shall I turn? Which way is best?”
Quietly the Universe responded,
“Go until it feels like home.”
Adrian Michael

How I’m Decorating Our First Home

Entry Way

We usually enter our home through the garage.

We have some hooks for bags, hats, and jackets.

We can go straight through another door to the backyard. I have a shoe rack there blocking the seldom used door and I don’t like it, but it’s what it is for now.

We have a large pantry where we store seldom used and bulky kitchen appliances.

The coolest thing is there is a laundry chute from my closet to that pantry and I can scoot the clothes into the laundry room!

Laundry Room

I love having a large laundry room with lots of storage.

I have room for my chest freezer at the end of the counter. We store our baking molds, raclette, fondue, ice cream maker, and slicer on the shelf above the counter.

We often use it as a mud room since it’s right by the doors to the backyard and garage.

I have a huge pantry on the right and a big sink.

There are wire shelves over the washer and dryer and I would like to replace those with cabinets and solid shelves.

We may replace the tile floor. It seems like it needs regrouting or something.

Kitchen

All the flooring on our main level was updated with Pergo wood grain and it’s nice.

The cabinets were painted a weird textured grey and we plan to update those by painting the lower cabinets black and upper cabinets white. It should brighten the room immensely.

I love the granite countertops.

The stainless GE appliances are the best I’ve ever had.

On the right side is our fridge and coffee nook with the pantry we redid when we first moved in.

Breakfast Nook

I love my bay windows and mini jungle in our breakfast nook.

I scored this table and chairs in Utah over ten years ago- at two different yard sales – for a total of $30!

I loathe the little chandelier and will replace it soon with something less ostentatious.

Dining Room

The china cabinet and dishes belonged to Aaron’s grandma.

We all eat dinner together here almost every evening.

Fridays, we have homemade pizza in the basement with a movie on our TV.

Powder Bathroom

Could you believe we lived here almost three years and suffered with these light fixtures being upside down? And I would hit my head when I washed my hands!

We plan to get a better mirror, repaint, and maybe wallpaper an accent wall, buy a small cabinet vanity in place of the tiny pedestal sink and perhaps a shelf or cabinet over the commode. New rugs too.

Living Room

We have six people in our family, so all the cutesy seating arrangements for four I see on design sites aren’t right for us.

I bought a new sofa and loveseat last year. I love the sleek design. I chose the La-Z-Boy Dixie Sofa and Loveseat in Mocha.

The pink gooseneck rocker belonged to my grandma. My parents bought me the Harbor Town recliner last year.

I’m getting a new rug soon. I already have the smaller one by our sliding door to the deck and a runner and little rug at the front door.

It looks a little crowded, but it’s working for now.

Hearth

I love having a brick hearth and wood mantel.

We have shells from our travels and some fun collected items. I love candles and lanterns.

Reading Nook

We have this weird landing at the top of the stairs that seems like wasted space to me.

Other homes with our similar floor plan have four bedrooms upstairs, but we have only three. Our middle girls have always shared a bedroom.

Thanks to everyone who helped me create this space!

Aaron’s grandma’s chair with the kids’ bookshelf.

Photos of our parents and grandparents watch over the kids.

I plan to get some tall houseplants since it’s pretty bright from our foyer windows.

I just added a floor lamp too.

Bedroom

We have a tall vaulted ceiling that I have no real ideas what to do with. Maybe a center beam?

We plan to paint the walls a pale grey and perhaps get some crown molding.

I ordered some navy and beige paneled drapes to match our new bedding (from Target).

We finally got a new mattress set – after twenty years!

I’m still in love with my bedroom furniture and I couldn’t find any better. No need to update it when it works great.

Not in love with my crooked wedding pics over the bed. We have so much wall space and I have few ideas to update this room.

Kids’ Rooms

My middle girls share a room with bunk beds with one window overlooking the backyard. They hate it, but it’s the way it is. They share the hall bathroom that has two sinks.

My son has the other upstairs bedroom with two front windows and ceiling fan. We gave him that room because they bunks wouldn’t fit any which way and the fan would have been dangerous for the top bunk. He uses my bathroom but we may have to reevaluate this soon.

Basement

We love having a finished basement.

