Daydream Believing and Guest Bathrooms

4:01 am ByFiled UnderHome, Money & Organization

I’ve shared a time or two (or three) that my house is less than awesome. It’s old and small and evidence that my husband and I were first-time suckers home buyers. But it’s a home, and I work hard to stay positive and thankful for what we have.

My parents, on the other hand, have been fervently and faithfully praying for our new house. They are believing God for the miracle it will take to get us out of our little money pit.I’ve been thinking about guest bathrooms lately – and how much I can’t wait to have one again. We currently have one small bathroom, and it works well enough.

But as someone who enjoys having guests in my home, I long for the day I have a guest room – and bathroom to go with it.

To see my list of top 10 wants and wishes for a guest bathroom, visit my guest post at OhAmanda!

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Broken down and busted.

9:58 pm ByFiled UnderHome, Money & Organization

Our front door is broken. Sometimes our garage door won’t open all the way. And our backyard has a virtual swamp smack dab in its middle that, save an actual drought, can never be fully mowed.

That’s just the outside of our house (and doesn’t include our crumbling front porch). Once you step inside, you’ll find peeling varnish on the hardwood floors, doors that either won’t latch or won’t open without some muscle, and a large crack in the bathroom ceiling.

Oh – and did I mention that our ice maker doesn’t work (and hasn’t for several months)? And that our microwave (funny enough, the one behind the ice trays in the photo above) blew up shortly before Christmas? And that I came home from last week’s vacation to discover that our dishwasher – which has been dying a slow death – is dead.

I’ve been slowly washing every single dish I own tonight. And trying not to grumble. Surprise! I’ve been more successful in the cleaning than the not grumbling.

To top it off? Two of our couple friends (friend couples? I never know.) have moved recently, so Annalyn has become obsessed with moving. While I’m relieved that she’s moved on from questions about having babies and where do babies come from and does God grow babies in the oven, having my three-year-old ask – repeatedly – “When can we move, Mommy? Why don’t we have a new house, Mommy?” is a little grating.

I’m not ignorant or ungrateful. I know that my house is a mansion compared to so many in this world, and that I’m blessed beyond belief to have a home in the first place. I know that. And I’m not really pacing my short hallway and wailing about oh-poor-me. But I also don’t have a concluding message for you about contentment. I’m thankful for what we have, and I know it’s not a forever home – or even a many years more home.

But would it be too much to ask for a working dishwasher?

How do you deal with a less-than-perfect house? And how do you feel about hand-washing really dirty dishes left by your husband while you were on vacation several days ago?

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Airplanes, Wishes & Last-Minute Travel

10:06 pm ByFiled UnderHome, Money & Organization

Airplane

Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now

Nine days ago, I got an e-mail inviting me to attend and blog about The Orange Conference. This week.

It was the epitome of last-minute, but faced with a free trip, learning about the latest in ministry and hanging out with my Atlanta friends? Well, I couldn’t turn it down!

I had to coordinate logistics right away – childcare for Annalyn, a place for me to stay, the most conveniently scheduled flight. And then it was time to focus on Easter: choir practice, Good Friday services and one long Sunday.

But now? Late on Monday night before I leave for four days on Wednesday, I’m looking around my house in its post-Easter state and wishing. Wishing for more time, for better organization, for a live-in maid. A few more wishes . . .

1. I wish I had put Christine’s cleaning schedule to use and was leaving a respectably clean house for my husband.

2. I wish I wasn’t starting Week 4 of my 5K training – because running for five minutes at a time, without stopping is stressful enough without figuring out how to do it while I’m out of town.

3. I wish I was organized enough to do once a month cooking like Tricia. Or, at this point, I’d take once a week cooking. Whatever would stock the fridge with meals for my husband.

4. I wish I’d made room in my budget for new luggage, because even with my direct flight to Atlanta (score!), I’m not sure my old purple suitcase is going to make it without completely splitting open.

5. I wish I wasn’t so bummed to be missing Steve Carell’s last episode of The Office and the Royal Wedding. Good thing my trusty VCR will do the trick! (And, really, would I be getting up before the crack of dawn to watch the wedding, even if I were at home? Uh, NO.)

6. I wish my dishwasher unloaded itself and my laundry folded itself. And actually, I pretty much wish this every day of my life.

7. I wish I could pack little girl snuggles and hugs and I love yous in that purple suitcase.

8. I wish I’d been a little more on the ball lately with my writing. It would be awfully handy to have blog posts ready to roll right about now.

