Company Girl Coffee 9.25.09

Hello friends! By now you must have read Rachel Anne's funny story over at Home Sanctuary! I laughed out loud when I read it. It's ranks right up there with some of her funny donkey stories. If you haven't read any of those, I would encourage it!

Speaking of funny stories, I have one that's sure to give some of you a good chuckle. I promise there are no critters involved. You see, I have been deep cleaning my master bedroom this week. I know, it's a little late for Spring cleaning, but something got into me and motivated me to start some serious cleaning/decluttering around here!

We've lived here for five years now, and for five years I have been saying how much I dislike the peach curtains hanging in my bedroom. I will admit, they are great quality curtains. They are lined, so they keep the warmth in and the light out. Peach just isn't in my color pallet as on of my favorites. There has always been something more important on our list of "home improvement" so I've just put up with them over the years.

Well, in my major cleaning frenzy I decided to take them down and wash them. Whew! Were they dusty! I figured I'd be brave and wash them here at home to save some money. So I set my machine on "hand wash, cold". I only put in one set to test what would happen. You can probably guess what's coming next!

When the cycle was finished I pulled them out of the machine and held them up to take a look. UH OH!

"Honey, I shrunk the curtains!"

I hung them up to dry, just in case it was only the way the moisture made them hang, but alas, they had definitely shrunk. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that only one side of them shrunk. The taffeta front side was now shorter than the lining.

I called my mom because I knew she would get a laugh out of it, and laugh she did. Through her laughter she joked "Come on now, you can't tell me that part of you wasn't hoping that would happen!" She's right. Part of me was probably wishing that those peach curtains would be ruined for good. (Sorry, for those of you who adore the color peach.) Now, if I were any good at sewing, or if I even owned a sewing machine, then I could probably fix the problem. Instead I think I'll just call it a day and chalk it up to lesson learned. For now, blinds will have to do.

Anyone want some slightly ruined but now very clean peach curtains????

I plan to continue with my deep cleaning in another room of the house next week. You never know what else I can find to ruin...um...I mean, clean!

Have a great weekend all! Thanks for dropping in for coffee!
~Melissa~

Company Girl Coffee: What's holding you together?

Good morning! Grab a cup of coffee and let me give you something to think about this morning. I am sure that most of you have heard the phrase "pull it together", or something like it, at some point in your lives. Maybe you've seen it in the movies with the infamous face slap, or perhaps you have even said it to yourself out loud, in a frenzy. I know that I have given myself the "come on now, pull it together" pep talk several times over!

Of late, I have not felt at all like I have it "all together." Quite the opposite, actually. Most of the time I feel like I'm losing my mind. Between school starting for the kids, me supplementing our income by babysitting here at home, (which I am very thankful for) and my husband's busy work schedule at the church, I have been quite overwhelmed.

Last night at our worship night, I finally found some peace again. It came to me in this verse:

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." -Colossians 1:17

I know now that I don't have to "have it all together!" He is before me when I am doing the dishes for what seems like the gazillianth time. He is before me when my two year old has the flu. He is before my husband in the middle of a crazy busy week. He is before me in the morning when I am trying to get the kids off to school on time and in the afternoons when I am helping them with their homework. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. When I feel like my world is falling apart around me, He is holding it together for me!

Isaiah 43:2 says "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

So even though I am weary and I feel like I'm struggling to keep my head above water right now, God is with me. And He's with you too. He is the super glue of our lives!

Thanks for stopping by for coffee. Have a great weekend everyone!

~Melissa~

Pockets of Time

Today over at Home Sanctuary, Rachel Anne asked us to think about what we can accomplish during small "pockets" of time during the day. This is a list that I have made before, but I often revisit, and revise it as I think of new things to do.

De-clutter my Car: Are you early for a meeting or waiting to pick kids up at school? De-clutter your car! Gather up all the recyclables, including plastic bottles, soda cans and paper, and put them in a bag. Put all trash in another bag. Use a damp cloth or disposable wipe to clean all surfaces. Group any remaining things that you need to remove from your car later, such as clothes and newly purchased items. When you leave your car, take all the trash and recycling with you. Remove the other items as soon as you get a chance.

Prep for a Meal: When you have an extra 15 minutes at night or in the morning, use it to prepare a meal. Slice some sourdough bread and make your favorite sandwich for a bag lunch. Or your meal prep might include tossing some meat, spices and vegetables into a slow-cooker or crock pot.

Clip, Sort, and File Coupons: If you are a coupon clipper like me, you might have a stack set aside to sort and put away! Coupons can be organized with minimal time and effort. That way when you think of something you need or find something on sale, you don't have to shuffle through a mess of coupons to find the one you need!

