Home Sanctuary

My Interview with HGTV's Sabrina Soto

Yesterday, I had a chance to interview Sabrina Soto, of HGTV's "Get It Sold." Sabrina has some great tips on how to stage your home for selling, some easy spruce-up ideas, and a chance to win a home "scentervention" makeover from Gain.

Well, she had me with the word "scent," because, as is documented extensively on this blog, I have "old house" issues. When I read THIS on her press release, I was both disheartened and hopeful.

"The scent of your home says a lot about you. I tell my clients to use it as
an accessory, like furniture, to help create an environment that reflects who
you are. Making sure scents blend well together is just as important as
selecting a signature scent," said Sabrina Soto. "I'm excited to partner with
Gain as they launch new and exciting products to help people become scent-savvy
stars."

Disheartened that the "eau de ancient hotel" scent which has eluded my best efforts to kill it would "reflect who I am." But I'm hopeful that there might be some new products that will help me become a "scent-savvy star."

Be on the lookout for Gain dishwashing liquids, Air Effects candles, Noticeables Refills and Febreeze with Gain Scent....

And enter to win the "scentervention" home makeover by visiting www.ilovegain.com or their official facebook page.  But you'll have to fight me first 'cause I wanna win it.

PS. My husband was teasing me about my over-use of the word "awesome" in the interview. It's true, I over-used it. But I submit to you that Gain's own website uses it twice on the same page. Ha.

Awesome!

Turn in August Points!

It's already the end of August and time to tally up our points for the Small Things this month.  It's very simple: if you did the Small Things on the day they were assigned (or within the given time period), you get to take the points for it.  We use the Honor System around here when it comes to the points....so if you miss a day but "catch up" on the task later, that's AWESOME :), but you can't collect points for it.  This system helps motivate us to get into the mindset of doing a little bit each day, and shows us how those small efforts can have huge impact. HUGE IMPACT.

I'm so impressed with new Company Girl, Susan, who emailed to tell me that the nudge to clean her window sills helped get her moving to clean her whole house.  See, she is caring for her husband, who is quite ill, and it's been tough to keep up with the housekeeping.  But the Small Things were just what she needed to start tackling her home.  I know she is going to love the way her home sanctuary feels....she deserves to enjoy her home - just like you do, too.  I love that "spill-over" effect!

Let's review the prizes:

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:

Today's Small Thing takes two steps:

1. Email your point total to me. Add up the points you've earned and send me an email with the total in it. If you would just like to be entered into the random drawing, simply say that in your email.

2. Leave a comment, telling us which Small Thing in August was your favorite. It's a great way to encourage those readers (and you know who you are) who haven't quite made the commitment to actually DO the Small Things. You're having so much fun reading along - just imagine how fabulous it would be to participate!

POINTS: 30 for doing BOTH steps......good toward August total.

Song of the Day: Everything, Michael Buble

Master Bedroom or Master Dumpground?

I really do try and stay out of your master bedroom because the location is slightly risky. It leaves us so open to awkward moments, like the time a bunch of Bible study ladies and I were taken on a tour of the study hostess's home. It was a lovely home indeed, and our Pastor's wife was particularly complimentary when we got to the bedroom.

"Oh, I love your bedroom set!" she said. "I've always wanted a canopy." (Cheesy dark '80's stuff, but this was the actual '80's and hey, we didn't know any better.)

"Your bedspread is GORGEOUS!" (Ruffly, flouncy Victorian)

And then for some reason, the very prim, middle aged Pastor's wife flopped herself down on the bed and exclaimed in surprise,  "Oh! It's a waterbed!" and then as she looked up into the canopy, another suprise: "Oh my! There are mirrors up there!"

(cricket, cricket)

"That's probably useful when you're making the bed...for seeing the corners..." she gathered herself up and fussed with her perm.

(cricket, cricket)

"Well! I think the coffee's ready!" someone croaked helpfully, and we all immediately ushered ourselves out, suddenly very interested in refreshments.

Unfortunately, the master bedroom is, more often than not, the room reserved for dumping laundry, papers, toys and everything else we don't know what to do with.  I've always said that some of our discarded clothing piles are like archealogical dig sites: you can see exactly what we wore each day as you uncover layer after layer.  It might be fascinating science, but it's not exactly romantic.

Today's Small Thing is to spend some time working in the room that should be, of all places, your personal retreat. Spoil yourself by removing the junk and clearing off the dressers. Make your bed and put the pillow shams on it. Put the shoes in the closet. Replace the book pile on the nightstand with one or two books and maybe even set out a candle. You work hard, and you deserve a place that soothes your soul, and delights your senses. THIS is the life you should be living, and today is the day to start doing it.