I like having the TV and video games tucked out of sight.

I have the kids’ white erase boards on one wall. I have the three kids’ desks where we do any formal homeschool lessons, mostly math. My home office is upstairs with all my bookcases is in a room opposite our dining room.

We bought a used elliptical very cheaply from an older couple moving away and it’s awesome.

Our sectional sofa is still holding up ok after 10+ years.

There is a wet bar that I want to update with a new updated counter, faucet, and hopefully a narrow refrigerator in place of the pantry or a short beverage cooler in place of a cabinet.

My eldest daughter, almost twenty, has a bedroom and bathroom to herself in the basement but no windows.

Garden

We have a large front yard. We’re tackling the clover and weeds and trying to grow grass in the bald spots.

We have a little garden beside the garage where we get the most sunshine. We have peas, spinach, lettuce, green beans, cucumber, yellow squash, radishes, and carrots.

Our back yard slopes down to a lovely creek. It’s very shady.

We’re updating slowly as we can afford it.

We added pretty stepping stones and pine wood chips to a muddy area.

I plan to turn the sand pit into a Japanese shade garden.

We plan to sand, repair, and repaint the deck in brown or gray floor with white railings.

There is a firepit surrounded by too large gravel. I want to place some flat stones around it for a seating area.

Hostas are poking through the wood chips on either side. We need a new fence and I think I will prefer a picket instead of rail and wire.

Four walnut trees are coming down next month. You can see two on the right. The walnuts fall on our deck and it’s dangerous!

It’s really quite scary knowing we are responsible for all the maintenance on this home.

We know we need new siding and deck repairs. Most of the inside is in fantastic shape and we just want to make some updates.

We got a 30-year VA loan and I wonder if it will ever get paid off.

Elemental Blessing For A New Home

Before a human voice was ever heard here,
This place has known the respect of stone,
The friendship of the wind, always returning
With news of elsewhere, whispered in seed and pollen,
The thin symphonies of birdsong softening the silence,
The litanies of rain rearranging the air,
Cascades of sunlight opening and closing days,
And the glow of the moon gazing through darkness.
May all that elemental enrichment
Bless the foundation and standing of your home.
Before you came here, this place has known
The wonder of children’s eyes,
The hope of mornings in troubled hearts,
The tranquillity of twilight easing the night,
The drama of dreams under sleeping eyelids,
The generous disturbance of birth,
The anxieties of old age unclenching into grace
And the final elegance of calmly embraced death.
May the life of your new home enter
Into this inheritance of spirit.
May the rain fall kindly,
May daylight illuminate your hearts,
May the darkness never burden,
May those who dwell here in the unseen
Watch over your coming and going,
May your lives of love and promise
Refine and deepen the mind of this land.
John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us

For a New Home

May this house shelter your life.
When you come in home here,
May all the weight of the world
Fall from your shoulders.
May your heart be tranquil here,
Blessed by peace the world cannot give.
May this home be a lucky place,
Where the graces your life desires
Always find the pathway to your door.
May nothing destructive
Ever cross your threshold.
May this be a safe place
Full of understanding and acceptance,
Where you can be as you are,
Without the need of any mask
Of pretense or image.
May this home be a place of discovery,
Where the possibilities that sleep
In the clay of your soul can emerge
To deepen and refine your vision
For all that is yet to come to birth.
May it be a house of courage,
Where healing and growth are loved,
Where dignity and forgiveness prevail;
A home where patience of spirit is prized,
And the sight of the destination is never lost
Though the journey be difficult and slow.
May there be great delight around this hearth.
May it be a house of welcome
For the broken and diminished.
May you have the eyes to see
That no visitor arrives without a gift
And no guest leaves without a blessing.
John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us

We removed the bottom hooks! We are HOME.

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What makes your house a home?

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How to Be a Good Homeowner

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June 15, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Whether you think you’re currently living in a transition house or your forever home, there are things you should do to take care of your property on a regular basis, to ensure that you’re being a good homeowner.

After all, if you did ever decide you wanted to sell, it’s easier to do when your house has been well cared for, rather than being allowed to get a little run down and tired. But beyond the salability of your house, your family’s safety and comfort are even more important.

