Home Sanctuary

Memorial Day

To all the men and women who have served the United States of America.

To all who have given their lives for the sake of freedom everywhere.

We are forever grateful.

Thank you.

I'll be back tomorrow to collect May's point totals and start a new month of Small Things.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day.  Rachel Anne

Company Girl Coffee 5.28 and Hair Dilemma

I'm a Hair Girl. There are Shoe girls and Trendy Girls and Fitness Girls, etc. but "good hair" has always been my thing.  I decided long ago that if I had to choose between good clothes and good hair, I'd go with the hair. I mean, the whole reason I ever started my art business in the first place was so I could have enough money to get my hair done without dipping into grocery money. That hasn't exactly worked out, because I still feel like I'm robbing the family piggy bank for foil highlights every now and then. This information is all backdrop to my current hair dilemma.

So I've recently become bored with the hairstyle I've had variations of for the last five years.  I've been very happy with its general style, even though I've had to "fix" the back each and every time I came home from the hair salon to get it the way I've wanted it. Ya'll know I've been super busy the last couple of months, and I've missed a haircut or two. But rather than hating it longer, like I usually do, I'm now toying with growing it out.

This wouldn't have been an issue for me in earlier times.  Oh, the carefree days of my pony tailed youth. But now that I'm, let's just say, "over 40," I hesitate to go for something that will look ridiculous. I truly don't desire to look like cougartown. Yuck. But this might be my last stab at long, glorious hair before I succumb to drab middle age. My heart breaks.

I need hair advice. 

Here is what I want: fresh and hip

Here is what I'm afraid of: overdone and too much drama

Here's what I have: It's right at the length that bugs me because it's too short for a pony tail/clip, but too long to leave it alone. Here it actually looked pretty good just before a cooking party (note the apron). This was a few weeks ago and it no longer looks this cute, trust me.

Here's my question: what thinkest thou? Cut it? Grow it? Change it?

And whilst you kindly ponder my hair conundrum, let's do a "Hair Themed Small Thing."

Today's Small Thing is to tidy up the hair accessories at your house. Wrap the cords around hairdryers and curling irons and put them away. Wow! That looks great already. Clean and organize combs and brushes, put clips, hairbands and ribbons neatly into drawers or containers. Done! That was easy.

POINTS: 40 for straightening up the hair tools and accessories. Finished? Good.

Now, back to my hair. Can women in their 40's get away with longer hair, or is that only for movie stars? Be honest. My kleenex is handy.

And hey! Link up for our weekly coffee time below!  Add your blog URL to invite friends over to visit your blog so we can discuss YOUR hair. Or whatever you want. Non-blogging Company Girls can chat in the comments...we love that, too. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

The Tape of Love....The Sticky Stuff

I was working on some sticky goo in the kitchen the other day, and remembered that it had been awhile since we did this fun Small Thing.  The song of the day just makes me smile: it's a profound song about love, by those two New Zealanders, Bret and Jermaine.  They have a way with words.

Lives are like retractable pencils
If you push them too hard they're gonna break
And people are like paper dolls
Paper dolls and people, they're a similar shape
Hmm hmm hm
Love is like a roll of tape
It's real good for making two things one
But just like that roll of tape
Love sometimes breaks off before you were done
Another way that love is similar to tape
That I've noticed
Is sometimes it's hard to see the end
You search on the roll
(search on the roll)
Search on the roll
(searching round the roll)
Search on the roll
(search)
With your fingernail
Again and again
And again and again
And again.
Brown paper, white paper
Stick it together with the tape
The tape of love
The sticky stuff
Brown paper, white paper
Stick it together with tape
The tape of love
The sticky stuff.
People people Chorus: Brown paper, white paper
Paper paper Stick it together with tape
Paper paper The tape of love
People people
People people
Pencil pencil
Pencil pencil
Paper paper
Put the pencil to the paper
Give the paper to the people
Let the people read about the sello tape
Oh baby baby
Yeah

Today's Small Thing is all about sticky stuff of your choosing.  You can make it about sticky kisses if you want to, but you could also stick new pictures on your fridge or stick a treat into a lunch bag.  You could glue something that's broken, or tape a verse to a mirror.  You could make sticky buns or eat cotton candy or some kind of chocolate bar with caramel in it.  You could stick cheerios onto construction paper as a craft! Hey, how about sticking with your exercise program?  Naaah.  You could clean up a sticky mess, or remove the sticker goo that was left by a price tag on some object around your house.  Is there any end?  No, you can search around the roll with your fingernail, again and again....

