New stuff equals clean house

I wrote this Sunday night, but my internet was on the fritz. So I saved it into Word and I'm just now getting around to sharing it. Procrastination what?!



What is it about a new TV that makes you clean your laundry room?

Dang, I was hoping you could tell me. All I know is, I finally splurged on one of those sleek black TVs to bring us into the 21st Century, and the next thing I know I find myself throwing away empty cleaner bottles that have been collecting lint for the last two years.

Of course, that was after I reorganized my silverware drawer, vacuumed, threw away a weeks' worth of newspapers, started a load of laundry, unclogged a drain and thought about dusting the living room.

Methinks maybe it's just been too long since I've bought anything new for the house. I’ve just been seeing the same old stuff and it just turns into a big mental to-do list I don’t feel like tackling.

An old friend once told me that to get herself in the mood to clean, she bought something new for the house. Because then, see, you have to clean a spot for it. And then you have to clean the area around it so it looks good. And then you have to clean the rest of the room so that area looks good. And then you end up having to clean the whole house. It’s true. I’ve noticed this phenomenon.

Can you tell it’s my second favorite time of the year? I love tax time!  I get a nice fat refund and for a few weeks, I am rich.

I start making my wish list in January. Where do I want to go? What do I want to do? What do we need?  (It’s a good thing my kids’ birthdays are in the spring. That’s all I’ve got to say.)

I don’t shop during the year. I just don’t. But tax time? Whoopee!

Okay, I don’t just blow it. First I take care of the necessities. A year’s worth of cable bills. A gallon of shampoo. (That was new, but I think I’ll make it an annual tradition. Great hair stuff I won’t have to buy again this year. In other words, no buying crappy grocery store goop in September because I can't afford the good stuff anymore. :) ) Pay off the credit card bill. Put some away for a rainy day (which does not include the day I run out of good shampoo).

And then…yep, Mama bought a new TV! And silverware! And towels!

The silverware. Y’all. I mean, you have no idea how happy that makes me. We had these things with plastic handles, and it had pieces that were falling off. Half of my mismatched set was given to me as a wedding gift in 1994. The other half I found with a set of dishes in my attic. (What? It was still in the box.) I am ecstatic to have found a pretty set of flatware that should last me until I’m sick of it, or until I die, whichever comes first.

And the TV. I should have done this a long time ago. After playing musical televisions for a year, we finally settled on Catie’s TV for the living room, which she had adorned with stickers from a shoebox for a pair of shoes I’m not sure she still even owns.

I tell you what, though. Right now my house looks better than it has in weeks, and it feels like home. J