Cleaning for the Holidays! The Bathroom!

Last week we cleaned our living room, and I did too! My son, Caden and I took everything off of shelves and dusted everything (Ah-CHOO!). We swept under all furniture, and swept down cobwebs, wiped down all of those little milk spots (from a little Mister's bottles...) on our leather furniture... But in the end, it all go done. This morning you can't tell much, but once the floor (the boy's blankets and Legos!) is cleaned up, it looks a LOT better... Everything in it's place!

This week, is our Bathroom. If you have more than one, you can focus on your MAIN bathroom, or all of them! I have one (finished!) bathroom, so I will focus on that! Here is a list of things I am going to make sure I cover:

• Spray down the outside and inside of toilet, sink & tub. Scrub down!!! If you are using one rag, start with the sink first. Then go to the tub, THEN the toilet. Washing the rag thoroughly with HOT water each time. You don't want to carry the germs from the toilet to your sink! YUCK!
• Do your cupboards need a good cleaning/ organizing? OH, buddy... Mine needs a good organizing! With 4 little boys digging in the cupboards all the time, it gets a little disorganized! Clean where you keep your toothbrushes!
• Wash the walls! Our walls get all steamed up, and then cool down. When the toilet flushes and the lid is up, there are little particles that go into the air and can land on your walls and such.... I know, YUCK! Scrub 'em down! Scrub down cupboard fronts. Dust!
• Scrub the floor! Scrub around the toilet LAST. Work from the opposite side of the room from the toilet, work toward the toilet. That way, you don't spread those germs from around the toilet to the rest of the floor.
• Clean the door handles and light switches! These are touched the most in your bathroom, make sure they get a good cleaning!
• Need to replace bulbs? Replace ANYTHING? DO it this week!

Along with getting ready for Thanksgiving, I will focus sometime on cleaning the bathroom. You KNOW if you have people over, everyone will hit the bathroom a few times! Make sure it is clean and ready for guests! Make sure you have enough T.P. out, and soap by the sink.

Join me! Let's clean that bathroom!

Ready for the Holidays- Clean-up Living Room!

So, last week I skipped out on my Clean-up of my Entry Area. I will definitely be coming back to it though.... I had a sick kid and the week filled up with "stuff" really quick. But, this week is my Living Room Week!

You can participate if you would like, but this is just something I like to make sure is done before the Holidays!

Living Room

This week I will be:

• First, do a "general" clean-up. Then, go to "spot cleaning".
• Take everything off of shelves, dust! When I go to put things back, does this really belong here? Maybe Re-arrange!
• Look through all of my free magazine collection, and weed out what I don't NEED anymore. The rest put back away, nicely in a basket.
• Move all furniture, sweep under! Move furniture how I am going to want it when we get our Christmas tree. So it will be all ready to go!
• Anything doesn't belong in the living room? Get it out! This is the week!
• Wash blankets and pillows on couches.
• Clean-out/ Straighten-up CD/ DVD collections.
• What do the windows look like? Clean 'em! Do curtains and/ or blind need a cleaning? Do it!
• Get rid of all cob-webs!
• No toys in the living room but baby toys. Clean out baby toy collection, clean the toys.
• Anything need fixing? Fix it?
• Light bulbs need replaced? Replace 'em!

My Goal: Not for a perfectly cleaned home, but for a cozy home that is less maintenance in the future months. I don't want to have people over and wish I had thought about cleaning the cobwebs!

Update on how everything went on Friday!

Our Reminder...

Titus 3:1 Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, and to be ready to do good in every way.

3:2 Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude toward everyone.

3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds. We spent our lives in malice and envy; others hated us and we hated them.

3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed,

3:5 he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us.

3:6 God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

3:7 so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.

God is SO good. Don't be afraid to remind YOURSELF & OTHERS!

Our God is Awesome!

(Psa 24:1) The world and all that is in it belong to the LORD; the earth and all who live on it are his.

