Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Walden and Schtuff...

Happy Wednesday to you! I hope you are having a good week. I have been busy cleaning up around the house, which is why I have not posted...haven't been to my little corner since the weekend.

Are you like me and able to ignore the mess around you for a while, then one day, it's like you see it all at once? Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to? Well, the other night Steve wandered by where I was sitting, on his way to the printer. He glanced at the TV and exclaimed, "I don't know how you can SEE the TV it's so dusty." He proceeded to grab some cleaner and paper towels and cleaned off the screen (insert guilty blush on my face-I hadn't noticed) I realized, in my knitting/crocheting/crafty frenzy recently, I've let a lot of things "slide" around the house. I mean, really slide. Down toward the "it's downright embarrassing how messy things are around here" end of the slide (hanging head in shame).

So, I have been working hard on "earning my keep" around here. The bathrooms got a good scrub down on Monday and yesterday it was the kitchen's turn. I cleared off my housekeeping nemesis, the breakfast bar. I love that thing when it's cleaned up, but I also hate it cleaned up. I've got a hubby who thinks any clear and open space is fair game for plunking down whatever he happens to have in his hands. So, the breakfast bar looked great...until he got home! LOL Then I moved onto the fridge. The inside at least. I don't know how so much gets spilled in the cracks and crevices of a fridge. I cleaned and scrubbed and threw out the budding science experiments (it was trash day). I even drew blood three of my fingers. I'd take a picture, but they are on my right hand...suffice it to say, I worked through the discomfort. The inside of the fridge is gleaming...well, all except one shelf.

I meant to finish that last shelf, but it was gorgeous outside and my white van was...well...beige. And I thought, I'll take advantage of the fact that both girls are in school right and the beautiful day, and give the van a good scrub down. Then I was going to finish up that last shelf on the fridge door. After I washed the van on the outside, the inside looked white instead of blue/gray, so it got a thorough cleaning, too. When I took the vacuum back into the house, I looked at the clock and realized it was time to pick up the girls! Wow that time went fast! After we got home, I was plumb tuckered out and never did get to that shelf. I haven't mustered up the motivation to get to it just yet. I had to put band-aids and Neo on my knuckles when I went to bed last night, they were so sore. LOL

Oh and get this (then I'll share Walden), on the way to school we passed by a house (well, lots of them, but this one in particular caught my eye) that had a bunch of logs on the front lawn with a sign that said: free, free, free. Apparently the owner cut down a tree and put the logs out for the taking. I thought about trying to load some up in the van, but they were too big for me to get on my own. So I told Steve when he got home from work. While Amy and I were at her Brownie meeting last night, he took Jess and went to the house (that it was right next to the house we rented before we got married meant he knew exactly where to go) and brought home ALL the logs! Cool...free firewood that will last us through most of a good, cold winter....NEXT year! He even vacuumed the mess from the logs in the back of the van. Nice, huh?

Okay...so if you got this far, thanks! It's not been ALL work all the time. In my spare time (ha, ha) I have been working on the third and final character in my Wubbzy pattern book. This one is Walden, the ever-so curious critter on the show.
100_5699

There are 22 of those white polka dots on the shirt! And his head...it's huge compared to his body (but he's that disproportionate on the show, too). I had a devil of a time finding some light blue yarn of the weight I needed. You can find light blue baby yarn up the ying-yang, but that weight is too narrow for the size hook I needed to use. I tried some and it looked awful. I finally found some cotton yarn that sort of worked. It's still a little darker than I would ideally like, but I think it is okay. Heck, I know the girls don't care and I probably shouldn't either. I also ended up buying a huge skein of yarn for that bitty tie. That's a difficult color to find as well. Ah well...I'm sure I can use the yarn on other projects.

The characters were fun to make for the most part, but I have to admit, I'm glad to be done making those fingers and hands! LOL The girls can fight over who gets Walden...I'm not making another one!

Well goodness...I got windy today. Sorry about that! If you didn't read all of my blather and just looked at the picture...thanks for stopping by! I may try to create something else today, but I have to finish the fridge, first, and it's early release day, so I get a shortened "kid-free" time. So, I'm not making any promises...

Jeanne

10 comments:

Sarah said...

