My schtick is I'm a professional organizer that hasn't always been organized. This blog is about my aha moments as I work at maintaining my own organized lifestyle, or domestic bliss. It isn't always easy...
Domestic Bliss

A List

Things I've Learned Lately

It's hard to believe that's all, but it is.  For now.

Life with new things is bliss.

Tricky Duck Tip:  Lists are fun!

Posted by: Bliss on 8/05/2008 at 9:05 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tedious or Soothing?

Yesterday while I was gardening, you know, pulling weeds, I overheard someone comment on how tedious weeding is.  Got me thinking.  Pulling weeds is tedious to a lot of people but not to me, I find it soothing.  Same with organizing, very soothing.  It didn't used to be, I used to hate it, likely because I was overwhelmed.  I think the change came about because I decided I really love an organized lifestyle so will do the work. 

Is that the difference for everyone?  There are a lot of things I find tedious so refuse to do, like sewing or, God forbid, rug making.  I decided about a year ago I was going to learn how to make rag rugs, I was really excited.  I took a class and against all odds finished my rug.  It was not a success.  I put it at the bottom of the basement steps and if you squinted it didn't look terrible.  I finally gave up because the squinting was giving me a headache and donated it to a thrift store, maybe someone will find beauty in it.  Or use it for rags.  Anyway, I was going to make another but never really got too far with it.  Even scheduling rug making time on my calendar didn't help.  I finally came clean with myself, I don't like rug making. It's tedious and I can't count on a good result.  The lady who taught the class loves making rugs, it soothes her.  Her rugs are beautiful. 

Maybe another component of soothing vs. tedious is necessity.  If you HAVE to do something that could be tedious, is that enough to keep a person on the crankier side?  I don't have to be organized, I don't have to garden.  I do because I want to.  If I had to, like women in generations past, maybe I'd feel entirely different about it.  How to know?

Life with soothing chores is bliss.

Tricky Duck Tip:  To get through the tedium focus on the result instead of the task.

 

Posted by: Bliss on 8/02/2008 at 2:51 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Petunias

Petunias are a gauche flower.  Ask any cool garden designer, they'll tell you to stay a long ways away from petunias.  Gauche or not I like petunias, particularly the really dark purple ones.  I like the color and I am very fond of the way petunias smell. 

Every night when we're working on our house I can smell the petunias, it's a pretty nice accompaniment to a big job.  It's one thing that's different from the first time we painted our house.  The first time painting was just one thing on a long list of renovations, some big, some small.  We were in a hurry to get finished so we could move on to the next project, one of which was planting flower borders around the house.  

A lesson we've learned in the midst of painting the house again: moving scaffolding around a house with no flowers and minimal shrubs is way easier than one densely planted.  But.  It's a lot more pleasant to be on that scaffolding and looking down at flowers and smelling petunias than not.  It's also a lot easier on the stress level when painting the house is about all that's on the list of renovations.  I'm still going to redesign one or two flower beds, no rush, next year could be soon enough if need be. 

They say when you own a house you're never done.  Being this close to done is pretty nice.

Life twenty years into renovation is bliss.

Tricky Duck Tip:  Slow down and smell the petunias.

Posted by: Bliss on 7/26/2008 at 3:41 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Things I'm Loving Right Now

This was the subject of a blog I read the other day, I like it enough to use it today.  There's a good chance it will have nothing to do with organizing, but it's better than my contemplation of vacuming the paint chips off our porch roof.  Or maybe not.

Things I'm Loving Right Now:

The Hold Steady CD I'm listening to, "Stay Positive".  I really love it.  It arrived yesterday, a late addition to the Chief's birthday gifts.

The hot cup of Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger Green Tea I'm sipping.  Yum, and good for me!  Perfect for a less than hot summer day.

Planters Kettle Roasted Peanuts Classic Salt.  A tasty snack that is almost as good as the very special peanuts I order from Virginia at Christmas time.  And I can get them at Target any old time!

Beaded Earrings.  I'm having a blast making them and wearing them.

Asiatic Lilies.  Because they're blooming!

Life with things that I love is bliss.

Tricky Duck Tip:  Count your blessings once a day.

Posted by: Bliss on 7/19/2008 at 1:59 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

A Vacum I Could Love

A vacum is pretty much like a bag, the perfect one doesn't seem to exist.  Maybe if I wasn't so opposed to spending a significant amount of money on one life would be simpler.  Anyway.  My current vacum is a Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless.  It has some very good points:

However, there are drawbacks:

It's not that I'm shopping for a new vac., I'm just curious if anyone has one they absolutely love.  It's on my mind because today is cleaning day, also known as vacum wrangling day. 

Life with a flawless vacum cleaner would be bliss.

Tricky Duck Tip:  Keep bathroom cleaning products to the absolute minimum and keep products in each bathroom, along with good cleaning cloths.

Posted by: Bliss on 7/12/2008 at 3:57 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink