Housewives, Housekeeping, Homemaking, and Fall Cleaning
A week ago I had a burst of enthusiasm and energy which I promptly utilized to begin some fall cleaning Yes, fall has been here for some time but I didn't have the energy to tackle the cleaning. I took full advantage of the day, and have been enjoying the results of my work ever since.
We are retired, and that means there is lots of time to clean. It also means there is an easy excuse to say, "I'll do it tomorrow". Our main visitors are family, as we don't entertain a lot like we did when we were younger. Retirement means a very relaxed lifestyle, pursing interests and hobbies and volunteer work, all which bring clutter into my life. All this added up to a real need to do some cleaning and organizing.
So when time, energy and enthusiasm collide, where does one begin a much-needed bout of cleaning and freshening the home? I decided to start with our bedroom. Why? It is the place where we begin and end every day. I wake up and see the freshly cleaned room and it reminds me why I want to continue the fall cleaning so that the rest of the house feels fresh and ready for the coming season. My bedroom is where I relax and also where I do mediations, prayers, and devotions. How much easier it is to focus on inner thoughts when the room is in order!
Getting back to last week, I decided a deep cleaning of surface areas was required. My husband helped pull out the mattress from the bedframe so I could vaccuum behind the bed as well as the mattress and box spring themselves. Amazing how dust collects! I have a lot of photos and special objects that I treasure on the dresser and antique cabinet, and they required dusting. I washed some of the ornaments and trays so they were throughly cleaned. I even took an old toothbrush to clean out the detailed carving in the wood, trying to get out every speck of dust.
Next I got out a chair to climb up and dust the door frames and window frames. That led to pulling down the curtains, which is no small job. I have a heavy set of velvet drapes on the two windows in my room, topped by a short velvet valance. Beneath the draps are a pair of white sheer curtains, and under that are blinds. The heavy curtains are great because the windows are on a north wall, so they help to insulate the room. They also make the room dark and catch a lot of dust. I hauled them outside to vaccuum them (yes, and that was a lot of work!) and air out. The sheers went into the washer.
We decided the room looks larger without the heavy dark drapes, so for now I have not re-hung the drapes; my husband helped out with putting the sheers back up. I am enjoying the bright airy look without the drapes, but I might add some sort of valance above them. The curtain rods that exist are the type that need hooks. I might need to replace those too. The first thing though is to get matching blinds. With the heavy drapes in place, you couldn't tell that the blinds don't match. Now, it is noticeable. I guess a shopping trip is in order, but I want to save that as a reward for when I have finished cleaning the rest of the house.
And that is the problem. I felt awesome with all that was accomplished on Monday, and have visions of doing a room a day. Or at least "clean something every day". I was going to blog about that! Tuesday came and brought a vicious headache that lasted three days. I didn't get back to the cleaning.
Thursday night and Friday we babysat our grandchildren. On Saturday there was a Snowflake Tea at our church, so any extra time on Saturday was spent baking for the tea, followed by attending it in the afternoon.
And here we are back on Monday again. And back to feeling resolved about continuing the cleaning.
I know it is trendy to have a housecleaner in many circles, but honestly I love looking after my own home. My home is personal and when I work in it, it is a work of love for the life that I have, the life I share with my husband and family. I don't want someone else invading our space, even if it is to clean the bathroom. It just feels like an invasion of our world.
I know lots of people who don't share my view on this. But I feel the housekeeping is really home-loving, and the difference in words creates a difference in attitude. I am grateful for our home, the life it shelters, and the memories we have shared here. I am grateful for the strength and health to look after it. I am grateful to have a home when there are so many homeless in the world. At this time, I think of the refugee situation in Europe, and pray we never experience such desperation and homelessness.
I also think of my ancestors who came to this country from Scotland, to create a new life here. I am grateful for their sacrificies and determination. I am grateful for those in the armed forces who defended and continue to defend our freedom.
Yes, I am grateful for God's grace and love, and for the life I have been given. How can I not want to look after those things I have and give my home some loving care? I am off to continue my housework / home work / home loving. Have a great day, everyone.
