I Will Survive

you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive, 1978

My dear friend, Linda, created my theme song for the next three weeks and she didn't even know it! It will be my mantra - I will survive, I will survive. In my mind, I sound a lot like Natalie Wood when she repeats her mantra about believing, even though she thinks it's silly. (Name that movie and you win bragging rights). Actually, instead of relying on Miss Gloria, maybe I should repeat this mantra:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13, NKJV

I know of so many people who are moving right now - this month. In fact, my Sunday school teachers are closing on their house at the end of this month and like my friend, Linda, are leaving a house they've been in for a long time. They have two children about my age and they moved into the house in their 20s. I'd say they've lived there just about 30 years. (Imagine how much they have to pack, Linda, after 30 years!)

But knowing that there are a handful of people who are moving does not alleviate my stress of moving my family. I look around and think, There's not so much to do. I just need to box some things up and then I'll be done.

Oh how naive I am! I just got finished cleaning out from under my stove and refrigerator. (And let me tell you, nothing puts a mirror in front of your face about your housekeeping skills than the balls of fur, various toys, and who-knows-what which appear under your appliances when you decide to move them.) I am so glad that no one was here to see my mess. I would be horrified. But no one is here so I'm just stressed. To the max. And it's just this one room.

The rest of my house, while not spotless, is no where near the freak fest that my kitchen is. Why is that? Is it because I spend most of the time in there or because there's food in there? Whatever it is, it's messy and it's overwhelming.

Who else has a vine growing up their wall behind their refrigerator? I do! Now, I'm pretty sure that this has nothing to do with my housekeeping abilities, but rather paints a true picture of how uninsulated this house really is. But a vine? Come on! Oh, and did I mention it's stuck it's little buds onto my wall? It has. I tried to scrub it off with my mop while I was mopping under the refrigerator and it won't come off! (How is this going to affect my security deposit? First the stain on the shower wall and now this.)

While I was looking behind my stove, sweeping and mopping (and throwing away toys that hadn't been played with for months), I looked closely at my walls. Oh. My. Goodness. What is that?!?! It looks disgusting. It looks like someone took some maple syrup and dripped it down my walls. (Which, in this house, probably isn't much of a stretch).

So, in my kitchen, I'll have to do the regular cleaning - wiping down counters, cabinets, sweeping and mopping - as well as scraping vine buds off my wall and cleaning up stickiness behind my stove!

Lord, help me.

Please tell me that everyone has these problems. Well, I suppose the vine deal is all mine...but the mysterious stickies? Someone out there has that, right? Right?!?!

Well, regardless. It's back to work. And with weird messes like this, I'll be cleaning my kitchen for the next three weeks!

BTW, I still haven't gotten the stain off my shower wall. I could really use some help, ladies. Although, I was on the Lowe's website and found the 5-piece set that my landlords bought and it's not very expensive. But it's the principle of the matter, ya know?

Did anyone find my goody I posted about yesterday? I'll give you one hint: look at the whole page on the main website - www.womenwithin.blogspot.com.

Oh, and if anyone wants to come help me, I'll let you. I'll just have to blind fold you first!