Beautiful Homemakers

photo credit Up until fairly recently, when we finally let go of tons of stuff, I needed constant ENCOURAGEMENT. I would get overwhelmed and discouraged easily. So I learned to surround myself with things that strengthen and inspire me, and get rid of what drains me. If I looked at an item and it reminded me of something I didn’t want to be reminded of every time I looked at it, out it went. Discarding really cleared up a lot of useless thoughts. Out went the Tigger sweatshirt because every time I looked at it, it reminded me of who gave it to me. A neutral memory, but annoying!  So out it went.  I didn’t want the constant reminder of that period in my life.      I love to read, and love to learn how others do things. I scoured the library system for homekeeping tips, and frankly, not much existed. So I decided to put together my own binder of encouragement for me. I filled it with pictures that inspired me on in clearing and cleaning my cluttered and very dirty house.    

photo credit “Scrub dear, don’t tickle” – Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie from How Clean is Your House? Why clean the house when it’s just going to get messy again anyways?  Why make the bed when you are just going to get back into it in a few hours?  I know many people who live this way, and sometimes I do feel like throwing in the towel and saying “Forget it!  I’m sick of doing the same things over and over again!” BUT… 1)      I want my house to be a home for me, my DH & our son – not dustmites, flies, fleas and pests! 2)      I can tell if a week has gone by and I forgot to change the sheets and swiffer under our bed – my throat and ears begin itching (I’m horribly allergic to dustmites).  Dustmites need to be killed in HOT water.  They can cause asthma, eczema, allergies, etc.  They feed off our skin flakes!  Yuck!  So dusting with a damp microfiber cloth, vacuuming, changing bedding once (or even twice) a week, and airing out rooms daily really is necess