Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Scene of the Blog Featuring Heather of Age 30+... A Lifetime of Books!

I first ran across Heather's blog, Age 30+... A Lifetime of Books during Book Blogger Appreciation Week a couple of years ago. Since then, it's become standard reading. If you're not familiar with it, Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a marvelous opportunity to meet other bloggers who are passionate about books-- all sorts of books.

When I first visited Heather's blog, I liked her voice, I liked her content, and I thought it was the perfect blend of books and family. If you haven't visited Age 30+... A Lifetime of Books, I certainly hope you take the time to do so. Please don't forget to say hi to Heather while you're there checking out her excellent blog!

Before she takes us to the scene of her creativity, don't forget that you can click on each photo to view it full size. Welcome to Kittling: Books, Heather!

When I got an email inviting me to share my Scene of the Blog, I was so excited! I love getting glimpses into other people’s lives and this feature does exactly that.  Unfortunately, here’s what my life has been like lately:



Because of that I kept putting off writing this post.  Eventually I found myself browsing through previous Scene of the Blog entries, and I noticed a common theme.  The portion of the blogger’s home that is visible in the photo is really NEAT AND CLEAN.  Uh oh.

This is my Scene of the Blog:



Did you notice that in my photo you can’t see much more than my couch?  That’s because my house is NOT neat and clean.  You can catch a glimpse of (clean) laundry hanging on a chair in the background but I conveniently zoomed in when taking the photo so you wouldn’t see the stacks of mail and empty glasses on the end table or the shoes and tote bags on the floor in front of the couch.  I really wanted to get that area straightened up before taking this picture but I finally gave up – it’s just not going to happen anytime soon.

I tend to read blogs on my phone now that I have that option (I just got a Droid a few months ago – LOVE IT!), and that can be done anytime, anywhere, but writing posts is almost always done from the couch. Our house is small and this couch is the center of our living room.  If I really need peace and quiet I can retreat to my bedroom, but usually I blog in the midst of whatever is going on at home, and with the TV on in the background (someone else is generally watching it).

Housework is the thing I hate to do most in this world, and it is the thing that I allow to go unfinished so I can spend time on my blog and also reading other blogs.  Starting around 9pm each night you can usually find me leaning against the arm of that old blue couch with a pillow behind my back, my legs stretched out, and the computer on my lap.  [You’ll notice that my computer is plugged in – that’s because my laptop battery is completely dead and the computer won’t run without being connected to the wall.]  I could be cleaning the house each evening but I’d rather be blogging instead.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into my blogging life.  Not all of us are talented (organized? dedicated? motivated?) enough to blog and keep a neat house – I so envy those of you who can do it!


I know for a fact that bloggers have turned down appearing on Scene of the Blog because they don't think their homes will stand up to inspection. That's their prerogative. For some reason (which probably dates back to the Puritans or some other stuffy, I'll-be-the-judge-of-you outfit) all too many of us feel that we're judged on our housekeeping. I swear my grandmother used to catch dust before it had a chance to land on the furniture, but a lot of the time dust is a protective layer in my house. When I go to someone else's house, I'm happy as long as they've cleared off a spot for me to sit down and I don't find cat hair in the sugar bowl (don't ask).

Being with the people I love and doing the things that I love are more important to me than chasing dirt. Would I fail my grandmother's housekeeping test? Yes. Do I care? No!  And I really appreciate Heather bringing up this topic.

How many of you feel as though you're judged on your housekeeping? How many of you actually enjoy keeping your house neat and clean? (And would you bottle some of that up and send it to Heather and me? Please?)

Thanks so much, Heather, for giving us this glimpse into your home. We really do appreciate it-- and your honesty!

Who's next on Scene of the Blog? Stop by next Wednesday to satisfy your curiosity!




23 comments:

  1. My Scene of the Blog photos were also strategically taken. I am not the greatest housekeeper on earth either -- and yes, I feel that I would be judged.

    Thanks for sharing your space, Heather. I knew there was a reason why we seem to get along.

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  2. I tend to straighten up a bit on the weekends, but no deep cleaning for me...well not as often as I should. Who has time for that when there are books and blogs we want to read! ;)

    Glad you decided to share your space as is. There are bags on my floors, piles of mail in the kitchen, and empty glasses on my tables, so please don't feel bad!

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  3. I loved seeing and reading about where Heather creates her magic. When all is said and done, no one will remember how clean your house was.

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  4. Nice job Heather! The stuff you mention as evidence to "not a clean house" sounds like normal life to me. And I'm totally with you on spending time doing other stuff instead of cleaning.

    Hey, and my laptop also has a completely dead battery! And if the connection happens to pop out of the back of the computer (which it always does) it turns right off and I lose everything! Oh, the joys.

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  5. Very cute! I would have to do the same thing - massive hiding of junk and uncleaned areas! I'd rather clean than read, too - heck, who wouldn't?!!!

