Motivation

My friend, Janel, asked me to talk a bit about how I motivate and discipline myself in the area of housework and homemaking. Anyone who has read here for more than a month knows I am not naturally motivated to clean. I am by nature, lazy. I apologize for it....daily. I do not just kick back and accept it, and work to make sure I do something productive every day. I have many tools I use to motivate myself. One of the first things I do is make sure I have the supplies I WANT (not need) in order to clean my house. I tried the whole vinegar and water thing...I hated it. I would rather not even clean! I try to be green, but there are a few things I can not do without. My dish washing cleaners are Dawn and Cascade. I LOVE them...they work for me. I use an ammonia free glass cleaner, but I really dislike the vinegar and water. I love Lysol cleaners too...shoot me. I do use Murphy's Oil and Tea Tree Oil on my hardwood and sometimes on my vinyl flooring. If I have to clean I want to use things that work for me and smell good. Pretty sponges and, yes, paper towels make the job nicer too.

A cleaning schedule is helpful to motivate and discipline. As long as it works for you and you do NOT work for it. If you have a day that you have to be out of the house, do not stay up all night getting that days work done...skip it til it rolls around again on your schedule. You can see my own binder by clicking on the picture below. I found the tutorial on My Blessed Home to be quite helpful in putting it together.

Another motivator is your family. My husband is a clean freak! He does not get upset with me if things get messy...well not much...but what he will do is, he will come home and start to tidy up. I HATE THAT! If I am in my studio and come out to the kitchen to find him wiping down a greasy stove top, I am not happy. If you have a husband who is not picky, and you are a messy like me, then you need to dig deeper to find that motivation! He may not say anything when things are messy, but I bet he will say something when the house is uncluttered and tidy. Also, in my last post I shared a quote....quotes motivate me. I put them where I can see them. They come from wonderful motivational tools, like books and blogs. Copperswife is a favorite homemaking blog of mine. Her recent series on meal planning is amazing! Some favorite books include The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Home Comforts, and The Messies Manual, to name a few.I love being a homemaker. It took many years of training to consider myself qualified! I still fail at some points and will as long as I am breathing. We have to set goals in all areas of our lives, and though some of those goals can be long term, most homemaking goals are daily or weekly. At the most they are monthly or seasonally. I understand the whole computer/television/telephone distraction thing. You have to tell yourself the same thing you would tell your children....chores first, play second. One of the ways I trick myself is to put on a favorite CD....I LOVE the WOW Worship CD Kyle got at a recent garage sale. I load it up and put it on pretty loud. I tell myself I will work through so many songs to complete my tasks.I am always surprised at how much work I get done in just a few songs!!!!!
The biggest motivator for me is the end result! I love a clean house. In a perfect world, I would have a maid. She would clean showers and do laundry...the 2 things I HATE to do...and she would do them well. I do not have a maid. I do however have a pretty clean shower and most of the laundry is done. Reward yourself...once your daily chores are done, do something you want to do. Sit for as long as you want on the computer...watch a movie on television...visit with a friend on the telephone. Or do what I do lately and just relax, cause let me tell ya, this vitamin D thing is kicking my butt!!!
Take a minute and share something that motivates you to do your housework....share a favorite blog address, or book, or something special you reward yourself with. I am anxious to read your ideas!!!

Smelling The Roses

The days have gotten away from me! I didn't realize it had been 10 day since I posted!

