Home Sanctuary

Rearranging

Art Giveaway on OrgJunkie

First off today I want to let you know that Laura, the OrgJunkie, is doing a great giveaway of one of my canvas art prints on her blog this week! If you're looking for a chance to win one for FREE, hop on over and join in. She is also running at 15% off special on anything in my store, when you enter the code ORGJUNKIE when you order. That's a great discount, and as always the shipping is free for orders over $100, and only $10 for those under $100.00. Several of the prints would make great wedding or graduation gifts, so I hope you'll do a little shopping this week!

My special thanks to Laura, my favorite organizer, who makes me feel like getting organized is fun and doable. I appreciate her honest and practical approach to organizing, as well as her friendly encouragement along the way. She is a gem, and hers is one of the few blog I truly follow.

Rearranging

I've been super scarce online this week, as I've been working on a project that has taken more time and energy than I anticipated. I've literally collapsed at the end of the day without turning on the computer to answer emails and comments - so if you haven't heard from me, thats why! I even missed posting a Small Thing yesterday - argh.

Our project has been all about rearranging. Three years ago, we installed this incredible piece of art in one of Dallas's premier residences, The W.

Our client loves this piece, titled "A Life Well Lived," so much that when he recently sold his condo, he decided to bring it with him to his new place. Unfortunately, his new place is much smaller, and the only way to install the 20 x 10 foot piece is to rearrange it horizontally! It has been like a huge puzzle, to say the least.

I will tell you more about it tomorrow, but for now let's tackle a Small Thing.

Today's Small Thing is to do some rearranging. . . ON A SMALL SCALE.

No need to go up on a scissor lift 20 feet in the air, no need to number anything. Simply take a fresh look at what's on your coffee table, or book shelf or corner... and move things around. I recently shopped my own house and changed a couple of lamps and am WOWED by the difference! You can rearrange the cannisters on your counter, the bottles in your fridge door, or the flowers in a pot. Just look around and mess with what you've got - easy and fun.

Rearranging is great because it is FREE. It makes what you have seem like it's new, simply by putting things into a different light or vignette.

What will YOU rearrange today? Go crazy if you want - have fun!!

Song of the Day: You Decorated My Life, Kenny Rogers

 

Summer Schedules

With kids chomping at the bit to be out of school for the summer, moms everywhere are heading into summer schedules....or the lack thereof. I love being able to be more relaxed about the state of the house - you just HAVE to be or you'll drive yourself crazy - but I don't want things to get so out of hand that we are living in squallor for 10 weeks until the bell rings once again.

This is a great time to review and modify your housekeeping schedule, so that you can enjoy the fireflies, swimming and lemonade without feeling overwhelmed by laundry, cleaning and dishes. Here are a few of my housekeeping posts to help you find a little structure AND breathing room....so you can be THAT Mom that says "yes" to your kids' harebrained ideas (like pitching a tent in the living room) without coming unglued.

Simply take into account things like vacations, trips to the local waterpark, and family activities as you go through the posts. When you spend 4 hours a day at a pool keeping your kids from drowning, you'll want to come home to easy tasks and a stack of DVD's to watch :) - not a rigid list of things to maintain.

Step 1 Household Organization

Step 2 Where Does My Time Go?

Step 3 A Real World Housekeeping Schedule

and this one for Moms just starting out:

Housekeeping Advice for New Moms

Today's Small Thing is to take a look at your calendar and summer activities, and plug in a bit of structure to your housekeeping responsibilities.

With more free time on their hands, the kids can handle a couple more chores to help out - and now is the time to establish a simple routine for them. Summer should be fun and relaxed - and the best way to accomplish that is to lighten up a little and change some of your expectations. Setting up a summer housekeeping schedule that gives you freedom to enjoy life is your first step in the right direction!

Song of the Day: Long Hot Summer, Keith Urban

Last Day of School and Coffee 5.25

Today is Grayson's last day of high school! Wow....I can't believe it.

Here he is on his very first day of kindergarten:

 

And here he is now. Awwwww:

I'll write more about him later, but today I'll be making our traditional "last day of school" chocolate chip cookies to dip into cold milk for our last-day celebration. We've been doing that on every first day and last day of school and this is OUR FINAL COOKIE PARTY!

