HOMEMAKER THOUGHTS

 from Wikipedia

When we were newlyweds I LOVED ironing, especially my hubby's shirts!  It was such a picture of domesticity for me - an expression of love from a caring, thoughtful wife who was also an excellent homemaker! I lovingly buttoned the top and the third button of each shirt and hung them all in the the same direction in his side of our closet. I ironed everything:  sheets, pillowcases, dresses, slacks, tablecloths - and even dishtowels - until I read that ironing flattens the nap on the tea towel and makes it less absorbent!  Well, of course I didn't want that! So I gave myself permission to stop ironing tea towels! Loved when fitted sheets came out and I stopped ironing those! I did take them immediately out of the dryer and did fold them - all four corners into one - into a smooth package - all facing the same way. Loved when my linen closet looked like beautiful shelves in a fancy store!! Oh, what fun!

Nowadays????? I absolutely HATE ironing! I have no idea when the joy left me - I think a couple of decades ago! I do however make sure I hang up hubby's poly-cotton shirts as soon as the drying cycle is done! If something should still be wrinkled, I wet a small face cloth, throw it all back into the dryer and in just a few minutes, the wrinkles have disappeared and I don't need to haul out the ironing board and the iron.  Oh, oh, - there goes the buzzer!  Gotta get that load!

Comments

George said…
This is a cute post. I think you have shown wonderful growth in your attitude toward ironing.
June 8, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Betsy Banks Adams said…
I shouldn't admit this Karin, but I haven't ironed one single thing in many years.... I don't buy clothes which need ironing...Of course, since we neither one work anymore, we are usually in our shorts and t-shirts at home in summer and sweats in winter... That's our lifestyle in a nutshell!!!! ha

Hugs,
Betsy
June 8, 2010 at 8:57 PM
George said…
This is a cute post. I think you have shown wonderful growth in your attitude toward ironing.
June 8, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Bernie said…
Oh Karin I was the same way, I loved the smell and look of freshly ironed shirts and linens and anything that came in from the outside line.
Times have changed my friends, some things are so much easier yet some things are much harder.
I wouldn't change anything about those younger years, I loved taking care of my family....:-) Hugs
June 8, 2010 at 9:28 PM
Jan said…
Interesting thoughts on ironing, Karin.

The ironing used to beat me when I was a young Mum, in the days when we used to 'damp down' the items when they came in from the line.
Nowadays I mostly iron clothes we wear out, the main ones being the clothes we wear to sing, and it takes me a while to press hubby's trousers in particular.

Hugs and Blessings - Jan
June 8, 2010 at 10:52 PM
lori said…
Karin,
I'm LAUGHING out loud...I have a mom who after 42 years STILL LOVES ironing and she did NOT pass that trait down to her oldest daughter!

I assure you I'll be using the washcloth trick! Love that! The joy of ironing has always escaped me....now give me a vacuum and that's an entirely different story!

You made me laugh!

peace,
lori
June 9, 2010 at 5:13 AM
Doris Sturm said…
I remember watching my mother meticulously iron every article of clothing (even underwear) but of course, then the clothes were hung to dry and depending on the weather, got a little stiff out there. Ironing made them soft and pliable for folding. Maybe old habits die hard because now we have modern conveniences and newer materials that don't require ironing as much.

Have a nice week :-)
June 9, 2010 at 5:39 AM
mariel said…
this is great! I totally relate!! thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning! :)
June 9, 2010 at 8:22 AM
Karen said…
Down through the years my "tolerance" for ironing has turned into "avoidance" if at all possible...but get this...my DH LOVES to iron! So anything that needs pressing, I happily pass on to him...did I get a good one or what?
June 9, 2010 at 4:17 PM
Glenda said…
Oh, I can identify with this post!! Growing up, we ironed everything, too! But like you, I've "mellowed" in recent years. I was just thinking this week that I probably need to buy a new, non-squeaky ironing board for my kids who are coming home soon; they still iron!

Dryers saved the day for us, didn't they?
June 9, 2010 at 4:47 PM
Evi said…
I remember ironing Opa's cloth handkerchiefs and his underwear...did anyone really THINK that this would contribute to domestic longings to iron as an adult? Um...no thank you.
But I still sure love how beautifully you taught me to fold sheets and towels and have them look pretty in the cupboard. Just like you helped me do recently!
June 9, 2010 at 8:59 PM
Wendy said…
Oops, mean to say thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for hubby and me. It really is a tough road, but made easier through good friends like you.
Hugs
June 10, 2010 at 6:08 PM
Wendy said…
Thanks for the washcloth tip! I never knew that. I absolutely hate ironing! Always have. I could never do it properly and my hubby's shirts always had extra creases where there should have been none.

I love hanging clothes up on the line to dry. Why? I have no idea, except maybe I like the fresh air smell when you bring them in (just watch out for the birds - they tend to leave nasty "deposits" on the clothes)LOL!
June 10, 2010 at 6:08 PM
NCmountainwoman said…
About the last time I enjoyed ironing was when I was a little girl and my mother would let me iron Dad's hankerchiefs and the pillowcases.

A friend of mine was red-faced when her kindergarten son could not identify one of the drawings in his workbook. The drawing was an iron and ironing board.
June 14, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Haddock said…
I think its a case of daily chore.
Then it gets boring.
June 19, 2010 at 10:37 AM
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