Week 3 ~ Room 3

Well, how did you do? Me .... hmmmm ..... uhmmmm .... wellllll .... not as good as I would have liked. This room is our dumping room - even though we see it daily - it definately needs attention.

I am sooooo embarassed but what can I say. The top photo is what is seen from the livingroom - which isn't too bad, just dusty and the computer has papers everywhere since Mr. is going through the taxes *_*  The second picture can't be seen from the livingroom and we store things to donate and home project stuff (dropcloth, leveler, paint brushes, ect) here since we are planning on starting the guest bathroom reno very soon (it will be our summer project since it will be too hot to work outside) When we are done renoing this room it is going to look great (mind you it can't look too much worse) but we will have a wall of tall shelves and an antique desk in the center and perhaps a club chair by the window - are hopes is that it will look like an office/library.

This room falls in the Helpful People/Travel so this is the room that I keep an old map of Panama (I lived there for the last 12 year the US had possession) and also trinkets and personal items from family  (I know I should have them in the Family section on the other side of the house but that is technically in the closets of the craft room and guest bedroom so I keep family things here. I did spray paint the picture frames a flat black to enhance this area but it will need more attention. The cabnet is filled with VHS movies and family photo albums that need to be dispurst to others so that they can enjoy them.

The next room is the living room - this one is easy peasy since it doesn't have to much going on so I will focus more on cleaning the fake trees, washing the walls and super cleaning the couches. This room falls in the Fame and middle of the house which is in the Self section. Looking through the lens has a way of making me look at things differently. Well ... talk soon =D

Week 2 - Room 2

Okay - how tricky was this room? I did seem to have a lot of unneccessary and half opened duplicate  items. I even went and bought new first aid items, since I couldn't remember the last time I bought those items I wasn't going to chance it. My bathroom to me represents my morning chaos - yes I know I bring it upon my myself but I am streamlining my morning routine - it won't be any where near a guy's routine but I can make it somewhat easier on myself AND still look presentable. I hope =D

Before  *_*
  

I try to keep an organized linen closet - so it was just a matter of weeding through the items I don't use anymore annnnd there were plenty. I did take some calcium remover cleaner (yes - I know but the home made stuff really wasn't giving me what I wanted) to the faucets/shower head and truely cleaned the shower door. My bathroom is so clean and pretty that I don't want anybody in there.

After  = D

After - linen closet

This room is in 1/2 the 'Creativity' and 1/2 in 'Helpful People' and I have some ideas on how to decorate it but for now I am going to try to keep it clean and clutter free.

Alright, moving right along the next room to tackle will be our office/catch all area - you go through this room to get to the master bedroom but I don't really spend too much time there and it shows *.*  My Mister has been spending everynight there practicing on his new guitar he got for Christmas - it is one of my daily pleasures. This room falls in the 'Helpful People' section and I do need to pay abit more attention to this room. In here I will be going through our movie collection (I believe we are in the mid 200s right now - we did have more but when the kids moved out they took some with them) and the file cabnets. I know I have stuff in there from when the kids were first homeschooled ...11 years ago! Holy Cow!! I am also going to try to go through the main computer (I mostly use my laptop) and sort out all my favorited, papers that are no longer needed and if ambitious enough, maybe even sort all the pictures. Maybe. This room is currently being used as the catch all and 'things to donate' drop of zone - not too sure about moving that part out but maybe I can just arrange things.

Week 1 - Room 1 Review

Well .... how did you do? Me not too bad. I didn't get to accomplish alllll my goals but I did do the majority of it. So I am going to chaulk it off as a success. I didn't get to wash the windows or the curtains. But since I let my bird out and she perches on the curtain rod - I just wiped down the curtains and I will save washing them until the very end. Here are the before and after of the room - don't judge too harshly *o*

Before

YIKES! Things just get waaaay out of hand when I don't keep myself in check. I did want to say - I did get 1 full kitchen bag to donate and 1 full bag for trash. Which is just crazy since I cleaned my room back in the begining part of November and got a full bag of trash then too - so to have this much trash was just crazy. But I am proud that I threw out more stuff. Now also what I did is that if I couldn't seem to part with an item - I put it in a box and put it in my craftroom (which will be next to the last room to organize) this gives me about 5 maybe 6 weeks and if I haven't even thought about the item then - then I know that the item isn't worth keeping.

Desk After

Night Stand After

After this picture was taken I added flowers on the night stand which is in the right hand corner of the room - this is to strengthen the 'relationship section' - the desk is clutter free inside (now I have 'space' for new projects and ideas) and on top which helps with creativity (it's hard to be creative if you can't get to the computer or even a pen) - the closet is straightened (I didn't go through my clothes since I'm torn about how much to get rid of so I'm giving myself some time) and poor Rio I found 4 of her balls under the bed  ^. .^  But it feels good to have my room back again = D 

