Instead of flinging myself headlong into the next mission, I’m going to give this last one a few more days. Days like yesterday - where the old chaos sneaks up on me and my routine takes a hit - are probably a sign that I need to continuing working away at making the chores I’ve already assigned myself more habit than mission.
And though what happened yesterday is more the result of poor planning when it comes to marketing, the manual does have some advice for the 1940s housewife keen on spending less time making beds: “Are beds set away from the walls so that you can make them easily?” My answer: “No.” My one bed is wedged right into the corner of my bedroom - mainly so that I can have the look of as much free space as possible in there. My bedroom isn’t very big, but I find myself constantly leaving the closet door open so that the room will feel a little bigger. (It’s a walk-in closet so adds quite a big of “space” to my bedroom.) I do hate trying to make hospital corners on the side of the bed that’s right up against the wall. Hey, maybe with a bed that was a little easier to make, I would have been able to do both that and hit the mailbox yesterday morning! I’m changing it around right now…
Well, with the bed moved around, my computer most decidedly didn’t fit in my bedroom any longer. So I did what I’ve been thinking about for several months now - moved the computer into my living room. And while I was doing that, figured I may as well dust the thing and vacuum where my bed used to be. Talk about a chain reaction. One chore creating many. But all for the best. My bedroom feels a little more spacious. I’m going to have a much easier time making it up in the mornings. And my computer feels like it’s in a good spot.
The Good Housekeeping Housekeeping Book (1947) offers up some vintage tips on bedmaking that might come in handy:
To keep the blankets clean and away from the sleepers face, turn the top down over the blankets about 18 inches or so.
To get a “finished” look, here is the way to fit the spread over the pillows. Make a crease through the center of the pillow with your arm out straight and roll the pillow over in half. Place the pillow on the turned-down portion of the spread and roll it back into its position on the bed, where it will cuddle into shape straight and smooth.
A third sheet on top of the blanket gives protection and warmth, but it does take extra time and extra laundering, so it’s up to you to decide its worth. However, it always is desirable when there is illness or eating in bed, because it’s much easier to launder a sheet than to launder a blanket.
Turning down the beds for the night is a gracious gesture. Remove the spread, plump up the pillows, and turn back the blankets and top sheet across the bed.
2 comments:
I used to live in a house that was built in 1898. Every room was tiny and NONE of the closets had doors--never had them. I used curtains. Maybe you could remove the closet doors (store them!) and put up a rod with curtains that were always kept open with curtain ties to give the feeling of "bigger."
Just a thought.
That's so a sweet idea! What I'm finding is that having the computer moved out of my bedroom makes it seem larger already. I definitely need to do some decorating in there just to make it feel more homey.
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