Clean Up on Aisle Three

One thing that we didn't anticipate was just how much extra housework we would have to deal with during the construction process. Our usual habits during the week were to do a little laundry, vacuum once or twice, and maybe clean the kitchen and bathroom countertops. Then on the weekends we would tackle the majority of the cleaning. But now our weeknights are spent dealing with the dirt and dust that seem to make their way into every crevice and floorboard no matter how tightly sealed we try to keep the windows and doors. Which means the weekends are just one giant 409-fest.

If you know us at all, you know that we do what we can to save energy and resources, and that includes hanging our laundry out to air dry instead of using the dryer. Now just picture, for a moment, trying to air dry the clothes while a mere 10 feet away someone is hurling piles of dirt and hammering freshly cut boards into a foundation. Not a good mix. So my weekends now seem to consist of about 41 hours of washing, hanging, folding and ironing. Do the math - I'm doing laundry while I sleep!

I wouldn't mind it so much, if I didn't know that it would all be dirty again tomorrow. But I reached a point today where I couldn't stand looking at the dust on my dresser any more and I cleaned every inch of that surface. Have you ever felt satisfaction from doing a job well, no matter how menial the task? In fact, sometimes the most basic tasks give the most satisfaction because you can absolutely see the difference. That's how I felt this afternoon after first writing my name in the dust on top of the dresser and then wiping it away with polish. Every picture frame, every bookmark, every book was clean and sparkling and I'm not embarassed to say that I took a moment and stood back to admire my handywork.

Sure, it looks messy, but it's clean enough to
pass the white glove inspection.

Of course, tomorrow evening will bring a different story. The clothes will be dirty, the dresser will be dusty, the rug will be covered in dog hair again. (All right, that last one has nothing to do with the new building, but I still have to vacuum nevertheless.) That's why I had to take a photo - to remind me that someday soon the whole house will look as perfect as my dresser does right at this moment. Fingers crossed.