When is still night

I always thought that the wisdom in Proverbs 31:15 is a good advice for every homemaker and it has been a good source of inspiration for me.

There was times when I rose when it was really darkm still night but now I have been rising when the sun is born. 

To say the truth, in these last mornings it has been so dark, really night still.

Oh, it inspires me. And my house shows that inspiration doesn't stay still, it rather makes me move.

So I'm decided that from now on I will go back to the going to bed early and rising when is still night.

My home and family will apreciate it and I wil feel so good about it.

The Kitchen

I don't know why when I think of homemaking, of cleaning and tidying I always think on the Kitchen or Laundry. Well, maybe also on some Bedroom tidying.
As for today, I'm thinking of heading now to the Kitchen and make those counters and things on it sparkling.

As somebody has inspiration for that also? I have so... here I go.

On past windowsills

As I said in my last post, I'm dealing with my windowsill in the kitchen. Once it was always pretty but as many things in my life it just lost the usual care it had from me. As in all the other parts, I'm recovering and so
is my dear windowsill. No, not ready to go on the internet, but I am working on it. So, I leave you with some pictures of my windowsill in previous times.

Yes, it will be pretty again.

The Kitchen Windowsill

One of my favourite spots at home is the kitchen windowsill. That window has a very nice view of our low but even so very long mountain and I like to have that view as a painting where my window and windowsill is the frame. But now the problem: as I have neglecting myself for several reasons, also my windowsill have been but now I very much want to have it back. It's one of my goals this month. I'll have a picture here when it's done.

The Laundry

Some years ago I found in a blog a Chalenge called  "21 Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife".

It didn't mean that we had to come everyday at our blog and make a repport  of how well we were doing, we only had to say it every Monday.

I was reading what I posted about it then and realized that I still have the same problems.

Here it is the first post I made about it then:

Her Southern Charm is doing a 21 Days Challenge called 21 Days To Becoming an Effective Wife.

She says we must write about things we want to change and make a new habit in 3 weeks. So we must think on something that is really important to us and come here each Monday to tell about our progress – or not progress.

On April 5th we post about it also but not about the end of it, if we managed to accomplish something and reached our goal(s).

This comes very well and in the right time as I am strugling with some aspects of my life. They are things that are a part of my life but I’m falling off the wagon.

First of all, it’s laundry connected.
This a field of homemaking that I like sooo much. Nevertherless, as we are six and I work outside – yes, another thing to deal with in due time, God help me – I always have lots and lots of laundry to do. I must say I like veeeery much to wash, I like to put it on the line – when I am overwelmed my big girls help me – and I don’t mind , I quite like actualy, to take them out of the line. Folding, I don’t mind because I can do it seated down. Now it comes the big problem: put it away. I can’t stand it!

Well, now let’s beging the listing:

· Get up at 6.15.

I get up at 6,30 or 6,25 or – now – 6,20. I want to get up ealier. It was always important to me.
She rises when is still night.
It means a lot to me.

· To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.

· Put away those folded clothes everyday too.

If I fold it in the night I’m alowed to put away the next day but everyday I must take the baskets full of clothes upstairs and put them in their places.

· Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.

It is so much in need of a bit of atenttion...

· Pray the Rosary everyday.

Now I must explain. I try to pray it everyday but as in a lot of things, sometimes the day is gone and I didn’t pray it completely.
By Rosary, I mean one thirth of it, as in portuguese Terço and in spanish Tercio, the five Mysteries of it not the fifteen.
Pray the Rosary everyday, Our Lady said in Fatima. I must

And then, some days after:

Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife

This post was for Monday but, after I have tryed, I couldn't post any pictures, so I tried each day and now I gave up and here it is today.
In the 21 Days Challenge to Becoming an Effective Wife at Her Southern Charm, we must have some items that we want to improve in our life and come here every monday to tell about the progress - or not.
Here they are mine.

Get up at 6.15.
Done most of the days. Sometimes I get up some minutes later but in the whole, is quite good.

To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.
Put away those folded clothes everyday too.
Quite well to the part of folding but not the one to put away. Let's see if I can improve this week.

Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.
Bad. Not big progess yet.

Pray the Rosary everyday.
Most days, done. I need to give more atention to Our Lady and Her Son through Her. Apart from the Three Hail Mary Devotion - everyday in my life since I was a child as my grandmother teached me - not much prayer.

Well, I hope to have more progress to report next monday.

---

Now I still fight with myself to have the Laundry done on time - there are always loads to wash, fold and above all to be put back in its place. I still need to declutter the Laundryroom and still there are days when I don't pray the Rosary in all the five decades.

Time to REALLY try to get on track !

Declutter and tidy up the fridge

The Kitchen is one of my favourite places at home, not only to cook but also to clean and tidy up.
So many things in the house that need to be done but I keep procrastinating about it. Not the kitchen. Or at least not so much. It feels really good when I have the trouble to get out of my comfort and procrastination and decide to get things done there.
So, today, after work, I will tidy and declutter one of the fridges. It's clean, only needs a bit of care. A clean, tidy fridge really makes me feel good.

Most times, homemaking is so anti-depressive.

Falling off the wagon

Do you know what is it falling off the wagon? Maybe it never happened to you, being full of good intention and then... But I will not feel down about it, I will try again even if I have to play catch up a bit. We will see how next day will be.

Image from AllPosters

Sunday is not a working day

Sunday it's not a proper working day at Alfazema's house, other than those things that really must be done. Monday yes, not Sunday.

Saturday

So, Saturday came and went away. The morning was full of nice and good house workm mainly in the kitchen and I was quite happy with the results. The problem was in the afternoon. With so many good things to be seen in Rome ( by internet, I was not there) all my good intentions went away. The good thing of all this is that after some days in the week, we will have again another Saturday.

