6.30.2011

Mission Creep

Mission creep is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes. The term often implies a certain disapproval of newly adopted goals by the user of the term. Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to the dangerous path of each success breeding more ambitious attempts, only stopping when a final, often catastrophic, failure occurs.
I am perpetually guilty of Domestic Mission Creep at the cottage. Its actually something I've embraced over the years as my perennial desire is family and guests alike will come to the cottage and enjoy having the best food and the nicest atmosphere and be able to do what they want while everything else just seems effortless.  (In other words, do it all myself to let them enjoy it.)

That's the "Mission" part of it.  The "Creep" comes in because every year I want to maintain what we've always done and add something new too! So every season the list has grown and grown to where its now at the breaking point and last summer I didn't have time to knit at all!

Here's a great example of the ridiculous lengths I can go. Last summer, Number One Son and a friend up for a few days so every morning I baked a different recipe of cinnamon roll...yeast raised...baking powder style...some with raisins/nut filling, others without...iced and plain, baked in glass vs. cast iron.  Every morning they'd sit down after water skiing and eat them and I'd ask them all kinds of questions about them...taste, texture, sweetness, overall impression.  It was interesting for me and kind of pushed the friend to think of food in way he'd never considered before BUT...seriously? I spent all that time for cinnamon rolls? Then I started thinking about what I'd make as a comparison study this summer when the the kid visits while also making the cinnamon rolls he liked best every morning he's there!

I need to get a grip and I'm going to really try to do just that.  We'll see how it goes.

At least Mission Creep isn't a problem for me in terms of Dog Grooming. This is the doggie we took to the cottage last weekend...

And this is the one that will be heading up with us tonight. (Don't mistake his rather serious expression for displeasure with his new "do". That's just the look of exhaustion from the bath/blowdry/clipping/scissoring process!)
Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

5 comments:

Brendaknits said...

Hee Hee. I couldn't imagine my kids eating the same thing for breakfast five days a week when they were growing up so I set a goal of something different/interesting - read more work for me - three days a week. Years later, as adults I asked them about those special breakfasts. Neither son could remember them at all!

Rue said...

Oh, cinnamon rolls sound delicious! You're definitely making me hungry again just thinking about it.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend up at the cabin!

(And how's the shawl coming?)

LaurieM said...

Don't you deserve a holiday?

Sandra said...

I've been accused of going overboard, but you leave me in the dust! It's taken a while, but I've learned to step back and enjoy more. I think people enjoy being a part of the process as much as being waited on.

Tina said...

Hudson is SO cute in his new do – I love the shorterhaired ears (isn’t able to move them more this way) and am sure he is proud of his look (though I personally would keep the hair on top of his head a bit shorter, too). Lovely dog!