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Shake Your Bootay

What is it about the old disco songs, like today's song of the day (Shake Shake Shake) that makes you want to get out and boogie?

In platform shoes?

Photo Courtesy: http://www.vintage-heels.co.uk/ 

 

 

I was too young for the disco craze of the 70's, but that funky sound makes me smile. You don't have to get up and dance today, but you could just shimmy your shoulders a little bit, right where you are sitting. You know you want to.

Since it's the day after a minor holiday, we should keep things light and easy. So we have enough time for dancing. 

Today's Small Thing is to shake out (or vacuum) the throw rugs in your house.  (Just the ones you can lift...you don't have to do the one under the dining room table.)

You may only have one throw rug in your entire house.  If that's the case, it's your lucky day. Give it a shake outside the door and collect your points.  For the rest of us with a few more, we'll still have an easy job.  It won't take but a few minutes!  If you really want to get down to business, you can vacuum them, but that would really be going over the top! 

40 POINTS

POINTS:  40 for shaking your rugs' booties.

Song of the Day: Shake Your Booty, KC and the Sunshine Band

Valentine's Day for the Rest of Us

Valentine's Day is a holiday that is rife with anxiety. If you're married or in a relationship, you might hope for a romantic extravaganza, like a candlelight dinner and jewelry.

OK - a card would be nice.

If you're single, you see all the roses and couples and love - and feel very much alone. If you're a kid giving valentines at school, you obsess over which Looney Tunes card best expresses your sentiments for the one you like.

Today's Small Thing will take some of the worry out of this day. Realizing that advertisers really, really want to sell their products and are bombarding us with their messages that make us feel guilty/gypped/sad or just wistful, let's bring this day back to reality and simply appreciate someone you love.

A phone call, a note, an email or card - just let someone know that you are thinking of them today. That's all there is to it.

Now, if you want to take it further and do something fun with your kids, here's an idea that I've shared before....

One thing we did several times is create a "Round Robin" valentine. The kids need to be old enough to read and write to participate, or will need Mom and Dad's help to make it work.

After a nice Valentine's Day dinner, each person gets a blank card and a pencil. At the top of the card, each one writes their name, and passes the card to the right. In just a few sentences, you are to write something special about the person whose card you now have. The card then gets passed to the next person and they write something on the card. By the time the card completes the circle, each family member will have a card that has been written in it by everyone. Have each individual read their card out loud and enjoy the love!

One of the things that is so cool about this is hearing the children express their love for each other. The finished Valentines are real "keepers!" I ran across some from years back and enjoyed reading the misspelled words and funny expressions, frozen in time and oh, so wonderful. It's what Valentine's Day is all about.

50 POINTS

POINTS: 50 for expressing love and appreciation to at least ONE person today.

What are your Valentine's plans? Do you have anything special planned??

Song of the Day: Friend Like You, Josh Radin - so sweet!

Sitting Next To You

It's a wonder my parents survived the silly antics of raising four kids in the 60's, 70's and 80's.  Now that I think about it, we had some pretty obnoxious moments.  Sorry, Mom and Dad.

For some reason, we thought it was funny to repeat certain phrases over and over and over...and we'd complete the annoying chant with overacted expressions that would get sillier and sillier.

One such chant was, "I'm sitting by YOU!  YEAH!  I sitting by YOU! YEAH!  I'msittingbyYOUYEAH I'msittingbyYOUYEAH! I'msittingbyYOUYEAH!"  This was particularly hilarious (to us) at the dinner table, while my parents, no doubt, were wishing they could run away.  Please, Lord, make them stop!

Who you got to sit next to, or who you HAD to sit next to at the dinner table was a pretty big deal.  We had our regular spots, of course, but in the hierarchy of family life, it seemed like someone else always had the better spot.  The dinner table, the couch, the car's backseat.....when we weren't fighting over who got to sit in the "best" spot we were gleefully gloating our chant, "I'm sitting by YOU! YEAH!"  Good times.

Melissa at Seven Matters gave me a suggestion for a Small Thing a couple of years ago that I think we've only done once or twice, and it reminded me of our dining room chair chant.  As she was wiping down a highchair at her house, she gave a little attention to the other chairs around the table. With lots of sticky fingers and spills, those chairs can get a little yucky. 

In fact, as I recall, I was once ashamed to discover that the lovely whitewash antiquing in the grooves of my pine windsor-backed chairs was actually caked-on dried milk.  I'm not real proud of that, but those were some busy years and it was low on my priority totem pole.

