It is the beginning of January and time to clean this place up! Do you feel like that? Do you have Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome (CHAOS)? My house always seems to be is some state of disaster! It overwhelms me, so I have decided to tackle it in small manageable projects. Want to join me?
Here are the parameters: 1. There will be one project a week. Assignment given on Tuesday. One week to complete. 2. It costs nothing. 3. You may regain some sanity. (This line item is not guaranteed.)
Week 1 Manage the CHAOS: junk drawer
We all have them. We can’t get rid of them. BUT they must be managed. I have two in my kitchen alone.
Your assignment this week is to find 15 minutes. Set a timer if it helps. Tackle that drawer in 15 minutes or less. Throw away, recycle, repurpose, move items to a more appropriate place, leave what is essential. If you have the time and you have more than one junk drawer-repeat!
**The idea of CHAOS, tackling the organization of your home in small tasks for 15 minutes at a time, and regaining control comes directly from http://www.flylady.net/. I love the ideas. However, it is an intense undertaking and I failed miserably. Check it out. You might have better luck.
My grandmother left our world two weeks ago today and I feel the space she has left deeply. Living to be 97, I was blessed that my children were able to not only know their great-grandmother, but to also know the love she showered on all of us. She lived her life with grace, but also with a quiet, fierce determination. Those whom she loved tried to never disappoint her.
Born 60 years apart, our lives took entirely different paths. Mine through college and graduate school and finally a career. She fought to finish high school and had to do so early. Her father wanted her home to help her mother. Somehow we ended up in the very same place-caring for our home and family. Believe me, never in any of my life planning did I think we would share this common thread. Maybe that is why I don’t like calling myself a stay-at-home-mom. I am a homemaker. A housewife-just like my grandma.
My grandmother is the gold standard. I want to share with you a few of things that I learned from her. Not through her telling me (I don’t ever remember her giving me any advice), but through the way she lived her life.
Show your love through small gestures.
My grandmother was the queen of spoiling you in very small ways. A cupboard in her kitchen stocked with the candy. (We are talking full size candy bars!) Sneaking a $5 bill in your pocket when you were leaving. Meeting you with the warmest hug each and every time you walked into her house. Never forgetting a birthday or anniversary. Always sending a card for every occasion with a little spending cash tucked inside. Standing at the screen door as you left, waving and smiling until you drove away.
Do what you do, well.
She had years to perfect her craft, and what she did, she did almost perfectly. Hands down, she made the best pie crust I have ever tasted. When my grandfather was alive, they tended an amazingly huge garden. Her raspberry jam, made from the berries she grew in her backyard, is my all time favorite. Even the way she cut strawberries….just small enough to eat with a spoon. The table was set days before a meal. The details mattered to her.
Traditions are lasting.
Growing up in an Italian family, most of our traditions centered around religious holidays and food. We have our own traditions that we have started with our boys. And then are some from when I was a young girl. Most likely, those traditions are from when my grandma was a young girl. Traditions reaching back to a time much different and living forward into time, seemingly without end.
Family is first.
There was nothing more important than her family. While I know she had friends and connections outside our little world, it began and ended with us. It is an amazing gift she gave. I thank her every night in my prayers. I know she hears me.
It is not often that I wear my hair straight, but when I do I have found the secret weapon. The Instyler. Where did I hear about it? A TV infomercial! As seen on TV….
I gifted one to myself at the beginning of year. I had put off buying one for many, many months. Could it really work? You know what they say, “If it sounds too good to be true……..uhhh.” Still not convinced, I even watched a series of YouTube videos.
And now I am a total believer! Seriously, this “tool” is the best thing since sliced bread! I can easily straighten and smooth my curly hair.
Your gorgeous, children bound down the stairs Christmas morning, complete with bed head and holiday pjs (possibly opened the night before). Their eyes widen and the magic of the holiday engulfs them. One shrieks with delight as he opens the ONE gift he was hope, hope, hoping for!
“Can I open it up?”
“Of course, baby!”
wait for it….wait for it…. wait for it….
“Honey don’t cry. Daddy just has to find a pair of pliers and a screwdriver.”
