Dustful of memories

Dusting. It's a chore in any house that needs to be done. It's the one cleaning job I like and dislike at the same time.

I like it because it's quiet. It lets me think, make mental to-do lists or organize my day while I'm doing something else. I can carry my ipod in my pocket, turn on music, a book or program and make my way from room to room with a dust cloth and dust brush. Why do I dislike it? Come on, you know how I stay away from dirt and dust as much as possible!! ;)

Nothing was different this week as I put on gloves, grabbed my dusting tools and started in the kitchen with the ceiling fan and skylight. I really, really love the dusting brush I have because it has a handle about 18" long that allows me to reach the the ceiling fan and high places (ok, I admit--I STILL end up standing on a chair in addition to that, but still...it helps!) and yet the handle isn't long enough that I hit everything behind me as I'm working.

As I'm working, one thing that crosses my mind is that I really should add this wonderful little cleaning tool to my wedding registry list. It's something I'll put to good use. I've already made note of it on my "Will Need" list when I move, but it would be a good registry item. Hmmmm...I'll have to take another look at Bed, Bath and Beyond. :)

This particular dusting brush we've had for years and it has memories all of it's own. It was one that Grandma had given to Mom for Christmas one year at my uncle's in Denver. The funny thing is that that particular brush didn't make it home with us; it ended up staying there accidentally and Grandma ended up buying Mom another one.

It was that same brush that us girls loved being able to dust with. Perhaps because of the pink and purple colors in it?? Mom never totally loved it like us girls did. She claimed that it was only "brushing" the dirt from one place to the next. Not dusting it up and getting rid of it. She preferred to use a dust cloth. Our dusting habits slightly differed from hers. But ultimately, the house still got dusted efficiently every week.

The handle has been bent in half and straightened many times. It's gone behind the fridge and under the stove to collect items out of reach. It's dusted the clock high on the wall every week. And it's the very same one that dusts off the entry way hanging light that Luke constantly hits his head on every month.

It's just a dusting brush. It's old. It's well used. It's been washed, hit against the side of the house to rid it of the dust it's gathered and had Endust sprayed on it too many times. But it holds memories in addition to the dust. Every time I pick up that brush, the thought runs through my head, "Mom didn't like this as much as a dust cloth."

And every time that I dust something with it instead of a dust cloth, I can't help but think, "Mom wouldn't have dusted this with this."

It still collects dust. That filthy, fluttery stuff. But it's also collected memories all of its own through the years. Maybe I'll replace this one with a new one for Dad to keep and pack this old pink and purple one to take with me to Colorado. Wonderful memories that it holds!

Hmmmm.....:)

Organization feels soooo good!

Recently, I've been storing my greeting cards in the top drawer of what used to be Mom's desk. It's worked out fine except for the fact that they are all mixed together--birthday, sympathy, occasions, etc.

For the last couple of months, every time I've reached in there, I have thought, "I need to sort this." Well, I could stand it no longer! I emptied out the drawers, created piles of cards on the floor and started sorting!

The single cards are sitting upright, sorted by blank, friendship, birthdays, congrats, wedding & baby, sympathy, thinking of you and misc.

And the bottom tote has the majority of my thank yous and little note cards. You know--the ones you get in groups of eight or ten. Love those--and they make such cute ones!

Much, much nicer!! And much easier to find!! And three drawers of that desk cleaned and organized! :)

Why the pressure to do this now???? It's just the whole January month thing!! ;) lol!!!

January spells C-L-E-A-N and O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-E

Yes, I know what you're thinking--where did I go to school and learn to spell?!?! ;)

But for some reason when January hits, it automatically means it's time to clean and organize. Seriously. One look at my dresser on December 30th and as it was dusted last week, it looks fine. But when I see the same dresser on January 1, it looks like it needs to be dusted from top to bottom, drawers cleaned out and contents organized.

Do two days really make that much difference?! :)

What is it that tricks my mind into thinking that? I don't know. Maybe it's the start of a new year. New beginnings. New things to unfold. New goals to achieve. New challenges to conquer.

Whatever it is, I'm seeing things that need to be cleaned and organized!!!

I could go on, you know. Most months trigger something in my mind. February spells....

It started out simple...

...and turned into a much bigger task.

