Well ladies it's almost spring time!!! Praise the Lord!! If you are like me I love the snow. Not the day after when it starts to melt, or the mess it makes, but the time it is snowing. If it's winter and cold I believe it needs to snow. I don't like to be cold if it is not snowing. See, I am a Florida girl. I was born in New York but the family moved to Florida when I was 1 yr old. So when I moved to TN. in the late 70's to attend Bryan College, I had never seen snow. You could shake the rug out and I would be out taking pictures of the "snow". I love the snow and all the warm fuzzy feelings that go with it. But now the possibilities of a good snow are over and I am ready for spring.
I love everything about spring!! The cool mornings, warm afternoon and the signs of everything coming back to life. Bring it on!! Have you noticed it doesn't get dark at 5 in the afternoon or that you can hear the birds first thing in the morning?
I know you will find this had to believe but one of my favorite things about spring is "spring cleaning". No, I have not lost my ever loving mind. I do not live to clean but spring cleaning is a whole different world than regular "saturday chore day". I love to open the windows and feel that fresh air with abit of a chill left in it. It feels so clean and fresh. All the germs that have been hiding in your home all winter now will be blown away with that spring air. My outlook on life even changes. I want to move more and play in the dirt, get the gardens in, fill up the bird feeders and dust off the patio furniture. By this time in the last of winter I start to notice all the things I have left undone. I am not sure why I notice the dirt and dust more, maybe it's all that sunshine or I go the eye doctor this time of year. But whatever it is --- boy do I have some major work to do.
One of the strangest spring cleaning rituals I was introduced to a few years ago was the practice of "wall dusting". I grew up in a home that every wall was and still is covered in the famous 70's paneling. My dad oiled these with "Old English"oil once a year. It smelled for days. But never did we dust the walls. (guess they did get dusted during the oiling). I finally decided it is a Southern thing and I am so glad that Southern women care enough to take spring cleaning to a whole new level. With the invention of the swifter, dusting walls is a breeze. You won't believe the dust and grime that has collected on the walls while you weren't looking. Makes me glad the lady with the white glove test hasn't come in a few years. (Maybe she retired to a beach in Fla). Once you dust your walls you will be able to tell the difference right away. Be advised this will begin the spring cleaning frenzy. Everything must be cleaned. I have thought of having a few baseboard washing parties and providing all the pizza you can eat. So far no one has returned the RSVP card.
Now I am going to be perfectly honest with you, if you are a smoker you will need to wash your walls and baseboards with some warm soapy water. You will be surprised how yellow they have become because of the nicotine. You will need to wash until ALL the yellow gunk has been washed away. Helpful hint - these are great items to save for the next time your teenager breaks curfew.
Spring is the time to be outside, but don't think these things don't need to be done--the lady with the white glove may come out of retirement just to check your walls and baseboards. Or if I get all of mine done and I am really, really bored I may drop in for a "little visit". While you are down there cleaning those baseboards you will realize that they need a fresh coat of paint. (Reminds me of the children's story "If you give a mouse a cookie") Go ahead and get that paint brush out and paint away. If you have crown molding don't forget to get the ladder out and take a wet rag and wipe them down also. You will really be surprised how much better any room will look just by doing this simple task. Don't think you can only do halfway up the walls, unless you want to explain why you went with 2 shades of the same color on all your walls. By now you are probably are saying--"There is no way in God's green earth I am washing my walls--Ha Ha!" I guarantee you will be thinking about it every time you set down to watch TV. So you might as well get them done and move on.
I realize that in the great scheme of things clean walls and baseboards don't mean a thing. But I also believe that if you have been blessed with a roof over your head, whether you rent or own your home, we are to take care of what we have been given. If you are not in great health or your life is in turmoil right now, don't worry about the baseboards. But if you have a dear friend that wants to help out in someway--remember you have a project you have been wanting to get to and they would love to help out. Sometimes God calls us to be His hands and feet , and wants to use us to bless others' lives. Whether it is to have our home clean and ready to have a group of women in to allow you to invest in their lives, or to bless someone by humbling yourself enough to clean their walls and baseboards. Too often we ask God to use us but we want to be used on some grand scale--it is the simple act of serving others that is the biggest blessing to others. You will be surprised how blessed you will be by allowing the Lord to create a servant's heart in you. Being a blessing to others takes on a whole new look. This week get a jump start on your spring cleaning and when you are finished look around your part of the world and find someone that you can be a blessing to!!!! Never pass up a opportunity to help others, you never know when you might be entertaining angels. God is at work even in the simplest of tasks. Never under estimate the power of God to take the simple and bless the world!!! Make sure you don't miss out--start at home and then branch out.
Please email me at queenofclutterfree@yahoo.com
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ReplyDeleteHmmm...well, I wouldn't say the threat of snow is over - I usually wait until April to be safe. The blizzard of 93 happens on March 12 - so the possibility is always there, Mother Nature has her own schedule, one that no one can predict (not even Punxsutawney Phil).
ReplyDeleteDusting the walls - I thought I was the only one that did that. Really want to notice it - pick one of these "in" colors like chocolate brown - all of the dark spectrum colors show the dust, you will dust the walls more than once a year, more like once a month. :D