BLITZ-It Friday # 15: BIG PROJECT EDITION 4

This week you can link up a regular blitz and/or a big project edition. Because we had company, I was not able to work on my big project, but I did get a one hour blitz in.

Time to blitz-it again!! Some of you are working on just getting motivated for daily chores. Others are adding a big project too. Go ahead and link up either or both!

Daily blitz for the Organizing Mommy: Today I woke up feeling the heat and overwhelmingness that comes from leaving your house looking like a tornado, with groceries still out from the shopping trip yesterday. So, I gathered up the three boys (Hud, Than, and their friend, Josiah) and Emily. The work crew and I were able to get the kitchen, living room, and hall cleaned up in less than an hour. We did a blitzing with kids attack, which worked just fine for today.

1. Josiah and Nathanael unloaded the dishwasher and put away clean dishes.

2. Hud reloaded and ran the dishwasher.

3. Josiah and Nathanael got the leaf out of the table, wiped it down, swept and mopped the kitchen floor.

4. Hud emptied a cluttered cupboard and wiped it clean.

5. Emily emptied her piggy bank and refilled it.

6. Emily put her paper scraps in her drawer.

7. Mommy put groceries away, folded up recyclable bags, cleaned off the top of the fridge, and cleaned out messy cupboard, returning items to their assigned locations.

8. Nathanael and Josiah cleared G.I. Joes out of the livingroom and vaccuumed.

9. Mommy handwashed.

10. Hud put away handwashed dishes.

11. Josiah and Nathanael peeled potatoes for dinner.

12. Josiah took out trash and replaced bags.

13. (16 minutes left) Nathanael and Josiah left to play

14. Hud played his cello, and Mommy had a cup of coffee.

15. Mommy re-vacuumed and straightened up front entry, dumped out coffee and changed the laundry load.

So, even though two of my primary workers (Jamie and Joanna) are up visiting friends in WI, we were able to gather up the forces of the mighty trio. It's neat to see what I used to call "the little boys" getting up the energy to work hard when it is expected of them. Hud is already 5'9" and just turned 13. He doesn't appear to be anywhere near done growing. As I type this, the three boys and the sister are having a before-bed snack of a few bowls of cereal. This was after a huge grilled chicken dinner complete with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and asparagus!! I can't complain about how much they eat, since they are good boys who have spent a good hour of their time entertaining their little sister acting out a funny story with all of her many care bears! Gotta love it.

After the house was almost completely clean, they had plenty of time to play, and I could take a rest--which was great when it was 97! today. Yes, we do have air conditioning. If we didn't, I'd check myself into a hotel or a local asylum, which ever would take me. I feel like I'm dying in the heat, especially a hot, humid heat. My garden, on the other hand, loves it. After the temp went down to about 80, I spent an hour weeding out there. Wow! Everything is up. Weeds, plants, flowers, things I didn't plant and everything else is UP! So, I cleared out a pile of stuff. When my photographer is back in town, those of you who are gardening "vicariously" through this blog, can have a little peek.

Can't wait to see what you've been doing!

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New to blitzing? Here are some links to get you started:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Getting started with posting for blitz-it Friday.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

My big project is going to have to go without pictures this week, but I am still going through my big pile of photographs.

Iron sharpens Iron

"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend"Pr. 27:17

The thing about iron is that it is sharp. The two pieces of iron and rubbing against each other in almost a cutting way is not supposed to give a warm fuzzy feeling. But in the end the countenance (or well being) of his friend is better.

I've been thinking about the blessing of a true friendship that I have with some of my friends in the Lord. I don't know how it is with you, but for me, these things HAVE to be there in order to have the type of true friendship that can sharpen me.

1) Transparency: I have to have the freedom to be exactly who I am without feeling like I am going to receive a correction at every turn. It's those little subtle nudges that people give off that say, "stop being that way. You are not supposed to say that/ think that/ etc." But I AM thinking that. And I am BEING that way. Do you want to help me or not? Or would you rather I put on the horse and pony show for you?