9. I wish I knew if I’m really supposed to wear orange to this thing…

10. I wish I could find an official video of Airplanes with the Eminem verse. But it seems it’s not meant to be. (Beware: This song has a great message but strong language. In case you happen to go searching for this mythical video. And in which case, please ignore the language and send me that link!)

But no matter how many silly or serious wishes I have today, I’m super excited to blog for Orange this week. I can’t wait to share with you the great things I learn and – my favorite part of every conference – the great people I meet!

What are you wishing for today?

This post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.

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Project :: Clean Off My Desk!

9:55 pm ByFiled UnderHome, Money & Organization

If you think this is bad, you should’ve seen me a few years ago. Back before we had Annalyn – and needed a room for her – our “guest room” was almost always a 12×12 junk pile, cleaned off only when I expected company. (Usually just hours before I expected company.)

Even after a lot of decluttering and organizing (thank you, second trimester), I still tended to pile up papers and general STUFF that didn’t have a home. Without a guest room to dump it into, I began the nasty habit of sweeping everything off my kitchen table into a large box and then sticking it in the garage when faced with the prospect of guests.

I know. You’re bowled over by my awesomeness. But what I’m saying is this desk disaster isn’t as bad as it looks. It could be worse!

But it’s still bad. And it still clutters up my dining room (and my mind) and keeps me from accomplishing the things I need to do. These days, I’m trying to keep it more organized, which so far has only meant that I dig out the surface of my desk and file paycheck stubs and various other papers more often. But I think I need a better system.

I cleaned off my desk (once again) as part of Simple Mom’s Project: Simplify. (This week’s challenge was paperwork, which was a large part of that mess up above!) But I’m asking for your help. How can I better contain and – even better – organize the mess of my desk? Do you have a good system? Are you a shelf person, a hook person or do you prefer a bulletin board or boxes? How do you organize your to-do pile?

I am reading Organized Simplicity, and I’m sure Tsh will have lots of tips for a realistic solution for this “hot spot” of my house and, really, my life. But if you have suggestions, please, share them in the comments! (And don’t forget to enter my giveaway for Organized Simplicity. It closes at midnight tonight!)

This post will also be linked up with the Spring Spruce Up. Check it out for more spring cleaning inspiration!

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Organized Simplicity {giveaway}

4:34 am ByFiled UnderBooks, TV, Music & Movies, Home, Money & Organization, Reviews & Giveaways

Just look at that book up there. Even the product shot looks peaceful . . . which is how I imagine my home – and my life – would be if I could just get organized. I have not read my fellow (in)courage writer’s book yet, but I can’t wait to dig into it. And what better time than the beginning of spring?

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (of Simple Mom) is a practical look at why living simply is good – and how to apply that approach to your own life and home. It actually tackles each room of the house and shows you how to truly get your home in order.

Organized Simplicity’s aim is to convince its readers that simple living is the absolute best way to live. Be it with house cleaning, family schedule management, personal finances, and managing the “stuff” you allow within your four walls, the only way to live well is to do so intentionally and simply. The first half of the book delves into the why behind realistic simple living, giving the reader a nail to then hang the how of living simply discussed in the second half. And by redefining the too often-used phrase “simple living,” a busy home manager living in the real world can then make practical changes that work for the whole family. There are chapters for cleaning and organizing the home room-by-room, and future project ideas will inspire readers to turn their house in a haven they love.

Tsh Oxenreider is a wife to Kyle and a mama to Tate, Reed, and Finn, and her book, Organized Simplicity, is in bookstores now. She and her family are currently “in between” countries, having moved back to the U.S. from the Middle East before heading off to their next adventure (her 5-year-old has been on 49 airplanes and counting). She writes about simplifying life at home at Simple Mom.

Her blog was nominated for Best New Blog of 2008, and has been mentioned on Apartment Therapy, HGTV, Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network and more. In early 2010, she founded the blog network Simple Living Media, home to five blogs about simple living.

I’m excited to tell you that I’m giving away two copies of Organized Simplicity. This contest will end on Friday, March 18 at midnight (CST). If you’d like the chance to win, here’s what to do . . .

How to enter to win Organized Simplicity:

  • Leave a comment telling me what part of your house is in most need of organizing. (Mine is the desk in my dining room, hands down!)
  • For an additional entry, join the Facebook page for Giving Up on Perfect and leave a separate comment telling me about it. (And if you already “like” this blog on Facebook, then just leave that separate comment telling me that!)
  • For another additional entry, join the Facebook page for Organized Simplicity and leave a separate comment telling me about it. (And if you already “like” this book on Facebook, then just leave that separate comment telling me that!)

Affiliate links are used in this post, and the book description and bio are courtesy of Amazon and the author.

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