Home Sanctuary

Pray for Jennifer A.

Sometimes people cross your path and you just know it's for a reason.  Jennifer A. is one of those people.  She's a new Company Girl and she emailed me a bit of her story.  Jennifer is a mom of 4 little ones, and has been recently diagnosed with cancer.  In the midst of this devastating situation, she writes,

My new reality drives the point home that I want to live with intention.  I want to choose what I do and how I spend my time to best maximize my family and myself.  I don’t have the strength and energy to waste my time on those things not important to me and my family right now.  My strength and energy is a true commodity as my health declines.  I love my children and my husband and our home is where it all happens.  If I can make my time count for them and for me I am a successful woman.  I may not have all the “To do’s” off my list each day as I physically can’t do it all, but I make sure to cross the important ones off first.  I would challenge everyone to do the same.

Her love for her family just radiates through her words.

Would you please pray for Jennifer?  I am asking for God to miraculously heal her body and remove the cancer.  I am praying for her family as they go through this very difficult time.  Let's believe in the power of God to do a miracle for her.

Jennifer is not a blogger, but if you would like to email her, just send your note to me and I will forward it on to her.

Thanks, my sweet Company Girls!

Where Do I Belong?

"Where do I belong?" is a question your children are asking you every day, in thousands of ways.  It is the question most of us as adults are still asking.  Creating a safe place of refuge for your family answers that question with a resounding,

"You belong here.  You belong to me.  You belong to us."

One of the most profound ways to communicate a sense of belonging is by truly knowing one another.  To be known for who you are, and what you love, and what makes you unique binds you to the the one who has made the effort to discover you.

Today's Small Thing is a quest of discovery.  Simply ask questions like this to someone you love:

"What's your favorite_______________?"

"What do you love about _____________?"

"What is your favorite memory?"

"Tell me something I don't know about you."

You can make a game out of asking lots of questions, or casually work them into a conversation.  I will be willing to bet my last dollar that no one will mind telling you something special about themselves.  And when they do, cherish that nugget like a precious treasure....because it is a gift of themselves to you.  (And enjoy the fun things you might learn!)

POINTS: 40 for asking the questions (to any loved one)

40 pts. max.

Tell us, did you learn anything new?

Do centipedes live here??

I'm wondering where all these shoes came from!  They are everywhere....by the front door, the back door, lining the steps, under beds, in closets and in front of the TV!  In the hall, under desks, outside and in the car.  Good grief!

So all we are going to do today is straighten up the shoes.  That's it!  That's all.  Finis.

Now, if you want to get real fancy, you can ferry the shoes to their rightful places (closets, etc.).  Think of how grand your entrances will be without an array of dirty shoes to trip over! Just like Better Homes and Gardens.

BUT, if that is too much to do today, at least straighten and line them up: right next to left, all match-y, match-y.  (You might want to take the wadded up socks out of them and throw them in the laundry....)  So even if it looks as if you are raising a family of centipedes, perhaps people will think you are a neat family of centipedes.

POINTS: 30 for straightening them up (you can do as much or as little as you want on this one, just make them neat)

Lord, bless the little (and big) feet that use these shoes to walk and run and play and work!

What's Lurking in the Deep?

This one you might have to set a 10 minute timer for....AND have a life rope handy when you go diving for what's beneath a bed!  I fear for what I might find under mine!

Today, pick one bed in your house and go fishing for the goodies lurking below!  Grab a trash bag and a bin to clear it out then get outa there fast!

Feel free to post pictures of any strange treasures you unearth, and then invite your Company Girls over to applaud your effort!

POINTS: 20 for diving under one bed and coming out alive

BONUS POINTS: 20 for having the guts to dive under one more

40 points max.

(If you use the under-bed space for real-deal storage, leave the good stuff under there and straighten it up!)

Join the Company Girls! And no, it's not too late!

Welcome to Home Sanctuary, where my theme is "Sanctuary is in the Small Things!"  Each weekday, I post one simple activity, that you can do along with me and almost a thousand Company Girls, to help you make your home a sanctuary for your family.  Just click on the Company Girl button in my left sidebar and you'll find all the information you need to join in the fun!  You can earn points for each task you do, if you'd like to win some fun prizes! There's even a cute Tally Sheet to help you keep track of your points. 

Want to meet me?  Here's a short clip you can watch, just so you can be assured that I am almost perfectly normal.

We aren't working too hard, but we are making just a little bit of progress every day to make something wonderful happen at home! 

