House or Home

" The dictionary differentiates clearly between a house and a home:

House: A building in which people live.

Home: A seat of domestic life and interest; a place where a person can rest and be safe; a place of refuge."

Today I spent my mid morning/early afternoon deep cleaning. While cleaning different areas of my home, I thought about how these menial tasks help take a house and turn it into a home.(dirty, dusty, light fixtures waiting to be washed in the sink filled with warm soapy water)

"A house can not be a home with an unhappy woman as it's manager."(sparkly clean light fixtures!)

"Don't be Sandra Stay-At-Home or Gracie-Gad-About. You need a well-balanced life with your priorities in order."

(more sparkly clean light fixtures)

"God is a God of order, and He will bless you if you are seeking His will in your life and home" (all back where they belong)

"If you have a tendency toward slothfulness, remember, a home is an expression and extension of yourself."
(wiping cabinets down with Murphy's Oil Soap)

"A really dirty house isn't the kind of home to which your husband will want to come...for long. Even your children will be embarrassed to have their friends visit, and for that matter, you won't enjoy being in a place like that yourself!"

(freshly wiped down cabinet fronts....mmmm smells good too)

"Sandra Sporadic is the epitome of what not to be like. She cleans when the spirit moves her, or when necessity demands it (company is coming). She washes when the kids need socks and irons when needed and not before. She is basically a procrastinator and can't get going. But once she is going, there is no stopping her. Sandra's house is neither very, very clean, nor very, very messy. She has no system at all for doing housework, and consequently feels overburdened. Because of her lack of organization, she's either a nervous wreck, or she "let's it all hang out." Sandra feels chained to her home."(the top of the frig got a good cleaning too...shiny!!)

"On the other hand, Olive Organizer has a definite time for everything, and heaven help anyone or anything that gets in her way. The washing is done on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday without fail and ironed immediately. She gets up in the morning, makes the beds at once, prepares breakfast, and cleans up the kitchen. Next she sets out her meat to defrost for dinner and makes the dessert. Then she checks her schedule to see what is on her agenda for the day and gets to work. Her housework is generally finished by noon, leaving the afternoon for any projects she might have lined up--sewing, baking, lunch with the girls, etc. Olive's only problem is that if something isn't completed when she thinks it should be, she falls apart. Because of this she is basically a nervous person and totally inflexible."(the outside of the frig all wiped down and purged of clutter...only my special things remain)

"A house will never be fulfilling to a woman, but a home will be."

(daily laundry chores)

"A home will be a lovely place no matter how grand or modest it is. The highest compliment that can be paid a homemaker is, "This is the most comfortable home I've ever visited!" We should strive toward that goal. And because it is a gift of God we should use it for His glory."(gleaming appliances...inside and out!)

"One important key to being efficient in the kitchen is organization. Organization leads to order and neatness, while lack of it leads to clutter and chaos."

(the new banner gifted to me by a dear friend. It says, "Friends are like quilts, they are treasures and comforts)

"It's much more fun to keep an attractive room clean than an ugly one. It is up to you which kinds of rooms prevail in your home."


All quotes were taken from the book "The Fulfilled Woman" by Lou Beardsley and Toni Spry