www.flickr.com

Monday, June 16, 2008

THE PROJECT

Last week I invited my Tiny Writers over for tea.  I figured that since I'd recently swept up all the dog hair it was time to let people into my house.  Seriously, this dog sheds heavily this time of year.  You wouldn't think a 20lb Pug would create all these tumbleweeds of short yellow hair.  But I digress.  Tea involved the kitchen. My two tiny writer friends were in my kitchen.

I'm not especially proud of my kitchen.

I'm not ashamed of it, but it's not my finest moment in there.  I've always struggled to get the kitchen tidied up and clean, but it's been worse lately.  Ever since I started riding the ol' Effexor train, I haven't been much interested in food.  This makes involvement in the kitchen very awkward.  It also makes for kids who might have to learn to cook but that again is another story.  

The kitchen has become my symbol of avoidance.  The table is not a table anymore; it's The Place Where Junk Goes To Die And Stay There Because I Don't/Can't/Won't Deal With It.  Also I have minimal cupboard space, so I keep the pots there.  

My Tiny Writer Friend, Lynn, asked me how I felt about that table disaster.

"Terrible.  Awful.  I hate it."

"Wanna do something about it?"  She had a bit of a twinkle in her eye...

Today she came over to have a look around and take some notes.  I was late to my own house because um, my watch is broken and I was at my counseling session and, um, didn't know what time it was, sort of.  Yep, let's face it - organization is not what I'm famous for.  

(I'm actually not famous at all but see, there I go branching off into other subjects again!)

Lynn's a thinker. She's got ideas.  I'm ready to put the plan into action.  I want to improve my life and not feel so mentally frazzled all the time.  I'm not saying that having a well-run kitchen will stop me from grinding my teeth all night, but at least I won't feel like I have to avert my eyes every time I want a drink of water.

Y'know what I mean?  No really, do you have this too?  It's okay.  You can be honest here.  Let's talk about this.  We live in a world that values accumulation, but how much of it do we really need???  How do we feel when we look at a mess of stuff that we don't know what to do with?

As Lynn said, it's about control.  There are so many things in our lives that are not in our control.  Husbands.  Children.  Critters.  The weather.  Our neighbours.  The price of food.

But we actually can control our kitchen cupboards!  It's true!  We really can!  I know it's hard to believe, but it's true!

Interesting that this happens on the same day as my counseling appointment.  What to control, what I'll let control me, what I'll let go of...

Tomorrow Lynn and I are going to go hunting for shelves and bins at the thrift store.  And there will be pictures of The Kitchen Project.  If I put it up on the blog, then I have to go through with it, right?


15 comments:

Gloria Ives said...

I wish the effexor had had the same effect on me, but....
What Iexperienced, when after a course of birth control and 20 pounds later is that guess what?
I really can live with less things to wear, since I refuse to buy more at this unnatural weight.
I've been continuing to rid myself of excess in my life--from clothing to dishware to pots and pans and utensils, and I am finding it easier everyday to rid myself, even of things that I tryly think are"me".
Take a little by little approach, and You'll be amazed of what is possible. Releasing the clutter i your home, invariably releases the clutter in your mind. I think we acquire what we acquire with out thinking, and all of a sudden we are left to ace the stark reality, which is how much we really don't need. Really.
You are on the right track!

Heidi the Hick said...

thanks Gloria. I've been trying to just not let more STUFF into my house. Every item I consider buying makes me wonder if I really want to store it/ clean it/ trip over it/ worry about it.

I hope this helps unclutter my mind!!!

Smartypants said...

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

-Anonymous

= )

JKB said...

This is an excellent idea. And yes, if you put it up on the blog, it has to happen. Just think of it this way:

Every time you misplace something on your (soon to be) super shiny and clean shelves in your kitchen, a little kitten dies.

Please Heidi, think of the kittens.

ROFL. Germany won and I had wine! YAY!!

Linda said...

It's yard sale season and my kids and I are suckers for anything quirky that can be had cheap. Books, of course, and CDs are okay, but somehow last weekend I ended up with 12 assorted, non-matching glasses and yet another lobster pot. I really don't need any of these, but...

I'll cruise by to see the kitchen project - you blogged it, now you're accountable!

Hope the querying's going good. Mine's... going. Peace, Linda

A Paperback Writer said...

Controlling kitchen shelves/cabinets is a darn sight easier than gaining control in the wide world of publishing we battle every day.
Enjoy the small things.
Yea for thrift stores!

Anita said...

Great post! Can;'t wait to hear more...

I've always wanted to be a professional organizer, to help people with stuff like this...
I used to take it too far, though... My cans in the pantry were alphabetically organized, there was shelf paper on the pots and pans shelves with outlines of what pan went where...lol I'm not that bad anymore...

Real Live Lesbian said...

When she's done at your house...send her over to mine! I'm a wreck!

Lucky you!

Biddie said...

I could use an oraganized kitchen, too. I don't know if we have ever used our table. Not that it ALWAYS messy, but the kitchen is. These past two weeks that Shawn has waiting for an inspection at work, his two hundred pound tool bags have been parked in the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen. There is literally no room anywhere else.
I keep saying that we will start with the basement, but right now it is little more than a thought...
Where are you going to put shelves in your kitchen??? I need to see the photos :)

Heidi the Hick said...

Bid, I think your kitchen is like mine- it gets messy, it gets cleaned up, gets messy again, gets a good cleaning... but always a little bit of chaos left over in a corner somewhere! It's so hard to get started on a project like this, and the thing is, once you get started, there's a chain effect and other places need to get rearranged and it can get sooo overwhelming!

(We're done for today!! And I'm smiling!!!)

Don't start with your basement. That'll just make you wanna cry. That's what I think.

---Shawn's tool bags weight 100 lbs???? Geez, no wonder he's got arms like frickin tree trunks!!!

RLL- Yep I'm lucky all right! This has actually been kind of fun because we chatted while we worked. Have you got any non-wreck friends that enjoy a challenge? I highly recommend!!

Anita you crack me up. Alphabetized cans! I think I'd colour co-ordinate them instead. Uh oh...

Biddie said...

Well, no matter how we clean our kitchen the floors look they haven't been cleaned since the Rubbles lived here. We need flooring in the kitchen, but being the biggest room in the house, it ain't gonna happen.
You're right tho..clean dirty clean cleanish dirty again.
That is why housework seems so futile to me. You are never done.
Oh and the tree trunk arms?
I love em.

CindyDianne said...

A couple weeks ago, on a Friday night, I cleaned the kitchen. I mean, I CLEANED the kitchen. Cabinets, counters, refrigerator, scrubbed the sink, shined the sink, cleaned the microwave, swept and mopped the floor. While I was cleaning my husband came in with pizza and made a mess. I thought I was going to lose my mind. I seriously thought about making the kitchen off limits to everyone but me. I came to my senses and realized that part of life is dirtying and cleaning a kitchen - but my head spun around a few times first.

Heidi the Hick said...

Oh Cindy, damn I know that feeling! Except that I never get mine totally clean. I sort of flipped out a couple of weeks ago and cleaned out the fridge. I was a madwoman. Fuzzy green things went flying, man. It got ugly. I snarled at the kids every time they opened the fridge door. Then I chilled out. Haha. Fridge. Chill.

Bid- your is a nice big kitchen. I love how it takes up the whole back of the house!

Housework really does feel futile, and man, when life feels futile in the first place, it's hard to get up the guts to get at it.

I think we just have to accept that it's always going to be there. Gaaahhhhhhhh!

Anyways. Here's to tree trunk arms and counters that are occasionally free of dirty dishes.

Olly said...

Gloria...are we twins? I go clothes shopping, not because I like shopping, because I have NOTHING to wear! Then I come home empty handed. Why? Because I refuse to believe I'm actually this size!!! I used to be a size 1. How the f&(% did that happen. Talk about clutter!

Must be a spring thing, decluttering. I'm attacking one room at a time, starting with my son's room. So far I have at least 2 garbage bags for good will and a tonne of stuff for a yard sale, lol.

Michael Colvin said...

Hello, not been commenting for a while cos I hurt me back and wasn't feeling very typey. I can't stand clutter, it F's me brain up right proper.

What are tiny writers? Are they like pocket sized authors?