Whatcha waitin' for??  C'Mon!  Be a Company Girl!!

Just send me an email, letting me know you want to be part of what's happening here.

Rachel Anne Ridge

This invitation will stay at the top of my site...just scroll down to see new posts!

Feel the Power!

This song makes me want to perm my hair and wear big shirts with shoulder pads!  Those 80's styles were sooo totally cool. (I don't know these people, but I couldn't resist...)

OK, back to business...

Is your house messier AFTER the weekend than before it?  Mine is.  After a busy weekend of activities and snacking in front of the TV, it can look like a frat house!  It seems like Mondays are made for cleaning up.

So let's do something that really makes a big difference in how your home looks and feels!

Take 5 or 10 minutes to vacuum your living areas.  You'll breathe easier when you see all that pet hair and dust and crumbs and leftover pine needles (ahem) get sucked right up!  Your place will look 100 times better with a quick once-over, and you're gonna want to make carpet-angels on the floor! 

POINTS: 30 for vacuuming the living areas
BONUS POINTS:  Add 20 if you do the bedrooms and hallways

50 points max.

Try a new twist on an old classic!

Part of being committed to creating Sanctuary at home is being committed to living intentionally.  It's so easy to fall into the rut of letting life happen to you, and you end up doing the same ol', same ol', day in and day out.  Without even realizing it you start living a life that's so much less than what it could be. 

Choosing to do the Small Things each day means that you are giving monotony and mediocrity a kick in the rear and saying, "I'm going to create something wonderful here!"  It's happening one tiny step at a time.... can you feel it?  I can!

Today, we are going to take something that we normally do and we are going to take it up a notch!  Girls, we are going to do things in a little bit different way...ON PURPOSE! Here's what I mean:

Just try a new flavor of coffee, or take a different way home.

Wear a new shade of lipstick, something potent.

Talk to a cashier you see all the time but never say anything to.

Skip instead of walk.

Drink water instead of a carbonated beverage.

Eat on china!

Have a picnic lunch inside!

What the hey, wear some pretty panties or a lacy bra!

The point is: think of something you'd like to do differently and then decide to DO IT!  Live intentionally, deliberately, with purpose....just once today, and see how it feels!

POINTS: 40 for trying a new twist on an old classic!

Then let us know what you did today!

P.S. My donkey, Flash, knows all about living life in a rut!

Please pray for...

Tiffany (southernsass) has asked for prayer for her daughter, who is very sick.  You can get the information at her blog.

Also, please remember Marsha's daughter (and son-in-law and baby) in Kenya, during a very dangerous time in that country.

Remember the Tight 'Uns

Now that we're all friends, let's get personal.  Today's Small Thing has to do with underwear.

Undies: Do you have enough?

This is an important question, because often, running out of underwear dictates my laundry schedule, whether it's convenient or not.  It's never a good thing to hear "MOM! I NEED CLEAN UNDIES!" at 10pm.

Sorry, folks, Laundromat's closed.

Laundry is a big job that has to be done week in and week out.  And yet, why do I leave so little time to do it when I know it's inevitable, just like death and taxes?  It piles up into mountains until I have to tell the kids to change their underwear by turning it inside out.

For today, our Small Thing will be simple.  Do ONE load of laundry, start to finish. From suds to drawers.  AND/OR, if you have a basket of unsorted, unfolded crumpled but clean clothes, you may just fold them and put them away.  EASY!

POINTS: 30 for one complete load (it can be a small one, you don't have to stuff the washer full!)

BONUS POINTS: 20 for folding a basket that's already been washed

You can do either or both (earn up to 50 points!)

And back to the brief subject of BVD's:  Plan to buy enough tighty whitey's per person to last between wash days. 

What's a Wash Day?   Read about creating a simple household schedule here and here, if you'd like.

Ah, Wipe Out!

Clear off your kitchen counters and clean them with a spray cleaner and paper towels til they shine!  (OK, a clean dish rag will do.) Pull out your appliances and wipe out behind and under them. That's all you have to do today!!

But now, do you really need to put all that stuff back on the counters when you're done?  Could that bread machine you never use be put somewhere else?  How about that stack of mail?  Find places other than your kitchen counter to put things and you're going to feel even better!

POINTS: 30 for doing a slick job on cleaning

BONUS POINTS: 10 for finding a new home for a small (thanks, Heather!) appliance or cluttery pile

Tell your Company Girls:  Did you move anything off your counter?