So before I start shedding a tear, let's link up for our weekly coffee time. Simply add your blog post into the linky tool below to participate. It's a great way to meet new bloggers and invite others to your own blog. Even if you don't link up, I hope you'll grab a cup of coffee and stop in and visit the awesome ladies here. (If you're reading this in an email, just click on the blog post title to go to Home Sanctuary to see the links.)

Have a wonderful weekend....and enjoy the holiday. I will be back on Tuesday, and there is no Small Thing Today to kick off Memorial Day weekend. :)

 

Magic Markers

My kids always mock me when I use the term "magic markers" when referring to colored felt tipped pens used for art and highlighting.

"OH ARE THEY 'MAGIC'???? Do they have special powers?" they'll say in sarcastic tone, with a look that clearly shows their superior knowlege of marking pens.

"What's wrong with calling them "magic markers?" I asked Lauren one day. "That's what they've always been called ever since I can remember."

"Mom." She patiently explained. "No one except old people calls them "magic markers" anymore. That must be some kind of old fashioned name for them. They are simply "markers."

Well, that was news to me....but what really stung was the careless use of the phrase "old people" and the fact that I was being classified as such by the simple addition of the adjective "magic" in front of "marker."

OUCH.

A little research into my geriatric phrase taught me that, much like "Scott Towels" and "Kleenex" - brands that became synonymous with their products, "Magic Markers" was a brand that generations past embraced and used to denote any and all felt-tipped colored pens.

Clearly, I am an old person. And yes, kids, they DO have special powers. Haven't you seen what they can do for an art project?? It's so obvious.

Today's Small Thing is to round up your dried out markers, magic and otherwise, and toss them out.

I could open almost any drawer in my house and find one or two old markers laying in there - for no reason at all - except that maybe I'm too lazy to throw them away. Perhaps I think I might, by touching the felt tip to my tongue in a moment of desperation, get one last message out of those pens, but alas! I should simply accept that the magic has gone from them.

Take a quick look at your kids' marker collection and weed those out while you're at it. Imagine how nice it will be to only have markers that WORK? Wow, what a feeling.

What do YOU call markers? Are you stuck in a time warp like I am and add the word "magic" to them? With a little luck, we might be able to break the yoke of that spell and drop it from from their moniker for good.

What other phrases show your age?

Song of the Day: This Magic Moment, The Drifters. 

Within Reach

Today's Small Thing is within reach of each one of us.

Literally!

I mean, it's right. within your reach.

Let me explain.

Where are you sitting (or standing) as you read this? OK. Open your arms wide and look around you. What do you see within them?

Papers on both sides of your computer?

Cups, plates and crumbs from last night's midnight snack?

Books, backpacks, notebooks and juice drinks?

An unmade bed and laundry draped over the chair?

Or maybe there are CHILDREN inside your reach. Woot! You might have hit the jackpot of Small Things.

Today's Small Thing is to take care of what is within your reach. You don't have to go far to find things needing attention, care or tending. Simply take a look at what is literally in front of you.... and focus on that.

That's it.

It's not necessary to travel far and wide to find something to attend to. Most needs are right under our noses...and sometimes it's good to just "do the next thing."

What is within YOUR reach right now? Don't overthink it...just do it!

Song of the Day: Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand, Diana Ross

Cabinet Members

The political season already has me weary this year. It reminds me of this Small Thing from 2010, brought back today because it's just so hard to maintain the system.

I'm afraid that there is some corruption going on at the highest cabinet levels of my home. Both the left-leaning members and the right-leaning members have shown no signs of coming to a consensus on how they stand on the issues. Appointed for life, (or until they crack from the pressure), they are a odd mix of political and social demagogues who constantly seem to get themselves in hot water.

Yeah, it's these guys.

Despite many closed-door meetings and lengthy coffee breaks, these characters seem more interested in mugging for the camera than making any real changes.  What they really need is some outside leadership to set things straight.

Today's Small Thing is to call an emergency cabinet session to bring about some order. 

 Remind these mugs that they have a duty to provide a united front to the junior politicos in the department of glassware, who look to them for direction. Enjoy seeing what a little bit of change in the highest levels can do for you!

Vote Yes! to tidying up the mug/teacup cabinet members.

