Presenting: The A-B-C's of Homemaking - Carrie Style

Aprons- Y/N? Jerry and the boys bought me one last year for christmas. i love it! it's got pretty blue ribbon and white fur on the edges.

Baking- Favorite thing to bake? Paula Deen's gooey butter cake. I've made it in several different flavors, but i think jerry's favorite has been the elvis one (peanut butter and banana.)

Clothesline- Y/N? Nope. our backyard is a wreck enough without our laundry hanging out there. plus i'm sure the dogs would have a field day tearing it all down.

Donuts- Ever made them? when i was a kid, every time we spent the night at our friend nicole's house, we would make donuts by poking a hole in raw biscuits and deep frying them, then covering in powdered sugar. very oily and sugary and oh-so-good. i should try it again sometime, now that we have a fry-daddy.

Everyday- One homemaking thing you do everyday? go to kroger. for diapers, ground beef, tortillas, it's always something.

Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freezer? No, but we do have a second freezer in the garage - just a normal one, not a deep freezer. it is home to a turkey (that i got free at thanksgiving, and didn't need to make) and about 7 frozen pizzas.

Garbage Disposal- Y/N? of Course!

Handbook- Y/N? heck no. the way i see it, making your home run is purely trial and error and what works best that day. ok, maybe more error than trial, but what the hell.

Ironing- Love it or hate it? hate it. hate. you know what else i hate? i hate the sound the ironing board makes when you open or close it. like a screaming banshee. you would think that someone would patent a silent one that doesn't wake up the babies in the morning when you're trying to iron something you just pulled out of the dryer for work and you're already running late and are hoping everyone will just stay asleep for a few more minutes so you can get your stuff together before it's time to get the bottle ready and change the diapers, and....oh, sorry. i digress.

Junk Drawer- Where is it? heh heh. kind of embarrassing. we have four junk drawers in the kitchen, and one junk cabinet. the junk, it just spreads and infiltrates! it's unstoppable!

Kitchen- Design and decorating? i painted it a cheery, bright yellow, with plans of putting a burgandy/orange border up too. it's pretty good size, with a butcher block island that we put in the middle. just got an advantium oven too - the piece de resistance.

Love- What is your favorite part of homemaking? i love to cook. i wish i had a magic wand to clean up the mess i make when i do it, but i love cooking, baking, and how appreciative my family is of good food.

Mop- Y/N? i have a mop, and i use it on occasion. i sweep about every other day.

Nylons- Wash by hand or in the washer? I wash them in the washer. like i have time to hand wash them and dry them over the bath tub or something. we have a delicate/handwash cycle for that.

Oven- Do you use the window or open it to check? i try to see thru the window, and i fuss at the boys if they open the oven, but i always end up opening to check for doneness too.

Pizza- What do you put on yours? i like all the meats. and occasionally i'm up for canadian bacon and pineapple. but no veggies on my pizza please, except for mushrooms are cool with me.

Quiet- What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? read, sleep, or fold laundry.

Recipe card box- Y/N? i have one, but i rarely use it. i pretty much make stuff up as i go along, or go from memory for the old standards like meatloaf/spaghetti sauce/chicken pot pie. i have several cook books that i scan for new ideas, then i usually end up tailoring those to whatever ingredients i have in the frig.

Style of house- it's a 1 1/2 story i guess. enters to a big living room with high ceiling, with a catwalk across on the second floor. 4 bedrooms up, master down.

Tablecloths and napkins- Y/N? i use placemats and paper towels for napkins. fancy, i know. tablecloth is for special occasions.

Under the kitchen sink- was a total disaster, with tons of cleaning supplies stuffed in every which way. until saturday, when our little cub scout cleaned it out and organized it for a project. now i've got dish stuff on one side, insect spray and cleaners in the middle, and hand soap and dog stuff on the other side. very neat.

Vacuum- How many times a week? our sitter vacuums about every other day. i do it maybe once a week. i know, i'm spoiled.

Wash- How many loads do you do a week? i always tell myself i'm going to do wash during the week, but i'm always so tired when i get home and it's the last thing i want to do, especially after cooking and cleaning up after dinner. so i end up doing 5 or 6 loads between saturday and sunday, and i'm lucky if it all gets put away before monday morning.

X's- Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? no. probably a good idea to. i do make a grocery list though!

Yard- Who does what? we have yard guys who mow, edge, and weedeat. they also tear up our fence and let our dogs out, but hey, what do you expect for $25 a pop!? i'd be happier doing it ourselves, but the decision has been made....

ZZZ's- What is your last homemaking task for the day? make sure the kitchen is clean/dishes out of the sink. clear a path in the living room for aidan when he gets out of bed and comes to our room in the middle of the night.

ta da!! i'm so unorganized, i don't know how it all gets done. oh, yeah - because it doesn't all get done!!

i tag kelli and ksl for this one!