Cleanliness is next to Godliness

I had a request to blog about things that I do to clean and keep my house clean. I am going to attempt to honor that request with this blog and few more to follow in the coming weeks/months.

I can't remember a time that I didn't clean. I remember being VERY little with a dust cloth in my hand going around my house on Pine St. dusting all the baseboards. I remember my Mom instructing me on the basics of cleaning a bathroom. I remember my Mom coaching my sister and I how to properly change the sheets on the bed (making crisp hospital corners were very important).

I guess my Mom never knew that she was training me to be Kevin's wife. She never knew that my future husband would be someone that likes a clean house. Or even that my children prefer to have a nice orderly home. She also never knew that I would clean other peoples homes for extra money. Even though she didn't know it, she knew it was very important to teach her children some basic life skills. Now I get to pass some off to you:-)

Everyone has a little different way of cleaning. Like do you dust first and then vacuum or vacuum first and then dust? I say, dust first and then vacuum. You knock the dust onto the floor and then vacuum it up. Speaking of vacuuming, there are a number of things I do with my vacuum that may seem weird.

1. I vacuum my stove top every time I vacuum. Dust, crumbs, and in my house dog hair (gross I know) land there. If I vacuum it off then I can take a wet cloth and quickly wipe it clean.

2. I vacuum my bathrooms including toilet and shower before I clean them with a cloth. For the same reasons as the kitchen. In the bathroom, hair, dust, and dog hair all can collect in certain areas. If you vacuum them off, your bathroom stays cleaner and is easier to clean (you don't get as much hair on your cloth) when it comes time to spray everything down.

3. I vacuum out my kitchen drawers about once a month. It is a easy way to suck up crumbs that somehow find there way into the drawers. This is very quick, usually it takes about 5 min. My cabinet under the sink where my trash is located gets vacuumed every week. It can get dirty if I don't keep up on this.

4. Vacuum your ceiling fans instead of using dusters. This way you vacuum up all the dust and not just knock it on the floor.

5. If my dog would let me (my other ones did) I would vacuum him. It pulls out the hair and dog dander better than just brushing them alone (then there is less in my house).

6. I vacuum out my toaster oven before I wash it.

7. Anything else I might think of while I am cleaning.

I have a Kenmore canister vacuum and that makes all these tasks so much easier than an upright. I have a long hose that I can use to get up high (like the bathroom light fixture) or in tight places.

One thing you will not find in my house. Sponges. If you like to use them fine....just make sure you clean them good ALL THE TIME. I am not a germ-a-phobe, but that is one area that I just don't mess with. Sponges to me create more work than they are worth. I use washable washcloths or paper towel (I know, I know I am filling up the landfills). I would rather be safe than sorry in this area though!!

The kitchen sink is THE most dirtiest place in your house, even more dirty than your toilet, so I spray it down with a vinegar/water mixture that I keep in a spray bottle under the sink once a day. Vinegar will kill organisms just as good as bleach and it is MUCH safer to use than bleach. I should blog about the uses of just vinegar...I use it everywhere in my house.

OK, I have to get back to cleaning my house before my hubby gets home...

Blessings!!

Pain in the Elbow

Last night we picked up the kids from the "babysitters house" and Jilli was complaining that her arm hurt. We couldn't figure out what had happened or how she injured it. She was literally just sitting on the floor with her hand tucked between her legs when she just started to cry and say her arm hurt.

We took her home and of course had to baby her some. Poor thing was in PAIN! I gave her some REALLY good meds and she went off to sleep, stacked up on two pillows for the princess' comfort (Daddy's doing :-)

As I was talking on the phone telling my friend what happened she said she thought it was a dislocated elbow. She hopped online and started to read me all the symptoms and I was sure that is what Jilli had. I quietly went into her room and pulled back the covers. her little arm was gently laying across her stomach with her other hand protectively covering it. I gently lifted her arm, held her elbow, extended her arm (palm up) and SNAP, POP went her elbow. She cried out in her sleep. I gently put her arm back on her tummy and quietly walked out the door, a little freaked out at what I had just done.

My friend and I hoped and prayed that what I did was put her elbow back in place, not cause more damage. About 5am Jilli came up to my side of the bed and said "Mommy, my arm is all better!" then I replied "Praise the Lord!" I let her climb into bed and snuggle down in between her Momma and Daddy.

When she got up this morning she was completely fine. No issues and I have to give praise to God for that. I was seeing a trip to the ER in our future, and not knowing how we were going to pay for it, I was worried. But God provided for us without having to go to the ER.

Blessings!!

Artwork

Jillian is becoming quite the artist. This was her latest project.........her room

Blessings!!

