Don't Wait
Never hesitate to do your best, no matter what your situation. In other words, do not let your image of the ideal "dream home" hinder you from having a romantic and beautiful life in your current circumstances. I knew of a young woman who lived in her garage on a farm while waiting for her house to be built. This was not a garage in the form as we know it today, for it had nothing but a dirt floor and crude walls of boards. It was separate from the house, having been built in the 1930s. People in the church who knew her said she didn't let that stop her from doing the Lord's work. She put handmade braided rugs on the "floor" and hung her pictures. She got out her furniture and set it around in a pleasing arrangement. She practiced hospitality and had people over for meals after church. This simple story has inspired me forever. When I heard it I made up my mind to create a romantic castle wherever I lived. This is one of ht reasons I decided to teach a Romantic Living class and share some ints and ideas with women who want to make their current dwelling place the best it can be.
Soul of the Rose John William Waterhouse You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com | Clean the Room You Are In
Most successful homemakers will tell you that one of their secrets to having that streamlined home with everything in order--the way they avoid having to set aside a major "clean-up" day which can be exhausting--is by practicing the simple habit of cleaning the room you are in. Here's how they do it: Front Porch or Entryway: As you approach your front door from outside, simply pick up trash, straighten up and clear up clutter before you even enter the house. Living Room: When you enter, look around you and straighten up the coffee table and end tables within your reach. Arrange pillows on the couch and remove clutter. Your eyes should never be still. Keep looking around like an eagle for "prey" -- that enemy called "clutter." Keep moving, and you'll also keep fit as you try to put things in their proper places. |
Bathroom: Even if you just step in there to check your hair or wash your hands, you can quickly grab a cloth and wipe the faucets and sink, tidy up the arrangements on the cabinet, pull the shower curtain across, and lay out a fresh guest towel. Each time you visit this room, check the toilet paper, wipe the tank and seat and floor area around the toilet. Taking a shower? Tidy up the clutter inside the shower (bottles, soaps, brushes, etc.) and wipe the walls and faucets. While your toddler is contentedly taking a bath you can clean the bathroom and the floors, since you have to be in there anyway. There now. You won't have to reserve a special day to clean that room.
Your Bedroom: If you get up first, make up your own side of the bed. That is one half the job done. As you dress, straighten one or two things in the closet. At your dresser, wipe the surface and put away your makeup and whatever you have lying around. Hang up your nightwear. Put your slippers neatly at the end of the bed or under a bench.
Still Life W-Peonies Ovanes Berberian You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com |
Other Bedrooms: If you are going to put away something you have picked up from another room, while you are in that bedroom, make the bed and tidy up the room (hopefully, you are training your children to do this themselves!). If you are delivering folded laundry to that room, take the opportunity to put something aright that will lessen the clutter in that room.
The Formula
Follow this simple formula for keeping the house in order: Each day, begin at the front door and work clockwise, picking up, arranging and wiping, saving the kitchen until last. In each room, follow the same formula, clockwise, picking up, wiping, straightening. This is called house keeping! Many ladies ask me why I do the kitchen last. The reason for this is because if you begin with the kitchen or do it in between other duties, you will never get out of there! A clean kitchen inspires you to put on a stew or bake something, and by the time you get it cleaned, it is probably time for lunch. You will want to clean it and then start your lunch, so you will want all that other business out of the way. Some women can discipline themselves not to get involved in the kitchen and yet leave it organized in the morning. They fill the sink with hot soapy water and put in some dishes to soak, then come back later to wash them. Knowing that water is going to get cold can make you work faster at the rest of the house!
Elongate the Step
This is an old tactic for people whose busy lives mean that they cannot always complete the item on the list. Do not be discouraged, and do not give up. Simply leave it on the list for the next day. Even if it takes a month, keep it there. Chip away at it in small amounts until it is done. If you have listed "Clean cupboards and drawers," simply clean one drawer or part of a drawer while you are talking on the phone. Each day will bring you closer to your goal.
