Taming the Clutter - Days 3 & 4

Day 3 ended up being a "rest" day for me, instead of a "determined cleaning" day. After work, I picked up Darren from school, prepped dinner and put it in the crock pot, then went to go see an early screening of The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. By the time we got home (9pm), both of us had terrible headaches. So we took the day off from being productive and just took it easy instead.

It was a nice mid-week break, but now it's back to work! So far, the kitchen and the living room have gotten -- and stayed!! -- clean. Now it's on to the bathroom. My goal for today is to finish the To-Do list below and make dinner before my Relief Society shindig at 6:30 and my Stamp Class at 7:30. Yikes! Better get started!

Today's Goal (Thursday, December 12)

Today's goal is to tackle the Bathroom:

• Clear counter
• organize shelf
• clean mirror, sink, counter
• clean toilet
• sweep
• mop
• wash bath mat & towels
• empty garbage
• clean shower fixtures
• Drain-O the tub drain

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement, especially over on Facebook. Being publicly accountable for getting my apartment clean has been a great motivator! As always, there's an updated master list below. I just love crossing things off and seeing the improvement in our apartment!

COMPLETE TO-DO LIST TO RECLAIM MY APARTMENT FROM THE MESS

Bathroom

• Clear counter
• organize shelf
• clean mirror, sink, counter
• clean toilet
• sweep
• mop
• wash bath mat & towels
• empty garbage
• clean shower fixtures
• Drain-O the tub drain

Bedroom

• Clear off dresser
• dust & Pledge
• declutter bookshelf
• donate Ensigns (anyone want almost a full year of Ensign magazines?)
• evaluate DI pile - act as necessary
• find home or system for perler "stuff"
• Darren: declutter stuff on your side of bed
• tackle: box of stuff & mystery pile
• evaluate & organize craft box
• decide what to do with rolling backpacks
• vacuum curtains (when was the last time this happened?!)
• clean & pledge nightstands
• strip sheets - laundry
• vacuum
• sort through filing cabinet mess
• clean under my side of bed (socks, shoes, etc)

Living Room

• put away stamp stuff, organize
• store frames, banners, class supplies
• declutter large bookshelf
• declutter under window
• use or put away ornaments in tubes
• stash printer
• evaluate old printer - FIXED! YAY!
• declutter small bookshelf
• clear & clean desk 
• dust & pledge all furniture
• vacuum
• declutter bulletin board
• empty trash
• clear out boxes
• change AC filter

Kitchen

• dishes
• clean counters
• clean oven
• clean stove, microwave
• wipe out / empty fridge of gunk
• declutter cabinets and tops of cabinets
• organize top of fridge
• clear entryway
• evaluate mail bucket
• sweep
• mop
• clear off front of fridge, as necessary

Taming the Clutter - Day 2

Day 1 of my "Taming the Clutter" project was a success! The dishes got done, I have shiny counters and floors, and the microwave looks amazing! (I don't even want to think about how long that poor thing has gone uncleaned - yuck!) I also started back into doing my favorite workout videos (from the gals at Tone It Up, if you were curious) and continuing my at-home yoga practice. Now to keep that momentum moving me forward!

Yesterday I tackled the kitchen. Today, I'll tackle the other "public" space in our apartment: the living room. I originally planned to work in the bathroom today, but I have four Stampin Up classes planned this weekend and I really want the front of the house to be in better shape! So, on to the living room it is. It's a bit of a doozy, especially since we have a ward Christmas party to go to tonight, but I think with a little bit of determination and a lot of up-beat music, I can get it done.

Today's Goal (Tuesday, December 10)

Today's goal is to tackle the living room:

• put away stamp stuff, organize
• store frames, banners, class supplies
• declutter large bookshelf
• declutter under window
• use or put away ornaments in tubes (bonus! Got this done yesterday!)
• stash printer
• evaluate old printer - toss?
• declutter small bookshelf
• clear & clean desk 
• dust & pledge all furniture
• vacuum
• declutter bulletin board
• empty trash
• clear out boxes
• change AC filter

And as a reminder, here's my overall list. I've crossed things off that I've already done, because that makes me happy.

