Home Sanctuary

Turn in June's Points!

Ladies, can you believe June is over? This month just vanished into thin air.

Well you know what that means: time to turn in your points.

I hope you've been "playing along with me" this month, even you've been hit or miss on the Small Things. Simply doing what you can makes all the difference - and we are developing a mindset that looks for ways to love and serve and create the sanctuary our souls long for. That's what this is all about.

Ready? Here's a simple Tally Sheet to help you add up your points. Download TallyJune If you're lost, and wondering what's going on, here is where you can find all the information about points and prizes. 

 

Remember what we are playing for?

Most Points Winner: This month, I have a $50.00 gift certificate to one of my favorite shops in Texas.

Laurie Anna's Vintage Home

Laurie Anna's is a "must stop" when you go to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, TX. In fact, this is "First Monday Weekend"  so you could stop in and shop!  Her shop is brimming with charm for the home - tons of things to make you fall in love with your space again. Remember, I was introduced to Laurie Anna's through my friend Priscilla Shirer. Together, we have oooh'd and aaaah'd over everything from placeholders to bedding, and when Laurie Anna's talented team did the decorating in her cottage, I swooned. Feminine, rustic, and just a touch modern. It is perfection.

Have fun looking through the store - the treasures are hand-picked and beautifully made. I know you'll find something you'll love.

 

 

Random Drawing Winner: If you participated at least once this month, you are eligible for a random drawing. I have created some more coffee cups with my artwork and I will give the winner a choice of cups!

 

You can find all the cups, plus journals and ipad cases and more, at Rachel Anne's Inspired Art. , my new little site at Cafe Press. Yes, I still have my canvas print site, but this one lets me make cool stuff! Please stop in and check it out.

 

Today's Small Thing is to enter to win!

 

This is an easy two-step task:

1. Send me an email (rachelanne (@) homesanctuary.com) with either your Point Total, or your Random Drawing entry. I love seeing photos of your completed Tally Sheets if you want to include them, but it's not required. 

2. Leave a comment, letting us know which was your favorite Small Thing this month! This encourages new Company Girls to go ahead and jump in for next month, and plus it's just FUN to see which tasks you enjoyed!

POINTS: 40 for doing the two-step Small Thing, good towards June's total. You will have until midnight Sunday, June 30 to get your emails to me and comments posted. I'll announce the winners on Tuesday. Since it is a weekend, it is easy to forget, so try and get those emails to me ASAP!

PS This post is getting long, so let's do Company Girl Coffee in the next one down!

Seasons + Company Girl Coffee 6.28

As I've been home by myself this week, I've been thinking. You know, since there's been no one to talk to, thinking seemed like a good alternative to yakking to myself.

My mind has been flitting, settling and flitting again, on the idea of "seasons of life," and how I can feel my own season changing. Not long ago, I could never have imagined spending four hours by myself, let alone a whole week! Wow, I would have given anything for just a few moments with no little people talking to me, asking me for things, making me watch them do tricks with their toes, or arguing with a sibling about who got more. I'd collapse into bed and wish, oh wish, I could get away for an afternoon, or hey, I'd settle for an uninterrupted moment in the bathroom.

Those weren't easy days.

But they were good days.

And for each moment I wanted to run away, there were a hundred more that I felt my heart would burst with love and joy for these beautiful children and their chaos.

I have to be vulnerable for a moment here and say that I'm sad to see that season slip away. I'm a year into this "empty nest " thing and I don't like talking about it in the past tense, as if it is over and done. I love being a mom, and I miss the days of having a baby on the hip and crayons on the floor. I wish the two babies we lost were here, because they'd still be growing up, and arguing over who got more, and making me laugh with their funny ways. Yes, I love this quiet house and I feel I've earned some time to myself, but to be honest, I feel a sense of mourning that something beautiful is gone...and an uncertainty about what the future holds for me. 

