ABC's of Homemaking

Kelli in the Mirror has tagged me with this meme, and I was so excited 'cause the only interesting thing I could claim to have done today is make an apple crisp from scratch. It is blizzarding up a storm here in the ole Midwest and I am bored, bored, bored, so now I have something to do! Here goes...


Aprons- Y/N? Absolutely not. I barely remember to put bibs on the kid!

Baking- Favorite thing to bake? Um, that would be apple crisp, because it is easy and because I love the smell of cinnamon in the house. And did I mention that it's easy? Yeah, I don't usually have the best of luck with baking, so I don't attempt difficult recipes too often (read: maybe twice a year.)

Clothesline- Y/N? That would be a no. Do I really want to have my underpants flapping in the breeze?

Donuts- Ever made them? I refer you to my previous comment on baking, and I'll let you figure out the answer to this one.

Everyday- One homemaking thing you do everyday? I try to make the bed, because our giant dog loves to lay on the warm water bed and nap. I used to fight it, but he loves it so much he has worn me down. So I have to make the bed in order for this situation to be at all tolerable- dog hair on the comforter I can deal with, but if it gets on the sheets we have a problem. Also, I more or less clean the kitchen daily.

Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freezer? Nope. I'm sort of envious of those who do, though, but more because of the potential for endless pizza roll supply than being able to stockpile frozen dinners and sides of beef and whatnot.

Garbage Disposal- Y/N? Uh, yeah! Oh, I just got a shiver remembering my childhood without one, when part of the dish clean up routine involved de-gunking the sink drain thingy. Gag me.

Handbook- Y/N? I guess this refers to whether or not I have some kind of cleaning schedule or something? And I would have to say both yes and no. There are certain things which I try to do at least weekly, like tub cleaning and dusting, but I don't have a checklist or anything, because it would depress me too much to see the empty boxes when things didn't get done according to plan. And lately, there would be more empty boxes than checked ones, I'm afraid.

Ironing- Love it or hate it? Whoa. It's not so much that I hate it as that it isn't even something I consider. I never, ever buy anything that needs to be ironed, and in our house, as soon as the dryer buzzes on the delicates load, it's a mad rush to get them out before they start wrinkling. Because Lord knows once they're wrinkled, they're staying wrinkled.

Junk Drawer- Where is it? It's more of a junk pile on the baker's rack in our kitchen. Now, mind you, the baker's rack has SIX baskets on it, all with specific paper filing purposes, and yet inevitably there are random slips and receipts and bills just thrown all over the place and spilling out of the baskets.

Kitchen- Design and decorating? I used to have a pots and pans border, but my husband had always kinda hated it, so we repainted it a really pretty kind of country blue this year. So... Our design scheme is blue. Blue and white, actually. And there is some greenery stuff on top of the cupboards to add some... Green. I think every room needs a little green.

Love- What is your favorite part of homemaking? Coming home after a long day of errands or traveling or something to a clean house and feeling so happy to be home and to see that there is nothing I need to do and I can just relax and enjoy. Also, I love when you're having company over and you are forced to clean and kind of not thrilled about it, but then when it's done it's such a good feeling to see the whole house clean at one time!

Mop- Y/N? I have a Clorox mopping system thing with the disposable pads, and I try to do it at least once a week. With the dog, our laminate floor gets pretty nasty otherwise.

Nylons- Wash by hand or in the washer? First of all, I hardly ever wear them. But when I do, I just throw them in the washer and then hang them to dry.

Oven- Do you use the window or open it to check? Open it.

Pizza- What do you put on yours? My favorite pizza is one piled with veggies and no meat- tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, red onions... Needless to say, whenever ordering with other people, I usually don't get my way.

Quiet- What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Hop right on the computer. And, lately, I also nap a lot! This is more of a pregnant thing than my regular habit though.

Recipe card box- Y/N? Yes, but I rarely refer to it. I make a lot of simple dinners that don't require recipes. Or I go online- the last thing I looked for was "really easy meatloaf."

Style of house- Hmm. well, it's a ranch style, nothing exciting or fancy from the outside- tannish siding, dark green roof. Inside it's a little nicer than the outside, I think. I'm pretty into decorating, or at least I was when I had the time/energy/money. (Not "Home Interiors Party" kind of decorating, though, lest you shudder and fear that I'm one of the pod people!) Come to think of it, the house might tend towards being overdecorated. It would probably be better if there were more room to spread the stuff out.

Tablecloths and napkins- Y/N? We used to use cloth napkins every day. Our little effort at not killing trees, I guess. We use paper now most of the time. And tablecloths, never.

Under the kitchen sink- Trash can, dishwasher detergent, kitchen cleaner stuff, vases. The usual.

Vacuum- How many times a week? It used to be twice, when Addy was little. Now, it's usually just once.

Wash- How many loads do you do a week? Um, probably six? If Jim were doing it it would be more. He's much better about not stuffing the washer full.

X's- Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? Sometimes. Not every day.

Yard- Who does what? Jim mows, and, to be honest, does everything else as well. I hate outside work with a passion. I sometimes make weak attempts at weeding or mulching, but I basically loathe it and do everything to wriggle out of it. At least this summer I'll have an excuse not to help, what with the giant belly!

ZZZ's- What is your last homemaking task for the day? I try to have the dishes cleaned up, and things basically picked up so I'm not tripping over toys in the morning. Doesn't always happen, though.