POINTS: 50 for *beautifying your boudoir! Live like a queen.

*www.homesanctuary.com and its proprietor are not responsible for any activity that happens later as a result of today's bedroom beautifying task. Today's saxophone music is intended solely for the purpose of inspiring cleaning gusto and should not be construed as a suggestion for seduction, playful flirtation or lingering glances. Company Girls are responsible for their own activities and may not hold www.homesanctuary.com liable for lost sleep, excessive morning smiling, or inappropriate next day whistling at work.

On a scale of 1-5, is your bedroom a dumpground (1), or a sanctuary (5)? How about AFTER doing the Small Thing?

Song of the Day: The Moment, Kenny G

Company Girl Coffee 8.27

School started this week - this is our youngest kid's junior year in high school.  I've already cried publicly about that on this blog so I'll save the boo-hooing this time around.  Here's our annual "first day of school" photo:

Standing on tip-toe to kiss Grayson's cheek.

Two years ago, it was a different story:

This will be a year of ACT's, SAT's, hard classes and extra activities for him.  It will also be a year of more freedom and truly starting to "launch" into life - with a driver's license and a part time job, the world is his oyster :)  Can you believe how much he has grown?? A single tear trickles down my face.....

I hope you've had a great week!  I invite you link up for virtual coffee - you don't need a fancy post or clever subject.  Just typing your blog post URL into the Linky Tool invites people to your blog to visit - it's that simple.  If you are not a blogger, just chat in the comments and let us know what is going on in your life! The Company Girls are an incredible group of women and I know you'll love getting to know them.

There is no Small Thing today....enjoy your day!!

 

"Window Seal"

On my first day in Texas, a girl knocked on my dorm door and asked if I had a "Pop-ann."

I had to ask her to repeat it three times and get her to use sign language before I understood that she needed a PIE PAN!  Ah got it nah.

People here have "Garage Sells," rather than "Garage SALES."  I've actually even seen hand made signs for Garage Sells, made by people who obviously don't know the difference.

And I once had a whole conversation with a woman who was troubled by her "window seals." I thought we were talking about weather stripping issues, until I realized we were discussing her SILLS!  No wonder she was concerned about the color of her "seals!"

(I hope you are saying these Texas phrases out loud as you read them...it's so much more fun that way.)

For more fun phrases, you can read here.

Today's Small Thing is all about "window seals."  I mean SILLS.

I have a tendency to ignore them because they just sit there and mind their own business as they stare out the window. Maybe they are lost in thought, but they sort of fly under the radar on the cleaning schedule while I attend to other, more pressing issues, like keeping toilet seats clean.

But window sills could use some attention.  I've noticed actual cobwebs in some of mine and I feel bad about that.

POINTS: 40 for dusting/wiping down at least 4 window seals, uh, SILLS.

Song of the Day: Outside My Window, Sarah Buxton

Counting Les Rings

Today we are counting rings.

No, not these rings:

Or these:

We are counting the OTHER kinds of rings....the ones that occur quite by accident, or possibly by the ever-popular "Laissez-Faire" ("leave it alone") style of relaxed housekeeping, which the French introduced in the 1800's. The term was later stolen by political economists to describe free trade without government interference. Oh, the history books don't tell you that part, do they?? Huh, huh?

Revisionists.

But, be that what it may, the Laissez-Faire housekeeper may eventually find that she has an abundance of rings that must be dealt with.

The bathtub rings.

The toilet rings.

The coffee cup rings.

The nightstand rings.

The counter top rings.

The "we-moved-the-furniture-but-the-carpet-still-has-rings" rings.

The under-eye rings.

Today's Small Thing is to find as many rings as you can, and bid au-revoir to them. You may choose to speak with a French accent today, which will make this task infinitely more delightful....oui?

Each

POINTS: 20 per ring, limite 120 points. Mon Dieu, that's beaucoup points!

Where will you find your rings today?? Bonne chance!

Song of the day: La Mer, Charles Trenet

Stack Attack

We've done "Stack Attacks" before, and many of you have said we ought to do them even MORE often. See, this is why we get along so well: we understand each other's proclivity toward making stacks of things "just for now," that become permanent monuments to our indecisive natures. (or, is it just me??)

I could do a Stack Attack every. single. day. at my house because stacks seem to multiply every time I turn around. I've joked about stacking being my "personal organizational style," but really. A stack is just a nice way of saying "pile."

And the word "pile" reminds me of something not-so-nice.

