You are not behind

Talking of homemaking I had been in a roller coaster for years: sometimes things went well, sometimes they didn't.

Even being a working outside woman with four children everything went well - or pretty close - till I had a change in my working times and everything went down the drain.

Add to the mixture several depressions along the years. Do I need to say that I still struggle ? But I have good news, I'm getting better and better.

Now I try to remember several times a day that Flylady says that there is no such thing as falling off the wagon. Jump in where you are, she says, you are not behind ! And do you know something ? She is right.

My house is getting better and better and I am too.

If this house - that is your real house and your body, in and out - is in need of a good tidying, don't feel down, just jump in. You are not behind !

I saw a post I did years ago when I was looking back to some goals and difficulties I had and I must say some are done and others I still struggle with.

Let's see them:

- To get up at 6.15

Oh, well, I don't need it anymore now that the girls have grown, no babies anymore and they help with their clothes and all so I don't need to get up that early.

Don't I ? That's why the clothes are piling to be folded and put away, not to mention other chores in the house.

So I will now have again that goal of getting up early and have some work done before going to work.

Maybe not waking up at 6.15 for now, later but not late and trying to get up a little earlier bit by bit till reaching the most convenient hour - and maybe that hour is not 6.15.

Even so, the "she rises when is still night" is still very important to me.

- To fold 40 pieces of clothing everyday

Just let us aim to 20 and we will see how things go.

- To put away those folded clothes everyday instead of leaving it in the basket.

Very good goal, I must say. I do like to do the laundry, to wash it, to put it on the line, to pick it up and, sometimes, to fold it. To put away is my struggle. I must work on it. Again.

-Declutter the Laundryroom everyday a little bit.

Major problem, the laundryroom, for years. Some time ago, and I mean just months ago, I managed with the help of my eldest, to have the dreaded laundryroom done. But you know what? Things are not anymore as good as they were. I really must do some work there. Again.

- Pray the Rosary everyday

That is very important ! I always prayed the Rosary but I must say that some days went on without it. Not good as Our Lady in Fátima said to pray it everyday.

Do you know what? I now pray the Rosary everyday without failing a single day ! This is going for months and months now ! And I can see the results. Do you doubt it ? Ok, just try it and you will see.

Most people just have things for granted and there is no much prayer in their life. I always had and I'm having more and more prayer in my life, thanks God.

I can see that I still struggle with some of those problems but I'm very pleased to see that on some others I am better.

And what about the others that I didn't mention here ? I jumped in and I'm getting better and better.

Yes, I'm not behind !

Partying at :
Dishing it & Digging it at Angie the Freckled Rose
Amaze me Monday at Dwellings
Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle
Inspire me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

Adventures in the laundry room

This is my old washer and I will tell you her story.

When we married and later when we had our older children in their younger years, we had a washer, as everybody does, no big deal in that. The problem is that with time she became making frequent visits to the man who repaired washers.

Then, tired of those visits, we decided that was time to buy a new one. My husband decided that we had to have one that was a dryer at the same time as it would save space. So we bought two in one.

It has quite a lot of years now and we had to call the repair man some four times and another: the first ones were because with the years going by either was the dryer that didn't dry ( it happened only once), or that the tube where the water went to the washer was dry and the other was that it was the tube where the water went out, which it happened the same thing to the other one. Another time was that the rubber in the oppening was too dry already and leaked a little water.
Then, and this time was much worse, the mecanism that was the heart of the machine decisions and programs was tired and stopped to work - which I understood as it was already getting old.
The repair man was called and he deliberated that it was such a good machine, a good brand (Zanussi) and we should repair it instead of thinking on buying a new one. Well, ok, we accepted.

Now, some two or three years past, it stopped working. It began with a big bang and the basket was a bit loose but it still worked. Now it stopped.
The repair man was called again and he said that, to be honest, he had to tell me that it's better to buy a new one because that repair would be too expensive to an old washer.

Now that I must buy a new one I decided that I don't want a special brand at all, I only want one that works and is not fussy and no way of buying a dryer at all as we have plenty of sun and we hardly use the drier. That's final !

I will keep you posted on next episodes.

On Rainy Days and Laundry

I wonder why, I like very much to do the laundry. I think it's  one of my favourites homemaking chores, or should I say, Missions.

I don't know about you, but I have a Laundry Plan, which makes all the work much easier.It's scheduled and I haven't to think about  it.

But  then, there it came a problem: the rain.

Now you are thinking why is the rain a problem.

First I must say that I like so much the rain and I can't stay longer without it but, on  the other side, being a homemaker makes me long for a whole week of sun.

And now you are thinking why this woman doesn't just put the washed clothes in the dryer? Or can it be that in her corner of the world there is no dryers? Yes, there are and, in fact, I have one and it works perfectly. Why the problem, then?

Oh, well, this woman who has a dryer likes to put her clothes in the line to dry. The little pleasure to see the cloths all in a row in the line and the pegs, the sun on them, the smell of washed clothes bathed by the sun...Pure poetry !

We are having unstoppable days of rain. Should I stay happy with it or should I go sad because I can't put my clothes on the line?

Well, better to find a compromise. I have a place to put small things to dry inside so I will wash just the little ones.

Oh, how life is easy after all, why we make a problem of it ?

Laundry, laundry, here I go.

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 !

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

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.

Autumn, definitely

It has been wet and coldish. Autumn, definitely.

The clothes, put to dry on the lines, take time to dry. Each morning the floor is wet as it had rained and sometimes it does.

For the english people and in other cold countries this is so frequent and normal but for us so as much because, due to global warming, the summer extended itself for so long that looked like we wouldn't have any Autumn at all. But no, here it is.

And I'm so happy about it.

So, in a minute, I will wash some more clothes - in our house it must be done everyday with rain or not - and put it on the line.

The fresh air is good too, not only the sun. Even when there's any it's worthwhile to put it outside. Much better the than dryer.

Here I go for a load: wash, dry (outside), take it inside, fold it and put away to have the drawers full.

It gives so much confort to find all the clothes we need ready to wear. Looks like a small thing but no, taking care of our laundry is to take care of our family. It's an important job.

For Blissfully Domestic.

The pleasure of homemaking

This last week I was not very productive. Homemaking is a thing I like so much but, for some reason, I coulfn't do much work.

I didn't beat myself just because of that. I decided that it happened because it was my birthday week ( it was on 24 Oct. ) so I had the right to have festivities and be easy on me foe a whole week.

Now a new week begins and I must go back to normal days.



Because yesterday it rained a lot, I thought that today I coukdn't take care of the laundry. You know, in a sunny country like this one, we prefer to dry it outside and only use the dryer when it is really needed.

So, off the computer now and it's tidy up time followed for some sessions of laundrytime. Then 15 minutes in everyroom and so on.

It's a wonderful day waiting for me.

Rain again

This was what happened to me: I put a load of washing to dry on the line and then there it came the rain.

It's everything wet.

Well, never mind, better wet on the line then inside the washing machine.

Let's hope for some sun tomorow.

P.S.: The difference is, neither my husband was outside watering the plants neither he smokes a pipe - or else.
What happened was it began to rain after I put the washing out.