Tuesday’s Glance into Domestic History

January is typically cold in the northern hemisphere…maybe that’s why this is a slow news week, historically speaking.  Throughout the ages, people were busy just trying to stay warm in late January….fuggetabout having any epiphanies.

But there are a few dates worth noting.  For one, Coca-Cola was incorporated on this day in 1892.  And in 1939, Jeff Smith was born.  I loved watching the Frugal Gourmet on PBS when our boys were young – before HGTV and all the other reality shows were even a twinkle in anyone’s eye.  (We also watched Justin Wilson and This Old House most Saturday mornings. Those were the days.)

On January 24, 1950, P.L. Spencer received a patent for a microwave.  I remember our first microwave in the late 1970s or early 1980s.  It was as big as a real oven, and we had a lot of fun figuring out what it could and couldn’t do with it.  (We quickly discovered that it could soften chocolate chips without melting them.  We also discovered it could burn chocolate chips.)

Speaking of chocolate, January 27 is national chocolate day.  Of course, around here, ANY day is chocolate day if we want it to be. Why wait for one day a year to celebrate it?

And on January 27, 1880, Thomas Alva Edison patented the electric incandescent lamp.

I know I said - just yesterday – that my only two projects are focused on sprucing up the master closets and kitchen base cabinets…and they are.  But I did talk Mr. Official into bringing home this new light fixture for the kitchen last weekend. (We haven’t yet decided if it will go over the bar or the table but both builder-grade lights are going to be swapped out for something with a little more pizzazz and panache.)

It looks fantastic with the old-fashioned Edison light bulbs (and I am confident that there will soon be LED lights that *LOOK* like the old Edison bulbs, but much more energy efficient.)

We have Pottery Barn to thank for this canning-jar-turned-light trend…they started it with fixtures like these several years ago.  Pinterest is full of examples of people DIY-ing these fixtures, but I know my limits, and electrical engineering is definitely beyond my limits.  So this fixture (from Lowe’s if you’re interested) fits my bill perfectly and I’m pretty sure between the two of us we can install a couple new fixtures out-of-the-box.

Happy Tuesday,
Terry

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The taming of the shrew(d)

This time of year brings out my inner OCD/ADHD beast.  Like a real shrew, it’s small, hyperactive and has a voracious appetite.  Like the aptly named figure in Shakespeare’s story, it is difficult to tame.  My shrew(d) monster yearns to lay waste to messy closets and gut the cluttered cabinets …at least until something else captures its attention.  It was briefly awakened last fall when I ogled IKEA’s closet organizers; I came home and  announced to Mr. Official that all I really wanted for my birthday was a weekend trip to Atlanta and return with everything to re-do the closets. I then made myself wait until after the holidays to start tracking down the specific gadgets and gizmos that promise to bring peace, harmony, tranquility and organizational nirvana to my world.

Now that the holidays are over, and my birthday is looming large, I began the hunt.  After a few hours okay, days (if we’re being honest) of ferocious internet hunting, I found myself with a wish-list of to-do’s as long as my arm, and arguably more expensive than said limb.  Organization doesn’t come cheap.  At least not the pretty kind.

Then reality and frugality set in.  For starters, once I had the measurements sketched it out on paper, I had to accept a bitter pill:  the IKEA pieces that had danced like sugarplums in my head were too big – and just too expensive – for the space. After scaling back my dreams, I found a modest system with a natural cherry finish I really wanted.  And then I discovered it was on clearance.  A few months ago.  Not only can I not get that style for a song, I can’t scrounge up the pieces I would need at any price, period.  Sigh.

Back to square one.  To further complicate things, all those online expeditions had me dreaming up myriads of other home improvement schemes…painting, curtains, bedroom redux, stairwell photo gallery, framing the mirrors in the bathroom…the list goes on.  Eventually the mist cleared and sanity took back its rightful place in my head.

• First of all I can’t do everything all at once.
• Second, I’m quick to want but slow to spend $$$ on semi-permanent fixtures (like closet systems or paint jobs.)
• Third, I know myself well enough to know that no matter how feverishly I organize, if I don’t maintain it, all is for naught.

That said, we have lived here for almost two years and beyond painting the bedrooms when we moved in, I’ve held off from any drastic changes or expenditures. So here’s my 2013 wish list, in order of intended purchase and installation:

1. Master bedroom closets.  Our closets are not huge by modern standards (each is 72″ x 68″ x 47″ x 44″ with an angled door), but they are palatial compared to past closets, especially the one in our last home.

The builder installed wire shelving in these closets.  (Yes, I know it’s the cheapest option.  I also know what this house sold for originally and in that price range, you should not find wire shelving in the closets.)  I’d like to say I’m not a shelving snob, but I confess, I am.  If you can have built-in closet storage without taking food from your children’s mouths, it’s worth it.

