how to fake a clean house

I just read the cutest website. I'm not sure if it was serious or teasing, but it might come in handy some day... Every once in a while we find out someone is coming and panic because our house isn't quite what we'd like it to be. Here're are a few hints. I'm not posting it all, but some ideas are kind of handy.

How To Fake a Clean House by Kathleen Squires
When you're short on time here's how to give your living spaces the illusion of cleanliness.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

~Reserve one side of the sofa cushions to be shown to guests. Just as guests arrive flip the cushions over to show the 'good-as new" fabric. When the guests leave flip them back down and keep them clean.

To rid the sofa and chair backs of pet hair, wear a rubber glove. Dampen the fingers and wipe the upholstry. The pet hair will cling to the damp rubber.

~Stack scattered books and magazines in a neat pile or in a basket at the end of the sofa.

~Pull the sheer drapes closed over the windows to disguise kiddy smudged window panes. Other times leave them pulled back.

~Fold a clean blanket and put it over the stained cushions on chairs or sofa.

IN THE KITCHEN

~ If the sink is full of dirty dishes, stack them in a stew pot or roaster and put them in the cupboard until the company is gone and then you'll have time to wash them. Drape any dirty dish cloths or towels over the pot.

Hang clean dish towels over the oven handle or on the bar. Fold the stained side to the back. Tidy and clean-no effort.

~Cover any lingering aroma of cooking by boiling a spoonful of nutmeg or cinnamon or cloves or orange peel in a small pan of water! Instant aroma-therapy says 'welcome' !

~De-clutter your refrigerator by scooping all the notes, photos, coupons and magnets into a ziplock bag and put it in a drawer. Later you can put it back. Instant neatness!

THE BATHROOM

~Glide a sticky lint roller over the bath mat to pick up any loose hair or lint fluff.

~Pull down any damp towels. Use them to wipe flat surfaces that collect dust, then hang them on the hook behind the door. Hang a fluffy robe over them. Clean and neat.

~ Put clean guest towels out. Instant neatness.

~Any scattered brushes, or cosmetics can be heaped in a basket on the back of the toilet. Neat and decorative.

~Turn the light off but light a couple candles. Candles are pretty and everything looks nicer by candle light. Neat and cozy.

*************

Now I know we all try to keep our houses clean and straightened up. And I'm not a proponent of sloppy housekeeping, but be honest, sometimes we get surprise company when we wish we'd had time to clean before they came. It happens to all of us.

These few hints can be accomplished between the time we see them pull up outside and they get to the door. Especially if you plan your route sometime when you're really cleaning. You can devise a plan of action that involves the shortest way through your house.

This certainly won't substitute for good housekeeping, but it will help us relax a bit when somebody comes unexpectedly. Wish I'd thought of it about 30 years ago when I had two kids and a dad to take care of and a full time job. There were plenty of times when people came and cleaning day was two days past. These ideas would have helped me feel a lot better. LOL We had a long walk and about 15 steps from the pull-off to the front door. I could have accomplished a lot!

six in the morning

Well, lookee here! It's six o'clock in the morning and I'm all bright eyed and bushy tailed! Today appears that it will be more profitable than yesterday. Now don't anybody think I'm gonna move mountains or shake the world. My busy days usually consist in letting the dogs in and out, having Bible study and posting on the devotional and study groups where I'm a member, washing a few (a very few) dishes. If Rachael brings me a basket-full of clothes, I'll fold them or do a little hand sewing, but it is never anything that requires standing or walking around for very long at all. I can walk to the kitchen, get Rachael's eggs set to boil, turn on the coffee pot and assemble the makings of Michael's lunch.

Then I have to sit down for a while and make the sandwich, etc. This isn't because I'm tired or breathless, but only because that is about as long as I can stand until my knees begin hurting badly enough that I have to allow them to rest.

I watch Rachael running around here after work, straightening and vacuuming, carrying laundry, getting supper started, shooing the dogs, doing all the myriad of things necessary to keep a good house, step, step, step, bend, stoop, stoop, bend, up and down, step, step, run. I can remember the days when I used to do that, but those days are past. We take the functioning of our bodies so much for granted when it all works right. I am a little in awe when I see people hustling around on knees that are working smoothly, it seems almost like a dream or imaginary story.

Michael has a pair of pants laying on my dresser that he wants me to put another button on. Only I don't have a button that is large enough or the right color. I have a night gown that needs the seam stitched back. Maybe I'll get to those today if I can track down a button. I keep thinking I'm going to ask Rachael to get me a couple extra spools of thread so I can match the material a little better. I have gray thread and white--I really can't fix black buttons on blaack pants with gray thread...hmm it will look a little strange. I don't care that much about the nightgown, if I watch what I'm doing I can conceal the gray thread among the gathers and lacy parts. And after all, the point for me is to keep the nightgown together, not to have any one admire the color match. lol

You know, hand sewing is almost a thing of the past--in fact mending is almost a thing of the past. People today don't fix things; they just throw them away and get something new. When I first moved down here with R & M within just a few days I had a pile of things that they asked if I could mend for them. Michael had saved his things because they were his favorites. (I think he was hoping that a clothes fairy would wave her magic wand and they would be miraculously whole again! He certainly had no idea of how to fix them!) Rachael had saved hers because she knew they were repairable but she was too clumsey with a needle and thread to do it.

