Wednesday, September 30, 2015

I Am Thankful For . . . (Lots of Things!)

I am so darn appreciative of having a nice house that is easy to keep clean.  Or maybe I should say a nice house that (for some blessed reason, thank the stars above) doesn't show the dirt, grit and grime that continually and mysteriously gets dragged indoors.

Don't think I'm a meticulous housekeeper, because I'm not.  I can regularly go a week (or more) without vacuuming or dusting.  I am, however, fairly conscientious about keeping things "picked up" which, perhaps, gives me nothing but a false illusion of cleanliness, but there you are.  Even though I'm never happier nor feeling more content than when the house is actually clean and sparkling, I can go for long periods without doing much real cleaning if everything, at least, looks neat and tidy.  Functioning in the midst of messiness is hard for me.

I readily confess there is one kind of "dirt" that I can't abide.  Dirty dishes!  Uffda, I cannot stand (((shudder, shudder))) to have a pile of dirty dishes sitting in the sink or on the counter.  That one little thing makes me feel the whole house is a sloppy mess.  Heck, I can't even prepare a meal when there are dirty dishes not done from a previous meal.  Yeah, I know a good shrink could write a paper on that little idiosyncrasy of mine.  (Probably already has.)  (Maybe I should seek it out and read it.)

But where was I?  Oh, yes.  Grateful.  And appreciative.  And downright thankful for a house that truly is easy to keep clean.  (Looking.) 

25 comments:

DFW said...

I Can . Not . Start . Any meal if there are dishes in the sink. My kitchen HAS to be tidy & ready for the next adventure before I can prepare the next meal .... Maybe I should talk to your shrink,

Mama Pea said...

DFW - Hooray, hooray, hooray! I always thought I was the only person who felt this way! Now I know I'm not crazy . . . or else we both are. ;o]

Jacque said...

Add one more to the group. I can't stand to even leave the kitchen until the dishes are cleaned up. Same way about the bedroom in the morning, no leaving until the covers are straightened.

Mama Pea said...

Jacque - Well, I'll be darned. Welcome to the club! And, yes, on making the bed each morning, too. I always make it before I get dressed for the day. :o}

Dawn said...

The bed gets made, dishes get washed, washing is kept on top of, dust well who has time to dust every day, I do like clean windows but I am not obsessive over it :-)

Mama Pea said...

Dawn - Hubby and I just finished washing all the windows inside and out. It was either that or forget being able to look outside this coming winter! But that task does not get done every year. It perhaps should, but it doesn't.

Laurie said...

Ditto, Mama Pea! I love a clean house and one that's easy to keep clean, even better.

Sandy Livesay said...

Mama Pea,

I can't stand things piling up. When you have two men living in the house, they just love to use items and put them where ever it's convenient. Then they wonder where the item is later on...............
that's because I've put it away, and didn't tell them.......Bahahahahahahaha.

Like you, I love a clean house!!!



Mama Pea said...

Laurie - I suspect you are an excellent housekeeper!

Mama Pea said...

Sandy - Do you think this male trait is because they simply don't think about keeping a house clean and tidy looking? I mean, they are not the ones to ever "clean house" or the ones who are responsible for a nice home so maybe putting everything in its place is simply not important to them. (I really like your idea of "putting things away" . . . so they can't find them. Hee-hee!)

Unknown said...

I loved downsizing our house, much less to clean!

De said...

Our housekeeping styles sound quite similar, lol. My theory is that picked up is good enough if people stop by unexpectedly. They aren't going to be looking for dirt so it's all good.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Dishes done, counters wiped, things put away that have been used, beds made, bathrooms wiped down - and then I can cook or sew or even sit a bit and read - clutter makes me feel cramped and closed in. Fortunately my house doesn't show dust, though now and then I do have to do a good dusting too.

Mama Pea said...

Nancy - You know, I have heard more people lately rue the day they built "such a big house" as it truly is hard to clean and keep up. I'll admit there was a day (years ago) when I thought I wanted a big, big house, but now I realize the folly in that. (Hey, do ya think I might actually be getting wise with age?!)

Mama Pea said...

Hey, De - And IF people stopping in unexpectedly DO look for dirt . . . well, the door might be locked on them the next time around! ;o}

Mama Pea said...

JoAnn - Oh, yes, the joys of my knotty pine furnishings! I can't imagine living with dark wookwork, shelves, furniture, etc. that showed all the dust!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Dishes are the worst job here too. The girls help, but I'm looking at a counter full of dishes they left to dry. Guess they'll be working early this morning...

Anonymous said...

Agree!!! I find that getting rid of things we do not use or need anymore-clutter-is a huge load off of us. It allows more space for new ideas/projects, energy, people, puppies and...ahem.. more things.-M

gld said...

That is my style of keeping house too. I can't begin to start a cooking project without cleaning the counter top and the floors.....so I can just make a mess again. The dishes just go in the dishwasher and are out of sight.

Daily cleaning for me is making the bed; tidying the rest of the house and cleaning the kitchen. I do do the kitchen floors daily......I am a messy cook. I think we track in a lot of outside dirt living on the farm.....I sweep up a half cup almost daily from the kitchen,.

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - With only the two of us, it seems I always have a mountain of dishes. With as many in your family as you have (or had), you must regularly have a LOT of dishes to be done every day.

Mama Pea said...

M - Puppies? Did you say puppies?? :o} I'm not a "saver" but live with one who always says, "Someday I may need that." The thing is often times he's right. In the meantime, we have to find lots of storage space!

Mama Pea said...

gld - If I had an automatic dishwasher where I could collect the dirty dishes, that would work for me. (Out of sight, out of mind?) I find we track in a lot onto the floors, too. I think it comes from living with gravel instead of paved roads and paths instead of sidewalks! Wouldn't trade it though. And I know you wouldn't either.

Leigh said...

I find that if the dishes are done and the bed is made (helps to be able to see the tops of the kitchen counters too) then the house has at least a semblance of clean, and most days that's good enough!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Ha! Since we remodeled our kitchen a couple of years ago, I have plenty of counter space as compared to the little, tiny bit I had before. So how come it still never seems like "enough?" Yep, being able to see the tops of the kitchen counters really does make everything look better! :o]

Florida Farm Girl said...

When did you clone my thoughts on housework???? Guess its time to suck it up, though. Got company coming for three weeks in a row!!!