I am not one of those people who enjoy cleaning, but there are certain joys that I do find in some tasks. One such task is washing dishes. I am a hand washer, most of the time. It's soothing, and it puts me in control of the cleanliness. So here are 3 things that make me happy while I am washing dishes.
1. Mrs. Meyer's dish soap, preferably basil scented. I was hesitant to try Mrs. Meyer's, because it cost more than the brand I normally bought, which worked really well. But for some reason, I decided to give it a shot. Now I can't imagine doing dishes without it. The smell is heavenly, so it makes doing the dishes seem decadent, and even better, it works like a charm. Tough stuff stuck to a pan? Put some water in with a little Mrs. Meyer's, walk away for a few minutes, and when you come back, that stuck on stuff (for the most part) slides right off. I love it.
2. My boyfriend loves to cook with cast iron. And I love to eat what he cooks in cast iron. However, it can be extremely difficult to clean off sometimes. But we have discovered the answer--chain mail. It's a small square of chain mail that works like a scrubber for cast iron without needing soap and water or chemicals or anything. Just the scrubber, a little elbow grease, and paper towels, and our cast iron has never looked better.
3. My hand crocheted dishcloths. These I make myself, from Lily Sugar'n'Cream yarn. It's something for me to do when my head is spinning and I need to calm it down while doing something with my hands. But for this, I really need to thank my grandmother, who originally taught me how to crochet. I am so grateful for that time with her, for her patience with me and her willingness to pass on her skills. That was a special time, and now I have both my skills and my crocheted items to remember her love. That makes me happy, always.
*what is making me happy this week