Resourcefulness: Eradicating Mold

I wrote the story below on Tuesday. I emailed it to a handful of close friends because, at first, I was hesitant to post it here. I guess I was afraid that you would think less of my hygiene/cleaning habits or something. But I've decided to not worry about that. So, without further ado, here's Tuesday's story...

So...I've got a story for you all. My planned day of laundry, cleaning, etc hasn't exactly gone as I had expected. I changed the sheets on our bed today....well, actually I should say I STARTED changing the sheets on the bed. I took the sheets off, and the mattress pads/covers too - I figured I'd be thorough today. And since I was being thorough, I decided to flip/rotate the mattresses (our bed is king-sized, but what they do in Europe is put two twin mattresses together). So I flipped my mattress over and was greeted by little black spots....hmmm....mildew/mold. Hmmmm....I don't think I've had this problem before (at least not on the mattresses...German houses aren't ventilated like American ones, so mold on the walls can be a problem if you don't open the windows for a bit each day to let fresh air in). Weird. But I can't just leave it. I then flipped Mike's mattress over, and there were a few black spots, although not as many as on mine. My mattress is actually a foam mattress with this cloth cover thing on it. So, I eventually figured out how to unzip it (there was a label sticker covering part of it) and threw the cover in the washing machine with bleach.

Meanwhile, I googled "how to get mildew out of a mattress" - sunshine is key - they recommend taking the mattress outside for a few days - to dry it out, and because the UV rays in the sunshine kill the mold. Hmmmm....I understand the concept, but I'm sure you can understand that dragging my mattress outside is not exactly feasible (being in an upstairs apartment without access to a yard, etc) , plus I'd kind of like to sleep tonight (yeah - how I'm going to get everything clean and dry - we don't have a dryer - and put back together by bedtime, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll have to come up with a Plan B....) White vinegar is my new favorite thing to clean with - especially on soap scum. And especially because the white vinegar here is actually four times stronger (or something like that) than the stuff in the US. Some of the websites mentioned bleach and vinegar. I decided to start with vinegar, because I'd rather deal with the smell of vinegar than bleach. The vinegar started the job (there was a bit of black spots on the foam part of my mattress - oh and Mike's mattress is a "real" mattress), but I wasn't satisfied that the mold was eradicated.

Meanwhile, I went downstairs (well, an hour and a half later...German washing machines take longer than American ones. It's because the machine heats the water up, they use less water, etc.) to retrieve the mattress cover thing from the washing machine. I was disheartened when I examined it and realized that it appeared no different than when I first put it in the washing machine. I quickly decided that putting it through another cycle would not do any good. So I brought it upstairs and decided to bring out the SUPERPOWER - bleach! I decided (thanks to my earlier Google searching) that a spray bottle was the best way to "apply" the bleach. For some unknown reason (well, actually, I know the reason - "they were here when I moved in," but that's a different story for another time:), there are two bottles of glass cleaner in my cleaning supplies cupboard. So I combined the two into one, and then proceeded to fill the now-empty spray bottle with bleach and water (about half and half). Feeling mighty powerful and laughing with an evil laugh at the mildew, I proceeded to thoroughly spray the mattress cover with my new secret power. Then, I hung the mattress cover out the bedroom window (we don't have screens here, and the windows are on hinges, unlike most/some in the US) where it is currently being bathed in direct afternoon sunlight. (Note: Hanging bedding out one's window is perfectly culturally acceptable here. Granted, I think I usually see it done in the morning, but oh well.)

I then got the rest of the mold off the mattresses with my bottle o'bleach. I'll take a hair dryer to them in a bit (Mr. Google's suggested sunshine alternative). I'm thinking that I should now wash the pillows, but they definitely won't dry in a day... so I'll save that project for another day. (Might have to see if I can take them to one of the dorms and dry them in a dryer there...) Oh, and then I took a faithful Sharpie and wrote "BLEACH" all over my bottle o'secret power, lest the hubs mistakenly thinks it is glass cleaner. :)

I really hope that this story is as amusing to you as it has been to me today.

Resourcefully yours,
K.

PS - The end of the story: The mold is gone, and my Amazing Hubs helped me put everything back together that evening. Making sure things were dry involved an iron and a hair dryer (until I overheated it, but no worries - it eventually recovered:)

Sounds of a Monday Morning

It's a gray, sleepy Monday morning. I am struggling to get myself fully awake and alert. Why is it that changing the clocks one hour can feel so significant to us? Especially to those of us who are used to flying over multiple time zones? (Granted, do we ever get "used" to it?)

As I lie in bed, slowly waking up, I'm comforted by the familiar sounds of a Monday morning:
*The garbage truck making its rounds
*The birds chirping and singing their morning songs
*The heat is on, warming the apartment. (Yes, we have had some gorgeous spring-like weather recently, but the nights are still cold.)

Gratitude Journal #34

What I'm thankful for:
*our comfortable home
*warm sweaters
*hot beverages
*Friday mornings spent with 2nd graders - they're good for the soul :)
*I found black beans in chili sauce at the grocery store today (black beans are a bit harder to find here, and I LOVE them) to go with our taco salad for supper
*We're going to the Middle School play - "The Mouse That Roared" - tonight
*Tomorrow we're going to celebrate J & P's wedding...J is a former English Camper turned staff...she was my intern in the summer of 2009. (Well, technically, "our" intern, but she was a huge help and encouragement to me personally)
*Flexibility in my schedule
*All of the opportunities I have been blessed with
*All of the friends I have been blessed with

