I spent a substantial portion of yesterday afternoon watching a combination of HGTV and Food Network, and for reasons completely unknown to me, looking at all those different houses and kitchens made me think about the way I do certain things in my house. You know, things like how I slice an onion or how I stack my dishes or how I fold my fitted sheets or how I don’t wash my windows, well, EVER.
Never underestimate the power of home- and/or cooking-related television programming to inspire a serious bout of housekeeping inferiority, my friends. Beats anything I’ve ever seen.
And honestly, I don’t really feel that inferior. But I do think that I may do a few household-related things in a way that’s more complicated than necessary OR that’s just flat-out different from the norm.
So, as part of a deeply informal and completely unscientific surveying process, I have a few random questions for you, the people of the interweb.
1) How many days a week are you completely caught up on laundry?
2) When you load your dishwasher, do you load the silverware basket with handles down or handles up?
3) FINALLY – can you make up recipes off the top of your head? Or do you have to follow a recipe somebody else has written?
Clearly THE FATE OF THE FREE WORLD hinges on your answers.
So, you know, NO PRESSURE.
My crazy and I will be anxiously awaiting your responses.
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1. 0-I can do multiple loads of laundry every stinkin’ day but somehow I never get it all done.
2. Both-Spoons and knives go handle up-forks go handle down.
3. I try to make recipes on the fly and most times I succeed. It’s not Food Network worthy though if that’s what you’re looking for!
Since you want to know.
1.I have a laundry schedule
Monday – kids clothes and towels
Wednesday – adult clothes and towels
Friday – sheets and towels
So, no I’m never caught up, but I don’t care
2. Knife – up, Spoons and Forks – down
3. Do not make recipes up. That is what cookbooks are for.
1: I am never, ever caught up on laundry even though I usually do 1 load a day!
2: I put knife handles up and spoon & fork handles down. Easier to grab.
3: I absolutely have to follow a recipe! My husband laughs at me b/c he can just pick things out of our pantry and make a gourmet meal out of them. Can you tell who does most of the cooking at our house?
1. I am usually caught up on laundry (sort of) twice a week – on Mondays and Fridays, I do the laundry until it is done. I say sort of because I put the shirts/jeans/shorts/unmentionables/pajamas on drying racks that don’t get folded until the next laundry day.
2. Knives down, forks up, soup spoons up, little spoons down. Well, once each compartment has a little spoon down, then they go up.
3. I take written recipes and tweak them to the way I would like, or I make something up on the fly. The only recipe I follow exactly is for cheesecake.
Don’t feel crazy – I think there are plenty of us who have to do things in a very specific way!
1) Um – zero. I have a six month old with reflux. Thus, he goes through about 4 outfits a day. Baby laundry is NEVER done.
2) Handles down.
3) Definitely have to follow a recipe. If I am feeling crazy, I might eyeball a measurement or two.
1. Ha! This almost never happens. Except for last week when I was leaving town for 3 days and I was in a mad rush to get it all done the night before. So 3 days last week laundry was caught up, only because I wasn’t home.
2. However I chunk them in the basket. I do put knives handle up only because I don’t want to loose a finger.
3. Hubs is the cook of the house. He can whip up an amazing dish on the fly. Me – You better give me a receipe and let me read ALL of it multiple times so I don’t miss an important step.
1. I was caught up with my laundry for 15 minutes in 1998.
2. All the handles are up.
3. Follow a recipe, but will tweak if I don’t have the exact ingredients.
Can’t wait to hear what you do!
1. Every now and then, all three of the laundry baskets are empty and I usually pause, call the family in and do one of those operatic “AAAAHHHH” (like angels singing), and then one of my kids empties out their car (which apparently doubles as a clothes hamper because they are super heroes and change in the car?) and the baskets are no longer empty. So, well, no.
2. Handles up.
3. Start with a recipe, then improvise. I like having a general guideline for proportions. My husband, however, is an excellent whipper-upper.
1. Never. I have 4 active kids. I do laundry in my sleep and am still not caught up.
2. I throw some in handles up and some down. That way they can’t nestle together and keep food chunks on them.
3. Umm, allrecipes.com?
1. Haha, this question makes me laugh. NEVER!
2. Usually handles up
3. I almost always follow a recipe…but I am pretty good at picking good recipes!
1 – Since I am a single mom with one 14 year old son, who does his own laundry, I am always caught up!
2 – Handles up, always! Who wants to grab a fork or spoon by the part that goes in your mouth! Or in my case, I don’t want my son grabbing it there and then I have to eat with it. I don’t know where his hands have been!! =]
3 – I usually make things up as I go. I do have some great recipes that I use, but more often than not, I am just “trying things out”. My son asks, why can’t we ever have a “normal” meal… haha.