COMPLETE TO-DO LIST TO RECLAIM MY APARTMENT FROM THE MESS

Bathroom

• Clear counter
• organize shelf
• clean mirror, sink, counter
• clean toilet
• sweep
• mop
• wash bath mat & towels
• empty garbage
• clean shower fixtures
• Drain-O the tub drain

Bedroom

• Clear off dresser
• dust & Pledge
• declutter bookshelf
• donate Ensigns (anyone want almost a full year of Ensign magazines?)
• evaluate DI pile - act as necessary
• find home or system for perler "stuff"
• Darren: declutter stuff on your side of bed
• tackle: box of stuff & mystery pile
• evaluate & organize craft box
• decide what to do with rolling backpacks
• vacuum curtains (when was the last time this happened?!)
• clean & pledge nightstands
• strip sheets - laundry
• vacuum
• sort through filing cabinet mess
• clean under my side of bed (socks, shoes, etc)

Living Room

• put away stamp stuff, organize
• store frames, banners, class supplies
• declutter large bookshelf
• declutter under window
• use or put away ornaments in tubes
• stash printer
• evaluate old printer - toss?
• declutter small bookshelf
• clear & clean desk 
• dust & pledge all furniture
• vacuum
• declutter bulletin board
• empty trash
• clear out boxes
• change AC filter

Kitchen

• dishes
• clean counters
• clean oven
• clean stove, microwave
• wipe out / empty fridge of gunk
• declutter cabinets and tops of cabinets
• organize top of fridge
• clear entryway
• evaluate mail bucket
• sweep
• mop
• clear off front of fridge, as necessary

Evidently I use this blog for a sense of accountability

Hello again! Maybe someday I'll get the hang of blogging consistently, but for now, thanks for being patient with my sporadic posts.

Earlier today, I read a great article about "power cleaning" your house, and it inspired me to take on a project. (Well, the article combined with the fact that I've been super-stressed lately and so the apartment has fallen into a serious state of "hot mess"-ness is really what inspired me.) But as the title of this post may suggest, I have an issue getting things done if I don't feel accountable for them. It's too easy to tidy up the front room and stash the dirty dishes (yes, I do that. You can ask my old roommate April - she's seen me do it for Stampin' Up events) and then just leave the bedroom door closed so no one will see my mess.

So to help kick my butt into gear, I've decided, at the suggestion of a friend, to post my daily goals and accomplishments - a "status report," if you will, on how well I actually follow through on this.

Today when I got home from work, I took a pen and paper and walked through each room, writing down everything that I wanted to take care of over the next week. I made a room-by-room list of everything, no matter how big or small, and tried oh-so-very hard not to get completely overwhelmed. (Mostly, I was just embarrassed I'd let the house get this messy! And it's only 3 rooms!) I've posted the entire list below, for anyone who wants to see what I'll be tackling this week.

I want to note that this list does not include the day-to-day tasks that I will also be handling (I think this is more a reminder to myself than anything else) such as cooking, going to work, grocery shopping, and the many, many activities I have planned this week (church get-togethers, Stampin Up classes, Christmas parties, and even a movie screening). One other habit I'm trying to get back into is daily exercise. So if I fail to mention exercise, call me out on it, ok? Thanks.

And because I do especially well with these things when I'm supremely guilt-driven, I've also decided to include some pictures of the "before" (and possibly the "after," if I remember) so that you guys will all know what I've been hiding behind my neatly closed door.

Our bedroom. Clearly I have an issue with just throwing things
in the corner and pretending they don't exist.

I literally have no clue what is even in this pile.
Guess we'll find out this week!

Our kitchen! Literally every inch of horizontal space is covered in
dishes of some sort, and it's been this way for weeks.

Yeah, my favorite thing. Dishes left to soak - ICK!!

So now that you've seen a bit of the "before" (I didn't photograph the other rooms because they weren't as cluttered, so the cleaning they needed wasn't as evident in photographs), I guess it's time to get started on fixing this!

Today's Goal (Monday, December 9)

Today's goal is to tackle the kitchen:

• Dishes
• Counters
• Stove
• Microwave
• Sweep
• Mop
• Clear out entryway

Complete To-Do List to Reclaim My Apartment from the Mess

Bathroom

• Clear counter
• organize shelf
• clean mirror, sink, counter
• clean toilet
• sweep
• mop
• wash bath mat & towels
• empty garbage
• clean shower fixtures
• Drain-O the tub drain