{sigh}

In the middle of all this mucking about, I thought about Ecclesiastes 3 and the poignant words found there:

 

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

 

I'm reminded again that God knows the seasons of our lives - the moments, the hours and days that go into the stories He has written for us. Just as I could not have imagined the beauty and the work and the heartache and the joy that my motherhood years would hold, I cannot imagine what things lie ahead in this new season. I can only trust that He has thought everything through and will be with me as I go into uncharted waters. Perhaps there is beauty and work and heartache and joy - everything that has made the past so spectacular - in what is ahead and I can't yet see it. 

And so I trust. And hope. And believe. That He is God of our life's seasons and He will make everything beautiful in its time.

And it will be good.

 

Are you in a new season of life?

Maybe you are a new mom, like my daughter Lauren, and you are in uncharted waters too. Perhaps you are recently single, or are making a move or taking a different job. When things change, we feel the earth move beneath our feet and become afraid that we'll never find a firm footing again. That's just where I am today.

But....I know this and I cling to it: God is faithful.

He keeps us in his loving care and sets our feet on solid ground. We will find our firm footing if we trust Him.

Psalm 40:2 ...He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

On Fridays, I open up my blog for "Company Girl Coffee," a simple link-up for friends. If you are a blogger, I hope you'll add your blog to the list so we can get to know you. If you are not a blogger, feel free to chat with us in the comments. Let us know who you are and what is going on in your life. We are all on a journey - we have Company Girls from college-age to great-grandmothers - and we've found a common thread here. Love for our families, faith in God, hope for the future and the power of small things done in love.

 

You Belong Here

My husband and son have been out of town for over a week, which means.... 

 

I have been alone.

For days.

 

Many people might dread such a scenario - all alone in the country, with no one but Flash and Penny (my donkey and his live-in girlfriend) to keep me company. But I have enjoyed nearly every minute of the solitude. Yes, it's a little creepy at night, but I know where the shotgun is and I'm not afraid to use it if I need to. You think I'm kidding.

 

My days have been filled with work, and home maintenance and writing and (I can't lie), Netflix. (I discovered the series, "Longmire" and now have a new crush.)

 

I've had plenty to keep me busy, but knowing that my boys are nearing home I'm asking myself, "what will really make them feel great when they come through that door?"

What will communicate to them, 

 

You Belong Here.

 

See the truth is, Tom probably won't really care if I got another chapter finished in my book or if I designed a new art piece to sell. I mean, he'd care, but that wouldn't make him feel necessarily loved and cared for.

 

No, the thing that would mean the most to him is.....

if the driveway was weed-free when he got home.

 

Oh Lawd. Weeding the driveway. It's my least favorite job of all time, on the planet, in the universe. I swear.

 

I hate weeding the gravel area. It is impossibly hard and hot and discouraging. And did I mention, hot? That Texas sun will cook ya.

 

 

But Tom will light up like a Christmas tree when he sees how far I got. It's almost done. It's been back-breaking and tedious....all those clumps of grass hanging on for dear life when I pull on them. The ground is hard, the rocks hurt my fingers, half of the weeds don't come up. Ugh.

 

But I've done it...for him.

 

Because he belongs here. And he belongs to me. And I want him to know that I don't care about how hard or how long or how much I hate weeding....I only care about making him feel loved.

 

If you think about it, communicating "You Belong Here" is the whole point of creating sanctuary. Feeling loved and "at home" means that your soul is welcomed, that you are accepted, and that those around you "get" what makes you tick. I "get" my husband's need for order. His need to see things tidied up. I "get" that I have to work hard to see the things that drive him crazy - so often I miss them in my lah-dee-dah dream world - and it takes personal sacrifice on my part to honor his needs.

 

Today's Small Thing is to communicate "You Belong Here." You choose the "who" and the "how." 

