Archive for April, 2009

A while back I read the book A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen.  It was a short read… just an evening, but I loved what she had to say.   One of the passages that really struck home was:

“Life is made of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement.  It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen.  We have to teach ourselves how to live, really live… to love the journey, not the destination.”

Reading it brought back the memory of sitting on the sidewalk as a kid and marveling at the “glittering mica.”  I thought the sidewalk had a million diamonds inside.  As an adult, I usually walk up the sidewalk without noticing a thing.

When I read that passage I realized my life is what I make it.  I can be continually struck by the beauty of the many small moments or I can notice nothing but drab concrete.

What makes the difference is choosing to deliberately notice and enjoy the little things.

Life is better when I remember to enjoy the food I eat or the feel of sunshine as I work in the garden, or how glad I am to have a hot shower.  I am learning to pay attention to and love so many little moments in my life now… and as I do, I find that I am happy.

I am against dirty… I really am.  It’s just that my Mom has been staying at my sister Cam’s home this week.  And Cam lives just a few minutes away.  And I know I am making excuses… but since my Mom has been in town, there has been no time to clean.

It’s not like my Mom lives that far away, only about 40 minutes North, in the “big” city.  But having her this close has been an excuse for us to spend some quality time together.

Quality time with my Mom means visiting every quilt shop within a 50 mile radius and a little sewing thrown in for good measure.  (The picture above is the skirts we worked on a bit for the girls.)  We have had such a great time.

We visited American Quilting, where I loved their great selection of Civil War fabrics.  I also saw a wonderful handmade bag by Nanette from Freda’s Hive, and heard about a great new (for me) blog called Diary of a Quilter.

We also visited Broadbent’s Store in Lehi, Utah… one of my all time favorite places.  They have chickens out back and the most wonderful fabrics within.  I really enjoy their selection of old fashioned toys like pop guns, jacks and even Cupie Dolls.  Visiting Broadbent and Son’s is like stepping back in time.  They have been family owned and operated since 1882.  And that’s old in this part of the country.

Then we stopped by the new quilt shop, Just Sew in Highland Utah… just a few minutes from my house.  Yeah!   We finally have a few places to eat and a quilt shop… my little hometown is really coming up in the world.  Now I just need a good bookstore close by.

But the bad news was… the whole time we were out having fun my bathrooms at home looked like this:

I should be super embarrassed to share this with you… and I am.  Did you notice the dirt running down the wall?  That’s what you get when you have kids and mud and sand.  Well, at least they washed their hands.

But why am I sharing my dirty little secrets?  I am hoping to inspire you, of course.

A few years ago I started switching over my cleaning supplies to more earth friendly products.  I immediately fell in love with the  Method line… you know, the “People Against Dirty.”  Their products smell great and for the most part I have really liked they way they clean.  But, there is one tiny little problem with them… they are so expensive.

I set out in search of earth and budget friendly solutions to clean my home.  And am happy to report my success.  The two best all-round cleaning products I have found are baking soda and white vinegar.  They are cheap, non- toxic and clean really well.

After a fun day of sewing with my Mom today, I decided I better clean at least one of my bathrooms… just in case a neighbor dropped in and I really embarrassed myself.

Here’s how I cleaned the sink… I sprinkled a little baking soda into the sink and scrubbed it with a sponge.  Baking soda works just as well as any product I’ve ever used.  To take care of hard water deposits and to disinfect, I poured a little white vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped the surface down.  The vinegary smell went away as soon as it was dry.  Using vinegar and baking soda doesn’t take any more time than using other cleaning products.  And I feel a whole lot better about them than the toxic products I used to use.  Anything that can make great cookies and salad dressing and then clean like a champ is just awesome in my book.  And check out the sparkle… and to any of my neighbors:  You are welcome to drop in now.