2) Transparency: I have to feel like they are also being level with me also. Don't give me platitudes. Don't lie. Don't give me your horse and pony show either. If you don't trust me, then let's at least be real in the surface stuff, OK?

3) in the Word of God: If either of us are taking on a worldly view or just taking on the "acceptable" view on a topic and not using the Scripture as a guide, it's not really iron sharpening iron. We're just having a heated discussion.

4)in the realm of trust: when all is said and done after a "sharpening session", we know that we love each other and respect the differences, each admitting that we are only human and could be wrong.

5) in the context of humility: Despite the emotions displayed in a sharpening session, there always needs to be a sense of humility on all sides. When I feel heated up about something, I have a hard time remembering this aspect. But pride hurts. It hurts everyone. So, let's be nice while we sharpen each other. Take the low position and let them be right. The whole thing is to learn.

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You probably have noticed I've been AWOL for a while. Those above thoughts were brought about by the lovely time my WI friend, Kathy M. and I had together while visiting her this past weekend. Whenever we get together, I'm all charged up to study the Word afresh. So, I've been doing a lot of that lately. I hope it sticks!

So, yes, I'm fine. It's hot here, and I need to blitz--- big time blitz, and I'm hot. I don't want to move. Perfect time to use a blitz to get me going.

Speaking of blitzing, I just want to thank those of you who have told me that you really do blitz and use it all the time at home. My mother and I just talked and she said, "honey, I'm going to take a page from your book and tackle-it Thursday.." (so she got a few memes combined.. who cares?) So, we'll be reporting in tonight with the great results... I hope! (My photographer is up in WI, so I don't have photos) I should really learn how to take pictures like she does!

BLITZ-It Friday # 14: BIG PROJECT EDITION 3

This week you can link up a regular blitz and/or a big project edition. Because we had company, I was not able to work on my big project, but I did get a one hour blitz in.

The garage is basically orderly, but it only takes a short time for the clutter to start creeping in as pictured:

The garage ends up being the dumping ground for the items that I need to get rid of or need to find a new home for.

So, I set the timer for an hour, and for the first 12 minutes I just moved things into piles.

1. Trash

2. Donation

3. Gardening

4. recycling

5. in house

6. pitchforks and rakes

7. Car maintenance

After a while, I asked the kids to come out and help haul things.

and sweep! (Thanks, crew!) With their help, it took less than an hour. I'm spoiled, I know!

These were not part of the blitz, but I wanted to show you a cupboard that I found on the side of the road (last year?) and made it into a car supply area.

Also, this is not completely up to speed, but all like items are together. I could not give away this desk on freecycle, so I decided to keep it and use it for a potting shed/area.

Also, another great find from a garage sale (2 weeks ago). This is all cedar 3/4" paneling/ boards. (for a very good price) Not sure what the project is exactly, but I know a certain young lady is hoping for a hope chest....


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Are you working on your big projects? Sorry I couldn't get mine done this week. I'll have to do double next week!

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New to blitzing? Here are some links to get you started:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Getting started with posting for blitz-it Friday.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

Quality Control Garage sale officer report 1

Smart Garage-sale shopping from the rude, but well-meaning quality control officer:

Consider the dynamics of a garage sale from the seller's point of view. People sell things for various reasons. The basic underlying thing they all have in common is that they are selling things from the garage. That's almost where the similarities end.

I guess I just do this naturally (through a lot of exposure), but I am able to discern why people are having the sale and if it is appropriate to negotiate or not. No, I do not always negotiate. In fact, this weekend, I only negotiated once. So, if it doesn't kill you to hear the nitty gritty of how I decide to buy or not to buy something at a garage sale, I'll give you the scoop on how I discern between the different types of sales and what is appropriate at each one.

Neighborhoods

Don't always assume that nice neighborhoods equal nice stuff. Often the less expensive homes where elderly people live really do have the nicer things. In fact, type of home can have little to no effect on the quality of things sold.

