Presidents Day - A Day of Focus

Well, I was planning on doing this post yesterday but I got too wrapped up in the day.

I am always so thankful when I have a day off of work when DH will be working. I am able, on days such as this, to feel connected with my home and see it in a new light.

I was enjoying my lunch in the basement family room while I watched a show which had been recorded on TIVO and I lifted my eyes to see sun shining through the little half window above the couch. I suddenly realized I had never noticed the sun in this room. I am working so much I haven't even had the joy of seeing how the sun hits the upright piano on a sunny afternoon. I cried, both for joy and for sorrow. I am so out of touch with my home I don't even know its inner workings. I am so blessed I was able to witness this moment of clarity and enlightenment. It reminded me of one of my favorite hymns.

Open My Eyes

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

I was able to focus on my home yesterday. I threw open the windows in the master bedroom and the bathroom. Opened the door from the kitchen to the screened in porch (much to the joy of Spaz who ran out immediately and basked in the sun rays on the porch swing) as well as the front door to let the light in. I put on a sweatshirt to keep myself warm from the cool air coming in and put myself to work.

I cleaned the bathroom in detail, so nice to have a shiny bathroom.
I washed a load of laundry as well as dried and put away.
I emptied ALL trash cans for the garbage men to haul away (they don't have Presidents Day off)
I cleaned out my fridge
I loaded my dishwasher
I shovelled my front porch and driveway
I read Little Homes and Big Heart
I made dinner
I greeted my DH who came home at 3:30 to pack a suitcase for his trip
I prayed with DH for a safe drive and profitable week
I closed up the windows, lit some yummy candles;
Took a nice hot shower in my nice clean bathroom and snuggled into my freshly made bed to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

After all I accomplished yesterday and the eye opening fact that I CAN accomplish things at home all day I am much much closer to deciding to come home to stay. I have established routines for my daily life now and can see the benefit of being a SAHW. I am becoming more convinced I can overcome the fears and apprehensions I listed before in this post.

I am excited to see the progress I am making.

Terra Cotta - Great for Pots, Not for Pipes

DH and I had noticed an "off" smell in our home. As soon as you walked in the door, it smelt as if I had broccoli sitting in the closet, just waiting to be found. After you left the entryway it disappeared and only reappeared as you opened the door to head down to the basement family room and laundry.

I have searched for 2 or more weeks for the source of the smell. I cleaned throughout the house. Found my nephew's lost car and my nieces Christmas gift (don't ask) but no broccoli, no dead animal, no "foreign objects" anywhere.

In deep frustration I spoke to my dearest friend and her family. They suggested the possibility that something had crawled in my heater vent system and died. Eeek! I was going to call the duct cleaners when the smell disappeared last week. I thought we were home free. DH was out of town last week and things were nice and quiet. On Friday I did a load of laundry and left for work. When I arrived home the smell was BACK!!! "Oh for heaven's sake!!" I exclaimed to my befuddled husband who had just arrived home from a loooonnng drive. I had wanted the house nice and fresh with the laundry done when he came home.

Long story longer, we have terra cotta pipes running from our home to the sewer line and they have shifted and collected "gunk" along the way. Doing laundry was the culprit. After $600.00 worth of "Hydroscrubbing" (read pressure washing) we can now do our laundry, take a shower and run the dishwasher among the other normal activities. We cannot, however, leave the terra cotta in the ground the way it is. We have another appointment with the plumber to determine how much time and money it will take to replace the pipe so we aren't seeping into the soil around our home.

I guess I will have to plant my tomatoes in Terra Cotta pots instead of in the ground this year. It's a good thing terra cotta is good for pots!

Full Week and a Fun Weekend

I have been out of the blogsphere for a about a week now. DH was out of town for a week so I was enjoying a little down time from the internet as well. I have been focusing on my current job as well as working on my home. I found I was so focused on wanting to be at home, I was shirking some of my duties at the office. I decided that "Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord" applies in ALL situations so I took some time to commit to the office. It is difficult "serving two masters" but I need to remember to do my best in both arenas until I make the decision as to becoming a SAHW.

I have also been working on researching and journaling my desire to be a SAHW. The resources everyone provided for me to utilize in the comment section of My Passion to be a SAHW post. I was avoiding posting until I could post some of my notes from my study. I realized I was procrastinating and decided to just post!! : D

DH got home Friday night and we picked up his niece (11) and nephew (9) on Saturday. We spent the day at the Science Museum and enjoyed a Laser Light Show that night in the planetarium. They spent the night and DH's Brother and Sister-in-law came to pick the kids up today. We had such a fun time. We played "Guitar Hero" on the Playstation 2 and had fun with Yahtzee too. I made sweet cream biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast and had hot dogs with macaroni and cheese for lunch.

What a fun time. I love having kids over. DH and I love to spoil them and laugh with them and teach them while they are here. When we were playing Yahtzee, which neither of them had played before, we were able to talk about math and decision making (as far as whether to use a three-of-a-kind or go for the Yahtzee).

I have been doing really well with a Morning and Bedtime routine. I will do a separate post on the progress I have made. Just know I HAVE MADE PROGRESS!!! Yay!!