Friday, September 26, 2008

My To Do List

Remember a few weeks back or maybe it was a couple of months ago, when I was so thrilled by my newly organized clean house? Everything was neatly put away and the house was so clean, I didn't panic when someone dropped by unexpectedly or asked to use my bathroom.

I loved this feeling of calm that went through me and I was determined to make this my new reality!

It was then, when my next door neighbor and her friend dropped in to see my newly updated kitchen. She was so taken back by my clean, uncluttered home (it was her first time she ever walked into my house, so she thought this was normal for me), and was so inspired, she took two days off to clean her house and emptied two carloads of junk to the Good Will! The friend she was with told me later that she went home and kicked her house!

I LOVED it and yet, I have to admit, I did feel a wee bit highfalutin. It did look a bit staged... as if there was a For Sale sign up and an Open House was about to begin.

Well.

As you can see by my list (and so far the list is up to 23 things to do by tomorrow afternoon), I have somewhat fallen back into my old ways.

First it was the small things.

Leaving the newspaper and a few bills on the kitchen table. (I'll put it away later....)

Not putting away the three magazines I took outside with me in the backyard to read-- er, thumb through -- and then left them on the kitchen counter.

The clothes I folded from the dryer sat on the living room coffee table because I was in the middle of watching Big Brother and forgot to hang them in my closet during a commercial.

The cat food that dropped from Mollie's dish eventually adhered to the floor, so I left it.

The quick impromptu cleanings just before someone dropped in, was quickly tossed into the garage and now I need to clean that up.

It is now nearly back to where it once was, although the closets are still in good organized order.

I admit it: The task of putting everything away where they belong does not come naturally to me. (and probably the reason why the closets stay so clean). Neither does the determination in keeping my sink sparkling clean. And my aim is still slightly off when I throw my worn clothes across the room hoping to land in the hamper. How hard is it really, to walk over and place the clothes in the actual clothes hamper than leaving them all laying on the floor around it.

By the way, I never use the word "highfalutin". It came to me in a sudden moment and I think it's a pretty cute word so I used it a few paragraphs above. But it's not really me. In an honest moment of confessing to you that I was feeling pretentious with my neighbor and her friend while showing them my neat and tidy house, I felt pretentious again using that fun, cute word.

I'm not apologizing, but just wanted to let you know.

Off to clean the house. . . .

6 comments:

violetismycolor said...

I find it incredibly hard to stay organized, on top of things. I have a mind that flies eight million directions at once. This is reflected in my home. But I have learned to live with it.

Kate said...

As I read this with empathy and compassion and the same in-house situation, I can't help but be amazed STILL, in spite of 'our economy', how BLESSED we all are to have stuff that needs to be picked up and/or put away, and we have places in which to place this same stuff. I'm off to tripping over dog toys, bowls, rakes, hoses, full laundry baskets.

doodlegirl said...

Hi "violet". :O)
Our minds are on the same flight pattern! FUN! Thank you for reminding me that this could be the problem of finding it incredibly hard to organize. Thank you for that "ah-ha!" moment!

Dear Kate, you are soo right about how blessed we all are to have stuff that needs to be picked up... and even stuff to donate. And to have homes to house this same stuff in. Everyday I thank God that I've been able to own a home that is fary more expensive than what I normally would be qualified to buy... had things been different with our mortgage/bank experiences of the housing boom.

danny said...

Aww it's okay, I'm pretty much a 'casual housekeeper' myself...and the lady who went home and kicked her house? hilarious!

Anonymous said...

Someone has to kick my house for me. -PunkToad

platitudinal said...

I am naturally messy, but I do not really enjoy living in a messy environment. That's the unnatural part, I think.

*When I was learning English, I associated highfalutin and flatulence together. I don't know how and why. But, when I thought of highfalutin, then the other one popped too. Isn't that odd? :D