1. I stay mostly caught up, but there is NEVER a time when every single article of clothing is clean.
2. My dishwasher broke a little over a year ago. I know.
3. I make tacos–that’s about it.
1. Um, never. With a toddler who is potty training, a newborn, and no dryer, it is nigh impossible to get completely caught up. And even if all the clothes get done, there’s still sheets, blankets, rugs, comforters… it’s madness, I tell you! Madness!
2. Handles down… because my mom says so. :)
3. I cannot make things up out of thin air, but rarely do I follow recipe to the “T”. I usually tweak it to suit my taste. I wish I could say this always works out…
1) I don’t think one is ever caught up. My life became easier though when I taught my children how to do their own laundry (When they were in high school). They live at home while attending college to save money, so now we make appointments with the washer.
2) Knife handles up, forks and spoons down
3) It’s about 50/50. Sometimes this doesn’t bode well for repeating a soup or stew that we like though.
1) I try to do a little bit each day and there may be, on a good week, one day where I am caught up for about 4 hours, haha! But then it is back to the never ending laundry battle. I have a 5 year old son and am due with a baby girl in 2 weeks, so I know my laundry is about to get completely out of control!
2) Handles down – not sure why though, habit I guess???
3) Even if I know a recipe pretty well, I still have to check the recipe to make sure I am doing it right. I don’t trust myself to make most things with out a recipe. There are a very few things I make without one!
1. Nevereverever. When we sold our house last summer, we left the Duets for the new owners. The last thing I took out of that house (on the way to closing) was the load of laundry out of the dryer. May have even moved a load or two of dirty stuff. (I know, yuck!)
2. Handles down, except for paring knives and demitasse spoons.
3. If you count adding sour cream and french fried onions to Hamburger Helper, I can make up a mean recipe. Other than that, not so much.
1- NEVER!
2- IF I had a dishwasher (which I don’t, ugh!) I would load handles up.
3- Half and half… sometimes I just fly by the seat of my pants and other times I MUST. FOLLOW. EVERY. INSTRUCTION. PERFECTLY. Go figure. :)
1. I do between 10 and 15 loads a week (depending on bed wetting, sick kids, etc.), so at least a load or two a day. Right now our washer is broken, so I’m lugging it to my mom’s twice a week. Yesterday I did 7 loads and pulled a back muscle getting it all inside. Already today there are clothes in the basket to be washed. Never caught up.
2. Handles down, our dishwasher doesn’t shoot the water well enough to clean the important part if it’s hiding in the basket.
3. Usually a recipe but will make a concoction if I have random leftovers to use. Not my proudest meals, but edible.
Well, I certainly hope there is a follow-up post to explain. I am intrigued by the randomness of these questions.
1. I have a laundry schedule, so I’m never caught up, but I’m never behind either.
Mon – sheets; Tues – Lights; Wed – Darks; Thurs – Whites; Fri – Towels.
2. I used to put all silverware in with handles up, because I’m OCD like that, but then some of them would get nestled together and not get clean so I mix it up now.
3. Some of both. I usually have a recipe as a “jumping off” point, but I rarely follow it exactly.
1 – never. 7 people in our family.
2 – handles up. that way when you put the clean silverware away you don’t have to handle the part that actually goes in your mouth.
3 – 50/50
1) almost always. But there are only two of us now. That makes a world of difference.
2) when I had a dishwasher, it was handle part down. And I always separated knives from forks from big spoons from little spoons…made it easier to put away when they were done. I’m a little OCD that way. (I also hang my socks on the line in pairs and fold them together before I take them off the line.)
3) after 30 years of cooking for my family I am finally comfortable making some dishes from memory but still prefer to use a recipe if there are more than four ingredients. I’m an adequate cook, not a great one so I don’t feel empowered to start throwing things together willy-nilly — and what the heck is a “pinch” of something anyway?!?
1-I haven’t been caught up on laundry in at least a decade.
2-I don’t have a dishwasher. Sad. I know.
3-I have to use a recipe. I’ve attempted to make things up and it NEVER turns out well.
1) Laundry is an ongoing event in our home, although we try and give it a go most Mondays. Um, interestingly, I think the last day I had everything done was exactly 4 years ago and done by my daughter.
2) handles up for everything…what is there a better way?
3) We can and do all the time. I say ‘we’ because my man is the champ at creating delicious on the fly. Unfortunatly, replicating these recipes becomes a problem because there was no actual measurements and such.
I’m a little OCD about Laundry, so I am usually caught up. This also means I do laundry all the blessed time.
Handles up. My preschoolers load the dishwasher and if the fork tines were up they might get poked.
