Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Where Did Summer Go?

Good Morning! It is fabulous to be back.
Enjoying some good books in the laundry shade
Apparently, things have been quite busy here at Small Wonders, thus no blogging. Since I last posted, We had a Church Campout, 2 Births, 2 Date Nights, A Whole Week of the Fair, Grandparent visits, Swimming, Birthday Parties, and some major family changes.
Liberty loves to copy her older sisters. She is usually toting a book around, and reads at any opportunity. 
 Watch for posts on all of those items, coming soon. I guess I don't blame you for not believing me. I will try to earn that trust back!
In an effort to try to save money I started hanging our laundry on the line. That is, when we had sun. We really did have some nice days here in the Beautiful Pacific Northwest. They were just spread out a day or two at a time then concentrated all into 5 days at once. It seemed to really make a difference on our energy bill. But the biggest difference was that one of my children decided not to wash or dry his hands. I discovered it was because he didn't like the feel of the stiff towels and therefore just decided to skip the whole hand washing procedure. I can't say I blame him, I dug to the bottom of the linen closet for the towels that were soft and fluffy. I decided that we would dry the whites and hang the rest. It was a great solution for all. I love the smell of the clothes after they are dried in the sun. I love that I fold them right as I am taking them down, and I have to take them down to make room for more to dry. No more piles of needing to be folded clothes. I don't love having to touch each individual  item so many times. I love catching each stain and eliminating it before it's permanent. I don't love being gone and getting home after dark when the dew has settled on the laundry so you have to wait for the next day for it to dry again. I also don't love that my daughter, trying to be helpful, hung out a whole load of intimates; not something the neighbors need to see or know. I love love love how fast the clothes dried when they were on the line.
Ruby has taken off in her reading abilities and is even working on trying to teach Liberty. 
It has been a bittersweet summer for me, realizing that my children are growing up(we have no babies in the house). My goal is to raise independent, responsible children who love Jesus, have integrity, joy, and perseverance. I am seeing fruits of my effort of teaching and training and couldn't be more proud of who they are becoming.
I have also confronted my own selfish desires, laziness, and anger. I was able to reevaluate  activities that distract me from my goals and come to the realization that most of the things that rob me of joy are my own fault.  My expectations and lack of training are among the top few. I have been praying and seeking God's direction for our family. I am trying to simplify and be more intentional. Blessings on your day, and your intentions.

8 comments:

Stacy said...

I love having laundry on the line! (I never do any of my towels for that stiffness reason. Just clothes. But not jeans.)

Blessings to you, Carolynn!

Stacy said...

And sheets. I love sheets off the line!

Unknown said...

Stacy, I love the sheets too! I just rigged the line I found in the garage (it was here when we moved in) between the deck and the pool deck. Nothing fancy, I'd love to come up with something a bit, Um, more classy.;)

Unknown said...

Stacy, I love the sheets too! I just rigged the line I found in the garage (it was here when we moved in) between the deck and the pool deck. Nothing fancy, I'd love to come up with something a bit, Um, more classy.;)

Pisaster said...

Hi Carolynn! It's me, Anna, that did Cub Scouts when your Erik and my Ian were Tigers-we moved to the Gig Harbor area at the end of that year. I'm friends with Crystal and hop over from her blog from time to time (mine is Twin Firs). I love line drying and "do laundry when the sun shines." My husband built a giant six-stringer laundry line for us (I hang the intimates on the inner lines between longer things). I've become quite fond of my crunchy towels-they feel like a loofah after a shower:)

Unknown said...

Hi Anna! Of course i know who you are. I love your little Ian, does he still like Snow Tigers? I will have to check your blog out, I didn't know you had one. That's a fabulous idea for the unmentionables! How did he attach the strings?

Pisaster said...

He sure does:) That is sweet that you remember! For the clothesline, my husband built a T out of 4 by 4 treated posts. He sunk it in the ground and attached 6 eye screws. Six more eye screws went in a 2 by 4 (or 6) piece that he attached to the side of the house. Then he wove the clothes line back and forth and pulled it super tight. I can get about four loads on at one time. We used to have the cheap spinning one from the hardware store, but it just couldn't handle laundry for a family our size.

Shawn said...

You are just such an encouragement, Carolynn. I feel 'better' after I've read your blog, every time! Not sure how you do that?!

As for line laundry, I dry all mine - towels included - outside, but pull them off when they are just about, but not quite finished. (If I missed that window, I lightly spritz them with a water bottle) and put it all in the dryer for about 5 minutes. They steam themselves just enough to keep towels fluffy but not require much energy. Adds a step, but it does diminish wrinkles and crunchy laundry.

I miss seeing you regularly! Xo