Hilarious and Helpful

This book has some great tips on revamping you space and keep it nice. it includes a 30-day challenge with specific steps to enjoy your home more. My favorite chapter is 6 which talks about ways to clear clutter. The author is hilarious and shares lots of personal stories about how she got where she is. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's the perfect type of organization book for someone like me with ADHD who just needs to break down the steps to keep sanity when it comes to house keeping!

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Sappy Narration, When to Clean the Toilet???

Okay for a minister's wife who barely finished high school. Maddening syrupy narration. The author just pratters about the glorified mess and blah blah blah. People attempt cleanliness, food preparation and rest in every sort of enclosure. Period. We study, make appointments, prepare our best and cleanest attire for the next day. We feed kids, kiss husbands -- and life happens. I had a lot of help moving into 378 sq.ft. of HUD housing. The movers piled mountains of boxes in the middle of kitchen and main room area. I had bone china and no toothpaste! And no medicine. I did not know the town. My car broke down going to find medicine. Triple-A took me to the VA medical center after leaving Bianca Buick at an assessment center. The unit was not "turned" properly. Put another way, I met with discolored grout and a kitchen that needed 5 packages of shelf liner to become livable. There were bugs. I still shower in sandals. One year later, the little Steinway piano still needs tuning, and there are boxes in front of a Bernina 930 sewing machine in a cabinet. The dolls are hanging about waiting for their dresses. I got two rolling carts and rolled my clothes into them Marie Kondo style in the single closet/pantry. There's a glorious mixed media madonna and child on the wall over a credenza full of fabric and the beautiful sweaters I never got to wear. My Nana's "Peaceable Kingdom" hangs over the sewing machine. My goals for the next year are to sew a dust ruffle for the twin bed and have the piano tuned. It seems there is no room for anything. Small items that make me smile are being packed up for better days. I think about Native Americans who live beautiful spiritual lives in veritable shacks, I read spiiritual books. I meditate. When I open my eyes, I am always surprised. The Baby Jesus has red hair, a teal color tunic, and little arms extended. I don't "take care" of this house. I constantly clean, sort, donate and repeat. If I ever have visitors, they might be surprised at the two bookcases in the corner behind the bed, jigsaw puzzles and collectible hat boxes up top.

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How you can change the way you do clean.

Not always can you change where you live.
Older people would find it very hard.

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This book is a gift

I purchased this as a Kindle book several years ago on Amazon and loved it so much I went back for the hard copy. I have been waiting for it to become available in an audiobook format so that I could absorb its inspiration even further and am thrilled to have found it here at last! I have to fully (respectfully) disagree with the last reviewer. I am 51 years old, have never been married and have no children and yet this book has been such a gift to me in changing how I view my home and the possibilities therein. I have struggled most all my life with my homemaking skills and abilities. This is the first and only book that has ever truly motivated me at a heart level and that has given me the encouragement and belief that I could have my home be everything that I want it to be. I am not there yet but this book offers an abundance of hope and suggestions and compassion and a friendly "yes you can!" for anyone who needs it, whether they live high on the hill or down in the hollow. I cannot recommend it more highly and would recommend those in doubt to check out the reviews on the amazon.com website that are full of praise and acclimades. A truly wonderful book no matter what your faith or family status.

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6 people found this helpful

Too much on story; lost emphasis on ideas

The best part was the second half. That part was on her ideas;whereas the first half was about the homes they lived in. Therefore it felt disjointed. It over emphasized the story line. Useful insights got lost in whether she liked her homes or not or what part of town she lived in.

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Gendered and Christian specific

Not inclusive whatsoever. Narrow-minded author, could only make it halfway through the book before I had to give up.

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If you are married with family ... probably OK

I was disappointed in this book. If you are a young married woman with kids, I would recommend this book to you. However, for the rest of us, including an older widow like me, this book left me feeling like an outsider. The author is sharing what she knows and she knows her life as a Pastor's wife with a growing family. She tells that part of her story well and I think she has many good thoughts and recommendations. However, Michaels doesn't seem to be able to find language and a sense of inclusiveness to expand beyond her narrow demographic. Too bad, because the core theme of making a home/nest/refuge from a place of sufficiency and creativity is a powerful and deserves "air time."

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4 people found this helpful

GOD The Interior Designer

Less than thirty minutes in and already a handful of references to GOD. Not for me.

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