Home Sanctuary

September Prizes

The wonderful people over at simplify101 are sponsoring this month's prize for us, AND giving the Company Girls some exclusive discounts (I love the sound of that) that we can use right away. Check it out:

The September Most Points Winner will receive FREE PARTICIPATION in an incredible workshop titled, Quick + Simple Clutter Control. I've never thought of "quick and simple" as being in the same sentence as "clutter control" but they know what they are talking about so I'll go with it. :)

Quick + Simple Clutter Control  This simplify 101 online workshop teaches you how to clear surface clutter and gives you do-able strategies to keep clutter at bay! Get inspired. Stay motivated. Make clutter a thing of your past! Throughout this 2 lesson / 3 week workshop you’ll have direct access to your instructor, professional organizer Aby Garvey, via the workshop’s private forum. With the private online community and photo gallery, you’ll get the ideas and support you need to start—and finish—your clutter control projects. The workshop begins October 19, 2010.  Click here to view the workshop syllabus.

 I think this will be a great way to head into the holidays - I mean, direct access to Aby Garvey???? Come on! This is a prize DEFINITELY worth competing for. Thank you, simplify101 for such a generous prize.

 

I'll get to the Random Drawing Prize in a minute, but while we're on the subject of simplify101, I am so excited that they are offering discounts to these two workshops for us. Talk about nice.

 

With the simplify 101 online workshop Organize Your Closet, you’ll be saying “ahhh” every time you look in your closet. In this two lesson workshop, you’ll learn professional organizer   Aby Garvey's closet organizing secrets. Find out how to utilize your closet space to its fullest potential, solve common closet organizing problems without spending a fortune, and let go of clothes you no longer wear. Say “goodbye” to jumbled piles of shoes, clothes, and purses, and say “hello” to closet organizing bliss. Click here  to view the entire workshop syllabus. The workshop begins September 23, 2010.

 

 

That paper mountain growing on your countertop represents a loss of freedom, a loss of control, and a nagging feeling that something important isn’t getting done. Replace your paper clutter with systems that give you feelings of confidence, relief and peace of mind! In the online workshop Organize Your Paper Clutter, you’ll learn how to decide if you need a piece of paper and how to organize it so you’ll find it again. Best of all–you won’t go it alone. Throughout this six-lesson / seven-week online workshop, you’ll enjoy support, ideas and motivation from professional organizer Aby Garvey and the simplify 101 online community. You’ll get the support, answers and motivation you need to tackle your paper organizing projects so you can put an end to paper clutter. The workshop begins September 21, 2010. Click here to view the entire workshop syllabus.

simplify 101 is offering the readers of Home Sanctuary 15% off enrollment of either (or both!) of these two workshops through Thursday, September  9th! To take advantage of this offer and start eliminating stress by organizing your paper clutter and/or your closet, enter HOMESANCTUARY during checkout.

Man, it feels a little bit fabulous to have a personalized code designated "HOMESANCTUARY," doesn't it? We have really arrived, ladies.

Now, our Random Drawing Winner will receive something from my grab bag....and I haven't grabbed it yet.  So it's gonna be a surprise for all of us! Woo! I will make it a good one, so keep the faith. :) Let's call it a "Rachel's Grab Bag Surprise" prize and then it will sound official.

September is off to another great start - let's have fun together, OK? Today's Small Thing is in the next post....

August Prizes

I'm really excited about offering this month's prize to whoever garners the Most Points from doing the daily Small Things. This, my friends, is a life-changing prize.

The Most Points winner will receive a 1 year membership to ListPlanit. This is a personal/family DOWNLOAD membership that allows you to download the lists you need in editable formats.

What kind of lists am I talking about?  Oh....JUST ABOUT EVERY KIND IMAGINABLE. From home management to finances to schedules, there are premade lists for everything - so you don't have to try and come up with your own. I clicked on the page for Family Lists and nearly fainted. Here are just a few:

• Manners that Matter
• Chores for Change
• Daily Reminders
• Personal Hygiene Chart
• Family Daily Schedule
• Responsibility Lists - by age (suggested list of tasks they can master)
• Potty Training
• Dinnertime Conversation Quick List
• Dinnertime Conversation Questions
• Pet Care Checklists

Need I go on? Pop over there for yourself and be awed by how organized you will become by having access to these organizational tools. And since you can edit them/fill them out to fit your own needs, you will be the talk of your neighborhood.

ListPlanit, where have you been all my life? Thank you for sponsoring this month's prize! This is definitely worth competing for!

Now, we always have a Random Drawing that everyone who participates (at least once) during the month is eligible for. This month, our Random Prize is "Friendship for Grown-Ups," by Lisa Whelchel:

"Lisa’s story is heartfelt and compelling. She explores the thorny topic of women’s friendships with honesty, emotion and practical insight. For those who’ve grown up in strong friendships, this book offers powerful reminders to protect those friendships and keep them healthy. And for the rest of us who long for that companionship, this book is a much-needed and compassionate guide to becoming the friend we all need."