Monthly and seasonal upkeep and maintenance routines

There are a few things that you should do on a regular basis, as part of your home care routine. Some are essential to the safety of your home and family and others are just a good idea to ensure that you get maximum enjoyment out of your home.

Check filters and vents throughout your home. This includes:
- Cleaning / replacing your furnace filter / checking the AC filter for debris;
- Making sure the dryer exhaust is clear and reminding everyone who does laundry to clean the in-machine filter every time they use it;
- Checking your kitchen and bathroom exhaust vent / filters to make sure they are clean and in good working order;
- Vacuum dust from air vents throughout your house to avoid breathing in dust when air is circulated;
- Check other external air vents, beyond the dryer, to make sure they are clear of debris, snow or other blockages.
Clean the garbage disposal by running it with something as simple as ice, and then flushing it with hot water and baking soda, to give it a thorough going over.
Check drains and faucets.
- Showerheads and faucets can get clogged up with mineral deposits, depending on how hard your water is, so keeping them clean will keep them running smoothly;
- Check drains in showers, sinks and tubs for blockages: a hunk of hair can do a lot of damage if it’s not dealt with! If you’ve got a jet tub in the bathroom, make sure all the jets are clean and working properly.
Keep up the pool. When in use—and depending where you live, that can be year round or just a few months in the summer—make sure that all the systems for your pool and/or spa are working correctly, including filters, heaters and so on. Regular maintenance of these will save you a lot in the long run.

On a seasonal basis, you should also:

Check your alarms. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be checked and batteries replaced; and double check the location of your fire extinguishers. You should also check all electrical cords at this time to ensure they aren’t fraying, which can be a major fire hazard.
Do a closet change over. Move fall and winter clothes out into storage closets or boxes and bring spring / summer clothes into your everyday use closets and vice versa. There’s no need for mittens to be handy in July!
Deal with your lawn care seasonally as well:
- In fall, you need to prepare your garden to settle down for the winter; you should also make sure that your gardening equipment is cleaned and stored, hoses are drained and water is shut off to the exterior.
- In spring, you need to help it back to life by raking up leaves and debris, aerating your lawn and getting the planting beds ready for another season.
Check the pool. If you have a swimming pool, spa or both, make sure that you are doing what’s necessary to open and close them diligently. Repairs are a lot more costly than just making sure everything is in good repair along the way.
Service all appliances. Have your furnace and AC checked and serviced seasonally, as well as fireplaces; make sure to have your wood fire chimney swept before you put it to good use and avoid a chimney fire. If you use window units for AC, make sure they’re clean, to avoid spraying dust and debris when you turn them on.
Check gutters and downspouts. Keeping water flowing away from the foundation of your house, whether in a spring storm or days of autumn showers is essential for a safe, dry basement. Make sure your gutters are clean and free of debris and check downspout positioning.

Annual upkeep and maintenance routines

Keep out drafts. Checking and fixing/replacing caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors can go a long way to keeping out drafts and avoiding losing all your heat or air conditioned air—with costs that go with it—to the outdoors!
Keep water out. If you live in an area that sees flooding, make sure your sump pump is in good working order and if you don’t already have one, get a battery back up for it! Just fill it with water to test that the sump runs and then go outside to make sure it’s draining. A power outage is all it takes to go from a bad storm to a flooded basement! Check foundation seams as well, to make sure you aren’t on your way to a leak.
Look over appliances. While the furnace and AC probably get regular maintenance, how often do you inspect / clean the refrigerator coils or check the drainage hose from your dishwasher or clothes washer? A regular inspection and cleaning of all your appliances can keep them in good working order for longer.
Check the roof. What you’re looking for is tiles that are peeling or lifting up, which can let water, snow and ice leak into your home, causing a lot of damage to the interior. This is also a good time to check the siding or brick work on your home, to make sure that it is all in good repair.
Mend the drive. If you have a driveway, fix cracks or have it resealed to ensure that it remains in good repair over the long term.
Check the deck. Wooden decks, stairs and railings can rot over time so a regular inspection to make sure that they aren’t loose or coming loose is a good idea, for everyone’s safety.
Deal with interior organizational projects. If you’ve always been meaning to clean out and reorganize the garage, your basement or all the closets in the house, it’s a good idea to take a look at these projects on at least an annual basis. Otherwise, it can get a little overwhelming to dig into and you might never do it! Having a home for all of your stuff is essential to keeping it tidy and clean, making it a comfortable living space for everyone.

