What is that SMELL?

 Oh dear - what have I done? And I can't even blame DH for this one! Plus, I should know better. 

What happened? I saw that we were getting low on laundry detergent, so I decided to buy some on one of my trips to the grocery store. Hmm - I looked at all the containers but didn't spot the same one we are currently using. Oh my -- all these scents. Gross! 

I purchased one with "Original Scent," thinking it would be scent-free. What an idiot I am!!! 

That is NOT scent-free, and now our house stinks like this scent. How the manufacturers can say this is clean and fresh is beyond me. It's a horrible stench! OK - that's a bit dramatic, but I hate it. 

It's not that the smell is unpleasant, but it's STRONG. And in today's world, that doesn't work for me. 

I am NOT allergic to the smell. I hate when people say, "I'm allergic" to the scent. Most of us are NOT allergic to scents, but in the absence of scents in our day, we are hyper-aware or have become sensitive to them. I don't cough or sneeze or get an allergic reaction; I just find the smell strong and distasteful! 

It's the same as when we needed to buy floor cleaning supplies. DH couldn't find Mr. Clean's regular scent, so he got lavender. Oh my god, I wanted that out of the house—it was horrible. Yet, I'm sure some people love this, and that's great—they can use it all they want! Just let me know, and I'll visit when the scent dissipates! 

I'm going to the grocery store to find some unscented laundry soap. I don't mind if DH uses it on his clothes but on my clothes? That's just too much for me to bear for an entire day! And God forbid I wash sheets in this stuff! 

And by the way, for those who missed the post, sadly, Diane passed away in July 2024. She became ill, and I think she stopped sewing for me at the end of 2023. She did a fantastic job clearing up the huge piles of fabric at my house! I am slowly whittling the pile of quilt tops down, but I need to get focused on that. I've never seen Diane's sewing room, so I have no idea what to expect. Was she neat? I suspect so. Did she have a lot of UFOs? I don't think so - she seemed to be the type to start and finish. It will be a mystery tour when I stop in tomorrow. 

All her husband said was that he was overwhelmed by her huge fabric stash. What does "huge" mean? Any fabric stash is huge to a non-quilter. Let's hope he is exaggerating. 

Here's another problem I'm struggling with. I've been struggling with this one for eons, so it's not new, but I wish I could get on top of it! I can't finish ANYTHING! That stack of CDs and DVDs? I made a considerable effort to clean it up, and they are mostly gone, except for about a dozen. Why can't I finish that job? 

The bags of garbage and boxes of books that Yagana cleaned up for M. They are partially sorted by me and sit in the hallway. I get through some of the stacks of my paperwork, and the rest sits there. It's not like I don't have the time - I have the time, but I'm off on something else. This is how stuff becomes clutter. I need to NOT start anything new until I've dealt with the stuff that is currently OUT. FOCUS - I know I can do it! And I'll feel so much better when I do! 

I can't wait to get down to barely any possession because then I'll have to finish any job I tackle. After all, there won't be much there! 

The universe is trying to tell me something. Remember the message in my Yogi tea from two days ago? 

Yogi tea quote

And how about this one from yesterday. 

I say that all the time. Having failures is so critical in our lives. I don't know why it's so frowned upon. So much so that people are paralyzed to do things because they'll make a mistake or do things for their children so they can't fail. Just go for it! As the quote says, making that mistake takes a lot of COURAGE. However, those who make a mistake are ahead of those who sit on the couch lamenting that they can't learn something new. DO IT!!!! What mistake did you make yesterday? Celebrate it this morning! Embrace those mistakes, and then move on! 

I had a few minutes to spare, so I worked on the new jigsaw puzzle. You probably can't tell which city that is by the picture. But if the image were clear, you'd quickly know which US city. There is so much light in that room that the glare on the puzzle makes it hard to take pictures. 

Working on the new jigsaw puzzle

Here's something else new at our house. DH bought tea, and the box has a green band advertising less packaging. For one, the box is smaller, which makes perfect sense. I could never figure out why they make big boxes that are half-filled. They take up more room to ship and store in a warehouse or shop's shelves. There was no plastic wrap on the box! Yeah, Tetley, thank you for making those changes! 

New tea packaging on the left

The cost of chips is high because of the packaging. While the bag size hasn't changed, the quantity has been reduced—they are practically empty. Shipping takes up a lot of space. Remember, shipping is not just about weight but also about volume. 

Well, I'll be off to the grocery store to find the blue and white scent-free container of Tide because I need to rewash everything I washed yesterday to eliminate this smell before it kills me! Oh, the drama! 

I have many things to do today, so I need to work faster. But I'm getting to the point where I see people taking the weekend off, and I wonder why I can't have a weekend off. So I am slipping! But it's the week now, so it's back to work! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!