What a perfect book for Company Girls.

How do you play? The rules are easy.

1. Simply do the Small Thing within the 24 hours it is posted (or arrives in your reader/email box) OR within the time alloted (if specified.) The reason you can't "catch up" to earn points is that everyone would put off doing the tasks until the last day and then we'd all tie for first place. That wouldn't work. This gets us doing a little somethin' each day.

2. Keep track of your own points on the honor system, and you can use the Tally Sheet provided for printing off if you want. "Posting your sheet in a visible spot, like the fridge, is a great reminder and motivator," say past winners. I won't argue with that. Download Tally1008

3.You may get help from family members in the spirit of team-building, when appropriate. Tip: you might want to read the Small Thing in privacy before your kids get to it, *just in case* the task is Rated R. It could happen.

4. If you have won previously, you won't be eligible for a prize, but please don't let that stop you from participating! The biggest prize of all is the progress you make each month toward creating "Sanctuary" for yourself and your family.

That's it - and have fun! Here's to a great month of Small Things! Scroll down to the next post for today's task.

Love, Rachel Anne

 

May Winners and June Prizes

Ya'll, we had a THREE WAY tie for Most Points last month - wow!  That means that three ladies will be receiving a mail-ordered shipment of my favorite rosebush of all time, Carefree Beauty.

Rebekah G, Dionne M, and Cassidy - you ladies rocked with the points!  Congratulations to all.

The Random Drawing winner is Debbie Onishi - she will receive the coupon "Bible" by Sarah Roe.  Way to Go!

Now for June's Prizes:

The Most Point winner will receive this print that I recently custom designed for my friend Priscilla Shirer.  If you've ever heard her speak on Ephesians 3:20, you'll know what inspired me.  It is 24" square and has a classic, yet slightly rustic look to it.  I LOVE how this turned out, and I hope you will, too.

 What a message! Don't you want this for your home??? Yes, you do.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive a copy of Dave Ramsey's book, "Total Money Makeover."

 

Mr. Ramsey has revolutionized thousands of families' financial situations with the principles in this book. This is fabulous...and can be yours, simply by playing along (you don't even have to mess with points to enter.)

So let's make June a great month of getting organized, one Small Thing at a time!  I'm so happy you're along for the journey. Let's do it together.

Rachel

Hannah Keeley's Stamp of Approval

You might have noticed a new logo I'm sporting in my right sidebar. It's Hannah Keeley's Healthy Living Stamp of Approval and I have to admit I'm feeling pretty proud of it. I normally do not put awards or honors on my blog because they make me feel awkward and self-aggrandizing. It's probably just my midwestern/Norwegian/missionary kid upbringing that considers that stuff "showing off," but it was easy to make an exception on this one.

That's because there is something in it for YOU!

Let me back up just a second. Do you know of Hannah Keeley? I've just gotten acquainted with her through her amazing blog and television show on PBS and guest appearances on TV shows like Rachael Ray. So needless to say, I am very flattered that, (A) she JOINED THE COMPANY GIRLS and (B) asked me to do a guest post during a special promotion for American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning.

Let's skip to the bottom line: you can enter to win a 1/2 day home makeover with Hannah AND a $15,000 home comfort system by American Heating and Air. Finally, decent prize around here! Go check it out!

I'll let you know when my guest post appears...now I've just got to go write something brilliant.

April Prizes!

Little Story. Which goes right along with my Small Thing example in the other post, you'll see.

Our March Most Points winner, Sarah, contacted me and said that she would like to give her prize to the next closest person in line. She had won the previous month's prize as well, and wanted to make sure that other participants had a chance to win a wonderful prize this time.  I thought that was a pretty sweet gesture! I said I would do that and give her a smaller canvas tile for all her hard work...she certainly earned it.

AND THEN, I happened to be going through the emails and points that were turned in and ran across Cheryl's points, which I had somehow missed. CHERYL actually had the most points of the month of March and I'd completely missed seeing it!

So, my apologies to Cheryl for not recognizing her as the Most Points Winner of the set of canvas tiles, AND my apologies to Sarah for my mistake. Sarah, Dory and Heather will still receive the "consolation" canvas pieces, and the main prize will go to Cheryl. Congratulations to each of you for your efforts, and I am sorry for the cobwebs in my brain!

And now, for the April Prizes. I was recently very impressed with IKEA's products that were used in the Children's Wing project I worked on last week.  We were able to stretch our tiny budget by finding light fixtures, sofas, tables, shelving, seating, storage, desks, mirrors, blinds, window treatments, rugs, art and more at this phenomenal store.