(Psa 24:2) He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth and laid its foundations in the ocean depths.

(Psa 24:3) Who has the right to go up the LORD's hill? Who may enter his holy Temple?

(Psa 24:4) Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises.

(Psa 24:5) The LORD will bless them and save them; God will declare them innocent.

(Psa 24:6) Such are the people who come to God, who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.

(Psa 24:7) Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

(Psa 24:8) Who is this great king? He is the LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, victorious in battle.

(Psa 24:9) Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

(Psa 24:10) Who is this great king? The triumphant LORD ---he is the great king!

Ready for the Holidays- Clean-up!

As we all know, the holidays can produce a LOT of stress. Especially if we are hosting an event or 2... This year, as in the last couple, I am hosting my family's Thanksgiving AND Christmas. Which, I DO love to do! But, if I don't plan ahead, I could get a little stressed out. I want to focus on the REASON for the holidays, not focusing on me and how much I have to do!

So, starting next week, and each week up until Christmas, I am choosing a room in my home, and I am turning it upside down, and then turning it right side up again, so it will be ready for company this holiday season.

Here is my clean-up line-up:

• Nov. 9-13 Entry Area ( This is the clutter area in my house! I want this to be a warm & inviting welcome spot in my home!)
• Nov. 16-20 Living Room (This just needs a GOOD cleanin...)
• Nov. 23-27 Bathroom ( I know this is the week of Thanksgiving, but I am assigning the bathroom to this, because it was the smallest job! I think I can do this in 2 or 3 days!)
• Nov. 30- Dec. 4 Bedrooms ( I have a few kid's rooms to go through and rid out, and my room could probably use a good cleaning too.)
• Dec. 7-11 Kitchen/ Dining Area ( For me, these 2 rooms are the same area. And it could really use a good straightening up!)
• Dec. 14-18 Outside ( If you haven't decorated or even cleaned up your outside area, now is the time to do it. At this time, I will probably add a few winter items outside, and make sure everything is in Christmas condition!)

So, that my friends, is my plans for cleaning up! If you would like to join me in clean-up, I would love it! You can link up in the comments area. But Mondays, I will show you a before pic, and on Fridays, I will post an after pic.

Now that I have the cleaning planned out, now to look at the Thanksgiving Meal... Mmmm! Can't wait! See you Monday, so I can start cleaning!

Have You Tried Swagbucks?

So far, I have bought over $70 in Amazon.com gift cards, and I have more Swag yet to use!!!

Check it out, click on the pic above...

Tropical Traditionsl Virgin Coconut Oil, WINNER!!!

We have a winner for our Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil giveaway, and it is........

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

48 

Timestamp: 2009-10-30 17:21:26 UTC

Ms Mel!!!

Congratulations!!!

I Love This Gift from My Son

One thing that I hold very close to my heart is this picture given to me from my 8 year old son...

He earned it from his Bible class in (public) school. And he gave it to me, because he "just knew I would love it". And I do! It's in a little metal frame, and obviously it is of Jesus... And best of all, whenever I look at it, I know that my first born son, gave it to me, because he knows I love Jesus!

What do you love today?

Go HERE to see more things that people LOVE!

Christmas Break is only 6 Weeks Away...

...my son informs me the other day. 6 WEEKS? I haven't even BEGAN to prepare! That is when I thought of something I am always curious about and also motivated by...

When are YOU ready for Christmas?

Like when are you finished gift shopping and finished decorating, wrapping gifts, etc?

Take our poll, and we can see what others have to say also!

New Look!

Yes, if you've been here before, you probably noticed the new look of this blog! Oh man, I found a great little place to find cute shabby chic decoration for your blog... shabbyblogs.com. So, I am so proud of myself, I got this cute background picked out, I install it. I go into the template choices on blogger and I change it, so my header color would be different. BIG MISTAKE. All of the work I had previously put into making my blog a 3 column blog went right out the window... Arrg!

