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31 Days to Clean: Day #14

May 14, 2011 by Jules 1 Comment

31 Days to Clean Having a Martha House the Mary way

Day 14 –The Secret to Having Energy

Mary Challenge: Figure out your “jazzy,” what makes you come alive, and then see if you can find a way to incorporate it into your week.

To be honest, I am a little overwhelmed with the Mary challenges. They are all great goals to aspire to but I need to focus on one for a While, more than just a day. I think this is why I've never done well with daily devotional "thoughts". I need time to marinate. I can't even come up with my "jazzy"...maybe it's thinking. Long, Quiet, Uninterrupted, THINKING. hmmm I should make time for that! It would help me all around: learning in God's word, planning/organizing my entire family's days, appointments, activities, etc. I'll be working on this Thinking thing! Lecha know...

Martha Challenge: Bedrooms – Clean and store winter bedding. Bring out your summer bedding! Flip your mattress. Wash your pillows.

Check! Took me a while to actually get the blankets to the laundry mat with my littles but it was an experience...it was an ALL day thing where we spent $15.00 (not budgeted this month), learned a lot about a new place, got in a walk to the park around the corner we rarely get a chance to go to, met a new friend, and got the big blankets washed. Success!

Master Bedroom:

Girl's Princess Room:

Veggie Tale Nursery:

Guest Room:

(Any and Everyone is welcome to stay Any time!)

*Decor plans have been in the works for over a year. We LOVE paint, hanging pictures on the walls, curtains, and other decor. Some rooms are closer than others but still aren't "there" YET! Time, Dave Ramsay, and logistics just are not on our side right now, and that's ok.

How is your "spring cleaning" going? Any hiccups in your decorating ideals?

Filed Under: Cleaning Tagged With: $15.00, 31 days to clean, bedding, bedrooms, dave ramsay, decorating, flip mattress, guest room, jazzy, laundry, pillows, princess, spring cleaning, thinking, veggie tales

31 Days to Clean: Day #13

May 13, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

31 Days to Clean Having a Martha House the Mary way

Day 13 – Fighting Fatigue

Mary Challenge: Pick something (or a few things) on the above suggestions list for fighting fatigue and put it into practice for one week and see what happens.

Move: I have been attempting to wear my tennis shoes all day to keep myself moving. It really seems to help although my feet hurt more and it's a lot harder to move quickly around the house with sleeping babies all day long.

Only get the sleep you need: Started this...trying to get up every day at 6am, shower, do some kind of bible study with my breakfast before the babies wake, then dry hair while Matt does his normal breakfast routine with the kids. That way, by the time he leaves I am fully ready (tennis shoes and all) for accomplishing things.

Caffeine: I probably already utilize this tip too much. My OB said (while prego) I should only have 2 cans for Dr Pepper a day, 3 at the most. I have carried this rule over while breastfeeding. I would like to move to the lower end of this and intersperse WATER more often. I despise water; I drink it like medicine rarely and fast when I do!

So far (2-3 days) I have done ok at waking up (near) the desired time, moved a lot more, and have had a big FAIL in the less caffeine department. Speaking of giant FAIL...

Martha Challenge: Living Room - Steam-clean carpets or area rugs and wash wood floors.

All wood floors have been washed (from mop the kitchen day) but I have yet to rent/borrow a steam cleaner and do any of my carpets. Maybe next months budget and schedule will allow for this.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tagged With: 31daystoclean, chores, Dr Pepper, feet hurt, fighting fatigue, floors, julie rothacher, living room, one week, steam clean, tennis shoes, wake babies

31 Days to Clean: Day(s) #11 and 12

May 11, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

31 Days to Clean Having a Martha House the Mary way

Day 11 - Limitations (Life is Hard)

Mary Challenge: Let grace cover the areas you cannot change. Don’t beat yourself up or think you aren’t doing enough. God knows where you’re at; His grace is sufficient.

LOVED this! I am a "Martha" type personality so I need to hear and meditate on this often!

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Wash your walls and dust the ceilings.

Washing my walls seemed silly. I put it off for several days then finally caved. It took less than 20 min to do this room. Thanks goodness for big windows, french doors, wide doorway, and a fireplace on washing wall day but not on window day, ugg. I have a hard time cleaning things if I can't tell a big difference. vacuuming, organizing, washing off a grubby table, etc I see the need in. I'm sure it's a great idea to wash your walls every so often, just not motivating.