Every few years upkeep and maintenance routines

Water heater. It’s worth making sure your water heater is in good order, particularly if you own it versus renting. The last thing you need is a rusted out heater base to give way! You should also check the pressure valve to make sure it’s operating as it is supposed to.
Attic insulation. Take a peek up in the attic to make sure that your insulation is in good shape, hasn’t been disturbed or otherwise lost its loft. You may need to add some every 5 years or so, depending on the quality and type of insulation.

Over the longer term

Life expectancies for various appliances and fixtures of your home vary, depending on the whether patterns you experience but as a rule, you should be thinking about budgeting to replace the following items over time:

Roofs – every 25-30 years for asphalt shingles
Windows – every 10-12 years for vinyl encased windows
External doors – every 15-17 years
Siding – 30-40 years
Eaves / Soffit – 30-40 years
Garage doors – 10-15 years
Water heater – 8-10 years
Sump pump – 4-6 years
Furnace – 18-20 years
AC – 15-20 years

It might seem like an overwhelming list, but a lot of it is just a matter of habit. A little upkeep and maintenance will help your home look good and take care of you longer, avoiding costly repair bills and allowing you to budget for big replacements when they might be needed.

Source: Marty Basher is the improvement and organization expert with Modular Closets, https://www.modularclosets.com. Marty regularly contributes on topics of DIY renovations, home design, organization, improvement and more, helping homeowners get the most out of the spaces in their home. Modular Closets are high-quality and easy-to-design closet systems made in the USA you can order, assemble and install yourself, in no time at all. Using closet modules (closet pieces you can mix & match to design your own modular closet), homeowners everywhere are empowered to achieve a true custom closet look- for nearly 40% less than standard custom closets.

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Creative Leftovers

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December 23, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

As the kids get bigger and older, we don’t often have as many leftovers as we used to have, but occasionally, there is a serving or two left that gets shoved to the back of the fridge shelf.

I try to do a fridge cleanout a couple times a week for lunches and maybe a dinner if there’s a lot.

Using up leftovers is a necessity for a frugal waste-free lifestyle.

Having a good pantry and freezer system is key to using up leftovers. I have to plan to have certain items to make this successful and tasty.

I keep chicken and beef stock in the freezer and have some boxes of storebought organic stock in the pantry.

I have a huge assortment of spices and sauces.

I stock up on canned beans when they’re on sale. I just don’t have the freezer room to batch them from dried. Bags of frozen veggies when they go on sale for $1 or less.

We can our own marinara sauce.

I occasionally buy rotisserie chickens if I have a coupon or they’re on a really great sale. They’re awesome to use in many different recipes and I make stock from the bones.

I try to keep potatoes and onions on hand at all times. Also fresh carrots and celery.

These are our favorite ways to use up leftovers creatively:

Soup

I love making soups with various leftovers. This is a great way to clean out the fridge after a busy week!

Creamed vegetable is a favorite at our house to use up old veggies in the drawer.

I can always make soup with leftover chicken like this lovely lemony dill chicken soup.

Vegetable soup is my go-to to throw everything together, especially with leftover beef. I like to add beans and noodles to make it like minestrone.

Beans, lentils, or split peas are great in soup with a ham bone or smoked turkey.

Leftover ham is great for soup like ham and bean soup.

We like to make stock from turkey, chicken, and beef bones. Nothing goes to waste!

Split pea soup with leftover ham and poultry stock is a winner.

Casseroles

Noodles and rice with a cheesy sauce and leftover meat with some veggies makes a great casserole.

Turkey Divan is a great way to use up poultry leftovers.

Pot pie is another favorite with gravy, meat, and vegetables. Refrigerated or frozen dough, or drop herb biscuits on top make it quick and easy!

Salad

Leftover grilled meats and all sorts of veggies can be served cold over lettuce greens. I sometimes sneak a bit of bacon to save for later in a salad. This is a great lunch idea.

See our favorite salads.