 

Think about what makes your loved one tick. What delights him? Or what makes your child's eyes light up? If you're stumped, perhaps think of the things that drive that person crazy, and then figure out how to solve a problem for him. And sometimes it's good to come right out and ask, "What can I do for you that will really make you feel loved?"

Because feeling loved = belonging. And there's no better place to belong than home.

Hey, you've got some great people who belong to you. Show them how glad you are that they are yours.

How will you say, "You belong here?" What makes your loved one tick? In what ways do you "sacrifice" to communicate your love? I hope you'll share!

The Updates

Recently someone asked me for the address of my professional work website, and I found myself (once again) stammering, "Well, it needs to be updated. It doesn't show a whole lot of what we do because I started to load photos and ran into problems....blah blah" I faded off in despair.

This is no way to market a business, and I know it.

It's just that I know it will take hours and hours to select photos, reduce file sizes, upload, add captions....all while re-learning the website code that I forgot in the months since I last updated.

It seems so hard. (This is all said in a slightly whining tone.)

 

artifexstudio.net

Artifex Studio - my "real job"

 

I'm soooo glad he didn't ask me for business cards - those need updating too! Again, no way to market a business. {hangs head in shame}

 

Wow, when you think about all the things a person has to keep updated, is it any wonder we always feel behind? Let's make a little list-ee of things to keep current, and then we might feel justified in our overwhelm:

 

• Calendars: the one on the fridge, phone, computer, work
• Photo albums (I'm not even going to go there)
• Contact lists/Address books
• Birthdays/Big events
• Blogs 
• Websites
• Profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc
• Apps
• Software
• Checkbooks
• Insurance, medical files, registration forms, wills
• Change of address, change of names
• Equipment - (hey, 1999 called: they want their fax machine back)
• Phones
• Wardrobe (oh please - YES! Let's go shopping!)
• Resume
• Password list

 

Whew! Are we done yet? This is hurting my brain.

 

Today's Small Thing is to do some updating.

 

For today's task, find at least ONE thing from this list (or your own) that needs attention. Load a new avatar into your profile, add your last three children into your will, buy a pair of colored jeans that says "2013!" Stuff like that. Or, just add the new birthdays of your growing family to your calendar and call it a day.

 

Sidenote: One of the best things I ever did recently was create a list of all my online passwords. I use it almost every day and it saves me such frustration. Now I just need to update it with my new Panera membership password....

Instead of feeling downtrodden by the list, tell yourself that if you get just ONE of those things updated you'll feel like Wonder Woman! And guess what.....you WILL feel like Wonder Woman! Even SHE had to keep her technologically advanced invisible plane up to date. I just wonder how they could see what to work on....hmmm.

Points: 40 for updating one thing. Easy!

Bonus Points: 20 for each additional "update task" you do today - up to 5 more! (6 total)

Can you help us think of other updates you should keep up with? What will you update today?

 

Impressive

 

You might remember this incident from some time ago, but I love telling it:

"Wow, Mom!" Where did you get those huge spoons?" my daughters, Lauren and Meghan, watched wide-eyed as I pulled industrial-sized spoons from the drawer.

"What, these?" I answered nonchalantly. "From some giants."

The girls, about seven or eight at the time, looked uncertain about whether they could believe me. Then they started peppering me with questions: Are there really giants? Are you just telling a story? How did you meet them? What do they look like?

Finally, I just had to tell the the truth. Look. I met the giants in a far away land, they made a delicious pot of soup for me and gave me the spoons as souvenirs for my journey. Simple. The End.

Lauren and Meghan looked at me in wonder, clearly impressed. Our Mom. Knows giants.

It's easy to impress little kids....not so easy to impress teenagers, or even yourself.

 

Today's Small Thing is to impress someone - maybe not so much with a tall tale, but with an action that gets a "wow" response.

• It could be a simple as adding dessert to an ordinary meal, making an elaborate fort with your child, or finishing that project you've been putting off.

 

• You could impress yourself by exercising for ten extra minutes, actually putting some makeup on, or wearing jewelry at home.

