‘Life in Maison Gezellig’ Archives

Achievement Unlocked: Laundry Finish

Well, I did it. All of it (with the exception of a few items that have gone AWOL under the bed).

What did I learn from my week-long laundry adventure?

White vinegar is truly the best fabric softener ever. I have three cats, all of which have at least some white fur—and the white downy undercoat of that fur which sticks frigging EVERYWHERE. I also have a lot of black clothes—which, as a New Yorker, I am obligated to own. When I pulled the first batch of laundry out of the washer, I was utterly dismayed to see white cat hair on everything. I suspect there had been one or two things that were really covered in cat hair, and in the wash, it redistributed evenly over everything else.

I used a couple of Bounce dryer sheets (which smelled gross and are not the greatest choice in general) on that load, which helped a little. I didn’t want to switch to liquid fabric softener because I usually wash towels and clothes together and fabric softener + towels = less-absorbent towels. The next day, I used about half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse. Much MUCH less cat hair, plus soft clothes and super fluffy towels (and no, everything does not smell like a salad).

I now have absolutely no excuse to use as many paper towels as I do. Holy crap, I had no idea I owned this many towels. I had to rearrange a kitchen cabinet just to have a place to put all the dishtowels AND I’ve got a huge stack of former dishtowels (now too ratty for display) under the sink as well. Still deciding what (if anything) to do with the unlovely bath towels I have, but I’m looking at some tutorials on turning old towels into bathmats (something I could really use).

I had some clothes to get rid of—but not nearly as much as I expected. Of everything that I washed, we donated about one-seventh of it (one full laundry bag’s-worth), but much of that was kid clothes; either cold weather stuff she’d already outgrown or warm weather stuff she’ll certainly outgrow by next summer (44 things in all, including some I had weeded out earlier). I got rid of some items I only wore when I had nothing better to wear (12 items) and my husband got rid of a pair of pants he didn’t like but overall, not as much as I thought would go.

Last, and perhaps most importantly, I can finish a project when I set my mind to it. Honestly, I think I even surprised myself by getting everything done this week. It helped that a.) I publicly announced I was going to do all this laundry and then kept updating as I went along and b.) yesterday, my husband and I went to the laundromat together and did all the remaining laundry—which would have been at least three trips for me on my own—saving me from almost certain burnout.

Now that that’s done, I’m already looking about for a new project. Maybe decluttering?

Guys, if you’re not already a fan of gezellig-girl.com on Facebook, you might miss out on my first-ever giveaway. Details to come later this week, so go become a fan today!

Tags: laundry, my actual life, simplifying, small victories, success
Category Being Frugal, DIY, Life in Maison Gezellig |

Photo Friday: Wash Week Continues

To give you an idea of the epic mountain of laundry I’ve been doing, I’ve filled (and emptied!) that laundry sack four times this week… and I’d estimate I have another three more to do.

Why am I so obsessed with this saga of laundering? Because, I will confide to you, my reader — I almost never finish anything. I have more 6″ scarves and cut-out pattern pieces than I would care to admit, because I suck at follow-through.

Not this time, though. So help me, I will wash every goddamn item of laundry in this house.

And once that’s done, doing the laundry once a week or so will be CAKE.

Tags: laundry, my actual life
Category Life in Maison Gezellig, Photo Friday |

Wash Week(s)

Photo credit: “Laundry Night” by FlySi

I have two weeks left before my fall classes start so I’m trying to do at least a couple of the projects I’ve been meaning to do for the past 2.5 months.

This week: conquer the massive backlog of laundry we have.

I could blame this summer’s heat or something for the laundry that’s piled up… but that would be a lie. In truth, we always have those blue IKEA shopping bags full of laundry in our bedroom—sometimes up to half a dozen at a time.

Why? Because doing the laundry in the city can be a massive pain in the ass.

If you’ll indulge me, a brief rant about laundry (as well as those who may complain about it):

I really seriously cannot grasp AT ALL why people who live in the suburbs can’t keep up on their laundry. Do you know what I have to go through to get the laundry done? Pack it into a bag (weighing AT LEAST 30+ pounds), heft said bag onto my back or balance it on my hip while also holding the hand of a small child (who hopefully has brought enough books/games/whatever to keep herself amused), walk a couple blocks to the laundromat, sit in a hard plastic chair (and oh, I hope to god there IS a chair for me) for at least two hours, heft it back home and after all that walking to and fro and standing in laundromat, I need to get this 30+ pounds of clothes UP THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. So, other bloggers/Facebook friends, I do not have ANY SYMPATHY AT ALL for your bitching about how much laundry you do, because I’m pretty sure you can just dump the clothes in your washer in your basement and then go back to your goddamn couch while watching ‘Dancing with the Gray’s American Housewife Idol or Whatever’ until it’s done SO SHUT YOUR WHINE HOLE.