Don't discount apartments either. Apartment dwellers also tend to have good quality things also.

The only places that generally do not have good things are: drug infested neighborhoods or (don't take this too hard) homes like ours--which use everything to death! Big families are hard on their stuff, but be encouraged--there aren't many of us out there! Yes, it's true. I never have garage sales.

Types of sales

Often I can tell just by looking what kind of sale it is. If I am not sure, I say things like this.

"Wow. You have some really nice things here. Are you moving?"

or "These are adorable kids' clothes. Is there more than one family here?"

Or often they'll come right out and say, "We just had to move our parents to a nursing home".

Do I mean to tell you that there are literally different types of garage sales?? They all say "garage sale" don't they? (Or "tag sale" if you are from the east). So, these are a few of the relationship dynamics that surround the sales.

1) Average family just getting rid of stuff: these are the most common types of sales. Their prices tend to be mid-ranged. They generally are not too sentimental about their stuff, but things are often worn out more. Often willing to negotiate. Most of the things I buy are from these types of sales. Stuff is priced well, so I hardly ever negotiate. If I spend like $20.00 or more, I may ask for a deal on something.

2) Elderly couple: Their stuff will be in top notch quality, but their prices may be high also. They do not like to bargain. Also, if I sense someone is really in need of the money, and they have good quality things, I do not negotiate.

3) The very best garage sales are divorce or bad roommate-left -town types of sales. But if the items for sale are a constant reminder of a bad memory or a "bad person" in their book, you can get almost anything on the table for any price. They will often give you several items with any purchase.

I have a funny story related to this type of garage sale. My husband wanted me to find him a Total Gym (as seen on TV with Chuck Norris) which normally runs about $1,500. So, I was really surprised to see one at a garage sale with a $10.00 tag on it. I asked about it, just to figure out if it was working or not. Before I could say, "I'll take it". The owner said, "5.00! I'll give to you for $5.00!" I just want it out of my sight!! So, it's only been 5 years that we've been using the $5.00 Total Gym. Should I try for another 5??

4) Mother/father just died: Any time there is a death and people are selling things, I never negotiate. I feel like it is disrespectful. When something is grossly over-priced and it was obviously "grandma's favorite fridge magnet collection", I just compliment them on the nice collection and move on. Or we looked at a pair of gloves for $9.00 (outrageous!) and figured it was a gift to grandpa before he died?

You can often tell when people are sentimental about certain things based on the pricing. In the same garage sale, there may be things that are "normal garage sale prices" and something way over priced. If that is the case, the overpriced item is often of very sentimental value to them and it should probably go back into their homes.

5) Church/ charity sales: I'm sorry to say, but these are usually junky. I try to avoid them. Nevertheless, many people say they find good things at them. I have not had luck.

6) Homemade craft sales from garage: these are probably the most pathetic out of all of them. Garage sales are supposed to be cheap, not top dollar craft items. And what makes it worse is that they are funky things that nobody buys anymore but someone decides that they like to make them; therefore, people should buy them?! Ugh. Seriously..ugh. If you want to have a craft sale, hook up with some crafters and get the money you deserve for your hard work. I wonder if these people feel bad after working so hard on their items to find that no one has bought anything at the end of the day. It's just the wrong venue.

So, by now some of you may be wondering what are normal garage sale prices?

I will give you a rough estimate of what I expect to pay for certain items for my area. Each area is different.

Clothing:

Mens/ womens shirts/pants $2.00--$4.00

Brand name: up to $12.00

Children's clothing: $1.00-$2.50

shoes: $2.00

socks: $.50 or less

toys: plastic/ cheap $.50

toys: nice quality: $2.00--$4.00

books: $1.00-- $2.00

appliances (small) $5.00--10.00 (for a microwave)

appliance large $75.00--$225.00

Diningroom table/ chairs $$50.00--95.00

sewing machines: $20.00--$40.00

craft supplies: $2.00

fabric: $1.00 /yd or less

electronics: $2.00--$5.00

Expect to pay more for name brand/ in the box things.