What has caused this Christmas horror? Toy packaging! I am sure you know what I am talking about. Here are few images to simply remind you of the hassle you are about to encounter:
I am not sure the purpose for these torture devices. Display? Safety? Theft? One of the great mysteries of my world. Learning many painful lessons, I now swoop in with a preemptive strike. Before I wrap those little treasures-I make sure it is easy to play with right away.
Get rid of all those twist ties, disc holds, and screws as you drink a glass of wine! Then tie the ribbon around that Nerf Gun. In all honesty it is more for me than my kids. Christmas morning is much more relaxing for me and really that is what is all about, right?
Oh, I do love this season. So far our tree is up and shimmery. The lights outside pop on at 4:30 (yes, that is dusk in these parts!). Each morning means an advent treat and finding our scout elf, Elfie. Today brings Santa pictures. We could plan a trip to ride the Holiday Carousel and visit the gingerbread houses in downtown Seattle. Holiday song fest and cookie reception, Christmas pageant practice and a big solo to practice for-the list can go on and on.
Meanwhile Santa hasn’t completed essential tasks, which will mean having a sitter next week since the kids are on break starting Friday at 3:30. All of these check lists and must-dos can cause one to be “Christmas frantic”.
Keeping things in perspective, I cherish traditions and look for ways to create memories with my kids. Things I make time for each year:
add one new ornament to our tree each year. Some are just pretty, others have stories. This year’s ornament comes all the way from NYC. (That just puts a smile on my face!)
adding a new page to an album every year with our family’s Christmas card and the boys’ Santa picture. We only have it out this time of year and it is such a treat to look through.
crab on Christmas Eve. This is a new tradition for me, one that I have borrowed from my husband’s family. It is the BEST dinner to ready for…..the cook does almost nothing. Buy the crab cooked and cleaned and ……Viola! Dinner is served.
chose one classic holiday movie and watch it with my kids for the first time. This year (although it might be classified as a modern “classic” since it came it out in the 90’s.) it is Home Alone. I love to hear hear the belly laughs from all 3 of my guys!
lunch date with a friend. A girl has got to eat and why not squeeze in time to lunch with a friend.
buy new wrapping paper. I choose 3 or 4 designs and find ribbon that compliments them.
make Santa Cake on Christmas Eve. Every other day of the year it is known to us as Rice Crispy treats. Santa is gluten-free in our house. 🙂
Things I have given up on:
cutting down a tree.
the perfect photo for the holiday card. If all 4 of us are in it….that is good enough.
buying for everyone. The kids in our lives still get gifts, but the adults share a good bottle of wine and some merriment instead!
the mall. I try to do most of my store shopping in local independently owned shops. The rest is done online. Nothing like shopping in your pj’s in front of the fire.
making it all perfect. It is not attainable, so I try to find humor in all that goes wrong.
Ok. I apologize for resorting to such an overused, unimaginative expression, but OMG.
Nordstrom, has just answered my holiday wish ~ which is to avoid Bellevue Square at all costs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Check it.
Nordstrom is now testing an exciting Same Day Delivery program in three cities: Seattle, WA, Bellevue, WA, and La Jolla, CA. For just $10, items that are in stock at your local store can be hand-delivered to your door on the same day.
Orders placed by 12pm Pacific will be delivered by 6pm the same day; orders placed after 12pm will be delivered by 6pm the following day—even on Saturdays and Sundays. Select Same Day Delivery in Checkout.
Eligible delivery addresses, excluding P.O. boxes, are located in the following ZIP codes:
I came across these ad posters on the world wide web this weekend. I suppose this is a perfect situation to use, LOL. Actually, they are down right hysterical! They are mock horror movie posters. The horror? Ill fitting bras…and what the consequences might be for the woman in complete denial.
The Quadraboob. Can you only imagine this under a sweater? Not good.
The Sagging. A good friend of mine calls this look “rocks in socks”.
Who is the brilliant mastermind behind this campaign? A bra boutique called The Booby Trap. (How much do you love the name of their store?!) It is actually located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Hey, if I am ever in their neighborhood, you better believe I will pop in and check it out! Since I live quite a distance away, I sure hope all the ladies that live in NL frequent this shop. We could all use a little humor while shopping for undergarments.
