A New Post

Perhaps you can tell by my title that I'm not in my most creative mood today.

It's a catch-up day for me, which is always bittersweet.

It feels good to get the floors swept, make the wood gleam - clean out the fridge and thank God I didn't die while it was this dirty (because we all know that everyone would rush in to help my husband and his 11 motherless children, and what would they think when, while trying to find room for all the fruit salad and fried chicken, they saw all that spilled feta cheese in the bottom of the dairy drawer? ...not to mention the unrecognizable sticky purple stuff sharing a shelf with the milk....and the fruit and vegetable crisper...Well, let's just don't go there - and if you do go there, be sure to hold your nose.)

So, although I love the difference in the way things look, feel, and smell when they are properly cleaned and maintained - I despise using my time on this kind of stuff.

I prefer To-Do lists that look like this:

- Drink hot tea in pjs and think happy thoughts

- Talk to grandchildren on the phone.

- Arrange visit for grandchildren to come stay with you.

- Read a few chapters in a good book.

- Read a magazine.

- Read another magazine.

- Read some blogs.

- Read another book.

- Call a friend and go to Panera for lunch.

Perhaps I need to go back and finish the book, "Keeping House" so I can be reminded of the eternal significance of dusting, etc.

One of the things on my real To-Do List for today, right underneath 'clean litter box', is:

- Blog.

This moved up a notch on my list when my own dear son, who is not so dear that he chose to find a job in the same city where his mother lives, posted this endearing comment yesterday on my blog:

"Update".

I love it when he talks to me that way.

And of course I'm always looking for ways to please my older children (especially as the holidays draw near and they are deciding whether or not to grace us with their presence ... and their presents :).

I do have some new pictures of my recently re-designed, remodeled, refurbished, repurposed ex-office, now kitchen nook. But you can't see them.

Because you haven't seen these yet.









The above three pics are of my apron collection. Don't you love the blue color in the plates on the shelf? Can you tell they're plastic?! You only need to experience the sound of shattered ceramic one time before plastic starts looking pretty darn desirable.




I've collected lots of "trinkets" in the past, but those days are over for me. Anyone else ever collect cows...or bells...or bird houses, or roosters?...Oh, wait a minute..I still collect roosters (but only high-quality roosters, not inferior roosters.)

Yep, the collector in me has matured (and run out of space), so in the past 10 years or so I've begun collecting items in keeping with my refined age. I collect aprons (and yes, I occasionally wear them when I'm in a June Cleaver mood), books, chairs, books, plates, and books. All very useful, tasteful items.

I ask myself a series of question before I bring something new into my house these days. Such as, Will it need dusting often? Will I sin if it gets damaged?
What will I get rid of in order to make room for this item? Can I afford it? I don't always remember to ask that last question, but the first three are standard.

This is a picture Lea, my personal home photographer, took of Molly's bed. But it's what's at the end of the bed that so aptly describes my youngest daughter, with her seven brothers. In the second shot you can see the writing on the pink, girly hat leaning up against the smelly, well-used baseball mitt.





This is Mary-Faith's bed, which sits on the other side of the room.




And lastly, a few shots of my china cabinet - Just because I love the way the dishes look on the mirrored background. This china cabinet is not exactly my style, but it came with the house....and it's starting to look like something out of Traditional Home magazine. Maybe I'll give them a call and see if they want to use these photos :)







Tomorrow (and I say that word in a generic, non-specific kind of way....) I'm going to try and follow another one of my older children's advice and post more often, but write shorter posts. Not sure why she wants them to be shorter. Oh...I remember! It's because she has a life. OK. I'll give it a try.