Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Clearing the cobwebs...

Good morning...just a quick note before I head off to work.

I have been away from blogland for a week and guess what I've been doing? The Big House Cleanup Project is almost complete! What I have left to do is finishing up the laundry/storage room and I still have 4 closets to clean out and then this house is completely clutter free and deep cleaned!!

The House Cleanup has turned into a Life Cleanup Project and I'll share more on that later this week. Clearing a cluttered house leads to clearing a cluttered mind...

Talk to you soon!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Ahh...the sweet smell of ...


...Murphys Oil Soap, Vinegar, Windex, Pledge, Comet...Success!




I hope you all had a nice weekend. I had a great weekend. Really! My house is now approximately half way de-junked and deep cleaned. In fact, I think, the most challenging parts of my house are done so the rest of it shouldn't be too bad.

The best part about it is that I feel a little empowered...like I'm taking my house back. I had kind of let all the boys (hubbie included here) take it over with their toys, junk and dirt. Well, No More! You know what? The boys are thrilled with the results so far.

I now feel like I can tackle some of the other projects I've been wanting to do but haven't because I've been so stressed about this overwhelming cleaning project. So stressed and overwhelmed that I have just barely kept up with the basic household duties each week. Cleaning up this mess has certainly sparked my creativity again!

Someone should write a book or do a t.v. show about how therapeutic cleaning your house is. (ha..ha..)

While we're talking about cleaning, you should visit Carrie at Farming on Faith. She has some great resources for home keeping on her blog. Some great devotionals too! I'm pretty sure her post today, A Prayer For Womanhood was just for me .

Okay crew, here is the status on The Project:

Kitchen - complete
Dining Room - complete
Living Room - complete
Foyer - complete
Main Bathroom - complete
Kyler's Room - complete (3 large trash bags of junk - GONE)
Kobe's Room - complete

Plan of action for this week is:

--Master Bedroom/Bath
--Family Room
--Spare Bedroom/Office

and....

The Dreaded Laundry Room/Storage Room (Dungeon of unfinished space)...

...however, the laundry room isn't so dreaded now because Kobe has decided to take on this project to earn some money. I'm all for paying him some cold, hard cash to take this room on. He has already hauled away (to the curb) a big bin of broken race track, a little tykes desk/chair, a child's table and chair and a HUGE bag of trash. YES!!! And in case you're wondering why these were taken to the curb and not to Goodwill? We have some serious dumpster divers in our neighborhood who drive the streets each Sunday night looking for goodies. All these items are now GONE and the trash truck hasn't even arrived yet this morning. One man's trash is another mans treasure! Indeed!

Until next time...

*photo courtesy of flickr.com

Friday, July 17, 2009

What clutter causes...

I couldn't have said it better myself so I'm not going to. Go visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. She has posted a list of the negative effects of clutter in our lives. There is also a yummy strawberry bread recipe there too!

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Just call me the Queen of Clean...oh...does someone else have that title?



First let me tell you why I have let my house go.

I'm tired.

I had a baby...3 years ago...I went back to work full-time...I'm taking classes...Laundry...I have a busy 8 year old...I have garden work to do...I have this great book I'm reading...There are flowerbeds to clean out...I have to cook dinner...I live in a house with 3 boys...I have a mountain of laundry to do...I have office work to do...got to get the groceries...oh and there is this great show on HGTV that I need to watch...and...did I mention I have laundry to do?

*Excuses BeGone!

I started The Project Tuesday night and have continued whenever I have a free moment. The kitchen was the first order of business and I have to say that I can't believe how far I had let that room go. On the surface it was mostly clean, but if you spent any amount of time in there you would realize that it needed some serious attention. Let's not even talk about how disgusting it was behind the stove. When was the last time you pulled out your stove and cleaned behind it?

Wait!

Don't answer that! I know I'll feel worse when I hear that you do it every 6 months or more. I will tell some things, but I won't tell you how long it had been since the floor under the stove had seen the light of day!

The good news? We found the Shrek DVD that has been missing for months (maybe years).

It took me 5 1/2 hours to clean this room. Yes, that's right! I said 5 1/2 hours! I'm disgusted and humiliated all in one - so of course I'm posting it here for all to see.

Stay Tuned for more domestic wisdom coming your way very soon...



*Yeah, I stole this line! I'm reading a great book right now called Excuses BeGone by Dr. Wayne Dyer.


