Well, I did say low carbs, last week, didn’t I? Yet sometimes I get a hungering for the tastes of days gone by. I remember an egg and oatmeal dish from my youth called Golden Oats. When I looked it up, I found far more oat than egg, a sort of crumbly mix to which you add juice. Too many carbs! What do I do?
I eat oatmeal.
Of course, if I overdid it, I would ruin the diet, so I allow myself about one tablespoon of it. Are you confused, yet? Let’s just have the recipe and get on with it!
A-OK Oatmeal
1 T. uncooked oatmeal
1 T. butter
1 serving stevia powder
1 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
a dash of cream
Brown the oatmeal in the butter lightly, over medium heat.
Frying Oatmeal
Whip eggs, cream, cinnamon, and stevia together thoroughly.
Eggs in Cream
Pour over oatmeal in pan, stirring and chopping until eggs are set. Serve hot with additional cream, and a small serving of pomegranate juice, and/or coffee or tea.
A-Ok Oatmeal
Tastes a LOT like a bowl of oatmeal. No need to add sweetener. Of course, in this land of free speech, it is illegal to say the stevia adds sweetness, so I won’t say that!
Do you ever have a day when you have to unload before you can function? It’s like having your arms full of groceries when someone wants to shake hands. “Hello. Glad to meet you. Let me unload, first…”
Today, chick checks are driving me nuts. We’ve had horrible troubles with a wicked old raccoon, torturing our poor hens have to death and then leaving them to die. Chickens cower when I check their feed and water. Rain waits until I’m half-way past the lilacs on the way to the coop, before it sends a few drops directly over the rifle. Then I have to dry the rifle so carefully.
After lunch, and after the lunchtime chick check, is when I decided it—I had to unload before I could function any more and definitely before I laundered shirts. I calmed myself and gathered gloves and a lopper. Eight joyous branches later, and our dining table centerpiece was doing what lilacs do best. They may be too much perfume for one meal, but are just right, for right now. As the house fills with their scent, I relax.
I once had an opportunity to visit West Bend, Wisconsin, during the bloom time for lilacs. West Bend must have a policy about lilacs because everyone there has them, even fast food places. Arriving at dusk, my family and I wandered out of our car and into the spicy sweetness. Their essence was too strong to recognize on the balmy evening air, but it was sublime, as it is in my house, right now.
Was it like that when Mary bathed and anointed Jesus’ feet? The Word says the house filled with the perfume. Jesus said we always would remember her, too. I feel glad for her sake, but I wonder why He said this and why we remember her.
Of course, her story provides a glimpse into the seamier side of life in Jerusalem. Things were different, then. Adultery and prostitution were against the law, then. Nowadays they are just entertainment for the soaps crowd and fun pastimes for teens. Most kids of today have not heard and would hardly guess these activities are sin, would never be able to guess why. Almost no one can see the demise we’ve inherited from them. Ruined personalities, ruined families, ruined towns, counties—even whole states can trace their downfall to the ruin of marital faithfulness. Whole villages have thrown away the solid ground on which they built. It won’t take much of a wave to wash them away. It will be sad when it comes, and it only takes one village ignoring erosion to start a huge washout.
Will anyone ever see it? Will anyone ever feel sorry about it and stop it?
Mary did, although it meant embarrassment for her.
The perfume of lilacs, faithfully calling to us, can make a difference in this world. Like Mary. I want to be like her. I want to be always at Jesus’ feet.
Another reason we practice Spring Cleaning has little to do with clean.
Read:
The next in line for the Spring Cleaning ritual in our home is the bookcase area. We own enough books to fuel a small school, because we were once exactly that. You may wonder why I do not store some of them —
I have.
Let’s pretend, though, that yesterday’s scenario has aged five years, and the three imagined daughters are now 12, 10, and 7. You’ve been practicing inclusion of these girls for five years and now you are ready to tackle these bookcases. Your conversation might go like this:
The Bookcase
Girls, help me get a couple of these bookcases done today, okay? Mary, get the dusting spray, the vacuum, and the paper towels. Hmm, I think we need this table cleared to stack the books on it. Can you take care of that, too, Mary? Thanks.
