February 12, 2025

Just Wondering Wednesday

 Just wondering your thoughts on some very significant issues this Wednesday morning...for example...

1. Do you refrigerate apples? 

We do, and we don't. I always put them in one of those drawers in the fridge, but recently, we have been keeping them in a bowl on the kitchen island. You know the saying: out of sight, out of mind. It is proving to be true. Suddenly, sliced apples are the in thing around here.

2. Do you have a problem finding clean towels and washcloths on a regular basis?

Okay. Hear me out here. I do laundry all the time, and I actually enjoy it. However, for some reason, we consistently have a shortage of clean towels and washcloths. It is bizarre! Clearly, the answer is to buy more sets of towels. Why have I not done this? I have no idea. 


3. Do you have a set schedule for cleaning your house, or do you clean things randomly as they need it?

Years ago, young Billie Jo cleaned her house every Friday—floors, tubs, the whole deal. When my kids were younger, having everything clean and tidy for the weekend felt good. That worked well for me during that chapter of my life. Older Billie Jo has less enthusiasm for scheduled cleaning. It is a clear hit-and-miss situation, with occasional whole-house tidying. This chapter of my life is slower, with more breaks for coffee and naps.


4. What is something small that often goes unnoticed by others but really bothers you?

Okay, this is random. I realize how ridiculous it sounds, but I cannot stand the black ring of soot on candle jars. It just really bothers me! I am constantly wetting a paper towel and wiping it off. Sad, but true.

Finally, here's a picture of our dinner last night. We had something else planned, but it was cold, snowy, and dark, and we were in the mood for one of my mom's go-to quick meals: toasted cheese and tomato soup. We served it on parchment paper because the dishwasher was already packed, leaving no room for plates.

Any thoughts on these pressing issues, my friends? I'd love to hear! Have a cozy Wednesday. Thanks for visiting!


Billie Jo









28 comments:

  1. 1-no
    2-no-I think we may have more towels and wash clothes than the average couple but I'm ok with that.
    3-no Daily tasks get done well, daily. As far as weekly or monthly tasks, they get done but no set schedule.
    4-crooked art on walls. I have to straighten them out no matter where we are.

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  2. APPLES: We keep them in the Ref. I love eating a sliced cold apple! TOWELS AND WASH CLOTHS: We have plenty of them in the cabinets. I might add, that some of them need to GO! New towels and wash cloths need to be purchased around this place. DAILY TASK: I am home every day so I pretty much keep things done around here. With the exception of showers, tubs and dusting...I do those on Fridays. THINGS THAT BOTHER ME: un-made beds...This drives me crazy when beds are not made...This is the first thing I do after my coffee. Even when we stay at a hotel..the bed must be made! This is crazy I know. And...your soup and cheese griller looks amazing....Happy Wedenesday.

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  3. Apples are put in the fridge in the fruit drawer. Towels and wash cloths in a closet-2 sets ..one set bring used. I don't use candles anymore. I do keep one or two in case we're out of power. I use a diffuser for the YL essential oils in living room and bedroom. I do cleaning often during the week. Need to keep declutter in my office/craft area. Bathtub needs cleaned this week. I like the mug with Snoopy on it. I had one like that years ago. Have a blessed day and beyond my friend.

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  4. 1: We keep apples in the refrigerator. 2: We do have plenty of towels and I always make sure there's enough in the linen closet but there are times when I slack on the laundry. 3: I'm with the "older Billie Jo." 4: I was trying to think of what I could pick to answer this but I guess I'll say it seems my kids don't notice the messes they leave since they don't bother to clean after themselves sometimes lol. I'm trying to teach them the importance of putting things away when they are done with it.

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  5. We refrigerate our apples but thankfully everyone remembers them anyway; I buy 15 or so each week. We eat a LOT of fresh fruit! We usually have plenty of towels and washcloths (weirdly none of my guys seem to use washcloths-- what they use instead I have no idea?). I definitely had a set schedule when the boys were younger but as they've gotten older and no one really spends any time on the floor anymore I've slacked off a bit and just clean when I feel like it needs it. Somehow most things still get cleaned each week but I'm oddly lax about it. For your last question I'd say just about everything but I live with 4 males... they don't ever seem to notice anything.