The builder also committed the heinous crime of painting the closet walls white.  In a house that does not have a white wall anywhere else (save the garage), they painted the closets and pantry white. Gah.  Before I can install the new closet fittings, I’ll have to remove all the contents and the wire shelves, patch the holes and paint the closets (and the bathroom, while I’m at it, because it doesn’t match the bedroom.)  I predict several days of dealing with clothes everywhere.  Ugh.

The plan is to install stacks of white corner shelves, rubbed oil bronze clothing rods with white shelves and side pieces, lots of shoe shelves (for me) and storage towers with drawers and cubbies for my jumbled jewelry and scarves, and a hamper in Mr. Official’s closet for his dry cleaning.

And maybe even some snazzy new lighting to make it easier to see our stuff.

After much measuring, fretting, re-measuring and comparing various systems, I’ve settled on pieces that will – I hope – optimize the space and storage, and give the look of custom built-ins without the hefty pricetag of custom built-ins. Something that looks like this:

Traditional Closet design by Seattle Closets And Organization from houzz.com

My original IKEA dream closets would have cost $1400 per closet.  The bill for my smaller and more modest-priced pieces will come at about 25% of that.  I’m taming the shrew(d) beast.

And if all goes well, for my second act…

2. Kitchen cabinet makeover.  I love my kitchen’s size and openness.  I love the massive granite island and having a second sink across from the stove, and a coffee bar.  But I don’t love that the base cabinets are bereft of pull-out drawers.  Our last home had a kitchen that clocked in at 90 square feet. When we bought cabinets for it, I ordered double pull-outs in every base cabinet and it was worth every extra penny.

However, I’ve found a source for aftermarket two-tiered pullouts and pull-out racks for baking sheets.  No more squatting on creaking knees to fish out a pan from the bottom of the stack in the furthest, darkest depths of my cabinets. The total bill comes to $400 plus shipping.  Another frugal victory; both closets and all the cabinet hardware is still less than the cost of one IKEA closet.

And that’s going to be the end of my organizational quest for now.  Because no matter how much I save, it’s still a pretty good chunk of money, time and effort. There are changes and improvements in our future (Mr. Official keeps muttering about putting in a putting green), but I’m happy to train the beast to focus on these two jobs for now. I’ll snap some before, in-progress and voila! shots along the way, along with sources for my frugal finds.  Stay tuned!

Happy Monday,
Terry

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Cleaning everything including the kitchen sink

I don’t know about you, but when I decide to clean something, I go all in.  On Saturday morning, we enjoyed cornmeal and blueberry pancakes from a cookbook Middle Son gave me for Christmas (the recipe needs some tweaking but it has potential.) And as we ate, I kept looking over at the kitchen and thinking about the pent-up post-holiday clutter that never seemed to quite go away no matter how many times I glared at it. Hmmmm.

So as soon as breakfast was over, I set in to clean, and clean I did.  The dishwasher and oven cleaned themselves, but every surface and several cabinets got some one-on-one time with me.  Every countertop was completely cleared, scrubbed and buffed.   The backsplash areas got a damp cloth and stubborn stains got treated to the magic of a Magic Eraser.  The plasticware cabinet was overhauled and the coffee grinder was relegated to the garage.  Every now and again, I might need it…but with the arrival of the Keurig, those times are few and far between these days.  As I wiped off the top of the microwave, a strip of plastic suddenly appeared…it was one of those protective strips they put on in the factory so it doesn’t get scratched from store to installation.  For shame.  This house was finished over six years ago and we’ve lived here for almost two years….and I’m just now finding and removing it? I *do* wipe that ledge atop the microwave occasionally, I swear.

The finishing touch was to scrub and buff the sinks.  I had seen this tip on Pinterest and decided to give it a whirl.  Well, at least the last part.  I used my trusty Barkeeper’s Friend to do the scouring, then did the olive oil buff job.  They are definitely shinier and I hope they’ll stay a little cleaner…for at least a few days. 

Do you clean your sinks?  I hear horror stories of people who don’t…really?  I scour mine at least a couple times a week, and definitely after any raw meat has dripped or dribbled in a basin.

Even clean, the kitchen is visually busy.  My rainbow of Fiestaware isn’t exactly a soothing monochromatic color scheme and I use tools, prep bowls and appliances too often to keep them tucked away in cabinets.

But when it’s clean, it definitely sets a better “tone” for our open floor plan.   And I know the kitchen won’t stay this clean for long.  We work hard, play hard, and eat hard in this area and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  For now, we’ll do what we can to maintain it….and in a few weeks, I’ll be running a sinkful of scalding hot water and doing it all over again.

After the kitchen was finished, Swimmer Girl and I headed out for pedicures and a movie (Les Miserables). Five hours of uninterrupted mother-daughter weekend time = awesome.

