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Well, well......
I'm liking what is happening here at the moment.
Take myself back many years and I can tell you that there were too many people telling me that I needed to relax where housework was concerned, chill out, let it go......I couldn't see what they were talking about as I loved doing what I did....I loved to walk around my home and see things where I wanted them to be and just adored the whole tidy, clean thing.
Who knows what happened except I relaxed so much it would be understandable if it were thought I'd passed into a coma! We're still clean, don't get me wrong but the toys have overwhelmed me and I had forgotten what the show home feeling was about!
Now taking into consideration that a playroom can go from
to......
in less than 3 minutes, it could be forgiven if a women were to throw up her hands in dismay and resign herself to living under construction ( or is it destruction) for the next 18 years or so....but the tidy me was fighting to get out, the happy with a shiny surface, matching pillows and straight pictures me was battling with all her might to just have a say and a chance to shine and match again.
H is loving his castle, he is master of the washing up bowl and cordless drill ( not both at the same time of course, that would be dangerous and not a good example to 3 such impressionable and copying little H's) but he has found his niche in this house that is our home.
I wonder why we are so well suited when actually our tastes are so different! He loves old stuff, oak desks with 'character,' preferably rescued from a fate worse than bonfire and settled lovingly in the bedroom. He loves curiosities, those things discarded by others with less desire for pleasing the eye, ancient clocks that don't work but were made by a man called 'Howard' terrifying looking old money boxes with blacker than black faces and boggley eyes . He has a 'shelf' in our room, I put it in inverted commas because it is actually called the 'shelf' ------
" Hey look you guys, this should go on daddy's shelf, huh?" and 3 little boys and a daddy get a glazed look on their faces at the thought of how fantastic the 'thing' will look on the 'shelf'. In fact, Seth and Isaac both have their own 'shelves' now...right by their beds, just like daddy and every saturday they find treasure for their 'shelf'. Brass dolphins, wooden rhinos....you name it, they collect it. They decide each night what will sit on their shelf until the morning....
Which is SO the stuff that makes memories and is so touching to my heart I am weepy with emotion, but *sigh,* oh woe is me....what about my colour co-ordinating soul? How about my matching dreams?
AHA! Last week I said to H ( after he had beamed while showing me the fabulous spice rack he made in the kitchen..out of sticks, yes sticks that match ( there you see, they match, shut your mouth Helen and thank the stars for small mercies) the utensil rack ...
......I said " My darlin' I am so thrilled that you love our home, I am touched beyond measure that you gain such joy from making it so unique but would it be too hard to just let me have ONE room? One room where I choose how things look? where maybe I can buy stuff that someone else made and I have chosen and bought and matched and loved.....as much as I love the shelves made out of bunk beds and the racks made from sticks I should LOVE the front room to be a place of Helen styling. Just that one room.......Please."
Oh sweet joy..I am back, I am a women obsessed, we have wooden blinds ( not made out of sticks or bunkbeds) we have lamps that look beautiful and work well, there is not a brass dolphin or wooden Rhino in sight, not a batman video is to be seen unless it is being watched ( the other 327 are in the playroom) I am a picking up machine and a dusting demon in my front room, somehow, without me saying a word, the boys have grasped that this one room is just a teeny bit sacred, their legs seem unable to totally stop leaping on the couches but they are very reverent in their leaping and although the growing pile of squashy pillows are tempting to the minds of little tigger like people, a few good jumps and bounces and they are satisified for anything up to 6 minutes.
Yesterday Seth said " Oh I think I am so happy to have a tidy house" ( as if it was ME all along that made it UNtidy!) I think, maybe, he can sense how much better I feel with just one room pleasing to the eye? Who knows.....I can feel me coming back....I don't want anyone to think that I have ever been a person who is so anal that the house isn't a home, I just like not cringing if anyone comes by!!! I love walking in and feeling happy to be there instead of feeling as if I am about to sink and drown in chaos and disorder....by small and simple things.....
H , in fact EVERYONE, is enjoying the new front room, from the little ones to the big ones, everyone has made a positive comment and when I am done I shall post pictures but we are a work in progress and I am loving every minute!!
Take myself back many years and I can tell you that there were too many people telling me that I needed to relax where housework was concerned, chill out, let it go......I couldn't see what they were talking about as I loved doing what I did....I loved to walk around my home and see things where I wanted them to be and just adored the whole tidy, clean thing.
Who knows what happened except I relaxed so much it would be understandable if it were thought I'd passed into a coma! We're still clean, don't get me wrong but the toys have overwhelmed me and I had forgotten what the show home feeling was about!
Now taking into consideration that a playroom can go from
to......in less than 3 minutes, it could be forgiven if a women were to throw up her hands in dismay and resign herself to living under construction ( or is it destruction) for the next 18 years or so....but the tidy me was fighting to get out, the happy with a shiny surface, matching pillows and straight pictures me was battling with all her might to just have a say and a chance to shine and match again.
H is loving his castle, he is master of the washing up bowl and cordless drill ( not both at the same time of course, that would be dangerous and not a good example to 3 such impressionable and copying little H's) but he has found his niche in this house that is our home.
I wonder why we are so well suited when actually our tastes are so different! He loves old stuff, oak desks with 'character,' preferably rescued from a fate worse than bonfire and settled lovingly in the bedroom. He loves curiosities, those things discarded by others with less desire for pleasing the eye, ancient clocks that don't work but were made by a man called 'Howard' terrifying looking old money boxes with blacker than black faces and boggley eyes . He has a 'shelf' in our room, I put it in inverted commas because it is actually called the 'shelf' ------
" Hey look you guys, this should go on daddy's shelf, huh?" and 3 little boys and a daddy get a glazed look on their faces at the thought of how fantastic the 'thing' will look on the 'shelf'. In fact, Seth and Isaac both have their own 'shelves' now...right by their beds, just like daddy and every saturday they find treasure for their 'shelf'. Brass dolphins, wooden rhinos....you name it, they collect it. They decide each night what will sit on their shelf until the morning....
