But I had a cupcake anyway.

No cleaning done today... and none yesterday. But I've hardly been home, so I haven't made any new messes either.

Accomplishment 1: The bed has been made every morning now for the last few days.

It's funny how making your bed can lead to such a sense of accomplishment. It's always been one of those details that's fallen by the wayside. But even the way the sheets and things lay all straight makes such a difference in how open and calm the room feels. I am such a perfectionist...

Accomplishment 2: The vast majority of all my bad clutter has been corralled into one spot.

It's a rather large spot, but it's just the one BAD spot. There's plenty of other little things that could be organized/arranged better, but it's not BAD. Again, this makes everything feel much more open and calm. I can find things. (Like my back up sewing machine that was 'lost' in the BAD spot.) I can move around with out worrying so much that I'm going to knock something over.

God, I make it sound like an episode of Hoarder's. It wasn't quite that bad, but when you're living in such a small space things get crowded quickly. And it's rather hard to escape the analogy that the 'clutter' in my space reflected how overwhelmed I feel/felt by all the stressors in my life. I've long suspected that if I could get my physical space "together" then the rest of my life would just fall into place.

Let's test this theory, shall we?

Hello, Floor!

Since this seams like it may be my last, full, free weekend for a while, I made the decision to not go anywhere, not spend anything and just clean. I started a new job, and several new projects are in the works, so I really needed to banish some clutter and get everything set. It had gotten pretty bad since I came back from vacation a couple weeks ago. There was still a lot to be unpacked and laundry to be done... not to mention the still disorganized fabric and art supplies strewn liberally all over.

Yes, the smug grin on my face does mean that "was" is the optimal word.  I haven't finished every thing, but a big chunk of the every day sorts of clutter has been banished. Yesterday was full of laundry and sweeping and taking out of the trash. It also involved some procrastinating inspirational blog viewing which made me want to run out on a tour of the thrift stores to see if I could find a new bookshelf, or some kitschy china to decorate with. But I held firm. I only left the house to put the rugs out on the porch in the sun.

Today's plan involves brunch with the house-mates and re-organizing the fabric "pantry". Also, I have managed to "misplace" my back-up sewing machine... It may just be under the pile of fabric. Keep your fingers crossed for me? With the other one in the shop, waiting for a tune-up, I'm going to need this one soon.

Ta-Da!

Sweet! #1 and #3 checked off the Ta-Da list before noon.  Now on to organizing the mess-under-the-bed.

Ta-Da!

Hurrah! Tomorrow is a day off... and the only place I have to be is a couple hour stint volunteering at the Historical Society in the afternoon. Which means I can get some house work done. It's Ta-Da list time!

Thing 1: Sweep under the bed. (This includes pulling out anything that may have become shoved underneath, intentionally or unintentionally.)

Thing 2: Pull everything out of the under-the-bed box. Put the pictures in big manila envelopes and then put the pictures and the kid-me stuff in the old red suitcase in the closet.

Thing 3: Put the pretty new bed skirt on the box-spring.

Three things should be enough. The rest of the day should be hooray-for-me time. Maybe I'll paint my toes?

I had a conversation the other day with friends about the idea that each simple, household item represents some great piece of spiritual truth. I had just been reading the same thing in A Home for the Soul. So obviously something I should be paying attention to, yes? Granted, sometimes a teapot is just a tea pot...

... and sometimes the laundry you seem to dread putting away for no good reason, represents your fear of being rejected for how you look.  Huh.

*********

I managed to last a whole two days at the new job before buying anything. I broke myself in easy, I swear. Working in a home/bedding outlet is not going to make it any easier to get out of bed in the morning. I already have plans to replace my pillows, down comforter, and buy as many super soft sheets as I can.  I am still cash poor* right now, which means that all of that's going to have to stay on the wish list for a while. But I did bring home a bed skirt.

A bed skirt seems like such a paltry detail. If it wasn't for the dust bunnies I pro'lly wouldn't care as much. But, I think that this antiqued gold bed skirt, with it's tailored pleats, will help to ground the look of my bed. Root it to the floor, instead of leaving it floating there. Give it the gravitas to be taken seriously. I think it will look more finished. Intentional.

I'm sure it won't stop the dust bunnies from holding fertility festivals under my bed. Or keep me from stubbing my toes against the caster wheels (that's a project for another day).

I do hope think it will be the kind of detail that will help me live with more intent and purpose.



*I really like my choice of the phrase "cash poor".  I almost used "broke", which I don't think is quite right, though I would be the first to agree that I feel "broken" for various reasons on any given day of the week. And the word "poor", alone, isn't right either since I am very wealthy in loved ones, stories, and fabric. "Cash poor" helps remind me that I still have many, many things to be rich in.

Maybe she's born with it...?

Bought two things in the last couple weeks guaranteed to make me feel like an adult: new sheets and a new tube of red lipstick. Sometimes you've just gotta.

Hypothetical Imperatives, Your Home, and You

I should really articulate what it is that I'm trying to accomplish here. (If only for myself.) Otherwise, I'll be lucky to get in the one post a month that's becoming the trend lately.

I am keeping this blog as an exploration. In a way, the spaces we inhabit are an extention of ourselves. They can describe us, and sometimes even define us (socio-economics and all that). Without going into some academic diatribe, I'm trying to parse out why I'm living in chaos and how to fix it. Hopefully, with the added effect of straightening out my life as well as my 'sock drawer'.

More importantly, I chose "Faites Maison" as the second portion of my blog title, not only because it means "home-made" but because I liked the idea of using the phrase to mean "making home" as well (in my very broken understanding of French). Breaking home, making home. I don't just want to take up space. I want to make myself at home.

There's, of course, always the fear that treating the symptom won't do much more than that... but if nothing else, maybe this blog will get me out of my head more. And if the verbosity so far hasn't scared you... well, let's see if we can't get a little more hands on.