3. Baking never. Supper, a fair bit. My hubby’s fave’s all seem to be things that I’ve sorta dreamt up.
1. One day a week (Thursday).
2. Forks and spoons up; knives down.
3. Yes. Making up recipes is a hobby of mine, but I also love to try recipes from other folks and cookbooks.
1. when the moon is in the seventh hour, and Jupiter aligns with Mars……then everything is clean…:)
2. whichever way it ends up in there..not too ocd about that.
3. I make up stuff all the time….but I use recipes, too maybe 1/2 the time?
Yep, I’m wondering about why these particular questions?????
Suzanne
1. If “caught up” with laundry means-it is clean…yet still in the baskets needing folding…then, heck, I’m caught up today!
2. ALL stabbing utensils POINTED DOWN.
3. I CLOSELY follow directions:
place “This side up” and microwave on high for 3-5 min. – stir and microwave 3-5 more.
Kelly S. in Michigan ( I heart you)
1. It’s just me,,,,,I do 2 smallish loads a week
2. Knife handles up, spoon & fork handles down to minimize nesting and water spots. The rule is – wash hands WELL before unloading the DW!
3. Recipes are merely a suggestion,,,,,you know, a jumping off point
BTW – My friend, Michelle, met you at a Beth Moore ‘thing’ in Pittsburgh and confirmed that you are truly delightful. I’m so jealous, I want to meet you and Melanie and P-Dub! and Beth!! I just know we would all be BFF
1. if totally caught up on laundry means, all washed-all folded-all ironed-all put away….never. I have 4 kids…say no more!
2. handles down
3. make up my own and use recipes
if you ask the ‘silverware question’ you will now have to ask the ‘which direction do you put the toilet paper’ *grin*
1.)Caught up on laundry? I’m not sure I would know what that would look like – ever. The number of days I was caught up on laundry would be a negative number.
2.)Handles up. I don’t know why, but my husband is a dishwasher control freak, it’s better just to humor him.
3.)Sometimes I can make up recipes. Sometimes they are edible, too.
1. Usually caught up every Sunday evening, but not this week, my dryer was broken for 3 weeks and it will take me at least a week to get everything done.
2. Before I moved in with Sheldon I did only sharp things pointed down, but he demanded that everything point down…don’t tell my mama!
3. I throw stuff together ALL the time and most of the time it turns out pretty yummy!
1.) Does caught up on laundry mean everything folded and put away? Then just 1 or 2 days a week. Just having clean clothes? then everyday. Ironing, that only happens if I’m working on a sewing project.
2.) Sharp knives- handles up, everything else handles down.
3.) I follow someone else’s recipe a couple times and then I ‘tweek’ (name that movie) it to fit our family.
1. No! I’m never completely done with laundry. My theory is that unless you do laundry naked, your family is wearing a complete load of laundry, so you’re never done.
2. Always, with the handle down. But, after reading some of the other posts, I’m beginning to question my thought process. However, I never touch the “eating” part of the utensil when putting them away and I’ve trained my girls accordingly.
3. I’m totally a “throw things together” kind of girl. I seldom follow a recipe and if I do it’s just for guidance or inspiration. But, I should mention that I don’t bake. I would be more exact if I baked.
Fun questions!
1) Six or so. My husband and I don’t go through much laundry.
2) Handles down except for knives.
3) RECIPES!!
First time here………..LOVING your blog design. LOVING it.
I’m never caught up on laundry. I do 2 loads a day, and there is always something dirty. (I have 5 kids)
I always load with the handle down, except for sharp knives.
Most of my cooking is done off the top of my head. I need recipes for baking every time though.
1. Never fully caught up; always clean clothes to put away. Now that softball/baseball season is over I might actually get a little caught up. Wishful thinking.
2. Silverware with handle up. My hubs normally does the dishwasher; he’s very anal with this task.
3. I can not make up a recipe-great at following recipes though. Only thing I can throw together is chicken salad; not always successfully.
Don’t let those TV shows get to you. They have ” people ” to help them out!!
1) Only on the day I do it. My children think our house is a laundry mat and I am the laundress!
2) Handles down, otherwise you might cut yourself!
3) Follow someone elses. My mother says it is because I never took home-ec…am currently in love with Pioneer Woman. Had the Hot Artichoke Dip last night and it was FABULOUS!
1. Laundry is usually under control in my house, but it’s just me and my husband right now. And he’s a fabulous husband who helps with laundry.
2. Handles down except for sharp knives because my dishwasher is sucky and won’t get them otherwise.
3. Recipes. I’m pretty horrible at throwing things together unless it’s something like guacamole or mashed potatoes.
1. I get caught up on laundry on average 1 day a week. It’s hard when your husband is in construction and always has dirty clothes.
2. Knives & Forks handles down to prevent food spots & bent prongs, spoons handles up. But the really sharp knives are hand wash only, so there is not a chance of getting cut when unloading them.