Remix

I love making fried rice for my family. It’s a simple, frugal, easy way to use up leftovers. I often make extra rice just to have leftover for this meal.

My girls like ramen, and I love making it healthier with an egg, leftover meats and veggies, and homemade teriyaki sauce.

Stuffing canned biscuits or crescent rolls with cheese and chopped meats is a fun instant snack or lunch.

What’s your favorite way to use up leftovers?

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Organizing Recipes

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November 4, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert 27 Comments

We have a lot of cookbooks.

I have a bin full of handwritten recipes from my husband’s two grandmothers. I plan to scan those in to my computer so they’re never lost. I’m working to organize them in page protectors or even a printed scrapbook cookbook.

All recipes tell a story.

I have two BHG cookbooks. My mom’s with handwritten notes and a newer one. I prefer my mom’s where she jotted down when I made wheat bread for a colonial class project. She also added the years she made which Christmas cookies or cakes.

We also collect a lot of recipes – from magazines and online sites.

How to Organize Recipes

Recipe Binders

Super easy to make a recipe binder and fun for gifts for the cook or foodie.

I have started compiling recipe binders for my kids as keepsakes of our favorite family recipes for them.

What you need for a recipe binder:

Big 3 ring binder or several small binders for various cooking styles (desserts, main dishes, grilling, baking)
Pretty cover for binder
Dividers
Clear page protectors
Clear small pockets for small recipe cards and/or recipes clipped from magazines

Cooking Journals

I have a couple recipe journals to make notes when I try new recipes.

I seldom follow a recipe exactly, and it’s a huge joke with my kids that no recipe is perfect for me. I always want more of something, add a little of this or that, or don’t measure.

My grandmother never measured anything.

We measure garlic with our hearts.

My husband is often irritated that I don’t make the same dish twice because I often don’t measure or follow the recipe the same way or I don’t remember how I tweaked it last time and everyone loved it. I’m trying to remember to make notes in the journal!

Computer and/or Software

Eat Your Books
Trello
Dropbox
OneNote
Office documents
MasterCook
Cook’n

Apps

Many cooks prefer to declutter and have recipes digitized.

This makes recipes searchable by several criteria, saving time and space. You can easily pull up a recipe on a tablet or laptop on the counter or table while you cook.

Evernote. I love this app for all sorts of digital organizing.
BigOven
Basil Recipe Manager
Pepperplate
Tasty
ChefTap
Paprika Recipe Manager
Copy Me That Recipe Manager

I have pin boards for lots of our family interests, and several for various cooking genres.

This helps me to find the recipes easily again and also share my faves with you!

Organizing recipes is a huge task to undertake, but I may digitize most of our recipes this summer to clear up space and get them all in one place.

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A Mother’s Résumé

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October 28, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert 16 Comments

I haven’t worked at a “real job” for at least a dozen years.

It’s frustrating that introductory small talk still focuses on “What do you do?” and is disdainful or even scornful of motherhood as a vocation. People even dare ask or mention that my education was a waste. It’s like my only worth is in a salary or job for pay outside my home.

These microaggressions don’t endear me to people whom I’ve just met. They dismiss me as unimportant because I don’t have a salary and it’s so frustrating.

Motherhood isn’t valued in American culture. Homeschooling is still considered weird.

There’s little purpose to keeping up my LinkedIn profile.

I can’t imagine going back to teach at any school, at any level. I sometimes miss the classroom, but the hassles and negatives don’t outweigh the few positives. I don’t have current state certification and I don’t have any desire to jump through hoops to recertify.

If you hired someone to do the work of maintaining a household, especially if you have children, the cost would be approximately $ 90,000 a year. This is what a “traditional” at-home spouse would get paid today to clean the house, be a personal shopper and personal assistant, run errands, and take care of the children.
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman, Ph.D., Julie Schwartz Gottman Ph.D., Doug Abrams, Rachel Carlton Abrams M.D.,

Things You Didn’t Put on Your Résumé

How often you got up in the middle of the night
when one of your children had a bad dream,

and sometimes you woke because you thought
you heard a cry but they were all sleeping,

so you stood in the moonlight just listening
to their breathing, and you didn’t mention

that you were an expert at putting toothpaste
on tiny toothbrushes and bending down to wiggle

the toothbrush ten times on each tooth while
you sang the words to songs from Annie, and

who would suspect that you know the fingerings
to the songs in the first four books of the Suzuki