When Mom came the problem was solved. I had seams on t-shirts and pretty blouses, snagged and torn sweaters, jackets with torn pockets and a pile of jeans that each needed a button on the waist. Rachael's sewing box consisted of her grandma's little antique compact with two needles and a half dozen straight pins and a couple spools of thread. Mine was packed away. But I made do. If you stitch carefully enough even mismatched thread can be hidden when you repair a seam. Of course, Rachael still doesn't sew very well because Mom's here to do it. Maybe she's hoping it will just ooze into her pores if she watches me.

Well, in a very few minutes I have to go and have a bite ready for Michael to eat so I'd better get off here for the time being. Don't get the idea this is a 'have to' kind of thing. I do it because I enjoy it and it's one of the few things I can do as far as housekeeping is concerned. When I say "have to" it is a time constraint kind of thing not a response to anyone's demands.

lazy day

I've had the laziest day today, didn't do diddly. Now granted I don't usually rush all around. It isn't possible to rush around on crutches, but I generally do something profitable! I woke up early as usual, and trekked on out to get Rachael a bite to eat and fix Michael's lunch. I DID stay up until Rachael got going, then I left Michael's lunch pak on the counter--all packed--and put his strudel in the toaster. All that had to be done was pour the coffee and push the handle down on the toaster. And here is the pathetic part, I went back in my sitting room and sat down and snoozed! That hardly ever happens.

Notah called a little while later on his way to work. That is a big red highlight to my day. We never talk about earth moving things but I love when he calls. Thank goodness for verizon wireless and their network. the hours I spend on the phone with him and Kerra would break my very small bank. I have to feel so sorry for mothers in the days before cell phones and even regular telephones. I think of my mother-in-law whose children scattered all over and she only got to be with them when they came home. Louie moved to Ohio and she went months without seeing him. Others moved to Arizona and Colorado. Of course, with no phones on the reservation she could never talk with him. And not just her but all the mothers who must have grieved to think about their kids so far out of touch. My heart would truly break if I couldn't talk with Notah regularly--three or four times a week. Thank the Lord for verizon wireless and their free minutes to other verizon customers!

I didn't take my shower until two oclock and just a short while later Rachael came home from work!

Tomorrow will be better.

see what I can do!

For a long time I have been a little envious of those who can create graphics 'out of thin air.' I know how to copy and paste and I have a group of friends who create these neat graphics and post them to be "snagged" into my album. Yeah, yeah. I can "talk the talk," but I haven't a clue how to 'walk the walk" Give me a pencil or paint and I can create picture from scratch, but I can't do it on the computer...

Not until I found this website, FotoFlexer. ( http://fotoflexer.com/ ) Different people had recommended sites to me, but they all required that you pay to download the program. I didn't want to pay for something I wasn't sure I would be able to use. I know the computer geeks tell us that anybody can work their program, but I have news for them. I can't even follow their simplified directions. Part of it is that I'm a complete illiterate at understanding computers. And part of it is that they know computers so thoroughy that even when they try to simplify the directions, they are still assuming I know things that I don't. And all those letters- URL, http, jpg- what is THAT all about. For them these basics are so common that they don't realize that the stupids of us have never even dreamed of them.

Anyway, I found this free use site, FotoFlexer. And very timidly I worked thorugh their first "edit a sample photo" with one of the three photos they supplied. I could do it! Then I got a little braver. The button below the sample pictures said, "edit photos from your computer." I have a wealth of photos on my computer so, brave one, I tried! How fantastic! Now I know how to take one of my photos, add a text, scripture, saying, or greeting and save it to post here, there or the other place.

I was so excited that I lost the very first one I did. I forgot to save it before I went on to try again, but here is the second.

While I'm thinking about it.. I used the phrases talk the talk and walk the walk earlier. I've heard this used so frequently by religious folks. They say you have to talk the talk and walk the walk. But they have no idea what walking the walk means. They talk about salvation and how Jesus can change our lives and make a difference. They know all the pat phrases and you can almost recognize their denominational background as soon as they open their mouths. But then when we look at their life, it is no different from their old life except that every chance they get they begin quoting scripture and encouraging you to 'be born again' and 'accept Christ as you personal Savior'

Now even sinners can tell the difference between a hypocrit and a true child of God. In fact they are probably much better at it that many Christians. The problem is some individuals make so much noise talking the talk, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the sinner who says to himself, "Why should I accept Christ when they don't live any different that I do?" And you know, they have a point.

Living the life (walking the walk) has a much much greater impact on people than all the talking anyone could ever do. One of the scriptures that has always impacted strongly on my life was Peter's admonition: be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. The phrase that my that holds my attention is being ready "to give an answer" for the hope within us. This to me, implies that walking the walk comes first. If we are walking the walk, then sinners are going to want to know why.

