Domestic Goddess--Not!

Erin wrote a post yesterday about how, even though her house is not the biggest or nicest in the world, it is home, and they are grateful for it. That is exactly how I have been feeling lately.

Something happened a few months ago and I got "settled" in my mind. I got a deep desire to start taking better care of our home. I am very far from a good house cleaner. I have always hated it. We had rooms in our home (actually the whole upstairs) that were absolute, complete wrecks. This included our "office" (which we haven't used as an office since I got my laptop and is actually where Bright was sleeping), and the kids bedrooms and bathrooms. I just got fed up.

I want to have a home where someone can stop by unannounced and I don't stand at the door trying to keep them from coming in or even peering over my shoulder. I want a home where a stranger can walk in and I can be comfortable, knowing that my home is presentable.

So bit by bit I started working on the house. Eventually the "office" was cleaned up and cleaned out, so that Taevy could make it her bedroom. Then last weekend my mom and I and Taevy worked all weekend to get her organized in her new room. Bright moved into Taevy's old room and for the first time has his own room. Samren's room came next, as we worked together to get it cleaned up and organized. My mom bought a new shelf for each room, which helped immensely with the organization!

Then downstairs was our room. In comes my hero-mom again and she let me buy a beautiful bedding set that she original bought for her new home (after it didn't fit her bed) for a "give-away" price. Eric and I would never buy such a luxurious bedding set for ourselves. It felt so grown up!

Then last weekend mom blessed me once again when she helped me choose curtains for our bedroom. This is how I know I am really getting settled. In the 10 years Eric and I have been married I have never hung more than a topper on a few windows in our homes. The new draperies are beautiful in our room. It feels like a real mommy/daddy room now! Of course, when you have something new, you want the rest of the room to look wonderful too. So it has been easy to keep it straightened up and looking pretty. For the first time, I am making our bed every day. Yesterday was our latest "grownup" venture, as I hung curtains in the front part of our home. Little by little, I will dress every window but for now this is good. For the first time since we moved to the house I can open my door and welcome in an unannounced guest. My laundry room isn't overflowing with laundry. My toilets are clean. My furniture is not ripped, and my home looks grownup and nice. It's not fancy or snooty. It's just clean and organized.

I've got too more big projects--our master bedroom closet and the garage. Then our home will be totally organized!!!

And you know what? When everything else is done (laundry, dishes, stuff off the floor) I find that my mind gives itself permission to do "extra" stuff like baking or art/craft projects. Before, when I knew I SHOULD be doing something different, I didn't allow myself to do those extra things. Now I can do them with no guilt. Praise God. Seriously. There is healing in having a clean home. Now I need to start using it to glorify Him and all He has blessed us with, rather than hiding away inside of it with guilt over not taking care of it.