M. Suzanne Terry

Yesterday, I announced my summer project – to get my diet and home in order.

First, let’s discuss the meal situation.

This past week was Finals Week at one job and Closedown Week (with a side order of Re-Opening Day on Saturday) at the other. Translation: last week was a six-day work week, because no amount of planning will make the busiest week of the year fit into five days.

A little bit of planning, however, could have improved the week’s grocery haul:

I do have to give myself some credit.  Last year, this picture would have been a loaf of sandwich bread and a jar of peanut butter surrounded by empty takeout containers and Whataburger bags.  This year’s week of sandwiches, taquitos, and cereal might be only marginally healthier (hey – at least it wasn’t soda and deep-fried onion rings), but it was a lot less expensive.  So progress has been made.

In addition to the week of tornado-esque frenzy at work, I had two social engagements to which I brought food, which accounts for the artisan breads and the second box of taquitos, because I didn’t have time to make them from scratch.

However.

Making my own bread doesn’t actually require that much hands-on time.  It just requires planning ahead.  And I can make six loaves of fancy bread for the price of one of the artisan loaves that I bought.

Also, did you notice something missing from the picture?  Vegetables.  The only vegetables you see are the red onion and the jar of roasted peppers, and they only made the list because they were part of the recipe for cheesy bread that I took to Supper Club.  It’s springtime in Texas.  We have fresh vegetables coming out our ears down here.  But they didn’t make it on my list because I didn’t have a plan.

Second, let’s discuss the apartment situation.

I have to pat myself on the back for my work ethic.  My grades were finalized by Wednesday, allowing me to give my full attention to the residence hall when it needed attention the most.  I did not procrastinate at work.

Unfortunately, since cleaning is how I procrastinate, it kind of fell by the wayside last week.

Who am I kidding?  It has been making its home on the wayside for quite some time now.  It’s looking at wayside schools and searching for wayside jobs.

My apartment is a wreck.  If you saw a picture of how it looks right now, you might cry.  I’ll give you a minor example.

This is the cleanest, most organized corner of my home at this moment:

Keeping a home clean and organized has never been a skill I’ve possessed.  Don’t get me wrong – I prefer a clean, organized home.  I just hate doing the work it takes to keep it that way.  And because I hate doing it, I put it off (unless I’m putting off doing something I dread more, like grading), which ultimately makes it into a gargantuan, daunting job.

But because I grew up in my mother’s house, I know it doesn’t have to get to that point.  I know that I can have the home I want by deep cleaning two or three times a year if I will commit to maintaining it the rest of the year.  And that’s a habit I want to create this summer.