This is a panoramic view of my living room (minus the fireplace wall behind me) taken with my handsome hubby's iPhone. I finally found a benefit for all the silly free apps he has ;o) Sorry the colorings a little weird by the windows because of the sunlight.

hehe and the adorable (almost) 3-year-old blurring through the middle of the room.

*Thanks for letting me play with your phone, hunny!

Mary Challenge: Think about some areas in your life where you have been striving to be perfect (or nearly so). Perhaps you are comparing yourself to another mom, or putting unnecessary burdens on yourself because of what someone has said or written. Take these areas before the throne of grace and ask God to replace any lies you are believing with the truth.

Very similar to several other "Mary" thoughts. I am learing to let go of my ideal day, person, way of doing things and learning to search/listen for God's ideal for my life!

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Clean and organize shelves and electronics. Shine wood furniture.

Again, my amazing hubby helped and (more importantly) approved of me PURGING our electronics and movie collection! We have several "lots" listed on eBay now and more for our yard sale pile. I know Sarah Mae encourages you to just rid your house of these items (ie Take them to the Goodwill) but I am attempting to balance necessary purging with our "Dave'n It" (what we call Dave Ramsay's FPU plan). We will (and have been) trying to sell things at a consignment sale, yard sale, or eBay and then donating what is left over in several different ways, friends in need, pregnancy crisis center, goodwill, salvation army, etc.

Sorry didn't get before pictures of our entertainment center where all of this was stored.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tagged With: 31daystoclean, ceiling, clean, julie rothacher, limitations, living room, panoramic view, pictures, sarah mae, walls, wash

31 Days to Clean: Day #10

May 10, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

Mary Challenge: Picture your home in all its clean and organized glory, and then burn the image into your brain and heart. Now grab your journal (or notebook, or scrap of paper) and write down your big picture. Ask God to help you physically create the vision for your home life.

I am having a hard time with some of these Mary challenges. They have me doing more physical doing than I expected for it being a "Mary" challenge and then it's also having me do a lot of me discovering what I want. This life I live is no longer mine but Christ's...I feel as though I should be re-evaluating the importance I place on my picture of what I want. Yes, if Christ is in us, He will give us the desires of our heart but I also know that Satan's main way to weezle his way into our lives is with deception. Satan can use something harmless (ie the ideal clean home), twist and manipulate it until we are fixated on it and truly believe that is what God is asking of us.

I went the opposite direction in this challenge and have been trying to sweep the ashes from my burned in "big picture" out of my mind and heart so there is uncluttered abundant space for God's "big picture". I don't just want His help "physically create the vision for [my] home life". Right now, in my life, He is fixing my gaze on a larger world view outside my windows rather than inside.

Don't get me wrong. I fully believe my home is a gift from God to be used for God but I don't want to get caught up in what I want to accomplish here.

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Clean your window treatments and wash the inside of your windows.

Windows...WHY did I say I loved lots of window to let in natural light.

Mags thought it was hilarious to be "sprayed" on the other side of the windows and then apparently I missed a few spots ;o)

Izzie was a scrub'n machine. She'd say, "wa wa wa" the entire time she was wiping the windows. Then she came to show me all the grime she'd cleaned up and when back for more. Love having my girls help with cleaning!

Filed Under: Cleaning Tagged With: 31daystoclean, clean, dirty, journal, julie rothacher, little helper, living room, orgainze, playroom, sarah mae, wash, windows

31 Days to Clean: Day #9

May 9, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

31 Days to Clean Having a Martha House the Mary way

Day 9 – Confronting Laziness

Mary Challenge: Every time you find yourself saying, “I will do that later,” I want you to stop and pray, asking God to give you a spirit of diligence. then, with an obedient heart, go to work. If (and when) you fail, allow His grace to lift you up and begin again. I know you can do it!

I so popped a squat to read over this chapter again to "take a break" from the chores I was supposed to be accomplishing while my girlies were playing well together and read over these challenges and had to shut the computer immediately, ask God for that spirit of diligence, and get to work with an obedient heart! Crack'n me up. Just when I thought I didn't deal with laziness.

Martha Challenge: Kitchen - Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors. Add some fresh flowers to brighten your day.

Mopping, I HATE mopping!!! I decided that if I was gonna go to all the trouble to get out those evil tools to do the kitchen I might as well do all the "hardwoods" down stairs. Ugg! I did and it ended up not being too bad. I was even able to evolve my girls with minimal stress and injury...pics to come: