Thursday, November 18, 2010

Just Wondering ....a Wee Survey


Ok, ok - I know my next post was to be a continuation of the Poultry Show.
I have one more video to share with you, and a few shenanigans.
I hope to have that post up later today or tonight.

I'm still up in my nightgown, here at 9:36 in the am - feeling like the cold that I've been playing dodgeball with for a month has finally whacked me right upside the head.
Drats.

I'm off today.
As in - I have no plans, and no where to go.




I get really excited about days like this.
And I am wondering - what is your first thought when you have a day like this?

Mine is - ooooo - I can get the cannister vacuum out and get in the corners.
Oooooooo - I can organize my dishes.
Oooooooo - I can fold all my napkins so that they are uniform and put them in my new old buffet.

Is that normal?

Shouldn't I be all like ....ooooo I can knit, or read or visit a friend, or go to the mall or something else?

So....my survey is this...
When given the gift of day like this - what do you DO?
Not - what you'd LIKE to do - but what do you actually DO?

Cause I like the idea of reading or knitting or volunteering or something - but I end up cleaning and organizing.

Your turn....

54 comments:

  1. Run around cleaning like a mad woman, do the clothes, do the dishes as fast I can and cuddle up with the cats...if there's time. Which there usually isn't.

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  2. Ahh Jayme...sometimes we just need a day to spend time pulling in, hunkering down, tending to what surrounds us. It feels good. It seems right. (even if some little naggy voice somewhere inside of us it trying to rise up and be irritating... slap it!) Nesting is a good thing. It brings satisfaction. There is a time for everything. There are days for different things. I guess I wrote about this today, so it just seems the right answer to give you.
    Hugs to you and enjoy doing what you feel compelled to do today. Hugs!!!

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  3. I had a me day last week, went out to lunch and shopping with my daughter. But the "woke up with a cold" day would be pj's, hot tea and blankie. NO CLEANING!

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  4. I like sitting in my pajamas, drink coffee, crochet, and think about what I should be doing.

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  5. A sniffly cold or a SICK cold? Sniffly: just pretend like all is well, dishes, pick up kid crud, laundry, dogs out-dogs in (repeat ad nauseum). A SICK cold:mindless computer time, mindless TV, large print mindless novels and frozen pizza.

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  6. start a batch of bread to rising...crank up the pellet stove...put on all warmest layers of outside coats and head outside to tend to animals. Fluff some straw in bedding, fix a few spots in fences and stand and look at all the critters for a time just to observe anything needing attention. Then go inside and put in a roast, play with bread and think about a sweet baked treat of some sort.
    THEN when smells are all about and house is warm and cozy, perhaps a short nap or sitting and catching up on some magazines.
    Ahhh my perfect day!!

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  7. I usually use those days to do a deeper cleaning...maybe some organization project that I've put off because of a lack of time to do it correctly before.

    Okay...see ya...it is raining here now and I'm headed to straighten up the attic! Seriously!

    Hugs to you!

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  8. I usually clean, but if I can, I power clean for half the day and play the other half! I have been going and going lately and not had a day to myself, so today is my day, too! (although I still have to do some school with the girls, but at least I'm HOME!) After a shower, I'm getting ready to go up and get the girls going on their work, then tackle the upstairs storage room. Then if I can squeeze an hour or two, I'm going to work on the material for my 4H Poultry Class on Saturday, schedule in some other days like today so I can paint some rooms and such, then cook a nice sit-down-as-a-family dinner. Now, ask me tomorrow how much of this actually was accomplished... praying we both hit a home run on our day!

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  9. I too, am a cleaning mad-woman when I have a free day. I need to re-evaluate that thinking though and do some enjoyable things instead. I'm off work this weekend and I have a list a mile long but I'm going to find some time to tackle the stack of books I want to read. Thanks for the reminder.

    Jackie

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  10. A free day to me is not having to cook dinner that night. I may browse a few stores,eat some fast food and then come home and curl up on the couch with a good book and eventually take a little nap. Cleaning and housework is overrated.

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  11. I lace up my sneakers and treat myself to an extra long walk. Sometimes I choose a spot in advance and drive there, but most of the time I just start at my front door walk for an hour and turn around.

    I spend the whole time taking pictures in my mind and thinking.

    Otherwise I too would end up vacuuming and dusting, cleaning the tub {a favorite}, doing the wash for the third time this week or reading all the goodness that is out there on the web. *cough*

    Excuse me, I need to go lace up my sneaks and hit the road. Maybe today I'll go to the art museum in town that my mom always suggests I drop by on a day like today.

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  12. Cleaning is usually the LAST thing I want to do. Today I had one of those days, and am baking. I love to cook and with work haven't gotten to much. So I am like a mad crazy woman in this kitchen! Ha. So, if you REALLY were my friend (ha) you'd come down here and clean my house for me. Oh the fun we'd have.

    Hey, if I were to come up there for a few weeks the week of Christmas and New Years, would you allow me to come see you for a day? :) Will you be around and up for a visit?

    ((hugs))

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  13. I'm with you Jayme. If I have an entire day 90% of it is used to clean. That said, for me to HAVE an entire day means my kids have been kidnapped and since that doesn't happen except when Gran is feeling especially peppy, I use that time to make my life easier later - I clean. If I have just a few hours to myself then I usually treat me to a quiet shopping trip to the local thrift stores or long read in a bookstore.

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  14. Okay...I thought I was the only one who, given a day to herself, vacuums the cobwebs out of remote places. So, does this mean I'm not crazy? Or, at least, not as crazy as I thought? Sometimes, I will just wander around the house in my pajamas clinging to my coffee mug. But I'm usually noticing the cobwebs as I wander...

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  15. I feel very guilty but I like to read!

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  16. read. or read. then read some more. maybe take a break for a jimmy stewart movie. back to reading.

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  17. Sadly, most days like this I do what I WANT to do first, then what I HAVE to do last. Just so you know - this does not work out well for me :) I so want to be like you and actually WANT to organize things... c'mon wave a wand at me or something, please?? ;) -Tammy

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  18. oooohhh, the list is long and where to start?

    I'll be honest and I'm sure I'm just like the gal next door... we ALL have good intentions and then something else "takes over" the moments that we need to "get er done"...and we'll wish for -just- one more day.

    I do this all of the time.

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  19. I'm with you! I think up all kinds of nooks and cranny's that need tidying or get excited about a big project in the basement I can finally tackle...BUT, after a few hours, I would tucker out. I'd sit down, drink coffee and enjoy whatever book I'm reading at the time. Wow, that sounds lovely. Wish I could get days like that more often!

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  20. When I have a day of nothing planned including the cleaning, I am a putzer. I work on a little of this and that and add some cleaning here and there. I have to decide on a cleaning day coming up because I am hosting the Thanksgiving dinner. Dusting, mopping blah blah. I know you thrive on that. I thrive on everything but. But not to worry my house is not a sty, just lived in.

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  21. Since I'm retired and not working I have many days all to myself. Usually I can't get anything done because hubby is home and doesn't like to hear the vacumn. So I get up usually at 6 a.m. make coffee and sit here until at least 9 to read my favorite blogs and try and comment on most of them. I get dressed usually before 11 and then I walk my 30 minutes. Yesterday Dave went to town and that is when I got busy and deep cleaned.. That should last until he goes away again. ta ta for now,,from Iowa

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  22. I love a day at home putzing around, cleaning corners, wiping out drawers, etc. It just feels so good to "play" house all day long!

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  23. I like to start one of those days with a nice, lazy breakfast (in PJ's) and then do whatever I feel like doing. It might be cleaning something or organizing something, but it can also be crafting, knitting or reading. As long as I don't have to do any of those things on a schedule...

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  24. Sleep! When I'm feeling clobbered with a cold I take to my bed and make sure I have a pot of tea on my night stand and a box of tissues. I might start out reading, but with any luck I'll go to sleep and wake up feeling much better. If I try to clean and do stuff I'll end up with a sore throat and chest cold. I aim to rest and get rid of the cold before it attacks full bore. I think really hard about cleaning, cooking, knitting and crocheting, and stuff, but I have to feel good to tackle those fun pastimes. Hope you feel much better soon!

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  25. I feel a 'day off' should be mostly pleasurable, and for me cleaning and housework are chores and definitely NOT pleasurable. So I do things I enjoy: read, catch up on e-mail, call a friend or two I've been meaning to call for ages, yard work, work on my ongoing genealogy project. If time permits, I do try to do ONE housework-y task so that I can tell myself I did something 'productive.' And isn't that awful? - that only housework feels 'productive?' Somethin' wrong with that.

