TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING!!

HELP!!!

It's that time of year again, and I haven't done it for the past, oh...3 years!! I'm so far behind I don't know where to start! I need help! (I know, some of you have been saying that for years!!!)

When the girls were home, I'd assign each of them an area to clean. Most of the time it was just their rooms and their bathroom, but now that they are gone, I have this whole big house to keep clean and organized all by myself.

{good reason to downsize!}

Amy was my slave driver. If it needed organized, she did it! OH...to have her come back and organize my pantry again!!! But, alas, she's in AZ organizing her own home. Ally is such a good housecleaner and organizer too, but when you don't have basements, you HAVE to be!

{I want a house without a basement!!}

Okay....what are your tips girls?? EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING and every room need a good cleaning.

My fridge is scary.

My cabinets have not been emptied and scrubbed out for several years.

My drawers...well, I won't even go there!

I'm going to be honest. Since Amy got married (March 29, 2008) I have not deep cleaned one thing, except that one time I shined up my stainless steel sink in the kitchen. (I've not repeated that process since) I guess I did get on my hands and knees once in that time and scrub my hardwoods in the kitchen. Where do I start? Why am I so overwhelmed with this chore that I once looked forward to with GREAT anticipation? I love a clean house. Dennis LOVES a clean house. Shouldn't that be motivation to get it done?

Yesterday, Jeanne and I went to a friends house to help her move some of her things around to give it a fresh new look. We had such fun and Pam made the BEST chicken salad and banana bread for lunch for us. We took inventory of her house and began moving things around, re-purposing things and giving it a new look. She didn't spend a dime...just moved things around. BUT boy, did she ever motivate me to come home and dig in on my own house! Her house is SPOTLESS!! I'm not kidding...she allowed us to open closets and look through all her stuff and I didn't see a speck of dirt or dust ANYWHERE! And she lives in the country, right off a lake! I saw no spiderwebs! (Not that I was looking...but I have them everywhere and I don't even live by a lake!) I just don't know where to start!

So...give it up...what are your ideas?? I'd love to install a new silestone countertop in my kitchen and I know that would motivate me to do that room, but we're still not recovered completely from our time off work to spend that kind of money. So...I'm left with the old countertop and will just have to clean it the way it is for now.

Amy, if I buy you a ticket, will you come clean and organize my whole house while I play with the baby?? ; )

P.S. I'm not writing this to whine. I'm needing ideas, prayer for my attitudes and possibly accountability from someone to get busy instead of sitting on the internet reading blogs that TELL me how much I need to clean!

THE END

Somebodies Coming to Visit!!!!

I've been enjoying a busy day today as my AZ kids are flying to Omaha!! I've been praying for good "airplane" ears for Carter and Rylie and scrubbing all the while. I started in the room Rylie will sleep in (Ally's old room) and made it all little girlish in there complete with her "Dora girls" waiting on her bed. I put the "kid sheets" on her bed and have a couple little surprises waiting for her. Also scrubbed up the Pack-n-play that I found on Craigslist for little Carter to slumber in. Really, I had little to do to that since it was in "like new" condition! So thankful to pick up this gem at $20.00, only a fraction of the cost new! Gotta love Craigslist! Have you ever wondered WHO Craig is? I dunno, but he had a GREAT idea when he made his "list"!
Then, moved on to the bed Brian and Amy sleep in. I found this darling primitive pencil post bed on CL too, but they said it wobbled in the night. Can't have a new mommy and a tired daddy wobbling...so Dennis heaved the mattresses off and secured the corners with L-brackets. I am married to the smartest man alive! I have to make a run for 4 more brackets...b/c he wants it sturdy enough they can jump on it if they want...and he only had 4. So..off I go to Schilling Bros. just down the road!
Oh...I also did my "annual" cleanings on the shutter blinds in the LR and DR. I hate to admit that I don't clean those often, but today, they got a good vaccumin'! Makes me happy to have that done. The Fly Lady and Aunt Lynnie would be so proud!! Now I MUST get my fireplace doors shined up b/c Aunt Lynnie and her beautiful daughter, Lane (bride to be!!) are coming in September!!! For now, I have old shutters sitting on the hearth in front of them hoping nobody will notice!
Hubs is out putting on one last coat of new paint on the garage doors. I had the paint tinted to match the siding, only my mister gave me a piece of NEW siding! After one coat, we decided it was too "crisp" and needed to be muddied up a bit so it matches the FADED siding! Back to the paint store I went early this morning to have my boy Justin fix us up with faded paint. He's amazing! That man can match ANYTHING! He can even read my mind...and know what color I want when I don't know! He doesn't read my blog...or even know I have one, and I'm not going to tell him, but HATS OFF TO JUSTIN!!! My dauts know who I'm talkin' about and they'll testify to his brilliance!!
Okay...downstairs I go. Finishing up the sheets in the laundry (OHHH...that homemade soap?? Well, it WORKS!!!! Love the fresh smell. Don't love the smell when it's in the container, but it's so fresh when the laundry is done!)
I LOVE to have overnight company...it makes me clean in places I don't normally clean!

Note to self: clean top of fridge...my 6'4" SIL will be here soon!!! : )

YEA!!! It Worked!