As we put the books on the table, we’ll stack them all in the same direction and then we can vacuum the tops of them all at once. Oh, yes, we should align the tops of them to make it easier. And keep them in order, so we won’t have to reorganize them. I think this will work.
Okay, let’s see if we can do two units in a half hour. Set the timer. Go!
Look at this old crocheted bookmark from Grandma—I want to clean and starch it. Set it aside for later. Someone make a note; we need to reinforce the spine on the “B” volume of this encyclopedia.
Thanks for collecting all our supplies, Mary. Can you attach the hose and the duster? Good.
Let’s hurry, here. It’s a big job. Susan, can you see the top shelf or do we need the step stool. Go get it, then, Leah. I want you two on the dusting job and I will vacuum the books. Try hard to keep the spray off the floor. It can be dangerously slick. And be sure you wipe the corners well and get all the spray wiped off.
Okay, start handing me books, in order, and I’ll restack them in their places. This is going well, time-wise, but I think we’ll stop in the middle of the second bookcase, so we don’t go overtime. No need to wear ourselves out with such heavy work.
No, I think we’d better stop short of that. There’s always tomorrow. Let’s call it done for now, and have some tea, okay? Then I want to show you all how to wash a delicate piece of crochet. Mary, you take care of the vacuum. That’s my girl.
Oh, how good it is to have all your help, girls! I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Can you see how, since the girls have received diligent training, they have become like extra arms and legs for the mom? Not only that, but also, they are learning good, quick, efficient work habits they can take with them into their futures.
In exchange for all the training you gave them before, you now are reaping great helpers. They, in return for their help, are receiving a gift many people lack: the ability to be diligent, reliable, trustworthy, hard-working members of their future worlds.
Wherever they go, whether into marriage or some other career, they will be ahead of their peers and rise quickly to betterment at every possibility.
Okay, girls, today our fast-clean project is this stuffed coat closet. Oh, we have so much to do to make it better! Here, Little Mary, you can play with all these wonderful wooden hangers. Can you pile them onto the couch for mom? Great! Thanks!
Hey, Big Sis, look at Daddy’s old umbrella–it needs mending. Write that on the list for me, will you? First write “mend”, then I will spell “umbrella” for you, okay? Thanks!
Oh, look, here is the glove you were looking for, Leah! I’m so glad we are cleaning this closet out. Maybe we’ll even find some MONEY hiding in here. Run and put the glove with your other one, okay?
Oh, I wonder what is in this box–Would you look! It is empty except for one cap. What a waste of space, and just when I was thinking we needed a bigger closet! Are you back already, Leah? Take these road atlases over to the couch beside the hangers. Yes, that’s right. Thanks! No, Little Mary, those are grown-up books. Good girl.
Okay, this other box has candles in it. Can you tell from the lovely perfume coming from it? Here, everyone sniff and tell me what it smells like . . . Right! Just like flowers, isn’t it? Good job! We’ll set it on this big chair, and don’t you let me forget to put it back, when things in there are dry.
What else is up on this shelf? Daddy’s two good hats are dusty. Big Sis, do you know where the whisk broom is? Get it for me, please. Thanks. I didn’t know I would need that in here. Leah, could you bring me back the big box? Yes, that’s the one. Let’s put Daddy’ good hats in it, since he doesn’t wear them often. That will keep them clean and keep bugs off them. Oh, here’s that broom. Good. Now we can clean the hat before we store it. Won’t Daddy look sharp in this new, clean hat? What? You want to try it on? Okay, but let Mommy help you–Whoa! You look just like Daddy!
You know, I think I will pull all the coats out of here before I wash the shelf. I don’t want to get soap on our good coats, if I spill. We’ll lay them across the back of the couch. There. Much better for the coats, and you help me remember to take this graduation gown to my closet, okay? Okay!
