Home Sanctuary

September Prizes, This Time For Real

Typepad misplaced Friday's deeply insightful post, much to my frustration!  But this time, I'll skip over the flowery words and get right to the goods:  Prizes.

The month's Most Points Winner will receive an amazing package from Shutterfly.

You will receive THREE free books that you can custom make into priceless treasures.  (5x7, 8x8, and 8x11).  With Shutterfly's easy drag-and-drop system, you can have choose from over 500 designs to personalize photos into beautiful, hard bound books.  This is especially great for digital scrapbookers, or even people like me whose photos are all stuck in my computer (and in shoeboxes).  These would make incredible Christmas gifts for grandparents, or simply keepsakes for your family.

This is yet another prize I'd like to keep for myself but I'm unselfishly giving away for the cause!
Drool........

The Random Drawing Winner will receive the book, Parting the Waters, by my new friend who-feels-like-an-old-friend, Jeanne Damoff.

Here is what Mary DeMuth says about the book:

Parting the Waters is a book about authentic, gritty struggle during loss. Author Jeanne Damoff paints a vivid picture of her family's journey through her son's drowning accident, but she does so with broad enough strokes that the reader gleans comfort and wisdom to face any personal tragedy. If you are suffering from grief, worry, shattered expectations, or anger, Parting the Waters is a much-needed oasis to your soul.

Meeting Jeanne in person at a wedding recently was simply delightful.  And knowing that under the surface of her sparkling personality was a sweet depth of soul made our encounter especially wonderful.  I know you'll love her story, so I'm very pleased to be able to share it with you.

Many of you have asked questions about the points and prizes, so let me offer a few tips:

Q:  Do I have to comment or blog about each Small Thing to get the points?

A:  Oh, heavens, no!  But comments make it feel more like a conversation among friends, and help us get to know you.  We love comments and blog posts, but there's no obligation.

BTW, I do LOVE when Company Girls leave links to their blogs in the comments!  If you are working on a Small Thing, why not share it with us?

Q:  Do I have to do the the Small Thing on the day it's assigned to get points?

A: Yes, unless I give extra time to get the task done.  For those of you who live around the globe, simply do the task within the 24 hours that make sense. 

Q:  Can I get the points if I JUST DID the task on my own the day before?

A:  This is heartbreaking, but no.  I've just got to draw a line somewhere and that seems like a slippery slope because then what about the day before THAT one....?  Here's a tissue, I'm sorry to make you cry, but at least you'll know in your heart that you are WAAAAY ahead of me.  And you could always just do it over again for the points.

Q:  How do I keep track of points?

 A: I wish I was savvy enough to provide an online point system, but alas!  I can only offer a humble Tally Sheet (Download Tally0909)each month.  You'll have to provide your own pencil and calculator.

Q: When and how do we turn our points in?

A:  At the end of each month, I'll ask you to email your point total to me.  EASY! Low Tech! Just my style.

Q:  Do you go by "Rachel Anne" or "Rachel" in real life?

A:  While not technically a question about points, it IS a valid question, and one I wouldn't want you to feel awkward about if we should ever run into each other at the grocery store. 

I go by "Rachel"....I always add the "Anne" online, just to make it easier to distinguish myself from the million other Rachels out there.  Feel free to use either one, or just call me "Hey Company Girl!" :)

Since Monday is a U.S. Holiday, there is no Small Thing for the day.  Enjoy the day off!

Company Girl Coffee 9.4, and September Prizes

Girls, I got up this morning and my post was gone from Typepad.  So I started over.  Hit publish.

Nothing.

Did it again.

Nothing.

Now my "new" post with all the pretty prize pictures is nowhere to be found......and I've got a crazy morning so I can't REDO it for the third time.

I will be back at my desk later this afternoon and will try and find out what happened to my "Coffee and Prizes" post!

Cry!!!!!!

Here is the Coffee Link!

OK now the coffee link isn't working..........you can leave your link in the comments until I have a chance to troubleshoot!

If Boredom Doesn't Kill Ya, Monotony Will

I've got plenty of excitement in my life...please don't get me wrong from this post title. 

Like right now, we are in the middle of trying to save our local ice rink from being closed.  And maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but to the people in our community, IT IS.  Our rink serves a huge area, and closing it will mean that we will be driving over an hour each way to practices and games 5 times each week.  Multiply that by the hundreds of families this affects and, well, it's a bit of a crisis. 

But it's the OTHER part of life that just kills me.  This morning, I woke up to dishes in the sink and a dishwasher to unload, and you'd think I was facing a firing squad.  My hands felt like they had bowling balls attached to them and my feet could barely move toward the mess.  I actually could not bend my arms at the elbows to get the job done.

How. Many. Times. must I unload this dishwasher?

Yea, How. Many. Times must I clear this counter?

I wanted to run away, screaming, except for those bowling-ball hands that weighed me down.

And then I had this thought!

If I was getting a truckload of points for this endlessly monotonous task, I would have a whole new attitude about it!  YESSS!  Now, I know we've gotten points for dishes and sinks before, but when you think about it, shouldn't we get MEDALS for doing this every day?  We oughta get a flippin' parade!

Fight the monotony with me and let's get some actual points for a grindingly boring job.  How about 50 for washing up all the dishes... so that at least for a few shining moments your kitchen is clean!

