Since Mike and I opened up our small seasonal business, our lives have been like drinking from a firehouse.  We’re drowning!   No one is complaining, but today when we had a large cancellation, it freed the day up to be a lighter day, and I decided to stay home and clean my house.   My sweet neighbor has been helping me out by cleaning this summer, and when she could not do it this week and I discovered that I could, I was happy!

When everything is moving so fast, sometimes it’s helpful to control what you can control  I can control this mess.  At least today!

Even something as simple as napkins — we use cloth napkins, and where I used to iron them and put them away, I have just folded them and stuffed them away this summer.     I realized last week that they were looking bad.  Some of them were 20 years old — I’d bought them in Franklin, Tennessee in the 1980’s!!  I went through them, and if there were not four napkins that matched that had no stains, they went into the rag pile.  This is just one pile.  Sad.

Here it is…

After I did this, for my every day napkins, I was left with only two sets of four and even these are showing a little wear…

But after I ironed and folded them, they’ll work for a while longer.  I felt good slipping this little–much lighter-basket under the counter where I keep my napkins.  I’ll be buying more in the coming weeks.

It feels good to be in my home today.  It’s just me and River and the two cats inside, and Lilly and her five kittens right outside where I can watch them.   I have a lot of plans for my house this winter.  We are moving to the guest house and having our hardwood refinished here in the main house as well as touch up the paint.   I’m going to use that time to rethink every piece of “stuff” in this house.

I’m trying not to buy things just for the sake of buying them.   However, I have looked at this sign for over a year.  It wasn’t cheap, but I like what it says.   I think there are too many signs displayed in homes I see in magazines…they seem to shout for attention!     Yet, I really wanted this sign…maybe I wanted some attention, too!   Seriously, it speaks of who I want to be…not who I am…but who I want to be.    Words to live by!

Hope you have a good day.  I am going to start vacuuming!  Woo Hoo!