On My Mind

On my mind today is the myriad of little things that I could do, that I tend to overlook. Things that could save me money, or save time or energy, or improve the comfort of my home. Little things add up to big things over time. I read a post of Rhonda Jean's the other day where she said that some of the immigrants to Australia paid off their mortgages earlier than others due to their having grown and preserved their own food in their own backyards. A $25-50 savings per week adds up to $32 - 65,000 over a 25-year mortgage (well, and it is more than that if you include the savings on interest!)

That spurred me on to look for more of the "little" things to do, to save, to change for the better.

It was such a gorgeous day today, the perfect temperature with the perfect breeze and perfect little white fluffy clouds bobbing across a perfect blue, sunshiny sky. And I was inside doing laundry. For a moment.

In the garage, all in a tangled mess, sat the clothesline, which was taken down two winters ago and not brought back out after the new baby's arrival. Today was the day to make that small change.

It really only took about ten minutes (and a speedy massacre of several hundreds of baby spiders) to locate the post hole, the post, and to get the line all untangled.

A quick wipe-down with a scrubby sponge to get the garage grime off, and the shiny beauty was ready for service.

But the laundry door needed attention also: not having been opened for a year or two, it was full to brimming with spider nests -- ewwwwww!!! So a sweep-down with the straw broom (at full-arm's distance, yuck) and a kickback of the wild grape vines (and poison ivy, but we won't mention that) and it was good to go. The gorgeous sunshine was in my laundry room, and I was out of the laundry room in the sunshine, hanging up my laundry.

Such a small insignificant thing, but you know what?

It made my day.

And it was a tiny useful thing that will keep adding tiny savings as we go along.

It doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be perfect. It all counts.

Did you have a small challenge today? A tiny success? I'd love to hear about it. God bless!

Luxury in the Morning

If I hadn't been up by 7 this morning, I would not have had nearly two whole hours of peace and quiet before the kids got up. I would not have had a short devotion and some space to think about it. I would not have had an unrushed shower, and I wouldn't have had time to slip a sweet, fresh-raspberry-strewn bread pudding into the oven -- made with my own homemade bread and eggs from my chickens. My morning chores would still be undone, and I wouldn't be relaxing here, in my room, with the windows and blinds thrown open, the sunshine streaming in over the green lawn and flower garden, and the birds exuberantly singing just outside.

I live in the lap of luxury, and I would have missed it if I hadn't been up on time.

Ideally, I'd be up well before seven, I'd be up before the sun. 5am or so. I know many, many admirable people who consider 7am an indulgent sleep-in.

So I could deal with the ideal, or I could deal with the real. By this stage in my life, I am beginning to know the difference, and I'm learning that perfectionistic attitudes get people stuck in a pit, sooner or later. So let's talk about what is real, and what is enjoyable, and live the best life in the best way for each of us. Blessings!