ESTABLISHING ORDER IN YOUR LIFE - The introduction

People often ask me how I can get so much done each day? How I can juggle the housework, keep up a flower garden, entertain friends, enjoy my time in the craft room, run an Etsy shop and still make YouTube videos?  Let me tell you, this wasn't always the case.

When I went from full time employee to full time wife and home-keeper I thought I would automatically have all the time in the world to keep my house clean, put healthy meals on the table and still have time for lunch with friends and a little shopping.

Boy was I in for a rude awakening when I quickly discovered that having more unstructured time does not accomplish any of those things on its own.  In fact, I seemed to get so much more done when I was working 40 hours a week.

But how could this be?  I now had an additional 40+ hours in my week to be the perfect wife and friend so why was I rushing at the last minute to get things done and feeling overwhelmed by the disorder in my life?

What I discovered was that when I worked outside the home, I valued those hours I was inside the home and planned what I would need to get done and when I would do it.  

In a nutshell, we use wisely what we have most scarcely.  

Once I placed value back on the time I had at home instead of thinking of it as an unlimited resource, put myself on a schedule and established a few routines, the feeling of being out of control and always rushing went away.  The need to say yes to every need and invitation because I wasn't punching a time clock was replaced with a quick, "Let me check my schedule".  And just as importantly, I learned to accept that saying no sometimes wouldn't make me a bad person or a social outcast.

Can you identify with any of this?  Would you like to feel more in control of your day so that when those unexpected things pop up (and they will, most every day) you can make the necessary adjustments and know you won't be letting anything slip through the cracks?  Would you like more guilt free time to do the things you love?  I'll be sharing here on my blog just how I've learned to schedule my time so that I can maximize my efficiency, without being so rigid that spontaneous fun is out of the question, in the weeks to come.

I am so excited about sharing what I've learned with you and truly believe that it is part of my purpose.  I wrote about that in this blog post if you'd like to know more.

If you'd like to see what my routine looks like, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter, not only will you be notified when I'm posting but you'll receive a few free cheat sheets along the way.

xo, Patty

I'd love to have you join me over on YouTube where I share more of my cottage style in the home and garden.  Here's the link, Lemon Lane Cottage.

A BUSY NOVEMBER AND A THANKSGIVING CENTERPIECE

I know December is supposed to be the busier month and November the more laid back, pre-holiday, dream and plan month but that hasn't been true around here.  It seems October ended with a relaxed little gathering of girlfriends and November rushed in with wave after wave of busy days.

Not that I'm complaining...at all.  It has all been good stuff including time with friends and family,

A LITTLE HALLOWEEN GATHERING

I invited a few girlfriends over for little Halloween gathering last night and I wanted to share all the festive decor I came up using mostly Dollar Tree or hand crafted goodies.  This shin dig has been in my head and the preparation stages for over a month so I've had plenty of time to gather a little of this and a little of that plus come up with a crafty gift or two for my guests.

The list maker in me loves a little party planning and this get together was no exception.  After

THE FLAVORS OF FALL

It's finally beginning to feel a little bit like fall and I've started to put out a few things to celebrate the change of seasons.  I saw so many things I loved at Hobby Lobby, Target and the Dollar Tree that I had a hard time waiting for the weather to cool down before decorating for Autumn.

I bought a bag of pumpkin flavored coffee at Cost Plus World Market and lit my pumpkin spice

FIESTA GATHERING INSPIRATION - Cottage Style

My sister is visiting from Texas for a couple of weeks and I wanted to have her, my mom and sister in law come for dinner while she was out.  She hasn't been to our little cottage in a couple of years so I wanted to make it a fun and festive occasion   Since the focus with any gathering is connecting, I knew I wanted to keep it simple and for me that usually means Mexican food so I thought immediately of throwing a fiesta inspired gathering.

Once I had the theme set I started shopping my home for anything that might provide a fiesta

Inspiration Saturday - hosting an outdoor garden party

With the promise of warmer weather it's time to start thinking about entertaining outdoors.  Having friends over in the early afternoon is always so much fun.  If you sometimes struggle with what to do to entertain friends before you sit down to eat I have a fun suggestion.

