Home Sanctuary

Turn in January Points!

 

New Welcome Sign for a Client

Can you believe it is already the end of January? I've got a feeling that 2011 is going to fly by, at this rate.  Today is the day to add up your points from the month and send them in to me for a chance to win prizes. Here is what we are playing for:

The Most Points Winner will receive a custom created canvas with their very own Mission Statement on it. I will work with you to pick the colors and even help you with the wording if you need it. I think having a Mission Statement in a visible place is an excellent way to keep your goals in mind as you live each day. I can't wait to create this with you, and I know it will be a meaningful addition to your home!

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

This is a great time of year to get in good financial shape - and Dave is the guy to help you do it. I know you'll make great use of this book. You don't have to really even do anything to be eligible for the prize, except send me an email asking to be entered in the random drawing.

Today's Small Thing is two steps:

1. Email your point total number to me at [email protected].  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.  This is a fun way to nudge the fence-sitters to go ahead and jump in next month. See?  It's fun!!

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 January'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 tonight CST.

Song of the Day: Secrets, One Republic - since I'll be giving all my secrets away on Grace Cafe radio today at 10 am, CST

Join Me on BlogTalkRadio's Grace Cafe

On Monday (Jan. 31) at 10 am CST, I'll be a guest on Grace Cafe - an internet radio progam hosted by Marsha Harwood and  Julie Hunsucker. You can join in the conversation by calling in, emailing questions or simply listening in. It's going be a lot of fun!

Here is the link for the interview, just click on it at 10 am CST and hear our conversation about everything from friendships, Company Girls, living a life of simplicity and joy, and creating sanctuary, Even Flash, my goofy donkey might make it into the chat, you never know. Here's what's in their promo:

The responsibilities and pressures in the everyday life of women can squeeze out the time women so desperately need for friendships.

Join us today as we chat with Rachel Anne Ridge about what she learned from her daughters at an early age about being a "Company Girl," discovering and enjoying the simple beauty of friendships.

Come along with with us and learn to appreciate the friendships of women that may already be in your life.

Do you desire to have genuine friendships? Discover some simple tips to become a better friend.

We'll also talk about making your home a sanctuary.

Rachel Anne is the author of "Company Girl ~ The Beauty of Simple Friendship."
You can find her daily on her blog, Home Sanctuary, where she shares easy tips and simple tasks to make your home the sanctuary you've always yearned for it to be. You can become one of her "Company Girls" over there and do the Simple Things together. You'll have a lot of fun, because Rachel Anne believes that great things can happen with a little bit of effort, a seed of faith, and a generous dose of friendship.

C'mon and join us!

 

 

Company Girl Coffee 1.28

I have really enjoyed reading all the creative "Candy Themes" from Wednesday, and the "Invitations" from yesterday! You are the most fun (and sweet) bunch of gals around. Doing these Small Things together really makes it enjoyable and meaningful - and helps me remember that keeping a home and raising a family is not all about chores and cleaning. Goodness, there is so much beauty and joy to be had....and it feels great to know that we are all looking for it - and finding it - together. Thank you for making this so much fun for me.

Today I need a teeny bit of grace. Thursdays are my "long days," in which I work all day and then rush off to a hockey game and don't get home until 11 pm. I had written up Priscilla's blog post....pop over and read all about the fruit on my list....but didn't get Home Sanctuary's done. Thought I'd leap out of bed early and pull it together for you....

Well, my alarm went off and I just kept on sleeping away. So for the second time this week, I have no actual Small Thing except this:

Today's Small Thing is to "catch up" on any task you may have missed this month. Go ahead and look back at the Small Things and if there is one you didn't get a chance to do - TODAY IS YOUR DAY! Take full points that were assigned to it....so if you've been kicking yourself for missing out on one of those "Big Point" days, here is your opportunity to make them up. Easy!!!! If you've done ALL the Small Things this month, take 40 points for being so on top of things!

Now, I hope you'll link up below for Company Girl Coffee, our weekly feature that gives us a chance to meet up and share what's going on in our lives. If you are not a blogger, simply use the comment section to chat!

Song of the Day: You Were Meant for Me, Gene Kelly

 

Better Together

I'm a big believer in Alone Time.  I need it to recharge my energy and find inspiration.  Hey, sometimes I need it just to get myself psyched up to face the onslaught of needs that face me each day.  Now that my kids are all older, I have much more Alone Time than back in the days when sitting on the potty with the door closed was exquisite luxury.  Believe me, constipation was a welcome friend.

