Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Proof

That I am on Day 4 of a kitchen table that is no longer covered in people's underwear, socks and t-shirts. This is a remarkable thing around here because it really doesn't take much to lure me back to my lazy, slacker ways. It's so easy to pile up laundry on the table and go about my business, but now, after four solid days of a cleaned off table, having laundry on it seems wrong. I do fold clothes here but they are put away immediately because leaving them there would be wrong. I never wanted to become that person, but where laundry is concerned, it feels pretty good. I'm not obsessed, I do my one load a day, I put the stuff away, and it's done. Not piled there waiting on me to do something with it. I hate that it feels so good and that maybe my mother was right. I really hate admitting that. You see my mother has a laundry obsession. Laundry must be placed in the washer just so, whites must go it alone. You have to use Tide and Downey. You must remove the clothes from the dryer and fold them or hang them up immediately(I am still not there, we are so very much that wrinkled family from the Lowe's or Home Depot commercial. I may have changed a few bad habits but I have not lost my mind, yet!) So I don't know if I have spent the last 25 years of doing my laundry my way to show my mother that it doesn't have to be that way. So what if all our white underwear and t-shirts are gray. Gray is a good neutral color. Take that mom! And Tide, that is not always in the budget, Arm & Hammer and Publix laundry detergent are just fine thank you very much--or even homemade with Washing soda, Borax and Fels Naptha. (Ok I've been buying Tide with Bleach Alternative lately but I do not do whites in a separate load, it's just wasteful--unless it's something red or something I absolutely know will bleed on the whites) oh and I do not wash whites in hot water, all my laundry is done in cold water. My mother would cringe at that.

My Pistoulet Chicken makes me happier than it should. Granny Smith apples, buy a bag, get a bag free at Winn Dixie, also have two bags of Red Delicious, same deal. I see apple pie in our future.
I'm currently coveting Amanda's new breadmachine. It looks awesome on Amazon.
I did two batches of pizza dough in mine yesterday and I think the motor was about to give up, it was hot, hot, hot and that was just on the dough cycle. I like that the Cuisinart makes long regular loaves. Very cool.
I made these cookies this morning:
Not bad but do not in any way overcook them. I did my first batch, decided to let them go another two minutes and that was a mistake. I also think I went a little too heavy on the cardamom and I tried to be careful to use the exact amount but it's a pretty strong spice and mine was from a freshly opened jar.
I've read a few reviews of this book and had hoped my library would have it but they don't:
The reviews I've read have all been positive. Although one person does point out that girls get hungry too, yes we do! And the text is a bit annoying about cooking for men and boys but that is the point of the book, but we girls we like us some food too! But reviews of the recipes I've read on various blogs have all been good.
I've also been wanting this cookbook for a while:
And my library hasn't gotten it in either. Another book where the reviews have all been good.
Something about the holidays and a bit of a chill in the air that really gets me in a cooking mood.
Seeing Knitting Iris photos of recent meals really makes me long for wide open spaces, a large garden and cabin in the wilds of Montana. Although I don't think I could eat a heart sandwich. It looks good in the picture, but I'm not a vital organs consuming kind of girl. My friend Cassie used to force me to eat liver and onions once a month because it was good for me. Hard to believe we're still friends after that gastronomical torture.
Recently I rearranged the living room. I set up a new stitching area and once I get the Rubbermaid bucket out from under the table and replace it with a basket of some sort with a lid to keep the cats out of the yarn I'll take a picture of the whole corner but for now you get Sabrina:


She took my spot. She likes curling up on the unfinished Vintage Vertical Strip blanket that I folded up and use for a cushion.


She is annoyed that I interrupted her bath and she's not impressed. The Breeze as we call her runs the house. She terrorizes Pineapple and Naomi the two other cats and pretty much scares my Polly Prissypants too.




Here's the queen telling me to go away, leave her alone, let her cuddle up and lay in the afternoon sun.
I am currently listening to Stephen King's Under the Dome. I love it. I am up to hour twenty something of thirty five and I don't want to stop listening. I think that's what has aided my cleaning mojo.
The Spousal Unit says I will not be able to stay up until midnight to see New Moon tonight. It's going to be hard, I'm usually asleep by ten, I hope I can get a nap in today.


8 comments:

Anna van Schurman said...

I haven't read the cooking for boys and men book, but my man can EAT. (When I make something that feeds 4, we sometimes don't have leftovers.) Rachel Rays recipes often overfeed us. (365 is my favorite and I can tell you some of the best recipes if you are interested.)

Me, I decorate with baskets of fresh, usually unfolded, laundry.

Melissa said...

Up until four days ago our table cloth was pants, shirts and underwear, the bowl the apples are in, socks. I am so not kidding.

PS I washed the bowl before I filled it with apples, really, I promise!

Sandcastle Momma said...

I'm laughing so hard at your laundry story. My mother is the same way - uses only Tide and Downey and everything has to be just so. She doesn't even wait for a full load. As soon as something comes off it gets washed.
I've rebelled and have a mountain of laundry, use the cheapest detergent I can find, dump all clean clothes in a chair where they pretty much stay and I haven't seen my ironing board in years LOL

ladybeans said...

Loved your Mom story! That's my Mom also, Tide & Downey. I rebelled also. Cold water for everything, with whites mixed in.
Must be a generation thing.

Siobhán said...

You're supposed to wash whites separately?! The best I get is washing towels separately. Looking good, Melissa. YGG! Love the new blog look, too!

Nancy M said...

Won't comment on the washing thing...I think I'm like your mom! LOL But I just wanted to say I enjoy your writing. Hope you stayed awake for New Moon, all my co-workers went to the midnight show. I havent' read a book so don't know what all the hype is about.

Meari said...

LOL, I'm with your Mom. Whites go it alone with bleach. Darks. Lights. Then they come out of the dryer as soon as it's done, and hung up or folded. (Less wrinkles = less ironing). I usually put them away soon after, too.

Barb said...

Love your dining room table story! Mine is not covered with laundry but papers, receipts, purses, glasses, change, gloves...really anything that seems to need a temporary place to hang out. If we needed that table to eat at, we would probably just push everything to one end!