I have no original statement. But I can tell you what she was probably thinking "I can do the laundry while I'm doing other things, but when I'm mowing the lawn that's all I can do". I do the same thing.

I was SURE my husband knew what I wanted him to do just because the thought ran through my mind. I was sure that I let him know in other ways, turns out, nope those were all in my mind too. Those scowls in the direction of the yard, how could he possibly miss those?!? Ok so maybe he wasn't in the room but he should have figured it out right?

The important thing is that you talk about it so it doesn't get filed away under "unresolved" and rear its ugly head (for you or her) as resentment and anger later. If you don't let her know that she has to tell you point blank what she wants you to do, she's going to go on thinking that you can read her mind and just choose the jobs you wanted to do instead of what needed to be done and leave the crappy jobs for her. (So I've heard, I've not had this discussion myself *cough*)

And at some point in time, and it will come as a shock to her I guarantee you're going to come in with at laundry list (no pun intended) of things that you've gone out of your way to make her life easier and she didn't notice.

I don't know why this is such a difficult thing for married people to do. It's so simple and so effective. I have to go now, it seems I owe someone an apology. A work in progress.