The Song of the Dandelion Fairy

I thought this poem was fitting for spring! We can all relate, can't we? :)




The Song of the Dandelion Fairy

Here's the Dandelion's rhyme:
See my leaves with tooth-like edges
Blow my clocks to tell the time;
See me flaunting by the hedges,
In the meadow, in the lane,
Gay and naughty in the garden;
Pull me up---I grow again,
Asking neither leave nor pardon.
Sillies, what are you about
With your spades and hoes of iron?
You can never drive me out---
Me, the dauntless Dandelion!

by Cicely Mary Barker
creator of Flower Fairies

Gossip: Part Four

For the past four days I've been blogging about the topic of gossip.

I've referenced Sheri Rose Shepherd's book, Fit for Excellence, and her the three forms of gossip she discusses: "general gossip", "silent gossip" and "godly gossip".

In this final post on gossip, I'd like to list the five questions Shepherd poses to herself before speaking about others (pg. 137):

1. Why am I sharing this information?
2. Will it hurt someone's reputation?
3. Will it benefit the person listening?
4. Am I willing to let others use my name as a reference?
5. If God were visibly present here with us, would we continue?

If we keep these five questions in mind, we'll most likely never say something negative about someone else. Instead, we'll make an effort to say positive things!

Shepherd leaves us with an important thought to remember: if someone will gossip to you, they'll most likely gossip about you (137)! Let's all make a special effort to lift each other up with kind and encouraging words and leave the judging to the only One who is qualified to judge us: the Lord Jesus.

How I Cleaned My Washing Machine

Let me begin this post by saying that I am under no obligation to endorse the Tide name or brand...I just have a really great experience to share! (And, I want to have the following information put in writing somewhere for future reference!)
Believe it or not, even the appliances we use to cleanse things need their own cleansing now and then. I would have thought that idea was a given but I was laughed at recently by a friend who insisted she'd never heard of actually cleaning a washing machine. Go figure.

So, for quite some time now my washing machine has been super stinky. I always had to make sure and get the clean clothes out of it right away before they began to take on that stinky sock smell.

I've scoured the internet looking for ideas. Several websites mentioned different concoctions of vinegar, lemon juice, bleach and more---and I tried all of them that I found---but none seemed to work. I checked with Heloise but her information wasn't much different from what I found online.

The above-mentioned conversation took place in the presence of a third friend who, at the time, informed me that there was an actual product out there called "washing machine cleaner". She encouraged me to look for it at Walmart.

I had been meaning to look for said product for the last several months but kept forgetting. The other day, I decided to check for it online. That's when I discovered Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.

According to the Tide website, our washers get stinked up with all kinds of nasty things like oils from our skin, body and environmental odors, and filthy film from the dirt and grime on our clothes. These things rub along the inside of the washer and then rub onto each load of clothes we wash. The washing machine cleaner is designed to pull up all that nasty stuff, leaving your washer smelling great and free of the smellies.

I finally did go to Walmart and buy a box. It cost me almost $7 and came with three monthly treatments. According to the directions, if one hasn't used the product before then it should be used once a week for three weeks and then every month thereafter. After running a treatment through, I thoroughly scrubbed all surfaces outside the drum with Formula 409 cleaner.

My washer is now sparkling clean and smells so fresh and nice! I think the product was well worth the price and am happy I bought it. The only problem now is the fact that my washer now smells so nice that I don't want to wash anything in it and risk getting it dirty again!