Home Sanctuary

Time to Turn In Points!

It's That Time of the Month

No, not THAT time, the OTHER time, when we get to tally up our points for the month and turn them in for a chance to win a prize. If you've been "playing along" with me by collecting points for each Small Thing I posted, this is the other payoff (besides having a more organized home!) Even if you didn't worry about the points, you still have a chance to win a Random Drawing (keep reading below!) This month we had two prizes.

First, one of our Company Girls, Melissa Jones, is giving away two clothing items from her store, MommyBee Designs. Here is the idea behind the designs:

Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I started to notice, really for the first time, all of the amazing (and not in a good way) things that children's wear had to say - things like "I'm the boss" or "Brat" or "Diva" - basically the complete glorification of disrespect and misbehavior.  And so began percolating the idea of a line of baby/toddler/children's clothes that glorified good and respectful behavior.  One sleepless night several years later, and "MommyBee Designs" was born.  With it came designs such as our "Learning to bee" line ("Learning to bee obedient," "Learning to bee respectful," "Learning to be kind," etc.) and some miscellaneous designs ("Learning the Golden Rule," "Not in Charge," "Unexpected Blessing," etc.).

These shirts really reinforce the positive messages we want our kids to hear and internalize as their own. It's such an awesome way to help your child (or grandchild) learn to BE the kind of little person God wants them to be! Thank you sooo much, Melissa, for sponsoring part of March's prizes. I hope ya'll will go on over and check out her store and do some shopping!

 

And that's not all....

Now, along with the MommyBee Designs clothing, the Most Points winner will receive something special from me: a personal design consultation for one room in your home.

 

 

Countryliving.com

 

When you win, I'll have you send me photos of your room - living room, bedroom, etc - and we will discuss via email what you want the room to become. I'll give you expert advice that you can use immediately, such as paint colors and furniture rearrangement, and some suggestions that you can work on as time and budget allows, such as decor and furniture purchases. This is a prize worth several hundred dollars (FREE!) and you'll walk away with a room you'll LOVE!

 

The Random Drawing:

Everyone is eligible to win this print by simply sending in their name and leaving a comment. I love this one and have it hanging in my kitchen to remind me that it's really OK to dream! This is a small "sample sized" print that will fit anywhere your little heart desires.

 

Today's Small Thing is to enter to win!

This is an easy two-step task:

1. Send me an email (rachelanne (@) homesanctuary.com) with either your Point Total, or your Random Drawing entry. I love seeing photos of your completed Tally Sheets if you want to include them, but it's not required. 

2. Leave a comment, letting us know which was your favorite Small Thing this month! This encourages our fence-sitting Company Girls to go ahead and jump in for next month and it's just FUN to see which tasks you enjoyed!

POINTS: 40 for doing the two-step Small Thing, good towards March's total. You will have until midnight Sunday, March 31 to get your emails to me and comments posted. I'll announce the winners on Monday. Since it is a holidy weekend, try and get those emails to me ASAP!

 

Prizes, Prizes

Wow, ladies, ya'll did a great job last month - keeping up with the Small Things and making your families feel loved in the process. Let's get right to the winners:

In The Most Points category, we had a tie! Denise Gee and Kelly Swanson both did every single Small Things and came in with 1,390. Woot! Normally I'd do some kind of tie breaker, but this month I'll go ahead and award both with the $50.00 gift certificate to Premier Designs Jewelry. Congratulations to each of you for a job well done!

The Random Drawing Winner is Shelley Slater. She will receive a bracelet from me, also from Premier. Shelly had a great month of Small Things as well.

Ladies, send me your addresses so we can get your prizes to you! It's just a little something tangible to reward you...but the REAL prize has been won by all of us, each day, making something good happen at home. Would you agree?

Now, March's prizes. We have a Two-fer!

First, one of our Company Girls, Melissa Jones, is giving away two clothing items from her store, MommyBee Designs. Here is the idea behind the designs:

Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I started to notice, really for the first time, all of the amazing (and not in a good way) things that children's wear had to say - things like "I'm the boss" or "Brat" or "Diva" - basically the complete glorification of disrespect and misbehavior.  And so began percolating the idea of a line of baby/toddler/children's clothes that glorified good and respectful behavior.  One sleepless night several years later, and "MommyBee Designs" was born.  With it came designs such as our "Learning to bee" line ("Learning to bee obedient," "Learning to bee respectful," "Learning to be kind," etc.) and some miscellaneous designs ("Learning the Golden Rule," "Not in Charge," "Unexpected Blessing," etc.).

