Where is All Your Stuff?

You guys, I've been having a real complex lately. I cleaned my room and bathroom last weekend, like really cleaned it, and it took me all day. All day for one bedroom and one bathroom. I had to empty my vacuum canister about 4 times just for the tiny amount of floor space in my room. It really got me to thinking, am I the only one who has to work this hard at keeping my house clean?? Am I the only one whose house gets this dirty?? I have some friends whose houses are always perfect; not a hair ball to be found on the floor, not a dish in the sink...meanwhile, any time anyone says they're coming over, it's literally a mad scramble to get my house into decent shape. Presentable shape. Enough shape that friends or family won't leave being like dang, Rissa needs an intervention.

Guys, am I the only one with this problem?? Why is it a constant battle to keep my house in order? I like to blame it on the two labs that live with me that perpetually shed and drag in dirt and grass from the backyard into the house.

I sometimes (read: most of the time) blame it on the husband who lives with me who has so much stuff it spills into every single room of our house. I sometimes take the blame myself because I'm a procrastinator by nature so dishes sit in the sink because "I'll get to them later," or ten loads of clean laundry pile up because "I'll fold them later."

My favorite is to blame it on my small house and that I just don't have room for everything (cause it definitely couldn't be that we just have too much stuff).

I usually do most house cleaning on the weekends but, who really wants to house clean on the weekends?? I want to do fun things on the weekends! Kayaking! Fishing! Swimming in the lake! Drinking lots of wine!

Not dusting or vacuuming, that's for sure. I could spend more time spot cleaning during the week, but who wants to house clean after a long day at work and all you really want to do is take off your bra, sit on the couch and watch a baseball game??

I constantly find myself asking questions when I'm house cleaning like, "Whyyyy am I literally vacuuming my walls?? Am I the only one who has to vacuum my walls? Is this normal? Why are my walls so dusty??" "Can I just leave my dogs outside for like, 2 hours so I can enjoy a clean house for two hours?" "Where am I supposed to put all this stuff?" "Does it take anyone else this long to scrub their bathtub?"

Nate constantly reminds me, "Rissa, we don't live in a showroom." "We actually live here." We have stuff. We use our stuff." And it's true. And I forget that sometimes in my elusive quest for an organized, clean house free of clutter. Pretty, picture perfect kitchens and living rooms and bedrooms on Pinterest just aren't a reality for me and I think I've (reluctantly) come to grips with that. Some nights I'm brushing actual dirt off my sheets because the dogs tracked it in the house and up onto the bed. But you know what? I love snuggling with my dogs. I love having them on the bed and falling asleep with them resting their head on my stomach. So if that means there's dirt on my bed sometimes then hell, that's what it's going to be I suppose.

And if that means my house is going to be less than spotless because I want to have fun on the weekends and relax on the weeknights, then I think I'm ok with that.

...but ask me again after I've binge watched HGTV for an entire afternoon. I've never seen any of those people vacuum their walls...

Labor Day Weekend

I dunno about anyone else but I was looking forward to this three day weekend for a long long time. For some reason the work weeks just really drag lately and it's like pulling teeth in order to make myself be productive. So needless to say, Labor Day weekend has been circled on the calendar for a while now. And I made sure to make it a good one.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and I went bird hunting with Nate and my father-in-law.

Oh and Maycee. She's as much of a hunter as the rest of us. 

Better than me, actually. Way better. I use the term "hunter" loosely when I refer to myself - I'm less of an actual hunter and more of just like, a try-er. Me trying:

I'm not good and I rarely know what I'm doing but I try, dang it. In fact, I shot my first bird out of the air this weekend and I was so excited and so surprised that I actually hit it that Nate laughed at me when he saw my face and was like, "why do you look so surprised??" And I was like, "cause I didn't think I'd actually hit it!!"

RIP little birdies, you won the war but I won the battle. Or however you say that. Or maybe that's not applicable here I dunno. Anyway, it was a good morning and we all ended up doing pretty dang good.

Especially Maycee...

She's like, all you guys do is shoot the dang things out of the sky but I run and get them for you. Who's doing the real work here eh?? I mean she's right but...

Then I came home, took a shower, took a nap, and watched college football for the rest of my Saturday. If bird hunting, naps, and college football is wrong then I don't wanna be right.

Sunday (which always feels like a Saturday, version 2.0 on a three day weekend) we got up bright and early (again) to head up north for some fishing and kayaking. We knew it was going to be a zoo for the holiday weekend so we needed to leave early to get on the lake before everyone else...and also to get a good parking spot because really, who wants to park far and have to carry three kayaks down a hill with all the rest of your gear. Not me. We took my friend Sarah who got her first taste of fishing and 'yaking and although she was probs disapointed with the fishing (we caught NOTHING), we had fun 'yaking.

The cool thing about kayaks and being on the water is the ability to get away from everyone else. So while it was a madhouse near the dock and on the shore, it wasn't bad once we got further out. In fact, we paddled all the way until the lake ended and it was nice and quiet and peaceful.

It was nice and quiet and peaceful and pretty, but the truth is we just needed to find a spot without anyone around because it was time for a potty break. So we found the end of the lake, parked it, and used nature's restroom. Gotta do whatchya gotta do on a holiday weekend and there's people errrywhere. 

Monday was spent sleeping in (finally) and cleaning up around the house. And now it's way passed my bedtime and I'm probably gonna wake up tired to start the week out...but let's be honest, when do I not wake up tired for a new week?

Happy Monday Tuesday friends!