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.

"The Yummy Mummy"

This past week I had a chance to review a new (to the US) book, being published by Hyperion this month; "The Yummy Mummy" by Polly Williams.

I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. Most reader moms could tell you that "Mommy" fiction is all the rage right now; 1."Oh motherhood is so hard", 2."I'll try harder and apply myself to being better/prettier/thinner", 3."It worked and now my life is perfect!" is the usual rough format. And that is exactly what I expected going into this book. What I didn't expect was the true clear voice that Ms. Williams brings to her main character, Amy, and therefore motherhood itself.

Amy is a new mom of an adorable little daughter, Evie, but at six-months, she is fighting a major case of the baby blues, dissatisfied with herself, her looks, and her life in general. She also fears that Joe, Evie's father, is having an affair. So, when she meets Alice, a mom who seems to have it all together, she is inspired to make herself over, in Alice's and the other 'yummy mummy's' images.

She soon realizes though, that 'yummy mummy' life is not all it seems to be and not the answer that she thought it was. Life seems more complicated and problem filled, not less. And we, as readers, join her on her journey through the ins and outs of finding yourself after becoming a mother.

What struck me most about this book is the trueness and familiarity of Amy's thoughts and feelings. I found myself constantly saying "that sounds like me!" Amy's struggles could be the struggles of any new mom. And though most American moms would be thrilled at the idea of a year's worth maternity leave and a maternity stipend, the cultural differences are not off-putting or overly obvious. Amy is an 'any-mom'.

Some of my favorite bits:

"I change Evie into a fresh nappy, ready for her sleep. Her skin is soft and feels damp. Her eyes are locked into mine, following me around the room. Sometimes this dependancy makes me dizzy with love. Other times, like today, it brings on a strange, cloying claustriphobia. I have to push down the clawing desire to break free, to run, to dance, into the pit of my stomach. And there it stays, a silent creature spitting up disorienting vapors, tastes of freedom."
***********

On lying awake long after man and child have fallen asleep:

"I pretended I was asleep when he came to bed. Four hours later I'm still here, fiercely awake, thoughts rattling in my head: Mum, haven't phoned; Grandma, haven't written; Evie needs a teether. Why is it that I have a brain like a cocaine-fueled city boy yet I supposedly don't even "work"?"
**********

"Does motherhood really require a complete sublimation of self, or just the bits that are public?"
*********


In "The Yummy Mummy" you will find almost all kinds of middle-to-upper class mother represented. Whether it be in the yummy mummies, the local playgroup mums, Amy's own mother or in Amy herself. I guarantee you will find something that strikes a cord of your own 'mother's heart' in this book.


Polly Williams. com

Hyperion Books

De-Lurking Week

Well, here it is, De-Lurking Week. I know that I am no one to complain about people being silent, but I'd love to hear from you guys! Leave a comment about yourself and a URL or email so that I can get back to you and thank you for de-lurking.

Yea!!

We are getting some snow!

It's very light and not sticking much, but it's snow just the same!

I'm sitting here on my beautiful new log bed (a wonderfully extravagant Christmas gift from my in-laws ), watching the flakes drift past the window, and feeling like I'm at a mountain lodge enjoying a vacation.

I love Winter!

Lack Of Snow

My daughter has been very disappointed in our unseasonably warm winter this year. She jumps out of bed in the morning and runs to the window to see if we have somehow had a miraculous blizzard in the night. She always looks so crestfallen at the sight of mud and rain.

I feel the same way. I've also been wishing for some cold. My husband tells me that I'm crazy to wish for bad weather, but I long for some snow and ice. I just don't feel normal without that change of the seasons.

So when Peanut called to me from across the house that she was having a snowball fight, my curiosity was piqued. I walked around the corner and there was one of the biggest messes she has made to date. Peanut had gotten into my sewing supplies and pulled out a huge bag of polyester fiberfill that I have on hand for stuffing soft toys and pillows. She had emptied the whole bag and spread it all over. The living room really did look as if it had seen a few inches of snow!