So, if you have never messed with HTML's and such on a blog, then this conversation is pretty boring, but let me just say a LOT of super hard work was flushed in the 1 second it took to click on a button. And I was slightly frantic, to say the least!

So I went to work! And after over 3 hours hard work, I think I can live with what I came up with. If you like it, please let me know!

I also have to tell you, I just COULD NOT figure out why there was one certain problem happening and I could NOT fix it (I will spare you the long and boring details). I looked over my work like 10 times, I changed some numbers around... Did a little tweaking here and there... but NOTHING! I was so frustrated! That's when I stopped and prayed. Yes, I prayed about the LOOKS of my blog, and that God would help me figure out the problem. I took a walk and checked in on my boys, all asleep and snuggled in their beds. When I came back, I did a little changing of a few things that I hadn't tried before, and WA-LA! It worked! Within 1 minute of sitting back down at my computer! I nearly cried, and then I thanked my AWESOME God, who sees no request too small.

So, if you get nothing else from this entry (especially with all of the crazy HTML talk), please remember, no request is too small for God! Especially when you BELIEVE He will actually do it for you. Because my friends, He CAN do ANYTHING! He can move mountains, and He can fix blogs! We serve an awesome God! =) Am I right?!

Lots more fun stuff coming up! Keep checkin' back!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

The weather is getting colder, and the holidays are just around the corner. I was just thinking about cleaning and redecorating (rearranging more like it). And I thought I would share with you some of my favorite things!

To start out, I have a very season appropriate item... Thermos! My husband and I don't get to go 'antiquing' very often, but when we do, and if we see a Thermos in great shape, we will grab it! Only 3 have any sort of a story, the silver one and the Dunkin' Donuts one in the first pic, were my grandpa's. When we went to Florida in July (you may remember that), I got these two from their house down there. The other 2 on the left are just some we've picked up along the way...

One here has a story... My sister Elizabeth picked up the Mickey Mouse thermos on the right for me. It was like $.50 at a garage sale. And she knows Mickey is my fav! The other 2 we have also picked up along the way...

We love our Thermos! Do you have a collection of things that YOU love? You can share if you like! If there is a good response, I could start putting up a link for you all to show pics of your favorite collections... I have several things around the house that I am going to show you in days to come... Hope you enjoyed!

"Clean" Home in a Jiffy!

OK, so you get a call that someone from your church is running something over to your house, or that your mother-in-law is dropping by to say 'hi'... You say, "Sure! We'll be here!". You hang up the phone, and you scan your house. 'Oh my goodness... This place is a MESS!'

If your house is like mine, and your life is like mine too, you home isn't really a MESS, but more 'lived in'... In a hurry, my home could probably be all 'cleaned' in 45 minutes - 1 hour. But you have 5-10 minutes.. What do you do???

First, if you have kids, don't be afraid to put them to work... EVER. It is good for a child to learn to help around the house. Don't be afraid to make them do this everyday! I have a chore chart, and have for about a year, for my boys. This has not only been great for my boys to learn not to make such a big mess, but also has been great for me! I don't have to try to do 6 hours work in 2 hours!

Second, realize homes will be lived in! ESPECIALLY when you visit someone else's home! How can you point out the speck in your friend's eye, when you have a PLANK in your own, yet don't see it?

Third, make sure you focus your attention on the worst offenders. These usually are your kitchen sink, your counter tops, your table tops, and your entry area. If these are a mess, the rest of your house can be spotless, but no one would notice! So, if you have only a few minutes, go to it! Stick those dishes in the dishwasher, or at least rinse them and stack them nicely in the sink. Or run a sink full of soapy water to soak those dirty dishes. Clear off those counters and table! Usually mine just gets stacked with things when we come home from somewhere, we drop them on the counter. The A LOT of times, everyone "forgets" about those things! Make each one of the children take THEIR things to their rooms... Make small piles of things that go together. If there are several things that get put away with the coats, make a pile. Make another pile of things that go on your desk or to your office. Then, you make ONE trip to each area, instead of 10. If you still have a minute, make sure they are all wiped down! Stuck on food or spills make a surface look HORRIBLE! Spray a stuck on food area with some cleaner, then let it set. This helps, instead of stressing and scrubbing over a tiny food spot that, when revisited in a few minutes of spraying down, would wipe right up!