And wouldn't it feel good to bring justice to the glassware? Lord knows there's plenty of corruption going on in that department, too.

Just for fun: yesterday we talked about favorite coasters. How about a favorite cup or mug? Is it a souvenir from a memorable vacation or one you were given for Secretary's Day? Mine is the one in the photo with the hockey player on it: my son! Tell me about YOUR favorite cup and why....

Song of the Day: Tea for Two, Yael Meyer 

Coasting...and a Winner

Something went wrong with my email this weekend and I wasn't notified of any blog comments....I thought maybe no one cared about Day 2 of 100 Things! So it was a lovely surprise to log on to my blog late Sunday night and see the comments there. I didn't get to respond to them like I like to, but I loved reading the reports.

So let's draw a winner. The winner of the small-sized "Small Things" print is Lorina! I thought her insight was awesome:

And here's my brilliant insight from my hour and a half of cleaning... minimum maintenance doesn't work (for me) unless I have something to maintain. Because I did so much work in my room yesterday, I had something to maintain today. OF COURSE I was going to do my five minutes and pick up what was out of place. My room would be a place of refuge and peace again. I'm hoping that tomorrow I will maintain my room and my daughter's room BECAUSE there is something to maintain. And maybe I'll do *gasp* another 100 items in my living room as well. :) Then I'll have three rooms that will be peaceful and a source of joy, not stress.

I think you hit the nail on the head....it is much easier and much more gratifying to maintain "clean" than to do 5 minutes that doesn't seem to make a difference. Sometimes just getting in there and doing a major overhaul is just good for the soul. And for making it easier to maintain.

Lorina, send me your address and I'll get your mini-print to you! Congrats!

 

NOW, let's do an easy Small Thing today. In fact, let's just COAST.

Speaking of coasting, do you use coasters to put underneath glasses and cups? They are such great little inventions! They are often souvenirs from trips abroad, or printed with lovely monograms, or designed to go with your home decor. I've seen crocheted coasters, cork coasters, stone and glass coasters, paper coasters....any way you slice it, coasters are brilliant items, made for protecting furniture surfaces from beverage marks, stains and spills. Many are used for indoor frisbee games by children, but I don't condone that.

 

Symbolarts.com

 

 

You can find these at PerpetualKid.com

 

My son would LOVE these.

Today's simple Small Thing is to clean your coasters. No, not your keesters, silly. Your COASTERS. Be sure you make that distinction or nothing I say next will make any sense. See, I normally notice the poor state of coasters when I'm serving company and realize that their sticky stains are none too appealing. YUK! Save yourself this embarrassment by giving them a bit of attention today. This is so easy you might feel like you're, well.....coasting today.

What do your favorite coasters look like? Are they souvenirs? Logos? Stone? Cork? Paper? Coasters are fun and useful! Tell us about yours.

Song of the Day: Love Potion Number Nine, The Coasters

Company Girl Coffee 5.18 and Winner

It was a lot of fun yesterday - counting up things as we put them away! I was surprised - no, SHOCKED - at how easily and quickly I was able to deal with that many items that were out of place....and how good it felt to get it done so fast!

We had a bunch of Company Girls who participated and reached 100 things (and beyond!) so I had to draw a name for the winner of the "Nest" print. I wish I could send one to each of you! I'll have to do this again so that everyone will have more chances. In fact, read down to the bottom for a another chance today, why not!

The winner of the canvas print is Deborah, who submitted her count along with a poem! She wrote:

Cruising around on facebook, Putting off the "grind," I clicked on "Home, my page refreshed, And Lo! What I did find! A lovely little challenge to get off my behind! That boost was what I needed so to my room I trekked. I found lots of little things some treasured and some not so much. Little pieces of this and that,  Mostly on MY side! What's up with that?? Airsoft guns, mateless socks, nerf bullets, and khaki slacks, Earrings on the nightstand, books and magazines, Receipts never-ending and bits of paper galore! Hangers, a shirt (ack! mine!) and even a dog! Is down there on that floor! I stopped counting at 100 but I passed it not by much, I looked around a bit embarrassed that I had passed over such! But as I put away each little thing, I remembered I was blessed to have such activity:  A job, A spouse, 4 Sons, A church--A family! 2 things I found especially brought a smile to my face A dingy old rag doll made by my own dear grammy And a scrap of paper on which my Mother in Law wrote A lovely little quote: "If thou of fortune be bereft and in thy store there be but left two loaves. Sell one and with the dole buy Hyacinth to feed thy soul."  ~~ James TerryWhite So thank you, Rachel, for this sweet way to get me going Who knew that it would bring a smile  And remind me so much of ones I love. (No dogs were counted or harmed in the meeting of this challenge!)

