Spring Cleaning: Closing Thoughts

I know it seems like we've talked about cleaning forever! So, this is it. After today, I promise to give you a nice long break before bringing it up again!

I am so proud of all of you who cleaned! There were at least 60 entries in the drawing and I am so encouraged by all of you and your hard work! Not to mention, that it encouraged me to get my home cleaned!

Now how can we keep them clean? I have tried assigning various chores throughout the year and I usually just put them off and they never get done until this once-a-year thing comes around. I recently saw this chart in a Real Simple newsletter and I'm going to attempt to modify it to fit my needs and see if it will help me to keep up on some of these things so they don't get so out of control ~ and really to not mean one HUGE cleaning spree every spring. We'll see - otherwise, we'll be back here next March doing a big cleaning blitz again! hee hee

So, the moment you've all been waiting for...who will win the prize?

Here are all the entries:

Last night after dinner, I had David draw one name and it is:

Congratulations, Jenn! Please e-mail me with your address, so I can send your box of goodies!

I so wish I could send each of you a prize box! You have all worked so hard and told me of all the wonderful cleaning you did!

So, I created a special prize for EVERYONE! I have created an Easter and Spring craft that you can download from here and/or have me e-mail to you. (I am not up on all the technology to do this, so I sincerely hope it works!) But, if you have any trouble downloading the pages, please just e-mail me and I will e-mail you a copy as this would really probably be easiest and most like the crafts you see in the photos.

Several years ago, I acquired this book that had belonged to a previous generation of our family! Mine is not in this good of shape and this looks to be a slightly different edition, but you get the idea. I loved the lettering that started each paragraph and I was inspired by a link my sweet friend, Amy, sent me to the Curious Sofa blog. Especially check out what she did with old book pages and the spring sign! I wish I could pop into this shop for a visit!

This banner says, "Happy Easter" and I love it's simplicity and lack of commercialism like so many Eastery things have now. Something in the old lettering, seems reverent of the holiday and worthy of being hung in our home. I hope you enjoy it too! All you have to do is click here to download the letters, print them off on paper of your choice (I used a robin's egg blue parchment paper), punch little holes and thread with twine, string or ribbon. Hang and enjoy! (I'm sorry this was so hard to photograph!)

A second craft I came up with is this:

I decorated empty baby food jars with ribbon, fabric scraps and little wooden cutouts. Then I filled them with a bit of soil and some wheat grass berries - the grass grew up over my signs in just a few days. I need to mow! These spell out "Happy Spring" and are not in the download above - but I can e-mail you this one if you're interested. I cut out each letter and taped it to a wooden skewer (having broken the skewers at differing heights) and poked the skewers down into the soil. What says "spring" more than something living?!

Again, you all did a wonderful job and I hope you are encouraged! I know that I am!