The Main Things
Even if you can't get at some of these larger projects that make a home more appealing and romantic, be sure that you know the important tasks which must be done each day: dishes, meals, laundry, care and training of children and picking up clutter. Staying on top of clutter may seem endless, but eventually everyone will learn to follow in your steps. It is aso an easy way to keep active and to keep fit. You are less likely to gain weight if you keep moving.
Just Say "NO"
If you really want that romantic and gracious home, you have to eliminate many outside activities, especially ones that do not enhance your home and your ministry as wife, mother and sister in Christ. I am not talking about your outings to markets or garage sales to get inspiration for your home, or any classes you may take that might really benefit your home. I am speaking here of trips and time spent away from the home that have nothing to do with living a better life at home--that do not improve the spiritual aspect of the home and simply take up a lot of time. These other activities may include volunteer work for someone else who does not have home responsibilities (and doesn't appreciate yours) or activities with neighbors who are neglecting their own homes. I have avoided this in my life (after some hard-learned lessons!) and try to remain independent from social activities unless they benefit my main ministry at home for my family and the church.
 The Shell by William Bouguereau | Tumultuous Lives
Take a look around you, ladies. Notice those of your acquaintance or those you see from a distance who have disorganized and emotionally unstable lives. Are the women avid homemakers who are always looking for ways to make their homes more comfortable, clean and beautiful? Are they interested in the domestic arts of cooking, sewing, needlecraft, arts and crafts? Are their children being guided and trained into usefulness? It has been my observation that homes where there are disruptions to the peace, marriage or children, are homes where the mother is not reveling in the glory of her home life. She is not interested in the flowers, the furniture arrangement or the walls. She cares nothing for the smell of clean clothes fresh from the line. She pays no attention to the scents of the seasons: an apple pie in the Fall, the smell of the sea in Summer, hot chocolate in the Winter. She has no sense of mood in her home: good music, the flickering lights of little votives placed in short glass cups, the beauty of polished silver or brass, and the glory of a lovely painting or bouquet of flowers. She often does not care about the way she looks and smells, having done nothing with her appearance from one day to the next. Her children would rather spend time somewhere else, because they feel more at home there. |
I used to ask of these people whose children were unmotivated, unstable and disturbed, "What could possibly be going on in that home?" to which my children always replied, "Nothing, Mom. That's the trouble. They don't paint pictures on a simple tablet with watercolors; they never compose a loving letter to someone; they do not sing or play an instrument. The t.v. is always on. Their bookshelves--if they have any--are empty. They do not have a certain joy of life that is necessary for a stable home." Ladies, if you would have a lovely home, remember to appreciate each day of your life and dedicate it to the Lord. Live it carefully. If the Lord calls you home, you will be held accountable for how you managed your home and spent your time. Live as beautifully and lovingly as you possibly can while you have time and while you have life in you.
Noah and His Generations
"Noah was a just man and perfect in all his generations" (Genesis 6:9). This simple little verse suggests the ideal family reputation: Noah's father, grandfather, and then his sons, were followers of God. The lives of his ancestors greatly contributed to Noah's faithfulness to God. Each generation can build upon the last. If I determine now to raise my children to serve the Lord, they in turn will teach good worship habits and good lifestyle habits to their own children. The goal is to continue the tradition of faithfulness and pure lives into future generations. You are not raising just one batch of kids; your life will influence your generations to come, even after you are dead, for your descendants will know how you lived and what you believed and why. They will desire to know God the way you knew Him and to live by the same Scriptures that you live by. We can use Noah as our ideal. He was faithful in all his generations. We may not accomplish it, as some of our descendants may be lured away by Satan's schemes, but it is surely a worthwhile goal. In attempting it, we can only gain more strength, wisdom, knowledge and talent!
| Servants of the Most High
I work for a King. He has put me in charge of this home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan to me from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I want also to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him. |
Geraniums Childe Hassam You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com |
Make Home Your Career (February 1, 2002)
and
Christian Values in Home Decorating (February 1, 2002)
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