Home Sanctuary

Preparation Time

On Saturday, we had a Pre-Wedding Work Day at our house. Several family members and a couple of friends came over and helped us tackle some of the big projects that required lots of hands. 

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My mom, mother-in-law, aunt and Meghan - ironing tablecloths in the garage.

 

I've been collecting these vintage tablecloths to use.

We can't get over the artistry and fine workmanship in these beautiful things!

 

My daughter, Lauren, stapled burlap to the barn walls.

 

Flash, although eager to "help," was jailed in a pen for the afternoon. Sorry, buddy.

 

My sister-in-law, Shawn, and her daughter, Annie, weeded and planted flowers.

 

Tom, his dad, and his uncle laid out the parking lines in the pasture.

 

Grayson and Robert (SIL) cleared branches, along with all the guys. Special thanks to my dad for bringing his chain saw!!

 

Chili and cornbread was the perfect meal to end the day.

It is amazing how "many hands make light work!" We got so much done and had FUN being together! After our chili and cornbread, we sat around a small campfire talking and laughing. Meghan and Nathan were here and it gave my relatives a chance to get to know Nathan better. He charmed us with his rendition of their love story. So sweet. :) It was an incredible day....one that will remain in our memories as a treasure.

It made me think we should do things like this more often....and not just wait for a special occasion. Times like these are what make life joyful and meaningful. Our hearts are overflowing from the gifts of time and effort from the people we love so much.....words can't even express our gratitude.

I will be taking a two week hiatus from the daily Small Things as we prepare for the wedding in two weeks. I am speaking at a women's retreat this weekend and will need some time to get ready for that as well. I hope to post photos of some of our projects between now and then....we'll see how that goes!! 

Rachel 

Company Girl Coffee 10.28

It's been a good week! I've had fun seeing seeing the results of our efforts to spruce things up around here for the upcoming wedding. The winter rye grass is coming in beautifully and almost all the lights are hung. I will get some photos together to show you our progress next week - I just haven't had time to upload them and get organized.

Since we are on an extremely tight budget, we are having to stretch our imaginations a bit. We've dug through things in our storage to fill in gaps, like resurrecting two end tables that have almost been thrown away twice. I hit paydirt with a neighbor's garage sale and found some great stuff to use both for the wedding and beyond. (3 sections of old picket fence!!!)And, with paint and elbow grease, things are getting in shape for 250 guests. The wedding is now only two weeks away!

There is no Small Thing today, but coffee is on me! Feel free to link up below to share a virtual cup of coffee with other Company Girls. Have a great weekend!!

 

Danger Zones

Like "Stack Attacks," this is a Small Thing that could be tackled every week and STILL not be enough.  So let's hit it with an air strike again today!

Do you have Danger Zones at your house?  We do.

They're the areas that we swoop past and drop our payloads as we go.  There are explosions of papers, bills, keys, cell phones, purses, gum wrappers and receipts at these hot spots.  Not to mention pens, wallets, overdue DVD's, tickets, church bulletins and school notices. 

Our main Danger Zone is a corner of the kitchen counter.  We walk in, dump our stuff and usually head to the refrigerator for a snack.  It's far too much trouble to walk the additional few feet to the back hall, the "official" parking place of personal property.

My husband is the vigilante of the Danger Zones.  Without him reminding us to move our junk, we might be buried in the collateral damage.  Thank God we have someone around to help save us from ourselves.

Today's Small Thing is to tackle a Danger Zone. 

Where do you drop your bombs of junk mail and keys?  Take a few minutes and straighten it up.  It's amazing how good it feels not be be greeted with a disaster when you walk in the door. 

Apply some Shock and Awe clean-up in at least one Danger Zone.

Where are your Danger Zones?  And what's the oldest/oddest thing you found there today?

Song of the Day: Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins

 

Jug Care

My thanks to Company Girl Shawna Attebery, who reminded me that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and requested her all-time favorite Small Thing post. Without further ado, here is "Jug Care:"

 

 

Jugs.

Everyone's got them.

Highly prized for their usefulness and beauty, jugs come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are round and smooth, while others are sleek and contoured.  Many are carried by attractive jug holders that are made especially for them.  The holders are particularly handy when the jugs get too heavy to lug around.

Sometimes, jugs are purely functional.  They do their job dispensing their contents, and do what they've gotta do without much care for how they look as they carry out their duties.

But all jugs, even the utilitarian ones, are decorative in nature.  People with especially nice jugs often display them publicly, while others only take them out for special occasions.  The best ones are handled with care, and only by those who have permission of the jug owner.

Jug experts tell us that we should inspect our jugs monthly for unusual changes, like cracks, bumps or lumps that shouldn't be there.  Here is a diagram that shows how to do a jug inspection:

 

 

The Wedge, Circular, and Vertical Methods

 

You can read more information here.

Today's Small Thing is to do a Jug Self Exam.  

You can take your jugs into the shower to examine them, or you can do a jug exam while laying on your back.  It is important to learn what is "normal" for your jugs, so that you can recognize any changes immediately.

I'm no long giving out daily "points," but if I was, I would give 50 knockers today! My, how we would really rack up the points!

We've had a little fun today, but jug cancer is serious business!  I'd like to thank Heather, at Quiet Rest for being the original genius of this wonderful Small Thing.  Clever girl, she was cleaning her JUICE jugs when inspiration hit :).  Thanks, Heather...this might be the most important Small Thing we've ever done. 

Song of the Day: Little Brown Jug, Glenn Miller Band

Please feel free to repost, tweet and "like" on FB for a great cause!

In the Groove

Groovy, man.

We might be the last remaining people in the United States who have a sliding glass door. When we first moved into this house, we had to replace the original sliding door, and it would have been the perfect opportunity to put in French doors......but no. I suppose we were counting our pennies and went with the least expensive route at the time, but I sure do regret that decision.

Not so much for the style issue, but for the groove issue.

The grooves in the track that holds the doors collect dirt like crazy! I am always picking leaves and clumps of dirt from the grooves, and vacuuming it with a skinny attachment every chance I get. Even when it's clean, it doesn't really look clean.

But I'm feelin' groovy today, and I'm going to tackle those tracks. Let's be groovy together and find anything with grooves that need attention.

Today's Small Thing is to get into the groove.

"Groove," you say? "I don't got groove. I'm a white girl from the midwest."

Ha! That is no excuse. Everyone's got at lease SOME groove! Even white girls from the midwest who were raised by Norwegian Lutherans. It's in there, just waiting to get out....just look at ME if you need proof.

Let's put on our thinking caps and totally find your grooves:

Sliding doors

Window frames

Soap dishes

Shower mats

Small appliances

Large appliances

Car consoles (those things that hold change - yuk!)

Refrigerator water dispensers

Decorative edges on furniture

Laugh lines

Jewelry

Rubber welcome mat

Shoe soles

Computers- grooves all over the place, if you look

WOW! Girl, you got LOTS of groove! I'll bet I've only touched the tip of the iceberg....there's so much more just waiting to be discovered. Help us list even more grooves - and then get in there with Q-tips, brushes, cleaning cloths and vacuum attachments and bust a move. 

You might want to break out the tie-dye T-shirt for this one.

Song of the Day: Feelin' Groovy, Simon and Garfunkel - of course

 

 

Side Show

I'm not quite sure what happened to my post this morning, but here it is, a little bit late.

Leaving the house to go anywhere has always been a bit of a side show.  Especially if we are going to work on a mural project.  Someone (usually me) has to get out of the vehicle at least once or twice to run back into the house for something that was forgotten.  At our previous house, I was always self-conscious of the many trips back inside and the number of times I'd get out of the driveway only to turn around for yet another thing, because our neighbors had a bird's eye view of our front door.  Their office window looked right down on our house and we knew they were up there pointing and laughing.

"Get out the popcorn!  The Ridge's are trying to go to a job site!  This oughta be fun."

I guess the thing about side shows is that they are: on the side.

I got to thinking about the things in my house that are "on the side."  The end tables, the hutches, the side chairs, the lamp stands, and night stands.

As I was sitting on the couch watching TV, I happened to look around at the side shows in my living room.  The end table to the side of the couch has a pair of glasses (mine), earrings (mine) and a cup (mine) on it....none of which belong there.  The little side table next to the recliner has three remotes and cookie crumbs.  Fortunately I cleaned off the nightstands in my bedroom this weekend, but those were piled pretty high with books, magazines and water glasses. And of course, there are some stacks of things to side of my desk.

Today's Small Thing is to tidy up the "side shows" at your house. 

Take a few moments to pick up the papers and magazines that have accumulated in the side areas where they conveniently get tossed.  I'm pretty sure I'll find several pairs of earrings laying around, and will gather up some cups and wrappers that mysteriously appear everywhere.  

Create Sanctuary by giving a side show performance worth applauding. Juggling and knife throwing are optional.

Song of the Day: Circus Girl, Mindy Gledhill

 

Company Girl Coffee 10.21

This week I painted and distressed a fireplace - TWICE. The first time, I did it the way I THOUGHT my friend (who hired me for this job) told me to do it.

The second time, I did it the way she ACTUALLY told me to do it.

Somehow, in the course of discussing the project, I did not do what I always do for clients. I guess I skipped an important step "because she is my friend," and not just another client.

I did not ask for a picture of what she had in mind. And I did not make a sample. We just assumed that we knew what the other was talking about.

The problem is that terms like "distressed" can mean about 100 different things. And so can "glazing," "antiquing," and "shabby chic."

The first result was a simply lovely, aged fireplace treatment.

Version #1 - nice, but not what my friend envisioned.

Glazed to perfection.......too bad it wasn't the perfect picture of what my friend was wanting! It put her in the awkward position of having to call me and say, 

"Uh, Rachel....about that fireplace? Can we talk about it?"

