Housekeeping ABC's

Steph had this up on her housekeeping blog, and it looked like lots of fun!

Aprons--y/n If y, what does your fave look like? Yes, I have one apron. Aunt Karen gave it to me for Christmas several years ago and I use it all the time. It has saved me several greased stained shirts from frosting. Dark blue denim with purple flowers all over it.

Baking--Favorite thing to bake? Bread. Dinner rolls. Bread rising is the coolest thing ever!

Clothes line? Don't have one right now, but will when I own my own home and can dig large holes in the yard and nobody complains about the poles sticking up above the fence... I do have a drying rack that I pull out sometimes.

Donuts--Have you ever made them? Just the canned biscuit dough variety.

Everyday--One homemaking thing you do every day? Dishes. I run the dishwasher at least once a day. And the kids clean their room with me every night to the "when we're helping we're happy" song.

Freezer--Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yes! One of the first things we bought when we moved here, besides a washer and dryer. With 5 people, meat bargains are a must, as is somewhere to put them!

Garbage Disposer? Came with the house. I use it a lot... (like leftovers I find in the back of the fridge with mold that I don't want smelling up the brand new bag in the garbage can...)

Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource? My mom. I also have a book, "How to clean practically everything". Lots of what I use are from word-of-mouth too.

Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results? I actually kind of like ironing. I like attacking all those wrinkles! Take that.... and that! I just don't usually have time to do it. Mark's uniform is pull out of the dryer and hang up so that doesn't need ironed, unlike the old starch-and-iron ones.

Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it? I don't have enough drawers, so I have a couple baskets in the kitchen on the "breakfast bar". (what a joke - there's a table right there...) I go throught them once a month and put the stuff away.

Kitchen--color and decorating scheme. It was supposed to be a sage-olive green. Tupperware and towels... The dining room/area is attached and I have red and white Spode plates over the back door, and a red-and-sage green striped curtain above the only window. Dark almost rusty red. Not fire engine.

Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking? When people walk in to my clean home and visible relax. It invites a comforting and relaxing spirit into your home when it is clean and free of all the clutter that stresses.

Mop--y/n? Usually every couple days... Use a washcloth after meals where William eats so it doesn't get sticky or cheerios crusted to the floor.

Nylons, machine or hand wash? A mesh bag in the washer so they don't wrap around the agitator and get stretched out, or tied around clothes in the dryer.

Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check? Both, the kids like the light but I can't get a good check on the color through the window.

Pizza--What do you put on yours? The crust gets olive oil, italian spices, parmesan, and garlic powder. Partially baked, and then spaghetti sauce, cheese, usually pepperoni that I try to keep on hand all the time, olives and mushrooms if I have them.

Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Read, blog, sit and watch a little tv. Water the flowers...


Recipe Card Box--y/n? What does it look like? No, I print off recipes and put them in a binder. I have a folder with pockets for the little papers people write recipes on for me. And a huge selection of cookbooks!

Style of house--What style is your house? 3 bedroom, 2 bath. One story. Walk in the front door and go left for the boys rooms and bathroom. go right for the main rooms, laundry room, and master suite. (we have our own bathroom... hurray!) I didn't think I would like being across the house from my kids, I got used to it. :-)

Tablecloths or Placemats? Neither. My table is a beautiful dark brown, really high gloss, and in the sun it is cherry/mahogany. Although I was using a tablecloth that matched my curtain and plates until the boys cut a hole in it and got gentian violet (the thrush medication) on it.

Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland? An organized toxic wasteland. Stuff goes in a certain spot in there, but we childlocked it for the boys' safety.

Vacuum--How many times per week? 2-4, depending on the room.

Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week? Ha! At least 5 full, large loads. ( which get dried and folded right away ) More if I need to wash the sheets...

X's--Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off? A mental list. I like lists.

Yard--y/n? Who does what? Nice big yard. Automatic sprinklers take care of the grass, and waters the flowers a couple times a week. Mark waters the veggies every day, and any flowers that need it. He cuts the grass since my hands don't do well with the mower's vibration. He weed wacks, since it takes me 30 minutes to start it and then I find out it's out of string. Haven't tried in 4 years. :-) He landscapes the bark after windstorms. I decide what flowers to plant, where, and when, and do it.

ZZZ's--what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? Is blogging a homemaking task? Check the hallway for booby traps (courtesy of the kids), feed the hamster, check the boys didn't turn on their bedroom light and then fell asleep.

Wow, long list! Who's next?