Ingredient list in hand, I started downstairs to see what I had and didn't have for the Christmas baking I was planning to do with Erinn this week. That was my sole intent--to gather up those things to bring upstairs.

And then organization set in. It's been a while since I sorted through the freezer and shelves of "extras" and you know how one thing just leads to another? Yeah, well....that's exactly what happened.

First I did this shelf. Then realized that the pasta boxes didn't belong on the same shelf as the breakfast mixes which were all mixed up with the cake mixes! Which in turn led to sorting the entire stack of shelves, to the freezer and then the other stack of shelves.

Now? It's organized. Planned or not, I like it!

Spring cleaning update

Where in the world did the month of February go to?!?!?! January just ended and then all of a sudden it's March! February is such a short month! Of course, the fact that I was gone for a week and was doing a million other things didn't help to lengthen it. :)

So much for my deep cleaning a room or two a month; that just didn't happen in February. But the good thing - I made up for it this month! :)

Last week I tackled Dad's room, his bathroom, the main bathroom and hallway! Quite a day's work, but at least that end of the house is complete. The only thing that is slightly driving me nuts is the fact that I can't fully clean the windows inside and out as I normally do...mainly because...uhhh...it's still winter.

And fully opening the windows, standing on a ladder outside, hosing down the window, drenching my hands in a bucket of cold water and spraying Windex just is not really conducive to winter-time temps. Not only for the fact that there are NO garden hoses outside at this time of year, but have you ever seen Windex icicles?? Me neither; and I don't plan to find out what they look like either!

You know, that's probably why they call this deep cleaning thing.....spring cleaning. Just a thought. ;)

Can I have a spring break too....please??

All the kids and teachers are thrilled to have this next week be spring break! Considering what I've managed to do the last few days, I really think I need one as well.

...sprayed sink & tub cleaner on the bathroom window to wash it. Windex works and smells much better.

...put away the milk in the cabinet instead of the fridge. Thankfully discovered that I did that only 2 minutes later.

...uncovered a pan of cinnamon twists in the freezer that I made the week before and totally forgot about.

...pulled a pan out of the oven momentarily forgetting to use a hot pad. Believe me, less than a moment later, full realization of what I did hit me.

...discovered my Google toolbar has disappeared from my Firefox browser and so far I've been unsuccessful in recovering it. Do you know how hard it is to live without that Google search box and bookmarks?!?!

...crossed something off my list only to rewrite it because I crossed it off, planned to do it that very minute and got distracted. Note to self: Don't EVER cross off my list until AFTER the fact.

...almost forgot one of my SS kid's birthday in spite of the fact that she has been reminding me for the past month. (You know what kind of tragedy that would cause?!?!)

Too bad I don't teach school and can't have that much-looked-forward-to-break. Of course, my job being the wonderful job that it is...I can take a break just about any time. And next week sounds like a perfectly good week to me. :)

New year; new cleaning schedule!

Last year as I tackled spring cleaning our house by myself, I determined next year would be different. I decided that instead of spending 2-4 weeks in April/May, that I would take one or two rooms a month and break it up over a year.

Plus I always start with full gusto in Dad's room and work my way through the house and by the time I get to the utility room, I really don't care if I've cleaned every single speck of dust behind the baseboards...I just want it done. So if I break it up over a year's time, we'll have an evenly cleaned house. Hopefully. ;)

It's January 2010 and time to get started! There were a couple of days last week where it was warm enough that I could leave the windows open, so I got to work. Even Dad's "What in the world are you doing cleaning the windows in January?" comment couldn't change my mind! :)

Since I already sorted things in the schoolroom, I started in there, did that room and the guest room. Finished. Complete. Only thing is that I can't do the outside of the windows since Dad always puts away the hoses for winter. So cleaning outside windows will be a spring job only.

Oh, yeah...I still need curtains and a bedskirt in that room. And that might just happen by the end of the month. Maybe....

It's time to sort and organize!

The last few weeks I've been planning out Kid's Klub and Sunday School lessons for the new year and the schoolroom which houses all my teaching material has been quite in a state of stacks of stuff! I can only tolerate it for so long and then something has to be done!


And when I have to move to the next room to find enough floor space, then it's definitely time to resort and organize.


So I pulled out my computer and put in one of my favorite shows and got started!


