Monday, October 29, 2012

Fascinating women

I must thank you all for your heart-warming defense and support after the snark I received a couple of days ago. I loved getting your comments!

A post came through this morning which was so funny I laughed out loud, read it to the rest of the family, and decided I had to put it up separately:


"Boring women have spotless homes. And, honey, I come from a long line of FASCINATING women!"


Another good quote from this same reader: "Do-ers do. Critics criticize."


Let's hear it for fascinating men and women who DO.

43 comments:

  1. Oh. My. Gosh.

    Look, I knew you were "out there" and a wacko doomsday prepper, but I never thought, not in a million years, I'd see such as horrific sight as what was shown the first picture.

    You can see the package on the shelf above the sink: Kool-aid. That's right, Patrice and her family are Kool-aid drinkers!

    I'm shocked. Appalled. At a loss for words!

    DISGUSTING! You should be ashamed of yourself.

    / satire off

    What's that saying, when you throw a stone into a pack of dogs the struck dog yelps the loudest?

    Keep throwing those stones, Patrice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Russel, that's pretty similar to one of my favorite sayings. It drives people nuts.

      "The guilty dog barks first."

      A. McSp

      PS

      Shhhhh.....don't say I told you, but you don't know the half of it.Patrice isn't just a kool aide drinker. Dude, she doesn't even get her nails done, the scandalalicious hussy.

      Delete
    2. Wow Russell, you have good eyes, totally missed that fact. And not getting her nails done or her hair cut by a "professional"? Oh my GOD, it sounds just like my sainted, but very human Mom! But she was raised on a farm during the depression - and like Patrice and many of her readers, she never went hungry or thirsty or cold during the winter. Smart family - BOTH your Patrice and my Mom's!

      Delete
  2. There is an old saying 'A clean desk is a sign of a dirty mind"

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    Replies
    1. LOL! I had a plaque like this when I worked in radio, but mine said 'A neat desk is a sign of a sick mind.'

      I guess things are always a little more over the top in media. lol

      A.McSp

      Delete
  3. You misspelled the title to this post.

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  4. I saw a good one of those e card things the other day "Please excuse me. My house doesn't usually look like this. Lies every mother every day."

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  5. My kitchen is a total disaster when I'm canning. I finally put the canner up last week and the kitchen looks so naked. Bless those that have nothing better to do than criticize others. People need to clean their own doorstep off before they clean mine.

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    Replies
    1. Frankly, if they have nothing better to do, I'd be happy for someone to come clean mine. If they actually DID it instead of talking about it.

      Delete
  6. In reference to Jonathan H's reply above, I've also heard the quote that "A clean desk is the sign of an empty mind."
    Keep up the good work,Patrice; I love your blog.

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    Replies
    1. LOL

      One of my favorite sayings.

      See my reply to Jonathan above.

      A.McSp

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  7. Again, I'm just AMAZED, at the hard work that goes on in these kitchens!

    It's a BEAUTIFUL, thing!

    I see love, creativity, determination, foresight, intelligence, know-how, down-to-earthness, wisdom, organization, preparedness, and more!

    Keep up the GREAT work, folks!!!!

    You're inspirational!!!

    God bless!

    Donna G.

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  8. Men "DO" too, sometimes.

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    Replies
    1. Unquestionably. My husband is "doing" out in the barn at this moment, building a new and improved feed box for the cattle. -- something I can't "do."

      - Patrice

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    2. Speaking of feed boxes, I saw a great one built out of free pallets. Very cool and definitely something I will look into further when we add goats to our place.

      Delete
  9. Please continue to post "real" pictures!!!!

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  10. loved your messy kitchen...at least you can walk across the floor without stepping over something..my canners and ecquipment stay spread out everywhere including the floor all summer and fall long until we are completely whupped and decide to store it all for the winter.then everything gets replaced with boxes and containers to hold the jars we empty all winter..lol, here we just rotate one mess for another!

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  11. Teehee, my 9yo has called my kitchen a laboratory before (today's projects are making 40qts of beef stock, grinding up all the veggies for a batch of relish, making cultured butter and buttermilk, and now it's time for dinner!).

    What are those jars full of pastel-colored something? Kombucha or some other fermenting goodie?

