Alright, folks…here it is: today is June 27, 2012. This date marks almost exactly six months since I stuck my neck out with my very public New Years Resolution. You regular readers of this post might remember in early January when I posted my rather ambitious resolution for the new year. It wasn’t the usual litany of losing weight, going to the gym more, or any other pedestrian reform. No, mine was a year-long project to get organized and scrub my house from top to bottom – every floor, every room, every closet, every cabinet. No corner would be overlooked in my frenzy. I was determined to create a completely dust-free, clutter-free home. The goal I had set for myself was to simply be able to enjoy the Christmas holiday season when it rolls around again (which I’ve come to realize, happens at the same time every year – so why does it always come as such a surprise?).
Well, I know you’ve all been anxiously awaiting my update, so I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Day one went quite well. I know what you’re thinking, and this will NOT be a six month, day-by-day account, I promise. No, my big project can be summed up after just a few days. I decided to begin my year-long mission in the dining room because it had already gotten a bit of a jumpstart. Just before Christmas, we decided to paint the room, and in the process of doing so, removed the window treatments (sad as they are) and laundered them, moved the large china cabinet away from the wall and did a complete removal of all dust and cobwebs, finishing up with a mopping of the floor, using my favorite floor cleaner – Mr. Clean with Febreeze freshness (meadows and rain scent – OMG it smells amazingly clean). So, my main objective was to clean out the over-stuffed china cabinet, which resulted in a LOT of items headed for Goodwill. In no time at all, it was Dining Room: Mission Accomplished. That was easy. The following days began with me moving furniture to the center of each room (the living room, or, “frunchroom” for you South Siders, the den, and the family room). I then proceeded to dust the walls and ceilings (risking life and limb in the family room because of the need to climb a ladder to reach the ridiculous two-story ceiling – one of the worst design ideas in homes – ever) finally finishing up with good old Mr. Clean. I love that stuff.
Feeling pretty darn good about myself, I then moved on to the kitchen – admittedly, a more daunting project. But, I continued in my quest, dusting walls and ceilings, emptying out and reorganizing draws and cabinets, and cleaning out the dreaded pantry. I even pulled the refrigerator (as best I could) and oven away and swept and mopped behind them. I finished up by washing every cabinet door. The only room left on the first floor needing a complete overhaul was the laundry room. But, I’m putting that job off for a while because that’s Hoover’s room and I’m just waiting for him to die before I commit myself to too much sweat in there. I mean, what’s the point, really?
So, after my first week, I have to admit, I thought I was pretty amazing. At this rate, heck, I’d be done with the entire house by February. This was child’s play. Sitting back, admiring my awesomeness, I was assaulted by cobwebs in the corner of the room. The room I had climbed a ladder to remove cobwebs just a week earlier. SERIOUSLY????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? This couldn’t be happening. I worked so hard. I mean, I knew my initial cleaning wouldn’t take me all the way to next Christmas entertaining, but, gee whiz, I just swiped that corner last week.
That was when I thought, “Oh, who cares?” I mean, if my house is going to create that much dust at such an astounding rate, then I might as well wait until closer to my deadline to even start. So, that was the beginning of the end. I still always have a bag ready to donate to Goodwill, Amvets, Purple Hearts or whoever else wants it, but as for the deep down nitty-gritty cleaning? That dream is dead.
UPDATE: Hoover, you had a good run and are missed by most of us. But now I have a clean laundry room…
Life on a Box Wine Budget 