by Tish MacWebber | Apr 29, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
First thing is first. I have washed all of the dishes. ALL OF THEM! With that being said, I am breathing a sigh of relief! Now I can plan the deep clean of my kitchen with the basics being done. I am far from finished in there, but I am back at 0 instead of starting from -1000.
I have been working on the kitchen in spurts. I do have pictures. It is NOT 100% clean and tidy, but the basic surface cleaning is ready for the deeper clean.
The Kitchen Table is ready for meals.
I cleared off the kitchen table. The plastic cover still needs to be cut, but I have it on the table to protect the tablecloth. I have taken the leaf out, and I will be putting it back in to cut the cover to the right size. I am really liking the turquoise or aqua colour that is popular right now. The the new placemats are pretty, and they match the tablecloth.
The pantry still needs work
I have yet to go through the pantry. It is closer to being something I can do, with the progress I have made.
Canned goods are now under the Island
The second part of the Pantry is under the Island. This was a part of my kitchen shuffle I did a while back.
Pots and Pans
The pots and pans are now under the cook top stove. I really like the pot cover organizer we bought at Bed Bath & Beyond. It is a great space saver& organization tool.
Stove top cleared off.
It needs to be cleaned properly now that it is cleared off. It won’t take too long, I bought a cleaner and some sponges to clean it with.
Counter beside the cook top stove, over the dishwasher is cleared off
The toaster was in front of the breadbox. The electric stand mixer was where the toaster is now. It is better this way.
The Coffee Station is still tidy
I finished the dishes shortly after I stopped to take the pictures.
My Kitchen Window over the sink
I am so happy I saw what my friend does with her scrub brush. She keeps it in a vase. Mine fit nicely in these vases, and they were in the windowsill before I put things in them.
The view of the table from behind the Island.
It still needs work, but it has come a LONG way!
A place to store recipes ad extra K-cups, and G2 for Zumba days
This was another change we made recently.
My 2 new signs I bought to hang when I finish the kitchen.
I can’t wait to hang them up! I will hang them when I am done the deep clean in the kitchen.
Finally some pics of progress to share. I have been working hard at my kitchen, and it will only improve with every hour spent in there. How is your Spring Cleaning progressing?
by Tish MacWebber | Apr 16, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
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!
#WeekendWarrior
by Tish MacWebber | Apr 11, 2017 | Coffee and Stories
This past weekend, I wrote about facing my inner demons. I fight with myself sometimes. Nobody throws punches, and nobody gets hurt. Except maybe my own ego.
I can get stuck in a pattern of doing nothing while having the best intentions of getting through a whole list of things that need to be done. There are days when I literally talk myself out of getting anything done. It is a nasty little place to be in, and it happens when things are bothering me, or in the winter. I am less likely to have the energy to do more than the basics in the winter time, and that is sometimes left too long. In this endless loop of getting nothing done, I can become overwhelmed by how much there IS to do, and that doesn’t help me at all.
Spring is here. I feel the change in the weather, and in my spirit. The blog has started me off in the right direction. I am wanting to get things done, and I FEEL DIFFERENT about life right now. I am trying new things, making small changes, and thinking about what I need to do to make the leap from blogging to writing a book.
A year ago I was recovering from an infection in my knee. It was not a pleasant experience, I would never recommend a knee infection as something for anyone to do. I was away from work for 3 months, and sat around that whole time, as I was told to not be moving around very much. I had nurses visiting me in my home for IV antibiotics once a day for two or three weeks. I was taught how to bandage the wound when the IV was over, and they stopped the home checks. I longed for the day that I could have a shower without medical tape and shopping bags protecting the bandages from getting wet. I was on some strong painkillers, for the first time ever, and I was scared that I might become addicted. I did not.
Spring cleaning didn’t really happen last year. So I am on a mission to get it done properly this year. I am writing about it, and puttering at it, and making a little more progress in that kitchen every time I get in there. I have made a few inexpensive purchases to help me to get this project accomplished. I see the progress, but I am not ready to share it yet.
I needed to stop and just take a breath last weekend. That’s what the title means. When you worry about everyone or everything else and don’t take time for yourself, you can empty your coffee pot before you get yourself a refill. That is a mistake that can build into a disaster if it is not made a priority.
It’s not Ok to neglect your own needs in order to make sure that everyone else’s needs are taken care of first. Sometimes, it is necessary to take care of others first. However, if you don’t stop and take time for you, the coffee at the bottom of the pot is going to have a burnt taste, and it will not be a pleasant thing to drink.
Whatever it is in your life that allows you to feel refreshed and recharged is something that you need to always make time for. If it is the 5 am cup of coffee before anyone else in your home is awake, get up and pour yourself a hot cup of coffee. If it is taking a bath at the end of a long and tiring day, make time to fill the bathtub. Read a book for a chapter a day, at the time you can schedule it in. If you have dogs, they can help you take the time to yourself to think when you have to walk them anyway.
Or, at other times you need to be around other people. Friends and family are important too. Find people that are fun to be around, and bring you up, not down. I am not saying that you should ignore all of your other friends, but when you need to feel good, surround yourself with people, things and activities that help you do just that.
When I think about where I was a year ago, I had no idea I was going to make a leap into becoming a blogger. I was waiting to be told that I could start going back to Zumba classes. I was learning about the Trim Healthy Mama Plan, and trying new recipes. I was already going through the motions of being back to work at my day job. And I was miserable.
Now I have a blossoming new outlook for spring this year. I will be working on my New Year’s Resolutions and branching out with what I am doing with my life. I am chasing my dreams and making them into my reality. One at a time.
