Home Sanctuary

Follow the Crumb Trail

Melissa of Seven Matters

Today I'm excited to have Melissa Holgate of Seven Matters guest posting our Small Thing! Melissa has been a Company Girl since waaaaay back at the beginning of Home Sanctuary, and I have always appreciated her friendship, authenticity and wisdom. As a mom of five, her days are full and busy, but somehow she is always gracious and has a good word to share. One thing I love about Melissa is her ability to bring nuggets of truth out of the Bible....and I would not be surprised to see her publish a Bible Study one day. Then we'll all say, "we knew her when!" Thanks, Melissa, for popping in today!!

 

Melissa writes:

Once apon a time...

Image from Story Time for Me

Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you a story about a boy and a girl named Hansel and Gretel!  What I do have to say, however, does involve a crumb trail.

It all began in my coffee mug cupboard.  I keep my coffee mugs in a space above my coffee maker, separate from the rest of the dishes.  It just makes sense to me.  Anyway, the other day I went to grab a mug and noticed it had crumbs around the edges of it.  "What?" I thought to myself, "These are supposed to be clean!"  

Lo and behold, there were coffee crumbs, (ok, they are technically grounds, not crumbs) there in the cupboard.  They must have fallen from the basket that I keep my coffee beans in, on the shelf directly above the mugs.  I gently pulled out the mugs and wiped down the surface with a wet cloth, creating a freshly clean space for the mugs.  It took me about a minute and a half, but it got me to thinking...where else have I missed lurking crumbs?

A quick look around my kitchen gave me the answer and the idea for today's Small Thing.  It's simple.  Just "Follow the Crumb Trail."  Here are a few suggestions:

Clean the crumb tray in your toaster

Vacuum up the crumbs under the dining room table

Clean the crumbs that collect in the silverware drawer (or maybe that's just my problem!)

Wipe the crumbs off the counters

Wipe the cracker crumbs out of the pantry

Clean the bread crumbs out of the bread drawer (or pantry, or wherever you keep your bread.)

Vacuum the crumbs out of the living room couch/chair cushions

You get the idea.  We all have crumbs in our life.  Just follow the trail and see where it leads you!  Like me, it just might lead you to a happy, crumb-free ending!

 

Where else do you find crumbs?  Let us know. 

Song of the Day: Hansel and Gretel, as told by Cookie Monster

Flash: The Donkey with a Message

 

 

Everywhere I go, people ask me about my donkey, Flash. Maybe they've read about him here on my blog, or heard me speak on "Donkey Principles," and they wonder how he's doing and what he's been up to lately. I usually say that he's busy living the good life out there in the pasture these days. The spring grass is coming up early and he's hardly touched the hay in the barn. He's got his soft winter coat that curls into ringlets in wet weather and he still sports that devilish scar across his nose from his reckless youthful days. He hasn't attempted any daring escapades lately, for which I'm thankful. Flash brings a smile to my face every single day....and now he's made it into some of my artwork. Today's image (above) is one of my recent pieces that's part of a series I'm creating. I might feature some of these here on my blog if ya'll will indulge me. :)

The past few days I've been in and out of the barn, where I'm painting a bookcase for a client. Flash is great company, even though he is roped off from my painting area. He gets as close as he can to inspect my work. I feel like if he had thumbs he'd give the the "thumbs up" signal to show his approval. When I go out there, I like to bring him baby carrots - just a few. He LOVES them! His big rubbery lips gently lift them from my palm and into his mouth so he can crunch on them with delight. When he's finished, he will nose my pockets for more and pretend he's nibbling on my jacket, just in case I come up with another treat. If I bring treats TOO often he gets greedy and ornery, so I have to limit them, even though I don't like to. I hate to see him stomp his feet and pout, which he does quite well when he doesn't get his way.

Shoot. Flash has taught me so much about life in the time that we've had him. Maybe it seems strange to you that I hear God speaking to me through that silly guy, but I really do. It's as if God plopped him into our lives just so he could be a continual illustration of faith, character and grace. Every time I look out into the pasture and see him plodding from one end to the other, or grazing voraciously on grass or fraternizing with the horses next door, there is some kind of truth to be found in his humble existence.

To me, Flash is a reminder that God speaks. 

He speaks through the simplest of things.

And He moves in the most unexpected ways.

And He uses the most unlikely of characters.