Peanut balled up a fistful of fluff and threw it at me. I didn't have the heart to scold her for the mess. We had a fluffball fight and made fluff angels on the rug and left the cleanup worries to later.

I guess the heart finds happiness where it can!

Of Cats and Kittens

My daughter has devised a new way of getting my attention.
One that makes me out of measure crazy!

When I was growing up, we had two cats. One was very playful and would curl up in your lap to purr and play anytime of the day. The other would not come near when you wanted him to, but let yourself get interested in a book or newspaper and he was there. In your face. Between the print and your eyes.

And now my daughter does this.

I am a stay at home mom. I am not an obsessive cleaner or cooker. I don't run around shopping or committee-ing all of the time. The lion's share of my effort and attention is invested in my daughter. Most of my days are spent in entertaining my very imaginative, very bossy, only child, princess. Whether it is directly, in the form of games, dress-up, or playing the paitent/king/shark/baby stand-in for her myriad of imaginings; or indirectly by choosing fun classes, playgroups, trips, or activities for us to do. I am there, being Mom, Sister, Brother, Cousin, and Friend all-in-one.

But I am also a grown-up person in my own right. I like to read. I like to knit. I like to occasionally browse my favorite internet sites. It is nice to think about something for more than three seconds.

Peanut doesn't think so.

The minute that I sit down with a book, or my knitting, or at the desk, she slithers up into my lap, between me and whatever it is that I am doing. It doesn't matter what she herself is doing or where in the house she may be. If she senses that my attention has wavered, she is there to break up the party. And it is starting to bother me.

I don't know why I find it so annoying. Most of the day I enjoy having her along, helping me cook or sweep, or empty the dryer. I try involve her in the workings of our household routine so she perceives all of us as a family and not "Peanut's Entourage". Still it seems she feels that she must be the center of MY attention.

When we are with groups of other children, she plays nicely and is part of the group. When my husband sits down to watch television, she sits quietly on his lap or at his feet and entertains herself. She is a pleasant, happy child who is a joy to have around. I think the problem lies with me.

The older I get, the more I tend to resent interruptions. Maybe it is because my thought processes seem to take so much longer than they once did. Maybe I am not quite the multi-tasker I once was. Maybe I'm just having a hard time getting through this phase of Peanut's development. I think it's a combination of everything.

Maybe we need to find more children to play with.

Maybe I need to take up drinking in the afternoon, lol!

A New Year

Here I am. 2007.

A new year full of possibilities.

I wonder what is in store for me and mine this year?

If my husband could choose, it would be a huge cash windfall, endless warm weather, and a wife who doesn't nag about all of his "Jeep time".

If my daughter could chose, it would be picnics every day, a large hole to dig in, and the human race suddenly developing the ability to do without sleep.

For me. I'm not sure what I would chose. There are so many good things about my life, that everyday I feel thankful just to be where I am. But, like everyone else, there are things that I wish would just disappear, never to bother my thoughts again. Sometimes the struggle seems as if it will overwhelm the "me" that resides inside this mother/wife, and I'll become a laundry washing, nose wiping, floor sweeping, food cooking, toy tidying automaton.

I also realize that the struggle is life. I wouldn't know I was alive if it weren't for the maddening ups and downs that make up my daily existence. I try to look at each of these crises as a whetstone that is honing my patience and kindness. Not that I am always successful at looking to the positive. I'm lucky if I manage a "glass half full" attitude even 30% of the time. But each new victory should be cause for celebration. In this instance the trying is just as beneficial as the achieving.

So what am I trying to say in this post that started out serious but has ended up sounding like an advert for some pharmicutical company? I guess it's that my new year's resolution this year is to continue to be human. No SuperMom or RoboWife. Just a woman who loves her family and friends, who is doing the best she can to leave this world a little better for her exsistence.