Making plans

Weekend again and I made a lot of plans.
Kitchen, Bathroom, Master Bedroom.
Laundry.
Gardening.
Cooking, maybe Baking.
What an adventure awaits me. I'll tell you on next post how things went.

Recovering

Thursday was a whole day of recovering of my strong cold so not much work at home done either. Oh, well, never mind, tomorrow is another day and teh weekend is approaching - which makes me feel better already.

Not much work today

No work today at home, other than making dinner. I have been all day long in pain with a strong cold so when I arrived at home, at last, after doing some errands when I finished work, I just wanted to dive in my sofa and rest. So, after making dinner, no work today. At all.

Some Laundry

Today I was not so energetic as yesterday when I arrived at home after work, in the evening. So...

I put some clothes to wash, then I hanged them on the line, picked up the ones that were there already dry, folded and put it away. Forty pieces.

That's all. And made dinner. Shepard's Pie.

Picture by AllPosters

Work after work

So, yesterday after work, when I arrived at home I:

- hoovered seven rooms, including the bathrooms
  

                                           (no, not the deck of a boat, just my stairs :) )

- sweeped the stairs

  

- cleaned two bathrooms

  

- dusted
  

- and, in the end, I made the dinner.

I will see what I can do today but usually I'm not so energetic in the end of the day, I'm more a morning person.
I dream with the day I will not work outside anymore !

Pictures from AllPosters.

The Lord's Day

It's the Lord's Day so I will not do anything that it can be avoided, I'll do only those things that really must be done.

It's Autumn and the leaves are turning red and brown. I do like the Autumn, not hot anymore, just nice.

I don't like Summer at all, if I could I would skip it every year.

But now it's Autumn and I feel I want to live and do things  - or just stay quiet and give thanks.

Blessed be Our Lord. 

Saturday

Well, Saturday so well planned come and went away and I didn't do half of the plan !
In the week I get frustrated with all the things I want to do and I can't because I'm out all day working. So, I arrive at home so tired that, other than those things taht I really have to do, I just can't do anything. So I think: on Saturday I will do it.
Yes, and then it arrives and there is no time for so much.

Oh. well, never mind, I managed to do some things anyway, even doing some gardening.

The important thing is that I must not beat myself for that. It's very important that we are good for ourselves and learn to forgive ourselves too, not only others.
And, you know, there will be a lot of other Saturdays - God willing.

Planning

Oh, well, as everybody knows because I'm always saying it, I work outside, which means I am NOT a Stay At Home Mother. Painfully. I really don't like it, I wish I was a 100% housewife. But I am not and I have to live with it.

So...it means I don't do much each day of the week, except on Saturdays. I do like Saturdays. I do like Fridays too because when I wake up I always remember what day is and that makes me jump out of the bed very happily.

All this to say that my mind was wondering all Friday about things I intend to do.
I plan to play in the kitchen for hours, cleaning it , tidying it and prettying it.
I will do also a lot of laundry and that means wash it, put it on the line, picking it up and fold and, the part I don't like, put it away. And ironing at least some of it.

Thinking on that makes me plan also to sped some time on my bedroom tidying and puting some clothes on its places. And dusting. It will be fun.
Obviously I can't forget the entrance, on the outside. I need to sweep. And the inside too.

Back to the house, the inside, I need to vacuum and mop, dusting everywhere.
What a lot of work I have to do but at least it means I will play house all morning - I can't stay in bed till late.
And in the afternoon I will seat in the sofa watcging a movie and because it's Autumn already, I will be so cozy with a throw drinking hot chocolate.
Saturdays are such fine days. And then it comes Sunday. No hard work on that day because it's the Lord's Day, just Mass and not much more - other than one more movie to watch. Or two.

Laundry time

Well, I like to do the laundry.
The problem was that it was raining for several days. Yes, I have a dryer but as we are used to the sun, we like to dry our clothes in the air. I use my dryer only for emergencies - and if the rain stayed for some more days it would have been an emergency !

But no, here is the sun and clothes are on the line.

There is something about clothes on the line that make me feel good. I like to go in the street and see people's houses on a sunny day with their clothes on the wind. It shows that there is life inside that house, there is a family. It look so colourful and nice.

Off now to do some more.

Cleaning the fridge

We have two friges in my house because we are lots - well, for european standards we are, in our house there are six people.

So, two friges mean the double of work and I often clean just the basic but now I decided that I would take everything out and clean it well.

I put my apron on and began cleaning but as I work outside is not everything done. I will say that is a work in progress but at least I began.

I will post a picture of it probably tomorrow, maybe it will inspire somebody to do the same.

31 Days

The Nesting Place is hosting a challenge where people will, for 31 days post about something they choose. It can be about Home, Food, Family whatever we choose but it will be around the same subject for the whole month.

I will post about  my home so it will be called 31 Days At Home.

My home is in great need of a lot of attention and I'm decided that it wil be now. I have so m any things to do that it will be easy to chose. So, each day it will be a new adventure for me.

Come back here tomorrow and there will be a new thing I did or will do in my home.

1.  31 Days
2. Cleaning the fridge
3. Laundry Time
4. Planning
5. Saturday
6. The Lord's Day
7. Work after work
8. Some Laundry
9. Not much work today
10.Recovering
11.Making plans
12.Saturday
13. Sunday is not a working day
14.Falling off the wagon
15.Declutter and tidy up the fridge
16.The Laundry
17.The Kitchen Windowsill
18.On past windowsills
19.The Kitchen
20.When it rains
21.When is still night

For several reasons I couldn't post for 31 days. Maybe next year.