Which is SO the stuff that makes memories and is so touching to my heart I am weepy with emotion, but *sigh,* oh woe is me....what about my colour co-ordinating soul? How about my matching dreams?
AHA! Last week I said to H ( after he had beamed while showing me the fabulous spice rack he made in the kitchen..out of sticks, yes sticks that match ( there you see, they match, shut your mouth Helen and thank the stars for small mercies) the utensil rack ...
......I said " My darlin' I am so thrilled that you love our home, I am touched beyond measure that you gain such joy from making it so unique but would it be too hard to just let me have ONE room? One room where I choose how things look? where maybe I can buy stuff that someone else made and I have chosen and bought and matched and loved.....as much as I love the shelves made out of bunk beds and the racks made from sticks I should LOVE the front room to be a place of Helen styling. Just that one room.......Please."
Oh sweet joy..I am back, I am a women obsessed, we have wooden blinds ( not made out of sticks or bunkbeds) we have lamps that look beautiful and work well, there is not a brass dolphin or wooden Rhino in sight, not a batman video is to be seen unless it is being watched ( the other 327 are in the playroom) I am a picking up machine and a dusting demon in my front room, somehow, without me saying a word, the boys have grasped that this one room is just a teeny bit sacred, their legs seem unable to totally stop leaping on the couches but they are very reverent in their leaping and although the growing pile of squashy pillows are tempting to the minds of little tigger like people, a few good jumps and bounces and they are satisified for anything up to 6 minutes.
Yesterday Seth said " Oh I think I am so happy to have a tidy house" ( as if it was ME all along that made it UNtidy!) I think, maybe, he can sense how much better I feel with just one room pleasing to the eye? Who knows.....I can feel me coming back....I don't want anyone to think that I have ever been a person who is so anal that the house isn't a home, I just like not cringing if anyone comes by!!! I love walking in and feeling happy to be there instead of feeling as if I am about to sink and drown in chaos and disorder....by small and simple things.....
H , in fact EVERYONE, is enjoying the new front room, from the little ones to the big ones, everyone has made a positive comment and when I am done I shall post pictures but we are a work in progress and I am loving every minute!!
posted by The other me | 11:04 pm
6 Comments:
Tell H that his workmanship is just wonderful. LOL. I have to say, they do look very nice..when you said sticks, i was thinking, oh boy..what has he done??? But, i could see those things in my sister's farmhouse. In fact, i think i will mention that idea to her. Has he thought about marketing his stick idea? I can imagine in a country themed kitchen, that being a very big hit.
And glad to hear that you got your one room. I know it does feel better if just one room is tidy and the way you want it. Gives you a sense of accomplishment and an overall good feeling. When i bust my bottom cleaning our living room, i like to just sink down on the ratty old couch and take it in, knowing with my 2.5 yr old tazmanian devil, that it wont last long.
Enjoy!
Ahhh Helen,
You have worded everything that I long to say so perfectly.
Luckily, my husband loves having an organized, (dare I say he's anal? lol) and neat home. But his idea of clean is so horrid.
He will take the laundry...clean & dirty, mix it all together, and shove it in drawers and stuff it in closets.
My laundry room (this is the biggest pet peeve of mine)....
Oh sigh of biggest sighs.
I have a hamper for Mercy, one for the boys, and a triple sorter for us. Towells in one compartment, whites in another, and colored in the last one.
Why can he NOT figure out what goes in which compartment???? Seriously. I just walked in there, and he had our dirty laundry in the boys, the boys in the towells, and Mercy's had gotten thrown on the FRIGGIN FLOOR.
Ugh. LOL
But...I smile and say "Someday. He'll get it someday. No heart, be still I said SOMEday, not sunday."
Seriously, as much as it aggravates me, i love being able to see that I've actually gotten something done, when the day is over. To walk into my teeny laundry room, and see all the compartments at least almost empty, the shelves in order w/the various cleaning supplies, the trash can empty, and the linen closet in order. Man that just feels so freakin awesome! :o)
(((hugs)))
ooooh I want to see pictures of the "Helen space"!!
I bet it will be perfectly tranquil with nary a cushion out of place or a toy on the floor - unless of course you don't have barbed wire around the place protecting it from the kids.
I LOVED the pictures you posted - the boys with their shelves - well that's just priceless - I may steal that idea!
How lovely to really just have one place that is all you!!
No wonder it gets so many compliments - it is an extension of you, so when they compliment your front hall, they are really saying YOU look wonderful Helen, YOU are peaceful and tidy and neat and fabulous and comfortable and full of beauty, grace, elegance and love.
All i can say is, lucky lucky you that H tries!! lol...here's a recent conversation between Al and I...
ME:"You know, we need to do something about this clutter problem we have"
AL:"We have a system. I clutter it up, and you clean it up"
ME:"UGH! I meant a system that works in my FAVOUR!"
AL:"Oh, HAHAHAHA" and he walked away.
I envy you YOUR SPACE Helen :)
~Lisa~
Oh that sounds HEAVENLY! I can't wait to see the pics!!!
Hugs
Julie
Woooooooooooooopeeee! Thats awsome girly! I cannot wait to see pics of your beautiful Helen room.
Love the shelves by the bed, hubbys handy, i cannot believe he made those!
Shit my man cant even mow without me practically takling a prodding stick and kicking him outta the house...
((hugs))
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