Violin Method and that you can do the voices
of Pooh and Piglet especially well, though

your absolute favorite thing to read out loud is
Bedtime for Frances and that you picked

up your way of reading it from Glynis Johns,
and it is, now that you think of it, rather impressive

that you read all of Narnia and all of the Ring Trilogy
(and others too many to mention here) to them

before they went to bed and on the way out to
Yellowstone, which is another thing you don’t put

on the résumé: how you took them to the ocean
and the mountains and brought them safely home.

~Joyce Sutphen

As a mother for the past 19 years, I can attest to having quite an impressive work history and specific skill set.

The mental workload of being a mother far outweighs any “job” I’ve ever had.

As a teacher in various school and classroom environments, then as a homeschool educator for the last 15 years, I honed my expertise by focusing on my students’ unique needs.

As a military spouse, I retained my skills and honed a lot of new ones over the last decade and a half.

There are no gaps in my work history. I worked constantly, year-round, daily, overnights, with no vacation days, through sickness and injury, and during two deployments with no assistance or support.

Experience

Director of Child Development

$39,744 average annual salary

Oversee social, academic, and emotional development of students from birth until adulthood
Develop educational programs and standards
Design program plans, oversee daily activities, and prepare budget for activities and curriculum
Support gross and fine motor skills
Maintain instructional excellence

Educational Leadership

$88,390 average annual salary

Knowledge of pedagogy and methodology
Relationship building
Continuing education in field regarding trends, concerns, issues
Global mindset
Plan cross-curricular lessons for various ages, abilities, interests
Conflict resolution
Extensive library
Use of technology
Personalize feedback on student assignments
Advise students regarding academic courses and career opportunities
Encourage students to present their views and participate in discussion
Share personal experiences and values
Record keeping

Project Management

$134,182 average annual salary

Initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time.
Establish expectations
Be proactive
Organization
Risk management
Delegation
Teamwork
Growth Mindset

Life Coach

$46,678 average annual salary

Discuss needs and goals
Develop strategies and plans
Keep records of progress
Evaluation
Adjust goal strategies as needed
Assist manage stress and increase productivity
Excellent listening and questioning skills
Confidence to challenge in a caring way
Support goal-setting, personal growth, and behavior modification

Domestic Engineer

$59,496 average annual salary

Oversee operations of all systems and procedures
Budget for and allocated appropriate expenditures
Delegate operational tasks to promote equal labor division
Maintain cleanliness and sanitation of all work, play, and living areas
Food purchasing, preparation, and storage
Multi-tasking
Home economics
Laundry expertise
Basic mending ability by hand and sewing machine
Organization and efficiency

Religious Advisor

$58,130 average annual salary

Education about religion and faith through various books, activities, social justice, music, tradition, travel
Evolve faith through experience and learning
Help understand spirituality to promote peace, healing, and union with God and others
sensitivity, empathy, and understanding
Ensure proper growth and relational development
Spiritual counsel and advice
Meet their spiritual, emotional, and relational goals
Meditation and contemplation

Protocol Officer

$71,135 average annual salary

Research traditions and customs
Distinguish between time-honored tradition and mindless repetition
Knowledge of preferences and customs of each person
Prioritize welcome and respect
Educate daily on etiquette and customs for various situations
Minimize or eliminate any opportunity for embarrassment or offense
Establish and enforce consistency using logic
Develop itineraries and agendas
Identify security risks and create safety plans

Travel and Event Planner

$41,873 average annual salary

Research, suggest, and decide where to go, methods of transportation, car rentals, hotel accommodations, tours, and attractions
Advise about weather conditions, local customs, attractions, necessary documents, and currency exchange rates
Visualization
Organization and planning
Plan and execute ceremonies and special events

Budget Analyst

$71,590 average annual salary

Manage family finances, analyze and prepare monthly expenditures
Estimate future financial needs
Research of domestic economic and spending trends
Develop projections based on past economic and spending trends
Technical analysis, monitoring spending for deviations, and preparing monthly and annual reports
Analyze investments and their market performance
Education about financial terms, issues, trends, economic history

Historian

$55,800 average annual salary

Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance
Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals
Thorough investigative and research skills
Analyze and interpret information
Interest in human behaviour, culture and society
Enquiring mind

Personal Stylist

$50,346 average annual salary

Attention to detail
Analytical mind
Problem-solving ability
Knowledge of fabrics, colors, seasonal items, accessories, etiquette
Knowledge brands, designs, trends

Personal Chef

$62,282 average annual salary

Customize unique meal and snack plans
Skilled at recognizing flavors and judging the balance of seasonings
Knowledge of kitchen tools and appliances and their uses
Procure and organize various recipes
Shop for all groceries within budget
Prepare the meal in a timely manner
Clean up the kitchen to excellent standards
Store leftovers promptly

Chauffeur

$22,440 average annual salary

Transport people to various activities in a safe and timely manner
Stock vehicles with amenities
Keep vehicles shiny and clean
Vehicle maintenance and repair

Waste Management

$64,000 average annual salary

Plan, implement, and coordinate comprehensive waste systems designed to maximize waste prevention, reuse, and recycling opportunities.
Evaluate the success of plans and make changes as necessary.
Minimize the impact of waste to protect the environment.

Plumber

$50,620 average annual salary

Unclog sink drains and pipes as needed
Replace salt in home water softener
Humidify and/or dehumidify the air in home
Repair water supply lines, waste disposal systems, and related appliances and fixtures

Special Skills

Good at untying knots
Feeding picky children and spouse
Finder of lost things
Making shoddy rental houses comfy and homey
Empath
Introvert
Comforter
Creativity
Innovation
Initiative
Time management
Stress management
Interpersonal relationships
Excellent verbal and written communication

Research

I can research anything. I enjoy researching. I loved researching literary, psychological, and educational analyses in university – and all the details of citing the sources properly. I can find anything on Google. Over time, I just have learned the best keywords for a search. I can find the best whatever we’re looking for in minutes, before we move to a new base or city. I research what we’re learning about in our homeschool and design my own curriculum.

Frugal

We have learned to thrive with one income. We’ve learned to survive with one vehicle. I’ve worked with very tight budgets as we’ve raised and homeschooled four kids all over. We focus on eating well and traveling and living life to the fullest. We’re investing for the future with 529s, IRAs, mutual funds, life insurance, and retirement plans. We’re paying down debt.

Multitasking

I can do it all and do it well. When life gets hectic, I’m in charge to streamline everything. I have a great memory and seldom get sidetracked for long.

Adaptable

Things change. We’ve received written orders that have changed last minute. We had to cancel plans to travel on vacation in order to PCS. We’ve had extensions fall through. We’ve experienced deployments. I have to stay flexible. I have to be strong for my kids.

Critical Thinking

I don’t want my kids just to regurgitate information and blindly obey. I want them to know right from wrong and question everything – me, tradition, reality, authority – why? why? WHY?

Observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making

Understand the logical connections between ideas.
Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.
Recognise, build, and appraise arguments.
Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.
Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.
Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs, and values.

Education

M.Ed. secondary English education, gifted endorsement

B.A. English literature with minor in psychology, cum laude

Summary

As a military spouse, I have some unique skills.

I may have developed these abilities anyway.

But my life is very different than it could have been because I married an Air Force officer, my dad retired from the Army Reserves, and both my parents worked as GS employees since forever.

Being a military spouse can be like having a full-time job. Much of the expertise I’ve developed over the years are highly transferable and marketable in the workforce.

All in different seasons and different bases, I have worked outside the house, stayed at home, worked from home, and considered going back to school. I have a master’s degree in education, so that’s essentially an expensive piece of paper at this point since I don’t want to go back to teach in a school.

Every day, I develop and further solidify impressive marketable life experience just by supporting my active duty husband, being a stay-at-home mom, and homeschooling my kids.

I may not have an impressive résumé or curriculum vitae, but I know what my abilities are.

My worth is not only in what I do. My value is not in the income I bring or don’t bring into our household. As a wife, mother, and homeschooler, I have intrinsic value in the efficiency of my household management.

The TRUTH about the military spouse job search.

There’s little to no personal fulfillment.

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