Typical Tuesday: Everyday Tasks Made Enjoyable

This past Sunday, The Bright Side Project featured the vendor, City Chic Country Mouse, To participate in their giveaway, The Bright Side Project asks you to answer this question when you leave a comment:

What is your secret to making household chores more enjoyable?

Man I really like this question because I think that it is so important to "make the everyday tasks in our life more enjoyable".  I also think that the way to do this is to make those items that we use to perform those tasks beautiful to look at and/or use and then perhaps, we will then enjoy them more.  Let me show you an example of what I'm trying to say here :D

For instance, the kitchen sink is used countless number of times a day for washing our hands, cleaning dishes and scrubbing so many things.  So I have collected decorative glass bottles to hold my "everyday cleaning supplies" at the kitchen sink.

So, oOn the right side of my sink I've placed liquid hand soap in a glass bottle that has been painted with white daises, purple pansies and pink buds of some sort.  Next to this, I've re-purposed a "cheese shaker" with "powdered cleanser".  I found this shaker at a shop in Charleston while DH and I went away for a weekend get-away and every time I scour a pot ,or the sink, it brings a smile to my face because I remember finding this shaker in Charleston and the great time we had.

Next...let's talk about bright, decorative sponges...I just love them!  I'll spend a little bit more to find a colorful sponge...no icky green scratchy pads or rusty brillo pads for me ;}

Then, I simply make them last longer by cutting them in half and also so that they fit perfectly in my clear glass, soap dish that I bought specifically to hold my sponges.  This dish stays clean because it is clear and you can see when the soap scum builds up...yuck!  So I keep it clean and clear by placing it in the dishwasher every time I run it...which is almost daily around here the way I cook, (I tend to use every dish in the house as DH tells it).

Another great tip for keeping your sponges clean, is to place them in the microwave, daily and run it on high, for one minute, and the microwaves kill any bacteria that collect in your sponges.  This soap dish sits right next to my glass "dish-washing  liquid dispenser"  that has blue hydrangeas painted on it...so pretty.  It sits on the left side of the sink because we don't hand-wash as many dishes in a day as we wash our hands.

Now, another daily task that we perform is "brewing tea"...yes I use my "Mr. Coffee Pot" to brew tea in every morning.  I also use it to brew an occasional cup of coffee in the afternoon...but we replaced our morning coffee almost two years ago and don't miss it one bit.  ANYHOW...I brew a mixture of  Blueberry Breeze and Red Rose tea every morning.

Then when the pot is done brewing, I use my handy, dandy Tupperware "Tea Bag Squisher"...don't know the technical term...lol  AND I squeeze every last drop out of those tea bags...I just love a full bodied brew.  Then I place the bags in this little green, pedestal dish on my counter.  WHY???  You are all probably asking...and thinking...SHE'S NUTS!  BUT, I have a perfectly great explanation for my OCD tendency here...ready?  I do not like the bags to drip all over the place...like what happens when people try to make it to the trash can...you know who I'm talking about :D 

BUT most importantly, I do this because I recycle my tea grounds...yep...I read a while ago that the tea leaves/grounds can be used for your plants...especially green tea with the antioxidants...are great for your house plants!  AND don't you think my plants are well fed...

Think I'll nickname this one "Seymour"...remember Little Shop of Horrors that great movie from the 80's with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin...now I'm going to be thinking every time I walk into the kitchen..."FEED ME SEYMOUR"...

Hope you all have a great week and that this post inspires you to think about how you can make those chores/tasks in your everyday life...more enjoyable!

Comments

[Flory Mariñas-Simbulan]

i love what you've shared on your kitchen sink.... great idea...it will also give importance in food preparation and cleanup!
have a nice day Roberta!
hugs,
Flory

[Debra Bunker]

Learned something new - the tea grounds. I'll have to start using mine at work to see if I can get my seymour Jr. to grow!

:)