Hats

Just uploaded some pictures and discovered these from Christmas as I was flipping through them. Since things have been kind of serious around here as of late I figured I could use a little 'pick-me-up' and thought it might put a smile on your face too.

Jilli got this hat from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa. She loved it and once she found out that Uncle Timmy had a hat just like it, she loved it even more. Of course Aunt Melissa made Uncle Timmy go out to the car to get his hat to show Jilli. You can see by her face that she thought this was the greatest thing to have matching hats!

This next one is one of my favorites (not because it is a great picture, just a great moment in time). You just have to love a little girl who will make two grown men do whatever her little heart desires...

Blessings!!

Fredrick Meijer Gardens

I am wishing I could just spend a whole day blogging to try and catch up. I remember a time that I was looking for things to blog about and now, I have so much I have a hard time choosing what to write.

This past week Kevin's parents took us to Fredrick Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas trees. Since Kevin wasn't working he joined us for this years trip, which was fun.

The Kids love looking at all the trees (Mexico is probably the favorite because of the pinatas all over the tree). ~Picture compliments of Tyler :-)

They also love looking at the train and trolleys and following them around.

..Enjoy looking at the next few pictures that Tyler and I took at the Gardens.

Loving the fact that my face made it on a few of these pictures, that is rare, but something I am trying hard to work on... either I need to hand off the camera to Kevin or Tyler...the one above was taken by Tyler.

Blessings!!

What is the TRUE Meaning of Christmas?

That question has been on my heart lately. How do I teach my children that it's not all about the gifts? A concept some adults have a hard time understanding.

Greed is a part of our culture. Everything is "all about me","what is fair for me". It is so easy to fall into that sin. It is easy to look at what people 'have' and judge them based on what they give.... or don't give.

This Christmas has been hard for us. Kevin hasn't worked in 6 weeks.... and counting. Although we save up for times like this, we don't have an endless supply of money and it does run out. We have to start choosing what to spend our money on. What is more important....food on the table or a present under the tree? For us the decision is black and white (food on the table.)

Fortunately we had purchased all of our gifts before Kevin stopped working.

This is the first Christmas that we made the decision not to exchange gifts with my siblings. I sent out an email to let everyone know that we wouldn't be able to do that this year. I knew they would understand, and they did. When my family had our Christmas, there weren't a ton of presents under the tree and that was OK.

A gift was given to me from my brother Paul and his wife Nadia. It came all packaged up in a big huge box. Once I opened it, there was a smaller package, and then another, and then another. By the time I unwrapped all the packages I was laughing. Then I opened the last gift and was shocked by their thoughtfulness. It was a membership to Costco. I know that might sound funny, but it was perfect. It was the kind of gift I wouldn't have even asked for. Prior to receiving the membership, anytime I needed bread baking supplies (like flour, yeast, sugar) I would have to meet Nadia at Costco or call a friend of mine to find out if I could go with her. It was perfect.

My brother and his wife gave all of us siblings something unique and special. All I had for them was a loaf of homemade cinnamon bread. It is a humbling place to be. They gave me so much, but all I had for them was bread. But they didn't feel that way...they gave without asking for anything in return.

Paul and Nadia are some of the most giving people we know. God has blessed them because of this. They freely give money to Nadia's sister in Russia to help support her family. They freely give money to Nadia's other sister in New York to help support her. They brought Nadia's mother here from Russia and they support her. They don't specify where the money goes, they don't asked to be repaid. They just give...

This Christmas they are down in Florida, they flew Nadia's sister and her daughter (whom they have never met) in from Russia. Paul and Nadia rented a place in Florida and both of Nadia's sisters (& families) and Nadia's Mom are enjoying a much needed vacation.

Most of us would look at that and think, "that is nice of them, they have the money to do all that." We don't.. They have that money because they go without so many other things that we all take for granted. How many of us would be willing to go down to one vehicle? There was a time when a two vehicle family was unheard of, now it's unheard of to only have one car.

After our family's Christmas party, I was reflecting on what had happened. How they gave to all of us and I just gave them bread. A few days later, Nadia calls me and tells me that they had some friends over for dinner and she served my bread along with their meal. She told me how good it was and how the other couple loved it so much and she thanked me for giving them the bread. I was again humbled by her thankfulness of the gift I had given them. "It was JUST bread"...I wanted to say...they gave me a gift worth so much more!! But to them, it wasn't about the money that was spent. It was about the thought behind it. They didn't care that I didn't buy anything from a store, they saw the time and effort it takes to make bread and they appreciated that gift.

