Contemplating Clean

Apparently, a thorough cleaning of the bathroom or kitchen floor is an irresistable invitation for someone to make a huge mess there. It usually happens within the first 24 hours of me finally getting it clean. This week was no exception.

Such a phenomenon is akin to spiritual house cleaning. According to Matthew 12:44-45, order and empty space can attract chaos and evil influences to a person’s heart. When it comes to the physical house where I live, I wish things could stay clean for a while. But grime just keeps accumulating by the hour.

When I fill my time with too many activities (which I tend to do), the conditions inside my house and within my heart worsen. Actually taking time to tidy my house gives me mental space to reflect and meditate on what God is saying to me. But alas, cleaning does not come naturally to me (and Erin's words remind me I am not alone in this).

As I’m cleaning up spills or picking up dirty socks over and over, perhaps I can ponder deeper truths instead of just being annoyed. One is that I need to come and let God cleanse my sin-stained heart each time I make a mess of it. And since I continue to err, I must keep seeking forgiveness. My reluctance to humble myself gets in the way of this however.

Delving into the book of Isaiah, I see that continuing to ignore the need to make things right leads to very grave consequences. As I wrestle with applying the principles that come from studying Isaiah, it’s helpful to be part of a group of women doing the same thing. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t be relying on a method or structure for my spiritual growth; yet God is currently using the BSF approach to speak to me. I am thankful that He patiently persists.

How is He speaking to you?

Colored Pistachio Shells and Pasta: Craft of the Week - Part 1

My children dyed eggs after Easter this year, on Wednesday, to be exact.  They were occupied telling the story of the Resurrection with their Resurrection egg sets for most of Easter weekend.  I was busy procuring and preparing what we would eat for Easter dinner.

I thought it would be fun to use the leftover egg dye to color some pistachio shells.  My kids got in on the dyeing and colored some pistachio shells and pasta as well.  We discovered that the pistachio shells absorb more color when they are left to soak for a few hours.  Dyeing pasta, however, requires only a few minutes.  One should avoid leaving pasta in the dye for too long or it may turn to mush (as some of ours did).

We let the dyed shells and pasta dry overnight.  Today the gluing can begin!  We are planning to make flower pictures (to frame with twigs) and floral napkin rings.  Other creations may arise spontaneously as we go along.  These projects can be cheerful additions to our spring decor and might become gifts for Mother's Day and/or May Day.  I intend to post our results as part 2 tomorrow.

 Starting to arrange some pieces (pre-glue)

Are you planning to do any spring projects this month?

A Frightful and Delightful Winter

In truth, I don't mind shoveling snow, which is good since about 10 inches of frosty flakes blanketed our driveway this week. Besides slinging snow, I also squeezed in some baking. Baking is something I love to do, but I often lack the requisite time and open kitchen counter tops to pursue it.

Outside the kitchen, I was thankful to unearth some timely treasures while my kids and I stayed snug in our snow-wrapped house. White Snow, Bright Snow we found and read yesterday. Earlier in the week I was excavating our coat closet and came upon our long lost Snowy Day video. I love experiencing these classic tales with my children.

Since the roads were not favorable to bustling around town, we had no excuse not to decorate our Christmas tree. Thankfully, we had done our ornament shopping before the worst weather hit. After we exchanged ornaments, I realized that this tradition is something my children remember more than whatever gifts they find under the tree. And the credit for this goes to my husband, who years ago prioritized building family memories over my wishes for a picture-perfect decorator's tree.

Reading Dawn's insights about wishing things were over reminded me of how I view winter. Months before the cold and snow were upon us, I began to dread what winter brings---the bundling, the sock hunting, the coughs and head colds, and having to stay home from church and other social gatherings with sick kids.

But now that "what I feared has come upon me"(Job 3:25), I realize that the dread is often worse than the reality. I find this to be true with housework that I dread and therefore postpone doing as well. When I finally get some momentum going, the mundane tasks are not so bad. It's the dread and guilt that are truly miserable. I'd love to take more of a get-it-out-of-the-way approach and stop procrastinating...some day.

And how about you? Do you procrastinate like me or a do you tackle your tasks right away?

