Kitchen Cupboards and Their Care

[NurseNell]

From Teri in 2004:

Quote

This week seven-year-old Mary, eleven-year-old Anna, and I spent fifteen minutes each day polishing kitchen cabinets. That is a task that looked daunting to me, although I am serious about trying to tackle it at least once a year. My engineer husband has convinced me that if I want my kitchen cabinets to stay nice, I need to take care of them properly. As we evaluated this need and my time, we realized that this was the perfect opportunity to include the girls in a job where they could work with Mom. Each day it seemed that our fifteen minutes was up almost as soon as we started. Our time was filled with happy chatter, typical of mommies and their little girls.

From Teri in 2004:

 

To learn more and see how this led to a discussion of stewardship see titus2.com/corners/7-04-m.htm

 

Nell, whose cupboards really do need some care

[emesbe]

Or how about, if your engineer husband wants the cabinets to stay nice, HE can do the damn polishing.

[browngrl]

My headship has convinced me that if I want my kitchen cupboards to stay nice (this has been my dream for lo these many years) I must not only polish the cupboards but I must organize all the contents alphabetically (KJV of alphabet). Being the Godly submissive helpmeet that I am of course I rushed to do this task. The Lord convicted me that I should involve my DD(dear dog) and DMC (dear male cat) and DFC(dear female cat) so as to improve their homemaking skills (as they are all SAHP(stay at home pets)). Evaluating this need and my time - I devised a blessed plan whereby the pets would wear dear sweet little aprons and (matching mine!!) and help me out. Oh! how our time was filled with the happy sounds typical of mommies and their pets. Thanks Terri! Thanks Steve!

[margiebargie]

When my headship instructs me to do meaningless, time-consuming busy work. I laugh heartily and go back to what I was doing. I've been deceived by Satan to think that I am a big girl who knows how to use my time productively.

And why are so many of these kooks engineers? That drives me nuts.

[Austin]

And why are so many of these kooks engineers? That drives me nuts.

I have made that observation, as well. *shrugs shoulders*

[NurseNell]

And why are so many of these kooks engineers? That drives me nuts.

I've noticed that too but if you think of the engineers you know in real life, they tend to be controlling and are very exact in their conversations. I just don't know any easy going engineers.

Nell

[JesusFightClub]

My advice to Teri:

Who gives a flying fuck about kitchen cupboards. If they haven't got ants in them, you're golden. Now, go and relax with the Good Book (if you must) or in front of the telly ( preferable) and a nice can of Pepsi.

[liveonradio]

My headship has convinced me that if I want my kitchen cupboards to stay nice (this has been my dream for lo these many years) I must not only polish the cupboards but I must organize all the contents alphabetically (KJV of alphabet). Being the Godly submissive helpmeet that I am of course I rushed to do this task. The Lord convicted me that I should involve my DD(dear dog) and DMC (dear male cat) and DFC(dear female cat) so as to improve their homemaking skills (as they are all SAHP(stay at home pets)). Evaluating this need and my time - I devised a blessed plan whereby the pets would wear dear sweet little aprons and (matching mine!!) and help me out. Oh! how our time was filled with the happy sounds typical of mommies and their pets. Thanks Terri! Thanks Steve!

I've tried to implement this with my two DMCs and three DFCs but have gotten nothing in return except a confused countenance and/or attempts to jump in the cupboards to explore. Happy sounds *do* ensue, particularly if you count the sounds made by inanimate objects as they're flipped over by a furry paw and explode in a shower of shards, but I'm not entirely convicted our effort as a family is resulting in anything that could even remotely be considered as glorifying to God. It's obvious I'm failing as a keeper at home, but I'm not sure if this is due to my lack of a male headship, or the fact I much prefer to spend my time knitting and watching Dexter rather than cleaning my kitchen. Pls advise.

[Clementine]

I don't understaaaaand how the fundies can make such a big deal about the most trivial household chores and even write a blog post about it.

