Monday, September 24, 2012

{Fall Cleaning}



This post could also be titled "Declaring War on Stuff", or "I Am Tired of Moving In", or "What is That Smell?" In nicer terms however, I am fall cleaning. My first big top to bottom cleaning of this house, and in some areas, possibly the first this house has had for a while.... (Seriously people, take three minutes and clean your ceiling fans!!) it's dirty, hard (spider killing) work, but it will make for a lovely October. I'm tired of looking around and realizing there are still some boxes sitting exactly where they got deposited...tired of saying "I really need to change those light bulbs", and really, really tired of the walls that have not-my-child's crayon "art". It's just that time...time to rearrange and fluff things up for those cool days ahead. Time to evaluate the project lists and get things done while we can still have windows open and spray paint outside. Time to shove bricks behind the sofa legs so that we can actually use the baseboards. Time to figure out who has flannel sheets and who needs them (and wonder why nobody sells toddler mattress sized flannel sheet sets?), to take inventory on socks and candles and household staples...because this new place of ours is most certainly of the "snowed in" type. 


Really it is my favorite time of year, when the house smells like {homemade} peppermint cleaner and for a short while everything is clean inside and out. Because then the fun starts...the pumpkins and apples and cinnamon, and warm stews and hot breakfasts and woolens and pink cheeks...fluffy down blankets and hot water bottles for icy toes. There really is nothing like that first piece of pumpkin bread, or the first mug of cocoa, and my personal favorite seasonal debate...what exactly constitutes "too early for Christmas music". I'm holding onto these mental images as I stand here with nothing checked off of my cleaning list yet, with piles of clothes from the semi-annual swap (did they really grow *that* much this year??) basically up to my waist on every flat surface, and the thought that Christmas is three months off sounding more like a joke than a fact. It's time to say farewell to the chaotic carelessness of summer and embrace the rhythms and routines of fall... wish me luck! 

6 comments:

  1. I do wish you luck.
    I have been in the process of cleaning out closets and drawers in my home, you know the ones where I just throw items that don't really have a place. I am amazed and ashamed of all the stuff that I have and don't use. Off it goes to bless someone who might actually have a need for it.
    Enjoy your day.

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  2. Oh! If you have a good homemade cleaner recipe (especially peppermint!), send it my way! So, now you've got me looking at my ceiling fans. Yikes!

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  3. Enjoy your cleaning and simplifying, it is never easy, but once it is done it feels soooo good.

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  4. Feel free to invite me over for pumpkin bread. I'm willing to barter for water filter changing if need be...

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  5. Oh yes, I know how that goes! I'm still unpacking here. But getting the house ready for fall is a great feeling!

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  6. I'm with you! We moved over the summer, and I'm still sitting among boxes that I don't know what to do with. Ready for the transition into fall and the wonderful smells of fresh baked bread and hearty soups. All the luck to you in your fall cleaning. I am on the path with you!

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