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  6. Beth F - I try not to stress about being judged for my lack of housekeeping, but I do tend to not invite people over much. :)

    diaryofaneccentric - Weekends are worse for me because of Kiddo's hockey schedule. I just can't win! LOL

    bermudaonion - At least that's what I hope!

    Suey - Glad I'm not the only one with a mostly dead computer. ("It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between MOSTLY dead and ALL dead." You know that line, right?!)

    rhapsodyinbooks - Massive hiding or creative zooming, take your pick. :)

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  7. Join the group, Heather. As you can tell by the comments, we're all slackers when it comes to housecleaning. I mean why worry about it? You dust one day and the next day everything is dusty again. I have considered getting equipment so I can listen to audio books while I do constructive stuff, but I simply love the feel of a book in my hands. I like the picture of you tearing out your hair.

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  8. Hmm, I do enough blogging in public that I would probably take the opportunity to take pictures there rather than my messy, messy house.

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  9. This is the reason that I've hesitated to photograph my blogging/reading areas even though I've had requests. I'm sure that I am my own worst critic, but still...

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  10. oh my gosh I knew I loved book bloggers - not only are you all huge readers but negligent housekeepers as well! It's a running joke in my apartment how little I clean. I live in NYC so as you may imagine, my apartment is tiny so it overflows easily and regularly. My bed often doubles as a bookcase, and I have dreams about the title my cheek is resting on.

    Thanks for sharing, Heather!

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  11. My flat is always a mess - I agree with you Heather, I'd just rather do other things than clean! It's my least favorite thing to do and to be honest, it doesn't bother me that much if no one else is around.

    Meghan @ Medieval Bookworm

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  12. Love your picture Heather! That is pretty much how I feel all the time as well. It just doesn't seem to ever slow down. Oh well! You still do an amazing job and I'm sure your kiddos love having you around more than a clean house. (At least that's how I like to think of it. lol)

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  13. I love this edition! Heather is awesome, as is her blog. LOVE the honesty :) My area is cleaner... but only because I'm not home enough to mess it up ;)

    And yes, I will choose blogging over housework every day as well!!

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  14. Rural View – I do audiobooks on my phone, my computer, and also on CD and even cassette. I can’t imagine doing dishes, laundry, or (what little) cleaning I do without a good book to listen to. I still love the feel of a book in my hand but I’d never give up my audiobooks. You should give them a try!

    Amy – Ooh! I wish I’d have had that option, but I only blog at home due to my dying laptop.

    Teresa – Aw come on, I did it – now you can to!!!

    novelwhore – So if I sleep on a book, do you think it will guarantee me good literary dreams?! LOL I can’t imagine having a smaller house than I do now (although of course I DID have smaller homes in the past). I greatly admire people who can keep a tiny place neat and clean – it takes SERIOUS and CONSTANT work.

    Meghan – I get fed up with it sometimes, but like you said, if no one else is around then it isn’t really a concern. :)
    The1st daughter – I LIKE the way you think!

    Amy - Thanks so much - you are too sweet! *hugs*

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  15. Great post and Heather's site is one that I follow -- her posts are wonderful to read!

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  16. Great post Heather! I don't think you should worry about how clean or dirty your house is. I have organized mess...the mess is only in a couple areas...but those areas are messy. I just don't show those. haha! I just got a laptop a couple of weeks ago and I love being able to blog while Husband watches tv.

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  17. coffee and a book chick - Thanks! I'm glad to have found you through THE HISTORIAN read-a-long.

    Kris - I have a few messy areas that I can simply close the door on, but my living room is not one of them. LOL

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  18. I'm a bit of a neat freak when it comes to myself but I seem to be much more tolerant of clutter when it comes to others. It's just me that's OCD. LOL.

    I love that first photo. You look a bit crazed but in a totally funny way :)

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  19. You are like my blogland sister - I hate cleaning too! I ignore the cleaning in favor of books and blogging quite often. :)

    Oh, and my scene of the blog photo was filled with clutter because there wasn't any way I was going have time (or desire) to clean my desk prior to the photo. I use that zoom function for photos I'm going to post on my blog too.

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  20. I think nearly everyone featured in Scene of the Blog cleaned up just for that picture or zoomed in on just one area. I know I did. Great, fun post.

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  21. Ti - It's those of you who like a clean house who really intimidate me - I feel very inadequate next to you! :)

    Alyce - If I blogged at a desk I'm sure it would be cluttered as well! And I'm so glad to find out that we not only share our taste in books but also our dislike of cleaning.

    Margot - You're probably right. ;)

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  22. Dorte - If I had a brand new loo I'd want to show it off as well!

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  23. I'll confess that I tidied up my desk before I took the pics when I was on Scene of the Blog (and my 'tidied up' is not nearly as neat as some of the 'it always looks like this' pictures from the great housekeepers out there).

    Less time spent on cleaning = more time spent reading!

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