I love Walden...He is CUTE.
I am scared to look at my fridge shelves..and don't talk to me about the microwave. I am exactly the same way with cleaning...so much simpler to do little and often. nahhhhh.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I Love visiting everyones blog and commenting on what I see.........just visiting and having FUN!

Barb said...

I understand completely about letting things slide...you are not alone there! LOL!

I love your Walden. Man! That is one big head, isn't it?! He's as cute as can be and you do such a fine job of putting these guys together. Your girls must be so happy with all the wonderful delights you make for them. And Jeanne, that's ALOT of dots, too! Wow! You have alot of patience!

Well...I guess I should go clean something. And I will. Right after I visit one more blog....

Kathi Carlson said...

I laughed when I read about Steve cleaning the television screen. Marv does that regularly. Makes the same comment. Knows I don't care ... As for letting things slide, neatniks are boring and rarely, if ever, creative. Finally, I LOVE Walden. He's so cute. You'll have to tell the girls he's "community property" as to avoid squabbles. Fun! Good luck with your fridge. I got a new refrigerator a couple of months ago and have yet to open the door long enough to look at its features. LOL.

Dawn said...

WHERE do you get your energy, girlfriend...each morning i say "today i will start the cleaning..." than i see the computer and it never gets started.....and Walden...nice!!
dewnie

Kim Burmeister said...

Walden is so cute! I love the glasses! You do a great job on these critters.

I am so behind on cleaning too! I don't think we ever get caught up on that one. I have had spring fever, so not a lot of creating.

Anonymous said...

My office is my bane of existence. The problem is that if I clean it, I never know where things are. It's called organized chaos. LOL I'm also a Virgo..in other words..a perfectionist. UGH!! So until I figure out HOW I want things, I just IGNORE them. And my fridge?? Well, no science projects, but it could use a good cleaning. Fortunately, I can take out the shelves to clean, so perhaps that is why it doesn't need much. I also keep paper towels on the bottom shelf so if something spills, I just take out the towel that got hit and wipe that area down and replace it with another paper towel. My mom taught me that. Works like a charm!! Especially when I'm thawing meat!!

Walden is darling. Your girls must be having a ball with all of their new "friends" (smile)

gloria in Utah :)

mE said...

Jeanne!!!

We love you, still! LOL! We all get a little crazy and windy and let things slide in our houses... in fact, now that you're done with yours, wanna come help with mine? Haha! J/K Mine is not sooo bad... our company was good to strip the beds and fold up everything the mornign they left... it was a nice surprise when I went downstairs to start the housekeeping...

LOVE Walden, too!!! That little shirt must have taken AGES to work the polka dots in...

Kathi, Kathi, Kathi - *I* am a neatnik!!! LOL!! :P Ok, mostly neat in the fact that I don't like grime and dirt... but I can handle my "piles of to do's"... LOL!

mE said...

Oh and I totally understand the fridge bidniss.... I am usually pretty good at keeping up with mine (cuz there is just two of us), but a few weeks ago we bought a ton of groceries and I decided that they just wouldn't fit right in the fridge.

So, we pulled out all the shelves and rearranged the configuration... put the small leftover shelves at eye level (helps to see what's in there before it turns science project on us)and was shocked at the drips and funk that hides in the back and behind shelves... YIKES! Thank goodness for hot water and disinfectant!

I love dejunking the fridge, but Brent has to open the containers and send the contents down the disposal.... my gag reflex is too strong. He just laughs as I heave air... LOL!

Hope your fingers feel mo bettah soon!

Love,
E.

Carol said...

I am in awe with how much creating you get done, off course the cleaning will suffer, but all that creating must be putting big smiles on little girls faces!
Me on the other hand, I am a clean freak, so not much creating. I did laugh the other day when I found a little paper house Fletcher had made hiding. He told me he hid it because I always throw everything away. Maybe I need to be creating more and cleaning less lol.

stampmonkey said...

Jeanne, your crocheted critters are just the cutest ever!! I imagine your girls are having a blast with all of them...and hopefully have enough of their own that they're not fighting over too many. ;) (I'm not going to comment on the cleaning...but I applaud you for your honesty in putting it out there! lol) You're such an awesome mom and you inspire me in so many ways!