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.