Always compliment people on their things, even if you are not able to buy anything.

Hope this was helpful!

Happy garage-sale-ing!!

Tackle it Tuesday: Garden update

Oh, I missed an entire week of garden updates. Things grow so fast, don't they? We are trying to take pictures of things every week, so you can see the progress! If you want to look:

last garden tackle

one month ago

This is a radish, planted from a seed.

This is some yummy lettuce.

I think this is spinach.

I bought some pepper plants and put them in the ground.

Time to thin the carrots, I think.

Dad told me that it was time to pick the lettuce.

So, I let him do it.

That was a yummy salad. Thanks, Dad.

Every week, I host a weekly meme called: Blitz-it Friday. If you would like to pop over and see what's going on, I have a big-project edition going on now. We select a big project for the summer and report in once a week. Last week's blitz here. I believe in efficiency and working fast. If you need inspiration in this area, you'll be encouraged by the Blitz concept.

Be sure to check out other tackles at: 5 minutes for mom.

Our dancing adventure

For our 18th anniversary, my sweetheart wrote me a nice note with a clipping from the YMCA brochure that said "Ballroom Dancing Classes".

Wow! Is he really going to do this with me? Really?!! I wasted no time signing us up for classes. Our first class was last night.

We showed up with four other couples in the exercise studio of the Y. I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of instruction! There were very specific instructions, and I think the gentlemen REALLY appreciated the details. Posture up, shoulder blades together, weight forward, hand here, look there etc. Needless to say, Will was a natural.

Our first step was the "foxtrot" which is fairly basic if you don't have to do it with a partner. Once you add the partner factor, all of our feet seem like too many. It looks beautiful when it's done right.

One thing our instructor said that I found to be really instructive, "O.K. Ladies... you may lead in any and every area of life, but in dancing, if you do not let the man lead, you will never get this. You MUST learn to follow his lead." I thought contemplatively... "hhmm. this will be more than just fun. I could use practice in this area.."

After we both got a little more confident together and were zooming around, our instructor said, "You two really dance well together"

And I said, "thanks. We just met." which made Will crack right up. And she could tell that we had been together a long time. She also told us that just because couples have been together a while does not necessarily mean they can dance well together. It's nice that we could do both!

After a little more zooming around, Will said,

All I could think about was "Get Smart" (a movie he saw on an airplane ride) and the dance scene. When our instructors did the demo dance for us, they did the exact same steps they did in the movie." Well, that just made me want to fall down laughing right there in class.

So I'm thinking of the great choreography and the dynamics of how this will improve our leading/ following relationship and all this "girlie stuff", all he can think about is this:

Now you know that opposites attract don't you?
Cool Scene From Get Smart - More amazing videos are a click away

The Oh- SO benevolent garage sale...

Garage Sales. Yes, they are fabulous. It is part of the reason why we are able to eat as well as we do--because of what I am not spending on retail purchases. I guess you could call me a garage sale connoisseur. So, I have my opinions on these things.

Most people have garage sales to 1) get rid of things they don't need and 2) make money. These really are the best kind of garage sales. But there are a few people who have the oh-so-benevolent attitude.. "I'm giving away all of this great stuff for the poor people of Rockford because they are not as privileged as I am."...or as dumb.. I might add.

Sure, you spent top dollar (probably on credit) to buy something you thought you needed. Now it is cluttering up your house and you would rather sit in your garage all day and make a few nickels and dimes and sell it rather than have it sit there as a constant reminder of what an impulsive shopper you are. Really! This is not benevolence. You are not the privileged one here.

Meanwhile, I come in and buy: a perfectly good blender for $2.00 (rather than go out and buy one retail). Yes, I had to wait a weeks to find the right one, but the Lord provided. And then I bought a perfectly good toaster for $.75. (under $1.00).

