Housekeeping Meme

I was tapped by the lovely thicketdweller over at Today's Lessons for this fun housekeeping meme. Read and be appalled at my daily habits, lol.


Aprons - Y/N? If yes, what does your favorite look like?

Yes. I tend to collect aprons at the same rate as dust bunnies. I had my husband install a coat hook on the wall next to the fridge, just so there was somewhere to keep them close by. My favorite is a small purple half apron that my grandmother made when she was a new bride. It has a large burn down the front that has a great story to go with it and I smile every time I see it. My everyday apron is a voluminous yellow striped affair that I made with leftover fabric from my sister's baby shower tableclothes.

Baking - Favorite thing to bake: Pies and cookies. Especially Apple Crumble and Snickerdoodles.

Clothesline - Y/N? NO! And I have been begging for nine years now. My husband always has some excuse as to why we can't have one. I've even drawn up plans for a removable version that we could attach to our deck so that he wouldn't have to mow around it and we could put it away when we were not using it, but still no dice.

Donuts - Have you ever made them? Not since I was a girl. My husband is diabetic, and that sort of thing is just too much temptation. But when I was little, I used to help my dad make them. He has this great bread dough recipe that has been passed down through the men in our family. There are no measurements, only a handful of this or that, and he has adapted it for other uses such as doughnuts and sweet rolls.

Every day - One homemaking thing you do every day: Put away mountains of toys and books.

Freezer - Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yes, and it is indispensable. I would have several more if I had the room.

Garbage Disposal - Y/N? Yes, but I don't use it very often.

Handbook - Home Comforts, which has info on anything housekeeperly that you could ever need and my Betty Crocker Cookbook which reads like a textbook on basic cooking and has helped innumerable times.

Ironing - Love it or Hate it? I love ironing but there are so few things in our everyday wardrobe that need it. I do get excited when it's time to press napkins (sad,sad,sad)

Junk Drawer - Y/N? No, my husband has a thing about jumbled drawers, so our drawers are neatly organized and labeled with containers for every little screw, nail, and twist tie.

Kitchen - Color and decorating scheme? Light oak cabinets with darker floors and periwinkle walls. I had the color made to exactly match the shade of twilight sky that we stood under when my husband first told me that he loved me. (I know, sickly romantic) It's a color that makes me feel so happy! There are lots of bottles and pitchers and cobalt glass sitting around. I like my decor to also be functional.

Love - What is your favorite part of homemaking? I love organizing all of our household stuff and researching the best way to do something. I don't know why I don't do it more often.

Mop - Y/N? No, but I wish. With a three year old in the house, the old rag and knees is the only way to get all of the grime and miscellaneous food that gets scattered around.

Nylons - Maybe three time a year. I'm a long skirt and knee socks kinda gal.

Oven - Do you use the window or open the door to check?- I open the door due to the fact that there is a disgusting layer of burnt grime on the window that I inherited with the house and have never been able to remove.

Pizza - What do you put on yours?- We put on whatever happens to be in the fridge, but the favorite around here is the old mozzarella, pepperoni, bell peppers combo.

Quiet - Read, read, read and think.

Recipe card box - Y/N? Y What does it look like? I have three stacks of cookbooks on the kitchen shelves that I use most often, plus two large three ring binders of loose recipes and a small photo album to hold my hand-written recipe cards, AND two small index boxes of cards, one of which was a home-eco project in high school and I still use it to this day (thank you Ms. Stealle!). I also have half a shelf of what I call "fun, but not on a weekday" cookbooks in the livingroom.

Style of house - What is the style of your house? Eensy-weensy 1950's cookie-cutter Ranch.

Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N? Yes, which my husband fought me on at first ("Can't we just use paper?") but I notice that now he can not eat without a napkin, even when he's eating in front of the television.

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland? The front row of things that I use on a daily basis is beautiful, but behind that, scary.

Vacuum - Not much, most of our floors are wood.

Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do per week? 4 0r 5

X's - Do you keep a list of things to do that you cross off?Always! Lists make me feel like I am accomplishing things.

Yard - Y/N? Who does what? My husband does the mowing and the heavy work, I do the planting, weeding, and planning.

Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task before going to bed? Making sure that the timer on the dishwasher is set and choosing what to thaw out for the next day's meal.