pay careful attention to the ears . . . .
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Descent into Chaos
Guess what is happening at my house????
pay careful attention to the ears . . . .
pay careful attention to the ears . . . .
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Updates on progress from the black hole!
The weather "washed out" our plans for the yard last weekend, so I talked the hubs into a blitz through the black hole! In about an hour and a half we emptied 4 boxes, took 3 boxes of yard sale items to the building, started a 4th yard sale box, and took down to big bags of trash. There was even a wide enough path to bring out the Dyson for a vacuum!
Here are the pics . . refer back to the Feb. post to compare before and mid point (we aren't really at after yet)
This we we have a shortned spring break and so I am hoping to make some additional progress!
Here are the pics . . refer back to the Feb. post to compare before and mid point (we aren't really at after yet)
This we we have a shortned spring break and so I am hoping to make some additional progress!
Humble tricks of the trade I have mastered
It is nice to wake up to a clean house on Sunday morning. VERY VERY NICE, addictingly nice. And I think I've figured out how to make that a weekly ritual of this karmic high. Dinner guests on Saturday night!! I like to cook, I like company so it's a win, win, win for me. It also motivates the hubs to get more involved, which is like double bonus point score. As a tag team (and excluding laundry and WALT's room, which I did Friday night) it took just over an hour to straighten, vacuum, mop and wipe down the rest of the house. Then there is good food, good company and the unmatched feeling of a guilt free Sunday morning with my coffee and a good book (current reading is John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany.") Reading is another unexpected reward of a more functional home!
Yard work season begins in about 3 hours. Robert is weed eating right now, but that's his gig. A new batch of lilies and irises go in the ground this afternoon. Thus contributing to my goal of cutting down on the amount of weed eating by expanding my flower beds. The mission is to completely cover the front "slope" outside the fence with perennials by the end of next summer, thus cutting about 200 square feet of yard work torture. I have been keeping the cost down by excepting any and all freebies (the lilies and irises from today are mom's extras from a recent purchase) and buying the clearance flowers at Lowe's after they have bloomed for the season. Right now it looks like about 90% is going to come back from last year so I am stoked!
Will try and take some pics of the progress today!
Now off to have that 3rd cup of coffee and a bit of guilt free reading!!
Yard work season begins in about 3 hours. Robert is weed eating right now, but that's his gig. A new batch of lilies and irises go in the ground this afternoon. Thus contributing to my goal of cutting down on the amount of weed eating by expanding my flower beds. The mission is to completely cover the front "slope" outside the fence with perennials by the end of next summer, thus cutting about 200 square feet of yard work torture. I have been keeping the cost down by excepting any and all freebies (the lilies and irises from today are mom's extras from a recent purchase) and buying the clearance flowers at Lowe's after they have bloomed for the season. Right now it looks like about 90% is going to come back from last year so I am stoked!
Will try and take some pics of the progress today!
Now off to have that 3rd cup of coffee and a bit of guilt free reading!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Reality Check
My child no longer needs me to actually be physically present when he goes to sleep. He is six, I am aware that this is YEARS past the national average, by probably 5 years or more, but it is still a bit unsettling. The slowly steady-ing (is that a word) of his breathing steadied my breathing and slowed down my random brain. I am finding it hard to go to sleep. I should be reading but those damn crazy housewifes won't let me rest. On the up side, here I am on my blog. Wide awake and full of words.
Speaking of this humble little blog. It is truly humble. I was messing around on the dashboard and saw that I had 66 total views. Julie and Julia I am obviously not. Alas, sigh, and oh well. Do I really want the whole world to see that picture of my kitchen? Probably not. The glass is half full . .
Now for the all too often plea for help . . My husband has BOXES, large overflowing BOXES, of trophies. I have mentioned scaling down (or completely eliminating) these boxes, since they simply sit in the up stair closet of limbo. All such attempts have created 1 of 2 reactions ---the glaring stare of suspected jealousy that I don't have any such trophies and therefore want rid of his, or the why did you kick my puppy pout.
I have suggested that the Special Olympics always need trophies, but to no avail. Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
--Thanks in advance Tammy!!!
Speaking of this humble little blog. It is truly humble. I was messing around on the dashboard and saw that I had 66 total views. Julie and Julia I am obviously not. Alas, sigh, and oh well. Do I really want the whole world to see that picture of my kitchen? Probably not. The glass is half full . .
Now for the all too often plea for help . . My husband has BOXES, large overflowing BOXES, of trophies. I have mentioned scaling down (or completely eliminating) these boxes, since they simply sit in the up stair closet of limbo. All such attempts have created 1 of 2 reactions ---the glaring stare of suspected jealousy that I don't have any such trophies and therefore want rid of his, or the why did you kick my puppy pout.
I have suggested that the Special Olympics always need trophies, but to no avail. Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
--Thanks in advance Tammy!!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Updates
I had one of those hold back sobs because you are in public weeks a few weeks ago. It was the overwhelming fear (or "mean reds" in Breakfast at Tiffany's speak) that everything I do is half ass. The house is never completely clean, I'm never completely put together when I leave the house, my paperwork is always less complete/timely/thorough/perfect as I hoped, and of course this blog is often neglected.
