Woman in Real Life

A really good spring cleaning can be daunting. So much to do - and wouldn't we all rather be outside enjoying the sunshine? But the end result of all your work can't be beat. Lovely fresh clean surfaces and neatly organized cupboards. How wonderful.

When I have a big clean-up to do, I like to think back to the wisdom found in Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance, A Daybook Of Comfort And Joy:

For what is the purpose of cleaning this room? Is it simply to pick up trash and dispose of yesterday's newspaper? Or is some inspired action at work here? In the process of transforming this room into a safe and serene haven where my family can come together to enjoy the comfort of each other's company, am I not changing the perception of my work?



The kitchen, as they say, is surely the heart of the home. It gets the most use and abuse of any room. That's why I decided to give my kitchen some loving attention this spring. I threw open the windows, put on some lively tunes and spent the better part of a day cleaning and organizing this vital space. Our kitchen before my clean-up wasn't the worst it has ever been. I had organized the pantry and cupboards not so long ago. But the counters are daily magnets for all kinds of homeless objects, as you can see in this photo, above. So I spent some time weeding out unnecessary objects and items that belonged in other parts of the house. I tried to ensure that remaining objects had homes they could easily go back to.


And I cleared some of the items that are not used so often off of the countertops. Items like our espresso/cappuccino maker. I love a good soy latte but in reality we rarely make them. So I did some rearranging to make space for the machine in a lower cupboard. I also cleaned the inside of the fridge - that was long overdue! I'm not quite sure what spilled down the back and into the bottom of the fridge, but it was dark...and thick...and not easy to wash off! I was so happy when the fridge finally sparkled.


I'm working really hard to maintain my clean counters. I love the idea of having a clean and clutter-free kitchen at the end of each busy day. It doesn't always happen, I confess, but it's lovely when it does. A clean kitchen means you have more time to properly feed yourself and your family in the morning. Less rushing, less preparing lunches around yesterday's dishes!


The inspiration for my spring kitchen clean-up came in large part from our beautiful new faucet, Delta's Cassidy Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with Touch2O Technology. While we don't currently have the budget for a kitchen overhaul, a new faucet has made all the difference in the functionality of our kitchen. We had gone through two previous faucets in the past year. The water spout literally fell off the first one, shooting water all over the place. Both faucets could never be tightened enough to prevent them from twisting off to the side rather than staying securely centred.

Our new Delta faucet is not only beautiful and stylish, it is this baking girl's dream faucet. Equipped with Delta Touch2O Technology, it allows you to start and stop the flow of water with a simple tap anywhere on the faucet. That means you can feel free to knead your biscuit or pie dough by hand without worry of having to dirty the faucet to wash your hands. Yay! The kids love to use it too - which means nice clean hands all around! My faucet also has a light that changes colour depending on the water temperature. I like to wash my dishes in fairly hot water so that particular feature has been great for me. It also ensures that the kids don't get burned if I have just used the hot water. They like to look at the colour of the light when they turn the faucet on.

The Benefits of a High Quality Faucet

Like all parents, I do countless amounts of dishes in a single day. The benefits of a faucet that is high quality, attractive and convenient cannot be exaggerated. I have seen a dramatic improvement in my enjoyment of everyday tasks. It has made "homecaring" the positive experience that we hope it can be. And it's simple to use, because the entire faucet is the sensor - there's no trying to find a certain spot to tap.

I chose a faucet with a pull-down spray wand because I love the convenience of pulling out the hose to rinse food remnants off the sink or wash stubborn foods off dishes. The faucet has a magnetic docking system that means the spray wand stays firmly docked when not in use. (The wand on my previous faucet used to hang down a couple of inches - just enough to drive me crazy!) We often think about the functioning of our oven or dishwasher, but how often do you think about the importance of a good faucet? This is an appliance in itself and one that's probably used more often than any other in your kitchen.

Check out all the features of our gorgeous Cassidy Kitchen Faucet (ours is in Venetian Bronze). Or find out more about Touch 2O technology.

Oh, and treat yourself to some flowers. I figured that, after all my hard work, I deserved some pretty blooms to further beautify my fresh spring kitchen.

How often do you use your kitchen faucet in a day?




*Although this post has been generously sponsored by Delta Faucet, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect Delta Faucet.