YOU CHOOSE your sticky task today.  Anything goes, as long as you could somehow use the word "sticky" (or stick, sticking, sticker etc.) in describing what you're doing.

POINTS: 50 for finding the sticky stuff of life and having fun with it!  Silliness counts an extra 10 points.

What can you do with sticky stuff?  Let us know! (This might make a great blog post to share over coffee tomorrow.....)

The Problem with Old Dogs

Not counting the facts that old dogs can't hear, can't hunt, and can't fetch like they used to, the main problem with old dogs is that they stink. As in "emit a foul odor."

Our old dog, Beau, has been a trusty compadre for about 13 years.  In his prime, he was the best-looking yellow lab you ever saw.  Athletic and over-sized, he loved to hunt and swim in the pond and follow you around. He ran security on our property until arthritis set in and took him off the one-dog force.

Nowadays, he mostly just sleeps.  We figure he sleeps about 22 hours a day.

Well, he still sheds well. THAT he can do with no difficulty.

But, (and I hate to sound disrespectful of the guy), but he just smells like an old dog. A bit musty.

Back in the day, I never let him inside the house because of the shedding and dirt he brought in. But in these last few years I've relented, knowing how hard the extreme elements are on him. He's been given a soft bed in a corner and he's pretty content to lay there day and night, thumping his tail when anyone walks by - in the hopes of getting his ears scratched.

But his area wafts of decrepit dog, and it's not a smell I'm fond of.  So we've been washing his bedding and treating the carpet to deodorizers. We've put air fresheners around the house and light candles every now and then. All of it helps to stave off the "eau de Beau" to an acceptable level.

How about you? Do you have pet odors to deal with? Or do you deal with other types of smells, like diaper pails or garbage cans? Ash trays? Hockey equipment?

Today's Small Thing is to fight the fumes. A good cleaning of the offending area will get you half way there, and then, bring it on home with something that smells good.  A candle, potpouri, Scentsy stuff, baking cookies or fresh flowers will delight your senses and make your home feel wonderful. You deserve this.

POINTS: 40 for making your home smell delightful.

It's a Great Life, Charlie Brown

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'”

I was driving my son, Grayson, home from school and he was bummed out.  He'd just found out that his girlfriend was going to be out of town on the weekend of their "first anniversary." Gray had planned on taking her to a nice restaurant and celebrating in high style. After all, in high school, a one year dating anniversary is the equivalent of a Golden Anniversary in post-HS life. It's a big deal.

I tried to cheer him up by imparting Wisdom, borne of my life experience and deep knowledge of higher truth. It's just what every teenager wants to hear from his mom.

"You know, honey, what you'll realize is that life is just a series of disappointments. I mean, you'll have more unhappy turns of events than happy surprises." Wait, that wasn't very comforting.

He looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

"I mean, what I'm trying to say is..." I stumbled.

"Hang on. Gotta take this." He answered his phone with several monosyllabic responses, then folded it back into his pocket. "You were saying?"

I tried to backtrack, but the effect of having our home air conditioning die and our transmission go out on our car this last weekend must have colored my thinking. I started over.

"Life is full of disappointments." No improvement, there.

"But if you can learn to take your disappointments and adversity, and look for a Plan B or see how God might give you something different or better than what you were expecting, you will have a great life." Now I was starting to feel it.

"Yeah, I think I've got the "dealing with adversity" part down," he said, giving me a sideways smile. We've had our share. "I'm still working on the disappointment part. I've decided that I don't want to ever plan anything because it never works out anyway."

"Yeah, what's the use?" I said. "Might as well give up before you even start." We started laughing at the absurdity.

I needed a good laugh, and the reminder to myself that dealing with adversity and disappointment is part of life.  The air conditioner will get fixed, the transmission will be repaired, we'll have to spend money that could go to better use elsewhere....but somewhere in all of that, there is still good stuff in life. We can still laugh, we can enjoy each others' company and we still have ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in the pantry.  Camping out downstairs for 2 weeks at night so we can stay cool might even be kinda fun.

