{"id":2040,"date":"2012-10-06T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2012-10-06T11:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=2040"},"modified":"2013-01-01T20:40:55","modified_gmt":"2013-01-02T01:40:55","slug":"shandys-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/06\/shandys-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturday’s with Shandy Showers"},"content":{"rendered":"
6 Weeks to Make Your Home Shine for the Holidays! <\/strong><\/div>\n
Week One by Shandy Showers<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
Forty-seven. Seventy-nine. Eighty-six. Do those numbers mean anything to you? I\u2019ll give you a hint… Thanksgiving. Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve. Can you believe it? \u00a0Have you done anything yet to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year?<\/div>\n
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How many of us have had holiday celebrations over the years that have been marred by anxiety because our house wasn\u2019t as clean as we would have liked it to be, or because we waited until the last minute to do everything and exhausted ourselves in the process? I will be the first to raise my hand and say, \u201cME!\u201d But not this year. Not for me, and not for you if you follow along with us!<\/div>\n
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\u00a0.<\/div>\n
Welcome to “6 Weeks to Make Your Home Shine for the Holidays!<\/strong><\/em>” Whether you are a domestic diva or don’t know a duster from a dishcloth, this is for you! Every Saturday for the next six weeks, we will meet right here on the blog to learn how to prepare our homes for the upcoming holidays. (And when we\u2019re through, don\u2019t go anywhere, because we will have a new series on decorating for Christmas and making handmade gifts!) You will check here for your weekly assignments, and are welcome to leave comments and\/or ask questions. Maybe you\u2019re not sure how to do something or are wondering if there\u2018s a better way to do it… just ask \ud83d\ude42 Then we will head on over to our secret Facebook group, where we can post before & after pictures and have some fun with what we\u2019re accomplishing!<\/div>\n
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In my experience, any successful cleaning spree starts with clutter control! So to kick off the first week, we are kicking out some of that clutter! I just moved to a new state this past weekend, and did some major purging the last week of packing. We took nearly 20 bags to Goodwill, made 4 trips to the city dump, put several items out for bulky waste pick up, and gave our neighbor several pieces of furniture and knick-knacks. Even after all that, I bet I can come up with more to banish from my home, so I\u2019m going to do this with you.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0.<\/div>\n
Let\u2019s dive in, ladies! First, take a garbage bag and quickly go through every room in your house. Anything that needs to be thrown away, throw away! Last week\u2019s newspaper, that drawer full of old makeup, junk mail, those shoes that should\u2019ve been retired a year ago, the sweater that\u2019s beyond repair, the bag in your teenager\u2018s room from last night\u2018s fast food run… fill up that garbage bag! Now you\u2019re going to take a box or a bag and find 25 more things to either give away or throw away… the pile of sweaters you never wear anymore, the jeans that don\u2019t fit or went out of style in the 80\u2019s, the old toaster you have stashed away as a backup, the old books you\u2019re never going to read again. 25 things. It\u2019s really easy, and your house will start to breathe again.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0.<\/div>\n
I\u2019ve done this before, and because I love a good challenge, I found my first 25 items, then found a bunch more! It feels so good! I encourage you to have your kids do this as well. Maybe start small with them and have them put 5 things in the giveaway box. Or maybe 10. Make it a game and see who can fill up their box the fastest! The only rule: don\u2019t overthink anything. If you have to think about it, it doesn\u2019t mean as much to you as maybe you thought it did.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0.<\/div>\n
We want to see how much you\u2019re clearing out and cleaning up and congratulate you on a job well done, so be sure to take before & after pictures every week! You\u2019ll have the opportunity to share them each Saturday in our facebook group! A clean home is a happy home, and your home is going to be very happy for the holidays!<\/div>\n
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Let’s pray:<\/strong><\/div>\n
As we prepare our homes for the holidays, let us remember to do everything enthusiastically, as something done for You, Lord. (Col 3:23-24) May our preparations be done decently and in order (1 Cor 14:40) and let them be an act of service to You and our families, so we are able to welcome the holidays with gladness rather than anxiety, keeping You at the forefront of all our celebrations. Thank you, Father, for these women and for this opportunity to support and encourage each other. Bless our efforts, Lord, and help us make wise decisions so we do not become distracted or discouraged. In Jesus’ name, Amen.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0.<\/div>\n
Your assignment:<\/strong><\/div>\n
TODAY<\/strong>\u00a0– Comment below to let us know you\u2019re taking part in this series and let us know the biggest challenge you face in preparing your home for holiday celebrations.<\/div>\n
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Today & Mon<\/strong>\u00a0– Throw Away & Give Away Challenge (see above) Remove those items from your home right away.<\/div>\n
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Tues<\/strong>\u00a0– Gather\/Buy\/Make Cleaning Supplies, and you\u2019ll need a 3-ring binder (w\/ a clear pocket on the front) and a 3-hole punch. You will be using this binder for this series, as well as future series. We\u2019ll have some free printables for you along the way!<\/div>\n
\u00a0.<\/div>\n
Wed<\/strong>\u00a0– Front Porch: Shake out welcome mat. Use your outdoor broom to knock down webs, and to sweep the front porch and walk. Wash windows facing the porch, as well as your front door and doorbell. If your siding or trim is dirty, or if you have railing, take a bucket of warm, soapy water, and wash that as well. Clean outside light fixtures. Tidy things up, and put up some fall decorations if you\u2019d like!<\/div>\n
\u00a0.<\/div>\n
Thurs<\/strong>\u00a0– Entryway\/Foyer: clean out & organize the coat closet. Wipe down closet door. Wipe down walls, trim, and baseboards if dirty or dusty. Wipe down light switch(es). Sweep and mop floor. Clean light fixture.<\/div>\n
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Fri<\/strong>\u00a0– Catch up on anything you haven\u2019t completed, then enjoy your evening! You\u2019ve earned it!<\/div>\n
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_______________________________<\/div>\n
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We\u2019d like to invite you to be part of our online Bible study! Click on the \u201cSign-Up Here\u201d button at the top of the page to learn more or to register for the Women\u2019s Bible study and be added to our Facebook group!<\/div>\n
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If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord & Savior and would like someone to pray with you, email \u00a0Robin@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.<\/strong>com<\/strong> and someone from our Prayer Team will contact you soon.<\/div>\n
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Blessings,<\/strong><\/div>\n
Shandy<\/div>\n