So on Wednesday, both of us got on ladders and started sanding it off. There was white dust everywhere and we did more laughing than working, but still, it wasn't easy. This time, I had a clear idea of what she wanted because I repeated back to her what I heard her say, going back and forth several times until I got it - and then we worked on the project together.

The second result is fantastic. Aged, distressed, antiqued, shabby chic. All the same words as before, but what a difference! This time, we took the time to communicate clearly and worked together to create the look she wanted.

Today's Small Thing is to work on your communication skills.

Repeat words back to the other person. Say something like, "This is what I hear you saying....." and when you do, you may be surprised at the clarity that comes. Listening is an important part of communicating, and sometimes we are so quick to put in our two cents that we plow right past what someone is trying to say to us....and miss the meaning behind their words. Taking that extra step to listen and repeat someone's words back to them can save a whole lot of grief AND make things go so much more smoothly. It validates the other person and puts you both on the same page.

 

It's time for Company Girl Coffee! the weekly link-up that allows you, the reader, to host guests to YOUR blog. Simply enter your link into the Linky Tool below, and then others can find you and get to know you by stopping over. Try and stop over to visit a few of the blogs that link up if you can....these are wonderful gals with lots of fun things going on in their worlds!

 

Passages

This is a year of passages in our family. Our last child will be graduating from high school and going to college, and our second daughter is getting married in just a few weeks.

Meghan, in one of her bridal portraits.

I've always been one to look forward to the "next" phases of things, but to be honest, these passages are bittersweet. It's hard not to replay the golden moments of my kids' childhoods in my memory, even as I anticipate the new beginnings that are just around the corner. I know good things are ahead, but boy, it puts a lump in my throat.

Today's Small Thing celebrates passages...... metaphorically speaking. Humor me a little:

We all have passageways - hallways and odd spaces - in our homes that we simply pass through on our way to somewhere else. I have a dimly lit hallway between the front and back halves of my house that I rarely pay attention to, and yet I use it many times a day. A landing in the stairway holds a lamp on an aspen stump from Colorado, and takes two footsteps to cross to reach the next section of stairs. A funny space outside the guest bathroom doubles as my pantry.

Take a few moments to dust/vacuum/change the lightbulb/wipe the walls in your passage areas today. And as you do, think about the passages taking place in your own life. Though they may be painful or bittersweet to go through, they are part of the journey God has you on. He is faithfully leading you from one place to another, watching over each step you take, and bringing you into a new phase of blessing. Perhaps paying attention to the physical passages in your home will cause you to appreciate the spiritual passages taking place as well. You can trust the God who has brought you "thus far" to continue to lead you into the future.

Song of the Day: All the Way My Savior Leads Me, Chris Tomlin - LOVE THIS SONG!!!!

Fire Up Your Life

Did you know when you decided to try out the Small Things that they would be so easy?  If you're still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not you can do this stuff, today's "challenge" should remove all doubt.  It's CHILD'S PLAY!

Well, maybe not.  Matches are involved.

Today's small thing is to take out one or more or those candles you've got sitting around looking all pretty (and useless), and

LIGHT IT UP, BABY!

There's nothing like a little flickering flame to remind us that we are to enjoy the simple pleasures that life brings.  In the midst of a busy world, a lit candle brings to mind friendship, kindness and warmth.  I love that!  Light it up and savor what it does for your sanctuary.

I did this just last night - lit some candles that I save for "special" occasions - and received more compliments from my husband and son than I've gotten in a long time. Even burly guys like the way lit candles warm the home's atmosphere!

Song of the Day: Go Light Your World, Chris Rice

What is your favorite candle fragrance? What did lighting a candle do for your world today?

Bread Winner

Excuse me, but why don't people in this household, who shall go unnamed, close bread and bun sacks and then carefully twist the twist-ties around the plastic to make them air tight? Do they LIKE dry bread?

Another question: Why don't these same people eat the last slices of one loaf of bread before diving into a fresh one? It's obvious that their need for said freshness is in complete contradiction to their utter disregard for sealing up the previous packages. Don't they realize that if they took better care of the opened sacks, they could eat fresh bread all the time?

These pressing questions haunt me, along with questions about toilet paper rolls and why they never get replaced by anyone but me. The T.P. questions can wait, while we spend some time kneading the bread issues.

Today's Small Thing is about all things "Bread."

Do you have sacks with lone slices of crusty bread in your pantry? How about bags of moldy ends of French bread that you meant to finish off with leftovers but never did? Do you have an unsightly pile of empty bread/bun sacks that you plan to re-use, that are stuffed into a drawer and pop out like a jack in the box when you open it? How about a jumble of twist-ties that serve no purpose?

Simply clean up your bread zone, organize the sacks, throw out old bread or defrost a loaf from your freezer. Heck, you could even make bread! Create home sanctuary by doing something with bread - preferably not just eating it, but if that's all you can come up with, I'm actually OK with that. Hey, that's the way the Kaiser rolls. 

Experience a little slice of heaven and be a bread winner today.

Song of the Day: playlist is having trouble today....no song. :(

What will your "bread task" be?