That is what I want my children to learn. I don't want them to grow up greedy, expecting to get something if they give something. A gift is a gift, no strings attached. So how do I teach that? I have reflected on that this past week as well. Again, looking at Paul and Nadia. They give more than money and gifts to people. Paul gives his time as well. Paul is always just a phone call away when I am having issues with my computer. He has come over many times until late at night, trying to figure out my latest computer problem. He doesn't get mad or frustrated when I call, he gives me his time willingly. They give their time to help many other people as well.

We have other people in our life that are equally as giving. Both sets of parents have gone above and beyond in giving of their time and resources over the years. We are very blessed to have them in our lives as well. We also have some very good friends that would give us the shirts off their back if we asked them too. One friend even said to us last night, when talking about how difficult life is getting without Kevin working, "well, you don't have to worry about food, we would feed you." And we know she would.

So this Christmas has been really eye opening for us in many different ways. With all that we have been going through, God has really awakened us to some important life lessons. Ones that we hope to teach our children. It is better to give, than to receive.... If you expect a gift for your gift, you are better off not giving.... Sometimes all you have to give is bread and that will be more than enough for the ones you love.

Blessings!!

I was interested in what the dictionary said the definition of a gift was. The sad thing is, most people have no clue how to give a true gift...

–noun

1.	something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

2.	the act of giving.

3.	something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned: Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.

4.	a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent: the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.

Prayer Warriors

The last few months have been very difficult for me. I am sure my faithful readers have read some of my blogs and have wondering what is going on. This blog has been a place for me to write my heart and at times it is very difficult to plaster my most intimate feelings all over the internet and still keep a level of privacy. I however have found myself in a place where I need some prayer warriors praying for some specific things. I still would like to maintain a level of privacy about this particular area of my life. So if you are willing to pray please email me, or if you don't have my email, leave your email in the comments and I will send you an email with the specifics.

**I don't mean to sound rude, but please don't ask for specifics unless you are serious about praying. I need people who have a direct line of communication with our Father but also know how to keep things confidential. Thank you to those of you who are already praying!!**

~lyn

Dancing for Jesus

Last Tuesday the parents were allowed to come into "The Room" to watch our beautiful children do a Christmas dance. This was such a treat. I have not seen any of what Jilli is learning. There is a window in the door to "The Room" with blinds on it, but they keep them pretty much glued shut. It's like a top secret mission or something and Jilli hasn't been very forthright in sharing what she is learning.

Jilli is taking both tap and ballet. So first they did a little dance in their tap shoes. It was cute to watch, but it really didn't wow me. I don't know why, but even the teacher said that tap isn't the preferred dance for most kids.

This is the move that I liked the best, I love that I captured it while she was in the air.

Then the girls changed into their ballet shoes.

Just looking at her standing in such an beautiful way... the emotions started to move inside of me. They danced to a version of Silent Night that was just beautiful. How could you not help, but remember the Doctors telling us that she had no hands, feet were questionable, but it really didn't matter because she probably wouldn't live.Then she started dancing for Jesus. One of the many reasons why I love that she is in a Christian dance school. They teach the girls that you don't dance for any other reason, but for Jesus. It is a way of worshiping Him.Jilli was a beautiful dancer. I know that most mothers would say the same thing about their daughters, but she seemed to be very elegant in her movements and she was very precise with her hands and feet (a trait from her Daddy).

So I will admit it, I had tears in my eyes...

Watching all the girls was such a special treat, but watching Jillian was priceless...
A quick word about the "out of control tutu". The girls are not required to wear them, although most of them do wear one. Jilli has a cute light pink tutu that she always wears, but this morning I couldn't find it anywhere (this is not typical). So I allowed her to wear the tutu that my friend made for her. It was big, PINK, and had sparkles all over it (which were all over the floor by the end of her class). She looked so cute, even though it was pink (note: I have an aversion to pink...purple is much more my flavor). Regardless of what she was wearing, she was the light of our world that morning. Kevin had even left work to come and watch Jilli's 15 minutes of glory.

Blessings!!

Busy

Sorry for my lack of blogging the last few days. I wish there were more hours in the day, but there just aren't, so something has to give and it usually is blogging. I have had a lot of editing to do, but because I am working on other families pictures, my blog kind of gets put to the side.

I wanted to share with you some of what I have been working on.

OK, need to get back to work.

Blessings!!

Hike Continues

Here are a few more pictures from our hike. Jilli is marching up A LOT of steps to get to the top of the hill.
Along the path there are many different places that you can stop and look at the view. This trail was called the Lost Lake Trail.
Every time we stopped by the water Tyler had to feel how cold it was. Couldn't take our word for it, he needed to figure it out for himself.
Blessings!!