I’ll enjoy reading and participating while my summer holiday allows the time to do so.
While I’m glad to be pursuing the goal of earning my degree and teaching certificate, I have to admit that my home has suffered for it. When you walk into my house, you notice right away that it looks as though the mom has been in school full time for a year… which she has. I am blissfully enjoying my three week hiatus between semesters, with no big plans. My only goal, very undefined and flexible, is to improve the condition of my house during my “holiday.”
Thus far, the steps have been very minor. Perhaps no one would notice the improvements but me… There are a few less bags of recycling in the basement to attend to, but still a pretty significant collection of cans to crush and boxes to fold before the next batch is carted off to the recycling center. A few odds and ends have been picked up and put away. The dishes have been clean and the counter has been clear just a little bit more often than usual.
Today, finally, I made an improvement that someone might notice besides me. I cleaned the first floor bathroom from top to bottom… washed walls and floors, wood-polished the oak shelves my hubby built for me before we moved here, and scrubbed the tub, sink, toilet, and mirror. Sure, the walls still need a new coat of paint. Yeah, new towels would be nice, since the old ones are fraying at the edge. And definitely, I’d love a basket of pampering bath products on the wide edge of the tub… but my six year old son would have it all spilled and wasted the first time he was alone in the bathroom.
So, I pulled an old blue and white shower curtain from the linen closet to replace the one we’ve been using, and added a vase of flowers and a lotion dispenser and soap dish that have been in the laundry room (meaning, no one ever sees them but me!) I replaced the artwork on one wall with a soft summery scene (though I may change it again in autumn.) For a make-over that required no financial outlay, just elbow grease and flower-picking, I’m pleased… and I’ve already had rave reviews from my six year old who hollered to his ten year old brother that “Mom made the bathroom better!”
It isn’t so much that it’s raining today, as that the wind is blowing veils of mist across the sky. The lush green everything outside my windows reminds me to be thankful for the rain.