The shoppers of garage sales are always the winners, not the sellers. But people keep selling, and I'm so glad they do. You couldn't pay me $30.00/hr to sit in my garage all day watching people pick through my "junk"!! In the meantime, I come in and buy your stuff for almost nothing. I figure I average making $100.00/ hr while garage sale-ing. Here's my logic. All that I do not spend on retail purchases, specifically on things we need are where the real money is made. I do not even turn around and try to resell things.

Here's everything I bought this weekend at garage sales:

child's sleeping bag $4.00

toys/ carebears $3.00 shoes (free)

cedar chest: $15.00

paper cutter: $2.00

fiesta dishes (complete set) $10.00

several tops/ clothing $7.00

blender: $2.00

toaster: $.75

sewing machine (Janome/ NewHome) $20.00 (hoping to use it for my mission project)

fabric: free

shadow box shelf: $2.00

music stand $1.00 (needed)

stitchery book: $1.00

Can't remember what else! But these were the major items. I could have easily spent all of that and more on just a new blender.

Yes, everyone loves a bargain, but what about the overpriced garage sales? I hit a few of those also. Some people are just ignorant about pricing because they never go to garage sales themselves. Today I saw a toy set with a plastic pig and a plastic farmer encased in plastic [made in China type of stuff] and they wanted $2.00! You've got to be kidding!! So, I just told them.

"Uh.. I don't mean to be rude.. but.... this is way overpriced.."

You should have seen the look they gave me. They said nothing, but if they had said something, it would have been, "Are you quality control or something?!!"

Yes, I hereby proclaim myself as the garage sale quality control officer for the greater Rockford area. There. I think I'll wear a very official looking badge next time I go out. What do you think?

BLITZ-It Friday # 13: BIG PROJECT EDITION 2

Last week, I was encouraging all of you to start a big project this summer. If you missed out, don't worry, you can start when you are ready! Each week, we can report on how we are doing on our big projects or just report on your weekly blitz.

So, I took one of the big boxes from the dungeon that was chock full of photos. I had to get a few before pictures, but we left our camera at a graduation party over the weekend, so these strange photos are from the computer cam. Pardon the weird lighting.

Emily likes looking at photos of her sibs when they were four years old.

So, how did it go?

I must admit that this project is probably LAST on my favorite project list. But it really needs to get done. The only way this motivation to finish this project will stay alive is with the embarrassment of having nothing to report on for this blog. (pathetic, I know)

So, how DID it go?

O.K. it went well. I took the box out and did about 4 one-hour sessions.

I just went through and sorted the pictures, looking for the best of the best. If the picture was blurry, weird, or made me feel strange, I tossed it. If the picture reminded me of a bad memory, I tossed it. Needless to say, a small fraction of the box remained.

What am I doing with those remaining pictures?

I have asked Jamie to help me scan them into the computer. I'm not planning to do any paper scrapbooking. I will just enjoy them digitally for now. I have seen some nice options for digital scrapbooking, but that is not a part of the summer project.

So, I have about 5 boxes down there. I'm not exactly sure because I'm in a state of denial, and I'm only committing to sort one box a week for now. Not to mention, my scanner dude will get overwhelmed if I go faster than that.

Would you like to do a regular blitz? Are you new here??? Start here:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Getting started with posting for blitz-it Friday.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

So, you can add the regular blitz or the new tornado for a big project. Thanks Mr. Rusk for the awesome tornado. I know you and your crew are just blitzing your hearts out in North Dakota. -----------------------------------

recycled craft project

Out of the scrap pile, emerged this:

It was made from an old pair of blue jeans, wool scraps, some fabric from the basement, and beads from the stash.

It's the messenger bag from Cindy Taylor Oates. If you look at the pattern, I made the bag with all of the dots across the flap. I just made up my own design for the flap.

