Yippee!

My house is painted.
Pictures soon.
That is all.

Little Things

I didn't do much today but I still feel good about what I did get done. Sometimes taking care of the little things can feel like a huge accomplishment.

Today I finished up the hallway with a second coat of paint, took a box of glass containers and a bunch of plastic bags to be recycled. I then purchased a big box of baking soda, sprinkled it all over the carpet, let it sit and then vacuumed. I also changed the bag in the vacuum cleaner. (It's amazing how much better the vacuum works when the bag's not full.)

Just six little things done and I feel like I moved mountains. What can I say? I'm easy. :)

A Little More

I finished priming the kitchen, it looks fabulous.

Last night I painted the hallway. It needs a second coat but it also looks fabulous.

Today I weeded and mulched another flower bed.

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

I found an article from Savvy & Sage magazine (September/October 2007) in a file folder during a post "Hoaders" viewing cleanup. Savvy & Sage reprinted an earlier article from another magazine about tips for hiring women. It's hilarious. I thought I'd post it here so I can throw away the article. :)

The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.

Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient then their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed to much in keeping women happy.

I agree with number eleven.

It's a start

I finished weeding the flower bed that I started on Saturday. With the help of my roomie, it's also completely mulched!

I also started priming my kitchen. I pulled down the wallpaper in 2007. It's looked dingy and icky for over 3 years. It feels good to see bright white.

Outside In

I believe that the condition of a person's home, inside or out, is a reflection of what is going on in their mind and heart. If this is true, than it must be clear to my neighbors that this year has been a turbulent for me. All of my flower gardens are overgrown with weeds and my house in general looks neglected.

Actually, the exterior of my house has been in a state of half paintedness (yes, it's a word) for 3 years now so I really can't use recent events as an excuse for that. Perhaps the paint is symbolic of a journey that's not complete. I've made many changes in my life the past few years, but maybe there's more to come. Maybe I'm just trying to come up with excuses and I'm really just lazy. Whatever the reason, I've decided I need to spruce up my house, and by doing so, hopefully I will find some direction for my mind and heart. And whatever the reason, my neighbors will be thrilled that I'm finally taking care of my property so that it's not such an eyesore.

So begins operation "No More White Trash". :) It's a light hearted way to describe my serious attempt to heal myself from the outside in and find some direction. Just typing that sentence brings me to tears, so obviously I'm on to something here. I'm hoping that showing some pride in my house will help me make some better decisions in my life or at least be at peace with the ones I've already made. So in order to do this, I need some kind of a plan. I don't have hard facts and figures yet, but I do have a basic idea of what needs to happen.

First of all, I've already contacted a painter to finish painting the exterior of my house. I'm going to pull money from savings to pay for it. I know that once it's completed, a huge load will be lifted. I hate that my house has looked like this for 3 years.

Next, I need to tackle my yard. Today I weeded a flower garden that was completely overgrown with weeds. It was so embarrassing. I had weeds taller than my 5' fence. I had enough weeds to fill the back of my roommates truck. Tomorrow I think I will go to the free mulch sight and mulch the area I just weeded.

Since I've proven that I get over zealous and end up injuring myself, my goal is to work on one flower bed at a time, without overdoing it. Hopefully that will also prevent me from getting burned out.

I also would like to finish up some interior painting projects. My kitchen has been in a half finished state for even longer than the exterior of my house. I need to use crappy weather days to work on patching the termite damage and then finishing priming the walls so I can then finally paint the kitchen. I've been talking with my friend who helped me paint my living room; I told her I would trust whatever color scheme she comes up with. I LOVE my living room so I see no reason why I shouldn't trust her with my kitchen. I have a feeling she's going to suggest something completely different, which is good. I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone.

So for now, that's my "plan". Get the exterior painting done, get as much cleaned up in the yard as I can while it's still nice out and then finish the kitchen. It doesn't sound like much, but they're all big projects that will feel amazing to complete.

Here are a couple of before and after pictures of the flower bed I tackled today.