Suzy Homemaker is A Figment of the Imagination

Clearly she did not have four children,

or two dogs,

or a husband who works 80 hour work weeks.

Clearly she had no life outside of the home.

Clearly she had too much time on her hands....

I'm cleaning today...again.

It's never ending,

and somehow I need to find a way to enjoy it.

But I don't.

Aren't I little merry sunshine?

I haven't seen her lately either.

I need this ground to dry for the annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday.

The clock is ticking, and the yard needs a final clean-up.

Blah,

julie

I Know I'm Not Practical

I'm reminded of that fact daily by either my husband or my children.

I did a little cleaning Sunday afternoon...

For me, cleaning is when I make things pretty,

and most of the time,

the end product is completely impractical, but usually free.

For me, personal touches and happiness trumps practicality.

Case in point, my new and improved sweets and hot drinks cabinet.

Our kitchen cabinets are original to 1968.

They insides have been painted several times.

I attached pages of a 1975 church cookbook to the inside.

The names are dear to me, as many of the ladies have passed away.

I seldom make these recipes, so found it more useful to have it here,

where I could enjoy it...

A little cocoa and cream station.

The kids are digging the keurig hot water dispenser...and cocoa is flowing.

The "0" container is from Anthropologie.

Inside is my zero calorie sugar. :)

Coffee pods for the coffee maker...

Labelled containers and reorganized...

Vintage ric-rac that I had attached to the shelves with a glue gun...
"New" basket from a dear friend holding baking supplies.

Old wooden spoon and gingerbread man from my Grandma Izzy.

I wish I had taken a before.

It was a disaster.

Feels good to have something in the kitchen that makes my heart sing a bit!

-julie

Today

Sometimes the quiet of our house from 9-3:30 is deafening.

On other days I embrace it.

Today is one of those days.

My list is long...

Most of it involves restoring order to our home.

The laundry.

The dust.

The odds and ends here and there.

I'm rereading this....

The problem?

I need to throw out more than fifty things. :)

And just picked up these two books at the library...

I know that my seasonal clock interferes with my activity.

I know that my creative side interferes with my ability to focus.

I know that I need to accept both of these facts...

and make cleaning and household chores creative and inspiring.

So...today I'm thinking outside the box.

I'm cranking the tunes (I Gotta Feeling on Pandora)

I'm cleaning like I'm staging my home.

I'm going to make something....

And I'm going to take to heart the wisdom of this bird.

-julie

Apologies to My Future In-Laws

That would be my possible future daughter-in law and son-in laws.

I've been working hard to train your spouses on the art of picking up after themselves.

They are failing.

Miserably.

By the time you meet them,

it is my hope that they will know how to...

put their shoes in the shoe cabinet or boot tray,

put their coat away,

clean off the counter,

pick up their wrappers,

put away their personal belongings,

cook an amazing meal,

and many, many, other necessary life skills.

It is the dead of Winter here in IL in Feb. of 2011,

and I am trying to train them daily.

I am tired.

I am concerned for their potential future spouses.

Know that I will continue to work to help them be independent,

compassionate,

loving,

caring,

individuals.

Please be patient with them.

By the time they meet you,

I hope they will no longer be slobs.

-signed,

Your Future Mother In-Law

My Word of the Year

...Came to me on Sunday,

after I cleaned the kitchen so I could ichat with my sister.

Yes,

I cleaned so I could ichat.

Yes,

I cleaned only the area directly behind the computer,

so she would have the appearance of a clean kitchen.

Yes,

I moved it all to the counter outside of her viewing area.

Perfect right?

Nope, pathetic.

Yes,

my word of the year is....

Clean.

A few definitions from the web...

• free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits; "children with clean shining faces"; "clean white shirts"; "clean dishes"; "a spotlessly clean house"; "cats are clean animals"
• free of restrictions or qualifications; "a clean bill of health"; "a clear winner"
• (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims; "efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings"; "clear laughter like a waterfall"; "clear reds and blues"; "a light lilting voice like a silver bell"
• (of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense; "a clean voting record"; "a clean driver's license"
• ritually clean or pure
• not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination; "a clean fuel"; "cleaner and more efficient engines"; "the tactical bomb is reasonably clean"
• (of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers; "good clean fun"; "a clean joke"
• make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth"
• uninfected: free from sepsis or infection; "a clean (or uninfected) wound"
• morally pure; "led a clean life"
• houseclean: clean and tidy up the house; "She housecleans every week"
• (of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections; "fair copy"; "a clean manuscript"
• cleanse: clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; "clean up before you see your grandparents"; "clean your fingernails before dinner"
• blank: (of a surface) not written or printed on; "blank pages"; "fill in the blank spaces"; "a clean page"; "wide white margins"
• be cleanable; "This stove cleans easily"

It's perfect for my family of six with two dogs.

...And I may be the only one to have chosen it!

In honor of this word, I have a fabulous giveaway...

Your very own copy of....

Leave me a comment with your best cleaning tip.

I'll pick a winner on Friday morning.

-julie

The Fix It Job

Sorry to leave you all hanging on the bad hair job.

The day after two dear friends saw it in person, and said,

"You have to go back to the colorist."

Hmm...and I only thought I needed to go back to a new stylist.

And...

I washed it.

What a difference that made.

The crazy red streaks toned down considerably.

A week later I love it.

The cut?

"Nothing that can't be fixed with another 8 weeks," to quote my stylist.

Lovely.

It's not lop-sided anymore.

The back is still a little goofy,

and the front is a little fringy and weird,

but....

she'd have to cut more off to make that disappear.

So...

I'll wait another 8 weeks and it will all be good.

Thanks Izzy for the pic,

and letting me borrow your spelling words.

As for the 8 weeks,

I have plenty of things to do.

There are always dishes.

Always stacks of paper.

And always a counter that needs to be cleared.

-julie

Cleaning Again

Found this little gem at a recent garage sale....

made for a perfect little cleaning project with the girls,

who lost interest after about 5 minutes of sorting.

Oh well,

I had fun.

Much more fun than cleaning the toilet or washing a sink full of dishes....

Still organized, useful, and it makes me smile!

-Julie