I love it! And the fact that no dogs were harmed is icing on the cake. :) Thanks for the smile Deborah! Send me your address and I'll get your print to you.

I'm not posting a NEW Small Thing today, except to challenge you to continue yesterday's motivation to go for picking up as many items as possible. For our winner, I've got a SAMPLE sized print of this:

It is 7" square, rather than the usual 14", and it is a great reminder that all the little things (like picking up 100 items) really do matter when they come from the heart. (The full sized print is available here for purchase.)

I will enter yesterday's participants into this drawing AND any new participants who can pick up at least 100 things around the house today. Just leave me a comment with your tally number and I'll announce the winner on Monday! You may enlist help from family members because cleaning is a team sport.

Now, feel free to join us for coffee! Simply enter your blog URL below to invite others over to visit, and then try and visit as many other blogs as you can. Even if you don't enter your own blog, I hope you'll stop in and see these wonderful ladies over the weekend. They are just terrific.

32 Things, But Who's Counting?

I've posted this Small Thing before, but this week I found that I needed it YET AGAIN! Maybe you can use it too....especially since I'm throwing in a prize at the end. Read on:

 

My bedroom actually looked pretty neat the other day.  Bed was made beautifully, not much on the floor....it felt good. 

But as I was laying there for a little Sunday nappipoo, I began to look around.  First at my dresser....and I noticed a few miscellaneous items on top: a pen, a tube of anti-itch cream (poison ivy), a sock, a scarf, a magazine and a phone.  Also a safety pin and a stack of razor blades from the last painting job. 

Eight Things!  I was surprised, because it really didn't LOOK all that bad....until I started counting.

Well, if there were eight things just on my dresser top, I began wondering just how many things were out of place in the rest of my bedroom.  I glanced at my night stand and the rat pile on the floor.   5 Things there.

Husband's night stand and surrounding territory:  7 things

Clothes draped over chairs: 3

Cups: 1

Floor: 2 pairs of shoes, a cook book and box of greeting cards.....

I stopped counting at 32.

For a "Neat" bedroom, that's a lot of things that add up to "Not So Neat."

Today's Small Thing could surprise you.  Simply count up each thing you put away in your bedroom. And why stop at 32?

Do you have 100 things to put away? If you can accomplish a 100 item clean-up, I'll send you a small surprise gift. I have an extra canvas print in my studio that needs a home:

What could be more appropriate than a "nest" print after you tidy up YOUR nest??

Mercy me!  There's No WAY you could have 100 things out of place in your bedroom!  Or. is. there??

OK, you can go into other parts of your house....but ONLY AFTER you've done all there is to do in the bedroom. If there are more than one 100 item people today, I will draw names for a winner since I only have one print today.

READY, SET, GO!! Remember you must put each item away to count it. You have to exhaust everything in your bedroom before you can start on other areas of the house....and it must be done sometime today.

How many things did you find in your bedroom?  I dare you to share! :)

Song of the Day: One Two Three Four, Feist

 

I'm Now on Etsy!

Are you an Etsy fan? I am....I could just drool over the handmade and vintage things for hours. Well, I've decided to have TWO ways for people to find my art, so I've opened an Etsy store to go along with my original store.

You can find me here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rachelanneridge

I've got a new print today, another Proverbs 31 girl in my series! I've received a few requests for Proverbs 31 girls in specific skin and hair colors and I'm having fun creating them. This one is sweet....and can be customized with a different verse from the chapter for those that might want that.

If you've got a minute today, I would LOVE for you to pop over and add me to your Etsy circles or favorites. There are so many artists on that site that I need every bit of support to push my paintings to the front pages! Thank you all for your encouragement and help to get me launched. It has meant the world to me.

Rachel Anne