I hope your weekend was filled with some activities that gave you a sense of satisfaction, and some opportunities to savor a special moment.  Those are the best weekends, in my book.

Happy Monday,
Terry

P.S. Yes, I’m still keeping up with my daily Bible readings, which is proving extremely convenient since they are posted on Facebook every day.  Last week’s passages blazed a trail through the lives of patriarchs, and I’ve once again pondered our oh-so-human frailties:  deception, favoritism and envy marred the relationships of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families.  This week will focus on Joseph…and his ability to see God and good in the trials of life.  We could all learn a lesson or two from his story.

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The restoration movement has begun

No, I’m not talking church history.  I’m talking about taking back my house, one piece at a time.

When I said I had been giving cooking and cleaning a lick-and-a promise, I wasn’t kidding.  Dinnertime for the past several weeks has been “every man/woman for themselves.”  Grocery store trips were hit-and-run dashes for a few items I knew we needed, and a few frozen fast foods to appease my children  and my conscience. (They won’t starve. There is food.  It’s unhealthy, calorie- and preservative-laden food. But it is sustenance.)

When the groceries came in the door with me, things got shoved in the right location, generally speaking.  Dry foods in the pantry, cold stuff in the fridge or freezer.  But calling it “putting away” everything would be a bit of a stretch.

There was never a convenient time to actually empty the fridge and cull out the fuzzy uglies hiding in the very back recesses.  The pantry went from shallow walk-in to “open the door and hope nothing falls on you” with zero room to get even my petite little foot inside the door.  It was bad.

And if confession is good for the soul, a thorough cleaning after confession is even better.  Earlier this week I finally had enough of the clutter and guilt:  I drained my second cup of morning coffee for courage, ran a sinkful of hot soapy, bleachy water, grabbed a rag and began clearing the vegetable bins, the lunchmeat and cheese drawer, and then worked my way through the rest of the fridge.  I didn’t have as much to throw away as I had feared, and now I know what I have on hand.  I continued my cathartic cleansing in the pantry.  Again, not as much stale, moldy stuff as I feared, but order has been restored there, too.

The restocking trip to the store was pleasantly brief and inexpensive.  I have all the ingredients to actually COOK the items on this week’s menu, so no excuses and no eating out on Sunday.

Restoring some order is definitely restorative.  Now to tackle the dustbunnies under the couch.   I’m guessing they – like their real-life counterparts – tend to procreate at lightning speed.  And then it’ll be out to the garden to bushwhack the jungle and see what can be salvaged.

Happy restoring,
Terry

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The ever-evolving dilettante

I often joke about my trio of ne’er-do-well fairies: cleaning, cooking and laundry.  The truth is, I struggle with maintaining our home.  I can and do occasionally turn into a cleaning fool, and deep clean and organize to the nth degree.

I know the value of “PEEP”

(You know, “a Place for Everything and Everything in its Place.”)

Our new home makes that a little easier to do, but even with more storage, my shoes wind up covering the floor of my closet (Mr. Official is truly thankful we no longer share a closet, I’m sure.)  The daily mail may wind up in its designated spot, or somewhere on the kitchen table or island.  And it might hang out there for a day or two or ten.

Did you know?  Dust bunnies multiply almost as fast as their real-life counterparts, especially under beds and couches and chairs.  It’s a fact and I have the evidence to prove it.

However, my view of housekeeping has evolved over time.  In the beginning of our marriage, I viewed it as a chore to be delayed as long as possible, then I would dole out just enough of my precious time to get the job done.  Done well, but not happily.  Repeat as needed.

Then I realized that while I didn’t like cleaning the house, I really do like having a clean house.  For some enlightened people, that is the moment when a cleaning service enters their life.  I salute them for making the obvious and wise choice; it’s just not in my nature to go that route.

A few years ago, I decided to dig into what bugs me most about cleaning.  I thought long and hard about which chore(s) I despised most, and why.

Truthfully?  No single chore fills me with dread.  When I thought about it, I can’t say I hate any specific task, and some are pleasant..or at least it’s pleasant to step back and admire the results of some of them.

So why the foot dragging? Mostly, I begrudge giving up time.  Which is why I struggle with FlyLady’s method.  I’m all about cleaning my kitchen daily (and I thank her for the shiny sink routine), but I just can’t bring myself to stop everything and do a prescribed task each morning and evening.  For starters, I am not convinced a bathroom is really clean after 15 minutes of effort.  Nor can I do a whole-house blessing in an hour each week.  I’ve tried, I’ve failed.  More than once.  And once I start, I’m sucked into a half-day cleaning marathon.  I’d rather knock it all out at once, rather than do a bit here and there, and never feel my house is totally clean. Shrug.  I know it works for some – just not for me.

