Participation is easy. Make a list of what you want to get done in the next hour or two (be specific) note the time, then get off your computer and go do the list. Come back at appointed time and report on how you did.

Time: 10:03

1. Sort and start laundry running

2. Put away the clean dishes

3. Clean the hall bathroom

I’ll report back at 11:03.

Ready set go.

how do you clean your rowenta?? do you pour some solution through it?? mine not only leaks but sprinkles black sand out of it…

According to Cathe, you “run vinegar through it like you would a coffee maker.” Of course she said that all irons will leak on occasion, but vinegar will help what’s caused my mineral deposits.

The Long Version for those who want to know how it happened…

When I first got married, I dutifully procured an iron. I can’t remember what kind it was, but it was something from Walmart. After all, all irons are created equal right?

Well, I HATED ironing. It was a pain and I could never get my hubby’s shirt quite right. Combine that with the fact that I got pregnant with my first child that same year and it HURT to stand at the ironing board trying to convince the silly wrinkles to come out of his dress shirts. The khakis (that he had to wear to work and to church) were enough to put me in tears.

As time went on, my dear mother in love would occasionally take pity on me and help me with the ironing. I never understood how she could do them so well (and so easily) but I attributed it to her just being more talented than me in this area. Boy was I jealous though! LOL.

Fast forward to a year ago when they moved away to Michigan. She gave me her iron, an Oreck. It noticed it was much heavier than the silly thing I had been struggling with for four years! It also actually got decently hot and could put out steam. Shirts were a breeze and the khakis were done in under five minutes!

Overnight, ironing became fun…. (I’m so going to make sure my daughter has a GOOD iron when she gets married!)

…and all was well Adrienne’s ironing world until a few weeks ago when the iron croaked. It wouldn’t stay on. WAHHHHHH! I took it to the repair shop and they said there was nothing could do about it. Double WAHHHH!

So it was off to the cleaners with Hubby’s shirts and pants. What a pain. Not only do you have to make time to get over there, but it costs money. (Thankfully he can wear jeans every day but Sunday now…) Every time I’d come home and research the irons and then close the firefox windows in frustration. How was I ever going to choose the right iron?!

Finally I got smart and asked the Hearthkeepers. Without fail they ALL said “get a Rowenta.” The ironing queens (you know, the dear ones who iron everything and really enjoy it!) said to get a professional model. They also gave me tips on how to avoid the leaking issue that people complain about — it’s simple really, you clean it! LOL.

I looked on Amazon, BB&B, Target, Jo-Ann, etc., but still couldn’t decide. Then one of the other ladies on HK got a Rowenta at Tuesday Morning and she got it for a good price. So last night I went over to TM (with some coupons for BB&B in case TM didn’t have what I needed) and I came home with a Rowenta Professional DM 895 for half the department store price! Whether the original price was correct or not is not a huge deal since I was looking at spending at least $20 more so I think I got an okay deal.

I’m pretty sure it’s a fairly old model (since it was at TM) but it’s never been used. I wasn’t able to find any reviews online, but I decided to just keep it since the price was right and the brand is trustworthy. (I do know it’s legit since people are selling it on e-bay, it’s just not a really popular one in that people are raving or complaining about it…) I used it this morning to iron Dan’s shirt for church and it’s dreamy! So easy to use and very effective for the amount of effort you have to put out! I thought I really loved my oreck I had, but this one is so much more comfortable to use! (More ergonomic?)

I think I’ll write a review on this beauty once I’ve had it a few months. Then the next person who googles for this model will know if it’s good or bad.

So yeah, it’s time to get back on the happy housewife bandwagon before I go CRAZY. It’s been almost a month since we’ve been on a real routine so it’s hard to know where to start. You can imagine my excitement when Crystal’s post hit my Google Reader! It directed me to go to another blog where Monica is hosting a week long Making my Home a Haven Challenge! It starts Monday!