Husbands need Alone Time as well.  They are out there slaying dragons in the work world and then expected to be tender caregivers the moment they walk through the door.  Even if they have a cushy job with no interruptions (what would THAT be like????), time to be alone with their thoughts or their tools is important.  It's sometimes hard to respect that when you feel like you're being devoured by little piranha people on the home front, but it's one of those things that you've got to do for each other sometimes.

Still, there's something good about togetherness. There is sweetness in keeping someone company.  I'm not really talking about long, romantic walks in the rain, or even deep talks with a girlfriend over coffee.  I'm talking about when someone invites you to be with them to watch TV or wash the dishes.  To sit nearby while you both read.  To take a ride to the car wash.  It makes you feel special to be invited.  It's the "Company Girl" thing in action.

When someone asks you if you want to walk to the water cooler at work, or when a child requests that you sit and watch him stack blocks, you are being invited in to that person's life.  When you think about that, it's pretty cool.  And makes you want to tread carefully.

Today's Small Thing is for you to invite someone along.  It doesn't matter where, or for what or for how long.  Just try "hey, want to share a sliced apple?" or  "can I play with your hair? (always a hit at our house), or "want to read together?"  It can be casual and last for just a minute, but when you invite someone to share your time you're communicating Belonging.  You're saying that you enjoy their company and you like being together.  And that just feels good.


POINTS: 40 for offering an invitation...friend, child, husband, your choice.

BONUS: 10 for letting us know what you're doing today

Song of the Day: Better Together, Jack Johnson

Just for fun: Otters Holding Hands

 

I Like Candy

I wish I could say that I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I do. I pretty much want to eat candy (preferably chocolate candy) every day.

And so I do.

I love being the mom and getting to make the rules: Candy for Mom Every Day. Or Else.

Usually, a couple of Hershey Kisses or a fun-sized bar will do the trick - just enough to fulfill my longing for sweets. So I’m extra excited about Today’s Small Thing, which is to give a Candy Theme of Your Choice to today’s task.

You will pick a candy and create a task to go with it. Let me show you what I mean:

M&M's - Do Minimum Maintenance - soooo obvious, Rachel.

Almond Joy - Sometimes you feel like a nut? Do something silly.

Baby Ruth - Do a baby task- straighten diapers, clean the changing table.....or just play with that baby. Hey, your choice, honey.

Twix - “Betwixt and Between” - clean in between tiles, floss between teeth, squeeze in a nap between TV shows.

Snickers - Do something naughty....let your imagination be your guide. 

Milky Way - Do some star-gazing tonight.

3 Musketeers - All for one, one for all - share the work with the kids, no sword fighting, tights optional.

Ferrer Rocher - do something classy: wear jewelry at home, eat on real plates, drink water out of goblets. Say "Dahling," a lot.

Kiss - well, I shouldn’t have to explain that one, should I??

Crunch Bar - Do some stomach crunches, crunch some numbers as you balance your check book, crunch on some carrots.

Butterfingers - Fix something that some "butterfingers" may have broken.

Jelly Belly - Do some exercise to get rid of your own jelly belly, or tickle someone else’s jelly belly.

Are you getting the idea?  Now listen, I’m not going to make this TOO easy on you. No, you’re going to have to leave a comment, telling us your own Candy Theme and what you are doing to fulfill it - that is only fair. (You can be vague if “snicker” is your theme...please). Feel free to choose a candy/task from this list....or create your own.

POINTS: 100,000 - KIDDING! (That’s a candy bar, btw)

POINTS: 50 for picking a candy theme and task, AND sharing it here in the comments. HAVE FUN!

Song of the Day: Candy, by Jo Stafford, Johnny Mercer and Pied Pipers

Swab the Poop Deck, Me Matey

 

You can count on a name like "Poop Deck" to bring about snickers in a pre-school crowd. They just can't resist such an overt reference to bodily function.  If you have young children at home, please, for your own sanity, do not read the title of this post to them.  You will never hear the end of it.

I know, I know.  A "Poop Deck" is a part of a ship, not a home.  Wikipedia says it's a deck that constitutes the roof of a cabin built in the aft (rear) part of the superstructure of a ship.  

