Don’t Take Your Shoes Off

Can I be honest? I mean, really honest?

I go through times when I am embarrassed by what my house looks like, from a structural, house-in-need-of-repairs sort of way. These challenges make it difficult to be enthusiastic about my homemaking duties at times.

My husband works long hours, and after several pay cuts over the last 11 years, we haven’t had the funds or time (or skill, for that matter) to do the repairs that are necessary. Ask family for help? Well they don’t and won’t, sadly. Ask church for help? I only do that in emergency situations because I don’t want to be a bother. Those men have their own families to take care of.

Thankfully, with older children (mine are all in their double digits, including four in their teen years), most of these issues aren’t as urgent as they would be if the children were all babies and toddlers, because they aren’t safety issues. This sort of situation does make hospitality difficult. Living in a 110+ year old farm house has its charm, but it also has its downsides too.  For instance, the 110 year old hardwood floor that simply can’t be sanded any more and doesn’t hold its finish for longer than 6 months; or the perpetually unfinished downstairs bathroom with the cracked pedestal sink. For years, various emergencies and car repairs have obliterated our new floor fund. I’m forever telling guests, “Please don’t take your shoes off!”

For me, as someone with an artistic side, this can really drive me nuts if I don’t check my spirit. It is easy to throw your hands up in frustration and say, “Well, my house is never going to look like something that graces the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, so why bother doing anything?” The fact is, just because my house is decorated in what I tongue in cheek refer to as “deconstructionist” or “grunge,” doesn’t mean I can’t work on making it look as good as it can look with the resources I have available to me, while trusting God to provide for those other wants and desires.

To put it in perspective, I remind myself of other homes I’ve been in around the world during my days of traveling, including several where there was no floor at all. I remind myself of how many have lost their homes due to foreclosure following the downturn of the economy. I remind myself of our precious Savior being born in a stable and laid in a manger, which is just another word for feeding trough.

Here are three basic thoughts on home keeping when the home isn’t ideal:

1. Deal with clutter
As much as is possible, keep your living areas as clutter free as you can. Clutter can make any house feel messy and out of order.

2. Keep it Clean
Newer floors, appliances, counter-tops, and fixtures usually have a finish on them which makes cleaning easy and keeps them looking sharp without too much work. In contrast, older fixtures, appliances, floors, and furniture pieces tend to have lost that finish, and seem to attract dirt, and don’t clean up quite as easily. It may take extra effort to keep these items cleaner looking, but again, as much as is possible, work at cleaning your surfaces, particularly in the common areas of the house.

If it’s within your budget, a fresh coat of paint on cabinet doors, walls, and furnishings can help. I prefer to use an Enamel glossy paint (or semi-gloss) as it cleans up very easily.

3. Watch what comes in
No, I don’t mean what comes into your house, but into your mind. As much as I love watching HGTV, reading decorating magazines, or even visiting certain friends with gorgeous homes, if any of that is going to affect my contentment with my own unchangeable circumstances, I need to avoid it. I have a responsibility to keep my heart (Proverbs 4:23). If possible, I try to avoid any media or situations that will only leave me feeling disgruntled and ungrateful.

Let’s thank our Lord for what He has blessed us with!

About The Author

Kimberly Eddy has written 19 articles on this blog.

Hardly the drudgery she originally feared it would be, Kimberly Eddy’s life at home has been one big adventure in mothering, wifeliness, and walking with the Lord. Kimberly has been Martin’s wife since 1992, and a joyful momma since 1993. She and Martin have five children ages 10-16, and have home schooled their children from birth. Kimberly’s love for art and writing has bore fruit with a daily blog, a nature journalling blog with her daughters, several books and ebooks, as well as articles published in various magazines.

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