Our roses are blooming beautifully!! Look at that crazy cat!! Her water bowl is full, yet she prefers to drink from the crystal vase! She has no manners, but great taste! Notice how she grabs that runner with her claws to pull it closer to her!!!!
My trip to Galena was beyond wonderful! It could not have been a nicer time. My mom and I had great food, great fun, and great memories were made. I didn't buy as many "things" as I usually do. I did get gifties for all the kids...including this one...She LOVES this toy, along with the new cat nip bags, and laser lights I got her! The kids love the laser lights as much as she does!I got the kids sunglasses and Kyle a new pair of sandals he had been wanting. I also got the grandkids the COOLEST gifts! They are AWESOME, but I can't share it here yet. It is just as much a surprise for Rachel as for them, and she might read here still. Just incase....I know they will ALL love it!
My mom got all the kids a little something too.I did come home with this.....A new Keurig coffee pot and carousel. Isn't that cool how the carousel matches my spice rack?? We still use our main pot as the coffees are quite costly. It is nice to have a "cup" when you want just one though, and we have used it everyday!
I also bought a new Iced Tea maker a while back. I forgot I even had it til I was pulling pictures for this post!Another thing I got on my trip was some wonderful teas. An Orange Spice and an English Breakfast tea. I think the Orange Spice will make a nice iced tea, don't you?
So I have spent my days, since returning home, taking care of home tasks, caring for children (and a cat), and enjoying my Sweetheart...who REALLY missed me!! I have also been reading a couple of books, and trying to spend a bit of time everyday catching up on your blogs. I have this wonderful quote, shared by a sweet friend, posted on my frig. I read it daily and try to make this my thoughts toward my home and family. It has certainly helped! Feel free to take it from my blog (right click on it and "save picture as"), print it out and put it on your own frig. Attitude is everything!!!Now I am off to "take the trouble to make things nice" here!!!

Happy 4 and 14

It is like a teenage girl explosion in Charlotte's room! Today she turned 14 and she got a new day bed and all the fixings!
I love that rug!!!!
My mom, Kyle and I put her room together while she was downstairs. She loved it, of course!
Remember the garage sale last week? My mom picked up this gorgeous vanity for Charlotte. It matches the new bed perfectly!
It is perfect for 14 year old girlie-girl!My mom and Aunt got her the bed and her Daddy and I and the boys got her all the bedding, those soooooft furry pillows,and the rug. We found curtains to match the comforter, but they only had one pair, so we plan on getting her those in Galena. Her grandma even climbed the stairs with a bad knee to help get this done for her.She had Chinese (her favorite) for lunch, thanks to her grandma, and she made her own chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!
It does not seem possible she is 14. I remember blogging her 10th birthday!!!! So what is the "Happy 4"? It was 4 years ago yesterday that I started blogging. That is a long time!! I was so nervous writing that first post.
Sassy-Girl was leery of Charlotte's new bedding. She will get her scent on it and soon it will be a favorite napping place! Speaking of scent, Sass got some anointing oil on her head that has a Frankincense and Myrrh scent to it. Zach said she smells like Jesus! She does smell good!!!! I have been smelling her head all day!!!!
I will try and get another post up here before I leave for Galena on Monday. I am going on my annual trip with my mom. I can't wait!!!!!! We even have matching nighties! I know....it's lame, but it is good times and memories I will have forever!

Standing On The Promises

What do you do when life beats you up? Do you wallow in it and have a big fat pity party? Come on...I can't be the only one to admit that!! Well, the party is over here! I am "Standing on the Promises of Christ my King!" I have done this before in my life...many times in fact. I grab my concordance, my Bible, some index cards, a pen and some stickers...cause we gotta make it all pretty, right?

I make a list of Scripture verses that pertain to my trials and verses I want to claim....

....and I start making cards.

I put them everywhere.....Especially in places I spend a lot of time, like at the kitchen sink..... Or in the powder room, and upstairs bathrooms.At the kitchen table, everyone gets some Word!And of course, at the computer! With my screen saver, we get a double dose! Goodness, you can't even blow your nose here without getting a faith boost!What do you do to fight back when life starts to throw punches??