Giddy from my experience, I thought I would purchase something cool from IKEA,and simply offer it as our prize. So I went online and immediately became unable to choose just one thing. As a result of my indecision, the Most Points winner will receive a $75.00 gift certificate from this heavenly place. Just think what you might be able to do with 75.00. Try not to drool.

You may feel free to do whatever you like with your gift card...enjoy an online shopping spree on me!

The Random Drawing Winner will receive a book that looks absolutely wonderful. Dancing with my Father, by Sally Clarkson is subtitled, "How God leads us into a life of grace and joy." Need I say more?

I've long admired Sally's ministry and this book will become a favorite.

April is already a week underway, so I hope you have already begun collecting your points! You can use a blank Tally Sheet, found in the sticky post at the top of my blog, or you may use a custom "April" sheet Download Tally0410, here to help you keep track. Remember that the REAL prizes are found in the little things you do each day, and watching them add up to something truly wonderful for you and your family.

May April be full of "showers of blessings" for you.

Love, Rachel Anne

March Prizes

Thanks for waiting on me to get this month's top prize ready. I hope you'll like it.

The Most Points Winner in March will receive this set of hand-painted canvas tiles, made especially for her with lots of love from me:

 

Here are the same tiles in different lighting, arranged another way.

I had some fun with these squares. I'm currently in love with a soft, robin's egg blue color, so I decided that should be the background to these doodly-good, happy tiles.  I will sign each one and you can configure them any way your heart desires....but of course you will have to WIN them first! This set will be a perfectly charming touch for your sanctuary.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive Priscilla Shirer's newest book, One in a Million.

It just came out in stores this week and I already have my own signed copy.  Now, you can't have mine, but I'll get you one of your very own - signed and everything. Because I know people. Well, I know Priscilla and she will be happy to sign one when I tell her I need her to do it because I promised.  Anyway, I've started reading it and it is her best book yet. You will love this one.

So there you have it! March is already underway, and if you missed the first couple of days, don't worry about it.  There will be plenty of opportunities to earn lots of points! Do you need a Tally Sheet? Here's one: Download Tally 0310

Here's to another great month of Small Things with the Company Girls! Scroll down for today's task in the next post.

New Month, New Prizes

I'm SUPER excited about our prizes in February because just

OH WAIT! You want to know who won January's prizes! Forgive me, please, for getting ahead of myself.  

First of all, thank you to each of you dear Company Girls who are making this journey in Home Sanctuary so much fun.  Your comments and emails made me smile and get all choked up at your thoughtfulness and humor.  That you share your lives with me is a special gift, and I am very, very honored.  Several of you did every single Small Thing and I am impressed with your commitment.  You keep me hopping!

The Most Points Winner is Sarah Z, who raked in the points on the Shoe Boogie day.  I said "unlimited" and she took me up on it!  Sarah, enjoy the tote bag and may you look super cool and stylish when you tote it around. Congratulations.

The Random Drawing Winner is LydiaCate!  We've gotten to know LydiaCate through her great comments, especially on the Coffee Fridays.  Non-bloggers, feel free to follow her example...I would hate to think of Home Sanctuary without her participation, and I know there are so many others, who are maybe a little shy to chat in the comments.  LydiaCate, know you'll like the book.

Ladies, email me with your addresses so I can get your prizes to you!

Now, should we talk about February's prizes?  I'm SUPER excited about our prizes in February because just LOOK what I've got for you. Lisa Leonard, a wonderfully talented jewelry designer is offering this stunning necklace to the Most Points Winner:

Lisa's jewelry pieces are meaningful, unique and perfect for everyday. Each one is hand-cut, hammered, antiqued and polished sterling silver.  This "Sparkle" design is brand-spankin' new and I think it's perfect for a sparkley Company Girl.  Hop over to Lisa's website and sign up for her newsletter for a 15% off coupon on an order. Drool over the necklaces and bracelets that are simply gorgeous....then buy one! 

Thank you, Lisa, for creating such a wonderful prize to work toward this month!  Whoever wins it will feel like one of your famous Hollywood clients, sporting your beautiful handiwork.

Our Random Drawing Winner will receive: my very own underlined, highlighted and dog-eared copy of Bonnie's Household Organizer.  As you know, Bonnie is my lige, my guru, my virtual mentor! and you'll see exactly how I've lifted her material and used it to spread the gospel of Sanctuary all over the universe.

I can't think of a better "random" prize, so let's make this month a good one!  I'm thrilled to have so many new girls along, and I know we're going to make great strides to create peace, order and beauty at home.

Let the games begin!

Prizes, Prizes!

I've completely fallen down on my job!  Not only have I missed changing the daily song for two days in a row, (did you notice?) I've forgotten to announce this month's prizes!

But first, you Company Girls really know how to REPREZENT!  Thank you for all your comments and well-wishes to Priscilla Shirer this week!  At last count, there were over 60 comments on her first post, mostly from my CG's, and I am so very proud!

