Copse and Spinney

When I first moved away from home, I was at a new church where I was surrounded with a bunch of “mother’s” in my life who gave me little tidbits of advice. I also did house cleaning for some, and taught some of their kids piano lessons.  This is a recollection of advice from the women who were in my life in my early twenties, and even later.  

My cousin, Robin encouraged people to “make their own fun”, rather than wait around for someone else to do it. She was at all of the showers, weddings and birthday parties, and helped people make their parties even better! She passed away way too young. How I learned a lot from her by her example in love and lifestyle. Her tip for laundry was, “Fold ’em while they’re hot! They’ll made better creases!”

“On clothes that are hung to dry, slick out the wet collars, seams or ruffles with fingers. They will dry better and be easier to iron.” This advice was from Delores, a lady who was on the worship team with me, who taught me how to make guacamole and stew. She and her husband opened up their spare room for my roommate and I when our heater went out.

 “If you have to leave the house, and don’t have time to do the dishes, just rinse them off, so the food won’t stick, until you have time to wash them.” This idea was from my friend Tricia, who hired me to clean for her, and to give her children piano lessons. Tricia once said,  “I’m glad that I live across the street from the fancy mansion rather than the other way around because that way I get to have the best view.” 

Tricia’s best friend was Kathy. I also taught her kids piano, and sometimes Kathy would take me to the store to get groceries before I had my own car. After getting her groceries home, Kathy would immediately prepare it by cutting or peeling fruit or carrots, putting them in baggies to make ready- to-eat snacks for her family. Kathy said, “Fruits and vegetables that are not prepared right when you get home from the store are more often wasted.” 

“Dogs are scavengers. They can survive anything.” said my friend Mary, when I was so worried about my dog having eaten some very old mashed potatoes from the trash. She is a smart lady who know a lot about science, and practical things.

My dear friend Boernie warned, “Never go to bed with a messy kitchen or dishes in the sink. It draws bugs”. This is something that goes without saying, but my first apartment was a very old house-turned-duplex that was built in the early 1920’s. I could hear all kinds of scuffling in the rafters, and it had roaches but this is what I could afford at the time. It was an unbelievable $250 per month rent, which I split with my roommate, so it came to $125 each. Boernie, who had a wealth of love and wisdom, also gave me the best cheese soup recipe EVER!

Home, Children and Time Management Tips

I was in my thirties when my friend Vickie taught private art lessons to my daughter one summer. Vickie has the gift of organization and she also helped me to come up with some plans for an easier house cleaning flow. Her motto was, “Get your kids involved with cleaning. Give them each a bin and have them gather their own stuff to put away. And have them fold and put away their own clothes.”

Another friend, also named Mary, gave me several life hacks:

“Keep cabinet doors shut and everything feels cleaner instantly.”

“People always notice the bottom of the toilet when they come to visit, but how few people ever clean it.” 

“If you do one load of laundry every morning, you’ll always stay caught up.”

“When you have to be somewhere, “Get dressed and ready to go, then if you have time, fill in with other tasks.” That way you won’t wait til the last minute to get ready, and be late because of chores.

“Put baby down for a nap at 1:00 and don’t let them sleep later than 3:00 so they’ll go to bed by 8:00.” (Sometimes this is more easily said than done.)

As a young adult, I had many “mothers” in my life. Those who, were themselves mothers to young children, and those who often mentored young mothers according to scripture in Titus 2:3-5. With me being an hour and a half away, in a new town, a new church, and away from home for the first time, my own mom may have been tempted to feel she had been replaced with all these other “mother figures”. But she was not. I am and was so grateful to her, and for the fact that she is still here and that I can call her up and ask her for a recipe, or advice, or just chat saying “do you remember that time..”

Here is her apple cake recipe. (She always referred to it as her neighbor’s recipe) but my mom is the reason, I asked for it. I can remember coming home from school on cold days with this warm apple cake scent wafting through the air as I came through the front door. And to me, it’s Mama’s apple cake recipe. You should try it.

Making New Friends

As I got older, my kids made friends and as a result, I made friends with other moms. Two of my besties, came into my life and we enjoyed “making our own fun” (as Robin would say,) We began the tradition of having tea parties together.

I am grateful that when I was young I had older friends in my life who gave me some of their little nuggets of wisdom. And I was very grateful for their advice. Although, many of these ladies have since passed away from this earth. I cherish their memories and the things I have learned from them.

If your’re a girl in your twenties, who recently moved away from home, or a young mom in your thirties with little ones at home, my advice to you is keep these kind of friends in your life; ones who believe in you, who don’t condemn you, who have good boundaries, who are a safe haven, those whom you can have fun together making new traditions, and enjoy a refreshing time together.

Here is one little added tip you get from me: Drink more water! If you put it in a pretty pitcher, add some lemon (if you like) and it will remind you to drink water throughout the day. ~ Laura

If you have any little life hack and tips to share please do so in the comments!