As I started sorting through my piles of stuff, I started taking mental inventory of what I actually have and fully and wholeheartedly concluded that I have ample for the next 50 years of my life. Seriously.

Every time I see ANY greeting cards, notepads, stationary or sticky notes, I'm going to remember this photo. No more; I have ample.


Props and play clothing to use for skits and Bible plays...I've collected and made enough stuff to be sufficient.

Craft pom poms and chenille stems; full to the brim. As for this pile, I must state that some of this was given to me which I could hardly refuse. I mean, I really will eventually use it for some craft project at some time. :)


Posters, bulletin board materials, laminated sheets, decoration cutouts. I don't care what sale items I find, I have every single season covered (more than once) and many Biblical themes to keep my SS classroom supplied for years.


Ahhh...foam! I love using foam for craft ideas, but I seriously do have enough letters, shapes, sheets, holidays, animals, etc.


Footprints and paperdoll people. Plenty. Maybe I should plan on using paperdoll people at camp again this year?!?!


Ahh...what a difference! Now if I can just keep it this way! :)

Posters and decorations all stored in one place on one wall. Flat and protected.

Even the closet is organized. Much better! :)

Spring Cleaning: The kitchen, utility room & bathroom

I've been wanting to tackle these rooms, especially the kitchen for quite a while. Krissa and Jena both took things from my cabinets when they moved, so it's time to do some resorting.

Kitchen:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
X wash & sort cabinets
X clean fridge
X defrost freezer
X clean oven
X clean microwave
X clean dishwasher
X dust/Windex skylight
X find home for new crockpot
X organize cookbook shelf
X sort recipes

You can't ever have TOO many cookbooks!

But they did need sorted and organized - much better!

And I found a home for my new crockpot!

Shelves, closets and every drawer and cabinet are clean and organized!

I think the cat and dog treat supply is ample! ;)

Spring Cleaning: The dining room

The dining room is just about the easiest (and smallest!) room to clean, if you don't take everything out of the china cabinet and clean it too. And it was more than time for a complete cleaning job - yes, one that takes each item out, cleans it and puts it back in an organized fashion. :)

But it's finished!

Dinning room:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
X resort china cabinet & drawers
X sort tablecloths
wall decorations

What a mess!

Not only is it clean, but organized in
symmetrical fashion, so the dishes
for the most part are balanced.

Wonderful!

Spring Cleaning: The family room

The family room is always a big job, but I can say it's now done! Some of the items on my list will have to wait, but the majority of it is finished!

Here's my check-off list:

Family room:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
X rearrange furniture
bookcase decorations
tabletop decorations
picture window curtains
burgundy lampshades
change decor above fireplace
X sort DVDs/videos
X prune potted plants
X change water in piano

Entryway - ahhh...so nice!

Once I get all my patriotic decor out, I'll change
the spring decor above the fireplace.

So wonderful!!

Spring Cleaning: The hall closets

Ah, yes - the hall closets. Can't forget about those small, but disorganized areas!

Hall & closets:
X basic cleaning (see below)
X organize it (see below)
X sort blankets/sheets/towels
X put candles & scents on closet shelf
family photos for walls

One of these days, I'm planning to hang family photos on one of the walls in the hall. I'd like to do some new photos of our family to put there, so it could be a while til I get that done. Especially since both my sisters are moving! :)

"Before"

Quite the mess!

"After"

Much better!

Spring Cleaning: The guest bedroom

This room was a breeze since I had already cleaned the majority of it a couple months ago, so I just did a quick touch-up in some areas and cleaned the outside windows.

Here's my checkoff list:

Guest room:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
X decide on quilt/stitch pillows
stitch curtains
X hang up blinds
decorations/stand/lamp
X move Jena's stuff downstairs


Then to decide what quilt to put on the bed.....

Burgundy & Ivory (Jena thinks this quilt is hers)

Yellow & Purple

Old-fashioned looking pink

I was planning on doing the pink, but after putting all three quilts on the bed, I am leaning toward the burgundy & ivory. The burgundy quilt and purple quilt have more color to them which brightens up the white walls.

So, I'm still not sure....and I can't do curtains or a bedskirt until I make a decision on the quilt.

Spring Cleaning: The schoolroom

The schoolroom will always be the schoolroom, even though none of us are still in school. Just like Krissa and Jena's room will always be called such, even though they are moving out.

