Thursday, January 14, 2010

Of Hobbies and Housecleaning

Am I the only person who has looked at her house this week and thought "This place is filthy!" These winter months keep us cooped indoors and looking at various rooms with a critical eye. I went on a four hour cleaning frenzy last night, and I'm sorry to report that this did not even include the second story! The kids' boots track in all sorts of snow mixed with dirt and road salt onto the hardwood floors, making them look dirty and dingy. After just a few days, the dog hair begins to make tumbleweeds. And with the furnace constantly supplying warm air (of which I am very thankful for that!), there's a fine layer of dust over every surface. After four hours of housecleaning, I was tired and not a little bit crabby when I went to bed last night. But I can tell you that it was really nice to wake up to a clean, clutter free house this morning!


My dear sweet husband painted our master bedroom over New Years' weekend, and it is such a pleasure to wake up and see it every morning! Let me tell you, it was a big job! It's a large room with cathedral ceilings and one of those strange tall pony walls meant to add architectural interest. He toiled away at it for a few days. For starters, he removed the ugly mini blinds, and now the light pours in. We haven't hung the new curtains yet, but I'm not even certain that I want curtains when I have this view:



After all, who's going to be shocked when they see me in my flannel pajamas...the deer and squirrels?

And here's a view of my side of the bed:


The color is called Sensible Hue (Behr paint from Home Depot), and it really lives up to its name. It's a lovely cream with warm undertones, and it's a thousand times better than the primer white that we'd lived with for two years. You can get a little glimpse of my bed time rituals here at my night stand. For starters, I bring up a cup of Yogi Bedtime tea...it lulls me to peaceful slumber every time! (Thank you for the recommendation, Jenny!) Then, while I sip my tea, I read from my One Year Bible. When I'm finished, I spray my pillow with Lavendar Vanilla linen spray from the Aromatherapy line at Bath and Body Works. Then, I slather my hands with the Lavendar Vanilla hand lotion. These scents are meant to promote a restful sleep, and they do!

If you have sleep issues (and many women of a certain age do!), I would suggest adding some of these rituals to your routine, too! Try the tea, and keep at it for a week. You can find it in either the health food section or the coffee and tea aisle of most grocery stores. I'm also a firm believer in the powers of their Immune Support Echinacea tea for warding off colds!

When I woke up this morning, I rolled over and looked out the window:


I thought to myself "Can a person be too happy?" No, not if they have a heart filled with gratitude. So right there, in bed, I said a prayer thanking God for all of His blessings and for how far He has carried me in the past year. And I prayed for the people of Haiti and for people everywhere who struggle with poverty and homelessness. Starting the day off with a heart filled with gratitude...I can't think of a better way to start the day. Well, yes, coffee helps!


Threadworx Newsletter!
When I came downstairs this morning to the clean level of my home, I thought to myself "I need to start another needle art project." I was so delighted to find my copy of the Threadworx journal in my email box! If you haven't signed up to receive the free newsletter, make sure you click on the link at the right to do so! Even if you are not a needle arts crafter, you will want to be when you see this journal! It is filled with so much lovely eye candy! Colors, fibers, and some of the cutest patterns you've ever seen (the cardinal in the nest is adorable!). Beth has worked hard on this nearly fifty page newsletter, and it shows! With lovely color photographs and amazing stitch guides, you'll wish it was sold as a hard copy magazine! I'm going to print mine off today!

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