3. I use recipes 97% of the time. I am not creative enough without them!
1. NEVER! Just when the last load is running through the dryer, one of my beloved children will suddenly “find” another arm-full of dirty clothes that have been retrieved from the depths…sigh…
2. We do both up and down. I read somewhere that it helps the spoons and such not to “nest” into each other and it gets them cleaner.
3. I get ideas from cooking shows, cook books, friends, and restaurants, but I mostly wing it in the kitchen. I am mostly successful, but we’re not picky eaters either!
I’m generally always caught up on laundry. I do it a few times a week and hang it on the lines (either outside or in the basement.) It forces me to have laundry discipline since i realized that ditching the dryer saves us $30.00 a month.
The silverware lands in the basket in whichever way that it does, but Martha Steward would specifically tell you tines up, I believe. She had a distinct passion for tines in a certain direction. I swear that they were up.
Recipes? Heck. I can’t remember what you asked. Hold on . . . oh yeah. I do both. If it is a written recipe, I generally change it a little in some way to make it my own. A bazillion years ago, you had a call out for recipes. I sent a Sweet Kielbasa Chili recipe to you. That was my very own. :) Oh here is one now.
http://baileysleaf.blogspot.com/2008/11/chicken-corn-chowder-licious.html
Ask and ye shall receive.
1. I’m caught up on laundry approximately once a month or so. (Laundry is my worst subject and I usually leave the last load of “being done” in the dryer for days.)
2. Silverware basket handles down, but sharp knives points down. Leaned that trick after stabbing myself with a steak knife that was point up in the basket. Point the knives down, people!
3. I cobble stuff together based on recipes I know. For example, we had beef tips and gravy yesterday. The gravy didn’t look right so I added stuff that sounded right until it looked right.
1. That would be a triple zero. In fact, if the question was how many days a YEAR? It would still be zero. This side of an enormous bonfire, I don’t know how that feat could ever be accomplished. Ack.
2. Handles up. For everything.
3. For the most part, I need a recipe. And I like to follow it to the letter whenever possible, and especially the first time I make it. I will sometimes play around with recipes or try to recreate something I’ve had somewhere. Occasionally, when I’m feeling especially adventurous, I”ll use allrecipes.com and use what I like from multiple different versions of the same recipe and make my own unique version using the ingredients I like/have. It works pretty well, most of the time!
1. People actually get caught up? Wow, who knew? I think I’ve been “caught up” a couple of times, but generally, no. I have grand intentions of doing a load a day, but it’s pretty rare that it happens.
2. Handles up.
3. I’m definitely a follow other people’s recipes kinda girl. My hubby often laughs at me because when I’m following a recipe I’m very OCD about following it to the letter. I figure, they wrote it that way for a reason, if I want it to taste right I should follow the directions.
1. The laundry is NEVER caught up in my house. I am pretty sure that I do laundry every day.
2. Handles up – all of them – always.
3. http://www.allrecipes.com – sort by rating. This website is my best friend.
1. You are never caught up unless everyone is completely naked! Even with all baskets empty, the next change of clothes brings another load!
2. Handles down so the water can swish all the germs off the utensils. ( but really, if it gets in there, who cares?)
3. Follow recipes, know how to tweak them to make them better, and cook from memory.
Comes after years of experience….( and i have a home ec. degree! )
1) I’m only truly caught up on laundry for about an hour at a time – I have a five week old baby, who ensures a nearly constant supply of burp cloths & onesies soaked in various bodily fluids. That being said, I’ve never got more than two loads waiting to be done, because it drives me nuts. The folding & putting away is where it all breaks down; it’s not unusual for me to have three or four loads just sitting in baskets waiting to be folded.
2) Handles down, except for sharp knives.
3) I make up recipes all the time, and have about an 80% success rate. The only problem is that when I want to re-create on of my successes, I don’t remember how I made it. Things never turn out the same way twice.
I am rarely caught up on laundry – seems I get it all washed but not put away or we get it put away and there’s more to be washed – it just never ends.
Handles up for me – too yucky holding the dirty end to put them handles down.
And I usually follow a recipe unless it is of course something I have been making for years and know how to prepare by heart. And it doesn’t take much to figure out hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls.
1. When I get really behind on laundry, we have a clothes folding party. All three girls tackle the baskets with me, and then they put it all away! I wish I had them help on a more regular basis – then I would never get behind! I just never seem to notice until laundry is spilling out everywhere!!
2. Knives always down – Everything else falls how it lands.
3. NO
Laundry is Monday and Tuesday.
Handles are up since my daughter’s chore is to unload.
Off the top of my head almost always… so I do LOVE Foodnetwork, I was just thinking last night, I think I want to make a broth using fennel.
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