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  12. Yes, indeed. Here's to the ones who do the doing. We are going through a big mess at church right now because there are the people who want to criticize what the doers are doing...but don't want to help with any of the doing at all. It's enough to drive a person nuts. :)

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  13. I have a friend who is a fabulous cook and a very neat housekeeper. She has cabinets that are a strange color. When asked why she chose that color, she said that it was because she was a very messy cook and the color didn't show splashes. That way she could put off cleaning them until she was finished. Otherwise she would be spending her time wiping them down instead of cooking!

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  14. I'm sorry I missed the snark post. (I did look back at it); but my kitchen usually looks like the first one.
    Especially while we are living in our trailer.
    It never looked as good as your clean one.
    Your husband ever soak oily or gas smelling parts if your sink? Mine has. ;o)

    Glad someone brought a smile to your face. Have a wonderful week!

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  15. Patrice --- those who don't use their kitchens as much as you do can't imagine the way things can pile up, in a flash. I have so many pictures of my kitchen in a state of disaster, but it's because we are USING it and going fast. I only have one person in my family who makes comments to others about their kitchen, but we are the ones doing the work and they are never wanting any event at their house because it will "mess it up." Augh.

    I love that you show you are normal...like the rest of us who are busy LIVING life!

    Lana

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  16. I am an amputee, work full time, go to school full time, and take care of a family of five, bake bread instead of buy it, cook and have family dinner every night, and I bottle my own food too. My house is spotless, my appliances are never dirty, and I am NOT boring; I feel I'm quite the doer! I know plenty of other fabulous women who are creative, motivated, and clean; they're doers too. I think women can be both fascinating and clean at the same time! The past few blogs about your "snark" have been interesting but I cannot stand the line of comments and justification I'm reading. It's sad instead of looking positively at the criticism you're given, you revel in what's wrong; and from a "Master Canner," who should take pride in clean working conditions. I think I'll stop following this blog now, I find it. . . boring.

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    1. Like Patrice, I live on a farm, so my kitchen is rarely spotless, especially when I'm canning. I've found I get a lot more canning and cooking done if I don't stop to scrub my whole kitchen every 5 minutes (because that's what it would take to keep it spotless!) When there are eggs to be washed, milk to be strained, fruit to be canned, and a pile of vegetables in the middle of the kitchen floor straight from the garden(with...GASP...DIRT on them!) the least of my concerns is a little flour from baking on the floor or whether or not I remembered to wipe the base of my blender. My main concerns are growing and producing good foods to make good meals and teaching my kiddos to do the same. It sounds, "Joe and Jill," like you are busy too, but apparantly not too busy to be a dirt nazi.

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    2. Wow.City people are nuts.I think she lies!!! Full time =8 hours,full time school+study time=4 hours,dinner = 2 hours, sleeping = 7 hours, house cleaning =1 hour, commute 1 hour. That leaves her exactly 1 hour to whine about someone else's kitchen. BRAVO!

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    3. Good for you Joe and Jill, stop reading this amazing and informational blog. My Mom had OCD - stripped the linoleum floor on hands and knees and rewaxed once a week - and when she was busy cooking and baking her kitchen looked like a whirlwind went through it. It isn't what a kitchen looks like while doing the work but how clean it is after you are done. (and Patrice your after pics definitely showed clean)

      I've always found that those that complain the loudest are the ones who can't truly manage what you are doing and are just jealous. I tend to ignore those people - I'm to busy doing to pay attention.

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    4. Surely you jest? I looked at your blog for 30 seconds and you quote, Live simply, Love generously. Where is your love?

      AND, you admit you haven't felt like cooking in awhile and your husband was making ravioli. You did however, express thankfulness about your husband liking to cook.

      I hope you were jesting...

      sidetracksusie (who looked at your blog because I wanted to become superwoman like you, but who decided she' continue to emulate Patrice, who is honest about her work and world)

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    5. Jill, bless your heart, if I was doing all you do I'd just be completely exhausted. I would also probably lose my sense of humor.
      Please, whatever you do, hang on to your funny-bone because it is really hard to be fascinating - or enjoy your life at all - without one.

      Delete
  17. If you don't mind my asking, what is that in the jars on the counter in Picture #2? I love your kitchen and am willing to try anything you do. Lead on.

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    Replies
    1. Fruit-peel vinegar. It's finally finished, so I'll be blogging about it shortly.

      - Patrice

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    2. Oh good .. because I have two crocks sitting in the basement and I'm about ready to 'do' something with them.

      Delete
  18. I have a wall decal in my kitchen that says" a messy kitchen is a happy kitchen" I have a small farm,prep, homeschool my 4 children ages 9 and under, and we r associate pastors....as my daughter reminds me, our kitchen is very happy!!