Big Sis, how are we for time? Fifteen minutes? We need to hurry more.
Little Mary, would you like a job? Can you carry out all the umbrellas off the floor in here? You can? Great! Leah, you help her with that huge one. Yes. Good.
Big Sis, hand me the step stool. Thanks. Let’s see if Mom can fit up inside this little closet. Oh, sure, I see we need to wipe the shelf, so here goes. Can you fetch the fan from the dining room? I want this to dry fast so we can put everything away before the timer goes off. Do you know why it should be dry? Yes, the box could stick to the shelf. That would be a big mess. I think I will clean this door, too. Somebody handled it with grimy hands. Too bad!
Now to sweep the floor right quick . . . There!
Let’s put the coats back and let’s be sure to check all the collars. Uh-oh, Daddy’s trench coat needs dry cleaning, see? Look at that. We’ll take it out to the car in a while. Everything else looks good, so back it goes, into its place. Hey, Little Mary, I’m ready for you to bring me the hangers again. Thanks, Baby. You are such a helper. Okay, let me get the candle box. Now the hat box. We are almost done.
You two put the umbrellas back except for the broken one. Mommy will take care of it. Whew! All that work made me hungry! Who wants a cookie?
There you have it: one session of the new Spring Cleaning plan, in a one-sided conversation, with three imaginary girls helping. Of course, your children are not exactly like these and your words would differ, but do you see how it might work to incorporate children into this job?
They SO need the attention and the teaching. Let’s go for it!
Did you read yesterday’s post? Did it make sense? Did it sound hopeful?
Today we will walk through a session of how I keep my house spring clean. Seeing an example will give a better idea of how this method will serve you as you clean your house within your schedule, so here goes!
Cleaning supplies
First, gather the supplies you will need. I like the double sided tote shown here because it can hold supplies and soapy water in one container. I’m not sure I’ll need all of this, but I don’t mind bringing it along. I don’t normally use rubber gloves for cleaning windows, but I know there will be need for them when I do the threshold. Not shown is a roll of paper towels.
My Front Door
This is the front door to my house. We know it is early spring because the tulips in the yellow pot have faded. We know there was a recent cold snap because the geranium is not in its plant stand. You see the trees across the street from us, reflected in the glass of the front storm door. What you do not see is how dirty the glass and the frame are. They really distract from the beauty outdoors with smears and dusty rain spatters. The first step is to spray the glass with window cleaner and wipe down with paper toweling. This huge expanse of glass is hard to make clean-looking, so I am not afraid to spray some cleaner and change paper towels often. I found that spraying the entire door-sized window and wiping quickly, from the bottom up, works best. Then I repeat. After that, open the door and do the inside the same way.
Since the storm door is aluminum with a baked-on paint-like finish, I spray the frame with glass cleaner, too, and wipe it down. I am always amazed at how dirty doors can be, by the handle or knob. I notice a couple screws missing, and list them for replacing, later.
Close-up of Carved Door
Next is a close-up of the intricacies of this door. It needs a new coat of paint as the dark green is too heat-trapping for this western exposure. We do not have the paint, yet, so I guess it will keep until the weather warms more. Therefore, I will clean the scrolling designs, which tend to fill with road dust. I use the window spray, again, because in these tight designs, rinsing off soap would be difficult. I use an old toothbrush to scrub gently on the knocker, without any cleaner.
Threshold
Before going indoors, I notice the threshold is rather dirty. Using warm, soapy water and a scrub brush, I work on the concrete surface and the metal parts. The rubber strip gets a careful wiping with a sponge. I wipe off as much as I can and make note of the tiny crack forming, so we can make repairs.
Inside of Door
Inside, the door is not so intricate, but is a flat white, needing washing often. I note the door has not been painted correctly, needing white on the edge, instead of the green. Then I begin at the bottom, using a spray, again.