Flash reminds me that God has always loved the underdog, the person voted "least likely to succeed," the outcast and the sinner. My donkey, although cute, has not done a lick of work around here to deserve his room and board....and yet we love and care for him - much the same way our heavenly Father cares for us in our undeserving state. Mostly, we look for handouts and free goodies from our master - even when we have been given everything that we need - we think we need more. We stomp and pout and cop an attitude. And God, in his wisdom, sometimes has to withold the things we want so badly because He wants to shape our character and use us in ways that giving us everything would spoil. 

I know most of you don't have a long-eared donkey in your backyard, but I have a hunch that God has placed other things in your life that He is speaking through. Listen, God can reveal himself in a sinkful of dishes, a load of laundry, a traffic jam, Lego creations and spilled milk. He can reach through our icals, our google docs, our e-readers and tablets and modern conveniences and whisper the ancient truths that have stood since the beginning of time. 

That He loves you.

He knows you.

He cares for you.

He created you.

He calls you by name.

Today's Small Thing is simply to listen. Listen to the rhythms of your life - ok maybe the chaos of your life - and hear that still small voice. So often we miss it because we think it will only come during a holy prayer time, when in actuality our whole day can be a running conversation with Him. Look at each task on your To Do List as an opportunity for an illustration of faith and character and grace. God longs to speak to our hearts if only we'll slow down long enough to pay attention.

What "unlikely" ways has God spoken to you in the past? Is there a situation you're currently facing that is bringing home a truth in a way you might not have expected? If you could give me a "laundry illustration" (i.e. a spiritual lesson derived from a mundane task) what would it be? Look at the events of your day and think about how you could apply God's word to each thing. That, my friend, is God speaking.

I would love to hear how God speaks to you today.

Song of the Day: Word of God Speak, Mercy Me

 

Recurring Dream

I stayed up to watch the Oscars last night and was thrilled that Bret McKenzie's song "Am I a Man or a Muppet" won best original song. I love Bret's talent as part of Flight of the Conchords, and the Muppets? Well, I'm a huge fan. This song is just greatness.

 

Speaking of Muppets, I couldn't resist this image below, which goes right along with my post today:

We were sitting around the table one night and the subject of recurring dreams came up. Do you have those? Oh, my...our repeating scenarios had us laughing, all of us comfortably pushed back from the table and satisfied with good food.  But I dreaded going to bed that night. I was sure my vivid nightmare of STUMBLING ON STONE STEPS AND BREAKING MY TEETH OFF would haunt me once again.

Yeah, that's my recurring dream. Fun, huh?

See there is something about TEETH that horrifies me. I often dream of having loose teeth...like ALL of them about to fall out of their sockets so I have to hold them in place with my tongue. And I'm usually needing to tell someone something very important and it's impossible to talk. I shudder at the thought.

My husband's nightmare was sliding down a banister and having it turn into razor blades. The kind that are so sharp you don't feel it until you are sliced to ribbons. Nice.

My son has dreamed of stepping on a cactus and trying to pull out the spikes, only to have them magnetically get sucked back into his feet, over and over again. Only a kid from Texas, or one who watches too many Loony Tunes, would have that one.

Not all recurring dreams are bad. My grandmother was famous for dreaming of being able to fly, usually several feet off the ground. She could twirl and do somersaults, but usually she just swam through the air. I wish that was my recurring dream.

It's always nice if you are just conscious enough to change the ending of a dream....or go back and re-do parts of your dream. This can work sometimes, but often backfires when you are unable to get out to the rut and you just keep doing the same thing over, and over and over.

Life itself sometimes feels like a recurring dream. Get up, change a diaper, get kids breakfast, break up argument. Change a diaper. Find sock. Break up argument. Find shoes. Change a diaper.  Break up argument. Over and over. Do you ever feel that way? I do.

Fortunately there are things you can do to "change the ending" of your time warp. 

 Today's Small Thing is to get out of your spinning cycle by doing something DIFFERENT.

Find a way to change things up, break the mold, step out of your routine or otherwise dare to live with a new mindset. You don't have to maintain "different" all day, but just for a few moments, think a new thought, react with a fresh attitude, or take an alternate route home. Try a new coffee flavor, take a chance on friendship, set a goal, or simply take a deep breath.

You choose which part of your life you want to change...and then start making some of those GOOD dreams come true! Start with one small moment today...and see what happens.

