Sunflower Faith

Today is the fourth day of 31 days to clean by Sarah Maes of,”Like a Warm Cup of Coffee“.

As I read “Day 4″ of #31 Days to Clean, I couldn’t help, but chuckle at the beginning of this chapter:

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and felt like you couldn’t get comfortable? The whole place was just too clean, too put-together, too…untouchable? There is something to be said for a space that invites rest; a “come-on-in-and-propyour-feet-up” kind of beckoning. I like places like that. I like melting into a comfy couch that was made for long hours of coffee and conversation.

The thoughts that went through my head, was basically, “uhm yeah”; I also thought, there is a reason why “Grandma’s” home was always a little more comforting to visit. Okay…maybe it was the unlimited chocolate cookies, but it was also the atmosphere that said, “relax…..kick off your shoes….relax”. Shouldn’t a home be like that?

Sarah Mae, made a great point when she advised,”3. Don’t make everything perfect. What I mean is, let your home be lived in; let others experience that “lived-in” feel.

As shared in my second post, a home isn’t a museum; It should be a place of comfort, an escape from the world beating on the front door; A place that people actually live in and when guests come over, they don’t feel like they are taking a tour but are guests, not visitors.

*Updated due to discussion about this*

Talk about timely!

Julia of Hooked on Houses, just published this article today, called, I’m Never Inviting You to MY House” and what she shared, really compliments so well, what Sarah Mae expressed in point 3 of her book, 31 Days to Clean, Day 4.

Julia goes:

“But now I try to remember that I’m not trying to impress visitors with my cleaning skills–I’m trying to make them feel at home, among friends. And nothing does that better than signs of life being lived in a house

Isn’t it true though?

When people come over to our home, do we want them to say, “What a beautiful home”. Of course we all do, but do we want to also hear,”I’m never inviting you to MY house” .

Me neither.

As I shared with several facebook friends, “Thinking about those times of those deep cleaning before company coming over and instead of giving your best to them or the family…the best is giving to a home that really can’t give back.”

Instead, we want to have a home where people will feel, “comfortable” and a desire to come back and visit, but also to see us, not what we have on our walls, nor should it leave people feeling, well….as if the home is not lived in.

I was surprised, after posting Julia’s article, to hear comments that, well, this is an all too common experience. We go out of our way to make our homes immaculate, only to find that we end up hosting more than we get invited.

Maybe we have heard at some point of time, “Wow, how do you do it”, or “I’m too embarrassed for you to see my home”. Its not to say, let our homes go either, but our homes are not museums. It’s a place for people to feel welcome and isn’t part of charity, including, letting others not feel that we are above them?

 ¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13, New King James Version)

I want to hear from you and ask that you please leave a comment on your own thoughts about this, Is it possible for a house to be too clean that it can leave someone feeling uncomfortable? Is it more important that the house is the old cliche, “Martha Stewart” perfect, or can we strive for “Grandma friendly”?

What are your thoughts about avoiding the “I’m Never Inviting You to MY House” or HAVE you ever experienced that yourself? Drop by and discuss or discuss in my forum
!

For the Mary challenge:

Invite over a friend and allow them to “put their feet up.” Don’t worry about making everything just right, instead, enjoy their company.

² Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2, New King James Version)

For the Martha challenge:

I like the suggestion about using lemon to loosen food particles in the microwave and using lemons in the garbage disposal is a great way as well, to freshen up the garbage disposal and clear out odors that usually can come up.

From “How to Use Lemons in House Cleaning“, Debra Frank also suggests some of the following such as:

• Soak your sponge in a water and lemon juice solution and then microwave it on high for two minutes. Not only will you be sterilizing your sponge, but the lemon and water steam will loosen debris in the microwave, making it easy to wipe away with a damp cloth. Your kitchen will have the added benefit of a lovely lemon scent. Use caution in handling that hot sponge. Also, do not do this with a sponge containing metal threads.
• To clean and shine the sink, make a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. Rub over all surfaces and rinse. Look at that sparkle!

If you haven’t, you need to drop by 31daystoclean.com and discover for yourself, what is being discussed all over the internet and on blogs and in messageboards about.

Hope you can come join me over at Conservative Homeschooler-Raising a Generation for Christ homeschool forum, where we are discussing the 31 day challenge and encouraging and supporting each other with prayer and accountabilty. As a little plus too, I created this bookmark to share with everyone!

To download a copy, for you to print and use, just click on this link, and I ask that if you do download it, to leave me a comment to let me know that you did and also what you think of the bookmark and feel free to pass the word for others to come here to download the bookmark!

image credit: stock.xchng image by lusi

book cover: 31 days to clean by Sarah Maes of ,”Like a Warm Cup of Coffee”

© 2011, Sunflower Faith. All rights reserved.

Sunflower Faith is a quiet, sometimes silly, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes serious, follower of Christ sharing words of devotion, encouragement and hope that is always about our Father in Heaven. So grab a cup of coffee and join Sunflower Faith in words of growth, hope and more all in the spirit of 2 Peter 1:5-8.

Sunflower Faith

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