Thankscleaning

Go ahead and admit that you have a secret. The secret is a very dirty secret. It doesn't involve how the turkey was really catered in or just how many slices of pie your Uncle Henry ate.  The secret is not about how your cousin  made the supposed heart healthy casserole with a gallon of cream and five sticks of butter.  This secret has nothing to do with the grocery shopping, travel plans and  family rumors.  It is the activity that no one talks about but all commit to as part of the preparation panic before the big Turkey day. Yes, I am talking about Thankscleaning!

Everyone has heard of spring cleaning but few rarely ever commit to this extreme level of pre-holiday cleaning during the spring.  I don't know why any one came up with the idea of spring cleaning.  Like anyone wants to clean when the weather finally lets us comfortably step outdoors again!  They want to go outside and play, not shampoo the carpets.  No, the real deep cleaning happens this week.  The week that sets off all the holiday festivities for the next month and a half.

No one speaks of the pre-holiday frenzy but the signs are everywhere if you look.  Retailers are in on the secret by distracting us with a barrage of Black Friday commercials. Butterball is in on it with turning our attention to the hotline for last minute turkey blunders.  Pinterest recently got involved with posting pin after pin of homemade crafts, cookies and goodies. All the inviting pins lead to promises that it is easy for us to all create like Martha Stewart.  But while everyone pretends we are focused on these little details, we are all really cleaning and pinning those cute pictures to boards titled: One Day When I Have Time.  We aren't going to be making magazine worthy crafts any time soon because we are too busy with our frantic pre-holiday cleaning.

Why does no one speak of it? Because we want people to think we always live this way, of course!  But in reality, trucks are being backed up to houses to remove the excess junk that has accumulated over the year. Painters are being called. Carpet steamers are being rented. Couches are being moved so the carpet can be vacuumed and enough toys to fill three toy chests are found behind said furniture. Pictures are being blown off with a leaf blower because the average feather duster just won't remove a year's worth of dusting.  All the cleaning is done in a harried frenzy because the guests are coming! But when the guests arrive and the house gleams, the holiday hosts just smile a relaxed smile and act as if this is just a regular Thursday with a lot of food.  What? The house always looks this way!

I will be having Thanksgiving out of town at relatives' homes this year so I have not participated in this year's annual Thankscleaning. I did, however, do my typical cleaning because I must have a clean house for Christmas decorating. But it was just typical housecleaning, nothing that could compare to Thankscleaning which would involve me on my hands and knees with an old toothbrush giving the baseboards a good spa day.   No, baseboard pampering is not something I do on a regular basis.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I cleaned to Christmas music. I am guilty of not giving the turkey his holiday by listening to Christmas music so early. But in my defense, I don't think Pandora has a good Thanksgiving music station. So as I cleaned to holiday cheer, I thought about how thankful even cleaning can make a person. Maybe it was the holiday music, but I never knew cleaning could make me so sentimental.  While I cleaned I thanked God for a comfortable home to clean. I was grateful my home is often filled with laughter, warmth and happiness.  I was thankful for holiday plans with family and friends that I love. I thanked God for my upcoming marriage and how all the preparation has brought us even closer. I thought about all my blessings of good food, health, my job, my dog that hides from the vacuum cleaner, etc.  Thinking of all the gifts that God has blessed me with made cleaning a lot more enjoyable and left me with not only a clean home but a grateful heart.

We will eat on Thursday in our beautiful, cozy homes where even a dust flake no longer resides.  We will stay vigilant that all  will remain glittery and sparkling clean until the 2nd of January.  Then even with the best of intentions, we will forget that couches can be moved, walls can be painted and items can be donated to Goodwill until the next Thankscleaning! However throughout the year, hopefully we will take moments during our regular cleaning where we can reflect on all the things that we have to be thankful for including clean homes filled with family and friends.

Enjoy this season of good food and clean homes!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Marry Me Monday: Shoes

I am beginning to understand why girls gravitate to all things wedding.  Wedding planning is really another name for months of shopping!  There are so many little details to remember and most of those details have to be purchased (ughhhh the budget!). Therefore, constant shopping is required.  And of course I am enjoying every moment of it!  Although, I do have to admit that the fact that I do not have unlimited funds make wedding purchases more of a challenging game than a shopping spree.

Women's De Blossom Isabelle Platform Sandal - Assorted Colors

Shoes are being researched at the moment. I have to dedicate hours to examining color, heel height, and number of sparkles.  Thankfully, I have the help of my bridesmaids and mother to join me in this grueling task.  No girl has ever liked to dedicate hour after hour to shoe shopping so I really appreciate the selflessness of the women around me in donating their expertise. The featured are a couple of the pairs that we loved that could be in the running for the final cut (and they are budget conscious too!). I am telling you choosing  the Wedding Shoe Superstar is a brutal process!

