Cleaning is Hard! #31daystoclean

February has passed, March is here and it has been here for a while.

At the beginning of this year, I decided I was going to commit to quite a few things when it came to me. My personal daily walk with Christ, my house, my mommy life, and my wife life. I want to provide for my family a home that is peaceful, not consistently messy or dirty, a home where we don't yell at each other and a home of peace, that my husband will enjoy coming home too.

So personal time with Jesus, became more deliberate and creative with #documentedfaith verse focusing, #ifequip daily devotionals, and #shereadstruth devotionals. I also want to dive in to a few books, we will see where that goes. If you want to connect with me through #documentedfaith you can follow me on instagram @jessncommunity

For my house:

I decided to buy a book back in November titled "31 Days to Clean"( See picture)

It took me till February to really crack this book open.

The author was doing a challenge and I knew I needed that kick in the butt.

It has felt like a long 31 days! Let's be honest, cleaning and organizing are not my forte...at all!

But, with the help of this book and my new friend the "Fly Lady"(if you don't know her, you need to!!)

My house is seeing progress!! I am seeing areas that normally build up and get in to piles that seem like mountains, not become mountains. I have a reference point for the last time I wiped down the front and inside of my cupboards, my closets are getting a regular cleaning and most importantly, I am less stressed and more relaxed in a positive way about my home.

I DEFINITELY NEEDED THAT KICK IN THE BUTT !

I wanted to do a bit of a summary of things I have learned so far with 31 Days to Clean.

I have learned that I want my house to be a refuge, a resting place, a place to come, sit and be. I have also learned it can't be that way unless I clean it, so I can properly rest.

I have been able to keep a schedule for the most part that does not make me feel suffocated.

I have learned and understood a real process of "His grace is enough for me" in my home keeping skills, not as an excuse to do nothing, or the least amount, but to do the most that I can and not beat myself up for it when I don't finish my list.

I have taken the time to focus on what I want my priorities to be, and how to walk through what I want to do about these priorities and verses to encourage me.

I have learned that this is something that I need to stay consistent in, continue to prod myself and keep on track with. That it is good to journal and keep these entries so that I can go back and remind myself.

It may have been a long 31 days so far, I am so grateful for the ways in which my house has seen rejuvenation, and I am feeling more on top of the day to day. And God is in the midst of all that!

Till next time, hopefully not too long,

Jess

Getting back in to it...

.Good Monday Afternoon!
 I am writing this with a big mug of coffee and a few "Bottle Caps" candies (childhood favorite)

Everyone has a Monday in need of a sugar pick me up!

It is a cloudy Monday over here in prairie country, in fact it has been a cloudy weekend. But clouds don't limit us, or what God wants for our time. I had the wonderful pleasure of leading 15 ladies from our church on a Ladies retreat this past weekend. 

The purpose was OUR STORIES. We wanted to hear each other's stories. The heart was to join in community together.

As I worked to prepare, I was so anxious and unsure, I was tense and felt like I was holding on the reigns of a runaway stallion, grasping for control.

Last week you saw me sitting in Starbucks, notebook out, coffee, colors all over the table. I think back on that day and I remember God showing me, grasping that stallion's reigns and having a hard time staying on the horse. 

But God told me, If I hang on so tightly, how is that TRUSTING Him?

Real Trust looks more like this...

(maybe not Cinderella) but without restraints, Real trust is me saying....I won't attempt to control you God. You take me where you want me to go.

And what a ride He took me and all of us women on! We can all say, Our God is Faithful!!

So that said, #31daystoclean took a little break and it has be hard slogging getting back in the saddle. As you can tell you are reading this after it was posted on Tuesday night, not Monday afternoon. 

As my kids Curious George storybook says " Even great explorers bump and crash sometimes."

But, here is my chance to land. The last few days we worked on the pantry and started into the bathrooms. Those can be SCARY places. But luckily a week ago, I was in to my cupboard and cleaning out spilled body wash with paint scrapers, so that I just need to do a weekly cleaning of counters, toilets and sinks. Good thing too, because tomorrow morning, is Ladie's coffee at my house!!! 

But on the 'mary' side of things, I am really enjoying how this book addresses the heart issues and the ways in which we can grow in community.

So in being that I am slightly behind, tomorrow I am working on my Priorites list, organizing my large pots cabinet, catching up on some reading, and working on...