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  26. A day off would mean no kids. If that were to happen: coffee in a.m. with a Debbie Macomber book or a cozy chick-flick. This would be if it is winter or rainy-cold. If it were spring/summer/or a nice fall day, that would mean a walk with the dog or a horseback ride. I'd still work that Debbie Macomber story in somewhere later that night...

    Marianne N.

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  27. Like you I have chickens...... horses, cats, people that don't wipe their feet......my mud room is a mess!

    I really need to unpack the winter feeding apparel before it snows!

    But on the other hand, if I didn't feel guilty, I'd catch up on those snotty House Wives of Beverly Hills.....
    so shoot me! I can't get enough!
    Hey you said it was a day OFF!

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  28. Cleaning? Not a chance! Laundry, maybe, but no cleaning. A day by myself is rare as .... umm... hen's teeth, so I savor them. Had part of one earlier this week. The first one in a long time. Played on the computer organizing photos, touched up my grey, weeded my eyebrows, spent some quality time with the dogs ... true 'me' time. Had a meeting at mid-afternoon, and I went off to it feeling very refreshed ... and pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself. :)

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  29. A day with nothing on my list? I never actually have those days, but I do manage plenty of days where I don't accomplish a single thing.
    p.s. I'm picking up my vacuum tomorrow. It's been in the shop for almost a month. I know that goes against pretty much everything you stand for, but you have to love me anyway!

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  30. Today was that very kind of day. I dropped the kid off at the bus stop..then came home and had coffee still in PJ's and read blogs. Then I let the dogs out again and came back in and did two loads of laundry while emptying out and refilling the dishwasher and then took a shower. Dogs in again, more laundry, out to get gas, then home again and I actually sat down on the couch and worked on a project of my own. Not cooking tonight, either because the man is at a meeting. OH yes I am, because the little man is staring at me with hungry eyes. *sigh* So yeah, ditto.

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  31. Ummm....I'm doin' it!!

    I normally sit on the computer for a couple of hours until I get the next brainstorm for tearing apart a room and re-doing it! Ha!!

    Call me!

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  32. Sleep in a little or at the very least lay there a bit longer and soak up the comfies. Then a hot bath with bubbles of course. Then maybe a cup of tea or coffee. Then watch a little boob tube or a favorite movie. Eat some chocolate. Fix some lunch and take a nap. Snuggle with the dog and maybe call my bestie.

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  33. If I am sick I run around like a crazy woman and make myself even sicker by cleaning the house. So, if I have to go to the doctor or hospital my house will be clean.

    Instead, I should just snuggle up with a quilt on the couch and watch movies. And let the kids take care of me.

    But, its the Martin in me. We have to clean until we literally can't walk and someone has to carry us to the hospital. If we are going to go, we are going to go with a clean house.

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  34. I think it is the old farm girl that comes out in me. I can't stand a wasted day...so I would sort through stuff...or organize pictures or go through some boxes that need to be cleaned out. Barring that I would pick my grands up and spend the day enjoying them (and working harder than if I'd stayed home and worked). LOL...So...guess you are pretty normal after all! Hugs-Diana

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  35. I can not relax in a messy house which pretty much says it all dontchya think?

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  36. It is hard for me to relax at home. I suspect that it is because I am confronted with things that need to be done and I find it hard to sit down and do nothing. I love to read, but rarely do it. It's crazy, but I always find some drawer to organize or files to straighten or something that needs attention. You get the idea. Busy people tend to stay busy, no matter what!

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  37. sit my buns on the couch with coffee until noon and then hideout and hope no one knows I'm home alone..hehe or just maybe meet up for lunch with a friend or 2.
    Before the economy bit the dust I would be meandering through shops and sipping a skinny vanilla latte.
    (~~)
    J

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  38. I had an afternoon like that today. I went out to lunch with my husband, did a load of laundry, cleaned house and rearranged the living room furniture. I even moved the large area rug in the living room so it covers the 1/4 inch of pad that was showing on one side (that's been bothering me for months) and cleaned every nook and cranny that's been hidden by furniture. I figure at this rate I should have every room cleaned by next Thursday when company comes for dinner.

