Is that spring I smell?

It is 55 degrees here today. That can only mean one thing...it's time to spring clean my house. Argh. Not a task I am looking forward to, but something I know that needs done. I have been mentally compiling a list for the last few weeks, but that list doesn't mean much until it's committed to paper.

And that's what I am avoiding- the commitment of the written list. That's when everything that needs done will just be sitting there staring at me, daring me to cross it off. But oh how I love to cross things off lists. (That should be added to my list of my favorite things.)

As we were walking up to the house this morning we realized that the day lillies are starting to come up and we are reminded that we also have a TON of work to do outside. We bought our house almost 2 years ago and that first summer we did very little in the yard because I was in my first trimester and couldn't be far from the bathroom toilet at any time. Last summer we got a little bit more done out there, but again were limited because we had a newborn who had a keen sense of timing and would wake up anytime we were motivated to get outside.

This year will be different. At least that's what we are telling ourselves right now. The first thoughts of spring make our minds fill with all that we want to do and what we have to do to make our house presentable. And I really want this year to be different. I want to have a clean house inside and out, not because I am trying to impress anybody or anything, but because I want to be a good steward of what God has given us. This is His house and His yard and we haven't take the best care of it of late. I have settled for the bare minimum and the appearance of clean for the last few months and I am tired of it.

So I am going to spend some time this afternoon creating a master TO DO list for both inside and outside the house. And I will laugh in its face each time I cross something off it, knowing that I am honoring the Lord as I work!