Spicing Things Up in the Kitchen

I've already confessed many times just how much I hate to clean the house. Sometimes I even wonder if I was drawn to blogging as yet another explanation of why I just didn't have time to clean my house.

I have many women friends who love to clean their house. They see some kind of intrinsic value in bestowing the gift of a clean house on their family. I, on the other hand, have two signs in my kitchen that just about say it all. One says, "My house was clean last week. Sorry. You missed it." This one you see as soon as you walk in the kitchen door. The second one is in the windowsill of the bar. It says, "You can touch the dust, but please don't write in it."

Talking to my mom one day, I confessed that I didn't understand how I loved to cook and decorate and rearrange furniture, just about anything involved with domestication except cleaning it. She said it's because it is what it is and I can't change it or personalize it. I can't make it my own so I reject it.

Well, maybe there's hope for me. There's a whole slew of products out there now that can make the tedious just a bit more bearable maybe.

3M is letting all of us vote on our favorite sponge design - and next year they will offer the winner for sale. (The only complaint I have...after you vote, they don't let you know which one is ahead. I voted for the polka dots. It just said Thank You. Usually, a survey will let you know how your choice is faring as compared to others. My second pick would be the animal print. The pink flowers look they belong on a muu-muu.)

In my quest to make the mundane marvelous over the years, I have grabbed some other fun finds (in addition to every electronic cleaning gadget that has been invented). I have given Gloveables, fancy dish gloves, lately at about every bridal shower or housewarming I've been to - and hey they'd be good for baby showers too now that I think about it. (And they have cute aprons that match the gloves too, if you really want to go overboard.)

I have also made homemade Gloveables. I went to the party store and glued fake rings to the fingers, glued on fabric, etc. It's a good excuse to get the glue gun out. And it's guaranteed that no one else will bring the same thing to the party!

And, look, if they pick leapord print sponges - you can buy gloves to match your sponge.

This is the design I bought for myself. (I have a thing for polka dots.)

This is what I look like in my polka dot gloves at my sink. Really. I promise. Why doesn't anyone believe me?