Weekly Links: on clean houses, that one TV hairstyle, and more!

Jack is judging you.

SOME GOOD READING FOR YOUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

Faith

-"Reading the Danvers Statement II" - about men and women and the Bible. Here's a snippet:

Sure, these scriptures are for every culture. Nobody reading the bible should think that it is ever just for them. It is for the whole world. And so every single culture should read the bible. But that’s the point. I think every person should read the bible–the whole bible. And when that happens, some interesting things might happen.

-"Why I Quit Watching Downton Abbey" - on suffering and stories (maybe I put this link in the wrong section); here's a snippet:

The best way to honor sad stories is to simply present them as such. To not rush to a tidy conclusion, to not veer quickly off into either redemption or revenge. To honor the victim, to look unblinkingly at the trauma, to hold the story in your heart and then to tell others—this is what we are supposed to do.

Family

-"9 Habits of One Mother Trying to Keep a Clean Home" - I admit to reading this more than once. Bethany is pretty inspiring.

Fiction

-"Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station" - another good one from Lightspeed. Remember those choose-your-own-adventure paperbacks back from when we were kids? This short story is that style, but hilariously pessimistic.

-"The Overlooked Hope for Narnia's Susan Pevensie" - I admit to thinking something similar before. Such a good rebuttal to the popular view that Lewis was just being a sexist pig when it came to Susan! (Not that maybe he couldn't have been sometimes - and he'd be the first one to admit he was a sinner with blindspots - but I've always thought the popular criticism of Susan's fate was unfair, and this article's a good take on that.)

-"Why Everyone on TV Has the Same Hair" - I found this fascinating, because I'd noticed this (extremely boring visually) trend. The explanation makes sense! (But still folks: change it up!)


Hope the rest of your weekend is restful and good!
-Jessica Snell

Frugal Hack: a DIY Cleaning Caddy

So, my local grocery store had these cool bags that have six little compartments, for when you buy six bottles of wine at a time. (Hey - you get 30% off that way - and wine keeps!)

I had one of these bags under my sink because, yes, I am totally the sort of person who saves bags to see if I can find a use for them.

And as I was cleaning my house, I found myself wishing I had one of those neat caddies you can use to cart your cleaning supplies around. (Yes, I am cleaning my house enough that I found myself wishing for proper tools to help with the job. I am almost a real grown-up.)

But I am also frugal, and I wondered: do I really have to spend money for this?

The answer is: no! There is a DIY hack for this!

And here it is:

Yep, it's a DIY cleaning caddy. I cut one of the six compartments up to make it into one big compartment, so I could fit some paper towel in there - see the big space on the left?

Yes, I'm frugal, but I still use paper towels. Sometimes. I use cut-up old t-shirts for rags, too, but occasionally there are messes you just want to be able to THROW AWAY.

This DIY caddy has worked beautifully. It keeps my cleaning supplies together, it's light, it has handles, it's easy to store away in the closet when I'm not using it. It holds my paper towel, my rags, my Bon Ami, my Mrs. Meyer general cleaning spray, my homemade vinegar/water spray, and my feather duster.

I will end with a picture of my cat trying to convince me he is NOT AT ALL INTERESTED in the feather duster. Nope. Not a little bit. Oh no, not him . . . :)

Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell


This post contains an Amazon affiliate link; if you purchase a book from this link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.  (See full disclosure on sidebar of my blog.)

Maundy Thursday and Spring Cleaning

"I always thought it was 'Monday-Thursday', you know, another of those great Christian paradoxes," quoth one of my friends, back when we were all new to this liturgical thing. But no, "Maundy" as in "mandatum" as in "command". I think. Although I was never sure if that command was the "a new command I give you: love one another" or the "Do this" of the Lord's supper. I suspect the latter - maybe someone can enlighten me? Anyway, in both cases, certainly a high holy day. (And that's not even touching Passover!)

So, the best part of my day today was spent spring cleaning. Out of the four main rooms of my house, I got one completely done. But that made me so happy.

And - I haven't quite gotten this worked out yet - but it felt somehow like the culmination of my Lenten fasting. Like I was getting to see it worked out in real life. As if in moving and shifting and picking up and sweeping out that room, I was getting to see how my heart looked after six weeks of being moved and shifted and picked up and swept by the unfamiliar rhythms of Lent.

I dunno. There's just something so good about a clean room, a room that's been swept from the baseboards out.

The only part of the room I didn't get through was the closet. I hope that's not deeply symbolic of anything - eep! But I'm planning on getting through that too before Easter Sunday, so maybe it's okay.

:D

A good Maundy Thursday to you,
Jessica

p.s. Okay, Wikipedia has it that the "mandatum" does refer to the command to love one another, the whole phrase being: "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos": "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you." Cool! That's something to remember all year long.