Maybe it's WAY too ambitious to think that high risk girls could put together bags and design the flaps the way they desire.

So here we are with the finished project. I invited some friends over and let them make bags out of our "scraps". They still need to finish their bags before I show them off for you.

I love it when I have "craft-day hair", don't you??? Oh, and "craft-day" house is fab also. LOL

Welcome home boys!

I just love these guys.  Not just because they are cute and so in love with each other and love the Lord, but they also have awesome kids!!  Kathy and Jon's kids went with our son, Jamie to a Gospel outreach in Kentucky. 

Our oldest, Jamie,  (driving) and the three Morell boys :

Samuel

Daniel (with blue T shirt)

and Joel (bright blue T-shirt)

all went to Kentucky for the big GNOM outreach for the year.

They all went together and had a great time doing door to door work, prayer, evangelism, and park ministry.  It was so good to sit around the kitchen table and hear stories about their highlights over big bowls of ice cream.  I'm so proud of you guys!!!  

While they were doing Gospel work for the week, the rest of us did all sorts of interesting things.  My dear husband, Will decided to spend a night at the Rockford Rescue Mission in order learn compassion for the homeless.  He went and checked in and ate the food and made friends with the guys and everything.  Even though this was a part of his study of urban ministry, I think he did much more than was required by spending the night.  I can tell that he was very moved by the experience.  Two days later, we went and served the food at the mission, and he recognized many of his new best friends.

"Hey Mac.  Whattaya doing here again? Aren't you supposed to be back in Chicago?"

Will: "No. I live in Rockford.  I'll be going to Chicago for classes next week.  Here, meet my wife.."  

(So, I was introduced)  and those two continued on the discussions they had earlier in the week.

This particular fella had offered to buy Will and dessert with his food stamps, seeing he was the new guy and all. 

A lot of the guys coming through the line recognized Will.  According to the mission director, no one has gone in through the rescue side and spent the night just to learn.  They only come that way when they need help.  So, he wrote a paper on his experience for his class.  He isn't into blog writing, but maybe I can twist his arm and get him to publish it some time.  

The four younger kids and I had a lot of fun this week.  We signed up again for the Rockford public library's summer reading program, which involved waiting in line for something we could have done online, and NOT getting T-shirts because our older four are too old, and our younger is too young.  (bummer)  But the important thing is the love for reading, which seems to be blossoming in Hudson and Nathanael!!  You all remember when Joanna won the entire contest last year and blew everyone's socks off?  Maybe that has something to do with their enthusiasm??  

And then of course, we did some perfectly good time-wasting internet surfing, which resulted in sleep lost but a few funny/ talented/ or just plain ridiculous youtube things.  

There is some serious talent in these guys, and for the most part, their humor style is incredibly clean; nevertheless, be careful on youtube: incredibly dumb, offensive and crude things are lurking around ready to corrupt or dull your mind into nothingness.  (speaking from experience)  and like... here's the proof.  

On that happy food-like note, I think I should post the menu:

Monday: clean out the fridge soup/ homemade bread

Tuesday: clili con carne/ guacamole??  

Wednesday: swamp dish/ chicken on grill

Thursday: moose and polenta

For more fabulous menus (a lot more fabulous than mine) go to the organizing junkie.

BLITZ-It Friday # 12: BIG PROJECT EDITION 1

Since the regular blitzing linkup is.. well.. going somewhat slowly.. we're going to shake up the blitz a little bit. If you still want to report on your regular blitzing, you are welcome to do that also. I am so impressed that Contemplative Mom and Eos Mom are so faithful to this!

It seems like everyone wants to tackle big projects this summer. Big projects seem to define summer for some people. I mean.. what is summer without.. getting something big done??

So, what I thought would be really, I mean really fun is walking through our big projects together. What do you say?? It's like your basic online support group.

So, here's how we start, we make a plan. We make a big plan! So, for this week's blitz-big project, you just make up a plan.

Like this: it's easy.