Change your scenario in some way today.

Now, let's have fun! What are your recurring dreams? Are they silly, scary, or something from childhood? (just be sure and keep it rated PG,) And what will you do differently today? I'd love to know.

 

Company Girl Coffee 2.24, and Sucky Things.

Before we hop into Company Girl Coffee time, I want to say thank you for your encouragement yesterday. Things were pretty awkward around here but, as it usually happens, things have a way of blowing over. But not without a humble apology first. Why, WHY is that so hard to do?? It took me almost two days to work up the ability to say "I'm sorry." It sucks being so hard-headed sometimes.

 

Our Small Thing today is something that sucks as well, but pleasantly so.  Now, correct me if I'm wrong but do I think it's been awhile since we've taken out the vacuum as one of our tasks and yes, and that truly DOES suck.... unpleasantly.  We should be getting Company Girl credit for easy things that need to be done regularly! What have I been thinking??

Today's Small Thing is to vacuum one room.  See, sometimes I put off vacuuming a room like the living room, because I feel obligated to do the entire house.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Vacuuming ONE room is perfectly acceptable and even DESIRABLE, because it means that you pay attention to the details.  It means that you don't mind getting in there are doing a "quick run through" to make things nice.

Song of the Day: Whatever it Takes, Lifehouse

How about you? Do you put off doing sucky things because you think it will be too hard? A task, an errand, an apology? Once you decide to do it, it's usually much easier than you think it will be.....and ALWAYS worth it in the end.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be joining the women at my church for a prayer breakfast and a chance to hear one of our own Company Girls, Jan Johnson speak! You might know Jan from our weekly coffee meme, where she is a regular linker-upper. I love Jan's blog and I come away from her posts with a chuckle or a nugget of wisdom...and always something to think about. Jan goes to my church and I know we will be in for a treat tomorrow. If you're interested in coming and you're in the Dallas area, we will be meeting at Midlothian Bible Church at 8 am.....I'd love to meet you and share a REAL cup of coffee with you! :)

Now, for a VIRTUAL cup of coffee (or tea, whichever you prefer), this is your opportunity to enjoy one with new friends. I love that so many of you have gotten to know one another through CG Coffee Fridays....we have a wonderful community of women and I encourage you to find a new name below to go and visit over the weekend. The past couple of weekends have been crazy for me and I haven't gotten around like I like to, but please know how much I appreciate each of you for your great participation! I hope for better luck this time :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rachel Anne

 

Loving the "Dude" in Your Man

Today's Small Thing is one we've done before, but based on my own need to revisit it again this week, I brought it back as a refresher. I have to be really honest with you and say that I didn't post yesterday because I was just too bummed out to sit at the computer and write. I'd done something that SO COMPLETELY missed the mark with my man and we got into one of those exchanges that just took the wind out of my sails. You'd think after this many years of marriage that I'd have figured out how to love my guy in the ways that makes him FEEL loved, rather than continually doing things that seem to communicate lack of caring and taking him for granted. It's amazing how we can hurt each other through little actions (or inactions) without even being aware of it. I totally blew it and then made things worse by getting defensive and bitter. It hasn't been a fun couple of days.

I'm determined to pick myself up and do better today. I've got to move past my own hurt feelings from the conflict and be the one that starts grace flowing back into our relationship. I need to stop having to "be" right and simply "do" right to make things improve. It's not easy, but I've got to change the way I handle things. And I'll start with this Small Thing:

You don't have to endorse Bud Light to appreciate the "Dude" humor of this ad campaign.  Somehow they've managed to sum up the universal language of men into the word they all understand.

"Dude."

I've been married to a Dude for 29 years and I've gotta say there's still a lot I don't know about Dude-ness.  There are many things I take for granted, like the fact that he's in charge of the lawn-mowing and the mechanical stuff.  But there are other things that go deeper inside that Dude heart of his that I hope I appreciate as much as I should.

Dudes get a bad rap these days.  They are the butt of jokes and the apes of sit-coms.  Commercials make them look like complete idiots.  Talk shows make the most out of their short-comings.  It's easy to roll your eyes at their Dude mistakes or their lack of feminine sensitivity.

But if we haven't beat it out of our Dudes already, what they have to offer us is so much more than we can muster on our own.  We want to tame our men just enough, but sometimes we go a little too far in our expectations.  It's really not all that important that he be able to wrangle a bull or fix a motor or sip tea from a china cup.