I really wasn't looking forward to tackling this room, because it was such a mess as you can see by the photo below. Part of it is because Jena has some of her stuff in there and then I have Sunday School, Kid's Klub and camp items everywhere.

But anyway, clean it I did. I still would like to spend more time organizing and sorting my SS and camp material. I keep stationary, Bible books, craft ideas and other things in the desk, so I really need to go through that at some point. But it's ok for now and much better than before.

Here's my checkoff list:

Schoolroom:
X basic cleaning (see below)
X organize it (see below)
X rearrange furniture
X sort SS & Kid's Klub material
X move Krissa's stuff downstairs
X new clock

Spring Cleaning: Main bathroom

The main bathroom upstairs we cleaned and painted last November, so it wasn't too difficult to tackle this time. I do have fabric for curtains (which I totally love!), so maybe next month I can get those stitched. Hopefully.

Main bathroom:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
stitch new curtains
wall decorations

Spring Cleaning: Dad's room & bathroom

I guess it's habit, but whenever I start cleaning upstairs, I always start with Dad's room. We had new windows put in last year and they are supposed to be much easier to clean. So easy, in fact, that you can do it all from the inside and don't have to get up on a ladder and go outside to clean them.

Yeah, sure. Whoever came up with that idea didn't know how to clean windows. Sure, if you want to just clean the glass window itself, inside and out, you can do that. But if you want to get out all the dirt, fly specs, spider webs, and whatever else the wind has blown in, that won't work.

And their theory of just hosing off the window from the outside doesn't work either. Maybe it does in other areas of the country where there is no wind and the dirt just gently lands on the window. But here, the wind blows dirt and everything else into any little crevice in and around the window.

Now after saying all of that, they are still easier to clean than the windows we had before. The screen just slides out, the windows slide up and down easily and overall they are quicker and easier to clean. So I won't complain! :)

Here's what I can checkoff my list. Sometime in the future, I'm planning to make a new quilt for Dad's bed since he bought a larger mattress for his bed and this one doesn't fit the greatest. But that will be a future project.

Dad's room & bathroom:
X basic cleaning (see below)
X organize it (see below)
new quilt for larger mattress
X change lamp & shade

Spring Cleaning: Family room downstairs

The downstairs family room is finished. Furniture cleaned, some moved into Krissa's room and some moved out of the basement.

Family room downstairs:
X basic cleaning (see below)
X organize it (see below)
X get ready to sell elliptical & furniture

Spring Cleaning: Krissa's Room

Krissa's room is no longer her room. All her stuff (well, the majority of it, anyway) has been gone since March and now the last few pieces of remaining furniture have been moved out.

We've made her room into an exercise/storage room. It's also a place to store the two extra bookcases that I'm not quite ready to get rid of yet. Plus bookcases are always good storage.

And better yet - it's cleaned, organized and finished! Here's what I can checkoff so far:

Krissa's room:
X basic cleaning
X organize it
X take out blue closet
X move in elliptical/tv/fan
X move in metal & wooden bookcase
X store temp. boxes & totes there

Spring Cleaning: My bedroom - UPDATE

My room I cleaned a couple weeks ago, but since I like to actually checkoff what I've finished, here's my checklist.

You can see in progress and finished pics here.

My room:
X basic cleaning (see below)
X organize it (see below)
hang up wall decorations
stitch quilt/bedskirt/pillows for bed
X move camp supplies to schoolroom

I knew the wall decorations and new bed set would have to wait, so I did get accomplished what I wanted done. I'm happy with that for now. :)

It's time to Spring Clean!

It's time to Spring Clean! I started making out a list (yes, I usually have a list for everything!) and jotting down notes room by room of what I wanted to accomplish, I kept thinking to myself, "I've only allowed three weeks for this? I'll never be able to get all of this done."

Well, I may not, but I sure am going to give it a try. If I could do nothing but deep cleaning all day long, I would be able to finish it. But life does not always allow for that. I still have a business to run, classes to teach, meals to fix, meetings to attend and whatever else is in my planner for the day.