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MY BIG PROJECT PLAN

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM:

My biggest eye-sore cluttery big project is my massive pile of 18 years worth of photographs and stuff.

MAKE A PLAN FOR THE WEEK:

1) One hour each day sort through photos: (a blitz of sorts)

2) Get my kids to scan the good pictures in

3) Get rid of the bad ones

4) Arrange some sort of scrapbooking endeavor that won't put my over the top

START DATE AND HOPEFUL ENDING DATE:

Start date: June 4, Hoping to finish by: August 4 or sooner

OPTIONAL BEFORE PHOTOS:

I would take a picture of my mess, but I think I'll leave it to your imagination. Imagine 4 huge boxes, crammed the gills with photos. Pathetic, I know.

All right then, can you do this with me?

Just identify a project, thow a list together and link up.. or link a list together and throw up... I mean....

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You'll never guess where we ate dinner tonight!

That's right!  The greasy burger joint that made the famous Jamocha shake famous.  The Rockford, IL original Beef-a roo!  And no, this is not a paid advertisement.  It's actually more like a confessional than anything.

Just because I did a big cardio session (first in a looooooonggggggg time) and I had to actually drive my kids to music lessons and get groceries before prayer meeting is not a real excuse to indulge in a double olive burger, dripping with spicy mustard,  fries and a jamocha shake, is it?

The waitress came around with those little mints and asked, "how's the food?"

I wiped my greasy face off and said the word, "burp.. does that answer your question?"

I think we've been having too much of those spinach smoothies and fresh juice for our own good.  I FORGOT  how good junk food could be.  YUM. 

EEEeeekkkk! I don't have a guest room!

I was asked a question by a commenter about sleeping accommodations for overnight guests.  I was actually going to cover a lot of other things before touching on this, but the question came up, so we'll talk about it now.  

Keep in mind that these are just my suggestions about where to host guests overnight. Every home is different, and I apologize ahead of time if I sound a little "stuffy".  

1) My first choice: have a guest room with all the amenities.  You know, Martha like.  LOL.  

2) My next choice and what we actually do: We have one of our child's rooms double as a guest room.  That child has the privilege of having a nice quality queen sized bed  and more of a clutter-free upscale decorating style.  She gets an awesome room, but she also has to make it guest-ready a few times a year.  

3) The last choice is an open area such as a living room.  Of course, if that is all you have, then that's what you need to do.  

But let's say you are able to carve out a little space somewhere to be a temporary guest room.  Here are some of my ideas about what it should be like.  Keep in mind that we have a revolving door of guests all year round, and God has called me to be very active in this area of ministry.  Some of these things may seem "over the top" if you have one guest, once a year.  

For those of you who would like to have a child's bedroom double as a guest room or even designate an area of the house (such as remodeling the basement or something) these ideas may be helpful for you.

What sort of things should NOT be in a guest room?  

1) Get rid of about 100 knick knacks.. PLEASE!  I once had experience where knick knacks from the bed were falling on me all night.  When you think it's decluttered enough, take out about 20 more things.  

2) Dirty sheets/ clothes/ towels: Fresh sheets on the bed, fresh towels, and no dirty laundry in view.  

3) Breakables: If you want to impress your guests with your big collection of glass breakables, put them in a place where they won't get broken.  

4) Broken furniture: Actually REMOVE all broken furniture from the house before guests come.  Just because you are used to avoiding "that" chair or know how to sit just right on the bed so it doesn't ker-whump to the floor, don't expect guests to do the dance.  They might get hurt, or at the very least.. turn into a paranoid wreck.  

Guest rooms should always have:

1) Curtains/ window treatments that WORK.  If you are in the middle of a construction project, hang something there for privacy reasons.

2) night lights: this, again, is for safety.  If your guests wake up in the middle of the night, they need to have a safe way to get to the bathroom.  

