Checkin' off Boxes

I'm a planner-organized-check the box kinda gal.  Forms on the first day of school make me smile.  A neatly stacked cabinet or freshly straightened area is happiness.  Tackling to-do lists is my jam.

(Now, please don't think if you stop by my house you'll see perfection.  While I love a clean home, housework is not on my list of faves to do!  Life is too short to scrub toilets and floors every day!)

This past weekend however, we were super productive.  Saturday was packed with accomplishments, for both Tim and me, and with each checking off I felt a sense of contentedness.

With the summer we've had, wish lists and need-to-dos have piled up more than I care to admit.  Whenever I've tried to plan something, life has had a way of turning things upside down.  But, thanks to a healthy dose of energy, we knocked out much of my internal list.  Because school starts in days, this has me breathing a little easier.

I'm not sure why organizing and back to school go to together but they just do.  Last night, Noah and I cleaned out last year's battered backpack and kept what we thought was reusable.  I've definitely passed down my OCD to him, as although the exterior of his bag was well-worn, the inside was immaculate and everything had a spot.  How he's grown from the early days of finding soggy banana peels on top of permission slips shoved deep into the scary bottom of the backpack!

Before he'd made it home, I surprised him by finishing his laundry and organizing the closet.  Dirty clothes is a chore I gladly assigned to him when he hit puberty.  Stinky socks, no matter how much you love them, are not fun to touch.  Plus, I know this is a life skill he will need when he moves away to college, or marries a girl who thanks me for teaching him.  Luckily, everything had been washed, just not put away.  The back-to-school shopping bags from weeks ago were still stacked, waiting to be put on hangers.  So, I helped him out.  In doing so, I quickly discovered this boy has such a collection of T-shirts, he could literally wear a different shirt through the first nine weeks - and then some!

As soon as he entered his room, he made a U-turn and gave me a giant bear hug in gratitude.  That was so worth the hours spent tackling the task.

Tim spent Saturday repairing our deck.  Ten years of sun and weather had worn it down to the point that one of our steps was nearly broken.  It's a blessing that he noticed it before someone's foot found the damage.  He's become quite the handyman the past few years.  Hearing the saw and hammer and watching him work quickly filled my eyes with tears.  When you've seen them down in sickness, normal feels amazing.  I lifted a prayer in thanks for the healing he's had over the summer.  My guy is a doer so I know he felt the same relief and praise for a day's hard work.

Lots accomplished, yet I still went to bed with dishes in the sink.  Guess it gave the ants something to do...I'm a sharer like that!

spring cleaning

I apologize for my brief departure of blog posting but it's been a busy weekend!  My mom came by Friday afternoon wanting Noah, so Tim and I made the most of an unexpected free night and went out.  As we feel like we're already in our golden years though, dinner was the most we could muster after a long work week.  Not too exciting folks, but that was our Friday night date; however, I'll take a good steak and early bedtime any day!

Yesterday, we lingered a bit over our coffee and sausage roll, especially since I hadn't made it in awhile.  The weather was so nice we even went for a walk.  Patch was super excited when he learned that he'd be going too, until he discovered our plans.  By the time we made it around it around the block, he persistently sat at our driveway, letting us know he would not be accompanying us any further!  Since we had a lot to accomplish for a Saturday, we decided one loop was enough for us too.

Our goal yesterday was to clean out Noah's room, taking full advantage of the fact that he wasn't there.  I'm usually one to make him clean it, but knowing that it needed to be fully cleaned and not just shuffled from one hiding spot to another, we tackled it.  We knew we needed to free up space, because Noah's soon getting a "big boy bed" as he's quickly outgrown his bunk beds (and the fact that we sold it in record time on Facebook so he's sleeping on the floor!)

It amazes me how much clutter and nonsense the boy can collect.  You don't even want to know how many giant black trash bags were tossed out of his room.  Well, maybe you do but I'm not saying!  Several hours later, pleased with our efforts and on a spring cleaning high, we moved to other parts of the house.  Curtains...washed.  Walls....scrubbed.  Doors...cleaned.   Dog....bathed.

You might wonder how on earth I could find joy in a spring cleaning marathon but I did.  Sure, part of it helped ease the Little Miss Organization in me, but mostly, I just enjoyed spending the time with Tim.  I'm very blessed to have a husband who has always helped out around the house.  He's always there for big projects like this but he's also there to put a load in the wash, or vacuum, or whatever else needs doing any day of the week.  We look at housework just like every other part of our marriage.  And just as we met each other halfway down the aisle on our wedding day, symbolizing that vow, we've carried it through seventeen years later.

Projects tackled.  Fresh clean house.  Quality time with my hubby.  ....Oh, and a glorious nap at the end.  Yep, pretty good Saturday for me!