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  6. Hi Billie Jo! We used to refridgerate our apples, but like you, lately, I have been leaving them out and also like you, I am eating many more apples than I used to. I had one for breakfast this morning, in fact. I try to keep up with house cleaning every week, but honestly, it is Charly (now reitred) who does the mopping and cleans the bathrooms each week. That helps a lot! I try to keep things straight (at least the living room) and vacuum and dust, but it isn't always done as frequently as a few years back. This was a fun post. See you again soon!

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  7. Yes and no on the apples.
    Plenty of clean sets always available.
    Clean randomly as needed.
    Dishes in the sink...just put them in the dishwasher!

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  8. I used to clean the entire house every Saturday, then reward myself by going out shopping! But now I just dust and clean things when they start to bother me.

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  9. Our apples are in the frig, but I probably should set them out so we would eat them more.
    We're good on towels and washcloths! :)
    Since I retired, I've made myself a cleaning schedule. It has me doing a little every day instead of spending all day working on things. I also included things like cleaning light globes, cleaning the tub, cleaning baseboards. So I feel like my house is nice and clean and I enjoy checking those things off the list!
    This is a ridiculous thing to be irritated about, but my husband has a tendency to rinse out his cereal bowl and leave little bits of cereal in the drain. I hate seeing that! But I should be happy that he puts his bowl in the dishwasher and really keeps everything else clean. So I keep my mouth shut! :)

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  10. I love the parchment paper idea! Too bad we can't fry and bake on it!

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  11. 1. We do refrigerate our apples. My husband eats them on a daily basis...for me, it's once in a while. 2. Not a problem with the towels and dish cloths except for on a rare occasion. 3. I normally do a quick tidy up and vacuum on a daily basis because where we live, it needs daily attention. But for the major stuff, I tackle those things as I see they are needed. 4. I really can't stand to see a piece of art on the wall hanging crooked! I think I inherited this trait from my mom and one of her sisters. :) Between the three of us, it was hard to find a crooked picture anywhere once we entered a room. lol Your dinner from last evening looks so yummy! And, I'd go with parchment paper too. Have a wonderful evening, my friend. xx

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  12. Hello!
    I'll play.
    1. Sometimes I keep apples in the fridge, sometimes on the counter. It depends on how soon I think we'll eat them. 2. Now that the kids are gone, we have plenty of towels. Some probably need to be retired to the garage! 3. I'm with you now, Billie Jo. I don't have the energy for big jobs like I once had. 4. I agree with the soot and the crooked pictures on the walls!

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  13. Responding to the questions:
    #1 Yes, I refrigerate apples.
    #2 The towel issue is not a problem in my home of just two people. When Gary and I married in 2022, we put our linens together. There is no shortage here!
    #3 We clean house every Saturday morning. Gary uses an electric hot water mop thing to do the floors and I vacuum the carpeted areas. I dust. We each keep our own bathrooms clean. It’s working out very well for us.
    #4 Just keeping the clutter picked up. Blessedly, my man is good about this because for many years as his late wife’s health declined, he had to take over with such things.

    Toasted cheese and tomato soup sounds perfect!!

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  14. 1. If I buy the already sliced apples (yes, I'm that lazy), then yes they get refrigerated. Otherwise no!
    2. No shortage of towels here. I did notice the other day, the dishclothes for the kitchen are getting ratty looking so I do need to buy some of those down the road.
    3. Cleaning is mainly surface cleaning unless we are having company. Then I do a deeper cleaning.
    4. Just the husband leaving empty containers and whatnot on the kitchen counters.

    Yum on the grilled cheese and tomato soup!