If you have a half an hour, one thing that ALWAYS makes my house look TONS better is to pull out the sweeper and go to work! Don't ask me why, but the house always looks SO much better after it has been swept...

Fourth, look in the mirror. Then smile! Take a breath and be happy! Don't worry about things that you can't control... Enjoy your company!

One thing that also helps in keeping a home that you AREN'T embarrassed about, is to either before you go to bed or first thing in the morning, have your house picked up. Then when people "drop by", you won't freak out when you see them in your driveway!

Health: Top 10 Anti- Indoor Pollution House Plants

I just came across this great article on eco-friendly, safe houseplants great for helping get rid of that indoor pollution.

You know, air pollution from mold, mildew, chemicals (from cleaners, aerosol sprays, scented candles, etc), plastics, etc.

These 10 plants will not only help to improve the air quality in your home, but it will also make your home more beautiful.

1. The Feston Rose Plant

2. Devil's Ivy

3. Phalaenopsis

4. English Ivy

5. Parlor Ivy

6. African Violets

7. Christmas Cactus

8. Yellow Goddess

9. Garlic Vine

10. Peace Lily

Check out the article HERE, and start making your home less polluted and more beautiful!

Young or Old, You Can Still Be Wise...

"When he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he was angry

and began to speak. I am young, and you are old, so I was afraid to tell you what I think.

I told myself that you ought to speak, that you older men should share your wisdom.

But it is the spirit of Almighty God that comes to us and gives us wisdom.

It is not growing old that makes us wise or helps us to know what is right." Job 32:5-9

We need to remember as young people to ALWAYS be respectful to our "elders", but God also gives the Holy Spirit to live in US TOO! So, we can have God's discernment living IN US! Never think you are too young to know, or to have the ability to know God and His plans!

Make a Life Change...

I am calling out another challenge for you ladies, because I think you can handle it. Sometimes we get stuck in this rut... You know, doing the same things day in and day out. Cleaning, cooking, blaa, blaa, blaa... But I want to challenge you today to fill in these blanks, and then DO them. I gave you some options below. WARNING: this WILL make you think outside the box...

Today I will:____________________________________

Tomorrow I will:______________________________________

This week I will:_________________________________________

_________________________________________________

This month I will: _________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

• Say a prayer for someone new.
• tell a stranger how great her outfit looks.
• Bake bread or cookies, FROM SCRATCH.
• Take some flowers to a friend.
• Invite someone new over for coffee or lunch.
• Talk a long walk and talk to God the WHOLE TIME.
• Send 5 friends a post card telling them how much you appreciate them
• Invite a new couple over for dinner.
• Give your husband a back rub or foot rub, after he gets home from work.
• Write or talk to your children and tell them one thing you are very proud of them for.
• Learn a new Bible verse.
• Clean out a much needed area in your home.
• Ask your husband what is one thing you can do for him today.
• Send your pastor a letter of encouragement and appreciation.
• Volunteer to do something new at your church.
• Donate food to a Food/Clothing Basket.
• Drop off gift/groceries to a friend o neighbor in need (but do it in secret!).
• Do something special for someone who is always serving at your church, then tell them how much they are appreciated!
• Start a prayer notebook, and make an entry EVERYDAY!

These are just a few ideas to think outside the box. But DO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! And make sure you are not simply doing these things for YOUR glory but that these kind and loving gestures would point back to our wonderful God!

