A New Member of the Family

I wrote a list of New Year aspirations at the end of last year as I do every year.  One of the things I did NOT want to do this year is to take in any new pets.  We were (what we thought) maxed out with one dog, four cats and chickens at the end of last year.  June came around and there was a dog that showed up at our back step and adopted us.  After trying to find his owners and a home for over a week, we fell in love with him and kept him.  I told Todd, “no more!” 

Fast forward to Monday, October 7^th when two gentlemen I work with come up to my desk in a tizzy saying I have to come to the warehouse immediately.  I was busy and I was going to miss some deadlines if I ran to the back, so I asked if it could wait. In unison, they said, “NO!”  I go to the warehouse to find a teeny tiny kitten in a box that was rescued from in between two pieces of metal on our loading dock.  Apparently, he had been crying all day but it wasn’t until the end of the day that the Shipping Manager realized it wasn’t just a bird squawking in the trees.  As soon as I picked the little fur-ball up and warmed him up under my chin, I declared that I’d take him home (after clearing it with Todd, who is a sucker for kittens.)

I took the little kitten home and warmed him up while Todd picked up kitten formula on his way home from work.  The kitten had no teeth, and I knew he was really young because he could barely walk.  It took us a week and a half to name the little guy (I think it’s a boy: we have tried to sex several kittens in the past and we have been wrong half the time!).  Originally, we called him Dock, but it didn’t really stick.  Then, we tried Smudge because he has an orange smudge on his forehead – that didn’t stick.  We started calling him Ewok because he looks like an Ewok, and that name didn’t stick.  The only name that stuck was Romeo.  Why would we call this cat Romeo?   Because he is a little lover boy.

We still have no idea how old Romeo is.  He may have been less than a week old when he was rescued from the loading dock at work.  Kittens are supposed to start using the litter box at 20 days old; however, Romeo just finally started to walk without toppling over a few days ago.  We have had to use cotton swabs on his bum to make him go to the bathroom 3-4 times a day.  He now has most of his teeth, so we are trying kitten food along with his bottle, but so far, he hasn’t eaten any of it.  We are also working on litter box training.

It is definitely fun to have a little kitten around, but oh my goodness, the laundry!  I was doing a load of towels every other day because he was soiling them when he slept!  It is so much fun now that he is starting to explore and he is growing out of his sea legs.  He will be neutered and up to date on his shots by the New Year, and he is definitely a keeper. 

I have a weakness for animals, especially cute fuzzy ones (they are all cute and fuzzy to me by the way.)

I believe we are completely maxed out on animals now with 2 dogs, 5 cats and some chickens.  However, if there is a helpless animal that cannot fend for itself, I’m sure we’d take him in a heartbeat.  I am so thankful my husband understands my need to help these critters. 

Celebrating a Make Believe Holiday

When my family moved to Ohio from Buffalo, NY back in 1996, there were two things that were foreign to us: JoJo’s and Sweetest Day.

Here in northeast Ohio, where Hallmark’s headquarters are located and some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted (Harry London’s in Canton, OH), we have a make believe holiday called Sweetest Day the 3^rd Saturday of every October. 

The origin of Sweetest Day has always been suspect. Most believe it to be a "made up" holiday strictly for big business to reap profits at the expense of perpetrating romance. Of the twelve Cleveland committeemen who planned Cleveland's Sweetest Day (pictured above) eleven directly profited from the sale of greeting cards or candy. Three were on the Board of Directors for Hallmark, four on the boards of various candy companies and four owned card and candy shops in the Cleveland area.  (Source)

It truly is a dumb holiday that I don’t always remember until my husband comes home with a box of chocolates or when I see signs the week before to pick up carnations for your loved one.  Instead of being a fuddy-duddy, I decided to take this day and make it special for me and my love.  We do not like crowds and we are frugal, so battling to get a table at a restaurant was out of the picture.  Instead, we spent the day with one another relaxing, exploring, did some shopping in Amish country and ate a nice meal (at home)!

An old abandoned house we went through.

A second old house we went through.

The loot from Amish Salvage Store: $40.35
That includes a large jug of EVOO ($16.99), 13 boxes of cous cous ($0.49/bx), grits, coconut milk, french onion soup (2), and several other items.  We go twice a year and I am always amazed at the deals we find.

We don’t eat steak very often, but I decided I wanted to have a nice meal with Todd for Sweetest Day.  Steaks, scallops, sweet potato fries and broccoli was the main course and pumpkin pie ice cream was for dessert.  It was delicious!!

Even though it was a make believe holiday, it is nice to splurge once in a while for one another, and truly enjoy each other’s company.

What did you do this past Saturday?

Did you know it was Sweetest Day?

Compassion International

Over the past two years, my husband and I have sponsored a child named Anabel from Bolivia through Compassion International.  Interacting with Anabel has put many things into perspective for me over the years and I have come to enjoy our correspondences back and forth.  The donation is $38/month to help Anabel with her schooling, food (and clean drinking water), medical care, teaching her about Jesus and anything else she may be in need of.  Do you remember when you had a pen pal back in Elementary School and would get excited to see a letter in the mail from them?  That’s me when I get a letter from Compassion International with the words, “Message From Your Sponsored Child” on the front of the envelope.  My spirits are instantly lifted, and I look forward to what Anabel has written, drawn and/or colored for me.  I receive letters from Anabel’s tutor at school as well as from her mother.  I get great encouragement from these women! 