Microfibre rag + a splash of water + a drop of washing liquid -----> WIPE! It only takes a few minutes and I am not very domestic at all.

[slickcat79]

My headship has convinced me that if I want my kitchen cupboards to stay nice (this has been my dream for lo these many years) I must not only polish the cupboards but I must organize all the contents alphabetically (KJV of alphabet). Being the Godly submissive helpmeet that I am of course I rushed to do this task. The Lord convicted me that I should involve my DD(dear dog) and DMC (dear male cat) and DFC(dear female cat) so as to improve their homemaking skills (as they are all SAHP(stay at home pets)). Evaluating this need and my time - I devised a blessed plan whereby the pets would wear dear sweet little aprons and (matching mine!!) and help me out. Oh! how our time was filled with the happy sounds typical of mommies and their pets. Thanks Terri! Thanks Steve!

Of course! I knew I was missing something. I'm sure my dear cat would feel so much more fulfilled if she had something more purposeful to occupy her days. Jeshua Cottontail, the Animal Christ, has called her to be a SAHP, and we feel this is the only true path mentioned in the Bible (KJV). Thank you, browngrl, you are truly a blessing :D

[maybeizfundie]

*Polishing* the cupboards.

I hope she meant "wiping down" and misused "polishing", but even that, at 15 minutes a day, seems like overkill.

My cupboards are old and ugly, so I only wipe them down when they start feeling sticky, lol. Anything else is an exercise in pointlessness.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

How big is their kitchen???

I mean, even if I did feel the need to wipe my cabinets daily (which I don't) it only takes a few minutes to do them all. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes on ONE DAY, not every day of the week, and that would only be if I'd not done it in a few months so that I needed to bust out the degreaser (I've got metal cabinets in a kitchen last remodelled in 1945 with no exhaust fan). I don't usually let it GET that bad, and yet... I don't spend 15 minutes a day washing my cabinets, either.

[Hane]

I've noticed that too but if you think of the engineers you know in real life, they tend to be controlling and are very exact in their conversations. I just don't know any easy going engineers.

BIngo. Ex-Mr.-Hane-#2 was one. He couldn't keep a job for more than a year or two at a time because he had ZIP for social skills. (I've often heard that Asperger's Syndrome and other social-skills disorders are far more common among engineers than in the general population.) On the nights I was out working at my second job, he would OCD-ishly plunge himself into various household maintenance projects of his own choosing.

I'm starting to think Steve sound like one of these.

[CanticleoftheTurning]

*Polishing* the cupboards.

I hope she meant "wiping down" and misused "polishing", but even that, at 15 minutes a day, seems like overkill.

My cupboards are old and ugly, so I only wipe them down when they start feeling sticky, lol. Anything else is an exercise in pointlessness.

Probably wiping down, but it looks so clean it'll be "polished." I'm the oldest of 6 kids, my family's cabinets would get really dingy quickly. We had to clean them weekly, and to do a really good job it might take 1/2 an hour or so.

I think cleaning them daily would do more damage by slowly wiping off the layer of paint/varnish than cleaning them weekly would. Just like wearing out a carpet.

[ChunkyBarbie]

Hane, good call. Steve-O does seem to be on the spectrum and OCD-ish.

[NurseNell]

(I've often heard that Asperger's Syndrome and other social-skills disorders are far more common among engineers than in the general population.)

Now that I think about it that's true. Most engineers I know in real life are socially awkward.

Nell

[Guest Anonymous]

Probably wiping down, but it looks so clean it'll be "polished." I'm the oldest of 6 kids, my family's cabinets would get really dingy quickly. We had to clean them weekly, and to do a really good job it might take 1/2 an hour or so.

I think cleaning them daily would do more damage by slowly wiping off the layer of paint/varnish than cleaning them weekly would. Just like wearing out a carpet.

No, sadly, we discussed this one before - they really do polish them - they now rub in furniture polish for a total of 8 person-hours, twice a year. She talks about it in a number of posts. Chris bought their first house from them and when he was courting Anna, the Hamilton family came over to help decorate - one day all the girls and their mothers spent the morning together, polishing the kitchen cupboards ready for him to move in.....