A week ago I had a burst of enthusiasm and energy which I promptly utilized to begin some fall cleaning Yes, fall has been here for some time but I didn't have the energy to tackle the cleaning. I took full advantage of the day, and have been enjoying the results of my work ever since.
We are retired, and that means there is lots of time to clean. It also means there is an easy excuse to say, "I'll do it tomorrow". Our main visitors are family, as we don't entertain a lot like we did when we were younger. Retirement means a very relaxed lifestyle, pursing interests and hobbies and volunteer work, all which bring clutter into my life. All this added up to a real need to do some cleaning and organizing.
So when time, energy and enthusiasm collide, where does one begin a much-needed bout of cleaning and freshening the home? I decided to start with our bedroom. Why? It is the place where we begin and end every day. I wake up and see the freshly cleaned room and it reminds me why I want to continue the fall cleaning so that the rest of the house feels fresh and ready for the coming season. My bedroom is where I relax and also where I do mediations, prayers, and devotions. How much easier it is to focus on inner thoughts when the room is in order!
Getting back to last week, I decided a deep cleaning of surface areas was required. My husband helped pull out the mattress from the bedframe so I could vaccuum behind the bed as well as the mattress and box spring themselves. Amazing how dust collects! I have a lot of photos and special objects that I treasure on the dresser and antique cabinet, and they required dusting. I washed some of the ornaments and trays so they were throughly cleaned. I even took an old toothbrush to clean out the detailed carving in the wood, trying to get out every speck of dust.
Next I got out a chair to climb up and dust the door frames and window frames. That led to pulling down the curtains, which is no small job. I have a heavy set of velvet drapes on the two windows in my room, topped by a short velvet valance. Beneath the draps are a pair of white sheer curtains, and under that are blinds. The heavy curtains are great because the windows are on a north wall, so they help to insulate the room. They also make the room dark and catch a lot of dust. I hauled them outside to vaccuum them (yes, and that was a lot of work!) and air out. The sheers went into the washer.
We decided the room looks larger without the heavy dark drapes, so for now I have not re-hung the drapes; my husband helped out with putting the sheers back up. I am enjoying the bright airy look without the drapes, but I might add some sort of valance above them. The curtain rods that exist are the type that need hooks. I might need to replace those too. The first thing though is to get matching blinds. With the heavy drapes in place, you couldn't tell that the blinds don't match. Now, it is noticeable. I guess a shopping trip is in order, but I want to save that as a reward for when I have finished cleaning the rest of the house.
And that is the problem. I felt awesome with all that was accomplished on Monday, and have visions of doing a room a day. Or at least "clean something every day". I was going to blog about that! Tuesday came and brought a vicious headache that lasted three days. I didn't get back to the cleaning.
Thursday night and Friday we babysat our grandchildren. On Saturday there was a Snowflake Tea at our church, so any extra time on Saturday was spent baking for the tea, followed by attending it in the afternoon.
And here we are back on Monday again. And back to feeling resolved about continuing the cleaning.
I know it is trendy to have a housecleaner in many circles, but honestly I love looking after my own home. My home is personal and when I work in it, it is a work of love for the life that I have, the life I share with my husband and family. I don't want someone else invading our space, even if it is to clean the bathroom. It just feels like an invasion of our world.
I know lots of people who don't share my view on this. But I feel the housekeeping is really home-loving, and the difference in words creates a difference in attitude. I am grateful for our home, the life it shelters, and the memories we have shared here. I am grateful for the strength and health to look after it. I am grateful to have a home when there are so many homeless in the world. At this time, I think of the refugee situation in Europe, and pray we never experience such desperation and homelessness.
I also think of my ancestors who came to this country from Scotland, to create a new life here. I am grateful for their sacrificies and determination. I am grateful for those in the armed forces who defended and continue to defend our freedom.
Yes, I am grateful for God's grace and love, and for the life I have been given. How can I not want to look after those things I have and give my home some loving care? I am off to continue my housework / home work / home loving. Have a great day, everyone.
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