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  15. Hello my Lovely! I love this kind of pressing news. So much better than world news stuff. Lol
    Let's see:
    1)Apples in the fridge mainly because I love to eat them cold. They're my favorite fruit.
    2)Not a problem with towels because I inherited all of Matt's when he moved in here too. Lol
    3)Not really scheduled cleaning - but there are things I often save for weekends so Matt can help me more. 😉
    4)When people in the household put the toilet paper on the holder on the wrong way (which don't get me wrong - I'm happy they at least do refill it sometimes so it's not always me) The tp has to be pulled from the top not under or I go bonkers! 😂

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  16. #1 We do refrigerate apples. My husband and his apple orchard owning family would literally lose their minds if we didn't. But fruit is always the first thing eaten at our house. It's the kids main food group.
    #2 I even bought the kids monogramed towels for Christmas one year so that we could keep better track of them and we still can never find them! I should also buy more. Dish towels we have an abundance of after the 6th grade bazaar.
    #3 No schedule here. Though we probably should.
    #4 Cups all over the house. My family is the worst at that.

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  17. No refrigerated apples over here. I like fruit (when we have it...which is not terribly often) in a fruit basket. I feel healthy when I see that on the counter. No problem with towels. I actually think we have too many towels. What is the recommended towel allowance per person in a household?? Yes, younger me cleaned on a schedule and I am not sad that idea has been laid to rest! I do not like black soot rings. It is one of the reasons I have (primarily) switched to diffusers. Ugly candle jars - ugh. I also do not like the bottler of dish detergent on the sink. When finished, it belongs back under the kitchen sink. My family must think it return there magically....because I put it back at least 8 to 10 times every day. Walk through the kitchen - put Dawn bottle away. Sigh.

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  18. I am the very same about my candles. Haha! I have also slowed my cleaning schedule way, way down, mostly out of necessity. The kitchen and bathrooms are always kept up, but the dusting has slowed down more than I like, for sure. I used to clean the whole house on Saturday to have it tidy for the week, but I just can't do it all in one day anymore.

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  19. I only refrigerate my apples if I have more than we'll eat in a reasonable time - then I put the overflow in the fridge and the rest in the fruit bowl. Here too, if they're out they get eaten!
    I actually pour candles as a part time job - the black soot happens often if your candles aren't natural (unfortunately Yankee Candles are highly chemical now, they weren't always)- and sometimes even natural wax ones do it at the bottom because there isn't enough oxygen to the wick. Nerdy little fact for you ;). My confession on cleaning my house: many years ago I worked a ton of hours and travelled, so I hired a cleaning person to come once a week to my tiny NYC apartment - and I have kept it up! I will give up lots of other things to not have to scrub bathrooms!

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  20. 1. Yes, we like them cold.
    2. No, I have a lot of kitchen towels and keep them rolled up in a basket!
    3. I start at one end of the house and do a little cleaning each day and by the end of the week everything is done.
    4. Dusty baseboards

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  21. No pressing issues here. Just settling down for the night after playing table move it here move it there, afternoon. I store potatoes and onions in the fridge in the bottom pull-out. I find they last longer for us. Apples it depends on how many I have and how quickly I'll process them. I doooooo noooottt like eating cold apples. So I often have some on the table. If though, I get a crazy good sale and I know I won't process them (into various things), right away, then I put them in the fridge.

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  22. Apples in the fridge here.cleaning as required. Never a shortage of towels. I like a clean stove top but not everyone cleans theirs every day. Enjoy the rest of the week.

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  23. Apples: shh, I've been known to hide the bowl when the grandkids visit. They will all take one or two bites, and throw it away. When my kids were that small, I'd slice them up to avoid all that waste. In the warmer weather I'll refrigerate them, otherwise in a bowl. I have a nice wood bowl lined with a towel for them. I have tons of kitchen towels, but I like really nice pretty new ones to hang on the stove, so I buy new ones frequently. Housecleaning is done every day, basic stuff, I don't like dishes in the sink. But, deep cleaning, ugh. It's done when I get to it. Okay, what goes unnoticed by others but bothers me, ready for a long list? The couch pillows and throws must be neat and folded, draped properly, never on the floor. When the refrigerator door is left open while someone pours milk or something, um, no. I also find myself being a watchdog with drinks in the living room, with all the grandkids running around when they are visiting, you need to watch that coffee! It WILL get spilled! Also, don't eat on the couch! :)