Making Things Pretty

As I dusted my family room, I was thinking about a post I read with my coffee this morning. My friend, Copperswife, shared a quote in a post titled, Gracious Living. It was a simple, yet powerful quote and had me thinking as I polished my tables. When I came to "my" table, this is what I saw.....
I sit next to this table and do all my hand work...applique, quilting, binding. That little brown pottery bowl holds ALL my supplies for all of these tasks. The dip container (I know...kinda tacky) holds my prepped leaves for my current applique project. Note the little papers from last night's finished leaves. I decided to make this area look more "gracious". The dip container gave me an idea..... My Mother-in-Love had bought me this beautiful set of ceramic bakeware and included were 2 small dip bowls with rod iron/wicker holders. They are very pretty. I pulled them out and filled one with all my applique supplies. The other holds all my hand quilting supplies and I left my binding supplies in the brown ceramic bowl. Right now I am only using the applique supplies, so the other bowls are on my sewing table in the studio, ready to pull out when I need them. The area looks much nicer and more inviting than the "Helluva Good Dip" container sitting there.
Gracious Living....it is in the smallest of details. Go read the quote....I am writing it on a card and posting it on my frig!
Yesterday, I did go back to the dry cleaners, and yes, the same lady was there. Zachary and I entered the store with a smile and and a cheerful hello. I chatted with her while she completed my order and again, thanked her for being so kind as to forgive my harshness from the last visit. She was very sweet and treated me with the utmost kindness. I wished her a very blessed afternoon and left with a smile, and Zachary with a sucker...compliments of the lady. ;) Making that phone call was NOT easy for me. It was a big slab of humble pie and I did it KNOWING she was wrong and I was right...at least in theory. I read this post after dinner last night and my attitude about making that phone call changed instantly. I was so glad I did it.
My mom and the kids and I went garage sale-ing yesterday. I got some great stuff. I don't buy junk...usually. This item, may appear to be useless...and in my home it is.
It is an old bag filled with old time clothespins. I have no clotheslines...that is another rant, but I will keep it to myself...and there is no usefulness to this, but it makes me happy. It looks quaint hanging in the laundry room near the washboard my Father-in-Law gave me years ago. It is the washboard used to scrub diapers in their home some 60 years ago.

I did find some wonderfully useful items. These books were a treasure to find!!! At a buck 50 each I could not pass them up. Little did I know the value that would be in those pages!Great American Quilts 1989 caught my eye, because it is around the time I started my first quilt. It has patterns for so many quilts I could see myself making! Lovely stories of quilt-makers and their designs from the 80's. A perfect book for my library!The Bazaar Patchwork book is loaded with "Gracious Gifts", a gorgeous sampler quilt and some great Christmas projects! I plan to try a few of these soon. Look at that cute heart and hand needlebook in the lower right-hand corner. Too cute!And who can pass up an Amish/Mennonite Cookbook??? Especially one filled with quilts!!!! I plan on using some of these recipes very soon. The photography in this book is incredible!!
There were some other wonderful purchases made, especially one from my mother for Charlotte, but you will have to wait to see that one. ;) Kyle and Zach came home happy too. Kyle with a couple of movies and a WoW Worship CD, and Zach with a new-to-him baseball glove (that was like new anyway) and a softball, so now he can throw the ball with dad and big brothers! It was a good day for all of us.

Today will be sweltering hot so I plan to finish up my dailies, get my laundry done, and applique leaves! I am on side 3, and hope to see side 4 before bedtime!

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Shame On Me

I just got Sweetheart out the door and thought I'd pop in here for a quick chat. We had some GORGEOUS weather yesterday. Today will be cloudy and 75, so I can't complain about that either, considering they were calling for storms. Plans today include garage sales!!!

