Here we go again! It is the middle of a sunny, not too hot but a little too breezy weekend. I say that because it is BEAUTIFUL out, but not quite warm enough for wearing shorts. Perfect weather to cook and clean in. Too bad yesterday was an errands day, so not a lot got done around the house. We did take some time to enjoy the sunshine, though.
We went out to a fundraiser for Great Danes yesterday. Roy bought a t-shirt to support the cause. I am holding off because I would rather buy one from the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group, BTRC as I volunteer with them. We had lunch and hit up some stores.
There was a bead sale, so I went there first. I then went to Bed Bath and Beyond. I would spend more money in there if I had it to spend, well who am I kidding, I love shopping, and money flows faster than mercury through my hands. Blink twice, and it’s gone, kind of like my awesome time management skills, I have the same ability in both of those areas. Amazing talents to have…not! My husband went to the pet store. He is working really hard on his 75-gallon fish tank set up. I cannot wait to finally post some pics when it is all done! I will share the finished setup photos when he is happy with it and ready to show it off.
At the second store I found some coffee on sale, not as good of a sale as the last time I was there, but still, a sale is better than full price. The reason I went was to get an organizational drawer for my fridge. There is a drawer on a slider in the middle of my fridge, but the space underneath that drawer is a nightmare to keep organized. My husband does not want to open the fridge and see multiple organization containers inside. I see the value of the system, but don’t want to buy more bins for the fridge until he changes his mind. This is the beginning of that transition. It may never proceed past the initial phase, but at least I get to tackle one huge problem area in our fridge.
I started my Sunday off in Church. I do like going and was a little late, but better late than never, I thought. So I went. Then I went to a coffee shop to wait for my ride home. It was a good start to the week, and to my Sunday.
I am headed back into the kitchen today. I NEED to run the dishwasher and get the dishes back under control. I think I am starting to feel better, hurrah for antibiotics and trying a different kind! I am wanting to do things again. Still not feeling completely healthy, but feeling like I want to get some things done around here again is a big plus.
I didn’t get things done last weekend. I was really feeling awful, and sometimes what you need to do has to be prioritized. I needed to rest so that I would get better, and be able to get some spring cleaning done this weekend.
I am not going to focus only on the kitchen today. I have an issue in the Master Bedroom that needs attention. I am notoriously famous for piling things up everywhere I go. My desk, my craft supplies, clothes or anything and everything. I do not like putting things away. So today, I am going to take the time to change the sheets and put my clothes away. Then I can rearrange the dresser and assemble the 6 cube shelving unit I bought a while back. If I really get on a roll, there may be pics here next weekend! I am still not feeling the motivation to finish the kitchen, so I am going to change the plans for today after I get those dishes done. I have some prep cooking to do also. I want the kitchen clean before I start cooking. I have 3 lbs of ground beef and a whole chicken to work with today when prep cooking. The beef will make 2 different meals, and the chicken is going into my crock pot. I really love making this recipe with whole chickens, ever since I found it online a while ago.
So, I intend to fully bounce the house today. That is a Tish-ism. You can read about it here: Bouncing the House. The tunes will be cranked, and I will be doing a little singing and dancing while I work. After all, if it isn’t a little bit fun, I will never get it done!
Happy Easter 2017! I am having a quiet day, having no children myself, and recovering from The Head Cold 2017 has been my priority for the last 2 days. I am finally feeling like doing things again today, which is great! I will be taking it slow, but working in the kitchen is on my list of things to do.
I am happy to say that the overthinking portion of what to rearrange in my kitchen has reached completion in my mind, this morning. I will be moving things around in my kitchen over the next few days, as I have Monday and Tuesday off this week. I had some vacation time left to use up, and I will be taking a few days here and there in the next couple of months to help me get a jump start on what I need to finish my spring cleaning. I am really excited to work in my kitchen today, knowing that I have a plan!
That is a key point for me. Having a plan. I have been planning and planning in my mind on what to move where. I did this with my counter tops a few weeks ago, when I set up my Coffee Station Complete! project. I have to figure out how to move things around in my mind before I do it because when I am in the middle of a project, improvisation is a possibility, but having to reverse all the work because I didn’t plan the project properly is not acceptable. Double the work without the task being accomplished is just not an option for me. So with that in mind, I will move forward with the kitchen today.
