“Order helps a home to run smoothly…much frustration and time are saved…order sets the stage for power and accomplishment, and when a home reflects tender loving care, everyone benefits.”
—Daryl Hoole (The Art of Homemaking)
I’m trying…heaven help me I’m trying but somedays (or weeks) it seems that the universe is conspiring against me.
I’ve been working on Facet No.4 “A Place for Everything” and making my home a sanctuary . But somehow, this week, instead of our home increasing in order it exploded…I think it all started the night my husband lit the wok on fire (right now he’s currently banned from the kitchen) and then that incident seemed to spark a chain of events that spiraled out of control until one fateful afternoon when we had a troop of police officers surround our house.
Yes. You read that right. A troop of police officers both surrounded and searched my house this week.
No. I’m not kidding.
The morning had been stressful. I needed to get everyone off for the day and then the girls packed up and with me for another doctors appointment. We rushed out of the house without even moving the breakfast remnants off of the table.
However…the kitchen table was the least of my housekeeping worries…the day before I had sorted all the laundry in the ENTIRE house into GIANT heaps on my bathroom floor, on my bedroom floor were mounds of clothing from my husband and I trying to clean out our closet, then the rest of the house (give me strength) was literally a stew of boxes and bins of everything from clothing to toys to knick knacks as I had been trying to go through things for a yard sale…and the basement was the worst part—the kids have been playing down there while I’ve been sorting and I think every toy we own was out. It was bad. Real bad. No order in this house. What happened to my sanctuary?
But I wasn’t worried either…I knew that after I got these doctors appointments over with I would have time to keep plowing through these projects and my house would soon be awesome.
However…
After being gone all morning I turn in the driveway to find my front door WIDE open.
And instead of being worried about robbers the only thing I can think about is that everyone in the neighborhood can look right straight into my home and see the 6 loads of laundry piled on the couch and surrounded by the Mega Blocks and Strawberry Shortcake mixture on the floor. I was horrified. (Again by the thoughts of people seeing my messy house and not the serial killer waiting inside.)
I was talking to Elizabeth when I pulled into the driveway. She said “Liz, you have to call the police.”
But I hung up the phone and called my husband.
He said “Liz you have to call the police.” And I said “Are you crazy? Have you seen our house??? They can’t come in!!!”
But he said if I didn’t call then he would. (Husbands, they don’t understand anything!)
So I called, and they came…and while I stood there on the sidewalk 3 officers searched my home for bad guys while I explained to an officer waiting with me that while they may think my house was ransacked it really wasn’t—we are apparently just live in shambles. “It’s the newest trend,” I said. “Extreme Shabby Chic. I invented it.”
So I called, and they came…and while I stood there on the sidewalk 3 officers searched my home for bad guys while I explained to an officer waiting with me that while they may think my house was ransacked it really wasn’t—we are apparently just live in shambles. “It’s the newest trend,” I said. “Extreme Shabby Chic. I invented it.”
I was so embarrassed…so much for creating order.
Since then things have calmed down. (Oh and no worries—no bad guys were found and nothing was missing. I don’t know what happened. If I didn’t shut the door, or if I left it unlocked and some neighbor kids came in—which wouldn’t be the first time.)
So this week the topic is still under “A Place for Everything” and the focus is”Let Each Room Fulfill It’s Function”.
I plan to work specifically on our family room and our bedrooms but since this post is already a mile long…I’ll just report next week on how and what I did.
(I just pray it won’t involve any fires, the police, or ransacked houses.)
Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend!
liZ
At least that was just ONE day. My house is chaos every day. My kids have a playroom, but think it is a better idea to have toys in every room in the house. I clean up one room and they just follow behind me recrating the mess i just cleaned up I think my kids are conspiring against my sanity!
Haha, this is so funny. I love your Extreme Shabby Chic description and I’m so glad they didn’t find any bad guys!
Love your description of extremely shabby chic and I’m glad there weren’t robbers or unwelcomes in your home! I honestly feel like I can never get ahead of the mess b/c I’m constantly cleaning up after everyone and I only have one little girl to pick up after (her idea of playing by herself/the only “peaceful” five uninterrupted minutes I get is when she tosses all of her toys and books out of the ottoman). I do feel more in control if my kitchen is clean though. 🙂
Oh! That had to be sooooo scary for you though. It happened to my neighbor across the street all the time when we lived on post (military). I think she just didn’t shut the door hard enough behind her. Glad all.was ok, yeah those things always seem to happen at the worst times. Live your explanation of it! Very funny.
AHHHHH!! What a story!! That happened to me once… Just the front door part, not the husband in the firey kitchen, piles of laundry, cops, etc… But I was so scared about my cat being gone, I didn’t even call anyone, I just ran right in. DUMB idea, but lucky for me, no one was there and no one had been there! Actually, I just realized that was before everyone had cell phones. I didn’t even have a way to call anyone without going in and getting the phone! wow! life before cell phones seems so far away…. Anyway, glad everything is safe and sound now!
I just barely found this series and this was a hilarious story. My house has been much like this lately. I just had my first baby in April and I’m still learning to juggle taking care of him plus all the household stuff going on. Thanks for posting! I will have to find this book.