If You're Happy When You're Cleaning Clap Your Hands!!!

It's that time of year and I don't know about you but spring cleaning can be the worst!!!  How fun is it to stay inside when the sun is shining and wash your windows or scrub your floors?  Ya...I know.  BUT I have discovered a few fun things that have made my long list of to dos more enjoyable. In fact, do I dare say they have made me happier?

First you must turn on the tunes.  My favorites right now are:

Coldplay

Priscilla Ann

A Fine Frenzy 

Nora Jones

and the best for last:

Kina Grannis

She is my new favorite and who I listen to non stop -thanks to Cortney- which you must look up and buy and memorize and dance to and sing at the top of your lungs while you scrub. She's clean and fresh and soooo adorable in person.  Kinda like how we all want our houses to appear right?  All right. Enough cheesiness.

 Okay so the music is on and your feeling pretty great.  Hopefully it's raining outside, unless of course, you want to open your windows up and let in the sunshine.  In that case it's sunny and brillinat out there. But, don't worry. You're not missing anything because it's still 7 am!!!!!

  Now don't go grabbing your stinky chemical cleaners that you have to use gloves for.  You knwo i don't believe in that  Find some of these AWESOME cleaners and you might just fall in love with cleaning all over again.  Well...maybe not in love but you will love the smells and you'll love the way you feel after their aromatherapiness does it's magic. Plus you'll have a clean house and I know you'll love that.

These first ones are my favorite for in the kitchen.  If you have been following this blog or you know me at all you'll know I am obsessed with lemon.  If my kitchen smells like lemon drops then I am a happy girl.  Plus I found these a Target and who wouldn't pay just a little bit more to be happy while doing a terrible task.

I use this for everything.  My table tops, counters, sinks, appliances...you name it.  In fact I look for things to clean with this stuff because it smells that good!

This other line I discovered a little while ago and have been testing out their different scents.  My favorite for the bathrooms is lavender and for the rest of the house is the Basil.  They are both fresh smelling and have those great aromatheraputic qualities... so don't be surprised if you find yourself grinning from ear to ear while you clean your toilets.

This stuff even comes in a concentrated bottle that you just add a little bit to a whole bunch of water.  I've seen this stuff at TJ Maxx, at Target and Walmart.  Try them.  I think you'll like 'em.

Both brands of product are natural and safe and smell amazing so cheer up and clap your hands.  Cleaning can be fun if you do a little extra something for your house and for yourself every once in a while!

Closet Therapy

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With the sunshine peaking through the clouds and the clusters of crocus popping up in my neighbors yard I am itching to do some spring cleaning.  I love myself a good clean room but I get the most out of digging through a winter infested closet and ridding it of all it's dust bunnies and expired "stuff." Seeing it all neat and organized, maybe even pretty enough to leave the door to the closet open, makes me think that one day I might actually be able to have cupboards like in the above picture. 

My plan today failed...but it's only because my ambitious mind told me I could do it all in one day.  Never mind the fact that my day was pretty packed with normal mom stuff anyway. I tend to get way ahead of myself and today was no exception.  I started this project way back in January and I got through a good chunk of my house but I never finished.  I blame it on the gray color of everything and the laziness I feel in February and into March.  So I have a new plan. A little more realistic plan this time:

Five days (by Saturday at midnight). 

One mission. 

To organize or reorganize and beautify every closet in my home. 

Definition of closet:: cupboard: a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

That's a lot of doing and a lot of dust bunnies.  That's a whole lot of therapy to get me feeling good about my favorite season!  SPRING!!!

And to get you in the mood and to give you some inspiration:  Some loveliness!

Apparently these people only wear blue, green and white clothing...um and they only own 3 designs and 10 shirts total. 

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I adore baskets.  I am a basket junkie.  One day, if I could have it my way and not my husband's, everything I own will live in a basket.

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still one of my favorite ideas!!!

How cute is this little girl's tiny closet space?

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I think if I had some place like this I would want to clean every minute of my life.

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Although my closets will never look like this I am determined to at least have them organized and cleaned out by the end of the week!!!

NOW...who's with me? 

* Maybe on Saturday I'll post some before and after pictures of my closet space....maybe!

His Hands

image by Cortney

There are times in our lives when bad things happen to people we care deeply about and most of those times we feel helplessly pinned against a wall trying desperately to think of something to say or do to make it seem all better. There are specific situations we encounter when that is just simply impossible.  However, I do believe that each of these moments have a lesson to be learned and a strength to be achieved by both the hurt and the ones who feel compassion towards those that hurt. 