These shirts really reinforce the positive messages we want our kids to hear and internalize as their own. It's such an awesome way to help your child (or grandchild) learn to BE the kind of little person God wants them to be! Thank you sooo much, Melissa, for sponsoring part of March's prizes. I hope ya'll will go on over and check out her store and do some shopping!

And that's not all....

Now, along with the MommyBee Designs clothing, the Most Points winner will receive something special from me: a personal design consultation for one room in your home.

 

 

Countryliving.com

Country Living

 

When you win, I'll have you send me photos of your room - living room, bedroom, etc - and we will discuss via email what you want the room to become. I'll give you expert advice that you can use immediately, such as paint colors and furniture rearrangement, and some suggestions that you can work on as time and budget allows, such as decor and furniture purchases. This is a prize worth several hundred dollars (FREE!) and you'll walk away with a room you'll LOVE!

 

Now, who wants to play along this month?

You can find the rules here, and you can get started today by printing off a new Tally Sheet to help you keep track of your points as we go along.

And that's Today's Small Thing ~ HOW EASY!!! Your home is going to feel wonderful, starting today when you print this baby off:

Download TallyMarch

 

POINTS: 40 for downloading a new Tally Sheet and simply making a commitment to making your home a sanctuary for yourself and your family this month. I'm here with you every day...and together we'll make it happen.

 

Goodbye February - Time to Turn in Points

 

February. What just happened.

I blinked and it is over! And you know what that means....time to turn in your points. If you are new to Home Sanctuary, you'll quickly find that I believe in small successes, daily progress, and playing games. Honestly, sometimes these things are the only ways I can motivate myself off the couch and into action. Have I mentioned how much I love naps?

 

Small Successes ~ Daily Progress ~ Playing Games

How I Roll.

 

And to this end, each month I give you a chance to earn "points" by participating in the daily Small Things. At the end of the month (today) I ask you to tally up your points and send in your totals for a chance to win a wonderful prize.

This month, the Most Points Winner will get to spend $50.00 on  Premier Designs Jewelry. As a bona-fide cheapskate and sacrificial martyr who rarely spends any money on such frivolity for myself, I am EXTRA excited about this! I know you'll feel like a princess when you get to pick something like this:

 

Source: polyvore.com via Caryn on Pinterest

Go check out the website to see all the gorgeous pieces to choose from. Premier Designs

Now, everyone who participates at least once this month will be eligible for a Random Drawing prize....no point tallies needed.

The February Random Drawing winner will receive a bracelet from me - via Premier Designs jewelry! I'll ante up and order one as a gift for you - a personal "thank you" for participating. So, not only will you be creating sanctuary, you'll look fabulous doing it. ;)

So here's how this goes down: 

This is an easy two-step task:

1. Send me an email (rachelanne (@) homesanctuary.com) with either your Point Total, or your Random Drawing entry. I love seeing photos of your completed Tally Sheets if you want to include them, but it's not required.  Download TallyFebruary

2. Leave a comment, letting us know which was your favorite Small Thing this month! This encourages our fence-sitting Company Girls to go ahead and jump in for next month and it's just FUN to see which tasks you enjoyed!

POINTS: 40 for doing the two-step Small Thing, good towards Feb. total. You will have until midnight Friday (Mar. 1) to get your emails to me and comments posted. I'll announce the winners on Monday, along with new prizes and a new Tally Sheet!

Winners and New Prizes!

I had so much fun with the Small Things last month, and I hope you did too! As the emails came in with point totals and random drawing entries, I had a chance to enjoy the comments and "thank you's" that came with them. Many, MANY of you said you didn't keep up as well as you'd hoped, but still loved the encouragement each day....and THAT, my friends, is what it's all about.

My goal here at Home Sanctuary is that you find encouragement, hope and a little bit of direction in your homes. Points and prizes are completely unnecessary, but they are being thrown in for fun - and for a little incentive if you want it.

The Most Points Winner for January is:  Jean Michelin! Jean managed to do every single Small Thing last month, and hit paydirt with the Scatter Rug task, which put her over the top. Congrats to you, Jean! Here's an excerpt from her email:

First, I want to thank you for hosting this month of small things.   It was so much fun and I found the suggestions each day to be so helpful and encouraging.   Looked at as a whole, our home-keeping can seem overwhelming.   Taken apart in little pieces like this makes it easier and - dare I say it? - fun!   It was so helpful to know that others out there were doing the same tasks and that kept me on track.  I faithfully did every chore every day and couldn't wait to see what the day's assignment was!

