I certainly didn't mean to disappear all week. But with two field trips, dentist and doctor appointments, the threat of jury duty, and all the other usual business, I somehow never found an opportunity to transfer any posts from my head to my computer.
We have new neighbors. Very nice lady with a boy the same age as Aidan. She came over twice this week - chasing her dog through my house one day, and bringing me hand-me-down clothes the next.
When someone new visits my house, I suddenly see my house as if for the first time. This is a pleasant experience if I'm prepared to receive visitors, but quite unsettling if the new visitor catches me unaware.
Such was the case this week. A sink full of dishes, baskets of laundry, stacks of library books, a worm bin in the living room, and piles of river rocks on the windowsill, kitchen counter and dining table. And then there was the bench and camera on a tripod in the middle of the family room.
Those of you that follow this blog and/or my Flickr photostream know that there are perfectly logical (and, I believe, creative) reasons for most of the messes in my house, yet my new friends and neighbors know none of this. I'm sometimes tempted to tell people about my blog when I first meet them. If they could just read my posts and look at my pictures, they'd know more of the real me - my passions and interests, my musings and concerns, my view of the world around me.
Here on my blog, I'm the me I want to be, not just the crazy lady next door with a messy house.
Or perhaps I am just the crazy lady next door who prefers to take pictures of dinner rather than cleaning the kitchen, who stands on the furniture to take self portraits, checks out way too many books from the library, and crochets cozies for rocks. Yeah, maybe that is the real me.
By the way, the broccoli leaves were delicious. I'm just glad I found this bug cocoon before I ate the leaves.
Our homes are lived in, not museums. My stepdaughter's boyfriend calls our house 'dirty'. *shrugs* Yes, I have a dust bunny collection. They live happily enough in the corner and disturb no one. I wonder if Who's live in those little collections?
ReplyDeleteYay Molly! Here's to the crazy lady next door. I wish it was my next door, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the way you put into words how our little blog world makes us feel about our selves and our lives.
I might say: it makes us be the person (crazy lady or not) we want to be.
Keep up the good work!
I adore "real" people. When I see someone's messy living room, I know we can be friends. It tells me that they're living their life authentically. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteha! too funny. and that is one tasty lookin chicken... do you have a good recipe? I'm intimidated by large pieces of poultry.... :)
ReplyDelete"Here on my blog, I'm the me I want to be, not just the crazy lady next door with a messy house."Hahahaha!! I nearly spit out my coffee - you're the best! When you go to the store, do random strangers pick threads off of you, too? They seem to come with me everywhere <3
ReplyDeleteLove your new shroom header and I love you! You could live next to me any day. In fact we could be crazy together!
ReplyDeleteyou know, it's funny, but I find it incredibly unsettling when I meet someone who reads my blog! I think most of the people who know me aren't surprised by the odd things they might find in my house. . . the husband and I are "know" for being a little creatively off-kilter.
ReplyDeleteI find an immaculate home a little disturbing. Don't those people know how to spend their free time? Is the only memory their children have of them is with a dustcloth and mop going from chore to chore?
ReplyDeleteI'll take crazy lady any day; I find it cuts down on drop-in traffic. But you'd be welcome here any day! Just move that stuff a little to the left and make yourself at home.
well, this just confirms that we should be neighbors. my house is always messy, too. so i'd never balk at your mess either. embrace the messy houses!!
ReplyDeletei am having a bad mental week. it's one of those weeks where i feel overwhelmed by everything and feel like i haven't had a moment to myself in 2.5 years and no one understands (at least no one in my zip code). so i have to thank you for "Or perhaps I am just the crazy lady next door who prefers to take pictures of dinner rather than cleaning the kitchen, who stands on the furniture to take self portraits, checks out way too many books from the library, and crochets cozies for rocks. Yeah, maybe that is the real me."
ReplyDeletei laughed because i so completely get it and those words could be coming out of my mouth. then i cried (like i said, bad mental week) because sometimes i forget i'm not the only one like that or that has weeks like the one i'm having.
thank you, friend. you can come to messy house any day!
I JUST told my husband last night, only the people who read my blog really know me.
ReplyDeleteI know that is kinda sad in a way. It's just that the blogosphere is such a nice place to share my real self.
I try to remind myself about priorities. When my kids are my age I hope they fondly remember messy art projects, games, books, and all the other projects and things we have scattered about. I hope they remember spending time together and having lots of fun. I would much rather them have those memories than memories of a really clean sterile environment!
ReplyDeleteoh, i totally get you on the blogging....I write a zillion a day..in my head!
Sounds like my life. I love your blog. It's one of my favorites. Reading your blog inspires me in my blog . . . .thank you for being real in a world full of the unreal!
