a little bit o' dis, a little bit o' dat

I have a secret to confess. I really like Martha Stewart. I like that she has her feet dipping in many waters, like gardening, cooking, decorating, and more. I think I like her because I can relate. I love all those things. Oh! Oh! And she and I are both raising Easter Egger Chickens! Just sayin'.

Anywho, back to me me me. I'm always trying things out. Most things stick, but some others don't. Like the Chore Chart I made this summer. It has stuck. When my kids want money, they clean. When they don't, they don't. And then there was the Christmas Smashbook. Remember how that made it onto the Advent Sock Calendar, Day 1? Yah. One excrutiating family meeting of the minds later, it sits in a drawer. Ouch. So you see, everything I do does not meet with success.

But back to Martha. There's another famous Martha, you know. The one in the bible who, like Martha Stewart, runs around getting the house and meal ready for their famous guest, Jesus, while Mary sits with him and chats. I have a hard time with this story. First, because WHO WOULDN'T prepare for a guest like that to arrive?? But second, because I think I'd be a little annoyed with Mary, too, if I felt like I did all the work and she got to have all the fun. But isn't that the lesson there? Get ready, but then plan to sit back and relax in the joy of company. I'm actually pretty good at that. I love to entertain. And after I've done all I have time to do beforehand, I always step back and realize something I WISH I had done in advance. Like vaccuum the floorboards. And then I literally (or figuratively) say to myself: OK! You've done all you can do. Now, enjoy your friend's company because I'm sure they could care less about your dust. And then I invite them in, relax, and enjoy. It's freeing, really. Try it sometime.

So I thought I'd take this time to tell you about something I'm trying out right now. Today I made homemade laundry detergent. Use the link to find the recipe I used, but know that I ended up choosing scents that I liked. And Walmart in Norman, Oklahoma doesn't carry Zote. But they have something comparable right there in the laundry aisle with all the other things you need in one place.

I saw the recipe on pinterest. And let me tell you... if you want your house to smell like you just cleaned it, even though it CLEARLY hasn't been cleaned, MAKE SOME HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP IN YOUR KITCHEN! It was awesome! I made it, left to pick my son up from school, and when I came back I literally did a double take on my kitchen to see if my husband had sent in a cleaning lady while I was gone. This is not a far fetched idea, by the way. The Man owns his own commercial cleaning business. We have people who clean at our fingertips. So why don't we get our house cleaned by someone besides me? Ask The Man. I'm dying to know.

Plus, I know they're more qualified for the job.