Thank you for reading my 60th Blog Post. Still having fun, and Always Thinking…
by Tish MacWebber | Apr 9, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Here we are. Another weekend is over. If you are reading the other stories I post, you may know that I did a little shopping last week. I have tried and tried to get myself into that kitchen. This week, I chose another fight. I decided to fight some inner demons.
I have been working hard on this blog. I am pouring my heart and soul into it, and it is having positive effects in my life. This weekend, I took a much needed break from my routine.
I have given myself a deadline for starting to work on my book. I hope to be done with my Spring Cleaning on or before July 1st. This way I have given myself a full 6 months for each project I am working on this year. If I finish early, bonus. I have no doubts that when I sit down to write, it will happen. I am doing well with the consistency of the blog.
A discussion online made me stop and think about my progress. I have not finished yet what I have resolved to do this year. I am making lists and getting some of the things done, but I never finish the list. The approach thus far has been to make the list, get done what I can, and start a new list the next day. Or continue the same list. The discussion I was referring to was when someone alluded to feeling like a fraud because they have not written a book yet.
I am not a fraud. I work hard at things all the time, even if the progress is made only inside of my head. I am also working on making myself healthier, and that is a project that has no deadline. It is ongoing. Deciding what is best for me to tackle on a weekly basis is moving towards completing something. Progress is progress. No matter how it appears to anyone else.
I did a small amount of puttering. I did not do anything that is picture worthy. So the progress pics will have to wait another week. I have a few vacation days coming up in April, and I plan to use them wisely. I am hoping to catch up in the kitchen this month and be able to move on to the rest of my home. I am going to have to force the issue, with myself, if I am ever going to get it accomplished. That is why I have had to give myself a deadline. At some point, I DO have to finish the Spring Cleaning and move on to the book writing.
Writing this series is helping. I am planning and seeing what needs to be done, and I have ideas of what I will be sharing in the pictures as I progress. Tomorrow after work I have plans to work on a small section of the kitchen while making supper. As I wrote somewhere earlier today on social media, the house does not bounce itself.
This weekend I caught up with some friends, and we had a fantastic time at a local board game cafe. We hung out for the whole evening, and that included the taxi driver being pulled over by the cops for making an illegal left turn while driving us to my friend’s house. If I had a cell phone (what! she doesn’t have a cell phone! the horror!) I would have been able to join in with the Pokemon Go the rest of them played last night. I tried it, and we had fun just hanging out.
Today I spent some quality time chatting with family. Then I went to see the new Smurfs movie with my husband. It was SMURFTASTIC! So familiar, and positive, and full of all the Smurfy jokes and Smurf magic.
I worked on myself this weekend. I recharged my batteries and am ready to take on the next week. I will be working on the Spring Cleaning over the next weekend, and hopefully a little bit all week. I know it will all add up and I will get there. So no, I am not a fraud, by any standard. I am a person that is a work in progress, and I am going to keep working until I accomplish my goals.
#WeekendWarrior
by Tish MacWebber | Apr 1, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Well, I decided it was time to give a progress report. The tunes are cranked. I am motivated. So what did I get done?
I have decided to publish this first thing Saturday morning so I can keep the momentum going that I found last weekend. I worked on my kitchen DURING THE WEEK! I am really happy with my progress.
I moved the dish drainer out of the way to create a new Coffee Station. I blogged about that on Monday, because I was so excited that I had to share what I did. For a recap of that short story, here is a link: Coffee Station Complete!
I washed the curtains, and they are all hung back up. I also had to flip the windowsill decorations to match the flip of the coffee station. The curtain has to be at the opposite side of the window, which caused the rearrangement of the items. I have put the dish drainer on the other side of the sink. It is a better place because the dishes are on that side of the kitchen. Most of them. Then I continued to the last section of the countertop. Breadbox, toaster and blender are shuffled. The electric stand mixer is by the dish drainer now. It meant I could tuck the toaster beside the breadbox, instead of it being in front of the breadbox like it was before.
Then I ran out of steam. My husband helped during the week, which can help me to get going. I have plans to start my day with paying it forward. I am off to help another friend in the land of blogging and website design. I will do what I can to help, and we will see how far we get. The last friend I helped has 2 blog posts published and is still figuring it all out. I plan to help her again when our schedules align, and also to share her blog in the future when it is developed further. I am also planning to share blogs from others that I help, even if they do all the work and I just gave them ideas to run with. There is at least one person I know that is doing this, and it is nice to see them happy about their progress.
After I finish helping my friend today, I am going to go back into my kitchen, and get the house bouncing again! I need to keep the momentum going so that I CAN finish, otherwise I will NEVER finish, and that is just not acceptable to me. I need to do this cleaning challenge, more than ever! I need to prepare my home for neglect while I am writing. I know, it will still need maintenance cleaning, and I shall be looking into that when I am at that stage. For now, I will leave you knowing I am fighting through the procrastination and laziness, doing good in the world by helping friends, and getting my kitchen ready for spring, with a promise of more pictures as I complete different areas.
I am rethinking storage in my kitchen. I sense more reorganization in my future of 4 areas. I have very little room for storage, so I have to plan any changes in detail before tacki\ling them because any changes are critical, and need to improve on how things are now, rather than just add more confusion and not maximize the storage space that I have available. I am preparing to take this project on this weekend.
Have a productive Saturday! Who knows, maybe that next Weekend Warrior will be tomorrow’s story, with those pics I am preparing to share.