Over the past few days I have witnessed that these experiences teach us how to love more deeply and to see those who are most effected through the eyes of a divine being, even if only for a brief moment.  Because of this gift to feel and to love, we are sometimes given the privilege to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.  So it has been and so it will continue to be for many of those who care about a very special family.

Cortney mentioned in a previous post just last week that our sweet friend had suffered a loss of an unborn child.  This was one of those moments when we all felt like we needed to do something but had no idea how to proceed...at first. 

The night it happened many showed up at their door, while they were heading to the hospital, to clean her home top to bottom.  Her freezer was then stocked with meals the next day and flowers began to load her counter top.  I, along with everyone I had spoken to, kept having that feeling of wishing we could do more...that we could somehow collectively show our love for this family in a way that was more then food and house cleaning.  Something that would last longer than just a few short weeks.  A plan began to form and with many many other women we began to do what we could to pull together a handmade quilt for them with the hopes of having it act as a cozy comforting reminder of this little baby and his place in their cute family.

It only took one email to gather a very large group of her friends together to begin our little project.  Sunday evening came and we all got to work. 

Only four hours later we had formed the top of the quilt.  I only wish that I had taken more pictures.  There were so many more there who had helped cut, sew and iron.  It really was a neat experience to have my home bursting at the seams with women filled with charity and a desire to serve those who really needed it. 

The next morning I took each piece to our cute Jen, who also writes for this blog, and I got to watch her create magic as she turned our previous night's work into a more beautifully quilted gift. 

The only things left to do where the binding and a tag. One more email went out...

On Tuesday morning, after many phone calls of people wanting to help, we sat around my dining room table sewing on the binding just like many other women had done in the past with other quilts that had been given as a gift to those who needed some extra warmth or strength.  I began to think about the significance of a quilt and it's meaningful symbolism of love and service.  It's neat to think about each hand that had touched it's fabrics and worked on it's beauty.  These are the women I get to associate with on a daily basis.  They were all there because they loved somebody very much.  Every stitch and each pressing was done to try and help lift a friend.  I'll never forget how I felt while working alongside some of my best friends united in one purpose.

Lastly, the tag was added with his name, the meaning of his name and a sweet reassuring scripture that reads:  

And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. (D&C 84:88)

With this quilt we gave her a card that had been signed by everyone who helped and who wanted to show their love for them and Cortney, wrote a very tender insert that explained our reason for making them this gift. 

image by Cortney

Watching what goes on behind the scenes of a tragic event is humbling and amazing.  I saw only a little portion of what went into caring for this dear family and I could easily see our Heavenly Father's hand in all of it.  He loves us.  He knows us and He uses our hands as His when He wants to comfort those that stand in need of His comfort. I will always remember this experience and the heart felt lessons I learned along the way.  Today I stand stronger with many others who have learned a little bit better how to love more like He loves. 

 

No Limits

“We know that there are some limits on what you can do, but we know also that there need be no limits on enthusiasm, planning, thoughtful consideration, and effort.” 

 -President Gordon B. Hinkley

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Several months ago, a church leader gave me and another woman in my area an assignment.  To say the least, this assignment would be hard, it would take up a lot of time and was way out of my comfort zone.  It would challenge me in every way and in every area of my life.  It would take months to prepare for and would become a huge part of every day.  I said yes knowing that there might be a reason why I was called.  Who knew it would be because I needed to know that my Heavenly Father really loved me. 

In the beginning I was afraid and because I was fearful I became discouraged and then I became upset. I was mostly angry with myself for saying yes to something that I could  fail at and I didn't want to deal with others being dissapointed in me.  I became stressed and irritated with everyone.  I was letting my own idea of what I was capable of get in the way of what my Heavenly Father knew I was capable of. 

After a lot of turmoil and self doubt I knelt to pray.  I told Him all of my fears and all of my reasons for wanting to duck out of this job.  I honestly was hoping I would get some form of okay on how to go to this leader and tell her I wouldn't be able to do this.  Surprise!!!  I didn't get that inspiration.  Instead I was overcome with feelings of His personal love for me, I felt hope in what I could do and an immediate 10 minutes of flooded materials and ideas on how to make this program work.  I didn't get it all handed to me that night but I knew, after I had submitted to His will, that things would be okay and that He would be by side every step of the way.

This other sweet woman and I went from being discouraged and stressed out to motivated and excited to see what would come of this.  We planned a lot and we worked hard and with the Lord's help we completed this  assignment and bettered our lives and the lives of those who got to see it.  It's difficult nature proved to be just that, but instead of giving up or taking the easy way out we grew and we rose to the challenge.  We realised that with our Heavenly Father's help we had no limits.  He was with us, guiding us and teaching us what He would have us do.

