parsonage – Salvaged Faith

I am not a housekeeper.

I never have been.

I didn’t learn how to growing up.

I don’t have time to now.

I can do the basics like vacuuming and dusting and countertops and windows.

But to make it a daily/weekly habit is something far beyond my grasp.

It’s not just that I do not have a set routine for doing it… it is that my very being doesn’t work that way =)

So things like parsonage inspections get me all whipped up in a tizzy.

There are very good reasons for having these sorts of things. It is an opportunity for the people who actually own the house to come out and make sure that their property is being taken care of. It is an opportunity to figure out what needs general maintenence and repair (like our roof currently does). It is an opportunity for my husband and I as the residents to point out things that need some attention by physically showing what the problem is.

But at times, it feels like another opportunity for the pastor to be in the fishbowl with all eyes upon me.

I hope that people don’t take it as an opportunity to check out all of our hand me down college furniture.

I hope that people don’t take it as an opportunity to point out all of the yard work that needs to be done (when during VBS week and following a weekend with a wedding am I supposed to find time to weed?)

And what I sincerly hope it is not is an opportunity to critique my housekeeping skills.

You see, I have big dreams. Some day when I pay off my student loans, I’m putting that money towards a montly deep cleaning by a professional.

But today? My husband and I both work. We both have loans. We both enjoy doing things besides housework like disc golf and computers and movies.

We do the best we can for right now with what we’ve got.

The floor doesn’t shine, but it has been swept and swiffered.

The windows haven’t been cleaned inside and out, but a few of them were done properly.

The carpets were vacuumed… although those high traffic areas always look a little dingy no matter how many times we go over them.

In fact… thinking of those high traffic areas got me thinking about the changes I would make to the parsonage if it were my actual house.

I’ve started compiling them as suggestions if changes are ever made and they need input from someone who has actually lived in the space:

Do NOT carpet the bathroom. Our master bath currently has carpet and with the humidity it always seems a little dingy. Bad idea.
Do NOT carpet entryways. The lower level of our house has an entrance from the garage and one that goes to the backyard. No matter the placement of doormats, these are high traffic areas that get a lot of action from shoes that have been outside. I would suggest that at the very least the garage entry way be tile/wood… something easy to sweep and mop so all that dirt doesn’t dig down into the carpet.
update countertops with something that will not soak in stains. Kool-aid and off white laminate countertops make pink countertops. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does wonders, but it also kind of takes the finish off. We don’t need granite… but if you have people in a home with children (or messy cooks) something durable and easy to clean is best.

For now, I’m hoping for one part grace, two parts blind eyes, and three measures of hard work to get the needed repairs done. =)