What really matters is his heart, and his commitment to the life you have together.  He may not wear his Dude heart on his sleeve, but he still needs to know that you love and appreciate who he is and what he's doing for your family.

Today's Small Thing is to find ways to appreciate your Dude.  Let him know that you're still crazy about him and that he's the kind of guy that makes a girl feel lucky.  Even if ya ain't really feelin it....your actions will mean more than you know. That's what I'm choosing to do today.

 

Go ahead! Love your Dude in a way you know he'll enjoy today....you choose what to do!

Don't have a Dude in your life? No worries, luv. Simply pray for the Dude that pastors your church, leads a small group, or pray for the Dude in the Oval Office.

Song of the Day: I'm Still a Guy, Brad Paisley

 

Enlightened

Just in case you haven't noticed, there is a big difference in the way men and women give compliments.  Especially if the compliment is to a man. I shall enlighten you with this case in point:

 

Me, giving a compliment to our son on his haircut:

"Honey, your haircut makes you look so handsome!  You look great."

My husband, chiming in with his version of a compliment:

"Good haircut, bro. You don't look so much like a bobblehead anymore."

 

 
Dwight Bobblehead ("The Office")

And now that you're enlightened on the Mars/Venus aspect of compliments, let's take a moment to enlighten our sanctuaries with a long-overdue task.

I'm quite embarrassed to say that I can't remember the last time I dusted off the lampshades in my house.  But I'll will say that as I turned off the lights recently, I noticed actual cobwebs inside a couple of them!  Eewww. When you think about how often everything else needs dusting, it stands to reason that the shades get just as dusty.  I just never think to clean them.

There are a few good ways to go about this:

Take them outside and use a small hand broom. (Seriously, you don't want to know how much dust comes off of them...)

Take a vacuum attachment and suck the dirt off.

Wipe them down with a dust cloth.

Use a duster-thingy.

Today's Small Thing is to dust off the lampshades in ONE ROOM.  If you only have one lamp in your chosen room, this will be a super easy task.

In just a few minutes, you COULD finish all the lamps in your house, just sayin'. I actually dusted the lamps in the bedrooms this weekend and am amazed at how nice they look now. I feel like a cleaning rock star.

Let's have some fun: how many lamps can you dust today??

Song of the Day: I See the Light, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi

Feeling Trapped?

Yeah, me too.

I've got a million things to do today and I'd like to just run away from them all. I'm bitter because I told myself I was going to get a pedicure this weekend BECAUSE I DESERVE IT, DARN IT, (plus my feet are reeeally sorry lookin') but I was trapped by my "awesome" To Do List. The weekend came and went and my feet are still rough as cobs and I'm still depressed about it.

Well, the next best thing to running away from your work is to become engrossed in something that's not on your list of things to do but will make you feel enormously proud of yourself afterward.  I have just the perfect thing.

Traps.

Yep. Since we're already feeling trapped, let's just extend that feeling to our Small Thing and work on the traps that work so hard in our homes and yet never get much recognition. Think of how THEY feel.

I can think of several traps right off the bat that could use some attention:

Dryer lint trap

Air conditioning filters

Vent filters

Sink food trap/stopper thingies

Window screens

Car oil filter

Mouse traps (hey, you never know)

Today's Small Thing is to follow the old adage, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," and clean at least one of the above mentioned traps (or another one of your choice). 

It'll be like sticking a finger in the eye of freedom and and saying, "who needs ya??" Yeah, that'll feel good.

 

Feel free to clean as many traps as you can find- I don't want to hold you back.

What other traps can you find around the house??

Song of the Day: Trapped by a Thing Called Love, Denise LaSalle

 

Company Girl Coffee 2.17, and Getting Framed

The Small Thing for today is something really, really easy.  You hardly have to do anything at all to participate.  No heavy lifting, no breaking a sweat....it's a perfect little job for a Friday.

Today's Small Thing is to dust the picture frames in your house. 

The ones on the walls are the most easily missed and you might be surprised at the amount of dust that settles on them.  You can take a soft cloth and wipe them down, or use a feather duster or even a vacuum attachment to remove the dust.  Just get them looking spiffy and your home will start to sparkle!  Easy.

