Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Martha Stewart is in the house!

Martha Stewart is a household name here...
I think that Martha Stewart Living Magazine and her TV show have influenced home makers and domestic gods and goddesses. She brought home keeping back into focus with her show and her "good things" and recipes gained such popularity. I would sit down every Sunday and soak in her 60 minutes of Martha.

Macys, Kmart and Sears have sold her products.
Her name has been associated with everything from pots to paint.

A new line of cleaning supplies appeared at my local market and I bought one to see how it might perform.


This "green cleaner" worked it's magic on the Bungalow bathroom.
For extra oomph I am using a micro fiber cloth
which seems to make domestics a whole lot easier.

Our cleaning gal has been off for quite a few weeks now
I cannot remember if I mentioned this fact.

She was injured in a car accident 
and is undergoing physiotherapy
she is improving but it is slow going
soft tissue damage
and I think she has whiplash.

I have missed her weekly visits so much.
The Bungalow is admittedly not as tidy
I am trying to keep on top of it!

The bathroom sparkles 
and 


now it is steeped in fragrance
 a lovely soap from my dear friend and artist, Cheryl Fortier 
which is hand made in Auvilar, France
and 
home grown roses.

Last night I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open
what saved me was to soak my feet in aromatherapy salts
while listening to Bruce Springsteen
and 
sliding between the sheets before 10 pm

as I type tonight I yawn....
I have pushed the Miele around the Bungalow
upstairs and downstairs
made dinner
and 
have done 2 loads of laundry
and 
it is only Tuesday...

I think that I am getting very cranky and weary in my old age...

Martha 
how did you ever keep all the balls in the air?
You made it look so easy....

were there out takes?
did you have help?


ZZZ


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish we had her programme over here, I would be glued to it. The soap sounds wonderful, I find rose scent so uplifting.

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello:
Mercifully we are spared domestic chores, and we suspect that Martha is too!! How rotten for you to be without your daily 'help' - we do hope that for both of you she will soon be back at work.

The roses in the bathroom look so pretty. We have copied you and now we too have flowers in the bathroom.

Anonymous said...

I'm a huge fan of Martha also. As you say, she makes everything look so simple and easy, possibly with a rather large staff perhaps? Her home style is so fresh looking, it always inspires me. If I could move into a Martha Stewart magazine I would. Your bathroom roses and soap look beautiful. I hope your helper is better soon, for her sake and yours. Having someone to do the housework must be blissful!

Fiona
http://howtobechic.blogspot.com

Annie ~ Red Roses and Crystal said...

I'm afraid Martha is not so well known down here or at least not amongst my peers. I dare say Hostess that Martha would have help and plenty of it!
Wow Bruce Springsteen...that choice shows you are far from old!
Hope your cleaning gal is better soon.
xx

Suburban Princess said...

I gave up on Martha when she took her show to some pay channel that isn't available here. I didnt bother to renew my mag subscription. The magazine is online anyway if I am desperate for something from her.

When my housekeeper is away and I need to do the cleaning it just about kills me! It's always a struggle to fit it all in!

Judith said...

I have been using an 'e-cloth' for a couple of years no cleaning products needed with it,i also use the bathroom one,+ the window cleaning one is so quick & makes my windows sparkle no products again need to be used!!
Has saved me so much money! Lots of the super markets have brought their own cheaper imitations out but I stick to my 'e cloths'.

My roses are looking so sad all bruised & the petals have all fallen off (weeping) with the constant rain. Yours look fab in your bathroom.Ida

LPC said...

My housekeeping help vanished with my fading family fortunes and my job. I find I don't mind cleaning up so much when I am the only one making the mess:).

Susan Tiner said...

I never think of putting flowers in the bathroom. What a wonderful idea. Your bungalow is absolutely beautiful -- you should be proud.

Like LPC, I'm unexpectedly retired, in my case due to a severe case of tendonitis in both hands/forearms. From years of keyboarding. They're fine now, after several years of rest, and fortunately finances were/are sufficient for early retirement. But we're frugal, so we do everything ourselves: cleaning, gardening and most home repairs. It's peaceful work.

Martha is an inspiration.

materfamilias said...

The treasure who kept our house clean moved off the island last fall and we haven't found anyone else. I miss her terribly -- but the cobwebs don't!
And are those your Constance Spry roses in full bloom now? Wonderful.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Susan Tiner- Thank you for your kind words and I must say that I am glad to hear that your tendonitis has healed...I'll bet that early retirement has it's benefits!

materfamilias- Those are Abraham Darby blooms...big, bold and beautiful!

materfamilias said...

Ah, thanks for that -- now that I look again, I can see the apricot showing up, but at first glance they looked quite pink so I thought of the Constance Spry ('cause I know you have that, right?) Very pretty!

Duchesse said...

I never "got" Martha, it seemed just another way to make women feel guilty that they were not doing more. But I love the Martha *effects*. So I have a dilemma. I have a big collection of cookie cutters and once every few years I make intensely decorated butter cookies with them. That seems to do it.