Jean will receive the Kindle eReader!! Woohoo!

 

The Random Drawing Winner is: Jeanne Williams! Jeanne will get a canvas print of her choice from my store.

 

Now, let's talk about February's Prizes.

Would you like to play along? Here is a Tally Sheet Download TallyFebruary to get you started. Simply print it off and fill it in as we go along this month. As you complete a Small Thing task, add your points. At the end of the month, everyone who is playing will send me their point totals for a chance to win a sweet prize.

February's Most Points winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to Premier Designs Jewelry, offered by one of our own Company Girls, Cathy Helms. 

Here are a couple of gorgeous pieces:

Source: Uploaded by user via Kathy Krohn - on Pinterest

 

Source: Uploaded by user via Kathy Krohn - on Pinterest

 

Cathy is a Jeweler with Premier, an amazing company which provides opportunities for women to have their own successful businesses. I absolutely love their vision for helping women stay at home with their children while providing income for their families, and for supporting ministries around the world.

And....they have BEAUTIFUL products. Cathy can help you select the perfect pieces, or you can simply drool through the catalog until you find what you're looking for. Never underestimate the power of jewelry to make you feel pretty, pulled together, and confident.

By the way, if you would like to earn great income by becoming part of Premier, contact Cathy directly at cathyhelms41 (@) gmail.com. As a mom of 6, she loves sharing this opportunity with other women, and can give you all the info you need. In just a couple of evenings a week, you can have a significant income - and she can help you get started! This just might be the answer to your prayers.

Just one more photo to feast your eyes on, yum:

Source: polyvore.com via Caryn on Pinterest

 

 

Now, everyone who participates at least once this month will be eligible for a Random Drawing prize....no point tallies needed.

The February Random Drawing winner will receive a bracelet from me - via Premier Designs jewelry! I'll ante up and order one as a gift for you - a personal "thank you" for participating. So, not only will you be creating sanctuary, you'll look fabulous doing it. ;)

ARE YOU IN??? Let's make February a fantastic month! Download your Tally Sheets and let's get started!

Download TallyFebruary

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Wow! Time to Turn in Points!

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Wow! Time to Turn in Points!

Ladies, if you've been "playing along" with me this month, you've earned "points" for doing daily Small Things. If you joined in late and are wondering what these points are all about, you're about to find out!

At the beginning of each month, I give you a simple Tally Sheet to use so you can keep track of your Small Thing accomplishments, and see just how much those tasks add up! This is also a great tool to get your family involved in our friendly little compeTISH. Because we are sweetening the pot with a couple of prizes.

Today's Small Thing is to add up your total points and email the number to me for a chance to win this prize: A Kindle E-Reader.

Now, if you said "Eh, who needs points, gratification is all I need," I applaud you. AND I offer you a chance to win a Random Drawing for a canvas print from my store, RachelAnneRidge.com. Simply email me with the words "Random Drawing" in the subject line and I'll toss your name into a hat! Here is one of my personal favorites, but you can choose anything you'd like:

You can even earn some final points for January's tally with this easy two-step task:

1. Send me an email (rachelanne (@) homesanctuary.com) with either your Point Total, or your Random Drawing entry. I love seeing photos of your completed Tally Sheets if you want to include them, but it's not required.

2. Leave a comment, letting us know which was your favorite Small Thing this month! This encourages our fence-sitting Company Girls to go ahead and jump in for next month and it's just FUN to see which tasks you enjoyed!

POINTS: 40 for doing the two-step Small Thing. You will have until midnight Friday (Feb. 1) to get your emails to me and comments posted. I'll announce the winners on Monday, along with new prizes and a new Tally Sheet!

Fine Print: Be sure you did the Small Thing on the day (or within the time frame) assigned. This is an Honor System! In case of a tie for Most Points, the tied names will go into a hat and one winner will be drawn.

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Winner! A Proverbs 31 Print

On Wednesday, we worked on consolidating items around the house - eliminating unnecessary clutter - by simply combining "like" packages and piles. I offered a prize to the person who could consolidate the most things, and said I'd go rustle something up out of my studio for the winner.

Here is what I came up with: A print of my newest mixed-media Proverbs 31 girl. 

Proverbs 31:26 available in my store. 

This design is also available with Proverbs 31:30 as the text.