I know I'm the greatest believer in lists and planning, but don't you know that making a list is in the spring cleaning code? But mainly because I am a fan of lists and I never, ever do a large project (or many times even a small one!) without a list to check-off, here's my list for cleaning/organizing/sewing/decorating the house in the order I'm planning to do it. Yes, I know, I set Mt. Everest goals; but hey, I can plan it that way just keeping in mind that I *might* not get it all accomplished.

Disclaimer: I may, can and will at any time have the option of changing my mind on any aspect, idea or plan I have right within this master list of cleaning chores.

Btw, if you are/were a permanent part of this household (or maybe even if you aren't; I think I've made lists like this for others outside my family), this is the type of list you receive when I'm out of town for a few days. It comes complete with notes, details, explanations and step-by-step what to-dos. ;)

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Spring Cleaning 2009

My room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
hang up wall decorations
stitch quilt/bedskirt/pillows for bed
move camp supplies to schoolroom

Krissa's room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
take out blue closet
move in elliptical/tv/fan
move in metal & wooden bookcase
store temp. boxes & totes there

Jena's room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
rearrange furniture
move in blue closet
move in Jena's boxes & totes

Sewing room/office:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
rearrange if needed

Family room downstairs:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
get ready to sell elliptical & furniture

Dad's den:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
sort bookcase, shelves & cabinets

Freezer room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
straighten shelves
reorganize holiday decorations
defrost freezer

Fruit room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
go through cabinets

Dad's room & bathroom:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
new quilt for larger mattress
change lamp & shade

Main bathroom:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
stitch new curtains
wall decorations

Schoolroom:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
rearrange furniture
sort SS & Kid's Klub material
move Krissa's stuff downstairs
new clock

Guest room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
decide on quilt/stitch pillows
stitch curtains/hang up blinds
decorations/stand/lamp
move Jena's stuff downstairs

Hall & closets:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
sort blankets/sheets/towels
put candles & scents on closet shelf
family photos for walls

Family room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
rearrange furniture
bookcase decorations
tabletop decorations
picture window curtains
burgundy lampshades
change decor above fireplace
sort DVDs/videos
prune potted plants
change water in piano

Dinning room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
resort china cabinet & drawers
sort tablecloths
wall decorations

Kitchen:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
wash & sort cabinets
clean fridge
defrost freezer
clean oven
clean microwave
clean dishwasher
dust/Windex skylight
find home for new crockpot
organize cookbook shelf
sort recipes

Utility room:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
organize closets
wash & sort cabinets
sort & label cleaning supplies
stitch curtains
wall decorations

Dad's bathroom:
basic cleaning (see below)
organize it (see below)
sort closet
check wall decorations

Odds & Ins:
clean back porch
clean garage
hose off front porch

Basic cleaning consists of:
wash windows inside and out
dust all woodwork (baseboards, doors, frames, etc.)
dust walls, corners, ceilings
dust furniture and decorations
liquid gold and polish all woodwork
dust & wash ceiling lights and fixtures
wash counters/bathroom fixtures
Windex windows and mirrors
wash/vacuum curtains
wash air vents & registers
spot clean carpet as needed
vacuum carpet and room edges
sweep & mop floors

Organizing it consists of:
sort through drawers & shelves & closets
toss out the junk
pass on the stuff no longer used
label items/drawers/shelves as needed
move items to correct location

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Ok, now that I've outlined this big, long list and you feel sorry for me having to do ALL this by myself (I think my sisters planned to moved out before May just for this reason!), yes, I'll be glad to accept your offer of help! ;)

In true reality, I listed things that I know will not happen this month and I know that. Items such as re-decorating, stitching a new bedroom set for my room, a new quilt for Dad's room, curtains in various rooms and defrosting the freezer will come sometime later.

My main focus is to get the cleaning and organizing done in each room in addition to some of the notes I jotted down. But I wanted to list everything I want to get done, so I have a master list to work from in the months ahead. My eventual goal is to start cleaning/organizing one room a month, so in one year's time, I have each room on a rotating cycle. Then there won't be a need for a massive cleaning job every May.

Every couple of days I'll post my progress, check-off the finished items on my list and try to stay on schedule. I've already started with my room a couple weeks ago and plan to be finished by the 20th. If I can be done by the 16th, that would be even better, but seeing the length of my list, I think I'll widen my goal to the 20th.

Now I'm ready to get started!!!! Grab something to drink, click on some music or a movie let's (me, myself & I) get started.