I love looking back on that day that it was presented.  It will forever be one of my favorite me moments.  You know...those special moments when you realise a little bit more about your own Divine Nature and your purpose for being on this earth.  It makes me excited to go throughout the rest of my life.  Only the Lord knows our spiritual capacity and He will give us opportunities like these to help fill us.   Even the hardest things can be accomplished if we are willing to go about them the right way.  I know that through Him is always going to be the right way!!!

A Family Love Story

I have this picture sitting in a cute tiny silver frame on my desk.  It is one of my most favorite items in my whole house.  I love to look at it and see in their faces how they adored one another.  These two cute love birds are my grandparents, Linton and Dolly Collier.  Their story is simple but I find simple things to be the most sweet.  They loved one another and we all knew it.  They loved everyone of us too. That's what suppose to happen when somebody gets married and starts a family.  That feeling should go on for forever.  

My grandpa passed away just a month ago after having a heart attack and I miss him....we all do.  He would always want to wrestle with us and give us big kisses.  He also loved to talk about his wife and would  sneak cute glances her way when he did it.  He liked to hold her hand and thank her for everything.  He was good to her and she was really good to him.  I don't know all of the details but I do know enough to share their love story and the way it has affected me. 

Both grandma and grandpa were raised in sunny California. My grandma had lots of cute girlfriends (including shirley temple...if I remember right) while grandpa ran around with my grandma's brother.  She had grown up right in front of him.  

Grandpa joined the Navy during World War II while my Grandma was in High School.  When he returned from his service he saw her as more then just a friend's little sister and asked her to dance.  He said "when I got out of the navy she looked very good to me!"  They courted for a year before they were married (the day after Grandma's high school graduation).  

After our family visited with  Grandpa just a few days before he died he told me about how my Grandma's parents didn't like the idea of him marrying her but they went ahead with it anyway.  He was stubborn like that.  Good thing because look how cute they are and how happy they made everything!  Plus my dad came from them and I came from my dad.  When you love somebody you just have to have faith and go for it...no matter what!

She wanted more then anything else to be a wife and a mother.  She moved with her family 7 times and one of them to a farm in Idaho.  They didn't know much of anything about farming but it was my Grandpa's dream so they took a risk and made the most of it.  My dad says she was the best cook and always kept a tidy home.  Grandpa couldn't sit still I guess.  He loved starting knew things and risking it all to start new businesses.  Grandma stuck by his side and did it all with him. 

They had three boys before adopting a baby girl.  They loved them, encouraged them and taught them well.  They believed in family.  They worked hard together and they played hard together.  When grand kids came along they seemed to like us...to love us and to want to teach us everything they knew. Grandma loved to teach us girls how to cook and Grandpa would help us climb his trees in the yard.  They would give open hugs and kisses to everyone both when we arrived for a visit and when we left.  We knew we were loved.  They showed us, they told us often and they meant it.

Grandpa's favorite date was the day he asked my sweet Grandma to marry him.  Grandma was always his secret crush and would be for forever.  

They never considered themselves to be poor. He said, "With each other we were and still are exceptionally rich!!!

 When Grandpa was asked, "If you could use one word to describe your spouse what would it be" he said,

"Outstanding, loving, caring, nurturing- take your pick!"  I guess he knew she couldn't be pinned down to just one word.

Grandma said that the one word she would use to describe her husband would be "GREAT!"

Grandpa noted, "My favorite vacations are anywhere I can be with my wonderful wife, Dolly. I love that lady! I even enjoy sitting around home with her!! God has truly blessed us!

Their advice: "Always tell each other you love each other daily and hourly. Always do everything together and be patient!"

I love that no matter what they stuck together, loved each other openly and made each other feel special.  They put their spouse first and their family close behind.  Their legacy of love and their story will stick with me for forever.  I love you Grandma and Grandpa! I want to end up like you...happy and content.

 

 

* I need to thank my cute sister in law Katie for helping me with this post.  In the short time she knew my grandparents she put together a book of each of their lives.  I will always love having a copy of those books.  Thank you a million times!

Frame It

For our topic of "frame it" this week I had high hopes to have ready an entire wall of newly framed pieces and instead of getting to work on that today I finally caved and put away my Christmas decorations.  Although daunting and sort of depressing it got me thinking of our recent holiday and reminded me of a fun gift/project I did with my son Payton for his grandparents. 