Do you have a stack that could be dismantled today?  I've got several stacks of clean, folded laundry that could stand to be put away, for starters.  I'll feel pretty great if I just get THAT done today!

Today's Small Thing is to demolish, dismantle, obliterate or otherwise annihilate a stack! Whittle that baby down to nothing and see if you don't feel like you rule the world!

POINTS 40: for getting rid of one stack

BONUS POINTS: 30 for getting rid of another one

Song of the Day: Wonder Woman Theme

The Secret To Successful Home Management

Last week, our challenge was to sit down and think about how to set up a simple housekeeping schedule. This school year, mine will look different than it ever has......so it is still evolving.  As I was thinking about how to set it up, I realized that the success or failure of my efforts really hinges on one thing:

Minimum Maintenance.

It is very simple - It is the idea that I am not a slave to housework, but that every day, a minimum amount of effort will go into that day to make it work.

Here is what I've written about it in the past, so let's review it together:

When I first quit my job to stay home with my babies, I really wanted to do a great job as a homemaker.  My biggest challenge was that my mindset had gotten a little messed up.  After several years of working, I had gotten into the habit of thinking that "home" time was "relax" time.  You know, kick back and unwind and watch T.V.  It took me awhile to figure out that, like any job, homemaking took some effort and some pride.  But where to start??  I had my hands full with the little ones and was overwhelmed at keeping house AND keeping everyone fed.

One day, in a rabid search for organizational inspiration at the Container Store, I stumbled across Bonnie's Household Organizer. In it, Bonnie gives some guidelines for a simple daily maintenance routine that I've adapted to my own family's needs over the years.  When life starts getting out of control, I often find that I've forgotten to put it into practice and I have to pull out my dog-eared book for a refresher.  "Minimum Maintenance" (along with a simple, general weekly schedule) helps get my family back on track and gives me hope that I just might make it.

Minimum Maintenance in a nutshell is this:  acknowledging that every day a minimum amount of effort will go into that day to make it work.

Minimum Maintenance is NOT a thorough cleaning process.  It is a morning (or evening) run-through of the house, that gives you a successful start (or finish) to your day, whatever happens.

Here is what Bonnie says:

1. Spend 5 minutes per room, picking up and straightening. NO MORE THAN 5 MINUTES! (Except the kitchen, which gets 15).  When your friendly timer goes off, you move on.  Oh, good!

2. Don't start cleaning too deeply during your morning run-through.  Save that for later.

3. Don't let the needs of others control your life.  (ex. telephone calls, Regis and Kelly etc.)

4. Make the dinner decision early. (By 10:00)  Deciding early give you more choices, even if you are deciding to eat out.  It gives you control.  Try an easy monthly menu plan.

5. Start from the outside in.  Clean off the top of the counter before you attack a drawer.

6. Categorize items as you go:  start grouping stuff as you pick up.  Don't get bogged down in specific, precise categories, just simple groups so that when you begin to really organize, half the job is already done.

7.  Learn to pick up before the mess becomes monstrous.  We often don't pick up a little piece of paper because the rest of the house is so messy.  For today, just pick up the stuff you took out and used TODAY.

8. Make the picking-up process a habit.  At first it will take great effort, but soon it will become a second nature.  Clean as you go.  Having paper towels or pop-up wipes handy in each bathroom makes it easier to do a quick swab o' the deck.

So even if my closets are a disaster (and some of them are!) picking up and straightening the areas we live in gives me a euphoric feeling of success.  Knowing that I HAVE to move on after 5 minutes in each room helps keep me from getting bogged down in my quagmire of despair.

Sometimes it has worked better for me to do 5 minutes per room in the evening, rather than in the morning.  I like to wake up to a neat house, and getting the kids to pitch in to for quick pick up gives them an excuse to stay up 5 more minutes.  As if they needed it.

Today's Small Thing is to get out your timer and get rockin with Minimum Maintenance. I would be willing to bet my last dollar that you will feel incredibly sexy and powerful when you can see your countertops once again!  Hey, there's nothing like a little bit of success to give a big boost to your self esteem.  And we can all use some of that!

POINTS: 70 huge points for trying Minimum Maintenance. Need some more info about it? See what it really looks like here - it will help!

What might keep you from utilizing Minimum Maintenance?  Would doing this make a difference in your home?

Today's song: I Want it That Way - Backstreet Boys

Designed for Wellness Course - And Coffee

I wanted to let you know about a healthy living course I learned of recently. Lisa Byrne (from The WellGrounded Life) just opened registration for her Designed for Wellness course for busy moms, which is set to begin Sept 18.

