Sometimes when I'm feeling like a victim of Seasonal In-Effective Disorder (SIED), I like to motivate myself by looking back at my accomplishments just to assure myself that I do get things done now and again. These last few months haven't been very productive, so I thought I would look back to see what I was doing this time last year.
Another motivational idea comes from my ingenious husband. He feels that if household projects have Soviet-style 5-year Plans like: "The 5 year Plan for the Beautification and Re-Electrification of the Front Porch" or fitting acronyms it's much easier to get behind them. Today I am combining these methods to double the effect and giving a reward !
Apparently, January and February are my stasis months. This time last year I was researching pancetta recipes and making my own bacon. Not because I suddenly was excited about curing meat, but because my husband had just introduced the idea of saving money by buying meat in bulk. He purchased an entire pig and a cow from a friend of his and our freezer overflowed onto the front porch. Thus began Meat, Yes, We're Having It For Dinner Again or MYWHIFDA. In terms of progress we made great strides with WYWHIFDA: our household has consumed the entire porker and most of the beef. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
Last week I started thinking about how good that pancetta had been and I actually ordered a half a side of a pork belly and started a new batch using this recipe. If you like cured meat to spice up your winter cooking give it or this a try. Now, I'm thinking about corned beef. Women (and Men) For Midwinter Meat Curing or the unpronounceable W(M)FMWMC (mwoofmock?) is gaining traction, wanna join me?
You Too can make cured meats in the privacy of your own home!
What else was I doing? Oh, yes the laundry. I was a bit obsessed there for awhile, what with researching archaic forms of measurements to measure my GHLPO (Gross Household Laundry Processing Output or "Gulpo ) and ranting about it. Incredibly, I am still doing a lot of laundry, but there was a bit of a breakthrough on that front. My eldest son worked at a YMCA camp this summer and was only home from Saturday noon to Sunday morning. Knowing he couldn't trust me to get the job done that fast, he started doing it himself. AND--get this-- he discovered that (are you ready?): He "loves" doing laundry.
(I'll pause a minute while that sinks in.)
Not only that, but he has apparently visited some rather sketchy internet sites, because he has learned that socks should not be tumbled dry. That's right, those bushels of socks we go through each week, cannot go in the dryer, or at least his can't as he now is the founding (and only ?) member of Teens Opposed to Drying Socks in the Dryer or TODSID . As I can't even bother to sort the socks after they have been cleaned and dryed, I will never do it before said process and thus will not be joining the growing ranks of Moms Opposed to Sock Tumbling (MOST). So, you can guess who is now doing his own laundry. And since he loves laundry he can sometimes be found folding it while he watches YouTube. Double points for the internet!
What else am I thinking about now? The slightly longer days and brighter light on these bitter, cold days? Yes I was thinking about that last year too. That change of light usually leads me to feel that I should get to the bottom of my messy bedroom/sewing space. That means I tear it apart, make a gigantic mess, and then try to get rid of enough stuff so that I can fit everything back. Which means I am in the midst of another perennial household project "Get Rid Of" (GRO) --affectionately known as Grow. Has a nice ring to it, huh?
I think it might be time to celebrate all this progress and the cleaning of my room with a Blog give-away. Yes, I am joining the ranks of BWGROEAT-WAC that's Bloggers Who Get Rid Of Excess and Axe Tedium-While Attracting Comments.
Write a comment with your inspiring acronym or 5 year plan and tell me what you want. These are your choices: A grass-fed beef chuck roast (local pick-up only), a Japanese pattern book for women, a Japanese pattern book for girls and women, a book of essays about knitting, or a vintage or (re-production) pattern. If you want a pattern tell me the decade you desire (1950s-1970s) and the desired chest size up to 38-40 inches inches.
I'll keep the comments open for a week so you have time to think about it before I choose the winners ! If you don't win this time, I'm thinking of having a special skirt pattern BWGROAT later this month so stay tuned.
