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I'm sitting on the blue and tan stripped couch in my living room, feet propped on the coffee table, typing on Scott's laptop (becausealittleboythatIloveverymuchspilledcoffeeonmy
keyboardandfriedmyspacebar) contemplating whether I've been a success at the one task I resolved to conquer last year.

On the loveseat across from me lies a pink, yellow, and green baby blanket that my mom and I made this summer for my newest niece Reilly who is about to celebrate her one year birthday. A bit of procrastination, but that's beside the point because it doesn't play into the success of my mono-task. The rest of the room is surprisingly clean. The table by the front door has all its decorations in place with just one mismatched item- a blue water bottle.

My kitchen is clean. Of course, I emptied the dishwasher and washed the hot-chipped-beef-dip dish and a big yellow bowl that once held puppy-chow (rice chex covered with chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar) right before I sat down on the couch so I would be able to say that.

The boys just put away the laundry that was folded and sorted on the couch. The hallway has no stray shoes, or toys, or school papers strewn around- only a load of towels peeking out of the laundry room door.

The boys' bathroom is not spic-and-span. (That reality only exists for the 5 minutes immediately following a thorough cleaning.) But, there is only one dirty towel in the floor and the counter is clear of miscellaneous stuff and appears clean to the naked eye.

My bed is made. There are no dirty clothes scattered around. The top of my dresser is empty of stacked clothes and laundry baskets. There are dirty towels in the floor of my bathroom- but they are at least neatly piled in one spot awaiting their turn in the washing machine.

My house looks better than it has looked in a while, largely due to the fact that we've had the week off. The kitchen floor could stand to be mopped, my shower needs to be cleaned, but everyone's closet is organized and all dresser drawers are neat and tidy. My house looks good today, but I can't say that has been the case for 21 days in a row. I'm not even sure if that has been the case for even 7 days in a row.

I've failed miserably. That's my initial ruling on the success of my mono-tasking resolution to become a good housekeeper this year.

I was sitting in the kitchen on Christmas Day telling this to my sister.

"I haven't gotten better at aaaulll!" I said with a desperate sort of drag in my voice.

"Yes you have." The brightness in Michelle's voice caught me off guard. This wasn't the response I was expecting.

She continued with a story. "When we lived close to you guys in Rocklin, there were days that I walked over with the babies to see you and left all this unfinished work at my house. But your house was always such a mess, that when I got home, my house seemed miraculously clean. Of course, that was before my kids all started moving around. But, you have gotten much better."

To you that might not sound like a compliment. But it made me feel like Oprah Winfrey after running her first marathon or whatever the lady's name is who swam the English Channel. I got better this year!! I made progress! I moved forward, even if it was at a centipede's pace.

Philippians 1:6 gives me hope too: "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

So now that I'm Martha, I mean, now that I'm better at housekeeping, it's on to picking my mono-task for 2005.

The list of potential improvements is so long, I might have a hard time choosing…..

(Newcomers to 'Girl Meets God' might want to read "One Thing Well" from January 4,2004 in the archives.)

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The First Sin