 

• You could impress your boss by making that presentation look top-notch, impress your husband with your cleavage, or impress your teen with your cage-fighting skills. 

 

Hey, it's time to pull out the stops...this is for some big points.

 

POINTS: 50 for doing something impressive - big or small

How will you impress someone today? Whatcha got that will make someone (maybe even yourself) say "WOW!" Share your impressive feats!

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In the Groove

Help Your Kids Love Beauty and Order

via http://raisingfive.com

I'm usually in a pretty good mood. It's a gift I have, to block unpleasant things from my mind. I like to think about bunnies and butterflies and colors...happy things.

When my kids were younger, that mood would start evaporating the closer we got to bedtime.  We'd start the nightly rituals of finishing schoolwork, finding clothes for tomorrow, getting bedtime snacks, brushing teeth and getting into pajamas with PLENTY of time to spare. But somehow, the clock always passed the appointed time and I was no longer a happy camper.

And THEN. I would enter the bedrooms. And I'd lose it.

Lord have mercy, it looks like something exploded in there.

Do these children have no pride in their belongings?  Do they not realize the hard work and sacrifice that went into providing all those stuffed animals, tossed so carelessly on the floor?  And the Legos! Must they always be underfoot?  And are these heaps of clothes clean or dirty?  Alright, who was eating crackers in here?

Please tell me I'm not alone in my frustration.

Today's Small Thing is to focus on just ONE (kid) bedroom in your house.  

 

Now, I know that kids should be responsible enough to clean up their own rooms and take care of their own stuff. Haven't you been trying to teach them that their whole lives? 

 

But children are just like adults, in that they are often overwhelmed by the size of the mess they've made and have no idea where to start. They sometimes need outside help to either get them started, or keep them moving.

Cleaning up kids' rooms can be very taxing on your patience.  I'm just warning you now.  

But it's good to think that, by giving them a hand, you are helping them love order and beauty.

 

This is a good thing. Because if they never experience it, how can they love it?

 

Occasionally, I've cleaned my older children's rooms as a gift to them. They did not expect me to clean it, and if they did, they'd have another thing coming. But the delight on their faces to see a vacuumed floor and a made bed with the teddy bears on it, made me see that they too, enjoy a gift of service when it is done with love. If you choose to do this, remember that you're not making a habit of spoiling them, you're just showing them what clean looks like. And if you can do it with a smile, well, you're getting another jewel in your crown.

If you don't have children at home, just focus on YOUR bedroom today. Even if most of the house is a horrible mess, working steadily at one area will give you a feeling a great satisfaction.

POINTS: 50 for helping a child clean his/her bedroom, or giving a gift of service by doing it (just this once!) for him/her.

 

Here are a few of my favorite tips:

• Try breaking the job into small pieces and making a game out of it.
• Pack up some of the toys and clutter and store for a rainy day. Less is more.
• Use bins and baskets, use labels and pictures to help him sort.
• Use a timer, with a reward for a "job well done."
• Use a simple checklist to help him know what "finished" is.
• Make picking up a daily routine, not an occasional overhaul.
• Use a simple chore chart. Don't make it so elaborate you don't use it.
• Love this chore helper by my brilliant sister, Katherine.
• Most importantly, talk about how having things neat makes us feel good!

What are YOUR favorite tips?

Company Girl Coffee

Good Morning!

Last night I got to babysit my new little granddaughter while her parents when out for their "first date after baby!" Ivy is five weeks old, so it was time for them to spend a few hours away - alone.

I had to get lots of kisses in, since it had been almost two weeks since we'd seen each other. That's too long!

After the two lovebirds got home from their date, we stayed up and watched the NBA final game...it got later and later. I didn't think I could stay awake for the hour drive home. So I just spent the night on the couch. Kind of like a slumber party. :)

Oh good....that means I get to kiss Ivy this morning when she wakes up!!