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  39. I like to go check out some of my favorite shops and out to lunch or coffee. Sometimes, I have to admit, I spend the day doing absolutely nothing except watching Lifetime or HGTV. I used to have special days like that and I called them "Lifetime Sundays" :) LOL
    Amy

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  40. Dear Jamye, Sometimes I'm a little lost when faced with a day of my own. I'm by nature a caretaker and it takes me a while to change directions. It might be that I do what I love everyday, and consider a day off, a day without...if that makes any sense! Do you think that could be your problem too, or do I need professional help?;-)

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  41. A big mug of coffee first...then I will usually pick a room and give it a deep cleaning just so I won't feel guilty for spending the afternoon in my sewing room...I need me a day like that soon! Hope you feel better.

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  42. Wow, we are all so different. A day off to means just that, so no cleaning or anything in my wife job description. All the stuff I love, reading, crocheting, going thru cookbooks or mags. Good movie or show. Maybe a hot bath, friend on the phone. Nothing that is really functional. But your off is never really off. So take it easy alittle more often, and remember to learn to say NO more often. Love you, Me

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  43. hi jayme!

    whenever i have a day like you were having, i always intend to make it a fun day and do all sorts of fun things. and then i think i need to do some cleaning or other un-fun things! so i do and then before i know it, my day to do fun things is over and i haven't spent any time doing anything fun! i will say that i usually do lounge around in the morning for awhile in my pajamas while i drink my coffee, eat some breakfast, and do some reading! i am soo task-oriented it's ridiculous! i need to enjoy those fun days when they come along because they don't come along very often! happy day!

    love ya,

    peggy

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  44. I'd try to schedule something special that took me away- lunch w/a friend or maybe a solitary library trip or Pannera... Otherwise these moments just get used up the same as always... I'm ADHD and move around the farm constantly tidying n putzing. I used to say that snow days were my down time and I'd read but too much still needs doing lately... Enjoy your time anyway you want! (And normal is over-rated.)

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  45. Oh I totally wipe down the fronts of the kitchen cabinets, go through kids clothes and weed out stuff that doesn't fit, go into the attic and just look around, wipe dirty fingerprints off of the light switches and then spray the shower down with X-14.

    I guess I'll relax when I die :)

    Oh, and I tried your pie crust. And from one pie crust lover to another, your ingredients were shocking and the outcome was glorious. You made a believer outta me!

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  46. for me, i like to get up early and spend as much time as i can outside. i love to work on a project or start a project outside. hanging out with the animals and being outside the 4 walls does my soul good!

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  47. Just like you -- I love to clean and organize my house. I am so happy and content to look around and see cleanliness and order. Sick, I know...

    Oh, yeah! I also bake something yummy. I am a nester through and through...

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  48. Same as you are or will be doing. I always get made fun of because I am cleaning or organizing around the house.

    But not anymore "My name is Lisa and I like/have to clean and organize, it is what I do."

    Still giggling over the fluffy butt picture :)

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  49. I get as much done (house-wise) as I can cram into the a.m. so that I can spend the afternoon cooking and/or baking. Love days like those! Becki

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  50. Sit in the porch swing, gazing at all the beauty around me. Taking walks, enjoying the dogs and woods.
    Doing nothing but looking and petting/praising the dogs. Communing with nature. B.

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  51. In my past life (read "before Dylan") I would've spent the day shopping, eating, wandering aimlessly. These days, however my first thought is more like "oooohhh I'm gonna nibble on his cheeks, and blow raspberries on his belly, and see how many times I can get that boy to giggle." Did I tell you he's walking? WALKING Jaym! Where is my baby going?! And so fast?! (once he goes down for a nap I run around like a lunatic, of course, trying to get the house clean. On a really good day I can even get a shower in!)

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  52. If I was not sick with a cold...I would go thrifting in my small town, volunteer at the Church thrift store and take my five dogs for a walk after getting my caffeine fix with Jamaican coffee from the local bakery. I would love to get into bed and read but with day light out there I SHOULD ride by bike to the beach and back.
    I live in Florida but miss the cooler temps. I love all things Chicken, too. I keep finding some vintage chicken things at thrift stores, too! Love it!

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment!