Toss, Toss, Keep

I've hit spring cleaning two months early. He he he Because I have mentioned before that I feel like I am domestically challenged I figure if I clean out a bunch of stuff then there is less stuff to clean up, wash, fold or put away so, I am mid-winter cleaning.

I am cleaning out closets and toys and I have more donations than I am keeping. YAY!! I am doing some serious weeding on our toy collection. I am too sentimental about toys and I always think, "oh they might play with that" or "ahhh, but that was. . . " and so every time I weed out, I always leave back more than I should. Not this week. Reality is, they aren't going to play with them. Period. End of discussion. Toys, clothes, old puzzles, games and books~~nothing is safe!

I'm cleaning out my clothes too. Another area in which I am overly sentimental. "Oh but if I lose 15 pounds that would be really cute" or "I just can't throw that out", come on woman, let it go!!! This is what I told myself, if I throw everything that I can't wear or won't wear E.V.E.R. again then I get to buy new stuff. ~~Smile~~See I haven't really blogged about it, but I am still endeavoring to drop a significant amount of weight and so therefore I will need new clothes. The light bulb finally came on; I don't want to lose weight and wear old clothes. When I lose weight I want new clothes. {Can I get an AMEN} I have actually added to the budget a very small Valerie-just-lost-all-this-weight-NOW-SHOP category. Hubs is in total agreement, actually it was his idea from a long time ago.

I am also weeding out our kitchen "stuff". For some reason we have a LOT of kitchen random thingys that never actually gets used, so it's going out the door too. Space in the kitchen is an issue, I DON"T HAVE ENOUGH, so if its not being used or I don't even know what its used for, it has to go. Like the coffee pot that I am not sure even works and is sitting in the bottom of the pantry collecting dust because we don't drink coffee. And other random items that just seem to be hanging around. Oh and the storage area on our patio is getting a good cleaning out and re-organizing as soon I am done with the stuff inside. Like I said before, nothing is safe.

Makiah is sick, again. Strep throat, pray saints, pray that NO ONE ELSE gets it. {I am serious about the praying, I may even call a fast} The whole house smells like disinfectant wipes and bleach, but I left no door knob uncleaned. I thought about wiping her down with one, but then decided against it.

Other than a major clean out, school resuming, trying to advance to the next level in Mario Bros Wii and Makiah being sick, it's been a pretty calm start to the New Year. How about you?

Some Days

When I was a kid, I loved being at my Nanny's house. She was so special, I have raved about her on here before, but some days I think of her more than others. Some smell, or special recipe, or a crochet project will make me think of her. I have all the afghans she made for me and my family. I love using them. I know it's cliche and maybe even corny, but you know the old quote, "Made with love in every stitch", I believe that with her afghans. Anyhoo, I am getting off track. The other day she came to mind while I was doing dishes. Dishes, dishes, dishes, they are never ending in this house. I was loading the dishwasher for the second time that day and doing up the pots and pans. I have to admit, I was more than a little frustrated with all the dishes. I was tired and the last thing I wanted to do was more dishes. Then my mind rumbled back to that kitchen that always smelled good and I could hear her laughing. My Nanny didn't like dishes in the sink and so she did the dishes, all of them, by hand after every meal. No dishwasher for her, she was the dishwasher. She would sing while she did them or talk if people were in the room. Laughter just flowed out of her, even while doing the dishes. I am not sure that I have ever laughed while doing dishes, and I am just loading them in a machine. I thought about what made her so happy about dishes. Then I remembered this little plaque that hung in her kitchen and I actually found the poem floating around online. Here it is:

THANK GOD FOR DIRTY DISHES; THEY HAVE A TALE TO TELL.

WHILE OTHER FOLKS GO HUNGRY, WE’RE EATING PRETTY WELL.

WITH HOME, AND HEALTH, AND HAPPINESS,

WE SHOULDN’T WANT TO FUSS;

FOR BY THIS STACK OF EVIDENCE,

GOD’S VERY GOOD TO US.

Anonymous

This is why she was so happy. She knew that she had dishes because she had food. She didn't mind the dishes because she was thankful that she had food and dishes. My Nanny lived a life of thankfulness. She didn't view mundane chores as mundane. That was her work, her job and she was good at it. I believe she was good at it, because she loved it. I look back and I think of that huge old house and all the work it took to keep it up and all the dishes she did and all the beautiful things she made (sewing and crocheting). She had to have been Superwoman.

I am trying to get over my dislike of dishes, rather seeing them as reasons to be thankful. I am trying not to view the mundane chores, like laundry, as mundane. I am generally a thankful person. I mail thank you cards, express thanks in prayer, let people know how much I love and appreciate them, but there is more. I want to live a life of thankfulness; thankful for the laundry as much as I am thankful for the munchkins that got them dirty, thankful for the dishes, because I ate well, thankful for cleaning because I have a place to live in that needs cleaning.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I know this scripture is not talking about my dirty dishes or the laundry which is also continuous, but in every circumstance, whatever it may be, of life. So for my own purposes, today it includes housework. ~Smile~

Some days, I am just trying.

*I actually started this post about a week ago. It's going to be part of a series I am doing to do next week.