Home Sanctuary

Recurring Dream

I promise that it is purely coincidence that another muppet is featured on my blog, the day after singing muppets made their appearance. I googled "bad dream" and this image popped up....and well, I just couldn't resist. I mean, who can resist Grover??

We were sitting around the table last night and the subject of recurring dreams came up. Do you have those? Oh, my...our repeating scenarios had us laughing, all of us comfortably pushed back from the table and satisfied with good food.  But I dreaded going to bed that night. I was sure my vivid nightmare of STUMBLING ON STONE STEPS AND BREAKING MY TEETH OFF would haunt me once again.

Yeah, that's my recurring dream. Fun, huh?

See there is something about TEETH that horrifies me. I often dream of having loose teeth...like ALL of them about to fall out of their sockets so I have to hold them in place with my tongue. And I'm usually needing to tell someone something very important and it's impossible to talk. I shudder at the thought.

My husband's nightmare was sliding down a banister and having it turn into razor blades. The kind that are so sharp you don't feel it until you are sliced to ribbons. Nice.

My son has dreamed of stepping on a cactus and trying to pull out the spikes, only to have them magnetically get sucked back into his feet, over and over again. Only a kid from Texas, or one who watches too many Loony Tunes, would have that one.

Not all recurring dreams are bad. My grandmother was famous for dreaming of being able to fly, usually several feet off the ground. She could twirl and do somersaults, but usually she just swam through the air. I wish that was my recurring dream.

It's always nice if you are just conscious enough to change the ending of a dream....or go back and re-do parts of your dream. This can work sometimes, but often backfires when you are unable to get out to the rut and you just keep doing the same thing over, and over and over.

Life itself sometimes feels like a recurring dream. Get up, change a diaper, get kids breakfast, break up argument. Change a diaper. Find sock. Break up argument. Find shoes. Change a diaper.  Break up argument. Over and over. Do you ever feel that way? I do.

Fortunately there are things you can do to "change the ending" of your time warp. Today's Small Thing is to get out of your spinning cycle by doing something DIFFERENT.

Find a way to change things up, break the mold, step out of your routine or otherwise dare to live with a new mindset. You don't have to maintain "different" all day, but just for a few moments, think a new thought, react with a fresh attitude, or take an alternate route home. Try a new coffee flavor, take a chance on friendship, set a goal, or simply take a deep breath.

You choose which part of your life you want to change...and then start making some of those GOOD dreams come true! Start with one small moment today...and see what happens.

POINTS: 50 for changing your scenario in some way

Now, let's have fun! What are your recurring dreams? Are they silly, scary, or something from childhood? (just be sure and keep it rated PG,) And what will you do differently today? I'd love to know.

Are You Green?

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, let's talk "green."

It's still not easy being green.

Although, I think we are all a bit more aware of the environment these days, and for good reason.  There's no sense in wasting valuable resources when we should be good stewards of this earth.  But I admit I've gotten lazy since moving to the "country," where there is no curbside recycling.

I feel so guilty every time I throw away a 2 liter soda bottle and milk jug.  Pickle jars put me into a coma of shame.  And phone books!  I can't bear the remorse.

Today's Small Thing will be easy for most everyone, because you're probably all already doing it anyway.  Just consciously do something that's environmentally positive today!

Ideas?

• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Recycle.
• Reuse something.
• Compost.
• Use reusable grocery bags.
• Walk.
• Hang clothes out on the line.
• Turn the thermostat down.
• Unplug appliances when not in use.

Feel free to find your OWN way to be green today, and enjoy the Irish holiday in all good conscience! POINTS: 40 for being green in some way

BONUS POINTS: 20 for singing a few bars of '"Oh Danny Boy" in one of these Muppet voices!

Share your best "green" ideas with us!

Spice Things Up

Don't worry, you don't have to go out and buy lingerie for Today's Small Thing.  I thought I'd say that right off the bat, just in case you were wondering. Around here, you never know.

No, Today's Small Thing really has to do with spices.  The kind that go into food.

I was scrounging around for bay leaves the other day and came across some cardamon from Christmas 1990.  I only use that particular spice once a year, in some Christmas bread that is an old recipe from my mom.  Lauren said, "How OLD is some of this stuff?" as she helped me look.

I'm embarrassed to say that some of those spices are older than she is.

It's probably time to say goodbye to them. 

Goodbye, Spice Girls.

Today's Small Thing is to straighten up your spices.  You don't have to do a major cleaning unless you want to, but you might want to arrange them in order by size, usage or alphabetically.  I found that I have three containers of Pumpkin Pie Spice, yet no onion or garlic powder.  I've got 3 boxes of corn starch (why?) but no basil.  I've got baking items, like baking soda, mixed in with the chicken boullion cubes, and half-used packages of chili-o thrown in there.