Are you experiencing adversity or disappointment in your life right now? Today's Small Thing is really a Big Thing: simply turn your troubles over to the One who can solve them. Instead of worrying, make a decision to trust in the Lord. He can provide, He can deliver, He can move mountains, He can heal, He can even fix transmissions. Look for His Plan B in your situation, and ask if He might have something better in mind than what you thought.

Now, let's take it one step further.  We've done this once before and it was wonderful. If you would like some prayer for your situation, just leave your request in the comments, then pray for the person above and below your comment.  It will be like a prayer chain letter...and you'll be lifted up before the Lord today.

POINTS: 50 for turning your disappointments over to God.

How can we pray for you??

Supporting Cast

Boy, I'm sorry about not getting a Small Thing posted on Friday.  Once my day got underway, I never did make it back to the computer to finish it.  I hope you all had a great weekend anyway. Here's how the rest of my weekend went: Both the upstairs air conditioning in our house, and our car's transmission went out. This will be an interesting (and hot) week while we wait for repairs....

My husband and I have a tradition when we go to the movies.  After the movie is over, we always stay for the entire credits.  It's always interesting to see the names of the foley artists and assistants, as well as all the extras and supporting cast members.  It's those people, the ones who aren't the main stars, who often make a movie a great experience. They are on the side, doing their jobs, making everyone else look good.

I've got a hardworking supporting cast of furniture pieces in my house.  The side tables, the bureaus, the end tables and night stands - they stand around, day after day, waiting to do their jobs when called upon.  They carry the lamps, hold books and magazines, display flower arrangements and lego creations with aplomb, and sometimes even steal the show when given the opportunity to shine.  These quiet thespians know their place on the set and go about their business with academy award winning professionalism. They deserve some credit.

Today's Small Thing is to reward your supporting cast by giving them a shot at the limelight. Give them a swift dusting, and costume check and a pat on the back for doing what they do so well: making the rest of the house look good. 

POINTS: 10 per side table, end table, chest, bureau, or furniture piece that plays a supporting role in your production. Limit 15 (150 pts.)

Company Girl Coffee 5.21

My busy week of working on signs and banners for a client ended with this exciting occurrence in our town:

This photo is from my friend, Connie, taken from her porch.  My son snapped a photo of it from the high school parking lot, too, and there were tons of photos and video on the local news.  Wow! For a family of weather junkies, a tornado is something we'll be talking about for a long time! I believe it even made it onto yahoo. That's pretty Big Time, for our little town.

But enough bragging about my town's tornado. It's time to link up for Company Girl Coffee! Simply add our blog URL to the linky tool below as a way to invite people to visit you.  Then, over the weekend try to get around to visit other blog that have linked up.  Non-bloggers can chat in the comment section so we can get to know you there. It's a fun and easy way to get out and expand your circle of online friends!

I'll post a "Weekend Small Thing" later this morning....so be sure to check back in for it! 

SAT. UPDATE: Obviously, I did not get a Small Thing posted. Once my day got underway, I never made it back to the computer!  I'll save it for next week - until then, have a GREAT weekend!

Short Cuts

 

Sometimes taking a short cut can be just the thing to help you enjoy what really matters. 

For example, eating dinner on paper plates (gasp) might give you more time to enjoy the evening with your family.  Fluffing your clothes in the dryer could give you an extra moment to read a book, rather than iron.

Oh, there are some things that require the long, tedious methods of doing things right, like designing airplanes or building boats or making parachutes. I like to know that my airline pilot got his training in the military and not at a correspondence school.  But for many things, it's really quite ok to cut a corner every now and then.  Especially if it gives you more family time, or a chance to pursue a personal goal or simply enjoy a sunset.

