solicitors WELCOME

Years ago, a 20-something man came to my door asking if I would like to purchase a magazine subscription.  When I politely declined his offer, I assumed our conversation would be over.  I was wrong.  We continued to talk and he asked if I was Mormon.  I told him I was.  He then told me that Mormons never buy subscriptions {clearly, he'd never heard of the Ensign, New Era, Friend or Liahona} and attempted to make me feel like I was not fulfilling my Christian duty by purchasing 12 months worth of Sports Illustrated.  Once he left my house, I spent the rest of the day being mad and frustrated that this person had so unfairly judged me.

I decided a NO SOLICITING sign would be a worthwhile purchase.  I contemplated where I'd put the sign so that it was noticeable, but not tacky.  After a few days, I gave up on the idea and resolved to just not answer the door the next time a solicitor came knocking.

Fast forward to today and I officially made the decision to never display a NO SOLICITING sign on my house. 

As mentioned above, I am Mormon.  Officially, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  For the sake of simplicity, I'll refer to myself as LDS and my religion as "the church."

As of December 31, 2016, there were over 70,000 LDS missionaries serving worldwide.  Missionary service is strongly recommended for all able young men beginning at the age of 18 (after completing high school or its equivalent).  Young men (referred to as Elders) serve for up to two years.  They have no official say in where they serve, they pay their own way, and, besides weekly e-mails, they do not contact their families except for on Christmas and Mother's Day.  Young women are welcomed to serve missions beginning at age 19 for up to 18 months.

We Mormons love our missionaries.  We take pride in the fact that we send our young people all across the world to preach about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We love the missionary program so much that when the Broadway play The Book of Mormon hit the scene {you know, the play that mocks missionaries, an entire religion with over 15 million members, and then some} the church simply made this one official statement:

"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

When the production made it's way to Los Angeles, the church bought space in the playbill with ads like "the book is always better" and "you've seen the play, now read the book."  Considering the importance of the Book of Mormon and the missionary efforts to those of the LDS faith, these responses were pretty brilliant.

See, so not even an offensive, perverted, vulgar, yet acclaimed, Tony Award winning production brought to you by the same industry that demands inclusion from Mike Pence can sway us from sending out and loving our missionaries. {To be clear, #I'mWithHer}

But, here's the ironic part of it all.  Missionaries are solicitors.  One of the ways they meet, connect and eventually teach people is by going door-to-door.  Missionaries, of course, can and do meet people under different circumstances, but the fact remains that most of them knock on doors in hopes of finding someone who will listen to them.

My parents both served missions in Germany.  My husband served a mission in Canada.  All three of them went door-to-door practically everyday.  How, then, can I openly deny solicitors at my own house?

Believe me, I've thought of a plethora of reasons how to justify displaying a sign:  it's illegal, it's dangerous, it's inconvenient, people make cute signs now (seriously, google "Cute No Soliciting Signs") so I don't have to worry about my house looking tacky, etc.

But, then I think about my parents, my husband and the thousands of missionaries currently serving for a religion that I belong to.  When I think about them, an outward, physical declaration denying solicitors on my house just seems......unnecessary.  Wrong even.

I know I'm probably in the minority when it comes to this.

But, at the end of the day, I feel best inside when I say, "Solicitors, Welcome."

the CHAIR

Several years ago, Dustin and I bought two brown recliners.  At the time, they were super comfortable, roomy and the perfect chair to sit in while binge watching your favorite show.

After awhile, the "no eating on the new chairs" and "don't let the dogs on the chairs" rules relaxed.  Then we added a few kids to the mix.  Combined with a handful of moves, over time the chairs began to look....less than perfect.

We eventually sold one of the chairs, but the remaining kept getting less and less cool.

I would spot clean it.  And sometimes I convinced Dustin to deep clean it.  But, for the most part, it looked like crap.  And, it started to break, which added to the already pathetic-ness of it all.

But, we didn't get rid of it.  It was like we took pity on it or something.

But, a few months ago, we finally decided the time had come and we took the chair to the dump.  We rearranged our remaining furniture and added pictures and decor to the walls.  In a matter of minutes, the room had a completely different feel to it.  It was like a brand new room.  Over the next few days, I would admire the room and wonder why in the world we put up with that ugly brown chair for so long.  It was broken, dirty and made the whole room feel blah.

Unfortunately, I know the reason why we put off getting rid of it.  It's a pathetic reason, but it's true:  it took effort.  Plain and simple.  And since it took effort that was beyond our usual day to day routine, we dealt with it despite it's negative consequences.

Now for those of you who may be wondering why I consider having a brown chair in my house a negative consequence, you have to understand that I am a HUGE believer in the power of furniture placement.  When I say the room felt better, I mean that literally.  I don't say literally when I should say figuratively.  I mean literally literally.  Rooms have feelings.  I promise.  :)

One of the great things about humans is our ability to resist in tough times.  When I hear stories of people who have survived hardships, I'm in awe.