Today's Small Thing is to damp-wipe your kitchen or dining room chairs.  You might need to scrub the goo off with a little elbow grease, but with a quick swipe you can have those chairs looking fit for company!

POINTS: 40 for wiping off one set of chairs

BONUS: 30 for wiping an additional set (barstools, dining room etc.)

What's stuck to YOUR chairs?

Song of the Day: Next To You, Sitting Next to Me, Shenendoah

Company Girl Coffee 2.11

Well, this is kinda funny. The little clip about my "Pirate Sunglasses" that I put on YouTube last year made it over to GodTube recently....I really have no idea who put it up over there.

But thank you, I guess? Go ahead, laugh at my shame.

Seems like every week I say "Friday, again??" but that's just because I can't believe how quickly another week has flown. This weekend, our Texas temperatures will creep back up to our "normal" winter numbers in the 60's - and I will feel like planting flowers. My son will want to wear shorts. Hard to believe we've battled snow and ice over the last couple of weeks. I have enjoyed getting to use our fireplace, and wearing gloves, and feeding the winter birds that have found our birdfeeders....but I do love that sun when it comes shining through in February!

Time to link up for Company Girl Coffee! The Linky Tool has now become a subscription service and to be honest, I'm happy to pay the small fee that's required. Mr. Riggs does an outstanding job of hosting this site and he really should be paid for his efforts. I am one of those people who gladly used the free service, knowing that I "should" donate....but never did. My conscience feels a lot better now. :)

This is a simple way for ya'll to connect with each other. I seem to do most all the talking around here, and this gives you a chance to get a word in edgewise. Just enter your blog URL in the space below and it allows other Company Girls to stop by and visit you! Try it!!

Let me ask you: would you girls be interested in making this a "Blog Hop?" That's where the list shows up in each blog that's participating...that might be kind of fun. What do you think!

The Frog Inside My Prince

 

I hadn't been married long when I began to hear what sounded like "ribbets" coming from within my Prince Charming's shiny armor.

Naaah.  Couldn't be.  Could it?

Uh, like, yeah. (I have teenagers, I must overuse the word "like")

Reality soon hit me.  My Tender Warrior, my Knight, my Beloved One, had warts--FLAWS, dangit!  There was a frog inside my prince, just waiting to get out!  And it did, oh it did.

As a young wife, I was eager to forgive those tiny flaws and missteps.  It was easy to look beyond the disappointments to see the man I knew he'd become.... with my help.

And the Lord's of course.

But the truth is my "help" has often undermined the Lord's help.  I've had to face the fact that when my man makes mistakes he doesn't need a prison (or dog house) to make him pay for his shortcomings, but a refuge he can draw strength from when he falls down.  Both places have four walls and three "squares," but one strips a man of dignity while the other restores, builds confidence, resolve and courage.  One tries to control his behavior through criticism, nagging, arguing and punishment, while the other accepts imperfections and loves unconditionally.

To be an emotional refuge, I need to assure my prince not just of my acceptance, but of my appreciation and respect.

Guess what?  He IS working hard.

He's TRYING to do all the right things.

And half the time he feels unequal to the task of being the spiritual leader/breadwinner/husband/father/coach/church member/bike fixer/problem solver/boo-boo kisser/landscaper/handyman and all-around great guy.

Will it kill me to give him the kudos he needs to hear, or will I refuse to offer it on the grounds that I think I'm the one working harder?

Forgiveness, acceptance and appreciation are three small things that go so, SO far, and how often I overlook the simplest forms of true love:

A "thank you."

A kind word.

A soft answer.

A gentle touch.

Being an emotional refuge to my froggy prince means letting go of my need to fix him.  God can do a better job without me.

Refuge is letting him know that I am on his side, ON HIS TEAM no matter what.

It is loving him in spite of the fact that he's not perfect.

Being my man's refuge means remembering that.............

It's not easy being green.

Today's Small Thing is to think of ways that you can be a refuge to your husband, and simply do one thing that communicates love and acceptance. 

Frogs can be kinda cute sometimes.

POINTS: 40

Song of the Day: It's Not Easy Being Green, Kermit the Frog

Your Own Little Corner

Our old cat, Buttons, used to have his favorite spots to curl up in.  Mostly, he loved places where the sun came in and warmed his soft fur.  The back of the couch, the girls' bed, a window sill.  There, the light was just right for inspecting paws for dirt and for giving himself a bath.  He could think clearly about the state of the world, and contemplate whether to sleep....or simply rest.

I've long admired the way cats "own" certain pieces of territory.  We could learn something from them.