This girl is a sweetheart and I've loved shipping her off to my customers, because I know several of them have daughters who will particularly enjoy having a beautiful role model to emulate.

So! Our winner......

Let me just say that I was astounded by the numbers Becca (thenewbec) turned in! Congratulations to her for consolidating the most items! Just for fun, I included her tally:

(I highlighted my favorite one in blue:)

 

Total 73 items down to 27: 5 bottles of sanitizer to 3 4 boxes of snacks to 1 bin 6 scattered pouches of seasoning to 1 container 3 travel baggies of meds to 1 2 stacks of medicine cups to 1 7 stacks of paper/receipts to 3 4 shoe locations to 1 3 shampoo bottles to 1 2 stocked travel toiletries bags to 1 3 bags of frozen cake remnants to 1 bowl of cake ball batter 4 piles of screws to 1 container 4 piles of tools to 1 2 piles of cardboard to 1 3 cans of trash to 1 3 containers of icing to 1 2 containers of butter to 1 2 liquid dish soaps to 1 2 containers of dishwasher packets to 1 3 stacks of hot pads to 1 2 groups of grocery sacks to 1 3 boxes of plastic cutlery to 1 4 junk drawers to 2 If I can consolidate my broken sleep into one solid night after all this, that would be a bonus ;-)

 WOW! What a great list!! I'm so impressed with her gumption - way to go!

Becca, send me an email with your address, girlfriend! I'll get this off to you as soon as I can. Enjoy!

Rachel Anne

Turn in May Points

Can you believe it is the end of May? Next to December, May is the month that is usually chock full of activities and events - and this one was no different.

Today, our Small Thing is to tally up the points you earned this month by playing along with Home Sanctuary's easy tasks. It is very simple.

There are two steps:

1. Email your point total number to me at rachelanne@homesanctuary.com.  Just sharpen your pencil and add up what you've done this month! Please be sure that you only give yourself points for the tasks you completed on the days they were assigned (or within the timeframe given). No cheating and "catching up" all at once on the last day! That would defeat the whole purpose of daily Small Things, right??

If you simply want to be entered into the Random Drawing, let me know in an email as well. Anyone is eligible for the drawing...no adding of points required.

2. Leave a comment, letting us know which Small Thing you enjoyed/needed the most this month. I love reading which things you liked....and I think everyone else does too!

You even get points for doing today's Small Thing.

POINTS: 40 for the two steps: sending your email, and leaving a comment...good toward May's total. If you've already won for Most Points previously, you won't be eligible to win again, sorry. I'll collect points/emails until midnight Wednesday, June 1 CST. 

As a reminder, here is what we are playing for. The Most Points Winner will receive this:

And just for fun, how about if the Random Drawing Winner receives a smaller version of this same art piece? All you have to do to enter is send in your name and leave a comment. Don't forget you have until midnight on Wednesday, June 1.

Song of the Day: Some Kind of Wonderful

 

May Prizes and Tally Sheet

Are you new to this blog called "Home Sanctuary" and wondering what it's all about?

Well, it's simple, really. I'm an organizational wannabe, a FlyLady dropout, and an overwhelmed mom who finally learned the secret of creating the kind of home I always wanted. Now, it didn't happen overnight, but slowly, by making small daily changes in my habits and thought processes, I began to see huge improvements in the way my home looked and felt.

I learned the power of Small Things.

Big things, important things - like making a home feel good and making family members feel loved - happen in small ways. It's easy to lose sight of that when the laundry is taking over your entire life and you forget to take hamburger out of the freezer for dinner. But take heart! You are already doing more than you realize, and maybe all you need is a little direction and inspiration to pull it all together.

That's why I'm here.

Each day on my blog, I post a Small Thing that we can do together....something easy and sometimes crazy, that gets us moving in the right direction. These small daily tasks are really more like "prompts" that help us embrace a way of thinking that celebrates little accomplishments and sees work at home as something worthwhile. Fun, even!

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the tasks of mothering, cleaning, working, organizing and keeping a lid on the chaos, you are not alone. We are ALL right there with you. So I invite you - challenge you - to join us each day! I'm not adding anything to your already-full day, really I'm not. 9 times out of 10 you will read the daily task and think "I need to do that anyway."

So why not make a game out of it and earn some points and prizes along the way? It's easy....and this is the NICEST group of women you'll ever meet - and we are doing these things together! No need to be stuck in drudgery all alone when you've got friends to make the journey enjoyable. And it won't be long before you look up and realize that you're experiencing "sanctuary" at home....without even breaking a sweat!