In short, it's a disaster.

It's going to feel really feel great to get a jump on Spring Cleaning (cough) with my spices all organized.  Maybe next Thanksgiving I'll realize that I don't need yet another can of Pumpkin Pie Spice because I've taken stock of what I already have. 

What does YOUR spice collection look like?

POINTS: 40 for saying goodbye to those posh, but outdated spices

Here's a quick shelf-life chart from McCormick seasonings:

Ingredient		Shelf Life
ground spices		2-3 years
whole spices		3-4 years
seasoning blends		1-2 years
herbs		1-3 years
extracts		4 years, except pure vanilla, which lasts indefinitely

Fly Right

Spring Break is officially underway here, which means Mom feels like taking a break right along with the kids. It doesn't take much to convince me that I need a break, too. I'm always ready to put my To Do list aside so I can hang out and eat snacks, and this provides the perfect excuse. Sweet.

But past experience tells me that when we're all in "hangin' out mode," things go to pot in a pretty big way. Where do all the dishes come from?? Who leaves candy wrappers and cups and dirty socks in the living room? What's up with the sleeping until noon and then not making the beds? Before you know it, Mom is feeling depressed.

It's time to pull out Minimum Maintenance, my very present help in time of trouble.  It seems I do just great with MM for a week or two at a time, and then I tend to coast until disaster strikes.  Here is a chart I posted awhile back that shows how this works:

See, when MM is high, the housekeeping stress and depression is low.  When MM is low, the stress and depression builds to the point of dysfunction.  I really have to revisit this every couple of months because I just FORGET how much better my life is when I put it into practice.

How about you?  Have you been practicing Minimum Maintenance?  It's the 20-30 minute daily routine that is abundantly able to keep you from falling into the Sea of Despair. Here's another quick MM read.

Today's Small Thing is to do a QUICK Minimum Maintenance flurry through your house.  Get your kids to help you for 5-10 minutes and before you know it, you'll be "flying right" again!

POINTS: 50 for a Minimum Maintenance

How about you? Have you fallen off the Minimum Maintenance routine?

Get Free!

We've done this Small Thing before and I want to do it again because it feels so good!

Today we're gonna get free, baby!

Whatcha got laying around your house that is pulling you down?  A pile of laundry?  A stack of mail?  A bunch of bills?  A mountain of dishes?

Today's Small Thing is to get free of ONE PILE.  It can be a pile of anything, you name it.  Clutter, receipts, clothes, newspapers, office papers, toys....it doesn't matter.

You only have to do ONE pile.  Getting rid of one pile of something is enough to tell procrastination that you are getting FREE!  So put it away, organize it, throw it, DEAL WITH IT!

Tell it you're through being shackled to it!

Then you oughta turn this song up and do a freedom dance.  Oh, yeah!

POINTS: 30 for getting free of one pile

BONUS POINTS: 20 for freedom dancing afterward!  Get up and do a little praisin!

50 max.

Then tell us:  what did you get free of today?  Let us give you a Woo Hoo!

Company Girl Coffee 3.12

I've been designing signs all week: a new marquee for my church, signs for a children's department, and a seasonal house sign.  The seasonal house sign is being done the old-fashioned way: with paint brushes.  Here's a look:

Base coated with cream colored satin paint. (Sherwin Williams "Chopsticks")

My client has chosen a "Spring" theme for this one. 5 or 6 more will follow so they can be changed out seasonally. She suggested tulips and a watering can...so here the design has been drawn in and based with the general colors.

Adding shadows and highlights starts to make the design come to life.

 

Now I start to add some basic tulip foliage and pencil in some ovals where the blooms will go.

Red and yellow tulips will stand out from the roadway. Tulips are pretty easy flowers to paint: start with the ovals and add some details.  These will be seen from the roadway at 35 mph so I'm not going to detail these as much as something viewed close up.

I've added shadows and highlights to the leaves and flowers, and added some dark tones at the base of the can and pot to anchor them to the ground. Then I painted the exact same thing on the other side, since it will be seen from both directions. All that is left is to add the lettering (address) to the top portion, and seal it.

  

Elapse time so far: about 6 hours, including coming up with the design.

The lettering part isn't as fun as the painting the pretty part.  I usually print off the letters/numbers in the size and font that I want. Then I use transfer paper, placed underneath the printed paper, and trace around the letters. Then I fill in the transferred pattern with paint. This always takes forever, because it has to be level and perfect. It will take me another 3-4 hours to do the lettering and seal it, and I hope to finish that today.

