View Full Version : Incomplete and complete. (What are some things that make you feel either or)?
I was giving thought to this today and came up with a few things (domestic chores) that help make me feel complete. (Complete as in seeing them done and out of the way).
Made-up beds. (Unmade beds make me feel unkept, sloppy, and incomplete).
Clean, empty kitchen basins. (Unwashed/dirty dishes lying around make me feel yucky).
Floors washed/scrubbed/clean. (Unwashed and tended to, a dirty me).
How about you?
IshbelRobertson
2-22-11, 6:22pm
All rooms 'redded' (the Scots word for tidy).
Books and CDs put away
Kitchen clean and tidy.
I love admiring folded laundry and an organized closet.
I do like folding towels, that is easy and satisfying. I imagine it would be like folding diapers. I dont' like folding any other laundry and therefore don't do much folding (shove it in a drawer...)
snuggling into freshly washed bedding is lovely.
an unmade bed bugs me, so I always have easy-to-make beds (like just throwing a comforters over the top.
Wildflower
2-23-11, 4:11am
Everything in its place :)
Floors mopped and rugs vacuumed
Furniture dusted
Always must have the kitchen completely cleaned-up to end my day happily :D
Bathrooms spotlessly clean
Made-up bed with clean sheets
Yes, I am very anal!!!! >8) And I live with a messy hubby, 3 dogs and 3 cats. :help:
I can tolerate some messiness in most areas of the house for a day or two, but not the kitchen. I can't go to bed at night unless it's all ready for the morning rush.
When I was in college I had roommates in an apartment who would pile their dirty dishes in the kitchen sink until it was impossible to draw water from the faucet. It used to make me crazy (but not crazy enough to wash all their dishes).
Ishbel. I love the word "redded"! I wish we lived close to one another because I would love to be able to sit down with you (one on one) and learn a whole mess-load of UK terminology. There's almost a magical buzz to it, the sounds of some of the words, so unique and different.
Bootsie. I'm careful for what I wish for because I know there are so many people who don't have anything, but if I had a nice large roomy laundry room I would have a heavy-legged "folding table" made up (with a thick maple top) where I could fold and stack all of the laundry before distributing it accordingly around the house. I also have a weakness for neatly folded stacks of things- like towels and bedding, particularly whites!
Iris Lily. I love folding too. There really is a Zen like quality that sets in and relaxes me whenever I fold things and stack them. It's relaxing, soothing, and calming.
Wildflower and Rosemary, I am sooo with you guys! A clean kitchen to go to bed to and to wake up to is a must for me. Can't stand cooking in a messy kitchen and definitely cannot stand preparing my morning coffee amongst dirty dishes and things.
It's nice to have things tidy and put away on a daily basis, but it's not going to happen in my life. So, I settle for a thorough job every now and then, and a passable status in between. Passable means the counters and stove get wiped down & the dishwasher run when there are enough dishes. It means that at least every week or two I go through and tidy most rooms to passable, and the two "clutter" garnering rooms when I have extra time off work.
I don't want to go through life, die, and have my legacy be "Her house was always so clean and tidy..." That's not what I want on my tombstone...
Zzz. I admire your relaxed and informal approach. In a lot of ways I wish I could mirror the same, but I'm just such a fuddy-duddy, it's not going to happen! :)
Clean, empty kitchen basins. (Unwashed/dirty dishes lying around make me feel yucky).
Ditto. Even if I'm not in the kitchen, just knowing there's a pile of crap at the sink makes me feel on-edge.
Also, having clutter put away/organised. Can't stand it otherwise. Books, pamphlets, mugs, pens etc on the coffee table makes me antsy. I got up at 8.30am last Sunday because I couldn't stop thinking about the mess of the coffee table. Had to clear it immediately. I should be sectioned.
treehugger
2-23-11, 3:24pm
I never make my bed any more since Mandy (see my avatar) "Mandys" (i.e., unmakes) the bed every day as part of her daily zoomies. I have made my peace with that. :D
That said, I do agree with liking to leave a tidy kitchen before bed. However, if life gets too overwhelming (as it is wont to do, occasionally ;)), I am quite able to give myself persmission to lets things slide a little.