Undoing

One week ago today I was in sprint-cleaning mode. Whenever we have relatives or guests come to visit, I face the daunting challenge of how to undo the whirlwind of chaos that the kids and I allow to accumulate. My parents graciously waited while I made the bed and cleaned the bathroom for them--hours after their arrival! By the time they left, the kitchen sink was also empty, thanks to my mom's hard work and a stack of paper plates.

Then last Saturday, the day before my daughter's birthday, cries of heartbreak and anger suddenly filled the air. I came rushing downstairs, abandoning my phone conversation. On the floor I saw scraps of colorful tissue from the pinata my daughter so proudly created just two days before. And we could all guess who the culprit was. Even with those long brown eyelashes, my two-year-old son could not charm his way out of this predicament.

Though he did say "sor-ry", the pain and disappointment over the destruction lingered. We might make another pinata, but our delight will be tempered with the thought of what befell the last opus.

Today is a new day, and rather than despair over hours wasted online the last few weeks, I will be thankful for new mercies and a fresh start.

And now it's time for another full-court cleaning press. We have another pinata to make and a house to prepare for my daughter's birthday party, which was postponed to this Sunday. What Duke Ellington said about time is so often true of me: "I don't need time, I need a deadline."

Thanks for stopping by, Company Girls. I hope you stay healthy and enjoy your weekend!

Buddies again (though the pinata is no more).

Bargain Hunting Mishaps: Will I Ever Learn?

• This week I dropped my cell phone in the grocery store parking lot and didn't realize it was gone until I arrived back home.

• Last month, daughter #2 dropped a jug of V8 juice, splattering red liquid down the aisle.

• On an earlier trip, the same daughter was carrying a quart of yogurt to the car. Yep. Down it went onto the pavement.

• I found great bargains at the Salvation Army Thrift Store--several pieces for each of my kids! After loading all three kiddos into the car, I drove off without my bag. There it sat on the asphalt until someone took those lovely clothes home.
  

• I found a blouse at the mall for under $5 that matched a silk skirt of mine perfectly. One of the kids jostled it out of the stroller basket, and we left it behind on the sidewalk.

The incidents above are good reasons to shop alone, and these are just examples from 2009! Usually I try to do a Tuesday night shopping trip after my children are sleeping, so I can focus on my list. But this is not a foolproof strategy either, since I have left bags of my groceries behind more than once. Sometimes I have been able to retrieve the forgotten items, while other times I suffered the full consequences of my carelessness and did not my get my purchases back.

Haste, carelessness, and distractability often plague me at this stage of life, and this week my weaknesses were again blatantly obvious. So instead of scoffing at my husband's tendency to double check things, I should learn from him. But I resist humbling myself, especially when I think my uniqueness is being threatened. After all, isn't it a good thing to be so carefree?

Really, though, I should be free to focus on the task at hand, and need to take the extra minute to make sure I have everything in order before moving on to the next thing. And then there is the primary question: Is what I am doing at a given moment worthwhile? The number of store receipts I amass and my internet browsing history reveal a need to change.

"Electronic sunsets" are a feat I managed on a couple of nights last weekend. When I turn the computer off, I can devote myself to higher priorities that bring order and peace to a chaotic house (Thanks, Rachel Anne, for spurring me to improve). The weekend trial run proved that this needs to be a regular discipline for me. Of course we can make an exception for our weekly movie night and perhaps e-mail. But It would be wonderful to welcome my dear friend who is arriving on Tuesday to stay in a home that is more sanctuary-like than it was this past week. So here's to another weekend (and week?) of these sunsets!

I Don't Like to Eat Frogs

This week was back to school week for my husband, and since she was ill last week, my daughter started school again as well.  I was hoping to get the year off to a good start, but my intentions were not sufficient.  Today, for instance, we had stressful departures, late arrivals, and forgot to bring all that was expected.  Humbled again. 

In Getting Back on Track: The morning routine, Crystal Paine wrote about how difficult it is to "eat that frog." I know I am not alone in my efforts to reform and take my own advice, rather than living unwisely.  She captured my struggle with procrastination quite well; you may go to her words for further insight.