Getting it out of the way
I’m way short on time thesedays. No time. All the time. I can manage some things, but not all. Sometimes most, but hardly ever. Like today, for instance, I ironed, I washed sheets and blankets for two beds, did two dishwasher loads of dishes, fed and watered thirty-three animals, cleaned out two guinea pig cages and spent 5 hours on school with Jacob. Does my house look like I accomplished a whole lot?
Not even close.
It looks like I haven’t lifted a finger to clean anything in months. The desks are covered with schoolwork and printouts of things I have to finish making for holiday gifts. The sewing room is draped with projects in various stages of completion – my brother and sister-in-law’s lap quilt (top only), Leirin’s coat that awaits the finishing of the sleeves, a waistband addition and buttons (or a zipper if I can learn how to set one), Jake’s fleece Spiderman pajamas, Em’s cape – it’s all over the place. I keep thinking If only I had a maid, but who am I kidding...she’d just quit and leave me to my hopelessly unorganized mess. I wonder sometimes is it the house or is it us? I think it must be us since our old house suffered much the same problems. Maybe it’s just me. Don’t know.
I have accomplished a lot, really. It just doesn’t look like I have done anything and that’s my biggest complaint. It never LOOKS like I’ve busted my butt all day DOING things. All kinds of things. The coat I made for Leirin turned out to be beautiful. I look at it and I’m amazed that I did that. I haven’t even sewn in more than ten years. It has been two years since I bought the serger and my grandma has had it since about a month after I got it. Have I used it? Not. One. Time. I got the new sewing machine last year and I didn’t even take it out of the box until last week. I’ve put it to good use though and I’m having a ball just sewing up a storm. I’ve pieced quilts, made real clothes, appliquéd a fleece Spiderman onto a pajama shirt. Guess what? I found out today that it will even sew on buttons. That’s cool. I’m going to have to give that a try.
So anyway I’m feeling rushed and always behind. That my floors aren’t swept or vacuumed and there’s dust inches thick on the furniture makes me feel like it reflects bad on me. Like I don’t do enough. Like I’m housework slacker. I’m not, really. But for some reason I just can’t manage to actually DO anything and make it look like I’ve done anything. I can make the house look good but all this other important stuff falls by the wayside, but if I do those jobs that make the house actually clean, it doesn’t show and I don’t get it. There has got to be a happy medium somewhere.
I was ironing today and as I pulled a shirt out of the basket that’s been sitting in there for two months getting good and wrinkled, I thought of my grandma. I call her every morning to see how she’s doing. Lots of times she’ll say “Well I’m slow getting moving today. I’m still puttering around here in my pajamas. I mopped off the kitchen and went ahead and got what ironing I had out of the way so I can finish up and get a chance to get some of those leaves out of the yard before somebody slips and falls on them. And I’ve got to hem some pants for this man…I ain’t gonna get anything done if I don’t get my tail moving.” This is BEFORE 8 AM! She’s 78 years old by crikey and she can work me half to death – and before sun’s up good too. That’s what I mean. I must not be doing something right. I’m going to have to check into that ‘getting it out of the way’ philosophy. There might just be something to it.
*I'm reading The Secret Life of Bees - wonderful!
Not even close.
It looks like I haven’t lifted a finger to clean anything in months. The desks are covered with schoolwork and printouts of things I have to finish making for holiday gifts. The sewing room is draped with projects in various stages of completion – my brother and sister-in-law’s lap quilt (top only), Leirin’s coat that awaits the finishing of the sleeves, a waistband addition and buttons (or a zipper if I can learn how to set one), Jake’s fleece Spiderman pajamas, Em’s cape – it’s all over the place. I keep thinking If only I had a maid, but who am I kidding...she’d just quit and leave me to my hopelessly unorganized mess. I wonder sometimes is it the house or is it us? I think it must be us since our old house suffered much the same problems. Maybe it’s just me. Don’t know.
I have accomplished a lot, really. It just doesn’t look like I have done anything and that’s my biggest complaint. It never LOOKS like I’ve busted my butt all day DOING things. All kinds of things. The coat I made for Leirin turned out to be beautiful. I look at it and I’m amazed that I did that. I haven’t even sewn in more than ten years. It has been two years since I bought the serger and my grandma has had it since about a month after I got it. Have I used it? Not. One. Time. I got the new sewing machine last year and I didn’t even take it out of the box until last week. I’ve put it to good use though and I’m having a ball just sewing up a storm. I’ve pieced quilts, made real clothes, appliquéd a fleece Spiderman onto a pajama shirt. Guess what? I found out today that it will even sew on buttons. That’s cool. I’m going to have to give that a try.
So anyway I’m feeling rushed and always behind. That my floors aren’t swept or vacuumed and there’s dust inches thick on the furniture makes me feel like it reflects bad on me. Like I don’t do enough. Like I’m housework slacker. I’m not, really. But for some reason I just can’t manage to actually DO anything and make it look like I’ve done anything. I can make the house look good but all this other important stuff falls by the wayside, but if I do those jobs that make the house actually clean, it doesn’t show and I don’t get it. There has got to be a happy medium somewhere.
I was ironing today and as I pulled a shirt out of the basket that’s been sitting in there for two months getting good and wrinkled, I thought of my grandma. I call her every morning to see how she’s doing. Lots of times she’ll say “Well I’m slow getting moving today. I’m still puttering around here in my pajamas. I mopped off the kitchen and went ahead and got what ironing I had out of the way so I can finish up and get a chance to get some of those leaves out of the yard before somebody slips and falls on them. And I’ve got to hem some pants for this man…I ain’t gonna get anything done if I don’t get my tail moving.” This is BEFORE 8 AM! She’s 78 years old by crikey and she can work me half to death – and before sun’s up good too. That’s what I mean. I must not be doing something right. I’m going to have to check into that ‘getting it out of the way’ philosophy. There might just be something to it.
*I'm reading The Secret Life of Bees - wonderful!
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