What I want:
*A snack and coffee...I'm a bit hungry and a bit cold
*To relax for a bit on this gray afternoon, before a busy weekend
*to learn what God wants to teach me
*to wrap up this Children's EFL curriculum project quickly and without too much blood, sweat, and tears (ok...maybe there hasn't been any blood, but there has been sweat and tears)
*for molehills to not feel like mountains to me
*to talk to my sister...our schedules have not "jived" recently
*to follow God and seek Him above all else...it is so easy to let the things of life cloud my vision of Him

Gratitude Journal #33

What I'm thankful for:
*The Swiss Alps - their beauty, that they are evidence of God's majesty and handiwork, and for a sunny weekend spent in the midst of them
*for a wonderful high school retreat this weekend - for Truth that spoke to and encouraged my heart. For the way the students were challenged and opened up. For the work that God did.
*for some good honest conversations with some fellow adults on retreat
*for God's grace, and the FREEDOM it gives ("There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus)
*for my amazing husband, the way that he takes care of me, and is so patient with me

What I want:
*to finish this children's EFL lesson that I've been working on
*to live in the freedom that God's grace gives ("and the Truth shall set you free")
*to keep a proper/healthy perspective on things

Gratitude Journal #32

What I'm thankful for:
*the promise that spring is coming, and for beautiful sunshine and a cloudless blue sky (for the second day in a row!)...I'm wondering this: is the old adage, "In like a lamb, out like a lion" true for the month of March in Germany? :)
*the lovely Christmas cards we received this year ...Because spring is coming, the hubs has said that it is time to take them down...so I did.. But they have been a lovely reminder of the people we love (and who love us - thank you!)
*that family and friends are patient with my lapses in communication
*for what God is teaching me
*for 14 months (as of yesterday:) of marriage (some friends of ours here - a dear couple who recently clung to God during their second battle with cancer...the first was nearly 30 years ago - encouraged us to celebrate the "monthiversaries" - not for sappiness's sake, per se, but as a way to remember to thank God for each other every day)
*for progress I have made on my part of a Children's EFL curriculum project
*for the opportunity to go on BFA's high school retreat this weekend (March 4-6)

What I want:
*for mental energy and clarity to be able to finish/"polish" my part of a Children's EFL curriculum project that I'm working on. It is "rough" and needs to be smoothed out, streamlined, etc.
*for good connections to be built/strengthened with students at high school retreat this weekend, and to have the energy I need for that
*to go for a walk
*to honor God in all that I do

Gratitude Journal #31

What I'm thankful for:
*homemade pasta (My amazing hubs made dinner last night. If I had made it, it would have included store bought pasta. But Mike made lovely homemade pasta....and this amazing chicken parmesan)
*my sister
*sleep
*coffee
*less-scheduled days
*chocolate, baked goods, etc (yes, I love my carbs!)

What I want:
*to finish this Children's EFL lesson that I'm working on quickly and easily.
*to get some things mailed out today or tomorrow
*To be more on top of things...or rather, to be content knowing that I accomplished what I could, today, and every day
*to remember that I live for an audience of One
*to know God more and deeper

Out of my control

I'm an oldest child. A recovering perfectionist. An independent person. Due to these, and other, factors, I like control. This is hard to admit, because after all, who wants to admit that they are a control freak?

A good Christian is supposed to trust God and leave it all in His hands, right? Isn't that so much easier said than done? As my friend Julie once said, "I put it in God's hands, but I like to keep my pinky on it."

Being married is a huge blessing, but it definitely sands off your rough edges. MY rough edges. Getting married has helped me to see how much I can be a "control freak" - sometimes with little things that don't really matter.

As much as I would sometimes like to control all of the details of my life, I know that I can't. And I'm thankful that I can't, because God's plans truly are better than mine - bumps, mountains, valleys, and all.

Really, it is all a matter of perspective and attitude. What's that adage? - "You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle a rainy day, lost luggage, and...some other situation." Well, God gave me a good reminder a few weeks ago. He reminded me that I am NOT in control. The adage for that week was, "You can tell a lot about Kari by how she handles a cold, a gray hair, and a dead computer power cord."

These three things were out of my control. I haven't had a cold in a very long time, which was something I was rather enjoying. Then, a few weeks ago, a cold struck from out of nowhere. I was frustrated. The congestion. The nagging cough. No one likes it. The truth is, as much as you take care of yourself, sometimes you're still going to get sick. I am not ultimately in control of my immune system.

The second thing I am not in control of is when my hair turns gray. I found my first gray hair in the summer of 2009. (It is taped in my journal for posterity's sake.:) I was a bit frustrated by it. Twenty-seven at the time, I didn't think it was fair that my hair was turning gray when I barely looked eighteen. I hadn't seen another one since. I was hoping it was a fluke. My reaction was much the same when I spotted another unmistakably gray hair a few weeks ago. For the rest of that day, I was paranoid every time I glanced in the mirror, thinking I had spotted another gray hair. I guess I was hoping to not have gray hair until at least my forties, but maybe that wasn't a realistic expectation. And again, I realized it's a matter of perspective. After all, I have friends and family members who have gone prematurely gray. I found one gray hair, which is buried in a mass of curly dark brown hairs. Another gray hair here and there over the next few years is not something to lose sleep over.

The third thing that I could not control that week was that my laptop's power cord gave up the ghost. Again, no warning. All of a sudden, it just no longer worked. Thankfully, it was still covered under warranty, but of course it wasn't that simple to replace. I'll spare you the gory details, but after multiple phone calls to (a certain company)'s representatives in two countries and visiting a third, followed by more phone calls, a new power cord was mailed to me. And thanks to amazingly speedy German delivery, a new power cord was in my hands the next day (at no monetary cost to me - just my time and phone bill).

All this to say, I was reminded that week that there are many things in life that I cannot control. It's better to roll with the punches and remember what I have to be thankful for, instead of grumbling and being frustrated. As my Mom says, "Look for the blessing, not the burden."