Saying goodbye

This week we said a sad farewell to my dear Nan. It really is horrible saying goodbye to someone you love who has died. Her funeral remembered her kindness, generosity, green fingers, delicious stews, long and happy marriage, and delight in her family. 

Goodbye Nan. I love you, I will never forget you and I will miss you always.

Four generations together, Christmas 2012

Little knitted hairbands

How cute are these knitted headbands that I've been making over the past few days?

They are so simple to make and I can't wait to gift them!

I've been busy making lots of other gifts for family members and will post about those in January. I'm keeping going and staying busy, even though I think about my dear Nan and my grieving Grandad almost constantly.

Laura x

My lovely Nan 27/04/1930 - 14/11/2013

Hello everyone,

We have had sadness in my family for the past few days, as my dear Nan died last Thursday. Although she had been unwell for a while, it has still been hard for us all. I have found moments of peace in between the grief and sadness, but at the moment I just feel as if a part of me / our family has been amputated.

She was a wonderful Nan. I will miss her so much.

Nan (Granny-Nanny) with Sophie and Molly, two of her
three great-granddaughters

Please pray for my family.

Laura x

How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 7

Here's what I probably should have said at the very beginning.

Don't worry

Having a clean house isn't the goal of life. It helps free up time and energy for other things, and provides a nice environment to enjoy with others, but it doesn't provide true fulfilment. After all, things get messy just as soon as they've been tidied.

Ultimately, a welcoming home isn't a matter of how clean it is, but a matter of the heart. The hardest thing for me, given that I'm house-proud, is choosing to put achieving a clean before being loving, acting with kindness, and growing as a Christian. My home is a helpful tool but all too often it dominates my entire life.

I started this series because I've been challenged recently that worth and value aren't to be found in the material things of life, or in having a clean house. Those things don't ultimately satisfy. The state of my heart is much more important. If I have a clean house but an empty, broken, evil heart, what good is that? Thankfully, I I believe in a God who can give us new hearts and new life. That's amazing!

So, if you visit my home, you'll probably find it's quite clean and tidy, but I hope you'll also find a place where kindness, truth, and grace are scattered all over the place.

Laura x

How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 6

Unfortunately, sometimes you just need to take a bit more time over it.

Set aside time for deep cleaning

I can only do this when I have babysitting from either Nick or another family member. But occasionally, I'll take an hour or two or a half or whole day to tackle a big job, like cleaning the fridge (my absolute least favourite household chore), washing the windows, cleaning the oven (I use an amazing paint-on gel from Lakeland), a deep clean of the bathroom, or dusting underneath and behind furniture.

My whole cleaning mantra doesn't work for a house that isn't already reasonably clean and tidy, because it focuses on upkeep rather than turning around a previously messy place! Normally, that can be done in only a few minutes each day (as I've previously described), but without getting into the nooks and crannies (and the back of the fridge), it won't be really clean.

It's not that onerous though! I tackle my fridge/freezer, for example, probably once a quarter - because I wipe up spills as I go and it doesn't really get that dirty that quickly. My windows? - once or twice a year. Underneath and behind furniture? - once a year, in the spring. By keeping up with the routine cleaning, I don't need to do deep cleans that often, so it pays off doubly.

How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 5

My next pearls of cleaning wisdom:

Keep the floors clean

People coming to your house aren't going to run their finger along the dusty shelf, but they will notice if bits of food or dirt are sticking to their socks. With a baby in the house, that means I vacuum downstairs about every other day, but for some people once a week might be enough.

Clean as you go

Spills and such are much easier to clean if you do it right away (or soon after) than left for a long time. Sophie drops a lot of food when she's eating, so I clear it up after each meal, which is very little effort.

How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 4

When it comes to cleaning, a little goes a long way. By which I mean 15 minutes of cleaning a day is (unless you have a huge house) sufficient to keep up the cleanness of the house.

I have a schedule of what I tackle each day, and I don't do any routine cleaning on weekends.

• Monday - Bathroom: clean bath, tiles, sink and toilet, and wash floor
• Tuesday - Kitchen: clean counters, sink, hob, window, and sweep floor
• Wednesday - Lounge (and Office on alternate weeks): dust and polish
• Thursday - Vacuum and mop downstairs
• Friday - Bedrooms: change beds, dust and polish, vacuum

Woohoo - only 15 minutes - that's a win as far as I'm concerned!

Laura x

How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 3

In my last post, I talked about keeping things tidy. Here's something that I try to do to mean it's easier to achieve that:

Have less stuff

Having a lot of stuff is endemic to modern day life. We have piles of books, DVDs, kitchen equipment, photos, and clothes in our homes. These things aren't bad in and of themselves, but the more we have of them, the more upkeep there is to do, the more space is needed, and the more there is to tidy.

I've been consciously decluttering for a year or so now. We did a car boot sale the other day and it was a great way to make a little bit of money from things that we genuinely don't need or use. Most of the stuff in our house is now there for a purpose (either we use it or we find it beautiful). Yes, there's some stuff that's still there because we don't quite know what to do with it (old computers and the like), but in general, it's quite streamlined nowadays.

The second part of this is:

Have homes for the stuff that you do have

Personally, I think t's fine to have a 'junk drawer', but if there's junk in all the drawers and cupboards of the house, that's a problem. It's really hard to keep a house comfortable and attractive if there's stuff spilling out everywhere.

The third part of it is:

Don't put it down, put it away

Once you've got homes for your stuff, use them!

November

In other news... it's November!

The end of autumn is here and soon my favourite season will run into my least favourite. Happily there is the fun of the holidays to look forward to, but really, who likes January, February or March?

I've got a lot - and I mean a lot - of craft projects in mind for November before cooking and baking takes over in December. Now that the clocks have gone back the evenings are dark and perfect for cosying up with knitting or sewing - if baby co-operates and goes to bed at a reasonable time!

Reflections on Psalm 139

Good morning everyone.

I'm having a bit of a low day. We were up in the night with a crying Sophie and now she's exhausted, I'm exhausted, and I have sent an exhausted husband to work as well. 

I feel overwhelmed and guilty for not having enough patience, for not being strong enough to protect my husband from sleepless nights, and for not really knowing how to help my daughter or what the matter is. I feel weak and inferior compared to other mums who run businesses, study for degrees, home school their children, and still get dinner on the table.

This morning I rushed around the house doing little bits and bobs but eventually I decided to turn to the Bible and see what wisdom I could find in there. I felt led to Psalm 139, which is one of my favourite chapters in the Bible, probably because I'm feeling low and it offers comfort.

Today, I saw something new in it that spoke to me.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 

even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

I've always read those words negatively, as in, the writer wants to run away from God and finds he cannot, even though he tries. Today, God gave me a positive message: wherever I go and whatever I do, God's Spirit will be with me. In my tiredness, frustration, and feelings of failure, He is with me.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God knows the state of my heart and knows all my worries, anxieties, and emotions. He is moulding me and using all the circumstances, upsets, and joys of my life as lessons to shape my character and to help me understand His goodness and grace. His way is the way everlasting. 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' (Isaiah 30:21)

The God who made this also made this also made me, and Sophie.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.