Match the Socks: Grab a container and pile all solo socks inside. Match what you can.

Clean up "Message Central:" Wherever messages are taken, clutter seems to arise. Go through any miscellaneous messages or notepads and discard items no longer needed. Test the pens; get rid of those that don't work. Clear off your answering machine.

Clean Off The Fridge: If you have kids' artwork wallpapering the front, consider featuring them in an alternative style. If you keep reminder notes on the fridge, straiten them up and remove outdated notes.

Sort the Mail: Gather all the mail into one place. Don't read the mail--just make piles. Create a pile for garbage, one for bills, one for to-read items and additional piles for other people in the home (i.e. give to husband, child, mother.) When done transfer the piles for others to somewhere they will see them. Put the to-read items in a place you will read them. Toss the junk in the garbage. Return the bills to the inbox.

Go through the Bills: This is best to complete after the task above. Remove all bills from their envelopes and lay flat. Staple of paperclip those with multiple pages. Tuck the return envelope around the bill. Throw out all the miscellaneous offers included in the bills. Stack them in three piles... receipts/file only (if you use auto-pay), to pay within the next 14 days, to pay after 14 days.

Wipe Down the Appliances: Grab the Windex and wipe down the front surfaces of your kitchen appliances.

Clear the Junk Drawer: Empty the drawer entirely. Go through each item and either throw it out or return to its proper place. There is no reason to use up prime storage to hold "junk."

Wipe Down the Microwave: Give your microwave a thorough cleaning--inside and out!

Wipe Down a Shower Door: Spray the front and back and let it "set" for a couple of minutes while wiping down the vanity area. Return and wipe down the shower door. Go ahead...set your timer! You'd be surprised at how much you can get done in only 10 minutes.

Wash a Window: Wash a window (inside or outside--your pick). Be careful on this one though, if you only have 15 minutes you need to have the discipline to stop at one window!

Match-Up Your Media: Return CDs, DVDs, video games and computer programs to their proper storage cases.

Go through Your Media: Do you need to keep the install disks to printers you no longer own or programs you no longer use? Get rid of any unneeded items to make it easier to find what you do need.

Check the Medicine Cabinet: Check the expiration date of all vitamins, prescriptions and medicine cabinet supplies, discarding any expired items.

Toss 10: Find 10 things in your house to donate or throw away.

Sweep the Entry Way: Take a moment to sweep the outside entrance of your home.

Wipe down your mirrors: Take your Windex and and clean a few mirrors in your home.

Change a light bulb: Quit walking by that burned out light bulb! It only takes a couple of minutes to replace it with a new one.

Load or unload the dishwasher: If you don't have a dishwasher then put the dishes in the sink to soak, or put away the ones away that have finished drying.

My list continues on, but you get the idea. The important thing is to take advantage of those priceless pockets of time during your day that you don't actually have anything "scheduled." Sometimes if I only have five minutes, I take a water break. I fill my cup, sit down, and enjoy an ice cold glass of water while I re-focus. It's important to take time for yourself too!

Thanks Rachel Anne, for the reminder that there are so many things you can do in small increments of time!

Company Girl Coffee 8.4.09

Good morning girls! Even though Rachel Anne is having technical difficulties this morning, I thought I'd share a cup of coffee before I head out for the weekend with my family. You see, this weekend is Tent City, at my in-laws. :) It's where my DH's many siblings get together and camp out for the weekend. We're the only ones with children so far, which means lots of attention for my kiddos from their aunts and uncles! It is loads of fun.

Speaking of fun, my mom came out on Monday. We went to see Fiddler on the Roof on Tuesday night. My sister in law joined us. It was so good! It is the last tour for Topal, who played the father in the movie as well. We missed the first song (because guess who forgot the tickets). Even so, I enjoyed myself immensely. It was such an incredible performance! Thanks mom!

Kids are back in school and trying to settle into a routine. It always takes a while before we are used to the school schedule. I am still debating if I want to have my kids ride the bus home this year. I really enjoy picking them up at school. I love chatting with them on the way home about the day's events. My problem is that I still have two kids at home and I've been having to wake them up from nap on occasion to get there on time. I don't like the thought of the kids riding the bus home, (they had to do it all last year and bus life is INSANE) but I also don't like having to wake up my little ones either. What do you think?

Starting soon they will at least have to ride the bus twice a week. I got a babysitting job watching a cute 10 month old. :) He is adorable. It is two days full time and one half day. I met with his mom this week and it turns out that her husband played softball with my husband at our church a couple years back. God is so good. I got the job because my hairstylist gave my number to her friend, and it turns out we already know the couple! Small world, big God.

Well, I better tend to last minute packing and get my kiddos some breakfast. Have a great weekend all!
~Melissa~