What about meeting at a shopping location near your home that has a strolling atmosphere

hosting an all american feast with a twist - gathering

I enjoy having friends over especially when there is a theme for the gathering.  Either a holiday or event that lends itself to specific decor or food.  It makes it easier for the hostess to come up with a menu as well as giving the guests an idea on appropriate attire

For a recent gathering of friends I decided it would be fun to go with an "all American feast" of hot

easy lemon bar recipe - gatherings

Last Sunday I was in the mood to bake and this recipe for easy crumb topped lemon bars came to mind.  I am a sucker for any sweet involving lemons and these layered bars are no exception.

They are very good just as is but I thought I'd try tweaking them a little bit for added crunch and they

How to host a girls night on a budget - gatherings

When was the last time you had the girls over for a visit?  Friday night I did just that.  It was nothing fancy, just a few appetizers and a couple of bottles of supermarket wine, but that’s all it took to get us to slow down and reconnect.

If you’re like me, you can think of a thousand reasons not to gather friends together in your

5 things every front porch needs - gatherings

I love porches.  Especially the old fashioned, wrap around the house kind with a well cushioned swing just waiting for a lazy day.  So for me, as soon as the weather starts to warm up just a bit I am thinking about ways to spruce up our little piece of real estate out front.

Our front porch is really small by conventional standards but we've managed to fit a couple of rocking

Easy (and cute) Saint Patrick's Day Dessert - gatherings

St. Patrick's Day is one of those holidays that generally falls during the week and doesn't lend itself to a full scale meal at our house but it's still fun to do a little something to acknowledge the day.  For me that usually involves dessert.

This year I decided to go with a tried and true favorite when celebrating "green" holidays, pistachio

how to wrap a pretty package - gatherings

There is nothing I like more than gift giving and if the gift is hand made then all the better.  I am a firm believer that a thoughtful present doesn't have to cost a lot of money to be special.  Taking the time to shop or design a personalized gift let's the receiver know that you think they are worth the time and effort involved in selecting and wrapping something just for them.

Being a visual person half the fun for me is making the present look pretty.  Even a gift card (which I

so what's Mingle? - gatherings

Yes, it's Monday but it's a holiday so that makes it a little easier to take, doesn't it?  We had a really nice weekend even though our heatwave shows no sign of waning.  I've decided to try and make the best of it and just pretend it's a mild summer day instead of a record breaking hot one in February.

We fired up the BBQ on Saturday and enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio with a glass of wine

easy chicken roll ups and super bowl cupcakes

I have to be honest when it comes to the super bowl for me it's all about the food, the commercials and half time.  My hubby is not the biggest sports fan so some years the game will actually go largely unwatched except for a sneak peak or two as we switch channels.

This year I'm heading over to a friends to eat view the game and plan on taking an appetizer and

banana cupcakes in a nest - gatherings

Once a month I get together with a few friends for a girls night out.  We take turns hosting and everyone brings either a sweet or savory to share.  It's a small group, usually four or five, so there is no (or minimal) pressure on the hostess.

Nothing is planned but the month usually dictates the decor and food.  This month we met at my sister in law's house for a pretty spring celebration.  My contribution were these adorable banana nest cupcakes.

I am not sure where I saw the idea originally so I can't give credit where credit is due.  Their version used lemon curd and served them up (adorably) in small mason jars.  I used what I had on hand which was instant banana pudding, fresh bananas, boxed cake mix and pre made frosting.  I made mine in clear plastic cups for easy clean up.  I don't like to take dishes to get togethers that require someone to wash before I head home if I can avoid it.

These were super simple to put together and definitely semi-homemade.

What you'll need...

One box of yellow cake mix
One box of banana pudding
Two bananas
One bag of sweetened coconut flakes
One jar of vanilla frosting
Robins egg Easter candy
Clear plastic glasses.

Make yellow cupcakes according to the box directions and let cool.

While the cupcakes are baking, make banana pudding according to the package (I used instant and it was fine) and let it cool in the refrigerator.

With oven set to 200 degrees, place sweetened coconut flakes on a baking dish and toast until light brown, stirring occasionally.  Mine took about 20 minutes.

To assemble - Cut each cupcake in half placing the bottom in the cup.  Place a layer of banana pudding and a slice of banana next followed by the top of the cupcake.  Next goes the frosting, which I piped on using a plastic storage bag, followed by the nest of coconut.  I topped the nest with three candied eggs.

That's it!  The best thing is they tasted as good as they looked.  I plan on making another batch up for Easter Sunday at my mom's.  The variations are endless and could be adopted to any holiday or function.

Speaking of Easter, how's your planning and preparation going?  I am finally getting in the swing of things here.

xo, Patty

If you like the idea of individual desserts check out this post here.