Clean versus tidy

 I am obsessed with having a tidy house . 

Note that I said tidy, not clean.

I have no illusions about my housekeeping skills. I am definitely not a clean freak. I remember the first time I went to someones house and noticed that they had vacuum marks on their couch, or the first time I heard that people wash their baseboards on a regular basis. Whaaaaaaaat! I can't think of a time in my life when it ever occurred to me to do such a thing. When I go on pinterest and see tips for cleaning ones dishwasher and laundry machine I almost laugh. The funny thing is,  I obsess over tidy counters, well made beds, and organized closets. Go figure!

 My baseboards are dusty and so are my bookshelves, but they have been carefully curated and organized for maximum viewing pleasure. Whether they are dusty, is no concern of mine. My floors are often sticky and strewn with sawdust from my husband's workshop , but are ALWAYS swept at the end of the day.

 My windows and mirrors are often covered in fingerprints, and I couldn't care less. I don't care how often my sheets are changed or whether my walls are washed. I give our main bathroom a good scrub just before company comes over, but our on suit bathroom can get pretty scary. My kitchen and closet are probably the "cleanest" areas of my house. I frequently wipe my cupboard shelves off and organize and de-junk my baking, spices and Tupperware cupboards. I hardly ever notice grime that accumulates around the kitchen facet or the fact that my fridge shelves could use a scrub. I think I have washed the outside of my kitchen cabinets once and I often neglect the interior of my microwave. I can't stand cluttered counters and hide as many kitchen appliances as possible. My kitchen aid mixer and vita mix base, toaster and knife set are tolerated. Our kitchen window is filled with little potted plants at the moment and it is driving me insane.
My pantry is pretty awesome though.  

My couches are in desperate need of a good vacuuming but I am more concerned about the arrangement of throw pillows.  The walls of my entryway are diabolical but it is the piles of shoes, backpacks and sweaters make me want to holler at my family. Our banister could use a god scrub but I am more focused on the bits of fluff and debris on our carpeted staircase. What's up with that?

 Our master bedroom is generally always tidy, aside from the pile of clothing beside my husbands side of the bed. My closet is organized by color and  by color and all my jewelry and accessories are neatly displayed.I recently removed my children's dresser from their room, because I was tired of wading knee deep through their clothing.  I solved the problem by getting rid of half of it and putting what remained on the highest shelf of their closet. 

If something doesn't have a place it gets chucked in the garbage or donated to the thrift store. I can't tolerate  clutter. It actually makes me itchy and irritable.  After I have organized and purged the content of a room, vacuuming the floor is as good as cream cheese icing on a cupcake. *sigh*  

Ever since I could remember I have had an incredible need for tidiness. I feel an incredible sense of peace when everything is in its place.  I don't know if it is partially due to the fact that I was raised with the motto "work before play" but, I have a difficult time enjoying myself when there is a pile of dirty dishes on the counter or unmade beds. Call me crazy, but they haunt me until they are taken care of. A well dressed bed makes me a happy girl, and so does a pile of neatly folded laundry. On the rare occasion that my entire house is clean at the same time I feel like a songbird in spring. I often joke that only half my house is tidy on any given day, because while I am cleaning one part my children are gleefully undoing the other half. 

Of the joys of "domesticity"!

I thoroughly enjoyed this blog article called "In pursuit of Martha Points". It made me howl with laughter!