I've got to hit the road for home first thing this morning, so I'll simply leave ya'll with the linky for Company Girl Coffee. I don't know if I'll have a chance to get a Small Thing posted later today or not. 

 

I woke up with this verse on my mind:

Don't you love this?

 My sweet friends, it's my prayer that you'll know His presence today - He is with you and will never leave you no matter what. He is going before you and knows every detail of your circumstance. Nothing surprises Him. Trust Him to take care of you...He is faithful, He has a plan for you and He loves you. Even if you can't see what he is doing, you can rest in the knowledge that He is working for your good and His glory.

What is on your heart today? Is there a verse or message God is speaking to you? I hope you'll share - either in the comments or in a blog post. Link up and let us know what's happening in your life. How has God shown Himself to you this week?

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Find Your Inner Rosie

 

My grandmother, Corella ("Kelly") Rasmussen, was a real "Rosie the Riveter" during World War II.  She moved from North Dakota to California, with her husband and two young boys, to work in the ship yards.  She worked days and my grandpa worked nights, saving every penny so that they could return home with enough money to buy a business.

I LOVE stories of women with true grit.  Those gals, who donned overalls and learned how to weld, helped change the course of the war and shaped a generation.  They planted Victory Gardens, recycled rubber, worked in factories and raised children.  They learned to "make do or do without," when they needed to. 

Our modern generation hasn't really had to draw upon the strength of our riveting grandmothers because of the prosperity we've enjoyed.  But I like to think that if push came to shove, we'd roll up our sleeves and find the backbone that's within us, too.

Sometimes, uncertainties about our economic or political futures can paralyze us.  We listen to the News like junkies and wring our hands over what we hear.  I find myself feeling uninspired to make the best of my home in light of all the doom and gloom.  Oh me, oh my! Why bother?

 

Today's Small Thing is to find your Rosie the Riveter attitude and go kick some you-know-what today! 

 

What happens in Syria (or in your local city council meeting) won't make a hill of beans difference to the clutter that begs to be picked up.  And hey, economic stress is no fun (trust me), but it's nothing new...just ask Rosie!  Somehow you'll find a way to make it. Roll up your sleeves, put some Big Band music on, and fight through your To-Do list like a home-front gal!  

Yeah, baby!

 

POINTS: 50 for showing true grit today!  Dig deep and finish at least ONE task completely! You could do a laundry load from start to finish (like we did on Tuesday), dry the dishes in the rack and put them away, clean a room or pay some bills...you choose.  Hair nets and housecoats are optional.

Here's a little list of Big Band music to get you in the mood:

Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller
Tuxedo Junction - Glenn Miller
In the Mood - Glenn Miller (Today's song)
Little Brown Jug - Glenn Miller
Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller
Pennsylvania 6-5000 - Glenn Miller
Koko - Duke Ellington
Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing - Duke Ellington
Let's Dance - Benny Goodman
Sing, Sing, Sing - Benny Goodman
Body and Soul - Benny Goodman
I'll Be Seeing You - Tommy Dorsey
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Louis Armstrong
Blue Skies - Ella Fitzgerald
Sentimental Journey - Les Brown and Doris Day

What's in Your Pockets?

 

When my youngest child started school, I thought I would finally have the time to get organized.  I'd have whole days to work on my photo albums, balance the checkbook, deep clean the closets and categorize all the stuff in the garage.

Unfortunately, that was right about the time that my man's job went buh-bye and we started scrambling to make ends meet.  I printed up business cards and started painting anything that didn't move.  I got a lucky break and got to do a Parade Home, and then things really got rolling.  Suddenly, I was a working mom and I was (am) still struggling with getting organized.

Now, don't get me wrong, having a business like mine is really a dream come true.  Getting to do something creative every day AND get paid for it is pretty sweet.  But going up and down ladders, hauling bins of paint, setting up, breaking down, making samples and sketches at night and worrying about project schedules....all while trying to do the best job I could as a mom and a wife?  Phew! Let's just say I'm tired a lot.

