Dirty House = Blessing

I will admit that I am terribly annoyed when I walk into someone's house and they are not expecting me (or any company for that matter) and it is completely clean and organized with not one thing out of place. I had that today as I walked into my sister-in-law's house. She was at work and I needed to drop something off unexpectedly. The house was in perfect order and I was filled with both envy and loathing. In fact, I decided that I should probably use the bathroom while I was there -- I'm sure I could have waited, but I think the curiousity got the better of me and I just wanted to see if her bathroom measured up to the rest of the house. Much to my disappointment, it did! Clean as could be.

My house, on the other hand, which I rushed to leave this morning, had a sink full of dirty dishes, unmade beds, baskets of unfolded clothes -- in fact it was so bad, I felt I had to call my husband to warn him that if he stopped at home he would find a disaster -- he laughed and told me he just had and...I was right...

I, in fact, have a number of friends that fit the classification of "House. Always in order". I remember when a friend called me while she was out of town and asked me if I could stop by her house to pick up a clean pair of pants for her son who fell in a mud puddle at school. As I walked into her house, it was disgustingly perfect. Even the boy's room was organized and his drawers were neatly piled. Please...give me a break! I honestly think I would have made Carter sit in dirty, wet pants before I allowed someone to come into my house unexpectedly to rummage through his drawers. (Although, I am beginning to relax. If people know me, they know my home is not pristine.)

So what am I doing wrong that I can't keep the piles off the counter and floor and table, etc? I can't blame the fact that I am busy -- they are all busy too. Is it just not a priority to me? I like a clean house and I can get it that way when I need to -- it just never is organized on an ongoing basis. I am not one of those people who needs to have my kitchen clean before I go to bed. I sleep just fine with a sink full of dishes. However, in the morning, I always wish I didn't sleep quite so easily.

I will say I am very driven by results. So maybe I like it to get it really messy so that when it is clean I feel like I have accomplished something. (How's that for a positive spin on my laziness). I decided I should take a picture of the way I left the kitchen this morning -- and the way it looks now.

Before

After

Accomplishment!

I think one of the reasons I have always enjoyed working part time is because it gives me that sense of completing a task. On the days I am home I often feel I need to give Cal a report on what I did for the day..."I mopped the floor, I washed the dishes, I bathed the kids, etc." He responds "You don't need to give me a report -- I know you were busy." "Yeah, but I need to tell you for my own benefit. Nothing looks different from when you left this morning until now....but in between that time chaos occured and was put back in order and I want someone to know!!" I'm thinking these before and after pictures are a great idea to help build my own sense of accomplishment.

One of the best things a friend ever said to me was "You bless me when you let me see your house like this." Wow! She left me feeling like I really have a lot of blessing to provide through my dirty house! Who knew? Blessings to you all!