Next week the room is the master bathroom - now my morning routine can leave this room a bit windblown - to say the least. But remember tackle only 1 small task at a time - 1 drawer .... then the other ... clean just the shower .... then just the tub and so-forth. I can't remember the last time the floor got a really good down on my knees scrubbing but I know it is looooong over due. For me this room falls in part of the 'creativity' and in the 'helpful people' section of the pagua. The 'relationship' and 'helpful hints' section work off one another. Helpful people are anybody who helps you in your life - not just a co-worker with projects but also the stranger who stops and helps you fix your flat tire. As well ... this area has a strong water influence so putting the toilet lid down and keeping all drains covered helps with keeping your money from 'going down the drain'. Also clean them out - pour about 1/2 small box of baking soda in the drain and pour vinegar - it will foam up so pour SLLLOOOWLY. Then run hot tap water for about a minute to really flush gunk out *_*  Don't forget to restock the medicine cabinet and if something is expired - for goodness sake TOSS IT OUT!! Also this is a great time to toss out your old toothbrush, clean your makeup and hair brushes and look how to organize this area to really suit your needs. Again - I am going to try not to buy anything since I am planning on revamping this room later this year - so I might pull things from other room to 'freshen up' the room.

More Pictures From Hawaii

Random pictures from our trip .... enjoy



Organizing The Home 'Chanllange'

Well not really a challenge ... more like a goal. So the goal is to be able to accomplish a complete home de-cluttering and cleaning in 13 weeks - that is 11 room in 13 weeks. Why 13 weeks?  There are 13 weeks until Passover/Easter - so IF everything goes well  *fingers crossed*  there should be enough time to give each room 'special' attention and still have a few weeks to decorate and give the whole house a quick spruce WITHOUT losing my mind. Yes .... it is an admirable goal but very much accomplishable =D
Also (and please don't judge too harshly) I slightly follow the Feng Shui practice. I say slightly because I believe that an organized home will be a more productive home. I don't however believe that the demise of my life will come from me putting a white vase with the wrong colored flowers on the wrong side of the house but on the flip side this does help me to think of ways of creatively decorating and organizing my home that I would not have thought of. I can be somewhat rigid person *I think I just heard a GIANT roar of laughter coming from anybody who knows me because I used the word 'somewhat''* Also I will add that I am not saying don't keep the rest of your house straightened - I am saying add this task too.

The above is a what is known as a pagua. You put it over a layout of your place and co-ordiante the two. Yes that's it! (The career is to be placed on the wall where your front door is at) There are tons of resources on the web and in your library that will give you much more detail on this subject than I can cover since I'm not an expert.

I have decided to start with the room on the farthest right and work down and up and so forth (relationship to helpful people then back up to fame down to carrer, ect) It just seems the easiest. This is the master bedroom and it is the 2nd messiest room in my house due to the fact that well ... I can be a tinsy bit sloppy. I come home, get changed and leave everything on my desk. Yea I know ... I know! So to keep it clean until Passover is a challenge within its self. In this room there are a few things to focus on: clear and dust everything and things that don't belong in the room gets moved, dust and wipe down the ceiling fan, de-dust walls and wipe down areas that are dirty from where Rio leans on, wipe doors and trim, un-clutter desk, drawers and closet (the later will be the hardest), wipe down window sills, mirrors and windows. I have already steamed the carpets about 2 months ago and I am going to just 'spot treat' the heavier areas when I am done with cleaning the house. Some people like to 'power clean' and try to do it all in a day (and if that is in your time constraints please do it - you know yourself better than I do and I'm just hear to show you what I do and help in the advise department) but I am going to do a little each night. I think that this will help me decompress after work and not feel like I wasted a weekend cleaning a room. All the principals of cleaning apply - toss what is broken, keep what works for you now and give away the rest - let someone else enjoy what you don't have the time for. Also I am not wanting to purchase anything if I can help it - I am hoping to start remodeling the rest of the house in the fall and so I can purchase things then. The goal for now is to clean the house and to make it a pleasant home for my sweet Mr.

A few quick tips to keep in mind:  this room falls in the relationship (and for me part of the creativity/children section) so here the number 2 is important, also things that show something about the two of you (I put our wedding glassees here), try to keep the kids' things to a minimal - this room is to represent the two of you a couple **if you are single - you are preparing the room for the possibility of another person** The colors here are red, pink and white and the element is earth so two potted plant whose flowers are white works well here and if possible place them in the farthest top right corner for stronger 'enhancemet'. If yours is also in a bedroom - keep under the bed clutter free - it will disrupt your sleep to have things like shoes, boxes, toys etc under you for 8 hrs a night - so clear it out. In my room I have the desk that I got as a teen in the creativity section - this needs to be cleared inside and out as it  'blocks' the creativity (which makes sense if I can't sit at it how am I to create anything?). Keeping the closets, trunks and anything with drawers clear of clutter is important because this is where you 'hide' things and this can represent hiding your emotions or secrets, also clutter is just decisions that you have postponed and what happens is that it sits on your mind and weighing you down - so try to make a concious effort to make decisions (putting shoes away, taking glasses back to the kitchen, throw out junk mail, etc) and last keep this room dust-free, by letting it get too dusty it shows that you are not 'keeping up' with your relationship. YIKES!! *o*

So again the 'challange' is simple - tackle a little bit a day and by next week-end you will have a super clean room.

