Yeah, well…ya see…we’ve been busy and I kinda haven’t actually finished anymore spring cleaning projects.  EEK!  I gave myself a deadline of the end of April to have the entire house in tip-top shape.  Guess I better get busy.

The living room is 90% of the way finished being completely overhauled.  On Sunday, Dave and I took the whole room apart.  We took out of few pieces of furniture to give John more space to work on crawling.  We got rid of a bunch of stuff we didn’t need.  There are just a very few little things to take care of and I can say one room is completely done being spring cleaned.  YEAH!

Next I’m moving on to the downstairs and upstairs hallways and the stairway.  There is a TON of woodwork in these areas that needs to be wiped down.  A task I’m not entirely looking forward too.

Well, seven months after giving birth to our fantastically wonderful babe, I’m finally feeling up to being a better homemaker again.  Boy, did I ever slack off for the past seven months.  Poor Dave has been digging clothes out of baskets most of the time as I haven’t taken the time to fold or hang clean clothes up.  Meals are lackluster.  No baking to speak of.  The dust has bred more dust.  But I can honestly say that I have totally and completely enjoyed John’s first seven months.   He’s getting bigger now though and we’re getting to a point where John will shortly be crawling and I really don’t want the poor kid crawling through dust bunnies because I haven’t swept.

So because spring is in the air, I’m feeling like spring cleaning and getting my household back into shape.  And Dave will probably rejoice in not having to dig wrinkled dress shirts out of baskets of clean clothes again.  And I’m sure he’ll like a homemade freshly baked cookie again too.

Time is the difficulty though.  This week I’m working on getting John is nap longer by himself so that will help.  And I’ve got a young lady coming over on Thursdays after school to babysit John in the living room while I tend too a deep cleaning project.  So my spring cleaning goals will probably take me until the end of April, but I’m focused on getting this home back into order!

Every once and a while God seems to like to reach out, grab a hold of me by the heartstrings and remind me of something.  So today I’m reading through some blogs I like and came across this quote:

IT is wholly impossible to live according to Divine order, and to make a proper application of heavenly principles, as long as the necessary duties which each day brings seem only like a burden grievous to be borne. Not till we are ready to throw our very life’s love into the troublesome little things can we be really faithful in that which is least and faithful also in much. Every day that dawns brings something to do, which can never be done as well again. We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully. It is the Lord’s own work, which He has given us as surely as He gives us daily bread. We should thank Him for it with all our hearts, as much as for any other gift. It was designed to be our life, our happiness. Instead of shirking it or hurrying over it, we should put our whole heart and soul into it.

— James Reed, Joy and Strength for the Pilgrim’s Day by Mary Wilder Tileston, p. 39 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

ARGH!  Lately, I’ve been using my tiredness and body aches as an excuse not to keep up with things, especially around the house.  Now, I know better.  But this quote reminded me that even in the everyday stuff I am supposed to do it with excellence and cheerfulness.  Not perfection…only God is capable of that.  But with excellence and cheerfulness because I’m doing the work God wants me to do.