If you are up to the challenge, make sure you share that with us! =) May God to glorified by you today!

Swagbucks and the Holidays!

I've posted a couple of times about earning Swagbucks. I have yet to buy anything with my "swag", but have started to redeem my Swagbucks, for Amazon.com gift cards. I am SO excited because of all of the free money I have earn for doing simple searches!

If you have not heard of Swagbucks, let me tell you briefly about it! First, I LOVE Swagbucks. I get no more special treatment than anyone else in sharing Swagbucks with you. With Swagbucks, you can earn "Swagbucks" for doing simple searches on a toolbar that you can download or by simply logging into the Swagbucks site. Swagbucks needs no info from you other than your first name and e-mail address. I NEVER get any spam from Swagbucks.

You can redeem your Swagbucks for TONS of different things. I have started redeeming mine for Amazon.com gift cards. I am SO excited because this is FREE MONEY for doing searches! You can get one, three, five or ten swagbucks on every 2-6 searches or so. I am so excited to get the boys some FREE STUFF from Amazon.com for Christmas! And a lot of times around Christmas and other times of the year Amazon.com has free shipping!

In the future, I want to get some new pots and pans! For now, like I said, I am getting Christmas presents!

If you haven't checked Swagbucks out, do it today! You automatically get 3 for signing up! If you share about Swagbucks with your friends, you can earn even more! Have fun earning free money! =)

That's Who I Want to Be!

I saw this quote the other day. If you know who said it, please tell me so I can post that too. I thought I would share it, because that is the kind of woman I strive to be!

"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the Devil says, "Aww crap, she's up!"

Being a Woman of Virtue... Doing!

I hold a few things in my life top priority. God is NUMBER 1. Most definitely. My husband, is also deservingly, number 2. Then of course my beautiful and energetic boys. And the rest of my family and my close church friends are next.

As I look to what God wants me to be, and what he requires of me. I am EVERY TIME taken back to Proverbs 31, to the Virtuous Woman. And each time, I am reminded of how important it is to hold the things that our grandmothers did, close to our hearts. I am constantly challenged by this. Things like making more food from scratch. Yeah, we have busy days, but even in those days, if I make sure I have a meal planned ahead of time, I can still make something fairly easy from scratch (or close to it). This isn't just a luxury anymore, this is almost a necessity if you want to eat healthy. Also things like learning to sew, even just simple sewing. I know MANY people who do not own a sewing machine. They just don't know how to sew. And that is probably most of you also. But I think sewing is a skill that we should have even if it is very basic! I bought my machine for $79 at Wal-Mart about 6 or 7 years ago, and I have used it in a small business and for simple things around my own house. I learned to sew in home ec. class in Middle school. Let me tell you, it was very basic! I NEVER again used that skill until I got my own machine ! So with about 15 years in between, I had to learn most things over. And I was able to do it, and sew curtains for my house! I didn't even have a pattern. I have slowly improved my "skills" to even make robes for the boys and other kids in our family this last Christmas. Saved a lot of money, and ended up being a lot nicer than what I would have been able to buy on our "budget". What about gardening? Or caring for animals, like chickens, who could produce a product your family could use? Are these skills going to be lost on our grandparents generation?

I want to encourage you, as I have before, to learn SOMETHING new. And keep doing it, even if you don't succeed the first time (or the second!). If your grandmothers are still alive, even better, learn something from THEM! My grandmother was able to teach me to crochet before she past away 2 years ago, and whenever I sit, relax and use that skill, I think of her.

Being a woman of Virtue includes DOING... She works with her HANDS... Be challenged by this today. Not only will you be able to pick up a valuable skill that you could someday pass on to your daughters, but you are carrying on a legacy. And SOMEDAY, you will be glad you learned your new skill!

I have been wanting to learn to Knit for the longest time. And I have a sweet neighbor woman who is willing to teach me! I am excited!

What new skill would you LOVE to learn?