What is going on in YOUR world? Company Girl Coffee is a regular feature here.  It's easy to participate: simply link to a recent blog post of yours, or start a conversation in the comment section if you prefer.  See, you don't have to be a blogger to participate!  And then just try and visit as many blogs/comments as you can over the weekend. I know several of you will be linking to posts about Small Things you've done, and I can't wait to see!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!   

Crunchy, Not in a Good Way

There are some tasks on my "Daily" list of things to do that normally get done without too much trouble.

I'm long past my revulsion over doing dishes day in and day out.  I just put my game face on and do them.

I make my bed without thought.

I straighten the living room.

But for some reason, there are a couple of things that I am either too tired, too annoyed or too ready to move on to other tasks to attend to.

The most glaring one is my kitchen floor.

Why I don't take a broom and swoop it around AT LEAST once a day is beyond me.

Because I absolutely love the feeling of a clean floor!  I hate to crunch on old Cheerios, chips and Rice Chex.  I abhor finding a slimy onion that leaped from my saute pan before reaching my plate.  I cringe at the sticky orange juice spill that grabs at my shoe.

And yet.

I just keep ignoring it in favor of spending more time blogging.  Or running errands.  Or paying bills.  Or watching Rachael Ray. 

Sigh.

Today's Small Thing is to run a broom over the kitchen floor.

So EASY!  So Quick!  So Gratifying!

You can vacuum it, if you prefer, but the point is to get rid of the crunchies.

And, if you REALLY want to make it barefoot-worthy, you can damp-mop it for some extra points.  But hey, that is totally up to you.  This is not about killing yourself for points, so use some discretion here.

POINTS: 40 for a simple kitchen sweep

BONUS POINTS:  40 for mopping

Now, just for fun, set a timer and see how long it actually takes to sweep and/or mop! Let us know....under 5 minutes? Under 2 minutes? I'm curious.....

Got a Few Hang Ups?

I almost didn't choose Today's Small Thing because it is something that many people will find silly.

And, in fact, YOU may look at the computer screen blankly and wonder what on earth I'm talking about because this little task is something you never have a problem with.

I salute you.

For the rest of us, let's just say we have some hang ups.

See, when I walk into my (tiny) closet, there are usually one or two items that have decided to slide off their hangers and relax on the floor.  They obviously don't have the strength to shoulder the waiting in there, so with a nonchalant shrug, they leave their spot on the rod for better times on the carpet.

There are also the clothing items that drape themselves over chairs, ends of beds and dusty exercise equipment because they are too tired to march themselves into the closet and retire to the hangers like good soldiers.  It's pathetic.

And I have to get after the coats and sweaters, who, after a long winter, are finding it difficult to keep hanging on to their hooks.  No matter how many times I scold them, they lack the willpower to stay put.  I know it's because there are too many of them and they're feeling crowded, but it's as if they've given up and are ready to be put away for Spring.  There are always one or two despondent items in a crumpled heap of despair on the floor. We dealt we these characters a couple of weeks ago, but you know how these guys are.

I won't even tell you about the clean-but-unsorted laundry that only WISHES it could be hung neatly in the closet.  Day after day it sits, its wrinkles becoming set as the basket is dug through for the undies and socks that lie like buried treasures within its depths.  The button-down shirts are particularly angry, but they've always got a bit of an attitude. So uptight!

So, for those of you Company Girls with no hang-ups to deal with, today will be an easy day.  For the rest of us, we should do some personal therapy by handling our "issues" one at a time.

Today's Small Thing is to hang up the lazy, unmotivated or simply wistful clothing items that are laying around the house.  Some of them need to be put in their place with a good talking-to, and others will thank you for the chance to hang with the big boys.

POINTS: 50 for hanging up what's laying around

If you don't have any hang-ups to deal with, take your 50 points and pat yourself on the back!

Where do your clothes like to hang out when not in the closet on hangars? Mine love the chair in my bedroom.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

Sing with me!

This old man, he played one

He played a knick knack on my drum

With a knick knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone

This old man came rolling home.

QUICK! Can you name the rest of the things the old man played knick knack on?

Two - shoe

Three ........

Please don't hate me for getting this childish song stuck in your head, but I had to come up with a way to bring the words "knick knack" into a Small Thing.

Because "chotskies" didn't fit into anything.

Are you a collector? Do you drool over commemorative plates and Thomas Kinkade figurines?

Does your heart beat faster when you see Precious Moments people or Willow Tree carvings?

But maybe the Fitz and Floyd rabbit teapots and Hallmark ceramic pretties are proliferating and partying on the shelves when they should be posing in neat, dust-free groups.

Today's Small Thing is to tidy up the knick knacks, the bric-a-brac, the chotskies and pretties around your house.  Give them a quick dusting to make them shine. Are your displays looking cluttered? Edit them and put out only a few things for awhile. Try rearranging what you have and see what a difference it makes.

