"Establish a house of order"

(DISCLAIMER: This post originally had several pictures to go along with it, but due to technical difficulties, before and after shots will have to wait until we--meaning Patrick--figure out a different way to retrieve the photos off the camera's memory card. The current option isn't working.)

Today was Sunday, a day of rest...normally we take that "rest" part to heart with lots of naps and visits to family. But not today. 

We got to church (on time) for the (gasp) second week in a row! I think that may be our longest streak ever...I hope we can keep it going. Today was ward conference and many of the lessons were geared around a common theme: "Establishing a house of order." Each year, our ward picks a "theme" or set of goals to focus on. And I definitely felt that I needed to really apply this year's goal to my life. 

Remember a couple of posts ago when I mentioned we had to be very careful until payday? (Like most of us do from time to time.) Well, turns out I had no idea how right that was! We are running very close to empty in our gas tanks, our pantry, and our stress coping skills. :) And as I sat listening to the various speakers elaborate on the way cultivating a habit of order and reverence for our daily lives would benefit us, I got inspired to make some changes in my daily habits. 

I have a sort of split personality when it comes to maintaining order in my home. If I am able to get a room in "Spring Clean" condition, I become very anal about keeping it that way. (Picture labels everywhere, with organizational binders and schematics, and chore schedules...) On the other hand, the moment I slip up or become lax about maintaining my rigid perfection, I automatically do a 180 and become the kind of person who says, "Don't touch that pile! I've memorized where everything is!" Sad, but true. 

I have come to realize that perfection isn't always practical--or even desirable--%100 of the time. But neither is the alphabetical clutter approach. So I am choosing to focus instead on "tidiness." I looked around my house when we got home from church and didn't like what I saw. Christmas decorations were still up. The bedroom looked like the equivalent of a laundry Chernobyl. The kitchen was piled high with dirty dishes and random trash. The bathroom was suffering from an overflowing waste basket and in desperate need of a thorough scrubbing. And I was getting ready to have a nervous breakdown as I mentally cataloged all the things that needed to be done before I could classify my home as "orderly."

Then I remembered a saying from a website called flylady.net: "Your house didn't get dirty in one day, and it won't get clean overnight either." So instead of crying, I decided to pick three things I could do today. 

#1- We were going to be eating at home that night, so I needed stuff to cook with. Voila! First goal was to empty the sink and do the dishes. 

#2- Patrick and I both needed work clothes for tomorrow, so laundry was definitely on the list. Goal two: pick up the massive laundry explosion in the bedroom and sort it into the appropriate bins. (Two birds with one stone there, because I was also tired of tripping over things in the dark during my late night bathroom trips.)

#3- We were almost out of laundry soap, and had no money to get more. Luckily I remembered that I had bought supplies to make my own a couple months ago and just never got around to it. So, goal three: find laundry soap ingredients and mix up a batch. 

And I am happy to report that (with some help from my sweet husband) I met every single one of those goals! My kitchen counters still need to be picked up and wiped down, and the bedroom surfaces still need attention; but the dishes are done, the bedroom floor is clear and the bed freshly made, and two loads of sweet smelling laundry have been neatly folded and put away. And I feel okay about all that.

Tomorrow is another day, and I feel like I will be able to face it with more equanimity than before.