SIX Things I’m Anal About

1. My hair being perfectly straightened.

My flat iron is easily the most expensive thing I own, aside from my wedding ring. I’m usually pretty frugal about everything I buy. But I use this thing every day. Sometimes more than once a day. So it has to be gooooood.

2. Everything being put away at my house.

There’s a saying that goes “A place for everything and everything in its place.” And it’s an unwritten rule at my house. Everything must have an actual place that it’s stored. It makes tidying up a snap. But … before you label me a clean freak, let me teach you something that I must explain to every visitor to my home who says, “Your house is so clean.” It’s not true. It’s a lie. I’m a fraud. Because there are cat-hair tumbleweeds in every corner of my house … and dusty furniture … and toothpaste-crushed bathroom counters. Because I am not a clean freak. I am a neat freak. There’s a difference. (Gosh, I wish I was a clean freak.)

3. Packing for vacation.

I absolutely hate it. Like it’s likely to inspire a whole different post this month. But it’s probably because I make it harder than it needs to be by making lists and creating ensembles and trying everything on before I pack it. As much as I love vacations, packing for them is pure misery.

4. Misspellings.

They jump off pages, signs, screens, bathroom walls, labels and other people’s correspondence to me. It’s an absolute curse. And when I realize that *I’ve* made a spelling error, it’s crippling. Even though, honestly, it’s almost always due to a typo. Because I can’t type but I’m a damned good speller. Plus I’m ANAL!

5. My Christmas Card picture.

How can I NOT be anal about it? It’s the one and only thing I send out to every member of my family as well as scads of friends across the country each year. So, shortly after Thanksgiving, I begin scouring my annual supply of photos for the perfect shot or shots to sum us up as a family. And my head starts swimming with questions: “Do we look happy?” “Do I look skinny?” “Should it be from vacation or at home?” “Did we have any special milestones that should be featured here?” “DEAR GOD! ARE THE PETS REPRESENTED?!!?”

6. Challenges I impose on myself like this Blog Posts by Number Game.

I back myself into a corner. A lot. And I make plans or deals with myself that aren’t always very realistic. But I like to see things through. Even though sometimes I should probably know when to quit and just walk away.

June is Blog Post by Numbers Month. Wanna play with Mel and me? Just write a “listy-type” post with a number in the title (ex. FOUR Reasons I Love Mayonnaise, SIX Things You Can Do With A Paper Clip). Then link back to us and tweet us about it so we can include you on June 30th in our final list: (Number-Yet-To-Be-Determined) Great Bloggers Who Played the Blog Post by Numbers Game!