__________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Shandy lives with her husband, Scott, and daughter, Gabriella, in Kirkland, Illinois. She also has an adult daughter who lives in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

She’s a Titus 2\/Proverbs 31 “virtuous woman in progress” and has a passion for homemaking and raising a family. She considers it a huge blessing to be a modern-day archetype of the classic housewife. Though her infertility diagnosis has prevented Shandy and Scott from growing their family, they are not putting God on a shelf, and are believing Him for their miracle baby.<\/p>\n

Shandy believes in old-fashioned traditions and family values, and loves the music and movies of the 1940’s… especially the musicals. She’s loves Elvis, contemporary Christian and country music. She enjoys genealogy, knitting, crafting, country road trips, cozy fires, horseback riding, and living history museums. Her favorite season is autumn, and she loves everything about Christmas!<\/p>\n

In addition to blogging about homemaking for our women’s ministry, Shandy is the Executive Administrative Assistant to the Founders of Girlfriends Coffee Hour. She has also served as a Sunday School and VBS teacher in her church, and has also been in puppet ministry, choir, and handbell choir throughout the years. She loves to be involved and bloom where God plants her!<\/p>\n

She is blown away by what an awesome God we serve, and endeavors to be salt and light in this world so that others may come to know and love Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6 Weeks to Make Your Home Shine for the Holidays! Week One by Shandy Showers \u00a0 Forty-seven. Seventy-nine. Eighty-six. Do those numbers mean anything to you? I\u2019ll give you a hint… Thanksgiving. Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve. Can you believe it? \u00a0Have you done anything yet to prepare for the most wonderful time of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[1164,222,229,1166,422,425,502,503,954,958,1086],"class_list":["post-2040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-womens","tag-bible-study-2","tag-christmas-planning","tag-cleaning","tag-family-2","tag-gifts","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-holiday-planning","tag-holidays","tag-shandy-showers","tag-shopping","tag-turkey","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-wU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6470,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions\/6470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}