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Dee, the Domestic Diva

January 16, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 7 Comments

My desk

One of my New Orleans friends is fascinated and impressed by the fact that I iron my pillowcases when I wash my sheets each Monday. So much so that she sent me a link for a job:

“Domestic Diva Needed for Advice Blog”

It also included doing video blogs. She said I’d be perfect for the job but that I had to promise her two things:

1. Your first one will be about ironing pillowcases
2. When HGTV picks it up and you win an Emmy, you’ll thank me in your speech. 

Well, I’m not so sure about the video blog thing but it did get me to thinking. Why blog about domesticity on someone else’s blog when I’ve got my own. I mean, I do write about homemaker-y stuff here sometimes but why not make it a regular feature? I’m not sure of the format yet but since I need to post something today, how about sharing what’s going on in the exciting world of homemaking on Apple Tree Farm?
After a weekend with the guys around, Mondays usually greet me with the challenge of restoring order. In addition, this is the day I wash my sheets (and iron the pillowcases, of course), catch up on laundry, water plants and do a few other weekly tasks. I also try to take a look at the week ahead and plan my attack. 
This Monday is worse than most for a few reasons. First, I had a couple of weeks of suffering with an asthma attack which left me pretty much incapable of doing more than the absolute necessities. Also, we are in the process of putting away the last of the Christmas decorations. I undecorated the tree this weekend but David has a cold and just didn’t feel up to taking it down and putting it in the garage. I still need to carry the rest of the storage boxes upstairs and put them away in my closet. And you should see our bedroom! No, actually, you shouldn’t. I’d be horrified. It’s been a bit of a dumping ground through the holidays. Plus, the installation of my new computer and all the rearranging that required means I have a two-foot pile of papers/notebooks/folders/etc. on the floor to sort through and organize. 
So all of that means that I really shouldn’t be sitting here writing about homemaking but should actually get up and do some. When I have oodles to do I find it helpful to write it down. I start by just jotting things down in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Then I take out a fresh sheet of paper, put it in my purple clipboard and begin organizing the tasks in categories. 
Here is what I’ve got today, and please try not to judge my terrible handwriting – I’m a pretty good typist but my handwriting went to pot during my years as a nurse writing patient notes.

To Do

Will I get all that done today? Not likely. But at least I have a place to start and it’s not all floating around my head, buzzing in my ear like a nasty mosquito. I’ll start with the things that have to be done in a timely manner, such as starting the beans (they’ve been rinsed, sorted, boiled for a couple of minutes and are now soaking for one hour) and making the hot dog buns (I’ll start those right after lunch). Next, I’ll take 20 minutes or so to simply tidy up the main living areas downstairs. Knowing that I wouldn’t be horrified if someone dropped in unannounced makes me feel better.

With those things out of the way, I then start tackling one thing at a time as the mood strikes, trying to do the most important things first. Sometimes I like to set a timer for 15 minutes and then see how much I can do before it goes off. That was a little trick I learned from the Flylady and it really works for  me. When it goes off, I take a short break with a cup of tea or glass of water and check Facebook or read emails. I also like to set a timer when I get on the computer because it’s way too easy for time to silently sneak away from me as I get sucked into the vortex of the online world.

And speaking of that, my coffee break is over and so is this blog post.

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Filed Under: Home & Garden, Homemaking Tagged With: Domestic Diva, housekeeping, housework, organization

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Comments

  1. BelleDiabolique says

    January 16, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    The timer idea (both for breaks and for beat the clock) is a good one. I should try that.

    Reply
  2. Terri says

    January 16, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    I love the idea of your adding homemaker tasks to your blog…Miss Catherine started doing vlog entries for her housekeeping method about a year ago. She follows the Mount Vernon method, which is a bit too regimented and fussy for me (although I have used it when I let things get out of control).

    I'm still sick but managing the bare basics of dishes, beds, floors, laundry (well John actually is hitting those last two for me, lol) and general straightening but I can see the house will need more than a little help when I'm done with this cold.

    Reply
  3. Ms. Kathleen says

    January 16, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    I had a friend who ironed her sheets and pillowcases. I couldn't understand it with permanant press but now that I have all cotton I do. My main goal is to get them straight from the dryer to the bed asap so I don't have to! It is easy to keep the house clean with the kiddos gone though. Have a great week 🙂

    Reply
  4. Deanna Piercy says

    January 17, 2012 at 6:05 am

    Bella: The timer is truly a help. When I'm dreading getting started I tell myself that I only have to work 15 minutes. And of course, it's a huge help in keeping me from spending so long on the computer that my feet go to sleep.

    Reply
  5. Deanna Piercy says

    January 17, 2012 at 6:06 am

    Terri: I hope you feel better soon. Being ill really makes it hard to keep up.

    Reply
  6. Deanna Piercy says

    January 17, 2012 at 6:07 am

    Ms. Kathleen: I just love the feel of crisply ironed pillowcases. I've often said that if I won the lottery I'd hire someone to put freshly ironed sheets on my bed every day. And have fresh flowers in every room.

    Reply
  7. Cherie says

    January 21, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    I've got to try the timer trick as my 15 minutes on the internet often turns into an hour. However, in my defense, sometimes our wireless internet is iffy and it takes forever to load important things like email. I also like seeing your list. I am constantly reinventing how I do my "To Do's" so as to inspire me to actually do them and do them efficiently.

    Reply

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I’m Dee, a Francophile with a hippie heart, trying to create a beautiful life in the country while dreaming of Paris.

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