The winning commenter is: Stacy at Living a Life of Purpose!  Stacy, I've got the book, "A Jewel in His Crown" by Priscilla for you. If you will email your address to me, I will send it off!  Thanks for stopping over there to say hello.

Drumroll.

This month, the Most Points Winner will receive something I fell in love with online.  From Anthropologie, this crocheted ascot scarf is to DIE FOR.  Or at least seriously KILL FOR.

Won't you look absolutely enchanting with this draped around your shoulders?  You know you will.  It's you.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive "The Facts of Life and Other Lessons My Father Taught Me" by Lisa Whelchel.  Lisa was at Priscilla's taping of Jonah the other night and kindly helped me with the Twitter App on my phone while waiting for the study to start.  I'm not sure if I'm more embarrassed or grateful that LISA WHELCHEL, YA'LL! fixed my phone.  I am such a goob.

So there you have it, girls.  We'll have plenty of opportunities for earning points because it's going to be another great month of Small Things!  Thanks so much to all of you for keeping me company and for encouraging one another on the journey.

October Winners!

Girls, we had a tie for Most Points:

Joyce  and Kaylene B both came in with the same score!  These girls managed to do the Small Thing every single day...an amazing feat.  Joyce recently had a new baby, and the Small Things were a way of helping her keep her sanity.  She writes, "Your site has been such a blessing for myself and many Company Girls out there. I love the community that we have even though we are all in different states, countries even, and different stages in our lives as well."

This was Kaylene's first month as a Company Girl! " This is my first time turning in points and boy did I work hard for them. I resolved to do every single small thing this month. Yes, every single thing. I enlisted the help of my sister to keep me on track and keep going when I wanted to make up excuses. Another thing that helped me was that I was laid off from my job at the end of September and I had a choice. I could wallow and sink into depression and do nothing or I could be productive and busy while in the midst of job searching. I chose to be productive and part of what kept me going was your small things. It gave me at least ONE little thing that I could feel proud of accomplishing for that day.

I really like the idea of enlisting help from a friend AND choosing to be productive.  Wow.

Since there are two winners, I will need to alter the grand prize just a bit and give 2 Shutterfly books to each.  Congratulations!!

The Random Drawing winner is Josie (Josie, I'm sorry I can't find your blog URL). This was her first month keeping track of points and she did a great job. She will receive the devotional book on Philippians.

Here is a new Tally Sheet for NovemberDownload TallyNovember2....print it off and put it on the fridge or next to your "To Do" list, or somewhere that reminds you to jump on the Small Thing bandwagon every day.  I'm such a huge believer in the power of Small Things to make Big Changes that I hope everyone gives them a chance!  Let's make November a great month!

I'll have Today's Small Thing posted by 10 am CST.

October Prizes and a Teeny Weeny Small Thing

Last month's Shutterfly prize was one of the best ones I've ever given out.  Many of you are digital scrapbookers who live for this sort of thing, and others of you fall into the "wannabe" category with me.  We'd truly love to get our photos out of the shoe boxes and hard drives, but get overwhelmed at thought.

I had planned on saving another round of Shutterfly gifts until later, but with Christmas rapidly approaching and the great response we had, I'm going to REPEAT this prize by popular demand! This is the perfect prize for anyone who would like to make their photos into a priceless keepsake book: as a gift or as something to keep for yourself.

The Most Points Prize will be three free books from Shutterfly:

Shutterfly has a really cool drag-and-drop method that lets you make a book that's beautifully laid out for you, or you can get creative and totally customize the books to suit your own style.  Any way you slice it, this is an awesome prize!
 

The Random Drawing Prize will be a copy of Edna Ellison's book from the Friend to Friend series, A Shared Study of Philippians.  I'll introduce Edna to you in the post that follows this one today!

 

I am so excited to share this particular study book with you because it can be used in a couple of ways.  You can use it on your own OR with a friend for a truly rich study experience. It is a perfect opportunity to deepen a friendship over coffee or even by skype if you're a techo-whiz, while strengthening your walk with the Lord in a fabulous book of the Bible.  Friendship is what the Company Girls are all about, and I can't think of a better way to share something special.

Since you've already doing a bunch of reading here today, our Small Thing is Teeny Weeny. 

Girl, you're gonna get points for the stuff you KNOW you should be doing anyway:

POINTS:

20 for taking a multivitamin or herbal remedy

20 for drinking at least 2 - 8 ounce glasses of water

20 for flossing your teeth

20 for doing 10 minutes of dedicated exercise (walking, doing a exercise video, etc.)

20 for 10 minutes of Quiet Time: Bible reading and/or prayer

You COULD earn up to 100 points simply by doing a few things that are probably on your list anyway and won't take but a teeny weeny little effort to actually do. Hey, if you don't take care of yourself, who WILL??