How many framed items are in your house? I have 12 just in my bedroom alone! Phew, this is going to feel GREAT to get done.

Song of the Day: Pictures of You, The Last Goodnight

 

Time for coffee, ladies! Company Girl Coffee is a weekly feature that gives everyone a chance to get to know one another. If you are a blogger, simply invite people to your blog by linking up below. Everyone, blogger or not, is encouraged to go and visit the blogs that link in - stop in and say "hello" and maybe make a new friend. Non-bloggers can participate by chatting it up in the comment section. If you are reading this post via email, you'll have to come to Home Sanctuary in order to see the blogs listed. Have fun....and have a wonderful weekend!

 

Your Replacement is Here

A friend of mine recently had the awkward experience of starting a new job BEFORE the person he was replacing had been fired. He had to wait in an empty office while the predecessor was given the pink slip and escorted out. It was not a good way to begin.

Job replacements don't happen nearly often enough at the Ridge Household & Co. For example, I tend to wait until an employed light bulb has far exceeded his wattage and become burned out in his position for a long time, before I think about hiring a bright new recruit.

The plug-in air fresheners become obsolete dinosaurs before I consider finding a fresh employee that will gel nicely with the work environment.

Guest towels usually become embroiled in sordid affairs before I am willing to wipe my hands clean of them. I should, at the first hint of scandalous dirt, seek replacements with spotless records.

But I'm busy. I'm distracted. I'm too lazy to dig through drawers of applications to find the perfect replacements. It seems I promote these guys to their level of incompetence and then leave them there, while I wonder why we've lost our cutting edge.

Today's Small Thing is to fire those employees who have outlasted their usefulness, cleanliness or stylishness. 

Do some recruiting and replace them with applicants who are bright, competent, clean and willing to work hard in your environment. Burned out light bulbs, air-fresheners, towels...these guys are just the tip of the corporate iceberg. How about place mats, sheets, and table cloths? A dusty old flower arrangement that you know is obsolete.  Windshield wiper blades that scrape. Filters, batteries, motor oil. A dingy bra that ain't holding anything up. Really now.

Use your managerial skills to get rid of the dead weight personnel, and find replacements that will increase efficiency, solidify your branding as a leader, and generally give your organization the boost it needs.

What positions need replacing at your house??

Song of the Day: Beauty for Ashes, Crystal Lewis Ray - what a great replacement!

Hip to Be Square

(I've been in my studio, working on some canvas squares.)

Today's Small Thing is for you rebels that don't like to be told what to do. 

Oh, yeah. You know who you are.

Today you get to pick not only what you are going to do, but how you are going to do it, where you want to do it and with whom (if anyone) you'd like to do it with.

Just one small caveat.

Your Small Thing has to have something to do with squares.

Squares, you ask?  Yes, squares.

You see, squares aren't the cool shapes, like triangles and octagons.  They're not the sexy circles and ovals, or the tall and debonair rectangles.  Squares are the level-headed, even tempered geometrics that don't get featured much in art or movies or landscaping.  Although they've got a corner on seeing things from all the right angles, their quiet simplicity is no match for the edgy trapezoids with their bold use of linear adventure.  Squares don't get invited to parties with the A-List triangles or the powerful pentagons, they just go about their business of being solidly basic...day after day.

I think it's time we gave squares their own Small Thing. 

So what can you do with squares? Let me give you a few ideas and then I'll cut you loose to see what you can come up with!

• Of course, there is food: make waffles or lemon squares.  Brownies make excellent squares.
• Do some quilting.
• Make a scrapbook page featuring squares.
• Use sugar cubes in your tea.
• Write a thank-you note on a square note card.
• Straighten up those square pillows on your couch.
• Play checkers or chess...the board has all the squares you could possibly need!
• Clean some window panes.
• Play hopscotch or 4 Square.
• Eat 3 square meals today, instead of skipping them.
• Do a craft out of felt squares.
• Set out some pretty square soaps.

You don't have to get complicated...just have fun thinking outside the box today!  Sanctuary is all about finding the surprises in each day, no matter what shape or size they come in.  See, when you start deliberately looking for a shape....or a blessing, or a daily grace.... you will start finding them everywhere.

Okay, now the ball is squarely in your corner! 

 

Do you have some hip square ideas to share?  Maybe we need a few more to inspire us!

Song of the Day: Hip to Be Square, Huey Lewis and the News