Check it out!!! That flylady knew what she was talking about!!! Now...I have ironing to do! ;)

Shiny Sink 101

I snagged this from a little blog I found and thought it was some pretty fine advice! I am always looking for ways to shine up my stainless sink...and tomorrow, it's gonna get a scrubbin'! I'll let you know how it turned out!

Shiny Sink 101
Many members have asked "How do I clean my sink until it shines?". So, just for you, we have posted FlyLady's "Shiny Sink 101" essay. Here's to a great shine!

Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method everyday. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.

Dear Friends,

I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink.

I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease.

Here is how you do it:

BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.

2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).

3. Rinse your sink well.

4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

5. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.

6. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.

7. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.

8. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.

9. Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.

10. Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.

11. If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set. (I'm not so sure about this...sounds like a good way to attract bugs! Just do the dishes after using them!)

12. To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.

13. Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.

14. If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.

Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLady

Last note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.

Friday is my cleaning day...

I don't know about you ladies, but I have to discipline myself to a "scheduled cleaning" each week or I find myself at the end of the week with a dirty house, piles of laundry, a messy yard and stacks of junk laying all over my house! Now...you already know I'm NOT "Martha", nor do I have any "staffers" to come clean my house, so most of the time you WILL find a coat of dust on my furniture and if you walk barefooted, there will typically be a little "somethin'-somethin' that you crunch underfoot. BUT...for the most part, I TRY to keep my house at least tidy! I've been doing some different things in the past few months to keep myself motivated and one of the best things I've found is looking at clean houses!! I can't GO to them all the time or I'd never be home, so I turn to the internet and have found a blog from a little gal that works circles around me! I have her site linked at the bottom right...Hyperhomemaker is what she goes by! {I don't know her personally.) That house of her's is CLEAN! She has given lots of good ideas for cleaning and organizing (as well as cooking!) but I thought you might like some encouragement in this area too! I wanted to share with you one of my own concoctions and it won't cost you a THING! Do you have issues with cleaning your shower stall or bathtub surround?? I've always "DISLIKED" cleaning that part of my house and found that I would often skip it. Afterall, there were at least 2 showers a day that should keep it "clean"!
Yep...it's just an old empty milk carton!! Cut the bottom off, leaving the lid tightly closed and you have a FREE container to pour water over difficult surfaces!

I use a sponge with that fabric sour stuff over it. It doesn't scuff up surfaces at all....just helps pull gunk off stuff.

Spray the surround with Comet Bathroom Cleanser (I'm going to be making a homemade solution very soon that doesn't cost much at all...I share it with you if it works!), then use the sponge to clean the soap scum build up off. Honestly, it comes off VERY easy with this stuff!

Ya even have a handle to use!! This old guy has been with me for about 10 years now. I think I need to get a new one!!

Anyhow...this is my "tip of the day". I know Kathy, you might have some suggestions that make it even easier! If so, please let us hear from you!! ; )

This gal also has a nifty checklist sheet that I printed off. I'm nutty like that...I'm a list maker! I have even been known to "add to the list" after I've done something just so I can check it off to make me feel like I did more! I'm weird like that! Anyhow...I'm going to try (thanks Kristin!) to put that link on here so you can use it if you are a listmaker too! My goodness...there are things on that list that I've never even CONSIDERED cleaning! Take a peek, if your're so inclined! Happy Cleaning!

Cleaning list

Finally, a CLEAN Kitchen!

FINALLY....I got my kitchen cleaned! I motivated my "need to get that done" by buying new wool braided rugs at a local Primitive shop which is going out of business. They were on sale, 40% off! I couldn't resist! I still have a cluttered bookcase, but I need one of my kiddo's to come over and do the honors on that one! (It's a PIECE OF WORK!! LOL!) I have been needing to scrub that floor on my hands and knees for so long...like about 3 years {hanging her head} and I finally did it! After scrubbing it the first time with light soapy water, I went over it with clear vinegar water and a dry towel to make it shine! Then, I tackled some of the other past due kitchen chores! Took me ALL day!! I still have a few things I'd like to get done in there, like getting rid of some of the dishes and cooking utensils that I've not used since we moved in over 9 years ago, but I will need help doing that too. It's hard for me to toss those things with memories...even if I got them for a song at the thrift store...THAT, to me is a memory! (right girls?) I was so thankful to get this job done...but I'll tell you...the next day, I thought I was on my deathbed! My goodness, I'm so out of shape! I figure by the time I get the whole house spiffed up, I should be fit as a fiddle!

Then...there's the basement! Another day, another blog!

graphics: ksharonkdesigns

I've been a cleanin' today!

I love it when I wake up in a cleaning mood! (that doesn't happen very often, but it needs to happen frequently around this house!) After last weeks canning session, I had to work on the stove. I'm going to be tackling my entire kitchen next week, but for today, a quick once over for the main kitchen, but detailing the stove had to happen. I FINALLY found that the Magic Era.ser came to my rescue! Before, yes, it worked, but it didn't knock my socks off...today...different story! After a quick wipedown of the top, I found the magic era.ser and went to work. Whallaa....slick as a whistle! Wonder how long that'll take me to get over the entire floor? Ha! Next week, I'm cleaning my hardwood floor on my hands and knees (the only way I can do a really good job!) and putting my new braided rugs down. The cabinets, inside and out will happen first, then...I MUST do something with that overloaded bookcase! I might wait till Amy gets here...she's good a discarding junk I don't need. I'm not.