By this time, a half-hour is nearly over, so it’s time to put things up. What? It doesn’t seem like much? You’re right, using this method makes Spring Cleaning not seem like much, at all.
Closet by the Front Door
I’ve been working hard all week and tomorrow is my usual day off, so on Monday, we’ll do this closet, by the front door.
As promised, here is the 30-minute way to keep your house “Spring Clean” at all times. Well, almost—so close that eventually you are going to love your house and love this method, okay? Here we go:
Commit one-half hour per day to this method. (This truly is all it takes. Use a timer. More about the time aspect in a few minutes.)
Before you begin, gather what you need for that day’s job. (The half hour is for cleaning, not fetching.)
Start at the front door. (First impressions mean a lot to you and to all who pass your way.)
Hurry. You get more done that way. (You can blitz for 30 minutes—sweat never hurt anyone.)
Scrub, scrub, scrub. Clean, clean, clean. Conquer all mold, dirt buildup, dead bugs, cobwebs, and anything else you find that you don’t like. Accept nothing less than squeaky clean. (Make it like new.)
Repair. Fix that nagging thing that bothers you every time you look at it, if you can. Make note of anything you need to buy or get help with fixing. Don’t let this step slow you down! (You’ll need a notepad in your cleaning supplies.)
If you finish before the half-hour is up, great! Move to the right or left and begin another area. (When the timer stops, you stop.)
Repeat, tomorrow, beginning where you left off. (Rest from all this busyness, one day per week.)
Get it? I hope so. This is all there is to it.
Just pick a starting place, go around the circumference of your house (except the kitchen, which we will discuss next week), and clean like lightning for ½ hour per day. If you will faithfully quit after 30 minutes, you will begin again the next day.
After about a month, you will have a new and wonderful habit. After about a year, you will have a house that has been thoroughly Spring Cleaned.
I know, it is not the conventional Spring Cleaning, but I also know, if you are like me, you will hardly know what to do with such a clean house. And if your house is so big, or your arm is so slow, or your interruptions are so abundant, that it takes you two years to make the rounds, tell me: Did your house ever get Spring Cleaned every two years, before? Hmm? This method is not conventional, but is so much more do-able, that it works.
I’ll have company this weekend, so won’t have time to research famous sayings. What I will do, instead, is take you on a visual tour of a couple days of Spring Cleaning at my house, so you can see exactly what it takes.
Lots of places I read about spring cleaning. It can be a big guilt trip. Why?
Long ago, when women did spring cleaning, they had time. Today, women have been robbed of their time. The perceived need for each person on this earth to work for pay has led to no one doing the non-paying jobs like cleaning. Or if someone does clean, that someone is tired and only half cleans.
Long ago, when women did spring cleaning, they had help. No, I don’t mean slaves or servants. I mean neighbors. Today, women have been robbed of their neighbors. Oh, we have plenty of houses all around us, but during the day, they all are empty. The perceived need for each person on this earth to be somewhere else has led to no one being at home. Women used to help each other in a frank and nurturing way. Now women play cut-throat office politics.
Long ago, there was less stuff. If you only have one of each thing you need, it all gets easier. But we’ve been robbed of our contentment. The perceived need for each person on this earth to have more money has led to everyone spending more. Gotta buy something, right? So we load up on quasi-Mediterranean, do-nothing props from Mercenary-Mart to fill our ranch-style mantels to overflowing.
Long ago, houses were smaller. Actually, the smaller house is enjoying a revival, right now, but that will only drive the prices up. How sad that many of the Palladian palaces are sitting empty. That’s one way to keep the dust levels down, but the truth is: we’ve been robbed of any kind of moderation or restraint. Vacuuming literally, for miles, can discourage.
Long ago, women knew how to do spring cleaning. Today we are one generation removed from information about many how-to’s, but I think I can help.
Catch this blog tomorrow for a totally radical way to knock out the spring cleaning without actually doing spring cleaning. That’s right—you will love this plan for a totally clean house the easy way.
Home's Cool! 