This Old House

(image source)

No disrespect to Norm or anything, but renovating an old house isn't nearly as glamorous as it looks. I always thought that I would love to buy a cool old house in a fun neighborhood, and restore it its former glory in an artistic, modern way. Our house isn't anything spectacular architecturally, but it is cute, and it's definately old. And I really do enjoy working on it - it's just that I would enjoy it a lot more if I didn't also have a full time job.

I've always been a person who tends to see the potential in everything. This is great when it comes to people - I tend to take someone for who they could be, not just for who they are right now. When it comes to home renovations, however, this has proved to be a shortcoming. I stand in my house, look around, and I see tons of potential - but no time, or adequate funding, to get it there. And once I start one project (say, sewing curtains for the living room) it makes me notice 20 other things that need to be done (those windows need cleaning - no, replacing!).

All this to say, it's slowly dawning on me that maybe, just maybe, fixing up our house isn't the be-all-end-all that it's become for me. That, while it's a good thing to want to create a comfortable place to live, maybe I need to take a step back and have a priority check. That maybe somewhere I stopped wanting to create something livable and homey, and started wanting to create a showpiece for the Home and Garden channel. That maybe I need to do some more talking with God about the idols in my life, and less thinking about color schemes and finding the perfect guest bed on Craigslist.

Just maybe.

The Simple Life

(picture from kitchengardens.org)

Yesterday I hung a load of clothes out to dry on my front porch. I’m sure our house looked like redneck central, clothesline strung haphazardly between the porch posts and our socks and undies waving in the breeze at passersby. But I don’t care. I love it.

We do all of our laundry that way, actually. At first, it was because we had to – we had a washer but not a dryer. But now I keep putting off purchasing a dryer because I love letting the hot summer wind do the job for me. Maybe it’s nostalgia – I remember watching my grandmother do the same – but I get a small thrill whenever I haul a load of freshly-washed towels out the front door.

I like simple things. Summer makes me want iced tea (unsweet!) and lemonade. I prefer cooking to going out. I’d rather walk the dog than go to the gym. Now that I finally live in a house, I’ve planted some flowers and herbs, and I’m extremely proud of the baby tomatoes popping up on my three potted tomato plants. Next year I’m hoping to plot out a tiny garden in the backyard.

I’ve also recently become aware of the dangers of basic hygiene products. I grew up eating wheat bread, taking vitamins, and cleaning the house with vinegar, but who knew that toxic chemicals were lurking in my shampoo? And laundry detergent, and cosmetics, and toothpaste, and the list goes on and on (click here for a link to a great article on shampoo, and here for one on parabens). I’ve become an even more obsessive label-reader, and have switched my shampoo to Burt’s Bees and use aloe vera gel in my hair instead of styling products (I can honestly say my hair has never been happier). The all-natural mascara, on the other hand, is taking some time to get used to – it smells terrible in the tube, but it does work pretty well. And at least it’s not toxic.

The shampoo discovery was just the beginning of a massive greening effort that will probably take me some time. I’m grateful for a supportive husband, even if he’s not fully convinced of the dangers. He’s even switched to mineral-based deodorant and natural toothpaste, and that, my friends, is love. Seran wrap and Ziplock bags are next on my hit list. I’m about to purchase some giant stackable bins to expand my recycling effort. We’re also drawing up plans to build a permanent clothesline in the backyard, so our skivvies won’t be on display to the neighborhood.