Laundry Room

 

We are talking laundry this week and I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend, Martha!  Whenever someone has a question about laundry, I always think of Martha.  To me, she is the master at laundry and ironing.  Before we visit her in her laundry room, I’ll share a little bit about her.

When I first met Martha, I was probably about 15.  She was the pianist at our church and what an amazing piano player she was and still is.  She does it with grace and beauty.  I love to hear her play.  Her husband was a deacon and they were very kind to my family.  I babysat her son at one time.  He might have been 1 or so.  He is now a pastor of a church and has a family of his own now.  I am feeling older and older as I type this.  Martha also played the piano at my wedding.  Years later, our paths crossed again.  I had always been interested in homeschooling and had never met anyone that was actually doing it.  Well, Martha was in the midst of homeschooling her two children and she took me under her wing and taught me everything possible about homeschooling.  I was greatly blessed to have been mentored by her in homeschooling and the bonus was having her as a dear friend.  Our families went on a couple of vacations together and I have so many fond memories of our friendship.  Many times we sat and visited while she ironed.  She loved to iron and always had a pile of clothes that she was working on.  I hope you enjoy and are inspired by my friend Martha and… her laundry room.

She keeps her items that need washing in the tiered baskets.  The laundry soap is in the metal container on top of the baskets. Martha uses Bio Kleen laundry detergent and her favorite softener sheets are Seventh Generation.  She purchases these items at her local health food store. The shelf to the right of her washer holds all her special treatments that she uses to treat stains.  I told you she was serious!  Don’t you love the picture on the wall in this picture.  I love the way she decorates her house, too.  Maybe she will let us do a house tour of her home, soon.  You will love it!

This is Martha’s tray of stain removers that she keeps in her cabinet over the washer.  I remember seeing these years ago and was intrigued.  I had no idea that you could buy these at the grocery store.  There are treatments for each type of stain that you could ever possibly have.   Are you as impressed as I am?  After Martha treats her stains, she will add Oxi Clean when washing the clothes in her machine.

Martha has always had her sewing machine set up in her laundry room.  She can easily mend items that need mending.  I’ve seen several things that she has sewn over the years, too.  Yes, she can even sew!  When does it end!?

This is Martha’s current mending pile.  I wonder if she would notice if I added a few things of mine to the pile?

This is a picture that has always been in her laundry room.  It’s one of her favorites.  It is a picture of a mom sewing with a little one on her lap.  Such a sweet picture.  It resembles Martha.  She has such a love for her children and grandchildren.  She is very patient and loving.  I’m sure she has sat many times sewing and mending with a child in her lap.

This is where Martha’s amazing skill of ironing takes place.  She loves using a Rowenta iron. She keeps a spray bottle of water and her spray starch close.

The garment that she is ironing is one of her grandaughters dresses.  You would love the way Martha and her family dresses.  Lot’s of tucks, ruffles and little collars.  Maybe we can do a tour of her closet, too.  Okay, I’m teasing on that one…well, I’m sort of teasing.  It would be fun!  If you could see all the little details on so many of the types of clothing that they wear you would be even more amazed at her ironing skills.  Everything looks like it has been professionally pressed.

When Martha finishes ironing a simple t-shirt, it doesn’t have one wrinkle on it.  What is even more amazing to me, is how she folds them when she is finished ironing and do I dare say that she is the master folder, too.  When the folded shirt is ready to be worn, you don’t see one wrinkle.  I know….I don’t understand either.  When I fold a t-shirt, it has a large crease where it was folded and then wrinkles have magically appeared.  So, I hang my t-shirts.  Not Martha, hers are all folded and stacked like you see in a boutique.

 

I love this sign she has hanging by her ironing center.  I will take this moment to tell you that Martha irons her sheets.  Yes…..her sheets and pillow cases.  I don’t know if you are impressed, but I am!  You know when you go to a high end store that sells bed linens and you see  gorgeous sheets folded perfectly and they look crisp and clean?  Well….that is how her linen closet looks.  I don’t share that to make you feel bad, but,  I don’t want to be envious of someones linen closet all alone, so I must share.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Martha’s laundry room. Isn’t it adorable?  It’s a place of order and peace.  Many memories of sitting on a chair watching her iron as we tried to solve the worlds problems.

Martha loves her family and her home and it shows by how she gently cares for each piece of clothing that she irons for each member of her family.  She takes pride in making a home and making it comfortable for all who enter.  You can even go in her laundry room and feel at home.

Thank you Martha for letting us have a peak into your world of laundry!

                                        “She watches over the ways of her household,

                                        And does not eat the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31:27

If you missed the first post of the “Laundry Series,” click here and you can read the first post.

 

Also, I’m having another giveaway!  For all that laundry you are doing… you need a little break!  How about sitting down with a coloring book and just color as your clothes are drying.  I have the perfect coloring book for you.  It is from my artist friend, Debbie Hannah Skinner.

“Fear Fighting Scriptures”  has 31 coloring pages with 31 verses to meditate on as you color!  You will love it.   So, leave a comment and from all the comments this week, your name just may be chosen as the winner of the coloring book at the end of the “Laundry Series.”  I know, right! So fun!!!

This post has been linked with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home