A Letter I Received 10/12/13

  

Anabel has a baby brother who was born almost a year ago.  I recently learned that when he is registered into the Compassion International system, Todd and I will have the opportunity to sponsor him as well.  I did not know this until recently, but we are able to purchase gifts through Compassion's Gift Catalog and they will be given to Anabel and her family.  We are having a hard time deciding what they may need so we may just give the family a monetary gift.  The best part is that when we give money as a gift to Anabel and her family, 100% of the money goes to them - no administrative fees are taken out.  

The reason I am writing this post is because the cutoff for a child to be guaranteed to receive a Christmas gift through Compassion is October 31^st.  What greater gift for these children than to learn that they are prayed for, thought of and loved!  When I think about $38/month, I can’t help but think about how many children we could sponsor with the money we waste each month on going out to eat, gasoline for vehicles for unnecessary driving, not to mention “stuff” we don’t need.  $38 will make a huge impact on a child living in poverty.  I ask that you consider sponsoring one (or more!) of these amazing children, help a family become sufficient enough to grow their own food by donating seed packs or donating livestock so that a family can eat, breed and barter the animals. 

I cannot tell you how humbling it is to learn about and love one of these children.  Todd and I look forward to sponsoring Anabel’s brother (Juan Daniel) and more children in the very near future.  

Cleaning Routine: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Relax)

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I relax with one day (mostly Sundays) of doing absolutely nothing whatsoever!  On Saturdays, I like to try to do a little bit of catch-up work like cleaning the microwave, stove, washing comforters and sheets, getting items ready to sell or donate, working on the living room and spare bedroom.  These tasks don’t require a lot of time, but I like the fact that I don’t feel pressured to get anything done if I don’t feel like it.

When Monday rolls around, the kitchen is usually a complete and utter mess and that is fine.  By Monday, I’m ready to find my clean home again within all the dust, pet hair, water spots and cluttered counters!

I am going to be completely honest with you, I am not a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination.  As I'm sure you can see in the photos I've taken, many of the pictures are dark.  That is because I work with very little light.  That being said, when I clean, "good enough" is good enough for me.  If there is a stray hair in the sink or a smudge on a newly dusted dresser, I don't sweat it.  It will get cleaned next week.  

If you are looking for a better source to walk you through simplifying and cleaning your home each and every day for an entire month, I highly suggest 31 Days to Living Intentionally Simple.  At this point, I am happy with the cleaning routine I have outlined over the past several days.  Because I have the same morning and evening routines, it is easy for me to know what to do and to get to it without dawdling or procrastinating.  Knowing that it only takes 30 minutes to an hour each evening helps me to get motivated to complete each task.  It is also motivating to be able to come home to a clean home on Friday night and not have to worry about anything but enjoying the weekend with the ones I love.

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Cleaning Routine: Thursday (Mopping)

Do you have a cleaning routine?

I’d love to hear about it!

Cleaning Routine: Thursday (Mopping)

This is where I start to get lax and cruise into the weekend.  I will be honest and tell you that I don’t mop every week.  I’m not sure I can even call it mopping: it is Swiffering the floors.  Whether or not I mop, I still follow my morning and evening routines.

Morning Routine

(I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.)

• Laundry (3-4 days/week)
• Make the Bed (3 days/wk)
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

On this particular morning, I woke up to an 85 lb dog yacking all over the bed.  So...I had 2 loads of laundry to do first thing in the morning, and the bed did not get made.  This is how I left it for the day:

Evening Routine

• Mop
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Family Room

• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the countertops in its proper place
• Wipe down counters
• Clean the top of the stove
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes

When I got home from work, I came home to this:

A wet, muddy dog because of a downpour we had...

...and muddy floors

There was no point in mopping the floors on this day.  It can wait until this weekend when things are supposed to dry up in our area. 

On Thursdays, I take a look around at the hard work I completed throughout the week and really appreciate being able to read a book or watch a movie with my husband and fur-babies.  Everything has been taken care of, and I wouldn’t be too terribly embarrassed if someone where to stop by on a spur of the moment (even though no one ever does).  Also, it seems like on Thursday evenings, I begin to get run down from my week at work, so it is nice to just come home and relax after the evening routine.

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Ahhhh…it’s so nice to wake up to a house that is not only picked up, but dust-free too!  I start to feel accomplished by this point and relaxed in my surroundings.  Today, we continue the general maintenance of our home by keeping up with the dishes, laundry, and today, we sweep the floors!

Morning Routine

(I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.)

• Laundry (3-4 days/week)
• Make the Bed (3 days/wk)
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

Day 2 the bed is made!

Dishes Unloaded

Evening Routine

• Sweep all floors
• Vacuum rugs
• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the countertops in its proper place
• Wipe down counters
• Clean the top of the stove
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes

Time to complete sweeping & vacuuming: 35 minutes

Time to complete kitchen: 10 minutes

Time to fold and put away towels: 5 minutes

This is how much was swept up off the bedroom floor.  Ick!

A Clean Floor!

I don’t mind sweeping but I really don’t like to vacuum.  Many weeks, Todd vacuums as I sweep the floors.  Again, we will have more square footage to sweep once the living room and spare bedroom are complete.  It is amazing how much dirt is swept off of the floors each week.  That’s what happens when you have 2 dogs, 4 cats and a productive hubby running in and out of the house pretty much all day long.  Of course, our animals are a kaleidoscope of colors: black, white, gray, red, brown and blonde.  I like to see results and I definitely see results each time I sweep the floors.

This is what happened after having the floor swept and vacuumed for a whole 5 minutes:
sunflower seeds fell all over the floor.  *sigh*  

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)