Spring Cleaning and Multitude Monday

At one point every spring, I have to finally buckle down and get serious with the spring cleaning. Usually this happens when the weather is warm enough to throw open the windows, which sends bounding away all the dustbunnies breeding under the bed all winter long. Of course, since things so easily compile, it corresponds well to the time of switching summer/winter clothes for the entire family and happens about the time I am completely SICK of all the clutter built up from winter.

All of these things combined means mass pandemonium at the Newman house right around April, every year.

Of course it is oh-so-worth-it in the end.


That is what I have been doing for the last two weeks...changing clothes over. Sorting clothes for yard sales. Sorting STUFF for yard sales. Moving furniture to mop. Mass execution of dust bunnies (don't call the animal rights people on me...they deserved it.) Scrubbing, scrubbing and more scrubbing.

I am nearly caught up, too. Until the house gets lived in a bit more. Like, tomorrow.

The next biggest tackle is the craft room. There is nothing I enjoy more than to use the craft room with the wind blowing through from open windows. This of course, is made even more exciting a prospect since I avoided the craft room this winter since it is not heated and was very unwelcomingly bitter. It is high time I did a bit of creating.

As if spring cleaning weren't enough: our printer/copier has broken and has been for two months (which to a homeschool family~or at least OURS~is absolutely VITAL) leaving it hard to accomplish what I need to (especially in history and science) without it. I have quite a stack and many-a-list of TO-PRINTS lying around. Not to mention the non-education-related printing I do.

THEN, even worse, last week our WASHING MACHINE broke (which to a family of six~ or at least OURS~ is absolutely VITAL!) leaving me to haul children 20 minutes away to a laundromat to wash clothes. NOT pleasant! So there are quite the mountainous laundry piles to climb around these days.

Try as you might, nothing is ever completely perfect or perfect all at once. I seem to focus on room to room but by the time I get through the whole house thataway, the cycle must begin again on the first rooms. Wouldn't it be grand to have a house made right all at once? That must go against the very laws of nature.


The truth is, it is all good. A life of service draws me closer to God and further from Myself. Each moment I give to another is a moment of blessing and being blessed.

A few gifts, written out, because it has been SO long...

725~~~ floors that squeak with each footstep

726~~~ shoes lined up

727~~~ using up the frozen fruit from last summer in huckleberry pancakes, smoothies and creamy peach pies as gifts of thanks.

728~~~ eating bunnies and elephants and upon-requests

729~~~ nary a dustbunny in sight

730~~~ warm breezes

731~~~ giggles dancing in from the open windows

732~~~ sleeping through the night

733~~~ warm rain showers you 'MUST' get stuck in

734~~~ a secret sister at church

735~~~ a fresh start, each week

736~~~ a laundryline that saves money and time at the laundromat

737~~~ the first bloom picked, and house filled with full vases, making up for lost time


738~~~ the boy who filled the vases

739~~~ the story of the world, that makes History come alive

740~~~ a baby rubbing his eyes

741~~~ forgiveness

742~~~ new business cards

743~~~ a surprise package with little bits for EVERYONE and words for me

744~~~ fresh new grass

745~~~ warm sunspots inside

746~~~ Matt noticing the glass pantry jars, newly filled

747~~~ the word 'JUST' when Matt adds it to "I love you so much".

748~~~ belting out Alabama and remembering doing that very thing while dancing to Dad's cassette in the living room when I was a girl.

749~~~ bunnies going to new homes

750~~~ playing cards....and winning

751~~~ eating my best turkey every roasted

752~~~ exciting plans


And so many, many more...