We get all wrapped up in the fact that Jesus sent the disciples into all the world to preach the gospel. We get involved in the thought that we are to witness. We are supposed to testify of Jesus power. What we neglect to notice is that with the apostles and Christ and all the great ministers of God through the ages, the witnessing, the preaching, the testifying have followed their living a life for God.

We cannot get so involved in witnessing that we neglect to walk the walk. If we are to have any impact for the Lord in this world, we must live the life, walk the walk that is pleasing to God. Trust me when I say, that godly life will be a witness without your ever saying a word.

It is a beautiful day here today. After days of humidity and heat, we had 68 degrees last night. When I opened the door for the dogs this morning they bounced out like they were on springs. Last night Michael played with Maxim and his frizbee in the yard. He chased it but it was so humid it seemed like he couldn't pant fast enough. This morning it was different-- cool and pleasant. I think I may have lunch on the deck today. It is so pretty.

Tomorrow is Michael's birthday. Rachael says things have improved over the years. He used to celebrate the event for the entire month. Then he gradually reduced it to a week and now they have it down to one weekend! His sister bought him tickets for a music concert in Cincinnati tonght. They are leaving as soon as he gets off work and showered to attend the concert and spend the night so they can come home fresh in the morning. THEN they are going to Zoombezi Lake on Saturday! It's a water park with slides and splashes and wave pools. How old did I say he is??? Hmmm. Ten maybe? LOL

So the dogs 'n' I will be holding down the fort by ourselves for a couple days.

Rachael's new assignment for Krogers is going well. They instituted a new computer program for all their stores. Lien accounting is a fairly straightforward system (as I gather from what she has said to me) from a bookkeeping angle, but it has a lot of precise steps to reach the end. And omitting one step or putting the numbers on the wrong line messes with the totals. This is one time when her dyslexia has stood her in good stead. Over the years she has been forced to be very precise and very organized in order because her mindreverses letters and numerals. To keep things straight she has learned to be very structured. And that is exactly what is required to work this system.

I'm proud of her. She and her partner/supervisor seem to be the only two trainers in the area who have the process down. They 'went live' in their own two stores and only two or three days into the kickoff period began getting calls and being sent to the other stores as trouble-shooters. They have run around to a lot of stores who had their own trainers, but who were so messed up that the store trainers couldn't get it straightened out. So my Rachael had to go do them! Yes! The other nice thing is that running to all those stores. makes for a fantastic mileage expense check!

I think I'll go get lunch and take it outside.

it's five oclock in the morning

Rachael had to be at work this morning at five o'clock. I know she is thirty years old and very capable of getting herself up and going, but hey, I'm usually awake so why not take a few minutes and make sure there's coffee and a bagel waiting for her when she comes downstairs. I know, but it's just a Mom-thing.

I did this for Rachael from almost the time I moved here. I didn't feel strange doing it for her because she was, after all, my daughter and of course I could say, "Here eat this, you can't go off to work on an empty stomach." I didn't feel quite so free about saying the same thing to Michael. He wasn't actually my real son and I wasn't sure I 'mothering him' would be acceptable. LOL

Then I found out he'd kind of like it, too! So now I got Rachael off and I have two hours till I send Michael off. I was generally up with Notah when I was in NM. Although I wasn't able to fix him breakfast. I made sure his coffee started cooking at three thirty. It was still nice to have that time with him.

Now I'm sitting here in the quiet with soft music playing, remembering old brother Runion teaching on Ecclesiastes 12 in an early morning prayer service during campmeeting when I was probably 18. He made the imagery come alive for me that morning. He must have been in his 70's then and that age seemed far away for me. Now it is only a few very few years off and I'm understanding more and more of what the "Preacher" was talking about. Especially I remember in these early mornings the portion about "ris[ing] up at the voice of the bird." After years of waking up at six in the morning and another 20 of getting out of bed at five, I'm still an early riser. In fact I wake up earlier now than ever.

It's funny. One would think that retirement would mean sleeping until ten. I guess the body establishes its own time clock after 60 years and just continues to operate on that schedule even if you don't have to get to work on time. It is nice though. I get to see my kids in the morning and know they have hot coffee and a bit of something in their tummies to start the day. but then it gives me this time in the quiet of the day.

It's nice.

showers

There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys,

Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;

Send them upon us, O Lord;

Grant to us now a refreshing,

Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing,

If we but trust and obey;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

If we let God have His way.

The day is winding down. Rachael and Michael are next door playing ping- pong. I've sitting here in the quiet, thinking my quiet thoughts, looking at some photos and remembering this song.

Sometimes my soul feels like a garden in the rain. the blessings from the Lord pour down over it and soak into my being. I don't even have to be in a "dry spell" to feel the enrichment and blessings. The showers of blessing are always welcomed and always the evidence of God's love. The times of refeshing always come and suddenly I realize I needed that! His mercy is always with us, but sometimes we need those showers.

I wish I could figure out how to do the videos here... I'd play the song for you. Meantime you can click on this...http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=1UOUfRTVJhg