But like a pre-schooler, I also find the humor irresistible.

After all, the term comes from the French "la poupe," and which parent among us hasn't been tempted to speak French when changing a diaper?  

Le bebe' has put la poupe in le diapier.  Le Pew!

There can be only one area of the house that could constitute a poop deck.  I'm speaking, of course, of the bathroom floor.  And while I regularly mop my kitchen floor, my bathroom floor gets minimal attention. A quick sweep and a wipe around the toilet and I consider it done.

But Avast Ye! Today's Small Thing is to swab the poop deck at your house.  I love my Swiffer disposable pads for just such a nasty job.  "Swab and throw" is my method of choice, especially for bathrooms. 

For you landlubbers, let's make the booty of points interesting by offering a selection of scores:

30 + 30 + 30 + 30 POINTS

Sweep one poop deck floor: 30 points
Damp mop the poop deck floor: 30 points

Sweep an additional deck (any floor you choose): 30 points
Damp mop the additional deck: 30 points

Aye, yer plunder of points could top 120 today!  Better shove off and start swabbing, because an offer like this is a real treasure.

Song of the Day: He's a Pirate, Pirates of the Caribbean

News FLASH! My Donkey is Home!

On Friday, just as I was getting ready to post "Missing Donkey" signs all over the place, the sheriff's department called with word that someone had found my donkey, Flash. We'd spent hours and hours looking for him, trying to figure out how and when he'd escaped...and wondering what on earth he was doing while on the lam. Flash has been on the loose before - in fact he had simply just shown up at our house one day....and never left. Abused and mistreated, his owners (thankfully) never responded to our inquiries and signs, and during the four years he has been with us, he has been a constant source of amusement, annoyance and enchantment. Sometimes all at the same time.

So when the phone call came, we hopped in the car and went to a property about a mile away. He'd wandered into the yard of some very nice people, who'd put him into their pasture, gave him some hay and water, and notified the sheriff.

We arrived to find him acting punchy. Tossing his head and wheeling around like he was a bad-A donkey, we realized he was showing off for the horses in the next pasture, who had gathered up by the fence to gawk. Flash went over and started a fight with them and then came back over to get his halter on. I guess he felt sheepish being led off that way, and wanted to leave them with the impression that he was a force to be reckoned with, cooperating only because he wanted to. So typical.

Well, it took FOREVER to proceed from there. Flash would take a few steps and then balk. Take a few steps and stop. My husband, Tom, who missed his calling as a horse, er, donkey whisperer, gradually got him about 50 yards from the pasture and said, "this is going to be a long walk home."

That's when the son of the rescue people offered to hook up their horse trailer and help load him up. NICE! It was comical, watching Flash decide if he would go into the trailer or not, and he spent about 30 minutes with his front feet in...and back feet out....while he made up his mind. A not-so-gentle push with the trailer door helped him decide, and he was finally loaded up and ready for the winding, albeit short, ride home.

Here is a little bit of video of his return.

Safe and sound, I'm so happy that he is back! The gates have been secured and the fences are tight. He's been hugged and kissed and brushed. I know a donkey is not the most important thing in the world, but I can't help but think it was no coincidence that the scripture I was painting on a client's nursery wall later that day was this:

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above. 

That silly donkey has been a gift to me. And I am grateful.

There is no Small Thing today....enjoy your Monday. What are you grateful for today?

Song of the Day: Thank You, Sanctus Real

Company Girl Coffee 1.21

MISSING DONKEY!

My donkey, Flash, went missing yesterday. And he's still not back. {cry!}

A gate was down for a few hours before we saw it and fixed it, but even so, there are no hoof prints around the area to suggest that he got out that way. In fact, there are no hoof prints in the soft wet soil near any of the gates. All the fences are good, there are no places that he could have gotten through. We searched and searched yesterday, but it's like he simply vanished.

I know God has plenty on his plate without having to get my donkey back, but I sure would like to see him returned to me. I'm putting "Missing Donkey" signs up today in the hopes that some kind person took him in and is waiting to see my signs and will call me with news that he is safe.

To Whomever has Flash: please be real nice to my donkey. He's been through a lot in his life and he was just beginning to blossom into the huge personality we knew he had under that humble demeanor. If he seems shy, just scratch behind his ears and on the top of his rump and he will be your friend forever. Carrots are a big treat, but will make a pest out of him, so go easy on those. If you've got some dirt he can roll in, he will be a happy camper, but don't be fooled. He will be missing me...and that gentle man who pretends to be annoyed with him but who makes sure he is warm and dry and fed.