The plans I have will not be finished in one day. That is why I am glad I have the extra days this week to continue working on it. Once I have everything rearranged, then I can work on cleaning the top of the cupboards, empty all of them and put things back when I have cleaned inside each cupboard, and work my way to cleaning the floors. I will have to dust my pantry and shuffle some things around as I figure out new ways to place everything in my kitchen all over again. My fridge was cleaned earlier this year, and it is in need of a touch-up, but that will not be as much of a chore this time around.
The ultimate goal is to have a picture worthy kitchen that is clean, organized, and functional. I want to hang up my new kitchen decorations and be able to really enjoy them! I want to be proud of the final result and move on to the rest of the house. The living room is in progress. My office corner in the living room is an unorganized disaster and will need a few days to complete. I have been puttering, but no real progress has been made there, yet. The Master bedroom and guest room are works in progress. The Master Bathroom is in desperate need of time and effort, and that will not wait much longer. The Main bathroom is in decent shape, and the Man Cave is not on MY list. It will all happen, it just needs time and for me to be really focused on the end goal. Finishing on or before July 1, 2017.
What are you working on this weekend? Are you celebrating Easter with Joy? If you are spending time with family and friends, that is just as important as my plans to move forward with my spring cleaning. I stopped last weekend to recharge. I spent the last 2 days fighting a really horrible head cold. I am ready to start cleaning again, and I have the time I need to work on it. Have a Happy Easter, Weekend Warriors!
Well, look at that. I made it to another weekend. It is unplanned, as of yet, and that could be dangerous. In terms of making the most of my weekend off, that is.
Looking around, I can get overwhelmed at the amount of work I still need to do. But just looking at it won’t fix that.
So I have to make a list. It will be for both days, as I never seem to finish the list I make in one day, so I’ll be realistic. Then I will pick some small things to get me going. It is motivating to cross things off of the list.
Eggs and Avs (THM) A nice filling breakfast. I love poached eggs, but you can fry them if you prefer. I love this quick, healthy breakfast on weekends.
We do have to run errands today. So I’ve filled the Overthinkin and Coffee Drinkin mug to sip my coffee while I Brunch and write. Tomorrow I’ll need to prep cook, and my husband doesn’t know it yet, but there is a package of bacon for tomorrow’s breakfast. He wouldn’t eat this with me, but he loves bacon and eggs.
I am still struggling with the cleaning challenge. I feel like this weekend might be when I get back on track. I set the goals at the start of the year, and I intend to keep them. But where to begin? I am overwhelmed by a number of things to do on an exponentially growing to do list and underwhelmed with the energy to attack it. How do I fight my way to doing instead of dreading?
The lists and music are the answer. Even if I take an hour to make the list, it is a start. Do I write down everything, share it with my husband, and tackle it with him? Will we bicker if we tackle the same thing together? Sometimes that happens. If we are both working in the kitchen, there is not a lot of space when we are doing the dishes. My kitchen is deceptive. It looks spacious but has very little cupboard space. I have had to be creative in what I have and where I store things. I have a bookcase, an open pantry, and a large standing shelf with a door on it.
This is the final result of the only thing I really accomplished in the first year I joined the Cleaning Challenge. I need to tidy it up this year, but for the most part, it is still in good shape, and just needs a good dusting job. It is my Open Shelf Pantry.
We have often talked about how to get more efficient storage in the kitchen. We are planning to get some furniture “someday” at Ikea. It will be mostly to set up the living room, but the kitchen will get a boost too. It will happen, it is hard sometimes to make do and stay motivated, but it is what it is.
This afternoon we went to get our taxes finished up. Done for another year. We then made an afternoon trip of going to two local SPCA animal shelters. We are starting to think about getting our first dog, and saw a lot of cats too. We will get another cat too, someday, but we needed a break, after having been a cat only home for so long.
This evening we went to visit some friends. It was nice to get out and socialize as a couple with another couple that we are friends with, but haven’t been to visit in quite some time.
Another productive day outside of the house. I will have to work really hard tomorrow to catch up. It can be done. It will be done. It has to. I hope the energy is still with me tomorrow. The house needs a bouncing!