*Photo courtesy of flickr.com
I love flickr...
I get great haircut ideas and gardening ideas here...Cool Resource.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Finding your way in the darkness...



Two women in my life are struggling today. Struggling with sadness. Struggling with despair. Hopelessness.

These two women don't know each other and live hundreds of miles apart, but each of them have their own pain to contend with today.

One of them has lost a baby in a late-term pregnancy. The baby was delivered and she was able to hold him one last time. Sadness abounds. She has been through so much with her older son. He had cancer and survived. Now this. She is strong though and she'll get through this. She knows how to plow through and keep living. Still...why?

The other woman is struggling in her marriage. The word Divorce has surfaced. Infidelity on her husbands part. Hopelessness and despair are living there now. Questions about her own self-worth and where she is in all of this. Kids are part of the equation and this makes it even harder. Questions about if the marriage will make it or not. Questions about if she wants it to survive. Lots of questions.

I don't know the pain they are feeling. I can be there to listen. I can pray. I can give support. What I do know is that when it seems God is silent in times like this, He is really working His plan. When a situation seems hopeless and you can't imagine ever feeling better than you do - you come out of it a stronger person. The stronger person part comes MUCH later. I know.

Where is the hope in these situations?

There is the hope that this Mom gathers her kids around her and is thankful for what she has and what she has already overcome in her life. She is strong. She has endured a lot. There is a reason even if it's not apparent right now.

There is a hope that this Woman who has many talents and abilities will discover that she is worth more than what she has been led to believe all her life. There is hope that she will pursue those dreams of hers. She will find herself in this. There is a hope that the guidance they are receiving will re-ignite the spark in their marriage and help them to heal.

Hopelessness finds it's way to Hope...slowly...slowly...but it's there. Sometimes you can't appreciate the sunrise until you have waited in the darkness. My hope is for these women in my life to find a little peace and a glimmer of light in their life today.




*photo courtesy of flickr

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dust Bunnies Take Cover...The Troops Are Moving In...

I can't think or be creative with a dirty and cluttered house! So, I'm on a mission, folks. I'm going to spend the next two weeks deep cleaning and de-junking my house. It's LONG overdue and I can't stand it one minute longer. We have entirely too much stuff and I can't really clean the house because of all the junk. I'm talking baseboards, walls, windows, closets and the dreaded laundry/storage room. Those of you who have seen the laundry and storage room know that this room could take the whole two weeks. I'm not afraid, well, not very much anyway.


I will be doing this project before and after work AND for the next couple of weekends. Sounds like fun, right? Ummm...not so much! It won't be fun, but when the project is complete and my house is in much better shape than it is right now...I will be so glad I did it!

It will be a challenge but I'm up for it! Bring on the Junk and the Dirt!

Do you have any encouraging words for me? Please send them my way!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

He loves it...



Two evenings a week we're at the pool.

Swimming Lessons.

Kyler, who is now 3 years old, is old enough to take swimming lessons on his own. Sigh...he really is...and he LOVES them!! He loves to go "wimmin". He doesn't stop smiling during the whole lesson and he doesn't want to leave when it's over. I literally have to pick him up and carry him out of the place. Oh Wait. That's nothing new. I have to do that everywhere we go with him. He is doing great. Already jumping off the side after two lessons and putting his face in the water...LOVES IT!


So, let's take a look at what's happening on the sidelines though. His older brother, who refuses to take swimming lessons and still doesn't know how to swim at 8 years old, is completely stressed out during the session. At this pool, there are steps that the kids are supposed to be sitting on while they are waiting for their turn with the instructor. Kyler is supposed to sit on the red step. The whole time he is waiting his turn he keeps creeping down to the next step, the yellow step, where the water is up to his chin. He Stands Up. Sits Down. Stands Up. Sits Down. The instructors are telling him to "sit on his bottom". If he were to fall forward he would be in over his head. I have to admit I was a little nervous and was ready to jump in if I had to.

However.

The jumping in would have been a little hard to do because Kobe was sitting on my lap and hiding his face on my shoulder. As he hops on my lap he says, "I just can't watch anymore, he's going to fall right in". The instructors are good and they are watching the kids on the sidelines...but it could happen. I'm hoping Kobe calms down and realizes that knowing how to swim makes going to the pool a lot more fun and that he'll want to take lessons too.

So far...

...that's not happening.















Wednesday, July 8, 2009

This I Know...

I love clean floors. When the floors in my house are clean I feel like the rest of my house is mostly clean.

Most of the time I LOVE being called Mommy. There are days though, that I think I may pull my hair out one by one if I hear Mommy one more time.

I always have with me 2 things: My journal and whatever book I'm reading.

I like different decorating styles: Cottage, Rustic, Americana, Traditional and even some Contemporary Styles. My favorite style is a blend of Cottage and Rustic and I always come back to this when I'm doing something new to my house. I like a comfortable and lived-in look.

I have always known that I am the most happy and at peace when I'm doing something creative. It took me to the age of 38 to know that the creative activity that gives me the most joy is Writing.

I'm glad I've had the experiences (good and bad) that I've had in my life. It has made me who I am. God always has a plan for me.

Being a Mom has been the most joyful AND hardest thing I've ever done. I never would have been prepared for motherhood. It's constantly changing. It's a good thing I'm flexible.

Early mornings on my deck as the sun is rising is Gods gift just for me - I'm sure of it!

If I write down my random thoughts enough times I will figure out what I'm supposed to know.

Marriage is all about compromise and letting go of the little things.

Monday, July 6, 2009

I may be a Nascar Fan now...




I've never been much of a Nascar fan...never thought too much about it. Thought it was kinda neat when our hometown boy, Carl Edwards, started doing so well in his races. Still, never watched it much until Kobe became interested and we started watching some of the races because he wanted to. But, this past Saturday on the 4th, my husband and his twin brother attended the Jeff Gordon Racing School at Kansas Speedway and it was really fun. A LOT of fun for the drivers but equally as much for the spectators. It is really exciting to see the cars going around the track at up to 180 mph. The kids thought it was so COOL to see their daddies all suited up and racing in real Nascars.

The Speedway was not at all what I had expected. I don't know why, but I was thinking it would be more like the stock car races I'd been to as a kid. Yeah, nothing like that! Not sure why I thought that since I had seen some races on t.v.

This driving school only comes to Kansas City once per year. Next year we're going back...this time for me...I'm not going to drive...but you can ride with a professional driver (for a LOT less money, I might add)...I want to be all suited up and zoom around that track at 180mph. I am 40 now...it's time to throw caution to the wind...right???

Here are some shots from the trip...










Thursday, July 2, 2009

Home of the Red, White and Blue..


Hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July. On the 4th we will go see my husband drive a Nascar at the Jeff Gordon Driving School and then return home just in time to do our annual little fireworks show in our backyard. I'm looking forward to a 3 day weekend since I'm off work on Friday and the kids don't have summer school!!

Kobe has been asking what the 4th of July means and as I've been explaining it to him I've been reflecting on what a great country we live in and how many opportunities we have here. I'm thankful...

Happy 4th of July!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Church revisited...again

I recently saw a post on Facebook about how people shouldn't be choosing a church based on the activities. I should have replied right back to that person but I don't like confrontation and, well frankly, this blog is my soapbox.

The comment was that people think they are Christian just because they have helped someone else AND that they shouldn't choose a church based on the activities. Well, because of my recent church experience I was offended by this. I agree that by simply being a "good person" and helping people doesn't make you a Christian. However, I also DON'T think the type of church you go to makes you a Christian either. There are plenty of people who go to church every Sunday morning and they don't have a personal relationship with God. I have stayed out of church for the last few years just because of attitudes like this person on Facebook has.

I think church is important and it's definitely something I'm looking for right now in my life. BUT, my relationship with God isn't dependent on whether I go to church or not. I know it says somewhere in the bible about gathering together with other Christians. I think that is important but it doesn't have to be at church. It can be a bible study group, a group of like-minded friends, or talking to someone on the street about God. In another post I wrote, I said that
"I feel closer to God in my garden than anywhere else"...including church. My faith and my relationship is stronger now than ever and that has everything to do with my personal prayer life, personal bible study and devotions. What I get from Church is fellowship, new ideas and encouragement. Church is a very small part of my faith walk.

Here is my thought on choosing a church based on activities. Do the activities encourage and inspire your personal relationship with God? Do they get you to Church when you otherwise wouldn't go? Do you learn something from them? Do you get to fellowship with other believers?

If the answer is Yes, then choose a church based on the activities.

Okay...how many people have I offended? I'm sorry if I have but this is where I'm coming from on this whole church thing.

The bottom line for me is this: God knows my heart. He knows my thoughts. He knows I have a close relationship with Him. He knows I have faith in Him. He knows I go to Him for answers. He knows His plans for me and I trust in those plans.