A Cord of Three Strands

This morning as I was out weeding in the backyard, struggling with the 4 foot tall thistles I was reminded of a verse...one of my faves! As I grabbed the clump of stems and pulled with all my might, the weeds just wouldn't budge - so I dissected them...one stem at a time, it was only then that the earth would release it's powerful hold on them. That's when the verse from Eccelesiastes came to mind..."a cord of three strands is not easily broken." The writer of this verse I'm sure was not referring to gardening, but rather relationships (marriage) that are grounded in Christ. As I began to think about this I realized that just because it "is not easily broken" doesn't mean than it will never break. So what? So ladies, please, please, maintain your marriage! It breaks my heart to see so many families thrown into turmoil because these precious "cords" were not taken care of. I encourage you to swoon over your honey when he walks in the door, be interested and excited about his accomplishments, sit and watch TV with him - even when it's hard to relax when you can see out of the corner of your eye piles of laundry waiting to be folded, and when your kids are competing for your time - your sweetie needs to come first! If you find that your marriage is spinning out of control, or you want to maintain it before it get's that far, I recommed reading "Love and Respect" by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs.

Me & My Marvelous Micro Fibre

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....I'm talking about micro fibre here. Those wonderful cloths that clean without any chemicals! If you've never had the sheer joy of cleaning with one of these "miracle" cloths, I suggest you drop everything, run to the store (even the dollar store sells them now) and begin the bliss I now call housecleaning!!! I was introduced to these first by my mother in law, and from the moment we first met (the cloth and I), it was love at first sight! Seriously, water is all you need to clean your sinks, tubs, floors, walls, mirrors, windows and practically any other surface you can think of - except for the "loo". I like to use a disposable Lysol wipe for that. Of course there are different qualities of them...the cheaper ones definitely need to be replaced more often than the $20 ones - but I opt for cheaper all the way! If you find they are leaving streaks, time to get a new one, or just go over whatever you just cleaned with a dry micro fibre cloth. You can clean them in the washing machine (without fabric softener) and hang them to dry. If you like to have your kids help out (my girls clean sinks and mirrors to earn part of their allowance) it's totally safe because the only thing getting on their hands is water. It's super easy to do, with brilliant results! It's a good idea to get different coloured ones for different uses; have an orange one for cleaning the car, a green one for the bathroom, blue for the kitchen....or whatever combination you like. Also, if you keep them handy, it is so easy to just pick one up and quickly wipe out a sink, or sparkle up the taps - great for when unexpected company arrives! So, you can see, there are many ways that I love my micro fibre cloths: I love that they save me time, save me money, and are child and environment friendly.

Where Do I Begin!!!

I jokingly told a friend after I started my first ever blog "The Journey" that it would probably be 6 months before I got around to writing anything in it (that is approximately how long it takes me to get around to fixing a pair of pants or shirt etc. when my husband needs it sewn!). The trouble is, once I sat down and started thinking about what direction I wanted to take with it, I kept coming up with more ideas and more ideas so that in the end I was completely overwhelmed and unable to begin at all. As for the sewing, I'm not sure what my excuse is, other than the fact that Iwould probably rather do almost anything than sit down with a needle and thread when there are so many far more interesting things to be doing. But alas, here I am....and I have come up with a solution to my overwhelmedness (I sure hope that's a word!)I will NOT follow any one format or idea. I will, at will jump from one topic to another. Some of the idea's that would haunt me in the middle of the night (usually around 3 am) where: to encourage women - especially those of us who are raising little families at the moment, to share recipes that I have tried and love, to review books, to share money saving ideas, how to occupy kids while you're travelling and pretty much whatever else pops into my head! Are you ready to begin this journey with me? I hope so!