And so I spent most of Saturday catching up on housework I had postponed in favor of spring gardening and maintaining a schedule filled past capacity for the past several weeks.  Mr. Official and Oldest Son made plans to head to my mother-in-law’s for yard work; my inner child would have preferred to tag along and be in or next to her pool for the day, but my dusty baseboards and baskets of unfolded clothes won out.  I vacuumed, cleaned baseboards, mopped, caught up the laundry, dusted, cleaned our bathroom and the guest bath, and gave the kitchen a once-over, then headed to the store for a few groceries.

By the time I was done, I still had some daylight to water the garden and play in the dirt for a bit.  Not as refreshing as a day at the pool, but summer hasn’t officially begun yet, and there will be other days for that.

So if you’re a housework dodger or hater, take heart.  And take stock:  ask yourself what you dislike about housework.  Your honest appraisal may surprise you and start you on an evolutionary path as it did me.

Happy cleaning,
Terry

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I’ve got email. Not.

I think I just did the most liberating thing I’ve ever done in my whole life.  This was truly a 21st century liberation experience.

I took off my email shackles.

Let me back up a bit.  I got a new laptop for my birthday back in early February.  But I’ve been holding off on setting up Outlook email on my new laptop.  I wanted to port over my old messages and the instructions said to do that before setting up my account.  And I kept putting it off, until I had time to do it and even undo it if it went badly.  Which meant I was still tied to booting up my old, slow, overheating laptop every day.

It was my virtual ball and chain.

And then it hit me…why would I drag all those emails with me? This was my chance to start with an empty inbox.

A veritable, bona fide

blank slate.

Aka tabula rasa.

Yes, there are a few messages I’ll probably forward to myself for posterity.  But most of them?  Pfffft.

As wonderful as that decision was, it wasn’t the truly liberating part.

THAT happened when I went through my inbox and unsubscribed from countless email lists I had unwittingly signed up for.  From American Eagle to Zillow and every letter of the alphabet in between.  Took me about an hour but it was an hour well-spent.

Oh and I deleted a few emails in the process…

Free at last, free at last.

Have you liberated yourself in some profound, fundamental way lately?  Or are you one of those blessed souls that keeps your inbox cleaned out and never become encumbered by it?  If so, good for you!  For the rest of us, I say let’s rise up and call an end to the siege of incessant marketing ploys and gimmicks.  A clean-as-a-whistle desk may be an indication of an unstable mind, but a clean inbox is pure unadulterated freedom.

Happy liberating,

Terry

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New Year’s Resolutions: Month Four

How would I characterize my efforts to focus on my New Year’s resolutions last month? Well, much like those announcements that occasionally come up when you’re watching television. You know,

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special broadcast.”

In my case, the “special broadcast” was spring.  Last month was a blur. I could make excuses longer than my list of resolutions but I’ll sum it up like this. Life, as in plants and Bible curriculum writing, were at the top of my to-do list in my spare time, along with keeping up with my mother-in-law’s health issues.  They all cut in line ahead of my resolutions.

Reading my Bible?  I haven’t read ANYthing outside of Bible class and worship.  No magazines, no books, not even the back of a cereal carton  And unfortunately, no serious individual Bible study time.

Exercise?  The month was a roller-coaster of hit-or-miss at best.  One week, I logged a whopping 20 miles on the elliptical AND I’ve been up and down on my knees countless times to dig in countless plants.  My bum knee hasn’t forgiven me and probably won’t for a while. At least yoga is still my friend.  I’m not stepping on the scale for a few more weeks – I don’t need it to tell me what I already know.

Prayer life and cultivating the fruits of the spirit?  Well, if there’s anything positive that comes from being down on your knees pulling weeds and planting, it’s that you have a lot of time to meditate and pray so I took advantage of the situation to do both.

I did manage to keep my desk clean, but only because I have temporarily relocated to Mr. Official’s man-cave to work for a few weeks since I need repeated access to the printer and my aforementioned knee has made it clear it doesn’t want to traipse up and down the stairs every time I print off something.  So when we’re up, we’re up – and when we’re down, we’re down.

The planting frenzy is over. The lesson-writing and printing is almost over.  Memaw’s health is more even-keel, at least right now. This month *should* be less intense.  (Watering and weeding will take up some of my free time, but there isn’t the all-consuming pressure of having flats of plants starting pitifully at you, knowing their life is literally in your hands.)

How are your resolutions coming?  Are they still going strong, or fading slowly from view?  The best news is we don’t have to wait for next January 1 to resolve to change something in our lives.  There’s nothing magical about making a resolution on that date; as you can see from my monthly checkups, there’s nothing that will make a resolution take root except your own willingness to keep pushing yourself to make it happen.

Happy resolving,

Terry

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