February 22, 2012

Good Enough

I'm a perfectionist by nature.
Not good.
Especially since I am the
Mum of four.
*Smile*

We are home together most days
due to the fact that we home educate.
And my husband runs his
business from the home as well.

Good news ~
The LORD is helping
me to relax a little.
A very good thing. :)

Long ago, we purchased our first home.
(The one we still live in).
It was *just a stepping stone*
to something better.
Or so I thought.

Shameful, but true ~
Oh how wrong I was.
How incredibly wrong!

This home was a gift.
We are SO thankful
that the LORD did not
strip it off of us!

SO thankful.


We had the opportunity
to renovate just after Emma was born.
And we did.

I chose these cupboards
for the kitchen.
So cute.
(My opinion).

And...
So much work to keep clean.
So. Much. Work!

Because of my
perfectionistic tendencies,
I put it off until I can do it *right*.
Which, by the way,
is very rare.
Too rare!

I got so tired of them
looking dreadful that I gave
a quick (and I mean quick)
clean to them one day recently.
All the cupboard door and drawer facings
were spruced up in under 30 minutes.


How great is that?

Sometimes Good Enough
Really IS
Good Enough!!

I remember a friend of
mine telling me (long ago)
that her Mom had shared a past regret with her.
It happened to be that she ~ (get this) ~
spent too much time cleaning and
not enough time nurturing her children!

This hit home with me.

How easy it is to get our
priorities mixed up.
Nurturing our children
both physically and spiritually
is of utmost importance.
How I need wisdom to accomplish
this task in a God-honouring way!

May we all enjoy the precious families
that the LORD has given each of us.

And clean just enough.
*Wink*

Many Blessings,
Camille

14 comments:

Lisa said...

Such a good reminder Camille--thank you!

Lady Farmer said...

I think your cupboards are perfect, Camille! Just like ones I have dreamed of having one day. Love the beadboard fronts!
Cleaning isn't one of my favorite things to do, so most days it is 'good enough'. :~} I would rather be outside playing in the garden, with the critters, or camping, hiking, hunting, fishing with my family (before our girls were married and gone.) Now it is just me and my honey, but I still prefer to spend time with him than cleaning. I kinda live by my grandmother's motto (I may have shared it with you before) My house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy! People are more important than things.
Thanks for you condolences on the trees. We won't be lacking in firewood next winter!
Oh! And could I ask you to say a prayer for hubby? He goes for a GI procedure tomorrow. Praying they do not find anything.
Blessings!

Jill said...

So true, I think Mom's struggle with trying to juggle it "all" Tonight my Kathleen was home sick all day and I took time taking care of her, preparing a warm bath complete with a big fluffy towel.. we read books and snuggled and she fell asleep next to me. How I love this little girl! I treasure the moments like these so my house had to wait today.

Thank you for your prayers for our dear friend. I cannot even begin to tell you how much that means to me!

Blessings,
Jill

Patty said...

I think the cabinets are "so cute" also. I do see where they could be so much work ~ all those grooves! I agree sometimes good enough is really good enough. Blessings to you and yours, Camille.

Intentional Living Homestead said...

Incredible post...such an awesome reminder that time slips by quickly and spending time with those we love far outweighs clean cupboards.

I also understand the type A personality...I'm one of them Yikes!!! A work in progress for sure LOL.

Blessings,
Connie

Ann at eightacresofeden said...

Oh we do share similar traits Camille. I too, have over the years battled perfectionist tendencies and had to learn the lesson of what is 'good enough'. Where I live now in our forest is a real test for someone like me because nature cannot be kept neat and pristine and trimmed hedges and manicured lawns would look so out of place. And a house with high ceilings and exposed beams means cobwebs are inevitable - something which used to drive me to distraction! I have learned to live with them for much longer periods but did recently discover that lemon essential oil really does work at keeping those spiders at bay for several months! My house is large and there is plenty of room for us all but it takes a lot of effort to keep clean and in order and sometimes I wish we lived in a smaller home but then I remember my tiny childhood home and my mother spending hours each day cleaning and painting. So a smaller house is not necessarily the answer. Oh yes, I have read about other women with those same regrets of too much time cleaning and it is a sobering reminder for me to have my priorities sorted. What has made it easier for me and cut down my cleaning time over the years has been Emilie Barnes' method of setting aside 15 minutes each day for sorting out those drawers and cupboards. Cleaning out one drawer or one pantry shelf at a time and what helped tremendously was getting rid of a lot of the decorative country clutter that was for 'display purposes only'. Lots of tins went unless they were used for storage and a whole lot of dusting was no longer needed!
Your cupboards are lovely and similar to mine but I have the timber finish with white tile floors. The white floors are the reason why I will never paint my cupboards white! I don't need to work out - I just mop floors!

Allison of A Farmgirl's View said...

I think you wrote this for me Camille! I have been trying to re-prioritize (seems like I keep having to learn this one) thank yo for this post...such a good reminder!

Maryann said...

There will always be things to clean, but children are under our care for such a short season.
Something I had to learn myself as I tend to be a perfectionist as well.
BTW the cupboards look great, your "good enough" job looked pretty good to me
Hope you have a wonderful day

Terri said...

I can so relate... thank you for the encouragement to keep priorities straight! :) Love, Terri

Wanting What I Have said...

"the Nester" writes a blog where she shared again and again that "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." How right she is! I know the struggle you speak of. ;) and I like your cabinets! :) Thank u for sharing and encouraging!

Lois said...

Oh, how I wish I were a perfectionist! I don't clean ENOUGH. I'm afraid my children have learned some of my standards. I like to offer excuses, like, "Homeschooling demands sacrifices, and mine was housework!" It usually draws a laugh, but alas, my kitchen is always a disaster!

Since we have moved 5 times since our marriage almost 20 years ago, I tend to think I'll wait until we move to deep clean.

As always, I enjoy your blog. God bless your family, Camille!

Camille said...

Dear Lisa ~ How I need to be reminded...over and over and over again! :)

Dear Raeann ~ Yes, my friend..."clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy"...I like that! Praying for you and your hubby. :)

Dear Jill ~ Sorry your little Kathleen was home sick...but, so precious that you spent that time with her. We can never get these days back! :)

Dear Patty ~ Yes, indeed..."all those grooves"!! LOL! :)

Dear Connie ~ Oh to let up even just a little in these things and focus on what really matters...I am a work in progress too! :)

Dear Ann ~ What a great idea to just set aside 15 minutes a day for a cupboard or a drawer...it adds up over time! :)

Dear Allison ~ Thank you for the encouragement! I actually wrote this post for me. LOL! :)

Dear Maryann ~ Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us here. May the LORD help me daily to remember! :)

Dear Terri ~ Ah, yes...priorities my friend! How wonderful it is that the LORD is with us each step of the way. :)

Dear Jennifer ~ Precious that we are not left to ourselves, isn't it? Hang in there and remember to do *just enough*! :)

Dear Lois ~ We all need the Saviour and His grace day by day...that's the bottom line, isn't it? What a blessing that He never leaves us to ourselves and promises to daily give us all we need! Thank you for your sweet encouragement! :)

Many Blessings to you each one!
In HIS Love,
Camille

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

I'm a big believer in cleaning "just enough". I've found the key is to keeping the house de-cluttered, then people think it is clean even when it isn't. They are less likely to notice your dust than your clutter. De-cluttering makes your space look bigger, too. BTW, I adore your cupboards!

Camille said...

Dear Jackie ~ How true! De-cluttering and living clutter-free is the BEST way to keep a tidy home. Hmmm....now to motivate myself to accomplish a little of that today. LOL! :)

Blessings to you!
Camille