It’s amazing what a difference a bit of hard work and a few small changes can make in your perspective.  It has been a busy week at our house.   Busy week = crazy house.  When we are on the road and working on special projects, that often means that dishes don’t get done and clothes pile up.

Multitasking: Washing baby who is washing dishes.

I worked from home on Thursday so I could be at home with the girls and get caught up.  Working from home means getting up at 4:30 when my wife leaves for work.  I take a few minutes to get myself cleaned up and I am on the computer working by 5am.  My wife has been super busy all week preparing for a big event at our church, so I thought I would help by cleaning the house.

Success in ministry can be hard to measure, but success in cleaning house offers immediate gratification.  Whether tackling a mountain of clothes, a full sink of dirty dishes or any other trouble spot in the house, there is success to be seen at the end of a job.  Many experts also talk about the calming effect of a clean and uncluttered home.  I can’t think of many things that are better than coming home to a clean home.

The shelves are painted and ready to install.

Sometimes a quick coat of paint, or another small change can really make a difference.  At the end of the work week I took my treadmill desk apart to finally put some paint on it.  This was the first time I used Behr enamel primer and paint in one.  It is some amazing paint!  I was able to cover the raw wood in one coat with the Cracked Pepper (dark grey) paint.  I put an extra coat on some of the high traffic areas.  I can’t wait to get it put back together on Monday morning.  The finished desk will look so much better in my office.

A bit of time, a few dollars of paint, some kind words or a good deed can make a big difference in our day to day life.  Find something that really matters to you and start working there.  I spend a lot of time on my treadmill desk, so I decided to finally finish it.  When I clean house, I have recently changed my pattern.  I start in our bedroom with clean sheets and a quick roundup of organizing.  Instead of saving it till the last to get done, I try to make our ‘escape from the world’ the first stop for cleaning.

My posts for the week…

7 Lessons Learned From My Dad & Goal Update – A post for my Dad’s birthday.  This was my most popular post for the week.  I am still shocked at the number of times people are sharing my posts on Facebook.  This post had 39 shares, which I think is pretty good for where I am at.

You’re Not My Friend Anymore! (and) Family Worship – A quick lesson from children on forgiveness.  The family Bible study series continues to do well.  I am happy they are being used in so many places.

Favorite Things Friday: Strawberry Kiss – A favorite dessert of ours that is a lot of fun to make.  This was a fun post to write, but I’m starting to discover that recipes are not the most popular thing I can write about.

Some of my favorite reads…

17 Homemade Spice Mixes – I recently discovered the bulk spices section at Central Market.  The spices are fresher and cheaper than the ones you get in the little bottles at the store.  As we use up the bottled spices, I will be replacing them with some of these suggestions.  The “cream of…” bottled seasoning also sounds interesting.

5 More Characteristics of the Growing Entrepreneur – I have really been enjoying this series and there are multiple applications for these thoughts.

Growing in Faith – Practical Suggestions For a Thriving Relationship – I plug Kevin Langford’s writing a lot, but he is one of the best I know.  This is a great list of things to consider for the Christian who is serious about growing.