dish-washing delight

Just now Landon lovingly called to me from the kitchen, "Hey Sheels, good job! You've managed to clean all but 6 dishes this time!"

Dish washing has been something that i've grown into tolerating these past 3 years. When we lived in Kenya and i had only been married (and only been cooking) for 7 months and everything was to be made from scratch and hot water had to be boiled and dishes had to be done :gulp: by HAND, the kitchen was my torture chamber.

When we got back to the States, i insisted that i could live ANYWHERE as long as it had 2 necessary things: carpet, and a dishwasher. And so our little apartment in Colorado Springs even had a fire place and backed up to a trail beside a stream - and wildly exceeded my hopes and expectations.

Now we live out here. With hot water as much as we'd like and a gas stove - that's a new treat. But we are lacking carpet and a dishwasher once again. Something about the lack of those things makes me feel like we are living a bit primitive. And once again i was back to washing dishes by hand. This isn't too bad, i know. but Landon and i actually are privileged to enjoy all 3 meals a day at our house usually so we tend to stack up the dishes (at least there's only 2 of us!). We're finally getting the discipline to do them almost daily and Landon has really contributed to sharing the dish-washing load this time.

When we first moved here, washing dishes was a real daily battle for me. I would be so frustrated by the time i was done and my hands were swollen and pruney. I had to begin to make it a time of prayer for me. I had to see dish washing as a way of serving my family thus serving God to get me through it - no kidding. It was such a struggle. Now, 20 months later, it's a piece of cake. I hardly think about it while i'm doing it. Evidenced mostly by my good mood toward my pruney swollen fingers, and the fact that 1 of every 10 dishes has to be re-washed by the sweet Mr. McBrayer.

Some people despise certain house-hold chores. There are only two that I have always had a hard time with: mopping, and dish washing. Though i have finally waved a white flag to the dirty dishes and especially have learned to enjoy them with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer, i can't imagine learning to tolerate mopping. Whenever i do clean the floors, we don't even use a mop (we don't even OWN a mop) and instead i use a wash cloth and crawl around on all four's scrubbing out the dirt. Maybe that's why i hate it so. blech, i don't actually want to talk about it.

but look at me, though i'm lousy at dishes, i'm finally becoming domesticated enough to do them often and without resentment. that's a feet!