Christmas Gear Up

Well, the season of Joy is upon us. Our tree is up, much to my daughter's delight. The stockings are hung and the wreath is upon the door. I keep finding shepherds and kings scattered all over the house because Peanut is convinced that our Nativity scene is her own personal "Baby Jesus Action Figure Set" Baking is being planned, cards addressed, and soon wrapping will begin. And through it all I've been feeling like a fraud.

I care about my family and what impact we have on the world at large. I try to be caring and responsible. I feel the need to live life simply and happily. But often it seems that everything in my life is working against the ideals that I have set for myself. This becomes especially obvious at Christmas.

I go overboard when it comes to gifts, particularly when it comes to a certain little girl. I tell myself that we are not going to go all gift crazy this year, all the while, there are mounds of gifts waiting for one little three-year-old. A three-year-old who doesn't really want anything. A child who, when asked what she wants from Santa says, " Candy" or "Mail" or "Snow". She isn't old enough to have contracted the 'gimmies' yet. She wouldn't care if there was no more than a book or a doll under the tree. But, for some reason, her Momma does.

I find myself buying all sorts of nonsense that I will be tired of picking up off the floor before Twelfth Night. Piles of books, multiple Barbie dolls, Play-doh, Playmobile, Polly Pocket, as if trying to fill some void with toys that we don't need; and I'm not sure where it comes from.

Is it because I didn't have much as a kid? Am I trying to compensate for some area that I feel is lacking in my mothering? Am I just completely neurotic when it comes to Christmas?

I have these flashes of joy and peace sometimes, like tonight, sitting here with the lights off and the tree on, and it feels the way Christmas did when I was a kid. A kind of warm, glowing, happiness and anticipation. But the older I get, the fewer they are. It seems that all of the grown-up, commercial worries of the holiday tend to dominate my thoughts. As if the shinning, joyful, true meaning of Christmas gets covered up by all of this 'fake' stuff. Maybe that is why I buy so much. Maybe that is why I feel so fake.

I hope that I can get it together before the big day gets here.

Skirts! Skirts! Skirts!

I have found a new favorite in sewing books! "Sew What! Skirts" is absolutely wonderful for anyone who wants to sew, but hates following patterns.

I know that when I start out to make something, I'm very careful and precise, cutting out all of my pattern pieces and thoroughly marking them. But by the time I get around to the actual sewing part, I've either lost interest or have made so many changes that I might as well have not wasted my time with the pattern in the first place. I'm very much a "make it up as I go along" crafter. This book has 16 different skirts that anyone (and I mean even you out there who just took their sewing machine out of the box five minutes ago) can make, without a pattern. In fact, some of the easiest styles use a clever little dot-to-dot, follow the numbers method that I think is ingenious!

The best part of this kind of sewing is that you get to have all of the fun of mixing fabrics and embellishments without getting bogged down by the technical stuff that tends to put so many people off sewing. Plus, you get to make clothing in fabrics that you love and that are custom fit to your body. It's clothing sewing at it's best!

Go check it out!

Trick or Treat 2006

Peanut trying to see the end of her sucker.













Peanut, my sister, and my twin niece and nephew posing in the bright, bright, sun before taking a trip around the neighborhood.

Peanut's Pumpkin Party

Peanut hosted her very first party this October, and although it was nothing fancy and the guests spent most of their time jumping on the beds instead of decorating pumpkins, a good time was had by all. In fact, no one would stand still long enough to have their picture taken. So, as a result, I have more shots of the food and decorations, than I do of the actual party, lol.

   
Here they are painting and stickering away. Five minutes after this shot, everyone
dashed out the back door to run around in the mud and chase the Dads huddled around the "Dad's Fire" that my husband had built as an excuse for the guys to group together and feel "manly". lol

 












My "Sea Monster Sandwiches""Rrraaarrrwww! Anyone seen Nessie?"