However, that same spirit of resistance can lead to complacency.  We're prone to live with "whatever" just "because."  Maybe we see something within our community we think could be improved.  We think one voice won't make a difference, so we deal with it rather than speaking up.

When my daughter first started kindergarten, I noticed a particularly busy intersection by the school that would really benefit from a protected left light.  After mulling over it for awhile, I finally decided to e-mail a city official.  To my surprise, I received a response and was told the city wasn't in charge of this street, but that they would relay my concerns to the company in charge.

In the meantime, I found a new route to school thinking my efforts had been in vain.

Months later, I found myself at that same intersection and noticed my suggestion had come to life!  I was so surprised and happy.  Sure, there's a REALLY good chance my suggestion had nothing to do with the change, but it felt good to know I had at least said something.

Last year, as I was going through my day planner, I noticed on September 11th, there wasn't any mention about it being Patriot Day.  September 11th of that year also happened to be Grandparents' Day.  I knew this because the company that made my day planner had the date labeled.

I figured, if you can mention that it is Grandparents' Day, you can certainly mention that it's Patriot Day.

So, I logged on to Twitter and tweeted the following:

When I got my new day planner for 2017, I checked the month of September and was pleasantly surprised that the 11th had been appropriately honored.

Again, I really don't have any proof that my tweet made any difference at all.

But, I also don't have any proof that it didn't.

To me, the important thing was that I saw something that I thought could be improved, and I said something.  To me, the effort, the action is what matters more than the actual result.

Of course, there are plenty of examples of people who take this idea to the extreme, and raising your voice should never result in harm.  #disclaimer

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that we don't always have to conform or get used to the way things are.  Because the way things are isn't necessarily the way things should be.

If you don't have to live with a dirty, brown chair...don't.

my FAVORITE way to use OILS

One of my goals for the month is to cook dinner at least four times a week.  For those of you who cook dinner every night, this goal may seem super simple.  But, for me, it's a challenge.

I absolutely love Indian food, specially chicken tikka masala.  I would love to make it from scratch, but I rarely have all of the ingredients at home.

I managed to find a decent sauce in a jar.  Blasphemy, I know.  Ina would be so disappointed in me.  Regardless, it's a family favorite and easy to prepare.

The only thing I don't like about Indian food is that it leaves a lasting smell in my house.  As great as it tastes, I don't want to smell it for the rest of the evening.

{I may have a slight obsession with how my house smells.}

Insert:  essential oils.  

I realize everyone knows someone who uses essential oils.  Please don't mistake this post for some ringing endorsement for doTERRA or essential oils in general.  I like oils, and I use them daily.  But, to be honest, I use them mostly to help my house smell awesome.

My go-to blend is Purify, Lemon, Lime and Wild Orange.  I could diffuse those oils together all day long.  And, I usually do, especially after eating a dinner like chicken tikka masala.

I also use Lemon and Wild Orange to wipe down my countertops.

And, I make my own air fresheners by blending Wild Orange and Peppermint. 

Let me tell you, my house smells AHH-MAA-ZING.

And, as a side note, someone once asked me why my house doesn't smell like I have dogs.  I honestly don't know why my house doesn't smell like dogs because we have two little fluffys who are usually always inside.  It could be the breed.  Or, it could be that the main living area of our house is pretty open.  Like I said, I don't know.  But, it's possible the oils help eliminate the smell.

So, if you're in the market for make-my-house-smell-good products, give oils a try!  Everyone will have an opinion about what brand of oils to use, and I'm not here to convince you of one brand over the other.  But, I am a satisfied doTERRA user.

If you use oils, please pass along your favorites.  I also enjoy trying out new blends.

She'll only be LITTLE ONCE

I feel like I've been posting a lot about my house lately, but this is something I have been wanting to write about for awhile.

Pinterest is a really great tool for getting ideas for practically anything.  When my oldest daughter was growing out of her nursery and ready for a "big girl room" I went to Pinterest to get ideas on how I wanted her room to look.  I really wanted it to be light, bright and modern without an overload of characters - Disney Princesses, My Little Pony, etc.  I especially didn't want character bedding.

I pinned this picture and thought it was adorable.

Source

But, my daughter had a different idea.  She wanted My Little Pony Bedding.  She wanted her My Little Pony coloring pages displayed on her wall, and she organized and taped them on to her wall ALL BY HERSELF.  In a nutshell, she wanted her room to be a reflection of who she is, not who I am.  That's what MY room is for.

As much as I hoped for a Pinterest-worthy room, that's not how things were meant to be.  And, I'm learning that that is okay.  I'll probably frame her pictures just so they're protected a bit more, but other than that, the room will stay as is.  

She'll only be little once.

a PLACE for EVERYTHING

There was a time not long ago that our house was sort of in disarray.  We were in the process of moving the girls into the same bedroom and transitioning the nursery into a play room.  Things didn't quite go according to plan (life, amiright?), so things got a little disorganized.