But what I've discovered is pockets.

Little pockets of time, here and there.

See, I rarely get big chunks of time to "get organized."  But Pockets of Time, say 5, 10 or 15 minute pockets, can pop up at unexpected moments.  Like when you're waiting for the highlights to activate on your Frost N Glo kit (or in my case, Root Touch Up Kit).  Or waiting for someone to finish brushing their teeth so you can tuck them in.  Or in between the nightly news and Wheel of Fortune.  Or while talking on the phone.

Once, I made a list of all the things I could think of that could be done in 15 minutes or less.  Many of the tasks were things that I never believed could fit into a pocket, so I timed myself just so I wouldn't have to add them to my list.

They fit. 

Here are some of the things in my pockets:

• Fold a load of clothes.
• Unload a dishwasher.
• Load a dishwasher.
• Wipe down a sink and mirror.
• Scrub a potty.
• Clean the kitchen sink.
• Pick up an entire room.
• Make my bed.
• Water the plants.
• Straighten a junk drawer.
• Read a story to a preschooler. (sometimes I would put it off, thinking I didn't have time...but it actually fits in a pocket, too!)
• Shave my legs. (it counts as a task)
• Clean a stove top.
• Go through mail.
• Make a bed.

Today's Small Thing is to see what you can fit into a pocket. 

When you start to see all those giant, looming jobs for what they really are, they don't seem so bad.  See?  They can't be TOO big if they fit into a pocket!

All you have to do is fill two small pockets today...with any tasks of your choosing!  Use any of the ones I've listed, or create your own list!  I kept my list handy because I have a tendency to forget easily.

POINTS: 50 for filling two small pockets of time...they can be back-to-back little tasks, or you can do them whenever a pocket shows up! 

BONUS POINTS:  30 Make your own list of things that can fit in your pockets! 

That's a pocketful of points for something so easy!

What are YOUR favorite "pocket" tasks? I hope you'll share! I LOVE reading your comments and suggestions.

Washed Up

I've been in church my whole life and have heard my share of spiritual sports analogies. Maybe men think that the holy life is lived out like a baseball game, but I think that women instinctively know that it's never the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, two outs, three balls and two strikes.

Oh, no. In our hearts, we know that the spiritual journey is exactly like....laundry.

First, we know there is cleansing involved.

And second, we know:  It. will. NEVER. end.

I'm chuckling a little bit, but if you've ever felt like you're drowning, don't know which end is up, been put through the wringer and then hung out to dry, I think you know what I'm talking about. It's hard to see what in the world God is doing when you're in the middle of difficult times.

I pulled fresh towels from the dryer last night, and reflected on how God uses everyday object lessons like laundry to remind me that HE will never be finished with ME. You see, when we are used up, messed up, and hung up on stuff, He swoops in and makes everything right. Cleansed, forgiven, cared for....He never considers us too "mundane" to keep working on. Maybe that sounds silly, but thinking about that truth made the load of towels a joy to fold.

OK, maybe not a JOY per se, but a "pleasurable task."

Since we are talking about laundry (and the fact that it never ends) today, let's incorporate it into our Small Thing.  

Today's Small Thing is to do one load, from start to finish. 

That means washed, dried, folded and put away.  I will probably do a load of sheets...so easy....but you can do any load you want, even a small one. Doing something small, from start to finish, can be a huge victory if you are feeling overwhelmed with life.  Pat yourself on the back for accomplishing something that rarely gives you glory, and enjoy the big points to make the job even easier.

50

POINTS: 50 for doing one complete load of laundry, big or small.  Washed, dried, folded and put away!  Woo!

BONUS POINTS:  ADDITIONAL 30 for one more complete load!

What's your favorite laundry detergent? Have you ever made your own? Are you *ever* caught up on laundry? Share your wash-day secrets, my friends. 

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