As I create more blog posts, there will be a definite theme, what I like to call my “Betty-Crocker” moments, or my “domestic goddess” days. I love to do housework. Some days, there is nothing more satisfying to me that imposing cleanliness and order on my living space. I love freshly washed sheets, clean laundry hung in my closet and folded into my dresser, or a neat desk with all my school work and other papers neatly organized and ready for use.
I’m also a big fan of cooking and baking. I cook all the time, and my general method is to throw a few things in a pan and see how it turns out. One of my aunts was a chef in the food industry for a while, then was a personal chef and live-in nanny, and then owned her own small-town cafe for a few years. She taught me just about everything I know about cooking, including that recipes aren’t necessary, and that one can measure by adding ingredients in the quantities of “some” and”until it looks good.” The measurements are a little more important in baking, but you can always substitute or make do if you need to (and I often do). My baked goods often come to work or school with me, because I enjoy the baking and others’ enjoyment of the end result more than I do eating an entire batch of cookies or cheesecake by myself.
This all being said, I don’t like all housework – I loathe dusting, and most of the time I hate washing dishes (which doesn’t coincide so well with the love of cooking and baking, unfortunately).
Recently, I’ve been trying to expand my “domestic goddess” urges into new chores, or things that I’ve neglected or put off. (For example, a new work-wardrobe of suits and blouses has left me with quite a few hand-wash-only items, and my washer doesn’t have a “gentle” cycle).
I’m also trying to get more use out of the things I have and love that still have some life in them, which requires some ingenuity. If anyone knows of a good place in DC to get a pair of high heeled shoes re-soled – please let me know! Ditto on a good tailor, I not only have some pants that need a hemming, but I’m going to wear my grandmother’s wedding dress in my wedding next June, and it needs some alterations.
Funnily enough, one of the book series that I’m really into right now has pushed me to do more of this sort of thing. Old Jane Austen novels, you might ask? Or one of those self help “de-clutter your life” books? Nope.
It’s the Sookie Stackhouse series, the books that the HBO series True Blood is based on. I’m not sure if the author does it on purpose, but Sookie’s character is a model of old-school-southern-belle-homemaker, with a dash of modern, self-supporting woman. She’s always making minor repairs, gardening, doing laundry, etc. in a way that makes me feel lazy about my own upkeep and cleaning habits. And when a fictional character makes you feel slovenly, you can probably take it up a notch. Stay tuned for more “Domestic Goddess” posts and we’ll see how it goes 🙂
Barks and Baking 