Grape Vines

Remember the grape arbor that was my project for Saturday? 

Well, it's done. 

It took me most of the day, but it's done.

When grape vines climb trees they do not do it delicately or timidly like a morning glory.

Oh no, they do it viciously, and wrap wooden tendrils around each limb they reach.

At one point I was pulling on the vine with all my weight trying to tug it down.

I truly hope the neighbors were not watching.

My list for this week will be a little short.

1. Clean venetian blinds in the master bedroom.

2. Clean off and organize the shelf in the laundry room.

3. Finish planting the seeds in the garden.

I'll let you know how it went on Friday.

Checking Off Mondays List

I'm finally updating on my list from Monday.  I was planning to do this yesterday, but the issues with blogger kept me from it.

Ok, here goes.....

1. I cleaned out my flower bed and fertilized it--I'm hoping to get some bark today to mulch it.

2. My sewing room is tidier than it has been in six months.

3. The winter coats are washed and stored, and the boots are stored--no, I don't wash my winter boots, I don't know why I worded it that way.

4. Due to weather issues the grape arbor is my project for today.

5. The snowfall was removed from the top of the desk, and filed--I even cleaned out a file drawer too!

I'm amazed at the motivation this list gave me.  I am a list person but posting it for others to read added a whole new level of urgency to getting the things done.

 I'm hoping to do another list on Monday, but I would like a little feedback.  Do you like reading my to-do lists for the week?

My Favorite Appliance

Allow me to introduce you to my favorite kitchen appliance.

Without it I would be in a continual state of brain fog.

Most of the time I think I would rather give up any appliance but this one.

That's right I would rather wash dishes BY HAND than do without my coffee.

The one feature I especially love is the automatic timer.

This allows me to enjoy coffee before I even fully open my eyes.

I just stagger to the kitchen pour and slurp......oh, first I add a little milk.

What's your favorite appliance?

The Things That Make You Happy

Decluttering is a constant battle at my house.  Sometimes it seems like for every thing I get rid of three more take their place. 

I try to keep at it because an orderly uncluttered house is a priority to me.  I know that my children play and work more contentedly in a picked up house, and my husband finds a tidy home more restful. ( Not that my home always fits that description, but it's a goal I aim at. )

 I came across a tip recently that helps me in my quest for neatness.
When you are trying to decide whether to keep something, give it away, or throw it away.  Stop and think whether the item makes you happy.  Let me explain. 

Does the "thing" in question annoy you because it's hard to dust or keep clean?  An example of this was a dried flower arrangement that I kept for years.  It was coated with a gummy layer of dust that I couldn't get off and every time I looked at it I felt irritated, yet I saved it because it was given to me by a friend.  This "thing" obviously didn't make me happy--so I decided to dispose of it.  Afterward I wondered why it had taken me so long.

Another example would be something that wasn't useful in your current living conditions.  I have an ironing board rack that is sitting on a closet shelf in my sewing room.  In our previous house it was mounted on the wall in the laundry room and my ironing board and iron fit neatly on it.  This house has no convenient place for it and yet I keep it.  Does it make me happy?  No!  It takes up space on my closet shelf that could be used for other things.

See how it works?  I just made the decision to donate something that was cluttering my closet.

What are some of your favorite decluttering strategies?

Am I Getting Old?

There was a time when I could wake up in the middle of the night and go right back to sleep--not anymore.

There was a time when I could plant garden all day, and my muscles didn't hurt the next day--not anymore.

There was a time when there were no little crinkles by my eyes (except when I was smiling)--not anymore.

There was a time when 35 was old and 40 seemed ancient--not anymore.

There was a time when I drank coffee not to wake up, but because it tasted good--not anymore.

There was a time when I worried too much about what people thought of me and not enough about what God thought of me--not anymore.

Am I getting old?

Nah........I'm just growing up.

It's Monday!

I have a love/hate relationship with Mondays.

I hate them because it is hard to get back into a routine after the weekend, but I love them because there is a whole long week stretching in front of me just waiting to be filled with activity.

Having said that--here is a list of things that I would like to accomplish this week.....in addition to the normal housework/homeschooling/gardening etc.

1. Clean out perennial bed and fertilize and mulch it.

2.  Organize my sewing room.  ( It looks like a natural disaster happened in there )

3.  Wash and store winter coats and boots.

4.  Prune and possibly downsize the grape arbor.  ( It's crawling up a tree........not good )

5.  Do some filing and paperwork in the office.  ( The top of the desk is buried under a 8 inch snowfall )

There!  Five things, that shouldn't be too hard to accomplish should it?  I'll let you know how it went on Friday.

What Mothers Day Means To Me

For a long time Mothers Day was a holiday I wished did not exist.

I avoided it--like the plague.

My husband and I would go away and spend the day away from everyone, and pretend that it wasn't Mothers Day.

See, I wasn't a mother.

I wished that I was,

But I wasn't.

I would have moved heaven and earth to be a mother,

But I couldn't.

Then, a little over seven years ago all that changed.

For the first time in my life I was a Mother.

Suddenly, Mother's Day was something good, not just a painful reminder.

My life has never been the same.

But, there is a part of me that will never forget.

What Mothers Day feels like when you aren't a mother.

The pain is gone, but the memory is still there.

For those of you that are waiting.

That feel like it will never happen to you.

Please know that I understand.

Happy Mothers Day!