Let's talk about my title. Have you ever done something that you wish you could take back? Something that made you feel shame once it was over?
I can say that does not happen to me....almost never. I said ALMOST. I had it happen on Tuesday. You got time, right? Ok...so, it started on Saturday. I sent my oldest son to the dry cleaners for me. Sweetheart had 3 pairs of pants and 5 shirts to go for cleaning. I always do his polo shirts here, but he said, let's get them done if they are not too expensive. I was not for that, but said nothing and sent them along. I told Bud, "If they are more than a couple of dollars each, bring them back." He came home with tickets and said they were $2.50. Hmmmm that is too much, but he had left them, so I would pay it this time and from now on, do them here. Tuesday I was out running with my mom and had her stop at the cleaners for me to grab Sweetheart's pants and shirts. I walked in to an empty store....no one was there. I heard a voice from the back shout, "I'll be right with you." No biggie...she came right up. I gave her my tickets...one for the dry cleaning (pants) and one for the laundry (shirts). The first things she said to me as she hung the cleaning on the rack at the counter was,
"There has been a problem with your cleaning."
My thought was something happened to an article of clothing. Before I could say anything she proceeded to tell me the shirts were not button down like the girl thought, so they were dry cleaned at $5.50 a piece. It took me a moment to process that. Once I did, she was ringing me up. I told her, "I hope you are not charging me $5.50 for those shirts since I was quoted $2.50." I got back,
"Um, no. It is $5.50 a shirt."
I could tell I was going to get nowhere with this girl, so I asked to talk to a manager. She huffed and said she would call her boss at the other store. She got on the phone and my mouth dropped as I heard her say,
"I have a lady here refusing to pay for her cleaning. She wants laundry prices for dry cleaned shirts."
Oh. My. Gosh. Here is where I lose it. I don't even know HOW it happened. Really, people, I am NOT like this, but I saw red! I shouted, "YOU ARE A LIAR! You tell him the truth! I was QUOTED $2.50 a shirt."
At this point my heart is beating out of my chest and I am shaking. I feel NOTHING good for this woman, who now appears to be the nastiest form of womanhood I have ever seen. I can feel the Holy Spirit pricking at my own spirit, telling me to hold on. I did not listen.
She is now off the phone telling me in words dripping of condescension, that THIS time they will give me that price, but to know that from now on, it will be FIRM that all shirts are to be $5.50.
Something inside me takes over and I let this woman have it!!!
"Listen lady, I don't know who you think you are!!!! I am not an idiot who needs to be lectured by the likes of YOU! I was given a price and had I been told $5.50 I would have gladly taken my polos home and washed them myself!!!!"
She continued in her attitude telling me,
"It is not our job to go through every article of clothing you bring in and give you prices on each item when we have 3 people in line behind you."
Heaven help her....I ripped her a new one! I was not "yelling", but I was speaking VERY FIRMLY.
"THE HELL IT ISN'T YOUR JOB!!! What is your name?? You have to be an idiot to think that way! AND, were YOU here??? I didn't think so. You are talking out of your @$$! How in God's name do you know there were 3 people in line??? The place is EMPTY now and I am sure it was then too!! And I don't care if there are FIFTY people in line behind me! If I ask a price IT IS YOUR DAMN JOB TO TELL ME!!!!!!"
She started in again saying she was told by her boss to "firmly" tell me this would be the only time I would get this price, and I put up my hand and said, "Just take my card, pay my bill and let me out of here!"
I walked out to the car and was shaking. I told my mother what happened...she was so proud of me. My mom takes crap from no one. I am not like that. She assured me it would get easier with each time. I was not happy about that. I was totally bummed. I hated myself for what I did. I had images running through my head of this girl walking into church and seeing me there. I did the only thing I could do. I called her and poured out my humility at her feet. I told her how sorry I was for talking that way to her and that I had NO right to do so. I explained that I am not that kind of person (hmmmmmmm, yet I was), and that I could have, and should have, handled her behaviors in a different way. I let her know that I felt unheard, misrepresented and that she made me appear dishonest, though that gave me no right to spew my hurtful words back at her. I asked her forgiveness. She was ready to give it and said, "You were a cakewalk compared to some others." That gave me pause, but I kept my thoughts to myself that time! I never did call her boss. I lost that opportunity with my own behavior. How could I be taken seriously after that? Sadly, I had dropped off another couple of pairs of pants there before all this happened and today I go to pick them up. If she is there I will smile and greet her cheerfully by name, and again thank her for forgiving me for my sin. I never want it to get easy. Next time, I will just take my mother in with me!!!!!!!!