Okay, so it really wasn't that bad.  But, it did stress me out and give me a bit of anxiety.  Again, not anxiety like I know other people experience, but, in all honesty, it was sort of a depressing time for me.

I know that sounds weird, but it was sort of an eye-opening experience for me.  I learned that I really get bothered by clutter and am somewhat obsessive when it comes to everything having a place.  I don't think I'm unhealthy about it all.  But, if we don't use something I get rid of it and never look back!

Over the past few weeks, I've worked on certain areas of the house that have needed a little TLC.  That "one drawer" that everyone seems to have in their kitchen now has bamboo organization boxes.  I've never used drawer organizers like these before {shocking, I know!}, but they really help keep things in place and prevents items from being stored unnecessarily.  Our oil drawer was also in need of a face lift.  My daughter helped me label each bottle, making it much easier to find whatever oil I'm looking for.

The laundry room was in need of some serious help.  I have learned that I love things to be up off the floor, if at all possible.  It makes things so much easier to keep neat and organized.  I'm secretly in love with these hooks.

Another view of the laundry room.  We found these shelves at Walmart and the storage boxes at Ross.  They have revolutionized this room.  Dustin questioned whether we'd be able to keep things organized, and I can honestly say we have!  For me, the trick really is having a designated spot for everything and not holding on to things that aren't needed.

The laundry room may or may not be my favorite room in my entire house.

I still have a few projects, one drawer in particular, that aren't quite finished.  After that, I'll begin the painful job of decorating.  We've been in this house for over a year and our walls are still mostly bare.  I just can't seem to commit to any one idea.  Any suggestions are appreciated!

i love {CLEAN}

I've been thinking about a blog post that made it's way around social media awhile ago.  It was written by a husband who decided he would no longer get angry at his wife for not keeping the house clean while he was at work.  Apparently, the husband didn't realize the house was messy because the wife was spending that time with their children.  A sink full of dirty dishes didn't mean she had been lazy all day, but, rather, she had spent her time making memories and bonding with her children.

I cringed a little when I read the article.  It didn't resonate with me at all.  Even though I understood why so many people appreciated and related to the message, I, on the other hand, was annoyed by it.

I like to keep a nice house.  I don't seem to struggle with finding time keeping my house clean and put together.  No, my house is not sparkling from top to bottom, but odds are if you were to drop by unannounced, it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

Dustin and I have both had people comment on the condition of our house.  I'm usually at a loss for words when things like this are said because I don't think I'm doing anything abnormal with my time that would explain why my house is clean.

But what I took away from the article was that maybe my house is clean because I'm not spending enough quality time with my children....

...but then reality set in and I began thinking things like this:

I declutter frequently

Everything I owe belongs in a specific area of my house, if not an exact location

I am picking up, straightening, folding, loading and unloading things all throughout the day

If I notice something needs to be done, I'll think about how long it'll take me to complete it: "It'll take me three minutes to unload the dishwasher."  Or, "It'll take two seconds for me to put those shoes away."  For some reason, understanding that a mundane task will be complete in a matter of seconds really motivates me to just get it done.

When all is said and done, I guess I view maintaining a clean house as a good thing for my children.  They know where things are, they know where things go, they put their dishes in the sink when they're finished with them and they throw their own garbage away.

Of course, I could be better at the quality time with my children.  And, yes, the laundry can wait to be folded if LL wants to snuggle while we watch The Pirate Fairy for the millionth time.  Obviously, my children's needs are a priority over the sparkling, shining state of my house.

But the condition of my house is a priority too - one that I think my children will appreciate one day.

INSTAGRAM wednesdays: HOME

I had the idea a few months ago to hang pictures of all the different homes we've lived in over the years.  This is a picture of the first house Dustin and I lived in together as a married couple.  It's fun to see it everyday and to remember what life was like all those years ago.

How do you like to decorate your home?

{day TWENTY} my HOUSE

I really love my house.  It's not the biggest house on the block, nor is it the most updated with fancy features.  Heck, it's not even decorated with the latest and greatest furniture and gadgets {example:  our TV is 8 years old}, but I still love it.

Two years ago, we were living in a different state and had a completely different house.  While our home now is a townhouse with a small yard, our home back then was a single family home with a generous yard.  We had more space than we needed in that house.  In fact, we had to sell or put into storage many of our belongings after we moved because we simply didn't have the space.

But, despite having to sacrifice space, I love our new home because it's so much closer to the things that matter.  We're closer to family, we're closer to friends and we're in an area that suits us so much better in terms of opportunities for our daughter{s} like better schools, more cultural experiences and so forth.

As I find myself sitting in my house, often wishing I had one more bedroom, I'm reminded of the importance of not being greedy or envious of other people.  I feel satisfied that, when all is said and done, this house represents that we are living within our means while working towards something more grand.

I'm excited for the day when we are one step closer to our dream home, but in the meantime I'm grateful for the house we have and the security and comfort it provides.