Quick Holiday Gifts

The holidays are fast approaching and as you look at your budget you are noticing that you have more people to give gifts to than money - I hear that - so here are a few 'homemade' gifts that make people smile and more than likely you have most of the items at home - look around it's there. I am going to show you how I put it together for myself - you can get as creative as you want with it and also the packaging. Most of these items I already have - the oils (mostly olive or olive combo) I get at the dollar store (if I don't digest it - I won't spend the money on it) and I get the essential oils from the health food store (I have received a few from people but again - since I am a novice I just buy the cheaper brands - once I get more into aromatherapy then I will know which company is best but for now why waste good money). I am a slight hoarder  =p so I keep the small jars from old candles that have lids on them, buttons, ribbons, ect.  Don't fret if you don't have items - I have found numerous treasures at the dollar store. 

This one is something I make for myself allllll the time and it couldn't be easier. This after bath oil is super perfect since it doesn't spoil and you can make various scents and give it as a pack. I fill a small bottle with a flip top (which I purchased a pack of 4 at the dollar store) with oil (olive, olive combo, even mineral oil -like baby oil is fine) and add a few drops (depending on the size of the bottle an even 5 drops of each scent if fine or favor one scent over another 3 drops patchouli to 7 drops of lavender - it depends upon you)  of essential oil(s) (I like lavender-patchouli or sandalwood-clove these scents aren't too flowery but if you don't like the more 'musky' scents then you can do lavender-sweet orange or rosemary-lime for a 'clean' scent). Put a cute lable and you are done! 

This perfect body scrub is something else that can be made in a few minutes. For this you will need sugar (brown or white it doesn't matter - the only difference is that brown sugar has mollassas and it gives it abit of color).  Add about a cup of sugar in the jar, mix with about 1/4 cup of oil, add your essential oils and mix. YUP! That's it! **Why use sugar instead of salt? Well (a) it isn't as coarse and it doesn't scratch the skin - you want to gently exfoliate the skin ... not scrape it up and (b) some people have hyper-tension or are on a low sodium diet and the sodium can penetrate the skin and raise their blood pressure.**

Now this next recipe can either be used as a scrub or added to your bath water to help soften dry, itchy skin. Add 1:1 powder milk and quick oats to a jar with a lid. If you only have rolled oats - then put them in a blender until the oats are in pieces but not pulverized into powder.

If you want a lotion to go with your set but don't have the time (or money) to get all the ingredients here is a super quick 'cheaters' recipe. Buy a non or neutral scented lotion (I like St Ives with Oatmeal), put in a flip top container and add your essential oil (roughly the same combination as your oil), shake really well and that's how it's done.

OK ... this little baking trick I do whenever I bake cookies from the pre-made section (where the biscuits are at). I usually buy the large 12 cookies and cut each cookie into 4ths - so that instead of just making 1 very large cookie, I get 48 regular size cookies  =D I make sure that I roll them in my palm (they spread better) and then bake like the instruction say - since they will vary in size everyone will think that you took the time to bake them their favorite turtle carmel swirl cookies and nobody is the wiser ;p

Remember this time of year is about the moments between breaths ~ be there (active and present) with those around you especially loved ones. Special moments can be like dragonflies ~ fleeting ~ cherish every second.

Surving The Holidays

The End of Dinner by J. Grun

I have been speaking to a few people and they are already going crazy - they keep mentioning things like I'm never going to lose weight before the Christmas party and relatives are coming and I have to organize the house and the only response I have for them is - Are you crazy - have you really lost your minds? The holidays are not the time to lose weight you will never win and as far a organizing - you can not clutter free a house AND have it fully decorated for Christmas at the same time. BUT what you can do is survive.

Let's start with diet. Yes the holidays does seem to have its plethora of high fats party platters - so going on a diet or tying to lose weight between Thanksgiving and New Years is just rediculous. What you can do is maintain - YES MAINTAIN - even if you do need to lose some extra pounds (that should have already been done by now) A healthy diet of mainly grains, vegetables and fruits will help you not only maintain your weight but also keep you healthy - between stress, the weather and being around other people with cooties, your immune system is going to get weakened. People put ridiculous pressure on themselves to "look" a certain way for their family, friends, collegues .... wait aren't those the same people you see almost every single day? They don't hang around you because of your size - STOP IMPRESSING THEM! THEY LIKE YOU OR THEY WOULDN'T BE YOUR FRIENDS! I am not saying don't loose weight - I am saying that watch what you eat now and pick up the diet after the new year.

Clutter ..... where do I start. If you are like me you have a tree fully decorated, figurines evvveryyywhere, stocking for everybody - including the pets, garland on everything and wreaths on walls and doors ..... why on God's green earth do you want to start unloading items from closets, drawers, sheds and garages?  *o*  Again ... you will go insssaaane if you try!  Just keep couches, tables and counters clutter free and the bathrooms and floors clean and you will be ready for company. Save all the decluttering for the new year - it will be a new year resolution that will actually be kept.

So now go do what you are truely wanting to do this season .... enjoy your time with your loved ones. Be safe ... talk soon.