Bedroom

• Clear off dresser
• dust & Pledge
• declutter bookshelf
• donate Ensigns (anyone want almost a full year of Ensign magazines?)
• evaluate DI pile - act as necessary
• find home or system for perler "stuff"
• Darren: declutter stuff on your side of bed
• tackle: box of stuff & mystery pile
• evaluate & organize craft box
• decide what to do with rolling backpacks
• vacuum curtains (when was the last time this happened?!)
• clean & pledge nightstands
• strip sheets - laundry
• vacuum
• sort through filing cabinet mess
• clean under my side of bed (socks, shoes, etc)

Living Room

• put away stamp stuff, organize
• store frames, banners, class supplies
• declutter large bookshelf
• declutter under window
• use or put away ornaments in tubes
• stash printer
• evaluate old printer - toss?
• declutter small bookshelf
• clear & clean desk 
• dust & pledge all furniture
• vacuum
• declutter bulletin board
• empty trash
• clear out boxes
• change AC filter

Kitchen

• dishes
• clean counters
• clean oven
• clean stove, microwave
• wipe out / empty fridge of gunk
• declutter cabinets and tops of cabinets
• organize top of fridge
• clear entryway
• evaluate mail bucket
• sweep
• mop
• clear off front of fridge, as necessary

Second (Belated) Summer Book Review

Remember that Summer Reading Challenge that I set for myself? To read one book a week for the rest of summer? Well, so far it's not going so great. Evidently, when you get out of the habit of doing something and let that habit lapse for about 5 years, it's hard to get started again! So I've only read about 4 books (if we're rounding up from the one I'm reading now) since the challenge began, and I only wrote the one book review.

But I really wanted to tell you about the second -- or possibly the 3rd? I've forgotten the order -- book that I read, because it was fantastic. About 2 years ago, I read a book by Kathleen Flinn titled "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School." I loved that book! It walks you through 9 lessons given to self-proclaimed "rookie cooks" from all walks of life and teaches the basics of food shopping, prep, and techniques. So when I saw that the Provo Library had Ms. Flinn's other book, I just had to read it. And here's my quick review.

______________________________________________

"The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry"
by Kathleen Flinn

In "The Sharper Your Knife," the author tells her story of losing her corporate job and, on a whim, deciding to move to France and attend Le Cordon Bleu, the world's most prestigious cooking school. She tells a good story, and shares recipes along the way, and if you've ever been curious about what attending Le Cordon Bleu might be like then this is definitely a good read. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I read it in just a few days and thought that it was a very good book. One that I'll probably be adding to my bookshelf at some point. I love her storytelling voice and the way she takes you along with her on her journey. The recipes she shared mostly don't interest me, since a lot of them are very, very French recipes (boned meat stuffed with some sort of mushed meat concoction) or very, very complicated.

In my opinion, "The Sharper Your Knife" was a great book. Lots of great storytelling, sprinkled with some useful recipes and tips. If that's what you're in the mood for, then I definitely recommend this book. If you want something more instructional, I wholeheartedly recommend her second book, "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School."

Summer Reading Challenge

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about how much time I spend on the computer (Hint: Way too much) and how it's really not a good use of my time. At least when Darren's on his computer he's usually programming, moderating things in an online forum about things he's interested in, or working on homework. Since I'm not in school anymore and I only work part-time, I have a LOT of free time on my hands, but I never know what to do with it all!

So I've decided that, at least for the summer, I'm challenging myself to get back into reading. Ask anyone who knew me as a kid - I used to read all. the. dang. time. During the day, late at night, and even while walking between classes (or in class!). But since college, I haven't been reading as much.

The challenge? Read a book a week for all of summer. Starting last week. And then post a short review of them here. That's a goal of about 13 books (and 13 reviews) by the end of summer/my birthday. Considering I once read 25 books in one semester of high school, this should be easy. (But I think it'll be harder than it should be, considering my current computer habits.)

Anyone else want to get more books checked off their To Be Read list this summer? Join in the challenge, and we'll talk books together!

Today, I finished my first summer reading book, so here's my first review.

__________________________________________________

"Nobody's Princess" by Esther Fresiner

This is a fun Young Adult (YA) historical fiction. It tells the story of young Helen of Troy, the beautiful princess with the Face that Launched a Thousand Ships. With interlaced stories of Greek myth and a look into what Helen's young life may have been like, it really pulls you into what Bronze Age Greece was like. There's a historical note ("Something About Helen") at the back of the book that gives more historical context, if you're interested in that sort of thing. (I am.)