Do you have a special place in your home that is "your own?"  I've never had the luxury of a pretty sitting room, craft room, or a reading nook, but there are a couple of places that I think of as "mine."

1) My side of the bed, where my stack of magazines, hand lotion and reading glasses live.

2) The end of the couch by the table and lamp, where I like to read and blog on the laptop.

3) The upstairs loft - my office, which could be considered a "creative mess."

Today's Small Thing is to stake a claim on some real estate in your own home.  You may not have any "extra" space for a personal area, but find a spot where you like to be and pay a little attention to it.  Set out some hand lotion, a pretty coaster and bring a soft throw to make it comfy.  Dust off your nightstand, organize your books, and set out a candle. 

My nightstand on a good day:

Carve out a little corner that speaks to your soul, even if it's right in the middle of a busy living room or bedroom.  You've got to nourish your own need for sanctuary before you can truly make it happen for everyone else.

POINTS: 40 for paying attention to your own little corner

BONUS POINTS: 20 for enjoying it for at least 10 minutes today! :)

Where is YOUR little corner and how will you make it special?

Song of the Day: My Own Little Corner, Julie Andrews

 

Back Door

 

Our goofy Barn House is situated so that we use our back door more or less as our front door.  It's confusing to delivery people and those who have never been to our house.  It's even confusing for US, and we have to clarify which door we are talking about.  We generally call the actual front door (which is used as the back door) "the Old Front Door," and we call the back door (which is used as the front door) the "Kitchen Door."  Then there's the "Way Back Door" in the back room, but that doesn't really help our confusion.

Paying attention to the Front Door area is easy.  It's a No Brainer.  It's where most guests get their first impression of your home and you can maintain a facade of orderliness for the first few feet into your house. 

The Back Door area is another story. It's where the stuff of life happens! It's often where the family enters from the garage, or where the washer and dryer sit. It's where the shoes, backpacks, econo-packages of toilet paper, trash waiting to be taken outside, pet food and yard toys often reside on a semi-permanent basis.  If you are lucky enough to have a back porch, the whole area can be the messy underbelly of a busy family's life. I swept the floor by the door yesterday and was horrified.

Today's Small Thing is to pretend you are a Back Door Friend, coming to your own house for coffee. What is the first thing you'd notice when you enter from the back?

Perhaps your Back Door area is pretty neat, but your door itself could use a wipe-down.  Maybe you need to cart some of the shoes to closets or move some of the excess sweaters to the family members' bedrooms.  Could you put away the items from Costco that sit there forever?  Maybe sweep up the dirt that's tracked in.  Move the junk mail and straighten the rug.

POINTS: 40 for doing a little Back Door clean up.  It's going to feel great to walk in and not stumble over the stuff that always collects there!

Song of the Day: Looking Out My Back Door, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Making an EASY Menu Plan That Really Does Work

Last month, we talked about how to set up a simple, general housekeeping schedule. Next to Minimum Maintenance, it is the best tool you can have for creating that sanctuary your soul is longing for. The third major tool you need is a menu plan.

Now, the idea of having a weekly menu plan seems like a real good one.  That is, until you actually sit down to create one.  Week after week.  Month after month.  After awhile you're just staring at your blank piece of paper, wondering if driving through McDonald's every night wouldn't be so bad after all.

What would you do if I told you that you could EASILY come up with a whole month's worth of dinner plans without burning up any of your precious brain cells?

Today, we will do it together and by the time we're done, you will be congratulating yourself for being so very clever. Grab a cup of coffee, or some sweet nectar of your choice, and let's have some fun.

First, take out a couple of pieces of paper.

Next, start writing down broad categories of meals (all you really need is 7):

• Crockpot meals
• Ethnic
• Grilled Foods
• Soup N Sandwich
• Seafood
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Gourmet
• Try Something New Night
• Eat Out Meals (yes, this is a category)
• Paper Plate Meals (also a category)
• Leftover Meals (a very important group)

Now, see if you can come up with at least 4 individual meals within each category.  For example:

Ethnic:  Tacos, Spaghetti, Pizza, Enchiladas, chicken stir-fry
Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Eggs

This is getting really cool because, if you just take the above categories, with 4 items each, you already have enough meals to cover almost two months!!  You're off to a great start.

Now, here's how to start plugging the meals into your family calendar.  Take (or make) a blank calendar page - you can use this worksheet:

Download Monthlymenuplan

First, you'll take a look at standing obligations that affect your family dinner: piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Soccer on Fridays.  Volunteer at the Homeless Shelter on Wednesdays. Etc.  Write them in.