Gosh, that felt good.

Anyhoo, this week (and possibly next week as well) is all about doing the laundry here in Maison Gezellig. (In my brain, I’m calling it CLEAN ALL THE THINGS! Week even though I’m only doing the laundry.) Here’s what I’ve been reading (when not at the laundromat) and/or thinking about (when I am there):

Ugh, how much of this do I even wear anyway? Okay, I could not pull off the same dress for 365 days but I am interested in the six items or less project. Although, at the same time, I could really use new jeans. The ones I have currently (yes, I own one pair, not including a second pair in black) are a little too big now (you’re sad for me, I know) and have been repaired multiple times.

My towels are shameful. They’ve all gotten pretty ratty and I have no idea what to do. I don’t want to drop a lot of (okay, truthfully, any) money on new towels, but at the same time, cheap, conventionally-grown cotton is not the greatest choice either. Plus, what do I do with the fugly towels? Most suggestions for reusing old towels involve washing your dogs and/or cars (which is no help at all) and my local animal shelter says they’re all set with towel donations.

What if I made my own laundry detergent? Okay, it’s a bit… Marge Simpson makes her own Pepsi (“It’s a little thick, but the price is right!”), but it seems dead simple to make: grated soap + borax + washing soda. I’m still trying to work out if it’s actually cheaper, though, than the Seventh Generation detergent I use now.

So… DIY detergent: cheaper or no? And where can I find good jeans for stubby legs like mine? Leave a comment here or join the discussion on Facebook.

Tags: clothes, laundry, living in nyc, my actual life
Category Being Frugal, DIY, Life in Maison Gezellig, NYC |

Calling all vegetarians…

About a month ago, my kid announced she was now a vegetarian.

She has made this proclamation before, although I suspect some of those announcements were part of a scheme to get me to buy some vegetable I’d recently declared to be out of season (e.g. asparagus), because said announcement was often followed by something like, “I just really love asparagus…”

In the past, she’s lasted a week or so, before, in her own words, “going back to being a meatatarian,” but this time it seems to have stuck, which is fine with us, her parents. Before we were parents, we were both vegetarians for years (and yes, we did serve a vegetarian meal at our wedding almost 10 years ago). We only broke away from full-time vegetarianism because I really, desperately wanted meat while pregnant with said kid (the irony is not lost on me). While pregnant, I ate enough roast beef sandwiches to make me think I might possibly give birth to a wolf pup.

Fast-forward to the present day and for the past couple years, we’ve only been eating meat once a week or so anyway, but this kid is really standing firm on her full-time vegetarian beliefs. (“I just feel bad for cows,” she says.)

Here’s where I need your help: I really need some new vegetarian recipes.

I kept a couple vegetarian cookbooks around even once I stopped being a full-time vegetarian, but in most cases, I’ve had these cookbooks for 10+ years already—if I was going to cook something out of them, I’ve probably already made it, tweaked it, and gotten sick of it by now.

My only caveat: an absolute minimum of soy products and/or vegetarian “fake” food. Things like soy “chick’n” nuggets, nutritional yeast “cheese,” seitan loaf… no thanks. Not because I believe there’s anything bad or inferior about them; I just don’t like them. Beans, eggs, milk, cheese, et cetera are all fine. Vegan cookbooks (like the excellent Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, which I really should buy already) are good too, as are recipe collections online.

So… help a vegetarian kid (and her mother) out? Leave your cookbook suggestions in the comments below.

Tags: my kid, vegetarianism
Category Life in Maison Gezellig, Questions, Vegetarian Recipes |

I’m back!

I really don’t have much more to add beyond that declarative title. Once my semester ended, I took two weeks to decompress — and after five months of constantly feeling my free time should be spent working on class stuff, two weeks of almost-nothing was absolutely delightful.

So what have I done lately?

I wrote (and photographed) a story about kids getting their own mini-vermicomposting bins and it was seriously the most fun I’ve ever had writing a news article. (I also have my own worm bin now which is something you’ll hear about again soon.)

About a month ago (and after it being there at least a year), I was busted by the landlord for my fire escape garden. I was already so stressed by school, I broke down and cried over my loss — until my kid made me the sandwich pictured above, and then I cried some more, but in a different way. The seedlings I started (those that didn’t die from my bitterness-induced neglect) are now enjoying life in the West 111th Street People’s Garden, after I planted them there with my kid’s Brownie troop.

So, now it’s back to the old blog grind. What have you been doing lately?

For more from me even when I’m taking a break, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of gezellig-girl.com on Facebook.

Tags: my actual life, photography, washington heights, worms!, writing process
Category Life in Maison Gezellig |