Gianni Bini Larissa Peep-Toe Platform Pumps | Dillards.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marry Me Monday: The Vision

When Ed and I got engaged, we agreed immediately that we were not going to get swept up in all the tiny details because those did not matter to us with our wedding. We wanted a good time for all with a focus on a meaningful ceremony and a fun reception with dancing, food and drink.  The tiny details that add up the costs did not mean anything to us.

Forward a few months to now and I think we have done a good job remaining focused on what matters.  Ed even more so than me, because I do tend to listen to other ideas.  People are very well meaning but many have opinions that they think will help you but often leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed.  Five months after being engaged and I feel like I have studied weddings more than I have studied academics in all of my years of education!

Please don't misread my comments as cynical.  The wedding industry with all of the tips, pictures and stories have helped us come up with great ideas as well as enjoy the process of planning.  This day is a special day and the planning should be a fun, enjoyable process.  You just have to remain focused on what you and your fiance wants.  I have to remember that through all the well meaning opinions, that someone's vision is just that - another person's vision!

For every unsolicited piece of advice I have received, there is at least 2 tips of good advice that come along with it. One thing I read today included how to create your wedding vision.  I never knew that a vision would be so important but it does dictate every choice you make, even in a low key wedding like ours (or so we tried to make it that way).

From the Pinkbook:

1. Choose five words that describe your ideal wedding.  While we did not formally do this exercise but I would say that our five words would be:
1. Fun
2. Meaningful
3. Classy
4. Comfortable
5. Southern

2. Choose three top priorities in your wedding. Ours would be:
1. Family and friends
2. Food and drink
3. Fun

Every soon to be wed couple's list will be different but they all should reflect the couple. I definitely knows ours reflects us.  Happy Monday!

Marry Me Monday: Engagement Pictures

I inherited my love for photography from my family of amateur photographers.  We love photos.  So much in fact, that a couple of Thanksgivings ago, I took a picture of four of my family members staring at their cameras.  Some families throw footballs after Thanksgiving dinner, we take pictures.  Therefore, engagement pictures were very important to me. Even more special to me was that my mother was the photographer.  The pictures are beautiful and the memories made from that photo shoot with my two favorite people make the photos even more special to me.

Also once again, I know Ed  truly loves me, because he is not one that loves being the subject of a camera but he fully participated in the photo shoot.  He is getting better with getting his picture made since being with me. His mother jokes that in the four years we have been together, Ed has had more pictures taken than in his entire lifetime!  While posing for a photo is still not his favorite activity, he is a great subject as the pictures show!   A few examples....
 
 


 
 

November 1st: National Novel Writing Month

I always look forward to the arrival of November 1st.  The weather is the perfect kind of autumn chilly.  I can drink as many cinnamon, apple and spice drinks as I can find. Sweaters can be worn in abundance. Festive commercials are starting because the holidays are coming and all the preparation for them may begin.  Most importantly, November 1st marks the beginning of my birthday month.  Yes, I said month.  I love my birthday so why  limit it to one day?  And no that is not being selfish because other people benefit from a good birthday celebration. Who ever said no to free cake and champagne? 

Seriously, I usually don't get away with a whole month, more like a week, but I do like to celebrate my day every year!  Today, on November 1st, I will pull out my favorite decorated wine glass that my good friend gave me several birthdays ago.  Every 1st of November, I get to drink out of the birthday girl wine glass. It is completely girly with pink and yellow paint, squiggles and glittery stones.  I love it!  I allow myself to use it until around November 15th so the birthday celebration can continue for a bit. However, today as I wash my wine glass for the annual use, I will also add another ritual.  I plan on joining in on National Novel Writing month and commit myself to writing 1700 words per day. 

Every birthday, I set my own personal resolutions and goals. Similar to New Year's, I see a birthday as a time to have your own personal New Year's.  For the past several years, this list has included something to do with writing. However, life gets busy and work makes it even busier so sometimes the goals that don't have to be accomplished will be put aside until a calmer time period.  After seeing a Facebook status from one of my friends this morning challenging others to participate in the daily word quota this month, I realized I needed to accept this opportunity for myself. I encourage my students all the time to strive daily for their goals but sometimes forget to take my own advice. Even though it is not my birthday quite yet, I am starting my new year off a little early by taking on this writing challenge which will hopefully get me back in to the habit of daily writing.    I guess the whole point is to probably write on one project the entire month but I have several writing projects that need attention. I will use my blog as well as academic and creative writing to get to this goal each day. 

You can participate in the challenge too! Even if it is not your birthday and obviously not New Year's Eve, positive change is always timely. Even if writing is not your goal, there is probably something that you have to put aside often to accomplish the necessary daily tasks.  But steal some time back and choose a goal that you can work on every day for the month of November. Make this month YOUR month too.  If you wish, let me know what you decide to take on as a daily challenge.  Wish me luck in mine (and of course, wish me Happy Birthday!).