What To Do Today?

I'm having the Young Women over tonight at 7pm to do their campfire cooking certification class for girl's camp. Jennifer VanVliet is doing Chicken Enchiladas and I'm doing peach cobbler in a dutch oven. The fire pit in our yard looks great, but I definitely need to mow the lawn today or we may loose one of the Beehives in the tall grass.

I also need to clean the main floor of my house because it's shamefully messy and I would be terribly embarrassed if any of the girls or leaders saw it in this almost condemed condition.

It would be really nice if I could powerwash the deck furniture for the pool area so I can have it set up today.

I also have to hem the edge of the flag that the girls need to decorate for camp.

While getting each of these things done, I also need to get to Pam Harmon's by noon for a birthday lunch for a sister that we visit-teach named Jennifer Mayfield.

In addition to all of these things, I just found that my freezer in the garage has almost completely defrosted because I bumped the plug yesturday while I was getting ready to trim the hedges, so it's been turned off for almost 24 hours. I'll need to work a freezer clean up into my schedule.

*Note to self: When using bleach to clean ANYTHING, even if it's a tiny bit and it's not going to take very long, and even if it's in the kitchen sink, wear an apron so you don't get speckles of bleach on the front of your favorite daytime dress.

*2nd Note to self: Find something blue that stains really well to color in the white bleach spots on your favorite dress. Do they make permanent markers in "denim" ?

I Have a New Toy

This may not be the most interesting blog I've ever posted, but I wanted to share my latest excitement for home care. I just bought myself a steam cleaning machine and I've been having a LOT of fun with it. I was shopping in Costco last week and it jumped out at me and said "You have to buy me because your house will be so much cleaner if you have me helping you!" With that, I couldn't resist so it jumped in my cart and I brought it home. I must admit, it has been pretty fun. There is an attachment for grout and I've been using it on the kitchen floors. I thought the grout in our new kitchen was supposed to be dark grey, but much to my surprise (and disgust) it's actually supposed to be light grey. Yuck! Here are the before and after pictures.

This is what my floor looked like before steaming the grout.

And this is what it looked like after. Isn't it amazing?

Here is a shot where you can see what I've done and what I haven't done in the same picture.

This machine is basically as close as I can get to a power washer for inside the house (and you all know how much I love my power washer). It also came with attachments for windows, floors and wallpaper removal.

No, I'm not selling them, I've just spent my entire day using it and liked it.

If anyone has yucky grout I can clean for you, just let me know. :0)

A Quick Update...

Just to get you all up to speed. We're in Harpers Ferry drowning in a sea of paint, carpeting and soap suds. The kids are loving every minute and Andy and I are excited about this chance to make this house our very own. The pool has been power washed, and refilled and looks wonderful-we can hardly wait for summer. The boys actually ask quite frequently if we can go swimming-I think we have a couple of polar bears in our family. We've been quite the spot for fun for the neighborhood kids, and I'm so glad for it. Yesterday, the 10 year old boy up the street said, "The people who used to live here were really mean, but you guys are AWESOME!!" I'm glad the kids feel like they can come over and play, I'm sure to turn in to the true neighborhood mom, baking cookies and all.

I hope to add pictures soon. The movers are coming on Monday and we'll take pictures as rooms are set up. Until then, back to the cleaning bucket:-)

Raising Children is Like...

I have a love/hate relationship with Sharpee Permanent Markers. On the one hand, they're really useful for labeling everything from lunchboxes to pool toys, and the writing will never come off. But that's the problem, the writing will never come off. My dear son, who shall remain nameless but his name starts with a "J" took a permanent black marker and made a very thick line across his bedroom wall and closet door. When Ben did this on my new office desk, it came off pretty easily with Windex. Windex doesn't work on walls and doors as well. We scrubbed at it with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and it may look OK after some paint for the walk-through tomorrow for the family buying our house.


My mother used to have a sign hanging in her house that said "Raising children is like being pecked to death by a duck" I would like to add that trying to keep a clean house while raising children is like trying to build a sandcastle while the waves are crashing in. Or trying to shovel snow during a blizzard. Or trying to bail out a sinking boat. You get the picture, and I'm sure you all can sympathize. Suffice it to say that the only time our house is truly clean is when I take the kids to visit my mom in the summer and Andy is home alone. But, a wonderful and very wise mother sent me this poem once, and I'll share it with you.

Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows, little smudges on the door;
I should apologize, I guess, for toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children and we played & laughed & read;
And if the doorbell doesn't shine, their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to choose the one job or the other;
I want to be a housewife--but first I'll be a Mother.
author unknown


So while I'm at this time of motherhood, I'll just focus on the most important thing, and that's loving and enjoying the children. One day, I'll have a very clean house, and I'll wish I had children around to mess it up.