Today's Small Thing is to take a short cut....with a purpose. Is there a way that you can free up some time to do something you'd REALLY like to do?  Let's think:

• Pick up pizza for dinner so you can play a board game after dinner.
• Skip the kids' baths so everyone can play until dark. 
• Eat on paper plates (I know I already said this) so you aren't stuck with dishes.
• Cut back on your computer time today so you can get something productive done.
• Drive through a car wash instead of doing it by hand.
• Eat leftovers instead of concocting something new so you save money AND time.
• Use a feather duster instead of dusting spray and a cloth for a quick clean.
• Stick your hair in a ponytail instead of laboriously blowdrying/curling/primping.

There are probably a gazillion ways to take little short cuts!  Feel free to chime in with your favorite short cut so we can all have some extra time with people we love, doing things we enjoy!

POINTS: 40 for cutting something short today!  What will you do??

Make Someone Happy

"What can I do for you?" is a question everyone loves to be asked.  Even small children know it feels good to have someone interested in their needs or wants.  You might be surprised at the answers you receive when you stop down to ask this simple question.

My children have given me answers ranging from "watch me play with my cars," to "help me with my homework."  Sometimes they don't have an answer to "Is there anything I can do for you today that you would like?" but their smile tells me they love the question.  My husband's answers are always interesting, and HIS smile tells me he loves the question, too. 

I was feeling miserable with my monthly lady problems the other day, and my man asked me what he could do for me.

"Wait, don't tell me. I know!" he said. "I'll get you some chocolate." He drove through torrential rain and got completely drenched to bring me this pile of goodies:

 

The chocolates were heavenly, but even more delicious was knowing that he went out of his way to make me happy. I think I'm gonna keep that guy.

Today's Small Thing is to ask "What can I do for you?" to someone. "Is there anything I can help you with today? Is there something I can do for you that you would enjoy?" You might be amazed at how simple it is to create an atmosphere of joy by asking one little question.

If you're pressed for time, that's ok.  Say something like, "I only have a few extra minutes right now, but is there anything I can do for you (or with you)?"  Obviously, you can't take your kids to Disney World this afternoon, so you can quantify what you can accomplish.

You're already doing so much for your family, why not spend that energy on something they'll really love today?

POINTS: 40 for asking at least one family member what you can do for them, and then doing it!

BONUS POINTS: 20 for sharing how you made someone happy today!

PS yesterday's winner of the Starbucks gift card is Trudy, for going through her mother's boxes yesterday. Twenty years of "temporary" storage topped all, and we wish you the best in doing this difficult task.  Trudy, send me your address please!!

You May Already Be a Winner!

The other day I received a car key in the mail. It was attached to a letter stating that this was a key to a car I might have already won and all I had to do was show up at XYZ dealership....

So tempting!

So tempting, in fact, that I'm inspired to run my own little "You May Have Already Won" contest in which you, my dear reader, actually may have already won! If I haven't beat you to it.

Let me explain what you are up against. See, as I was rummaging for some sweat pants in the back of my closet, I had to move this bag out of the way to look deeper into the recesses of the shelves.

The Target bag, which contains two ancient pillows that I removed from my bed IN DECEMBER, has been sitting there for five whole months! So for for five months I've looked at that bag every single day, said, "I should really do something about that," and proceeded to do absolutely nothing about it.

I intended to throw them in the trash. Or possibly use them inside of pillow shams. But then, they could be suitable for "extra" pillows to have on hand, just in case a very large family stays with us at some point in the future and we need all hands (and pillows) on deck to outfit enough beds. I really couldn't decide.

So here's our little contest.

Do you have something that you've set somewhere - "temporarily" - and now it's become part of the landscape, like my sack of pillows? Naaah, probably not. But just in case you do, let's see if anyone can beat my five month record. Can you top my pillow story??

Today's Small Thing is to do something with that "thing" you've been meaning to move from its temporary location. Is it leaning against the wall of your closet, or sitting forlornly by the garage door? Has it been riding around in the trunk of your car like a hostage? Or is it somewhere that you step over it, day after day, refusing to deal with it in lieu of so many more important things?

Today is the day to take it to the charity drop box, throw it in the trash, give it to your neighbor, hang it up, file it, fix it or otherwise remove it from its present location, to where it really should be - gone.

POINTS: 50

Now, about that contest. Can you beat my five month record of paralysis? I've got a Starbucks gift card for the winner! (Junk drawers don't count...because then we'd be adding up whole years....)