"Nobody's Princess" mostly focuses on the legend/myth/story of the Calydonian Boar Hunt and the great huntress Atalanta, who befriends and mentors strong-willed Helen in her more masculine pursuits (hunting, horseback riding, and so on). There's a lot of lead-up before we get to the Great Boar Hunt, and actually a lot after it, so most of the book is actually about Helen growing up and the adventures and lessons she has.

I read this several years ago after the cover caught my eye in the bookstore, and I remember really enjoying it. This time around, it wasn't quite as captivating for me, and I'm not even going to pick up the sequel right away like I did last time. But that might just be because I'm older than the intended audience now. Maybe it was because I knew where the story was going. Either way, it's a light, fun read that I'd recommend to someone looking for an easy summer book to enjoy.

Healthy(ish) Banana Muffins

About two weeks ago was my last day working at Cedar Fort. It was very sad, but since I love me a good party, I made sure there was food and cards and gifts for my wonderful coworkers. I posted about the bookmarks over on my stamp blog (and I'll eventually post the cards, too), but a few people in the office asked me to post the recipe for the banana muffins I brought in that day. Which I totally forgot to post. Until today! It's my "healthy" recipe for muffins. Yeah, yeah, I know that most muffins really aren't actually that healthy, but these are adapted from a recipe that was basically for un-frosted cupcakes. So comparatively, they're healthy.

Healthified Banana Muffins

3 large (very ripe) bananas
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup plain applesauce
3/4 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 (maybe 1?) tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Add-ins (optional) :
a few handfuls of chocolate chips (and/or white chocolate chunks - yum!)
walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
Mash bananas. Mix in sugar, then add egg & applesauce. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in any add-ins, if desired.
Fill muffin liners 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean (except maybe some melted chocolate from the chips).

Another option, especially handy if you're running low on chocolate chips, is to melt about 1/4 cup chocolate chips with a little bit of oil (coconut oil works very well), then drizzle with a spoon over the tops of the muffins.
To contain the mess, transfer muffins from pans onto a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap, with the muffins touching each other, then drizzle. Can also use which chocolate (or vanilla candy melts) the same way.
When chocolate is still warm, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top, if desired.

Enjoy within about 3 days, since the applesauce makes the muffins go stale a bit quicker than oil or butter would.

. . . And We're Back!

It seems I never know what to write here on the blog (which is why we keep having these months-long silences -- sorry!). But I figured we've been silent for too long and should probably give some sort of update. So you guys know we're still alive and all that.

Wow, last time I wrote was back in November. Since then, Darren finished up Fall semester and is well into Winter semester here at BYU. He changed his major (back in September) to IT, and he's really loving his classes so far. It seems like it's a perfect fit for him. Still about 3 more years to go (well, more like 2.5 now!), but we're really glad with the path he's chosen. It's something he's good at and seems to enjoy (mostly), and there will be plenty of employment opportunities with an IT degree, too. His health has been a lot better than it was a year ago, and we're definitely excited about that (as you can imagine).

Not a whole bunch had changed for me between November and February -- until just before Valentine's Day, when I was hanging out with my cousins after their adorable kids (set of twins in one family, adorable little girl in the other) were blessed in church. Jonathan, Tara's husband, told me that his company was looking for an office manager, and would I be interested? Well, I already have a job, but I could handle a few extra hours per week, and hey, that meant a little extra income. Turns out that it was a HUGE blessing that I took the job when I did, because shortly thereafter (as in, a few days after that), Cedar Fort decided that they're making some departmental changes and that my part-time editing position would no longer exist in a few weeks. Long story short, the Lord definitely has a plan for me, and I'll be working at SmartyStreets fully part-time (as in, instead of at Cedar Fort) after next week. Crazy how fast things can change!

Work on my cookbook has also (finally!) progressed. Amy and Christian came over just after Christmas (or was it before?) and took some photos of meals, processes, step-by-step, etc., so that I can put together a mock-up of a few recipes to present to the board when we next pitch my book. I also (finally!) wrote up my marketing plan. Now I just need to brainstorm a title and figure out if I want it targeted at college students, newlyweds, or another specific market, and we'll be ready to present! Joanna -- my acquisitions editor -- says that I have a pretty solid book going, but it just needs those little nudges of focus. If I can get those things taken care of, they'll probably (not definitely, but likely) accept my book for publication! Yay!

So Happy March, everyone. Let's hope Spring gets here soon!