The Making of: HOME

'She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her.' Proverbs 31:27-28 (NLT)

The Virtuous Woman that God so clearly describes, has several qualities that set her apart from the rest. One being her care for her home and her family. She 'carefully' looks after them and in return she is praised.

Unfortunately, many women have despised the importance of taking care of their home. They think it's something that bored housewives do, and that people with busy schedules just can't possibly be expected to do such a thing. Besides all they do is sleep there, so why bother?!
These women might as well move into a hotel. At least they would have room service and their beds would be made every morning.


Now, if you are reading this post and you are this woman who treats your house as a hotel BUT are willing to change, then please read on. If not, then STOP right here because reading this won't help. 


So as I was saying, we all have houses but not all of us have homes. Home is meant to be a haven, your corner of the world. It's the place you have power over and you can decided what goes and what doesn't. It's where you and your family can relax and regain strength for the next day.


No matter how busy I am, I always find time to invest in my home. It brings me joy to see my house in order and to know that everything has my touch. Just as God put his touch on everything he created, so we must be. 


If you are on a tight budget as most women are, that is still not a reason to compromise your home.


Here is what I do to make my house a home without draining my bank account (so my husband will 'praise' me as promised):

1.  Make a list of everything you want to get for your home. Include things that have worn out and need to be replaced, especially in your kitchen.
2. If you live with other families agree to a budget you can all stick to every month to get the items on the list. That will help you get things quicker.
3. Choose a color scheme for each room and work with that. Having the same color through out the house gets tiring quickly. Of course, choose colors that work well together so you don't end up with a rainbow. 
4. Other than cleaning your house every couple of days (or as needed) and spring cleaning it once a week, invest in a fragrance that will set the mood for each room and give it a fresh feel. Wall Flowers from Bath and Body Works are my favorite, but you can also choose from plug-ins or scented candles available at your local supermarket. These usually last a couple of months.
5. Make it a point to get the whole family to sit at the table for meals when home. Avoid having dinner on the sofa or while watching TV. Dinner time is family time. If it's just you and your husband, then breakfast in bed is something you can do occasionally for a special treat; if you enjoy that of course. 

Continue reading →

THE DIRTY TRUTH

I have come to realize that people tend to hide things in those "not so visible" places. You walk in to someone's house, everything LOOKS clean, but then you start looking behind the sofa, in the cabinets and drawers, in the closet, and what you find is the DIRTY TRUTH...

I want to focus on closets for today, so I found a picture that can illustrate my point a bit better. I mean, I'm sure there are worse situations than the one below, but I don't want to scandalize those of us who are sensitive to these images.

So here is a closet. It's a mess. I'm sure that it takes a lot longer for this person to find an outfit every morning since nothing has a place or an order. This also says a lot about the person; disorganized, clueless, doesn't care or love herself, and these just name a few.

If this is what your closet or any other area in your house/work/car represents, so it's time for you to have a reality check and start changing things. Here are a few tips:

• Develop an organizing system. Each shelf or area should be designated to contain specific items.This means, that everything should have a place and whenever it's out of place, you put it back in place.
• Thin out unused items. Many closets contain a lot of clothing or apparel items that simply are not used anymore. Sort through the contents of your closet regularly to remove unnecessary items.
• Add shelving or clear storage containers. Just by adding the appropriate shelving, cluttered closets quickly become manageable again. 
• Use clear containers, labeled with its contents. This makes it easy to see what is inside each container and helps make the closet more usable.

You don't have to spend a fortune to do this. Most major supermarkets with a "HOME" department, should have shelving and rods to supply your needs. In countries that have the IKEA store, try them. They sell great organizing solutions at low prices. The picture below resembles a well organized closet. Notice that everything has a place and an order in which it is stored. 

Give your closet a life. You won't regret it!

Continue reading →

Getting More 4 Less

Isn't that what everyone wants, to get more for less? Well, guess what? You can!

Today I realized how so many people do so much yet so little at the same time.
Q: Why?
A: Because they use the wrong tools.

I mean, this principle can apply to pretty much anything in our lives, but I want to focus on how this applies at home.

For some women this is old news. They are up to date with all the latest ways and ideas to get things done faster and get there homes organized with simple solutions. To others, when you talk about cleaning or organizing their home they remember how they spend hours and hours doing that and not much changes. Well, here's the deal - you need to use the right stuff to get things done effectively.

So, let's say that you decided to get your home cleaned and organized today. How do you start?

1. Wash your sheets and towels in warm or hot water (read label). Add enough detergent, stain remover (if necessary) and softener. While that gets done move onto step 2.