POINTS: 50...and you can have an extra day to complete this task since I'm posting late in the morning!

August Winners!

We had GREAT participation last month...you Company Girls really rocked out on the Small Things!

The Most Points Winner for August is Jolanthe, at No Ordinary Moments!  Jolanthe is a homeschooling mom of four, and it is always a pleasure to stop in at her blog.  She's always got a story or thought to share that brightens my day.  And the secret of her Small Thing Point Success this month?

Posting the Tally Sheet on her refrigerator.  Having it where she can see it has made all the difference!  Excellent idea, Jolanthe....and congratulations!  You will receive the Sam Moon giftcard.

The Random Drawing Winner is Jennifer Morris at A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words!  Jennifer has some of the most gorgeous photos on her blog...real eye candy!  And this was a lovely post recently about her parents' hands.  BTW, Jennifer lives across the pond in England, so you have to read her blog with an English accent.  Jennifer will receive the book by Ann Kroeker.

Jolanthe and Jennifer, please email your addresses to me!

I am behind schedule this morning...must get my son off to school and then I will be back to post Today's Small Thing and this month's prizes.  Thanks for your patience....I'm looking forward to another great month!

Overheard on Twitter, "EWWW!"

Wow! Social Networking is EVERYWHERE!  These gals are tweeting about Today's Small Thing....which is to "Do the EWWW!"

What's the EWWW?

It is any task in your home that makes you involuntarily say "EWWW!"  It might be followed by "Gross!"  or "Nasty!" or "YUCK!"....or it might even make you gag.  It's a task that disgusts you.

See, this is what friends are for.  I really, really really don't want to pull the hair from my slow bathtub drain, but if I know you girls are doing similar gross things in your homes, I can face it!  Ya'll give me courage!

"EWWW Task" examples to inspire you:

Clean the bottom of a trash can.

Unclog a toilet.

Remove hair from a drain.

Clean up pet accidents.

Clean up people accidents.

Change a poopy diaper.

Throw rotting vegetables out of fridge.

Throw moldy leftovers out of fridge.

Clean a toilet.

Pump your septic tank.

Dress a wound. (hey, moms should get points for this)

Address issues of mold, slime or rot anywhere in the world.

Tick removal.

Barf clean-up, possibly your own after doing one of these tasks.

What makes YOU say "EWWW?"  Please feel free to share your disgust with us today! 

We should get big points for this, huh?  How about:

 

POINTS: 60 for doing ONE "EWWW!" task (you might need today's song selection, "Walk Away" by Good Charlotte, to totally rock out while facing it!)

Dare you to tweet your EWWW!

PS The September Tally sheet is in the next post down.  August winners will be announced later today....

September Tally Sheet

I spent the day stamping out other fires and am just now getting around to posting this month's Tally Sheet!  Here you go, girls!

Let the fun begin :)

Download Tally0909

Home Sanctuary by Nursery Rhyme

Mother Goose is an old friend at our house.  We have a treasured book, the kind with the cardboard pages, that was read hundreds of times.  Most often, it was read while a certain little bottom sat on the potty, waiting....and....waiting to drop a payload.  Good times!

Mother Goose will inspire us to stay focused on creating sanctuary with this little rhyme today!

One, Two... Buckle my shoe

Three, Four... Knock on the door

Five, Six... Pick up Sticks

Seven, Eight...Lay them straight

Nine, Ten...A big, fat hen.

Today's Small Thing is to follow the nursery rhyme and earn points as you go:

One, Two, Buckle my shoe:  Get yourself dressed for action.  When I roll out of bed and stay in my pajamas, I hardly feel like working around the house.  Getting into some decent clothes and shoes means I'm getting down to business!  Pearls are optional. 20 points

Three, Four, Knock on the door:  Tidy up the entryway.  Do your people walk in the door and dump their stuff right there?  Remind them that they have hands attached to their arms and get each person move their things to where they belong. Or, you can get it done the faster way and do it yourself. 20 points

Five, Six, Pick up sticks:  Do a quick pick-up of your living areas.  Scoop up the newspapers, books, sweaters and shoes that clutter your sanctuary. Just spending a few minutes per room can work miracles!  Mother Goose was a genius. 20 points

Seven, Eight, Lay them straight:  Straighten things up.  Our subconscious mind registers all the crooked things our eyes see, and it gives us a feeling of unsettledness without even realizing why.  A peek at my house reveals chairs not pushed in to the table, throw rugs that are crooked, stacked books and magazines that look like leaning towers of Piza, pictures on the wall that are a little "off,"  and pillows in disarray. Seeing things straightened feels so good!  20 points

Nine, Ten, A big, fat hen:  Make a menu plan.  A fat hen would make a wonderful stew, but even if you don't have time to kill, pluck and stew a hen, you can make a simple plan for your meals this week. Your menu might include Jack in the Box on Monday and Pizza Hut on Friday, but having a game plan for meals will save you time and money.  30 points for a one-week menu.  Get inspired at orgjunkie's site on Menu Plan Mondays.

Did you notice that you could earn up to 110 points today?  How's THAT for motivation?  

Thanks, Mother Goose.

PS Prize Winners will be announced tomorrow!