A Homemaking Praise

{picture from allposters.com}

My laundry is caught up, Lord . . .
My laundry is caught up!
The piles are all washed, rinsed, dried and folded,
All are in drawers and in closets with care
Not a person was reminded so no one was scolded. . .
For leaving them in stacks here and there.
This time it all has been put away,
Each person took a basket
This made for a tidy day!
The dishes are done, Lord . . .
The dishes are done!
The bowls, cups and plates
line neatly in cupboards;
Each and every one.
The floors are swept up of debris,
The corners swept up, too. . .
Tomorrow I will mop them
And give more praise to YOU!
The house is tidy and all is neat,
candles twinkle tiny flickers of glowing heat.
Thank You for joy You provide
Around, about and all inside!

Sandy W. 2009

Planning & Preparing

*What happened to our option at blogspot to choose a font and font size?*


There is a lot going on in our home each day.

For me, it seems home schooling one presses more at times than all four of the other children at once. We are doing lap books and ABeka for now because I was struggling for time to keep up with finding, printing, and scheduling learning materials.

I’m in awe of those of you who manage so much. I am spending time every day on business paperwork and then dragging through tax forms once a month so that takes some thinking and planning time.

We are starting a garden this year and it takes a lot more time in the planning stages than I ever realized! I’m working on an article all about it but we are moving forward a step at a time. I’m trying to set up for harvesting time NOW so we are prepared and don’t allow for waste.

Menu making and cooking from scratch, taking care of personal papers and keeping up with all around homemaking… this can take a lot of time. Smiles.

Today, my husband and I discussed some plans over coffee, I did some quick research online and answered a few emails, took care of a few necessary phone calls, got homeschooling finished, took care of lunch (homemade tortillas --- I am sharing that on http://www.nutmegnotes08.blogspot.com) and hand washed all the dishes. I got some laundry done and dealt with some discipline issues (to put it sweetly;) with our five year old.

It ended with him staying right by my side and being a part of what ever I was doing. This meant drying the dishes and putting them away as I hand washed. I let him put harder to reach things on a dry kitchen towel and I put those up. Next time, I’ll have him do this using his two- step stool from Mamaw’s house.
He also swept the floor and had some nice conversation with me and bolted the second his dad got home. He had been waiting all day for time at the rope swing they made together and they are going to the creek tonight. He couldn’t get his boots on fast enough!

The days on my planners (yes, I use two right now) fill almost every space but it is nice to stay busy. Good for us.

My goal is to keep up with my priorities and build my family and home up. If I am not careful with my time and wise with moments … I could easily be tearing it down. This verse has always spoken to me:

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1

Scrubbing Bubbles... One more post, I think

Dearest Sandy,

First off, let me thank you for the lovely card you sent a couple of months ago. You really brightened my day when I opened it!

As I read about your Scrubbing Bubbles "miracle" I was reminded of a similar discovery by a friend of mine. She had read that it did the same with mini blinds. So she tried it, and it worked! All she did was take her mini blinds out to the yard, sprayed them with Scrubbing Bubbles (she tried the generic version but it didn't work--only the name brand did), and let them sit a few minutes (maybe 10 or 15 is all). Afterward, she sprayed them down with the garden hose (no, she didn't have to wipe them by hand at all), let them dry, and rehung them. They were spotless! Sure saved her a lot of hard work cleaning them! While they were drying it gave her a chance to thoroughly clean other areas of her home. She was glad of the extra time and energy she had since she didn't have to clean each mini blind by hand.

Just thought I'd pass this tidbit along. I've been meaning to post it on my blog, but once again, time is always a factor.

Please tell the dear ladies on CC&H I said hello!

Hugs,Cynthia Robin

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ~Jude 21

Scrubbing Bubbles "Send In's"

Hello!
I was given permission to share some of the responses to my excited sharing on what Scrubbing Bubbles did to kitchen grease. Here they are:

I just know I have used it every since we lived here and that has been almost 30 years. So we have used it for years . Just read the precautions for use....

1. allow to foam up about 10 minutes or so then wipe off with a warm wet cloth....

2. stay out of the fumes...spray and walk away...ie leave the room I do no more than 1/4 of a wall at a time...say...the upper two portions....on a ladder, then move to the lower portions.... so it takes about an hour to clean a wall allow it to dry for several hours, especially in this cold weather before painting....I have found that the outer walls don't allow paint to adhere as well when it is so cold outside.
But for spring, summer and fall painting....I clean all the walls and then can begin in on the painting.

Now, I caveat, I use a good quality paint...I use Latex enamel Bath and Kitchen paint in these high cleaning (scrubbable) areas and a good quality satin latex paint in all other areas. Results may not be the same depending on the paint. .. I have used brands from Home Depot, Sears and Martha Stewart and Gliddens paints.


I have used scrubbing bubbles to clean walls especially before I am going to paint with excellent results.
I spray it on, wipe it off and then follow with a cloth with warm warm....
It saves me time , effort and also...it is one of the few items I stock in our home...
I have a grandson with poor aim also!

Homemaking Month By Month

January's homemaking chores poured into February and I'm working to keep these from rushing into March. Smiles...
Not really. I am actually finally ... fine... with taking things one day at a time. Even though I would prefer everything be done in one day, I know it isn't going to be so why make it a worrisome thing? Bringing this active, working, love-filled home into a beautiful sense of order and comfortable clean is worth a slow and steady job.

Progress has been stacking up one de-cluttered and organized area at a time. The cleaning is being maintained in the process and around here... with all going on so much of the time, this is a good achievement.

Our bedroom was the worst room in the house. I vacuumed the carpet, made my bed pretty regularly and randomly cleaned off dressers and computer desk. Beyond that, we had stacks of paperwork to go through in one corner, a basket of things to go through in another and just disorder to figure out everywhere.

When the pipes busted, we had to get up the carpet fast. What a blessing! We are now carpet free (something we've been working for years on) except for three small closets. My husband installed some laminate flooring and we ONLY put back in the bedroom these items:

Bed. Two dressers. Nightstand. Small antique table.
We planned to put more in there but have fallen SO in love with the serenity, the simplicity and the almost Shaker like cleanliness. We've decided we don't need anything else in there after all.

Now, it is following us through the house. How much do we need? How much can one house hold? Why are we holding all of it?

There are still more rooms to go and work to be done in our bedroom. The walls and ceiling have to be fixed and painted and I'd like to add a pretty rug or two and definitely am dreaming of a lovely lamp but we are getting somewhere.

I'll try to share pictures soon and if you have a room you have reclaimed or changed around and would like to share it --- please do!