ReplyDeletei love the picture of your messy house! i'm always looking around mine thinking, i should put a picture of THIS on my blog! maybe i will now...
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you have a messy house.
ReplyDeleteThank YOU you have a messy house.
It makes me feel amazing to be in such good company.
BTW, that bench picture is spectacular. I would frame it for my wall (if my legs were that good!)
What's wrong with being a crazy lady with a messy house? I think I need to put that on some sort of sign and hang it on my front door! Hmmm, maybe that's a little too crazy, eh?
ReplyDeleteMolly,
ReplyDeleteI feel like I know you or that you are a sister that I haven't met yet. YOur post today and the comments that follow completely made my day.I didn't "spit out" my coke...came close...my eyes welled up to be so understood. I would much rather spend time being with my kids then cleaning, so that is what we do. I cringe when people drop by unexpectedly and see the chaos inside...puzzles, books, books and more books, projects, dishes, school stuff, and craft stuff everywhere you name it. My mom always told me that kids don't remember a messy house, they remember the time you spent with them and the love that you give them. That is my mantra. Thank you for today' blog from the heart and for your inspiring ideas/photos. You are welcome to this crazy lady's home anytime. Sherry
A post proving why you are the. best. blogger. ever.
ReplyDeleteDamn I love you.
Did you save the cocoon?! (and you think you're crazy!) Glad you found some time to post.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather live in your house than a sterile show-house. (Love your carpet, too!).
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a crazy messy house - 8 creative kids and a mother who encouraged it (while she grew vegetables and baked bread). My tidy-house cousins and neighbours all grew up to wonder why my family were so artistic and creative.... I don't think it's rocket-science, do you?
I'm sure they realize they're in the presence of an artist.
ReplyDeletePlus, they're less intimidated to have you over to THEIR houses!
HA!
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, I love the real you. It's a comfortable place to be (w/ you and in your home :)
UGH on the bug!
ReplyDeleteYou could be my neighbor any time!
Well, I think you've just described me as well. I'm often taking pictures when I should be cleaning, thumbing through books when I should be doing laundry, or catching up with my flickr contacts when I should be planning dinner! Only one or two friends know about my blog and I'm O.K. with that.
ReplyDeletesee, now, if *i* saw that house, i’d feel right at home. :^)
ReplyDeleteWhat an articulate post. This is exactly how I feel. Thanks for normalizing my clutter.
ReplyDeletethanks for keeping it real.
ReplyDeleteglad to know the hurricane is not only my own home.
i wonder what the women thought who walked past me photographing a wagon full of plants on the town sidewalk today in the rain before i put them in the car.
i am sure it wasn't "oh she must have a blog"
Your house and my house are long lost twins. Perhaps they were separated at birth. You're welcome at my messy crazy house anytime ... you'll get it. :o)
ReplyDeleteHey - you know what - I was struck by lots of things in your home and messiness was not one of them. Thank you crazy lady for welcoming us into your home. If your new neighbor came back again she wasn't scared off. She may have found a place she'd like to be. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy May to you guys.
I am totally the crazy lady next door...I feel like I need to apologize to my neighbors for taking compulsive pictures outside at 6 Am to get the perfect sunrise.
ReplyDeleteThe lovely chaos of creativity. Love your bench photo! Scrabble and red shoes? Can't go wrong.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your acorn necklace! I like your bench monday pic too. I just joined the group, so I'll do my first bench picture today.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes feel that way too, like I'm the me I want to be on the blog, but at the same time, yeah, our homes are where we live. Live. So there is life that gets all over. I've got stuff all over the dining room table all the time because I pretty much set up office there instead of the actual office, and the guest room bed is covered with like, 4 layers of sewing projects... and the tripod is always in the middle of the room.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found that cocoon too! ick, I wouldn't want to eat that, protein or no.
super cute bench shot. I'll have to enlarge to make out the scrabble plays. and yes ... we get it.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that your neighbor was reassured by the state of your house. Don't we all feel a little better by seeing that others lives/houses are just as chaotic as our own?
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you but it is the really clean houses I worry about :o)
ReplyDeleteI wish you lived next door to me :o) Now that would be fun!
I have two ladies who met me through my blog or got to know me through my blog and were suprised I was a "messy"...now that they know me better they know that my mess is usually after I have "created" something...It's always a suprise to me the mess creativity makes...go figure!
your neighbor will see the real you soon enough :o)
~simply~
you're teaching me to be more of the 'blog me' in real life. thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteAmen for "real people". My whole family is probably considered freaks to the neighnbors. That's all right we are all normal here.
ReplyDelete