Good morning, Company Girls! It's been a wonderful, busy weekend for our family. Grayson graduated on Friday night and we had a big party for him yesterday.....and family guests here at the house in between it all. I'll be back tomorrow with the daily Small Things, as I take just a few more moments to recover from all the excitement! Love you all.
Rachel Anne
Tonight is Grayson's high school commencement. I'm really excited for him to finally get to walk across the stage to receive his hard-earned diploma! He has worked very hard all through his high school years, especially his senior year. Most nights he studied late into the night, long after his Dad and I had gone to bed, so he could keep up with four AP classes and stay in the top 5% of his class. Gray has completely impressed me with his dedication and perseverance! What a kid.
And now he's done.
Well actually, he's just starting.
You know, it's always been funny to me that "commencement" means "beginning" or "the start of something." What an odd way to signify the end of an achievement - to have a commencement ceremony! But if you think about it, many of the things we start in life are built on things we've finished. A college career can only start when a person finishes high school. A job career can only commence when a person completes training. You can only have dessert if you finish your vegetables. You can start shopping after you get paid for working. You can commence to drive after you finish drivers education. Kids get to wear big boy underwear after they are done potty training.
Beginnings are built on finishings.
Today's Small Thing is to celebrate a commencement - a fresh beginning - by finishing something first.
If you're like me (a busy gal with a forgetful/distracted streak) you've got a whole string of unfinished projects laying around. Dishes half done, laundry partially folded, papers needing attention, flowerbeds partly weeded. And each unfinished task means that I can't start a new one...and there is a level of frustration that simmers under my skin. Oooh, I hate finishing things sometimes, but I love to start new stuff. I've got a lot of "starts" but not nearly enough "dones."
Today, enjoy the achievement of finishing something. And see if it doesn't just open the door to new possibilities! There is nothing like the feeling of a job well done to make you see fresh opportunities and new beginnings! You'll discover the euphoria of knowing you did your best, crossed the finish line and earned your stripes.
What will you finish today? How can you celebrate your commencement?
You can start celebrating by joining us for Company Girl Coffee today! It's an easy link up party for friends! Simply enter your blog URL into the linky tool below and join a bunch of great gals for a virtual cup of coffee.
Art Giveaway on OrgJunkie
First off today I want to let you know that Laura, the OrgJunkie, is doing a great giveaway of one of my canvas art prints on her blog this week! If you're looking for a chance to win one for FREE, hop on over and join in. She is also running at 15% off special on anything in my store, when you enter the code ORGJUNKIE when you order. That's a great discount, and as always the shipping is free for orders over $100, and only $10 for those under $100.00. Several of the prints would make great wedding or graduation gifts, so I hope you'll do a little shopping this week!
My special thanks to Laura, my favorite organizer, who makes me feel like getting organized is fun and doable. I appreciate her honest and practical approach to organizing, as well as her friendly encouragement along the way. She is a gem, and hers is one of the few blog I truly follow.
Rearranging
I've been super scarce online this week, as I've been working on a project that has taken more time and energy than I anticipated. I've literally collapsed at the end of the day without turning on the computer to answer emails and comments - so if you haven't heard from me, thats why! I even missed posting a Small Thing yesterday - argh.
Our project has been all about rearranging. Three years ago, we installed this incredible piece of art in one of Dallas's premier residences, The W.
Our client loves this piece, titled "A Life Well Lived," so much that when he recently sold his condo, he decided to bring it with him to his new place. Unfortunately, his new place is much smaller, and the only way to install the 20 x 10 foot piece is to rearrange it horizontally! It has been like a huge puzzle, to say the least.
I will tell you more about it tomorrow, but for now let's tackle a Small Thing.
Today's Small Thing is to do some rearranging. . . ON A SMALL SCALE.
No need to go up on a scissor lift 20 feet in the air, no need to number anything. Simply take a fresh look at what's on your coffee table, or book shelf or corner... and move things around. I recently shopped my own house and changed a couple of lamps and am WOWED by the difference! You can rearrange the cannisters on your counter, the bottles in your fridge door, or the flowers in a pot. Just look around and mess with what you've got - easy and fun.
Rearranging is great because it is FREE. It makes what you have seem like it's new, simply by putting things into a different light or vignette.
What will YOU rearrange today? Go crazy if you want - have fun!!
Song of the Day: You Decorated My Life, Kenny Rogers
With kids chomping at the bit to be out of school for the summer, moms everywhere are heading into summer schedules....or the lack thereof. I love being able to be more relaxed about the state of the house - you just HAVE to be or you'll drive yourself crazy - but I don't want things to get so out of hand that we are living in squallor for 10 weeks until the bell rings once again.
This is a great time to review and modify your housekeeping schedule, so that you can enjoy the fireflies, swimming and lemonade without feeling overwhelmed by laundry, cleaning and dishes. Here are a few of my housekeeping posts to help you find a little structure AND breathing room....so you can be THAT Mom that says "yes" to your kids' harebrained ideas (like pitching a tent in the living room) without coming unglued.
Simply take into account things like vacations, trips to the local waterpark, and family activities as you go through the posts. When you spend 4 hours a day at a pool keeping your kids from drowning, you'll want to come home to easy tasks and a stack of DVD's to watch :) - not a rigid list of things to maintain.
Step 3 A Real World Housekeeping Schedule
and this one for Moms just starting out:
Housekeeping Advice for New Moms
Today's Small Thing is to take a look at your calendar and summer activities, and plug in a bit of structure to your housekeeping responsibilities.
With more free time on their hands, the kids can handle a couple more chores to help out - and now is the time to establish a simple routine for them. Summer should be fun and relaxed - and the best way to accomplish that is to lighten up a little and change some of your expectations. Setting up a summer housekeeping schedule that gives you freedom to enjoy life is your first step in the right direction!
Song of the Day: Long Hot Summer, Keith Urban
Today is Grayson's last day of high school! Wow....I can't believe it.
Here he is on his very first day of kindergarten:
And here he is now. Awwwww:
I'll write more about him later, but today I'll be making our traditional "last day of school" chocolate chip cookies to dip into cold milk for our last-day celebration. We've been doing that on every first day and last day of school and this is OUR FINAL COOKIE PARTY!
So before I start shedding a tear, let's link up for our weekly coffee time. Simply add your blog post into the linky tool below to participate. It's a great way to meet new bloggers and invite others to your own blog. Even if you don't link up, I hope you'll grab a cup of coffee and stop in and visit the awesome ladies here. (If you're reading this in an email, just click on the blog post title to go to Home Sanctuary to see the links.)
Have a wonderful weekend....and enjoy the holiday. I will be back on Tuesday, and there is no Small Thing Today to kick off Memorial Day weekend. :)
My kids always mock me when I use the term "magic markers" when referring to colored felt tipped pens used for art and highlighting.
"OH ARE THEY 'MAGIC'???? Do they have special powers?" they'll say in sarcastic tone, with a look that clearly shows their superior knowlege of marking pens.
"What's wrong with calling them "magic markers?" I asked Lauren one day. "That's what they've always been called ever since I can remember."
"Mom." She patiently explained. "No one except old people calls them "magic markers" anymore. That must be some kind of old fashioned name for them. They are simply "markers."
Well, that was news to me....but what really stung was the careless use of the phrase "old people" and the fact that I was being classified as such by the simple addition of the adjective "magic" in front of "marker."
OUCH.
A little research into my geriatric phrase taught me that, much like "Scott Towels" and "Kleenex" - brands that became synonymous with their products, "Magic Markers" was a brand that generations past embraced and used to denote any and all felt-tipped colored pens.
Clearly, I am an old person. And yes, kids, they DO have special powers. Haven't you seen what they can do for an art project?? It's so obvious.
Today's Small Thing is to round up your dried out markers, magic and otherwise, and toss them out.
I could open almost any drawer in my house and find one or two old markers laying in there - for no reason at all - except that maybe I'm too lazy to throw them away. Perhaps I think I might, by touching the felt tip to my tongue in a moment of desperation, get one last message out of those pens, but alas! I should simply accept that the magic has gone from them.
Take a quick look at your kids' marker collection and weed those out while you're at it. Imagine how nice it will be to only have markers that WORK? Wow, what a feeling.
What do YOU call markers? Are you stuck in a time warp like I am and add the word "magic" to them? With a little luck, we might be able to break the yoke of that spell and drop it from from their moniker for good.
What other phrases show your age?
Song of the Day: This Magic Moment, The Drifters.
Today's Small Thing is within reach of each one of us.
Literally!
I mean, it's right. within your reach.
Let me explain.
Where are you sitting (or standing) as you read this? OK. Open your arms wide and look around you. What do you see within them?
Papers on both sides of your computer?
Cups, plates and crumbs from last night's midnight snack?
Books, backpacks, notebooks and juice drinks?
An unmade bed and laundry draped over the chair?
Or maybe there are CHILDREN inside your reach. Woot! You might have hit the jackpot of Small Things.
Today's Small Thing is to take care of what is within your reach. You don't have to go far to find things needing attention, care or tending. Simply take a look at what is literally in front of you.... and focus on that.
That's it.
It's not necessary to travel far and wide to find something to attend to. Most needs are right under our noses...and sometimes it's good to just "do the next thing."
What is within YOUR reach right now? Don't overthink it...just do it!
Song of the Day: Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand, Diana Ross
The political season already has me weary this year. It reminds me of this Small Thing from 2010, brought back today because it's just so hard to maintain the system.
I'm afraid that there is some corruption going on at the highest cabinet levels of my home. Both the left-leaning members and the right-leaning members have shown no signs of coming to a consensus on how they stand on the issues. Appointed for life, (or until they crack from the pressure), they are a odd mix of political and social demagogues who constantly seem to get themselves in hot water.