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  19. Plus 1 on keeping on keeping on. At least you are doing SOMETHING. Id give my eye teeth for what y'all have.
    I work 12 hour rotating shifts. When I'm off I've got goats, turkeys and a fair sized garden to care for along with helping my F-i-L keep his place in decent shape with bush hogging etc.
    Just yesterday I was told by one of my kids that they wouldnt be helping with crowder pea shelling anymore as my wife, their mother said "those are "his" peas, he planted 'em, he picked 'em, he can shell 'em and can 'em." This was in response to a question about how I'd had to throw out 1.5 gallons of peas because they molded b4 I could get them canned.
    I used to have rabbits and Chickens and 2x the number of turkeys. While I was working the garden this summer I tried to delegate some of the animals off to the kids (13+18 yo), checked on the work for several weeks before I got immersed in garden + canning. Now I have no rabbits or chix and 1/2 turkeys, they all starved.
    My milk goat got left tied to milk stand for several hours, possibly over night. Im back to doing all the milking.
    Funny thing is that my "wife" LOVES to brag about how WE live on a farm and WE take care of all these animals and WE can ALL our food, then comes home to tell me how I don't fulfill her needs.
    You have a wonderful family, blessed in so many ways, don't ever even consider listening to any ace holes that want to camoflage their own sorry lives by picking at yours.

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    Replies
    1. I feel for you. But not all people are cut out to live this kind of life. I was a single Mom for a long time that did it all. It definitely isn't easy. Keep on Keeping on. (but when my one of my four kids forgot to do a chore like feeding the animals, they didn't get to eat dinner that night - after all, fair is fair and trust me, they only had to forget once to learn that lesson.)

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    2. Wow, I'm sorry you and your family are not on the same page. A family that is producing instead of consuming, has got to work as a team, one person can't do it all. Our "expectation" of 1 breadwinner only works in a job/consumer life - one person can't work 2 farms alone. Can you spend time with your family and find a vision you can all buy into?

      Delete
  20. My, i am so glad there are people still left out there who see life as it truly is, messy kitchens, good food, happy families all go together.

    What a sign of the times, keeping up with HGTV, and the perfect Martha Stewart kitchen (she has a crew to do this people) and the image people must portray to fit the garbage we see on the idiot box.

    Keeping a perfect kitchen at all times and bashing others is so depressing and exhausting and not what God had in mind when he created man - or whatever religion or non-religion you are.

    If your kitchen is that perfect, and all your time has gone into that and everything else is perfect then there must be "something" you are not perfect at doing and maybe you should post that, so we can throw stones at your glass house. Only God and nature is perfect.

    A true sign of the times, wasteful consumerism, and the decay of America and the world. To all those perfect ones, you should be ashamed of yourself. Get some help, read the Bible, or read anything that fits your fancy about the real world. Turn off HGTV, etc.

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  21. My, i am so glad there are people still left out there who see life as it truly is, messy kitchens, good food, happy families all go together.

    What a sign of the times, keeping up with HGTV, and the perfect Martha Stewart kitchen (she has a crew to do this people) and the image people must portray to fit the garbage we see on the idiot box.

    Keeping a perfect kitchen at all times and bashing others is so depressing and exhausting and not what God had in mind when he created man - or whatever religion or non-religion you are.

    If your kitchen is that perfect, and all your time has gone into that and everything else is perfect then there must be "something" you are not perfect at doing and maybe you should post that, so we can throw stones at your glass house. Only God and nature is perfect.

    A true sign of the times, wasteful consumerism, and the decay of America and the world. To all those perfect ones, you should be ashamed of yourself. Get some help, read the Bible, or read anything that fits your fancy about the real world. Turn off HGTV, etc.

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  22. yOU are a DOER and thats a honor. Take your ease with that.

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  23. Ok, I've settled down since my response to the Head Snark, people like that really twist my knobs. Sorry bout spouting off like that Patrice.
    Did some thinking and have decided we all need 2 houses, one to have company over in and one to live in.
    Please let Lydia have a strawberry on me, and make sure she's sittin in a chair,lol...

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  24. I just read the snark and have a couple comments - First, those of us with dogs think of dog hair as a condiment. And second, I saw a cartoon many years ago (that's still on my fridge) - a mom is talking to her young son... "I don't mind if you write your name in the dust but please don't put the date." Both apply to my house!
    Kay in Virginia

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