Next, working across the top of the calendar, begin assigning meal categories to days of the week.  For example, If you are home all together on Monday nights, that would be a perfect night for a Sit Down Meal on Real Plates.  Write that category above Mondays.

On Piano nights, I used to assign Crock Pot Night and Sandwich Night - both are quick and easy with little clean-up required.

On Sport Practice night, I might assign Drive Through (Oh. Yes.) It makes me feel better to plan this into my menu than to feel like a loser because I can't do any better than this.

Saturday nights might be a perfect Breakfast for Dinner night.  My family would love it if I made waffles EVERY Saturday night, so no creativity is even required!

Once you have a category for each day of the week, you will then work your way DOWN the calendar.  Take your four individual dinners and throw them under each category.  So if Mondays are your Sit Down meals, you take your Baked Chicken and Rice, your Beef and Cabbage Rolls etc. and plug them into the individual Mondays.  Right now you are simply penciling in your ideas, so you don't have to be too picky until the next step.

Once you have a meal penciled in per day, you can start to refine and perfect your masterpiece.  If I see that on the first Wednesday I am grilling chicken, I could grill up some EXTRA chicken for Thursday's Chicken Enchiladas.  So I start moving the meals around into an order that makes the most sense.  A huge pot roast on Sunday might make great BBQ sandwiches on Sandwich Night, so I'll put those two meals into the same week.

If your family has several favorites, don't be afraid to repeat them often.  The idea that you have to magically come up with 30 different things each month is completely unnecessary.  And you don't have to stick to your plan like a religious zealot.

A menu plan gives you options and TIME, because you'll have general ideas right at your fingertips. 

How many meals can you come up with?  Can you think of some interesting categories?  Why not share your ideas and recipes!  Leave a comment and/or link to your menu ideas so we can all be inspired!

Laura, my favorite Organizer, hosts Menu Plan Monday every week.  It's a great meme to be involved in because you'll find excellent recipe ideas and meals that work for other busy families!  Go check it out!

POINTS: This is a big one and worth a whole gob of points.  So I will give you through Wednesday to complete it, and award 100 whoppers for it!  So worth it.

Song of the Day: Hey, Good Lookin - Hank Williams

Tired of the Singles Scene?

Back when I used to write thoughtful, insightful posts, I once was lost in thought about socks.  The missing ones.  You might have read it already, but if not, here is my discourse on the single souls who slink around my house.

Sometimes I've found that a sock pair has been living just one drawer apart...for years.  Oh, the tragedy!  One up and one down....separated by one thin slice of wood.  The aching loneliness they must have felt, to be so close...and yet so far.

Today's Small Thing is to hit the Sock Single's Scene and find mates for those swingers.  You may not be entirely successful in reuniting all the couples who have split up, but it's worth a dig through the sock drawers to see if reconciliation is possible. 

POINTS:  40 for doing some match-making at your house. 

Do you have any "lucky" socks?  Any with a story to tell?  Let us know how many happy couples you put together!

Song of the Day: Single Ladies, Beyonce Knowles

Company Girl Coffee 2.4

On Monday night, the Dallas area was hit with an ice storm and everything has pretty much shut down since then. You northerners may scoff at our southern panic over ice, but we really are unprepared for the fridgid conditions that ya'll are accustomed to. The roads have been treacherous so we've mostly stayed at home and enjoyed the "time off" from the outside world. I've loved it.

Flash has enjoyed unmerited grace and favor from my husband, who was an inch from killing him last week over some fences he destroyed (twice), but who has made sure he's been warm and dry in the barn. Donkeys' coats don't repel water like horses' do, so being soaked by freezing rain can mean serious trouble for our long-eared equine friends. Flash has humbly accepted the hay and water by being extra good - and by only pooping in one giant pile in the barn, instead of all over the place. It's the least he can do.

My nice man, Tom, had his one chance to create ice surfaces for hockey this week and was only semi-successful. He has a "dry-land training" area in our pasture for the team he coaches (we call it "Tom's Hockey Complex") and he used the opportunity to glaze the shooting pads with extra water. Unfortunately, the ice wasn't quite sturdy enough to stand on with skates, bummer. But he and our son, Grayson, had a blast out there anyway. BTW, I was in charge of the hot cocoa....inside.

Have you all survived this arctic storm? Most of North America has been under it, and I know it has caused a lot of trouble for a bunch of folks. I'm praying for a thaw in the weather! Please link up for Company Girl Coffee, the weekly feature that allows us to visit one another. Ever wondered who some of the other Company Girls are? Well, this is a great way to get out and meet them! If you aren't a blogger, feel free to chat with everyone in the comments section below.