I do have certain tasks that need to get done each weekend (the week's laundry, some cooking ahead for the week, general tidying, paying bills, etc.), or my week just feels unsettled and chaotic.
Hey Mira and TH. Clutter and me are true arch-enemies! :) Even hidden clutter as in stuff that accumulates over time in drawers and cupboards (out of sight) drives me batty! Would give me nightmares!!! :0!
Letting go and releasing ones strict formats and ideals is a good thing, I just wish I could practice it a little more. :) P.S. Mandy looks like such a sweetheart.
treehugger
2-23-11, 4:12pm
I agree about clutter making things more stressful. For me, the answer is to have as little sitting around as possible to get untidy in the first place. So, I keep objects, both decorative and function, pretty severely limited in the house. Saves work and stress (for me).
This does not include dog toys, but luckily,greyhounds like to keep all their toys in one place. :)
One thing about me I'm finding is, the older I get, the more I long for a streamlined lifestyle free of knickknacks and stuff and things. Is a matter of fact, less of everything. Just a pared down interior with the basics, nothing more or extra.
About Mandy, it's so interesting that her breed possesses organizational qualities. It must be comical to watch her organize all of her play things in one place! Like watching a child gather up all their play things.
treehugger
2-23-11, 4:46pm
About Mandy, it's so interesting that her breed possesses organizational qualities. It must be comical to watch her organize all of her play things in one place! Like watching a child gather up all their play things.
It is pretty funny (and there's lots of humor in having greyhounds). I have 2 hounds and they each have their spot where we (and they) can always find their respective favorite toys. Mandy is trained to get a toy whenever she gets excited (when we come home, when guests arrive) since this stops the jumping and general craziness, and 99% of the time, she knows right where her favorite toy (a 4 pound stuffed polar bear!) is, but occasionally, she has left it somewhere else, and then things get really crazy until she finds it.
Sorry to get so far off topic!
TH. Not to worry, it's very enjoyable hearing/learning about it. How are the hounds with each others play things? Do they possess a natural instinct (of sorts) as to leaving one another's things alone?
treehugger
2-23-11, 6:20pm
TH. Not to worry, it's very enjoyable hearing/learning about it. How are the hounds with each others play things? Do they possess a natural instinct (of sorts) as to leaving one another's things alone?
Absolutely not! ;) Mandy (the alpha) takes whatever toy Enzo is playing with. But, she has a short attention span, and Enzo knows this, so he patiently waits until she gets bored and then takes the toy back. Enzo has never (to my knowledge) touched the polar bear (and he chews the faces off all other soft toys).
How does this relate to the OP? Um, well, my hounds' day is never complete until they have done the following: run around like crazy (zoomies) for 2 minutes, twice a day.
Wildflower
2-23-11, 7:00pm
I don't want to go through life, die, and have my legacy be "Her house was always so clean and tidy..." That's not what I want on my tombstone...
While I admit I'm probably a little OCD and like everything clean, organized and in its place - I know better than to let the joys of life pass me by because I am too busy cleaning house. I saw my own Mother do exactly that....
Having toys strewn throughout the house by my dogs or when my grandkids are visiting makes me smile. Fingerprinted doors and kitchen appliances, playdough mess on the kitchen table and the floor below, toothpaste all over the bathroom sink, cookie crumbs all over the rug - these things simply don't bother me at the time. I can always clean up later. I enjoy those sweet moments when they're happening. Just wish I could teach the dogs to pick up their toys like the grandkids do. ;) LOL
TH. They sound like a couple of real characters! :) And they look so smart too.
Wildflower. There's not a doubt in my mind that I have a touch of OCD. I think I've had it for a while but so far it hasn't really gotten in the way. I actually miss the days of gathering up strewn goods around the house when the kids were little. They were so good at it! :)
iris lily
2-23-11, 11:32pm
nice stories about Mandy!
Mrs M, I've got a rescue dog with us right now who is such a gentlreman, a lovely easy dog, but he does strew toys around and that's what greets me each evening as I come home from work, chewies and bones all over the living floor. Guess you'd like this! ha ha.
Iris. Your dog sounds like such a character too! :)
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