Wortham World is cleaned by me for many reasons directly related to my ideals of order, for obvious reasons I complete these tasks myself since I’m fairly certain that no one other than I could achieve my desired results.
My idea of relaxing is a good laugh and I’m not opposed at laughing at myself when members of my family are searching for their morning coffee cup that I’ve already put in the dishwasher.
Cindy Daniel has a list of #wendyisms “We don’t have time to do that” or, “Have you seen my sister?” Often, I’m asking this at weddings when unable to find her goofing around and hanging out with guests! “Here’s our itinerary” Cindy hates schedules, timelines or even deadlines, Cindy loves to “wing it!”
“Winging it” scares the hell out of me, you see, the possibility of being late or overlooking something for me is unthinkable.
I am not and never will be a “relaxed” person. I don’t know how to relax- my entire life has been spent as the caretaker of not only my family but of strangers as well. People ask me for help all the time and, I must accommodate my personal schedule to address their needs. The word “no” is something I’ve yet to say when someone needs my help. I give 150% to anything I involve myself with and always have, competitive by default it is something of a cross that I must bear. I’ve been told all my life to “relax” the problem is, what might happen if I did? Someone had to be the leader, the doer, the achiever, the planner, the problem solver and I’m that someone!
The only way to accomplish my numerous goals is with the use of numerous lists, schedules, and stringent guidelines.
Organization and order are maintained throughout this home with regularly scheduled hand cleaned floors, mirrors are cleaned every week and sheets are changed biweekly.
A smudged piece of glass or lopsided pillow drive me crazy to the point that if I’m entering a room and spot something on a carpet- I drop everything and immediately vacuum. This bothers my husband to no end along with my other numerous habits.
Are my standards too high for ordinary care of a home? Not for me, which is why hiring someone to complete a task that is obviously more important to me than it is to them would be an escapade in futility. You see, I would have to go behind them and do the work myself which would render having anyone else do it for me useless.
Taking clothes to the cleaners requires a careful review of each and every article. My pants must be creased in the front, if I am not very specific regarding this issue, the cleaners will press my palazzo pants from side to side rather than from front to back- this is an ongoing issue to such an extent that my husband does not take my clothing to the cleaners for me, I do it myself!
Washing my clothes, I do not allow my husband to wash my clothes for numerous reasons and, I do not dry my clothes either. They are air dried to prevent damage from a hot dryer.
Lost socks confuse me, I often throw away a “stranger” because searching for the mate or having an incomplete set in the house would bother me.
Having streaked crystal requires an immediate removal of all items to be carefully cleaned immediately to ensure there isn’t another item in the cabinet that goes unchecked.
Hard water stains on pots and pans has always bothered me, I carefully full a sink and scrub them off on a regular basis.
Finding dust on any surface is always disconcerting and since we live in an older home with less than stellar insulation- dusting must be done not less than twice a week at Wortham World.
Ongoing projects of staining and refurbishing furniture in my basement workroom must not he moved or touched by anyone other than myself due to the risk of a possible fingerprint on the drying stain- my husband is careful not to ever move anything “under construction.”
Having empty hangars in closets takes up valuable space. Once a week any and all empty hangers are removed and taken to the cleaners.
Used towels are never allowed on the floor, they are hung and after dry, washed immediately.
Dishes in the sink are like a thorn in my side, they must be addressed immediately and after removing the dishes, I scrub the sink and carefully rinse it.
Watering plants is done on a daily basis, removing dead or unhealthy plants, weekly.
I must completely wash all patio areas to ensure no dust is visible at any time for any reason.
Holiday decorations are carefully wrapped, marked and stored in an assigned area.
You see, there are things I cannot change about my personality that bother even me.
While I would like the ability to relax and enjoy my home, I always find something or other that needs to be addressed.
eBay items are carefully stored and listed every week and, shipped daily. I pride myself on presentation of sold items by carefully wrapping them in gift paper prior to shipment and, speedy shipping is my trademark!
Every day I re visit my schedule to ensure that I am prepared for an upcoming wedding or event and often ask the bride for the colors to ensure my vestment chosen is not going to clash with their wedding colors.
Planning for an event takes careful consideration on my part because I often ask for interaction to give the ceremony an emotional element with either hand written vows, a unity candle or, sand ceremony.
Often a traditional ceremony can be genetic in effect and because of this, I customize each and every ceremony prior to the event.
My husband is under the impression that conducting a ceremony takes thirty minutes or less- this is ridiculous!
When I arrive at a wedding with Cindy, I first ensure the chairs are properly placed and the caterers are running on schedule, the cake is prepared, the tables are properly set and then visit both the bride and the groom prior to meeting my own needs to prepare for the event.
Often, I’m needed in several different places prior to the wedding to address numerous unexpected issues and my twin sister, Cindy, helps me get everyone organized and on the same page for the production.
You see, taking charge in any and all aspects of my home, my life and my business is a necessity in ensuring everything I do flows in the direction of being as close to perfection as I can achieve.
I do not believe in do-overs or, backtracking. Getting it right the first time is of the utmost importance to me.
When I make a commitment to anything in my life, verbal or written to anyone- my promises are and, always will be, kept!
List making is essential to everything I do to ensure no smallest detail is overlooked.
Do incidents or in planned events “rattle my cage?” Absolutely, but to be a leader I must prepare myself for the ensuing chaos a wedding or event might bring. In laws and out laws along with sometimes outrageous behavior will always play a role in the wedding and events industry- this is beyond my control. This is where Cindy Daniel comes in with a quick laugh and easy going attitude she is a genius at redirecting the focus of chaos and often uses her “kit of tricks” for last minute emergencies at ceremonies. Her creative and crafty “quick fixes” have saved the day numerous times.
Once, when it was realized at an event the boutonnieres were forgotten- Cindy quickly grabbed things from the Centerpieces and handed them to me in order for me to quickly fashion “emergency” corsages and boutonnieres. Yes, together we make quite a team and although our personalities and thoughts may be different, our common goal of exceeding expectations of our clients remains the driving force behind our partnership.
You see, I specifically started this business in order to spend more time with my sister. After selling our home, my husband gave me “seed money” to invest in a business and, knowing what a hard worker I am, he knew that whatever I chose to pursue- that I would succeed at.
My versatile background of sales certainly helped, my creativity with floral designs didn’t hurt, and finally my love and compassion for others would fuel my mission! He made a good choice and so did I when I chose Cindy and the tiny Texas Twins, Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney to help out at events working for tips and “trades” of toys, video games and friendship with our numerous affiliations.
My dear family friend, Virginia Malone, often pitches in when needed as do my nieces, Leigh Ann Blais and Stephaney Rene Mahaney, my son, Robert and his wife, Stephanie. Other Texas Twins Team Members, Ann Alexander and Karolyn Nein and Angela Rodden also drop everything to assist in a last minute call to attend a wedding or event.
If is sounds as if I’m a dictator, bossy or relentless in my life or career, perhaps I am but, haphazardly doing anything would have chaos competing with order and would simply not work for me.
Comments by Wendy Wortham