3) adequate heat/ air conditioning/ fans: I always put a fan in the guest room (if there is no ceiling fan).  I generally just watch my guests and can tell if they run "hotter" or "colder" than our family and make adjustments for them as necessary.  I keep an electric blanket on the guest bed in the winter also.  

4)Adequate lighting.

These are NICE touches, but not essential:

1) A chair!  Not everyone can get dressed pogo-style so provide a hard backed chair

2) An alarm clock/ or a regular clock

3) A bedside lamp with reading material

4) a luggage rack/ holder

Other concerns and things you may be wondering...

Are those pull-out couches adequate for guests?  This is just my opinion.. but NO.  Those torture racks are not good options for adults.  Put adults in the rooms, and let the kids have the couches.  They are uncomfortable (even for people without back problems) and out in plain view and just tacky.  A futon couch is a different story.  The futon is a nice option, since it's primary purpose is for sleeping, and it doubles as a piece of furniture.  Generally, a futon can fit nicely in an office or some other room, without much difficulty.  If you have to use the pull-out couches, put the mattress on the floor. The ground underneath the thin mattress will provide some support.

Should I put kids with their parents or spread them out?

I would just ask the parents what they would like to do.  If you have more than one family over at a time, you may want to keep families together, rather than mix them all up.  Every situation is different.  

Should I put adults on the floor?

It depends on your guests.   But if you get the camping/ adventurous types, they may prefer it.  Here is the clincher: don't assume that "whatever" is O.K. with guests.  If all you have is floor accommodations, graciously find a way to mention this before they arrive and give them an easy out if they want to find a hotel.  Let's just put it this way.  I am youngish, agile and adventurous, so I could handle the floor with a decent mattress underneath me.  But I have had more than one guest who could not possibly survive the night with that set up.  

I have an old mattress in the basement that is all stinky, can I use that for guests?

NO.  If we are to treat our guests like guests and not prisoners, let's not subject them to torture.  The only place for an old, moldy mattress is the trash.  

Are you suggesting that I spend some money to prepare for guests?

Yes, I am.  If you want to serve your guests as you were serving the Lord Jesus, buy a nice quality (new) mattress (queen size) and put it in one of your child's rooms.  Stop treating this hospitality thing like garbage.  Do we give the Lord our worst?  or our best?  Think of it this way.  Put nice mattresses in all of your childrens' rooms, and you'll be ready for a crowd.  Your children will thank you when they grow up for having a nice, firm mattress to sleep on. 

We are seeking to minister to people's bodies, souls and spirits when they visit our homes.  If we treat the "body" like it doesn't matter, we will loose their trust when we try to minister to their spirits as well.   So much of this ministry is intensely like what the Lord Jesus did.  He fed the 5,000 (ministered to their bodies) and then preached (ministered to their spirits).  Aren't we doing the same thing?

Tackle it Tuesday: Garden update/ and craft supply update

Oh, lately I wonder if I haven't become a "human-doing" rather than a "human being" because of all of the doings-on here.  Well, I still have some basic human responses and conversation skills, so I haven't launched into blitz-ville too much. 

So, what did we tackle in the garden this week?

Well, Emily and I took a "shopping trip" to look for some perennials.  This is looking down upon a ...

foxglove..

Here's looking at the entire "patch" which I hope will be happy next to the veggie garden and the compost.  

Lettuce is a little bigger too!

That is a tomato plant of some sort..

Inside this massive trunk is a lifetime supply of wool for wool projects. I make hooked rugs with all of this, but lately it has gotten out of control. 

Before: all the snarled up wooly mess..

After: all the wool separated into garbage bags by color. (That brilliant idea was Joanna's!  So nice to have a smart daughter. ) 

Since I've already made several rugs out of this stuff, Joanna came up with a plan to help me reduce my inventory.  Anybody in the local area who would like to learn how to make a rug, just come to my house and I'll teach you how and give you free supplies and all.  What a good deal is that??  Any takers?  FREE.

For more tackles, visit: 5 minutes for MOM. 

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