Yeah, it's these guys.
Despite many closed-door meetings and lengthy coffee breaks, these characters seem more interested in mugging for the camera than making any real changes. What they really need is some outside leadership to set things straight.
Today's Small Thing is to call an emergency cabinet session to bring about some order.
Remind these mugs that they have a duty to provide a united front to the junior politicos in the department of glassware, who look to them for direction. Enjoy seeing what a little bit of change in the highest levels can do for you!
Vote Yes! to tidying up the mug/teacup cabinet members.
And wouldn't it feel good to bring justice to the glassware? Lord knows there's plenty of corruption going on in that department, too.
Just for fun: yesterday we talked about favorite coasters. How about a favorite cup or mug? Is it a souvenir from a memorable vacation or one you were given for Secretary's Day? Mine is the one in the photo with the hockey player on it: my son! Tell me about YOUR favorite cup and why....
Song of the Day: Tea for Two, Yael Meyer
Something went wrong with my email this weekend and I wasn't notified of any blog comments....I thought maybe no one cared about Day 2 of 100 Things! So it was a lovely surprise to log on to my blog late Sunday night and see the comments there. I didn't get to respond to them like I like to, but I loved reading the reports.
So let's draw a winner. The winner of the small-sized "Small Things" print is Lorina! I thought her insight was awesome:
And here's my brilliant insight from my hour and a half of cleaning... minimum maintenance doesn't work (for me) unless I have something to maintain. Because I did so much work in my room yesterday, I had something to maintain today. OF COURSE I was going to do my five minutes and pick up what was out of place. My room would be a place of refuge and peace again. I'm hoping that tomorrow I will maintain my room and my daughter's room BECAUSE there is something to maintain. And maybe I'll do *gasp* another 100 items in my living room as well. :) Then I'll have three rooms that will be peaceful and a source of joy, not stress.
I think you hit the nail on the head....it is much easier and much more gratifying to maintain "clean" than to do 5 minutes that doesn't seem to make a difference. Sometimes just getting in there and doing a major overhaul is just good for the soul. And for making it easier to maintain.
Lorina, send me your address and I'll get your mini-print to you! Congrats!
NOW, let's do an easy Small Thing today. In fact, let's just COAST.
Speaking of coasting, do you use coasters to put underneath glasses and cups? They are such great little inventions! They are often souvenirs from trips abroad, or printed with lovely monograms, or designed to go with your home decor. I've seen crocheted coasters, cork coasters, stone and glass coasters, paper coasters....any way you slice it, coasters are brilliant items, made for protecting furniture surfaces from beverage marks, stains and spills. Many are used for indoor frisbee games by children, but I don't condone that.
You can find these at PerpetualKid.com
My son would LOVE these.
Today's simple Small Thing is to clean your coasters. No, not your keesters, silly. Your COASTERS. Be sure you make that distinction or nothing I say next will make any sense. See, I normally notice the poor state of coasters when I'm serving company and realize that their sticky stains are none too appealing. YUK! Save yourself this embarrassment by giving them a bit of attention today. This is so easy you might feel like you're, well.....coasting today.
What do your favorite coasters look like? Are they souvenirs? Logos? Stone? Cork? Paper? Coasters are fun and useful! Tell us about yours.
Song of the Day: Love Potion Number Nine, The Coasters
It was a lot of fun yesterday - counting up things as we put them away! I was surprised - no, SHOCKED - at how easily and quickly I was able to deal with that many items that were out of place....and how good it felt to get it done so fast!
We had a bunch of Company Girls who participated and reached 100 things (and beyond!) so I had to draw a name for the winner of the "Nest" print. I wish I could send one to each of you! I'll have to do this again so that everyone will have more chances. In fact, read down to the bottom for a another chance today, why not!
The winner of the canvas print is Deborah, who submitted her count along with a poem! She wrote:
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I love it! And the fact that no dogs were harmed is icing on the cake. :) Thanks for the smile Deborah! Send me your address and I'll get your print to you.
I'm not posting a NEW Small Thing today, except to challenge you to continue yesterday's motivation to go for picking up as many items as possible. For our winner, I've got a SAMPLE sized print of this:
It is 7" square, rather than the usual 14", and it is a great reminder that all the little things (like picking up 100 items) really do matter when they come from the heart. (The full sized print is available here for purchase.)
I will enter yesterday's participants into this drawing AND any new participants who can pick up at least 100 things around the house today. Just leave me a comment with your tally number and I'll announce the winner on Monday! You may enlist help from family members because cleaning is a team sport.
Now, feel free to join us for coffee! Simply enter your blog URL below to invite others over to visit, and then try and visit as many other blogs as you can. Even if you don't enter your own blog, I hope you'll stop in and see these wonderful ladies over the weekend. They are just terrific.