I thought the course looked really good, but I'll be honest - I had some apprehension about passing the information on....how would she address the spiritual aspect of "holistic," a word that makes me nervous? So I asked her directly and was pleased to find out that she is a Christian, and approaches her lessons from that framework. I don't think you'll find direct references to Jesus Christ in her course, but if you understand her Christian perspective, I believe you'll see her faith shining through.  Here is a description:

It is for moms who have their plates full and feel drained and exhausted at the end of the day, but want to feel the freshness of true energy again.

It's for moms who are ready to put themselves back on their list of priorities, while not being expected to check out of their lives and responsibilities in order to make those shifts.

For moms who want more than to lose a few pounds only to gain them back- but want a sustainable true way to nourish their body back to their ideal weight-- and ideal way of feeling.

It's for moms who want the clarity of an uncluttered mind, the ease of balanced moods and a deeper sense of knowing themselves and how to best care for their bodies.

Designed for Wellness takes a completely holistic approach to nutrition and wellness, which means you'll focus on how all the areas of your life are connected.

You'll get the fundamentals of excellent health down by learning skills to understand what you body needs and how to best feed it and take care of it.  And most of all, you'll learn the strategies you need to do this in the context of a busy, others-focused life.

As a mom, you need concrete and practical tools that fit into your lifestyle as it is.  This course will deliver an uncomplicated process that allows you to bring in major change at your own pace and in ways that fit you best.

The course runs for 12 weeks and is through an online, multimedia format. Through weekly videos, teleclasses, forums, open coaching calls and course materials moms take themselves to a whole new level of health.  The ripple effect impacts their families as well, because when mom is feeling at the top of her game, her husband and children benefit tenfold.

To learn more details about the course and hear what other women are saying about Lisa's courses, check out the Designed for Wellness page here.

Registration will be rolling until Sept 17 or until class is filled.

Let me add that this is not a paid advertisement - just something I thought might be beneficial to my sweet readers. I bet she'd love a tweet or FB mention from us - just 'cause that's what friends are for.

Today's Small Thing is to continue working on yesterday's task - I know it was a biggie and we need more time. Spend at least 10 minutes thinking about/working on/organizing your housekeeping tasks and give yourself 40 more points!

Whew! That was a lot to cover in one blog post. Let's take a few minutes to relax and visit with friends over fake coffee. Ahem, virtual coffee :). Link up and chat away...newcomers, don't by shy - join in!

today's song: That's What Friends Are For - Stevie Wonder

Climb EVERY Mountain?

No, just the RIGHT ones. Grab a cup of coffee or other delightful beverage, because today's post(s) are a bit longer than usual...but so is the timeframe to earn your points, so it aaaall works out....

On a trip to Colorado several years ago, our family camped near the base of Mt. Elbert.  My husband, who would have been a professional mountain climber had I not come along and spoiled his plans, decided to take a day hike up the famous "fourteener" while we lounged near the campfire.

He set off early, eager to reach the summit before afternoon storms could roll in.  The climb was arduous but went well, as Mt. Elbert is one of the "easier" Rockies to assault.  By the time he reached the top, Tom had depleted all of his water and granola bars, but was exhilarated with his success!  And now, for a picture....he pulled out the camera.

Just then, he looked to the north and realized, to his horror, that he'd climbed the wrong mountain. Mt. Elbert stood dauntingly aloof beyond the next ridge....and the next ridge....and the next ridge....

My he-man mountaineer refused to be defeated, and managed to climb not one, but SEVERAL mountains that day, eventually conquering Elbert's summit without another drop of water or bite to eat.  It was not an experience he would like to repeat, but it sure makes for a great story.  We were very glad to see him stumble back into camp that night.

Now that a new school year is about to begin, I thought it would be a great time to stop and think about the mountains we set off to climb at the beginning of the year.  We worked on setting up an actual Housekeeping Schedule back in January and haven't touched on it much since then.  I've found that I've gotten a bit off track from my goals and climbed some wrong mountains of my own.  I've made the journey much more difficult than it has to be, by not consulting my "maps," reviewing my plans, and putting them into action.

Today's Small Thing is to take some time to review your housekeeping goals. Mine have been on summer vacation - how about yours?? But as I look at the new activities of the upcoming year, now is a great time to decide how I want to manage my home in the midst of it all.

See, you don't have to climb EVERY mountain.  Just the right ones.

POINTS: 50 for reviewing and/or CREATING your housekeeping goals and plans.  If you've never set up a schedule, it's easier than you might think!  Try it! (Be sure to click on all the links in the Housekeeping post! Step 1 and Step 2). You may have until Monday to work on this, and still earn the points.

song of the day: The Climb, by Miley Cyrus