I had him draw them a special picture and after he was pleased with his work I transferred it onto a white piece of fabric where I then embroidered it and put it in a special frame.  Now it will last forever and they will see again and again how much he loves them.  He told me that it was his favorite gift to give and was definietly my favorite to make.  I wish I had a picture of his Grandma and Grandpa's finished product but you get the idea from his portrayal of his Gammie and Potts.    

Children's art should get to last forever and that's sometimes hard when you have to store or stash hundreds of papers in who knows how many places because you just can't get yourself to throw them away. This was a fun way to create something special and have it be displayed and preserved for as long as possible.

Do you have any fun ideas for displaying or saving your child's art?

Time

It's 2011 and a brand new year.  A year that brings hope and excitement.  A year that holds many experiences to be had and an entire calendar, empty, fresh and ready to fill with memories.  A year that could possibly be the best one yet.  Or it could be a year that will challenge us the most.  A white and clean and perfect moment to start over or continue doing good.  I love myself a new year.

Last year, 2010, was a rush for me and for my family.  Looking back at my planner and my old calendar I am amazed at all that happened and how my days were filled to the brim with both the things I loved and the things I had to get done.  I will admit, by my own fault, that I was an overbooked mother who only wished for more time in her day.  I know I did my best then and that learning from my mistakes is better then regretting or being disappointed in myself so I always hope to do better with how I use my time.  Who doesn't?

I did not play with my kids as much as I should have.  I did not spend as many minutes as I wanted with my husband.  I was on the computer too much.  I said yes to everyone including my own exaggerated expectations of myself and found each day, every day, to be kinda stressful.  I was killing myself by trying to be everything to everyone and here I sit now...puzzled by my behavior.  How come I didn't just say no? Instead of beating myself up about it all I am excited to try again.  I think I'll always wrestle with time but I hope each year brings a new understanding of how to manage it and how to prioritize. 

I know mistakes are what make us grow the most that is why my new years resolution this year is to relax and let time just be what it is.  I'm going to use it but not fill it.  I am going to remember more about 2011 then just being incredibly busy.  My hope is that by doing this and by finding time to just be still I will find a better me.  A mom who knows how to make time for her kids even on a busy day.  A homemaker who finds joy in cooking and keeping a beautiful home.  I am going to be healthier, happier and hopefully more stress free.    I will still be me and probably overdo it every once in a while but I am going to try harder to focus on relationships more then things.  Check up on me and keep me here...in this moment of brand new hope. 

Happy New Year!!!

Finding JOY

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Where do you find JOY during this Christmas season? 

I'm going to admit right now that I have had a harder time this year finding that special feeling because of a very busy schedule.  My days are packed with meetings and violin lessons to teach plus a home to take care of and all that comes with trying to create a meaningful and special Christmas.  I find myself so caught up in what has to be done that I forget to stop and feel why it should be done and my reason for doing it.  Then there is trying to decide if it even needs to be on my list.  Even though the busyness is always going to be there I have found that in order to find JOY in what I am doing I need to make sure the task is meaningful and from my heart. 

I found JOY this year:

• the moment we began to play the Hallelujah chorus for a large sing-a-long audience and could hear the JOY coming from every voice.
• after creating my list of things to make for gifts and imagining their reaction.
• dropping off cookies to neighbors and friends.
• seeing the Young Women I love open up their Christmas gifts and love what had been made for them.
• spending an entire weekend with my family just playing in the water.
• dancing in the kitchen with my kiddos to their favorite Christmas tunes.
• making Santa cookies and caramels with my husband.
• decorating our tree and seeing it sparkle.
• finding Payton stuffing our stockings with love notes and secret messages.
• standing next to my husband and my sister while we caroled to our neighbors.
• sewing up over 300 stockings  for those in need in a small room filled with women who love to serve.
• any time I sit in front of my fireplace and stop to think about what's really important.
• playing my violin in church.
• listening to our prophet speak.
• cooking for people I love.
• having guests stay in our home and seeing them be amazing with our kids.
• creating a Christmas card with my dad and seeing him work his magic.
• seeing a family who is hurting be uplifted by voices who love and pray for them.
• "White Christmas"
• finishing something for a new special member of the family.
• making plans to see family.
• shopping for our kids
• seeing magic happen every time a Ho Ho Ho fills the air.
• smelling a Christmas candle and wearing cozy socks while working on a gift.
• knowing what I believe and why we go through this craziness to make things so special.
• being still and seeing JOY just appear from everywhere.

What brings you JOY this time of year?

 

White

I love this time of year!  I love the smells and the sparkle and the bustle of it all.  I love the anticipation I see in my kids...okay, in me... and the gift giving process.  I love the shopping and the making and the tons of decorating.  Is this starting to sound a little bit Dr. Seussy?  Sorry!  I have Christmas cards on the brain.   What I really love is the entertaining.  I get all silly and Jennish about setting a pretty table with dishes that make me swoon. 

