A Clean Sweep!

I returned from my morning walk to find the above on my front porch.

Really, Mr. Deliveryman, do you think that no one will notice the package you left behind because it's hidden by the Welcome mat? Are there ever any homeowners that can't find their packages after you've hidden them so well? Maybe it's to hide what the homeowner got from neighbor's prying eyes? (Can't you just see it, the neighbor peeking through their blinds..."What'd they get, Martha?" "Dagnabit, Heber, I can't tell what it is, 'cuz it's hidden behind the welcome mat!")

But, regardless, I now have new stuff at my house. I had two orders floating out there, and they both came. The first is boring to me...clarinet reeds and trombone slide oil for my boys in band. The second I am hoping proves to be more exciting: a new steam mop.

The other day at Enrichment Night we were trying to clean the kitchen after our dinner, and we needed to mop the floor. We got the big ol' industrial mop out of the janitorial closet, which SMELLED to the high heavens, plus it's generally bulky and obnoxious. As no one really wanted to use it to clean the floor, my back door neighbor runs out to her van and comes back with her steam mop for us to use instead. (If you're wondering, she cleans offices at night for a job, which is why she had a mop in her van. As far as I know she's not some kind of super clean freak that always carries a mop in her van!)

She started mopping, and I was intrigued. Mopping the floor has never been favorite job of mine. I just have never found a mop that seems to work. They often end up smelling at my house too because I can't get them wrung out very well. They don't seem to scrub off the junk that gets splattered on the floor (can I just say that boys are pretty darn messy overall?) But this seemed to be doing a great job of cleaning up the floor, and suddenly, I could see that if I had a spiffy steam mop I would probably become a floor mopping fanatic.

And so, I stewed over it for a few days, checking out steam mops online. As you might imagine, steam mops are not that cheap (is anything fun and exciting ever cheap?), but I scored a good deal at Kohls.com with it being on sale, plus a 30% off coupon, and free shipping.

And today it came! I ignored it for a bit while I did some other chores and a few errands, but finally after lunch I was ready to give it a try. Out of the box it came, in about 3 easy-to-put-together pieces, and a few quick turns of the screwdriver later I was ready to mop.

Back and forth I ran it, squeezing the steam trigger as I went (ka-pow! Take that you kool-aid spill!), cutting through the mess with ease. A few minutes later I stepped back and looked at the floor. It looked great! Walking across it with my bare feet (the floor dries really fast!), I loved the smooth, non-sticky, non-crumby feeling on my tootsies. Ahh! I think I'm in love!

America's Got Talent...but no values?

Last night we turned on "America's Got Talent". It was down to the 10 finalists, the ten acts that America thought were good enough to get a chance to win a million dollars and an act in Las Vegas. Most of the contestants sang, a couple danced, there was a percussion ensemble, and then there was Grandma Lee.

I had not seen Grandma Lee perform before that evening (I don't usually watch America's Got Talent), but a few sentences into her act (where I got to see her come out with a pillow under her shirt and suggest the "baby" was one of the judges', cuss, slam her children, and discuss the size of her chest) I turned to Craig and said "She is rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. Please turn the channel."

The sad part is, as a finalist in America's Got Talent, she is obviously socially acceptable to a large group of some ones in America. Why is it funny to see a 70-some year old grandma lady act in such an unrefined way?

What a strange world we live in, where we are concerned so much about keeping things clean (the enviroment, our food supply, hand-sanitizing away all germs so we don't get H1N1) and yet we pollute our spirits and minds with junk like Grandma Lee was spewing. I believe though, that polluting our spirits and minds is just as dangerous to our health and well-being as enviromental pollutants.

So, Grandma Lee (and all you some ones who voted for her), clean it up, please!

I wanna make it!

Give me the scissors! Get me some fabric and clear off the sewing machine! Pull out the paint brush and other supplies...I'm in the mood to redecorate!

What to do, what to do? I've got ideas, ideas, ideas...but which one(s) to pick? Should I complete the half finished decor change sitting in the guest/Melanie bedroom closet? That was originally gonna go in the family room until a major paint clash with the wood throughout the family room ended that idea. Now I'm thinking it will end up in my bedroom instead. If I did that I'd take down all my beachy stuff, so I'd obviously have to get new decor...I feel a trip to the store coming on! (Ooooh, and which store? The fabric store to get fabric to make new pillows? DI for some new knick-knacks? Tai-Pan Trading Company? Where can I get new stuff to put on the walls? There's so much to choose from!)

But, then there's the really cute striped fabric I saw yesterday that my neighbor had just made new kitchen valances with. When I commented on how much I liked it she mentioned that she had bought a huge bolt of the fabric for $5 at DI, so now she had a ton of leftover if anyone wanted it. Hmmm...do I want it? What would I do with it? It's so tempting!

I still need to mat and frame three pictures for the Melanie/guest bedroom and paint the wall that got dinged up when I took down the shelf that used to be on it. Plus, I'm now wishing that I had chosen a different mat option for another picture in that room...do I change that out or stick with what I've got? And do I really like the stuff that's sitting on the dresser in there, or do I need a change there as well?

I've always been one to change my decor. When I was a kid I can very distinctly remember rearranging my room: pushing the dresser here, tugging the desk there. There's just something exciting about a change of scenery to me. My family, who all tend to be a lot more "stable" than I am, laughs as I talk about redoing things yet again.

I'm limited though, in my change abilities. If I had my way I'd know how to tile a floor, recover furniture, or even learn woodworking and make my own furniture...think of all I could do then! I keep thinking I need to learn...I need to learn...but so far I haven't taken the time: I'm probably too busy changing something to stop and learn!

Anyone need a change at their house? Just give me a call and I'll be there. In fact, my family would probably thank you for giving me something to do...it would give them time to get used to what I've done before I change it all again!