Winter

Winter

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Today on Wednesday

The pear trees across the road are blooming. Silly trees. Don't they know it is too early? The trees all around me are budding and we are still having frost. I guess it will be an early spring.

I wish I had Emilie email me the picture she took at work yesterday. The flower shop she works for has a refrigerated sea train that sits behind the shop. The refrigerators are filled with flowers for Valentines Day inside the shop. She took a picture and inside that sea train as far as you can see there are hundreds and hundreds of vases filled with roses. I have never seen so many flowers in my life. She worked nine hours yesterday doing nothing but de-thorning roses. I knew it was a busy little shop I just had no idea.

This is the acacia tree that is blooming. I thought you might like a better look at it. The temps will be in the 70s this weekend so I expect more blooms.
My son brought this amazing cleaner he found. I have used so many things on my tile and the grout. I don't know how many square feet of tile floors but I have so much tile. Yesterday I thought I would start cleaning tile, on my hands and knees. I worked for six hours. I washed walls, windows, and doors. I cleaned baseboards and dusted furniture and vacuumed. Today, all I want to do is just stay in bed. I didn't know I could be sore in places I am sore in. My floors look fantastic though, I am only about 1/4 of the way done. I feel good about spring cleaning though. Okay all of that to get to my story.

I am a slow thinker. At the holidays I was asked this question: " Not for this to sound mean or anything but
being a stay at home mom, is that all you have done with your life?"  When I was asked, I just laughed, but my mind went blank. So now three months later I came up with an answer.
" This is what I would say now if I had the chance. " Yes, that is all I have done, but I have been the one who stayed at home so your kids had a safe place to go, to have food to eat and even sometimes spend the night so they weren't home alone. I am the one who sat and listened as they poured out their hearts and tried to work out problems in life. I am the one who watched your children grow up because all I did was stay at home."

I have thought about it a bunch because when I am on my hands and knees scrubbing floors, I wonder, is this important? I have had that thought a bunch since that question. Yesterday, I realized even if I could do it over again, would I make different choices? I wouldn't because I am so thankful for all of the things I might have missed.

I hope you have a great Wednesday. I am not hoping for a lot today, just trying to walk will be exciting. :)

Have a wonderful day,
~Kim~
 Here is the link for my giveaway if you still want to get in, I will draw names tonight.

20 comments:

Julia said...

Oh Kim, you are always such a hard worker. Cleaning tile floors on your knees is a hard job. I only have ceramic tiles in the sunroom and two bathroom and I clean them with vinegar and water and they come out bright and clean and I do that on my hands and knees too but i use an old folded towels under my knees.

Be gentle with yourself. You are not as young as you used to be but you still look young and pretty to me.

I don't keep my house as clean as I used to because I just can't keep up with the dirt my husband brings in.

Your acacia tree looks heavenly.

Hugs,
JB

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

I'm really sore today too, I've been tearing down the wallpaper and border in the master bath, and never knew that room was so big! I have muscles I didn't know were there!! and yes... being a stay at home mom is such a high calling, even though I wondered at times, but now am so glad that I was able to do that. Why is it that all the looking back is when we see so much more clearly?? :)

TexWisGirl said...

love the blooms. :)

i have thought i'd like to work for a florist, but i bet it gets to be hard work on holidays like this.

Debbie said...

Oh wow, cleaning tile floor on your hands and knees is REALLY hard work! I am impressed you can move at all today! haha. As for that question, goodness knows I have been asked that (AND MORE THAN ONCE!) and wondered and asked that myself many times...and here is the bottom line I have come to for me...I know in my heart it is where God wanted me. And at the end of the day it is where we both know it's best to be. I look back now with such gratitude that I was able to do it, and better yet, my kids are too.

Meg said...

Please don't kill yourself. B said dad didn't look too happy about him bringing the cleaner, because it meant you would work too hard. You have three big boys in that house, make them do it. ;) Nope, I wouldn't change anything either. I'm glad you stayed home and made the family you did. Because of it, your house is safe and full of love. I hope my home will be like yours someday.

Beth said...

The blooms are gorgeous. I am longing to see some here!

Christine said...

I'm pretty sure you do more on your knees than scrub - that's what makes you the mom you are and what makes your life so important.
Only eternity will reveal your impact
God bless you Kim!
Christine

Primitive Stars said...

Oh how pretty, can't believe blooming already......Francine.

Patrice said...

Don't you just hate it when you get an answer you'd like to tell someone WAY after the time you could have answered. I refer to it as Delayed Brilliance! Welcome to my Delayed Brilliance Club. Now there are two of us in it. :) lol Every once in a while I get the answer on time. I get so excited that I forget it before it comes out of my mouth. What's the world to do with the likes of me?!

Anonymous said...

Your photos are so beautiful. I am so ready for Spring. Thank you.

Debbie said...

It's the best thing anyone can do with their life, if that's what they choose. I love my life and I think your life is pretty amazing also!

I have always thought it would be so cool to be a flower delivery person, everyone is so happy to receive flowers!

Alica said...

I never thought about how all those roses got de-thorned! Wow!

And...I think being a stay at home Mom is the most important job...no matter what anyone says!

camp and cottage living said...

Kim
I'm glad you're proud you were a stay at home Mom!
I wouldn't have had a problem with it if it had been possible for me to do so.
Oh, it sure looks beautiful there with all your blooms and your warm weather.

Pom Pom said...

I can't believe people ask that question. I think it is usually a very short-sighted individual that can't figure out the beauty and significance of staying home. It's my all time favorite career and I look forward to getting back to it someday.

Kessie said...

Gee, who in the world would say that to you? I really like your answer, though. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching lately, and that falls into my life calling as I see it. Lent seems to be a good time of year to do that.

Miss Debbie said...

Great answer to the question! I do hope you got some rest today!

Unknown said...

Kim, you are not "just" a stay at home mom...I was a Domestic Engineer (stay at home mom)..I am a nurse, accountant, chef, maid, maintenance worker, plumber, wife, mother, counselor for others.... I was taken advantage by others because they felt I was a free baby sitter for them.... I was a mother for kids who mothers did not want to stay at home..when people asked what I did I would say Domestic Engineer and when I said that it would leave them speechless. You know what else I found out when I told this to other men, they would praise me for being a domestic engineer..They would tell me they wished their wives would do it...I know some need to work...I was going to go to work when my kids hit middle and high school and they didn't want me to..That was the greatest reward when my teenagers wanted me home when they got out of school..

You keep doing what you love to do when so many others hate what they do...and that is going off to work,...Lisa

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Dear Kim, you were blessed to be able to stay home with your littles ... my biggest regret is not being home with DD when she was growing up ... but as a single mom, I had no choice but to work. And don't forget, by being a SAHM, you were able to homeschool ... and what a blessing that was to you and to your kids.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Well Kim once again you nailed my heart...I would do it all over again too...I don't have an impressive resume, no one would hire me for what I have done the last 29 years....they don't care, but I still would do it again. I have loved being a stay at home mom...now what the future hold is very uncertain, but I pray the Lord will extend my stay at home mom years...and if not, that he will give me the grace to walk out being a working mom.

Oh I can just see all those flowers. Oh I have loved the cleaning tips on Pinterest and homemade cleaning products...it has inspired me to clean up...I am not having anything here for the wedding, so my cleaning is just for us

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Ok, I'm officially tired for you. I don't think I have ever in my life worked that hard on housework!