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I adore all things white.  I have it in every room.  I remember looking at pottery barn catalogs when I was in high school and dreaming about how my home would one day look.  * Little did I know that those prices would keep their simple white furniture out of my home.  That is not the point.  To me the perfect room has a whole lot of white and a little bit of some other color.  I think it's fresh and inviting and clean and so easy to change for the season or for my mood.  I have started to collect white serving ware to help whiten up my kitchen. I paint just about anything I can get my hands on white.  One of these days I'll get pictures up of Sadie's room and our bedroom.  I'm pretty sure I am obsessed!  It's in my Christmas tree and is a big part of all of my quilts.  I love when it snows because it brightens and cleans up a icky looking winter mess.  I can be really fickle when it comes to favorite colors and because it changes so often I like having that white canvas in most of my rooms to do small adjustments to.  Some think that white is boring.  I think it's...to be cheesy...magical!  Among the many white things in my home I have a particular favorite, especially at this time of year.

Enter my prettiest tiny collection of dishes...

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I think I mentioned my china before and how it's become one of my most favorite treasures but I have to just tell you how grateful I am for my mother and her understanding of what china really means to a wife and mother.  I registered for it after my wedding, out of registration regret - not doing it when I should have, and my sweet mom lovingly gets me a little bit of it every birthday, anniversary and at Christmas. My husband thinks it's fairly pointless to put an expensive plate on the table, only to have it covered up with food and then wishing all night long for it to make it safely into a locked cabinet.  I, on the other hand, find it to be comforting and timeless.  It seems like having kids has changed our whole home to plastic and having this one nice breakable adult thing helps me feel grown up when I need to be.  I have so many memories of setting my mom's and even my grandmother's table with their own fine china.  I want that for my Sadie.  I want the moment those dishes make an appearance to signify a special occasion, to sparkle things up a bit, and then one day I want to pass it, or at least the tradition of it, on to my children. 

I believe that giving china as a wedding gift use to be a big tradition and I wonder why it's fizzled out.  Was it a fad?  Did it become a pain to find?  I guess if you are a practical thinking person, like my cute husband,  these types of things just don't really matter.  Thank goodness I am not a very practical person.  I love that they came from my mom.  I love that they are me and that I picked them out to last forever.  I really love that they are white.  I can't wait to bring them out again this Christmas. 

 

Sweatpants and Slippers

Tonight I was too comfortable to get up.  I was in a serious comfort zone and there was no way I was going to get up and write a post about this subject without fulling enjoying it's possibilities.  I had on Mark's jammie pants, a giant hoodie that could fit two of me in it, a bowl of warm popcorn on my lap, a cozy quilt, a warm husband by my side and the best cushy-can't-get-out-of-it-couch ever.  It only took me a few minutes of enjoying this before I had fallen blissfully asleep. 

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That doesn't happen to me much.  I take it back...the falling asleep part on the comfy couch -yes, but normally I am passed out in my work out clothes (shoes included) with a pile of wrinkly laundry by my side that is half way folded and the TV blaring something obnoxious.    Not exactly what I was describing before. 

Definitions of Comfort

A state of being relaxed and feeling no pain - Yup...that was me!


A feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment - Finally had about an hour of this.

Consolation: the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction - Does it count if Mark was doing this just by sitting by me instead of off doing business in another state?

Ease: a freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state - It's cold outside but our home is warm and safe. I feel blessed to be where I am.
 Satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing - That couch and popcorn was sure helping out a lot.
Give moral or emotional strength to - Somebody did that for me today by easing a burden.  Thank you!

Quilt: bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together - I mentioned the quilt. Who else loves that this is in the definition? 

Lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; "ease the pain in your legs"- Well I wasn't on my feet which seem to hurt always and I wasn't having to use my hands which hurt too these days.

So you see...I was experiencing it all minus a good comfy pair of slippers. I should have put on my favorite slippers.

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We had a big week here.  Lots of food, guests, places to be, shopping, church programs to write, laundry, painting and a house to take care of.  I think it all stopped tonight around 7 pm and I took advantage of that...sorry for the late entry.  Our week was fun and crazy and enjoyable but not super comfortable.  I seem to ache for comfort some days and tonight I was happy to have lived like this.

What's your go to comfort?  Do you have days when you reach for your husbands clothes, hoping for a break from a waistband or a shirt that hugs you too close?  Is it a food?  A person?  Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!  Who doesn't want new ways to find comfort.