POINTS: 40 for playing knick knack paddy whack with your decor today!

Do you collect things? I used to collect teacups but they suffered too many casualties over the years and I gave up. I'd love to hear what your collections are, or what decorative items you enjoy.

Finding God's Will: Micah 6:8

Have you ever found yourself begging and pleading with God for Him to show you what to do? You SO want to please Him and serve Him...but how? What does He want from you? What does He require?  Sometimes it seems like all your questions go unanswered, and you wonder where to start to find His will.

Well, here is a perfect place to start: Micah 6:8.

  Background photo: istockphoto, Ilena Simeonova

I won't spend much time on the background history here, but God used Micah to prophesy to His people, who had fallen away from Him (750-687 BC). There was corruption, idolatry, poor civil government, violence and the belief that personal sacrifice satisfies divine justice.

Much like today, in fact.

But even in the midst of impending judgment for their wickedness, God was reaching for the hearts of His people.

It's His redemptive thread. It's what He's always done.

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that my devotional posts come straight from my own life's journey and are usually fresh (sometimes raw) takes from what God is speaking to my heart along the way. And this scripture is no different. God is working this one on me and it kinda hurts. A lot.

See, I've been asking God to show me His Big Plan: the great unfolding of ministry or purposes that seem hidden from me. "Pleeheeheeeze, God!" And not surprisingly, God hasn't given me a clear vision of the future, just a clear vision of what He wants me to do today. Right now. 

And I'm convinced that getting this verse right will lead me to the next step in His plan for me.

I think of Micah 6:8 as a "bottom line" statement that is repeated throughout scripture in different ways. It holds straight answers for those who really want to know how to please God. God is saying here, "look, you don't need a new word from me, I've already told you what I require." Let's take the three requirements and see how they might apply to our own situations.

1. Act justly: In other words, live according to justice and do what's right. Now before we happily skip on to the next part because we've got this one covered, let's ask a few questions.

• Do I owe anything to anyone?
• Have I cheated on my finances, taxes or legal obligations?
• Do I tell the truth?
• Have I "done right" by people? Treated others as they should be treated.
• Are there sins that need to be confessed and turned from?
• Am I living by God's moral law?

I have to be honest and tell you that I was jolted out of bed at 5 am the other morning to make of list of things I needed to make right. I couldn't sleep. I owe someone a forgotten sales commission from 2004 and I need to pay it. I've said I would do something for someone and have not fulfilled my promise. I got a pretty good little list going. I know God can't bless me further until I obey His conviction to live justly today.

2. Love mercy: Some translations say, "love kindness." 

• Am I merciful to others when I have it in my power to help someone?
• Do I live in such a way that others are first, and I am last?
• Do I see my material blessings as a means to bless others?
• Do I give of myself only when it is convenient?

I'm so aware that I don't LOVE mercy! I sorta like it when it's convenient, but I can't say that my actions reflect the heart of God in all circumstances. Being merciful and loving kindness should be my way of life, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. That's His will for me.

3. Walk humbly with your God: Live in complete dependence upon a holy, righteous and awesome God. He alone deserves glory.

• Do I make decisions based on how they will benefit me, or God's kingdom?
• Do I feel the need to take credit for the wonderful things I've done?
• Do I feel I "deserve" a particular job/ministry/position/recognition?
• Do I rely on my good deeds to count, when my heart is far from Him?

Walking humbly doesn't fit too well in our culture. We now must tweet our every stellar action, and post photos of our accomplishments on our own websites. We're so aware of personal marketing that even parenting has become fodder for the "look at me" society. I fight the urge to look really spiritual and all put together for the people who frequent my blog. Do you struggle with this, too? I think all of this lops over into our spiritual life. I want to be willing to be nothing, if it means glorifying Him.

Finding God's will for your life is really pretty simple. It starts, and ends, with your heart. When you begin applying the paradigm found in Micah 6:8, you'll be amazed at how clear things become. As for me, I feel like I'm waking up in the middle of heart surgery...and although I'd like to jump off the operating table, I know my heart needs fixing.  I want to embrace all that God has for me, and that means obeying what He's already shown me.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly.

Today's Small Thing is to print off (or digitally post up on your computer) Micah 6:8 where you can see it. Would you take some time to ask yourself some hard questions? Work through the things that God has "already showed you." Let this be a foundation for Him to build on, and I have a hunch that all the rest of His will for you will fall right into place.

Download Micah6.8a

POINTS: 50 for putting Micah 6:8 somewhere where you'll be reminded of what God really wants you to do.

How does this verse affect your life? Feel free to share.

NOTE: I just realized that the graphic doesn't look right in all browsers so I'm working on fixing it!