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| Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House |
To me a perfect day is one that is part productive and part relaxing, so that you can feel accomplished without feeling over-taxed physically and emotionally. Hercules, the season's first storm paid us a visit deep into the night on Thursday. We waited for the snows to fall and accumulate on Thursday and finally, long after the sun set they finally came. Cozy at home with fire roaring and furnace blasting, I welcomed Hercules with open arms. While I work from home I never seem to have time to tackle all the projects needing of my attention... the boring things that we all tend to keep putting on the back burner and that stay on the back burner until we accidentally turn on that burner, and poof! up in smoke they go. Being trapped inside in a snowstorm would be just what I needed!
Hercules came, and while outside the winds howled and hurled themselves angrily, the snow really didn't amass to all that much - certainly paled by comparison to the storm that dumped 36 inches on us last year! Still too cold to do much outside I thought I would embark on one of my resolutions; simplifying my home, which perhaps is a much nicer term than de-cluttering it! After all, a cluttered life is not a simple life. How can it be so?
Hercules came, and while outside the winds howled and hurled themselves angrily, the snow really didn't amass to all that much - certainly paled by comparison to the storm that dumped 36 inches on us last year! Still too cold to do much outside I thought I would embark on one of my resolutions; simplifying my home, which perhaps is a much nicer term than de-cluttering it! After all, a cluttered life is not a simple life. How can it be so?
I started in the fridge. The ignored fridge that had been begging for my attention and a bath for months. I worked my way through it slowly, methodically, and with purpose. I came to the conclusion that kids are messy! Most of what I cleaned up, drips, splatters, crumbs, came from careless youthful fingers. When the fridge was done she sparkled! Well, as much as an old fridge can. From there on in I went through every container, glass jar, condiment, etc and checked expiration dates and chucked what was necessary. Anything relatively unused that looked as though it hadn't been used in a while and most likely never will again, also got tossed. (Fancy jams, strange salad dressings, etc that seemed exciting and exotic and turned out not to be.) Then I got a sudden urge to bake banana bread. What's better on a cold day?
Once the fridge had been tackled I tossed another log onto the fire, made a cappuccino and plopped down onto the couch with my daughter who was deeply ensconced in her Gossip Girl marathon. After a nice respite I tackled the pantry with the same gusto I did my fridge. I made 2 piles; one for tossing and the other for donation - non-perishable goods. This one didn't take too much effort. Next came collecting all the Christmas decor and ornaments. Much too cold to venture up into my non-insulated attic and much too cold to drag the de-ornamented Christmas tree outside, so we've put that off for just one more day. My poorly insulated 1930s home sucks in the cold from the outside... I might as well just leave all the windows open for crying out loud.
By Noon my main projects had been tackled. I thought I deserved to reward myself with a hot bath and my copy of Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy. Clean house, long soak, hot fire. All good so far!
The day ensued with more relaxation and more productivity. The best part of being trapped indoors, in my opinion, was that not one child cried out boredom! Everyone, it seems, was content to lead a quiet day inside. The iPads glowed, markers rolled and Legos built. Meanwhile Gossip Girl still airs... I remembered the days when my children were younger when it was absolutely impossible to rest for a day... when it was impossible to complete one chore without interruption. Those days weren't that long ago and so I do not take my peace and quiet (or my productivity!) for granted.
The day ensued with more relaxation and more productivity. The best part of being trapped indoors, in my opinion, was that not one child cried out boredom! Everyone, it seems, was content to lead a quiet day inside. The iPads glowed, markers rolled and Legos built. Meanwhile Gossip Girl still airs... I remembered the days when my children were younger when it was absolutely impossible to rest for a day... when it was impossible to complete one chore without interruption. Those days weren't that long ago and so I do not take my peace and quiet (or my productivity!) for granted.
The day ended on a perfect note, a simple bowl of pasta dressed in olive oil, garlic, lemon and Parmesan with a few red pepper flakes for kick and a glass of Malbec. Have you ever had pasta this way? It's magnificent. Way better and healthier than Mac and Cheese, my kids will concur! Recipe to follow shortly!
Wishing you all a wonderful Slow + Simple Sunday!
Jessica