[NurseNell]

Chris bought their first house from them and when he was courting Anna, the Hamilton family came over to help decorate - one day all the girls and their parents spent the morning polishing the kitchen cupboards ready for him to move in.....

Do you think they'd come to Minnie-sota and do my cupboards?

Nell

[margiebargie]

BIngo. Ex-Mr.-Hane-#2 was one. He couldn't keep a job for more than a year or two at a time because he had ZIP for social skills. (I've often heard that Asperger's Syndrome and other social-skills disorders are far more common among engineers than in the general population.) On the nights I was out working at my second job, he would OCD-ishly plunge himself into various household maintenance projects of his own choosing.

I'm starting to think Steve sound like one of these.

LOL. I'm an engineer. That's why it's so aggravating to see so many fundie guys who claim to be engineers. It dings my pride a bit. I like to think of it as a rational profession. That's a really hard claim to support when people like Steve crop up. *sigh*

[clibbyjo]

I removed one whole upper wall of cabinets and replaced it with open shelving. Then I removed most of the lower cupboard doors and replaced with fabric. Very little polishing left.

[fundiefan]

My former headship hated when I cleaned the cabinets, because it usually led to rearranging and he claimed he couldn't find anything (something went from the left side of a shelf to the center and he couldn't look those few inches to figure it out). He also hated the time it took, because my ex headship was no fan of things being cleaned, he'd rather use the time to go out and party.

What the hell does being an engineer have to do with keeping cabinets in decent condition? Shouldn't common sense tell a person that? Is an engineer necessary to tell you that wood cabinets in a kitchen that gets spattered with water, food, grease and any and all kinds of other food related mess need to be cleaned once in a while? And that you clean them with a product that is appropriate for the material they are made of?

Good lord, that woman checked her brain at the altar when she married that ass.

[Hane]

LOL. I'm an engineer. That's why it's so aggravating to see so many fundie guys who claim to be engineers. It dings my pride a bit. I like to think of it as a rational profession. That's a really hard claim to support when people like Steve crop up. *sigh*

margiebargie, I prefer rational people, too--but some of them assume they're more rational than others, and take on a "my way or the highway" attitude. See, they're all logical, like Spock? So the rest of us must be all illogical and overemotional and disorganized and WRONG. In my last job, I LOVED working with the IT folks, because they were organized and efficient--but they were also nice and helpful. The ex? Not so much.

[margiebargie]

margiebargie, I prefer rational people, too--but some of them assume they're more rational than others, and take on a "my way or the highway" attitude. See, they're all logical, like Spock? So the rest of us must be all illogical and overemotional and disorganized and WRONG. In my last job, I LOVED working with the IT folks, because they were organized and efficient--but they were also nice and helpful. The ex? Not so much.

I get it. I've seen that attitude myself. I call it "silly human" syndrome. It's bitten many an engineer in the ass.

I don't think any one can be truly rational unless they are willing to re-evaluate their own assumptions and looks at things from another point of view. After all, humans are fallible and our knowledge is provisional.

[sea_gale]

I don't understaaaaand how the fundies can make such a big deal about the most trivial household chores and even write a blog post about it.

They have an irresistible desire to get up on the pulpit and preach. But drawing folksy, down-home lessons from life would require having a life. So, they do the best they can with what they have and you end up with 1000 odd words of some poor cow wittering about her bloody kitchen cupboards.

[bananacat]

Now that I think about it that's true. Most engineers I know in real life are socially awkward.

Nell

I'm an engineer and I'm not awkward, and most of my classmates and colleagues haven't been either. This is a stereotype that needs to die. There are probably engineers in your life that are perfectly normal but you don't really notice them because they don't stick out.

We're also not all giant tools like Steve. I wish I could tell Teri that this engineer thinks it's stupid to polish OR "wipe down" cabinets that often, but she won't believe me because I'm a woman even though I'm probably better engineer than Steve is.