Housekeeping

I've spent the day putting away the Chris-mess and now I'm living in a whole new house. Although I love every inch of the December trimmings, it is nice to pare down in January. Everything seems bigger and newer and ready for a fresh start.

Brad entertained the kids all day and I did my favorite kind of housekeeping. I call it "puttering."


Puttering is the love-child of deepcleaning and decorating. I am not the best at either, but I do love to walk through each room in my house, tidy things up and then rearrange. You know...put new photos in the old frames, restack books on the shelf, shuffle the merchandise a little bit.

I redid my mantelplace.

Hung something different in the powder room.

Set the living room to rights.

Took out the Christmas dishes and brought back the blue & white.

And, best of all, made a new home for the gabtop! This is my kitchen desk and, now, Gabblog Central! I am sitting here right now...so much better than Brad's den, which is always much too chilly and, shall we say, a little bit "masculine" for my taste.

Puttering is a no-cost makeover for my home and I usually get into a putter-mood when the seasons change. A few years ago, I bought the book, Use What You Have Decorating and I love what I learned...using professional decorators' secrets to make the most of stuff you already have. Because, although others might argue...I am deep-down a very frugal person!

(Don't get me wrong, I love to collect new things...but I also am quite sentimental and get great comfort from the fact that I have a piece of my mother's and grandmother's china in my dining room hutch and love seeing my nine-year-old's silver baby cup in my laundry room cabinet, holding loose change and pens.)

Some people might think puttering is a shallow hobby or a waste of time. But I don't think so. I think one of my jobs as a homemaker is making my home a clean, lovely and welcoming space. There is a difference between trying to create a showplace to outshine the neighbors and trying to make a gathering place where neighbors want to be. I choose the latter.

And, if you ever want to come for a visit...you're invited.

Now...for more January housekeeping:

1. I have two special birthday boys to celebrate this month! My husband and oldest son(through a little tender mercy which still gives me a thrill of delight) share the same date of birth...31 years apart! Every year I moan over having two birthdays so soon after Christmas, when I am feeling my most close-fisted and non-festive. But the truth is, a little celebrating cures those post-holiday-January-blahs...and everything is on sale...and they don't even mind if I wrap their gifts in Christmas paper (although I try not to)!
2. This is a benchmark birthday for my hubby. The big four-oh! And you know what that means? It means I have a 40-year-old boyfriend! Yikes. (He is probably less-than-thrilled with his 37-year-old sagging, wrinkled girlfriend...but there you go.) Actually, Brad makes 40 look good. Really good. I will try and get him something special this year...
3. I have to brag about my mom! She was asked to speak at BYU Women's Conference this May! About? Staying connected to long-distance family using email and BLOGS! She is perfect for this assignment. Can you believe just a few years ago she bucked at the idea of using a computer? And now she is a cyber-star! I just booked my airline ticket to Utah so I can cheer her on...If any of you feel like meeting there, it would be a dream-come-true! I am so proud of you, Mom.

Happy Housekeeping!