Wicked Clean

So no tickets. Apparently Michael's good looks and charming smile didn't win over the lottery ladies handing out those much coveted Wicked tickets. No show for us. But we have all next week to try again.

Instead? I pulled weeds and planted flowers in the front yard. I know, such a fun alternative isn't it? Oh, and I also raked probably three years of dead leaves out from under all the ground cover. I tell you what, I'm beginning to think the previous owners of our house didn't do much in terms of yard work or cleaning.

Since January, I've probably thrown away more blackened rags than I care to count due to cleaning out vents that were covered in a film of gross, wiping out window seals that served as a grave yard to years worth of flies, washing dust and cob webs off window blinds, and washing walls and baseboards so we weren't painting over dirt.

My house is clean now (and so is the built in grill that Michael spent the last three days cleaning, scrubbing, and de-greasing) and I couldn't be happier. There's nothing better than a clean house and a weed-free yard.

I know the people we bought our house from were older, and nearing retirement, but really, is that any excuse to live like pigs in your own filth? My mother raised me up right so I know the difference between wiping off a counter top and actually CLEANING. Sure- you might walk into a house and see that it's "picked up" and things are "in their place" but that doesn't mean it's clean. When there is dust, grime, grease and just plain out grossness lingering in the nooks and crannies that the average eye doesn't notice, well... I just don't consider that clean.

Needless to say, it's been three months of cleaning, painting, weeding, scrubbing, shining, and yes, I could eat off the floor if I wanted to. It's now THAT clean folks.

The backyard? Well, I've still got work to do back there. Weeds, dead growth from last year's flowers, and just basic yard work. But Michael and I will get to that. For now, we're focusing on the front yard because that's what people can see. We'll get there, slowly but surely. The backyard might take all summer, but I'll have the front yard wrapped up in a few days. And dammit our house has some fine curb appeal if I do say so myself :)