I am bad to put myself, and therefore the things I value, at the bottom of the list. I have a suspicion that if the house really bothered Robert it would be clean, and not because he cleaned it. I am trying to strike a better balance, but I dont think it will be the last mini meltdown.
I have a running partner and as a result I am 1 run from being finished with the second week of 9 in the couch potato to 5k. It is going well. Robert is surprisingly supportive WALT likes going to the park. It seems to be a winner for everybody!!
It was a quiet weekend here. Did some deeper cleaning in the bedroom. Amazing what takes up residence under the bed. Easter weekend has been blocked off as painting weekend. It is still the blue/red paint of WALT. It is going to change to Grass Green with white woodwork. Bright, man friendly, and most importantly not red!! (the red did not follow WALT upstairs either. Red is dead on Pioneer Hill Lane)
The plan is to completely empty the room and only bring back in what we use and love. Everything else will go either to the dump or the growing mound of yard sale in the out building. It will be our own mini-makeover show. Pictures of before and after, and any particularly dramatic moments will be posted. I am excited minus my closet dread.
The coming weekend is Spring Cleaning of the Yard. Will post pics as progress unfolds (which is weather permitting of course!)
I am bad to put myself, and therefore the things I value, at the bottom of the list. I have a suspicion that if the house really bothered Robert it would be clean, and not because he cleaned it. I am trying to strike a better balance, but I dont think it will be the last mini meltdown.
I have a running partner and as a result I am 1 run from being finished with the second week of 9 in the couch potato to 5k. It is going well. Robert is surprisingly supportive WALT likes going to the park. It seems to be a winner for everybody!!
It was a quiet weekend here. Did some deeper cleaning in the bedroom. Amazing what takes up residence under the bed. Easter weekend has been blocked off as painting weekend. It is still the blue/red paint of WALT. It is going to change to Grass Green with white woodwork. Bright, man friendly, and most importantly not red!! (the red did not follow WALT upstairs either. Red is dead on Pioneer Hill Lane)
The plan is to completely empty the room and only bring back in what we use and love. Everything else will go either to the dump or the growing mound of yard sale in the out building. It will be our own mini-makeover show. Pictures of before and after, and any particularly dramatic moments will be posted. I am excited minus my closet dread.
The coming weekend is Spring Cleaning of the Yard. Will post pics as progress unfolds (which is weather permitting of course!)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Mental Health Day
Today is my once a year treat of not going to work.WALT had a doctor's appt at 8 a.m. and then we just came home. I could justify it a hundred different ways but I'm not gonna, cause that's just mind clutter!!
The house is holding steady. Some weeks a bit of progress emerges, in the black hole and other small trouble spots, and some weeks we just worry about the big stuff --dishes, laundry, dog hair. We have joined a gym, the YMCA in fact, and try our best to make it twice a week. We swim and swap out WALT to work out. I have decided to try a mini triatholon in the fall.
I think this could sound like I have abandoned the house projects but I think it is really just the opposite. I think the house is now to a stand alone point, minus the blackhole, that doesn't require near the level of effort. So now I actually have some opportunity to enjoy myself and my life.
I have spent most of the day in another deep clean/purge of the wild man's room. Seems like we need one every couple of months or so. I don't know why but I truly love to be in his room. Cleaning up the little scenes that he has created in a wonderful insight to that clever little mind of his.
Spring fast approaches. Next weekend begins yard work FOR REAL (we piddled some this past weekend) and so the projects and photos will pick back up.
S
The house is holding steady. Some weeks a bit of progress emerges, in the black hole and other small trouble spots, and some weeks we just worry about the big stuff --dishes, laundry, dog hair. We have joined a gym, the YMCA in fact, and try our best to make it twice a week. We swim and swap out WALT to work out. I have decided to try a mini triatholon in the fall.
I think this could sound like I have abandoned the house projects but I think it is really just the opposite. I think the house is now to a stand alone point, minus the blackhole, that doesn't require near the level of effort. So now I actually have some opportunity to enjoy myself and my life.
I have spent most of the day in another deep clean/purge of the wild man's room. Seems like we need one every couple of months or so. I don't know why but I truly love to be in his room. Cleaning up the little scenes that he has created in a wonderful insight to that clever little mind of his.
Spring fast approaches. Next weekend begins yard work FOR REAL (we piddled some this past weekend) and so the projects and photos will pick back up.
S
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Black Hole
Here it is, the unfixable area, the quandry, riddle, enigma, dark secret of my house. It has been undefined from the first time we looked at the house with the realtor, a pass through room that has become a dumping ground. I don't like anything about it. I never have, and I fear that I never will.
Due to the age of our lovely old farmhouse Robert wants to move the TV and sectional into this room because it is so much warmer in the winter and we would have a more formal (meaning easier to keep clean) area downstairs. But of course this means we have to clean this mess first.
So this is where we begin:
Due to the age of our lovely old farmhouse Robert wants to move the TV and sectional into this room because it is so much warmer in the winter and we would have a more formal (meaning easier to keep clean) area downstairs. But of course this means we have to clean this mess first.
So this is where we begin:
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