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!