So please bring him back because he needs us. And we need him. There are too many more adventures to be had and stories to be told about him.

I miss him!

Link up for Company Girl Coffee! Don't be shy...simply enter your blog URL in the box and people will come and visit you. Or, you can chat away in the comments. Have fun!

And say a prayer for Flash, will you? Thank you.

 

Let's Dispense with Formality

I don't know why, but I have "dispensers" on my mind.

Odd.  But sometimes words just pop into my head and I can't shake them.

Dispenser.  Dispense.  Dispensing.  Dispensation. Indispensable.

It's kinda fun to say, the way it rolls off your tongue.

I got to thinking about all the items that dispense things in our home, and was dazzled by the variety.

• Paper towel dispenser
• Toilet Paper dispenser
• Soap dispenser
• Diaper dispenser
• Tissue dispenser
• Ice dispenser
• Water dispenser
• Lotion dispenser
• Air Fragrance dispenser
• Wipe dispenser

Each doling out proper amounts of the dispensed thing, time after time, day after day.

If I were to guess, I'd say that the Toilet Paper Dispenser is the least appreciated, and perhaps the most underrated dealer of the whole lot.

Have you taken a look at your army of dispensers lately?  There they stand, ready to serve unselfishly and without personal glory or fame.  They are merely the supporting cast, presenting the true stars of the show for their moments in the limelight.

"Off with ye, now!  Ye wee squirts of liquid soap!  Don't be lookin' back!" (Said in Irish brogue)

Today's Small Thing is to look with fresh eyes at your own dispensers.  I noticed that my Toilet Paper guys are pretty spotted and dusty.  My ice dispenser has beverage droplet marks, from people who put the beverage in the cup FIRST, and then plop the ice in.  Splat.

My soap dispensers by the sinks look a bit gooey.  My lotion dispenser is clogged.  I DID clean my fabric softener dispenser in the wash machine recently, for which I am proud.

Give your indispensable squad of doler-outers a quick wipe, or dust their trusty little shells.

POINTS:  50 for dispensing some elbow grease on the most overlooked, but important members of the household management team.

Can you think of other dispensers you might have?  

Why, I do believe I used the "dispense" word about 26 times in one post!  I can't get me enough!

Song of the Day: Give it Away, Aaron Shust

 

Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River in Washington State, was named by a sea captain who had expected to find a good harbor just beyond it.  He was disappointed to find rocky shoals instead, and turned back...never discovering the mighty river on the other side of the shoals. Later, Lewis and Clark finished their 2,000 mile trek to the coast and celebrated their journey's end at Cape Disappointment.

But our Small Thing today has nothing to do with the geographical location of Cape Disappointment.  It has everything to do with capes of another kind...and the disappointment that comes when said capes are not in serviceable and ready condition. Yes, the capes, jackets, coats and winter gear that we depend on....but only pay attention to when we are donning them to face the outside elements.

I think I'd be disappointed to wear this.

It's disappointing to find dirty sleeves and stained jacket fronts.

It's disappointing to see coats crammed into hall closets or crumpled on the floor.

It's disappointing to have makeup on the collars of our jackets when we really need to get out the door.

It's disappointing to discover that there is only one glove.  Or two left gloves.

It's disappointing to need more winter gear than you have, but I can't help you with that today.

It's disappointing to see your children wipe their noses on their sleeves, mittens and scarves.

Today's Small Thing is to do some cape management: take care of your winter apparel in some way.  You may hang up the coats and jackets, organize the mittens and gloves. You could throw a dirty jacket in the wash, or mend a torn item.  You could shave the fuzz balls off a sweater, or put the outgrown winter clothing into a giveaway bag. You choose.

POINTS: 40 for cape management

For our Company Girls in the Southern Hemisphere, where you are enjoying summer weather, simply take care of your summer apparel: the beach towels, swimsuits, flip-flops, shorts and coverups that may need attention today.  And enjoy your sunshine!  We are jealous....

What kind of caper will you have with your apparel?

Song of the Day: Your Hands are Cold, Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Pride & Prejudice (one of my very favoritest pieces in the whole wide world...you've GOT to listen today!)