2. If you have accumulated alot of things over time, you should start by getting rid of what you don't need. Throw away unnecessary papers, magazines, expired products, etc and give away the things you don't use such as clothes, body care, dishes, decor, etc. Wipe the cabinets or areas where these things had been kept with a damp cloth and alcohol to get rid of any dust or dirt. Reorganize that space with the things you actually need, in a way that they are easy to reach. Buy storage boxes or drawer dividers if needed to organize things better.

3. Don't keep a lot of furniture or decor if you live in a small place. It takes a lot longer to clean and always looks cluttered. Try reorganizing everything with the things you like and need the most and get the rest out. Your space will feel much lighter and cleaner just by doing that.

4. When cleaning, check if the products you're using are the best for the job. Example: if you are cleaning the kitchen cabinets or surfaces, you know that a lot of grease accumulates there, so don't just wipe it with a damp cloth or a product that won't cut through the grease. You need to use hot water and a degreaser to cut your cleaning time in half and make it effective. In the US there is a product called "greased lightning", it gets rid of virtually any mess in your kitchen. I love it!

5. When cleaning your floors, make sure you use hot water for a cleaner floor and quicker drying time. Mops usually hold a lot of dirt and bacteria. Try using a disposable floor cleaning cloth or one that can easily be washed in the washer with hot water. I prefer using the "swifter" which can be found in the UK and US. They have dry cloths which attach onto the end to trap all the dust, hair and dirt. While the wet ones remove dirt and grease, leaving a fresh scent behind. If your floors are grimy, you may want to scrub them with a broom, hot water and degreaser. Then you can wipe it clean with the "swifter".

6. The bathroom must be cleaned with an anti-bacterial product. Ensure you clean all the surfaces that bacteria may get to and preferably use a disposable cloth to avoid transfer of bacteria.

7. Empty out your trash cans daily and open your curtains or blinds every morning to give your home a fresh clean feel. This really makes a big difference.

8. Leave all the bedroom doors open to allow light through to the whole house and for the air to circulate.

Obs: you can get your washing done between these steps, so at the end all you have left to do is iron.

I will post more ideas on how to clean and organize your homes and offices better in the blogs to come.

Continue reading →

Out with the OLD - in with the NEW

This week has been one of the best in my life. I've just moved to a new part of town, so I'm working with different people, living with different wives and certainly gaining experience. I am very happy and thank God for such opportunity.


I've also been paying closer attention to the influences women have in the world. How we can influence those around us for good or evil. Based on this thought, I would like to share with you a tip I've learned that will influence those around you positively and also be a blessing in your own life.


Tip of the week: starting at home, create a schedule for yourself involving those you live with. Perhaps you could arrange to sit down with them all and work out a schedule that will work for everyone. Make sure you include the following duties:


1. Cooking
2. Cleaning
3. Grocery shopping
4. Laundry (washing and ironing)


Agree to a menu for the week that everyone will enjoy. Create your shopping list according to your menu. Change menu's every week so you don't get tired of eating the same food. Be creative with this. Google has thousands of new recipes and dishes you can try. I have been doing this and my family really appreciates it.


You don't need to be a pro to do this well. All you need is the will to make it work and give it your best. I learned this when I started doing it everyday. Today, it's second nature to me, but in the beginning I found it hard to be creative at home and especially in the kitchen.


Soon I'll post some things I've tried that have helped me so you can try them too.


If you live alone follow this tip all the same, so when you become a wife you will have mastered this part and will only need to adapt to the rest. It really helps!

Continue reading →

Introduction: My Life

Hi, my name is Andreia. I am 21 years old and currently living in Houston, Texas. I grew up a pastor’s daughter moving from city to city and from country to country. Though my childhood was quite different from most people, I don't regret one bit of it. So much so that I decided to follow that same path myself and married my first boyfriend, who happens to be a pastor as well. Getting married was a dream come true for me but I knew being a wife wasn't going to be easy.

My mother was and is a great wife and I admire her to this day. I believe many of the things I practice today I learned from her, but a lot of things also came with time by learning from others who are good examples around me. I believe the secret to being a good wife in this modern world we live in, is to have a purpose, remain focused on achieving it and most importantly have a solid relationship with the One who created us in the first place. He is the One who will give you all the dos and don'ts from day to day to getting where you want to be.

I have decided to start this blog to help women of all ages who want to be better than what they have been at home. You don't need to be married to benefit from it. As a matter of fact, the sooner you begin practicing some of the tips I will share, the better it will be for you. I want to share with you through this blog a few things I practice which I have learned and they really help me, but at the same time I also want to learn new things from you, that I can then share with everyone else. Sometimes all we need is just a little advice, an idea or simply a bit of support, so that's what we'll do.

Feel free to leave comments with suggestions, or just to say what mostly helped you so I can keep improving. I am new at this so your comments will definitely be greatly appreciated. I plan to leave a message here once a week from now on. Perhaps in the future I'll leave one more often.

Continue reading →