Here is a Tally Sheet { Download Tally05 } to print off and help you keep track of points assigned to each day's task. Print it off and keep track throughout the month. Here is what we will be playing for this May. The Most Points Winner will receive this:

I created this sweet art piece for my new friend, Tina Wesson, who won Survivor in the 2nd season. She loved it so much that she asked about selling it at the lodge that she manages....so I thought I'd make another one for a lucky Company Girl. You and Tina can have matching art!! It is darling, and I've used a page from "Pride and Prejudice" for the little bird....just cuz I love it.

I also always do a Random Drawing prize for any Small Thing participants - no points involved - and I'll let you know what that is at the end of the month.

At month's end, I'll ask you to send in your point totals, so until then, let's just have fun and see what happens! It can only be GOOD!!! Here's to another fantastic month.... :)

Love, Rachel

April Prizes, March Winners!

If you are new to Home Sanctuary and wonder what these "points" are for at the end of each Small Thing post, here is how it works. Each month, we have a little friendly competition for some prizes... a fun incentive to keep things interesting! I mean, scrubbing potties and sorting socks take on a whole new perspective when there is a prize to go for, right? To participate, simply print off a Tally Sheet {Download Tally04}, do each Small Thing you can (within that day or time alotment), and fill in your points as you go. At the end of each month, I'll have everyone email their point totals to me for a chance to win the prizes! Easy, right? That's the way we do things around here.

March Prize Winners:

Most Points - Ambia Cooper, with 940 points, she not only completed every Small Thing, but also got all the extra bonus points last month! She will receive the Sanctuary canvas.

Random Drawing for tote bag - Anna Bersagel, who said this: The small things have made a huge difference in my house b/c I'm taking care of things that could be ignored for months! Earning points for making my house beautiful is the best thing ever!

I couldn't agree more, Anna. Ladies, send me your addresses so I can get your prizes to you.

April Prizes

Now, this month, our Most Points Prize will be something that you can keep for yourself, AND something that you can give away.

You will receive 5 signed copies of my book, Company Girl! One copy is for you to keep for being a great CG :), and the rest may be given to the sweet friends in your life that you've been MEANING to do something nice for, but never seem to get around to it. Yeah, I know. I'm there, too.

Let's hear some reviews of Company Girl:

• I gave your lovely book to two friends as thank you's for being there for me during a difficult time. It was the perfect way to acknowledge their gift of accompanying me on that journey because what other gift can you give to someone who gave those intangibles - an ear, their heart and hugs? D.
  

• Your books just arrived today!! They are glorious, sunshiny and made me cry. G.

• I finally sent my copy of the book to my best friend. She called me so excited when she got it!!! It's as if the book was written for us. S.

I know you'll enjoy having something that you can share with those special Company Girls in YOUR life.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive When I Lay My Isaac Down, by Carol Kent.

This is such a riveting story... Carol and Gene Kent's son is in prison. In When I Lay My Isaac Down , Carol shares the 8 transformational power principles they learned about forgiveness and faith through their emotional and spiritual agony. Their personal story will bolster your faith, renew your hope, and challenge you to new levels of spiritual renewal.

This is going be be a great month! If you've never given Small Things a try, why not do it now? You will be amazed at what will happen...and it will only take a few minutes a day. Some call it "miraculous," but I personally feel "phenomenal" sums it up nicely. Come on and join us!

March Prizes

This month, our Most Points Winner will receive one of my favoritest canvas designs. I've given this one away before, but I thought maybe ya'll wouldn't mind another chance at winning one. I've got mine displayed as a tabletop piece, but it comes ready to hang on the wall....you can have fun deciding where you'd like to put it. I love it because it's our theme - our hearts' prayer to make our homes places of sanctuary for the people we love. And ourselves.

I really think you need this.

The Random Drawing Winner will receive the Dana Bachman Zebra Trim Tote from Kohls. (love that store) It is part of the KohlsCares line of products that support breast cancer research - a great cause and a CUTE tote!

Whether you do every single Small Thing this month, or only manage to squeeze in one or two, the fact that you are here each day tells me that you are devoted to making your home a great place to be. We have a lot of fun making that happen - and I just love seeing seeing the results of our small efforts each day. Big things happen in small ways....and we are all proof of that.

Never tried the Small Things before? They are easy.....just jump in and go for it! Good luck this month!