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  24. These are truly pressing concerns and I've had a blast reading all of the answers. Here are mine.
    1. Apples in the fridge in the drawer.
    2.When we moved, I got rid of most of the towels and just kept 2 sets for our bathroom. One being used and one set in the wash. For the guest bath I have four towels, four washcloths and 2 handtowels. Lots of kitchen towels and dishcloths.
    3.When I was working and the kids were still home, we all cleaned the house on Saturday mornings, top to bottom. Everyone had tasks and the kids rotated through theirs so no one had the ickiest ones all of the time. Certain things were done daily of course. Like dishes, beds, etc. Now that it's just the two of us, the house stays much, much cleaner. We have a robot vacuum we named "Hazel" off of the old TV show maid. She runs every evening and that makes dust almost non-existent too. I am truly in love with her. Shhh. Don't tell my husband! :-) Bathrooms get done a couple of times a week when I notice them. The bed and dishes are still done every day.
    4. Hmmm. I can't think of anything. Except maybe or kitchen countertops. They're black granite and gorgeous, but they show e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Even if you set a cup or glass down it leaves water marks. I'm constantly wiping and cleaning it so it shines. I almost want laminate back. If we ever redo the kitchen I will definitely NOT be getting black granite.
    I hope your Thursday is a wonderful one my friend.
    Blessings and hugs,
    Betsy

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  25. Hi! Let's see 1: Apples are in a wooden bowl on the counter or table. I love Courtand apples!
    2: If I see stains on my kitchen towels, out they go! Then to the store to buy new
    ones. Same with wash clothes. No stains allowed!
    3: I clean daily. Not under everything dust daily but a wipe down , vacuum,
    laundry and floors. My husband helps if he isn't working, but it does drive
    him crazy that I have to do things on a daily basis.
    4: I have a few things that bother me; cabinet doors that are left open! salt and
    pepper shakers not wiped down and you can see grease on them, dirty stove
    tops and the nobs! I do like a neat home, lived in but nice.

    Take care,
    Rose

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  26. Apples both in or out depending on the amount we have and how many we are eating lol
    Just husband and I kids have married we each have our own bath towel plus I use a turban towel for my hair. Since we moved to our beach house we started using beach towels instead of regular sized towels for our showers, I dry them after each use. Then wash them every couple of days. the linen closet has plenty of towels for our overnight guests.
    I don’t like black in candles I put alcohol on a paper towel and wipe them out.
    Always straightening picture frames even at relatives houses lol
    Since living at the beach I clean everything on friday so it’s good for the weekend. Touch ups during the rest of the week. No dishes in the sink wipe the stove after cooking I have darker granite which gets wiped down at least ten times a day like you Billie Jo I don’t clean like when I was younger I have a more relaxed way of living now that I am older and wiser this was fun. Sharon k from nj

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  27. 1. Apples are usually kept in a bowl on the counter top, here. Although, I'm not a huge fan (unless they're in a crumble), so it isn't very often.
    2. No. And I don't own that many. Just enough that there are towels to use and enough to have some in the laundry, and some clean ones in the drawers.
    3. I wish! I clean when I get the chance. Thankfully, my decluttering has helped massively with this, so cleaning the house takes a lot less time.
    4. A wonky coffee table. It needs to lie straight with the edge of the sofa.
    Toasted cheese! Yummy!!! Xx

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  28. *I refrigerate apples, just because when I bite into them, I want it to be cold and juicy. ; )

    *I wash dishtowels every day, and I'm getting really tired of doing that, and it's hard on the washer and dryer. So, I've been thinking, like you, to get some more dish towels!

    *I clean my house randomly when it needs it. No set schedule, but I do like to clear out the old holiday stuff right away and look forward to the new holiday stuff.

    *And I also get bothered with the dark excess around the candle, and clean it out when I see that forming. I chuckled at that, cause I feel the same way. ; )

    Your tomato soup with toasted cheese looks perfect for a cold snowy day. And the Snoopy cup is soooo cute.

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Thanks so much for saying hello!

Billie Jo