Life in the Fishbowl

or if you prefer -- I'm drowning in a sea of domestic duties that I don't want to complete! 


As you know from Hopelessly in Love with Food that I love to cook... I like to clean less than I like to cook, but I am good at it. After all, I've had close to 30 years of practice. I am even better at "deep" or detail cleaning. This is because I have a very 'rulesy' personality and I believe in doing the job in it's entirety, including crawling on the floor and scrubbing. However, with this penchant comes a lot of incomplete projects -- things I just haven't gotten done yet. Things I don't know if I'll ever get done... things I really want done, but don't have a lot of motivation to do them. 


My dear SO and I are starting a non-profit organization, and in doing so, we must claim a portion of the house for office space, and have the ability to work, and converse on the telephone uninterrupted or disturbed. This means the previously areas of the house dedicated to laundry and storage and such are going to have to be cleared out and repurposed. My office and the SO's office are nearly there -- he claiming a portion of the dining area, and me an unused corner with a window! While not organized the way I want it yet -- it's getting there, and I'm ok with that. 


Then there is my kitchen, 2 years in the making of organization. In the two  years I've yet to figure out how I want things to be organized in my cabinets or how I want my two pantry cabinets set. This is another thing that really needs to be done, because I am hoping to step up Hopeless to 4 nights a week, and I need the  ability to have a clean and safe area in which to prepare, photograph and  serve food. A place that is organized and doesn't make me cringe every time I enter. Things like my dishwasher that's attached to the cabinets on 1 side only... yeah - this  needs some work!


Another project is the reclamation of my bedroom to useable, enjoyable, relaxing space. Someplace I would be happy to curl up in at the end of the day, with good book and some cocoa! Something comfortable, warm, and inviting... Another project to tackle!


Then there is the living room, the 'hub' of our home, containing a community computer, television, and xbox -- it's where the kiddos go to hang out and where we have family meetings and we never ever allow guests in there! 
I want a space that I can be proud to show off and say - -this is our living room, regardless of the out of place dining table, and the falling apart fireplace. Those things can be cute, and quaint in their own way when the room itself doesn't look so horrible. 


so there you have it -- a list of things on my To Do roster... seems like a lot, and I think it really is... So - this is spring cleaning a little early and done my way. 


I plan to do 'before' and 'after' shots of everything as I go, in hopes that I'm actually improving things, and to show the insurance company if that ladder doesn't hold. 


So you may ask "Why do I care about any of this?" You know, I don't know - and I don't care if you care -- I plan to do it anyway... because I have knowledge to share, if only with my children -- and who knows, this may wind up being the next great "household" how-to! Move over Heloise, here comes Magimom's Mom Stuff!