Family Feature

So I don't know if I've been rubbing off on Baby Sis, or if having her own home just inspires her the way it inspires me!  She is becoming quite the little homemaker - managing her budget, planning meals for the hubs, and decorating has really become a recent passion of hers!  Her home is looking just beautiful!  I just have to share with you a project she completed yesterday.

I stopped by her house the other day and she was putting together a new bookshelf.  There was a sad piece of furniture in the corner of the room she was working on.  We got into a discussion over it.  "Are you going to keep that?"  I asked.  She shrugged, "Not if you want it."  

Now this particular piece of furniture belonged to my mom.  Baby Sis and I have all sorts of different pieces of mom's furniture because she left them with us when she and dad moved.  Baby Sis and I are always swapping these pieces of furniture back and forth.  Anyway, I tell Baby Sis, " I think I'm going to ask Mom if I can paint it".  To which she responds, "Oh if we can paint it, then I want it!"

And so, she transformed that piece of furniture into a thing of beauty!

Here it is before:

And here it is after:

Wow, I mean, just wow.  Wouldn't you have walked right by that thing without even a second glance if you had been at Goodwill?  I will never cease to be amazed at what a few cans of spray paint and some new hardware can do. It just goes to show that with a couple of bucks and a few hours out of your day, you can turn what some people would put out on the curb, into something your guests will admire.

Way to go Baby Sis, I'm proud of you!  Now, I wonder how long it will be before she's tired of it?  Hmmm . . .

Happy Homemaking my friends!

I'm exhausted today friends.  I'm going to copy another blogger friend of mine by posting that "I'm too tired to post".  Oh gosh, ok, maybe a little short something to let you know what I've been up to . . .

Hubby and I spent the entire day cleaning out and organizing the garage, spraying the yard, washing the cars, and then I did some laundry and made a quick dinner. 

Now that I've had my shower all I can think about is z z z. . . .

No, I wasn't snoring yet, but I might be in a few minutes!

I hope you had a great day today, whatever you chose to do, and I hope you spent part of it making your house that haven your family loves to come home to.

Happy Homemaking my friends!

Meaningful Mondays

If you looked at my Facebook status today, you'd think I didn't have anything important going on.  It simply says, "nothing interesting to update today. Same ole' Monday routine - cleaning, laundry, groceries . . ."

It's the truth, however, Monday is one of the most meaningful days of my week.  For the past few years, I have made every effort to make Monday my "home-blessing" day, as FlyLady calls it.  The kids and I get to work "shining our sinks", "swishing our toilets", and "clearing our hot spots".  If you haven't heard of FlyLady, you should really check out her website - she has an incredible gift for motivation!  You can find her at www.flylady.net.

On Mondays, I plan our meals, wash the bed linens, sweep and mop, get the bathrooms all sparkly . . . that sort of thing.  Does it sound incredibly boring?  It could be, it used to be.  Now, after years of seeking God and His wisdom about what calling He has placed on my life, I feel like this is it!  Is that silly?  If it is, I'm going to pretend you don't think so.  I think it's so super important and I believe God thinks it's super important too!  I have begun to take my home and family so seriously it isn't even funny!  I want to make sure that my children can have their friends over, that my husband feels comfortable when he gets here, and that we can all relax in the one true haven we have . . . our home.   

If you haven't read Proverbs 31, and you are a wife and/or mother, then you should get to it!  There are some very detailed descriptions of what God expects from us wives and mothers, and it's not a short list!  If you find yourself too tired, too busy, or too overwhelmed to get started or to even think about your home, there is help out there!   31 days to clean by Sarah Mae takes you day by day through a month of getting both your physical and your spiritual house in order.  When I skimmed through it, I felt better about myself already because I already use many of  the "physical"  house plans she puts in place.  What I am really trying to focus on is my "spiritual house".  Growing in God can only help me come closer to the wife and mother He created me to be.  If you want to join me in the 31 day challenge, you can download the book to your Kindle or check out her website http://31daystoclean.com/.

Every now and then, on a really busy week, I will find myself forgetting what I've learned about what God has called me to do and I'll find myself dreading the sight of the mop bucket and vacuum.  But once I start working and singing thanks to my Father in Heaven who is the Provider of every good thing I have, I can't help but find joy in serving Him by serving my family.  My prayer is that you will find joy in your laundry and dirty dishes too!

Happy Homemaking my friends!