Celebrate!

From Month by Month,,,,,,Enjoy your day!

Updating When I'm Going Nowhere

So I'm off track...big time...there are more projects getting added every day and "things" are piling up.  I decided to try to get back on my blogging schedule this week and so here I am blogging on Month by Month.....but what do you say when you are "stuck"? I decided to take a look at the list I put up last month!  P stands for a partially met goal and the X is accomplished.

[ P] Meet the 1000 words a day challenge for writing my book, The Birthing Tree.

[P ] Add weekly posts to the Soul Musings-52 Weeks book

[  ] Stick to the blogging schedule each week

Home Projects:

[  ] Tear up carpet in hallway and lay tile

[  ] Office Makeover project (this is a huge one)

[  ] Laundry room redo (another biggie)

[X] Finish patio project behind garage (Met except for pea gravel)

[ P] Finish corner garden

[X] Do the garden table(s)

[P] Finish fairy gardens in front beds and pot on front porch

Other

[P] Get creative again....do anything!

 [  ] Write and keep to monthly life goals

Things that weren't on the list that I did....

1. Cleaned linen closet
2. Sorted my jewelry
3. Cleaned front porch
4. Started taking down wallpaper border in kitchen
5. Sort three bins of toys in basement and took to Agape (like Goodwill)
6. Cleaned my closet and dresser drawers (purged stuff)

When I actually look at the list I start to realize that I have made progress. It's not perfect...its sort of messy...but hey I am getting there!  Obviously I am keeping the list for June. Now back to work!

Projects & Planning

It's been a busy few months but hopefully I'm about to get back on track. I decided to sub some days in the elementary schools after my recent retirement and those snowballed into many more days than I should have taken on.  I had just settled into a nice retirement schedule, blogging, house projects and writing and then BOOM...I messed it all up! Such is life, we all live through periods of time where we feel like we are in a holding pattern and not making progress.

I just am using this post to clear me head of all the projects I have either in the works or on the list. Hopefully I will be blogging about some progress on them in the coming weeks.

Writing Projects:

[  ] Meet the 1000 words a day challenge for writing my book, The Birthing Tree.

[  ] Add weekly posts to the Soul Musings-52 Weeks book

[  ] Stick to the blogging schedule each week

Home Projects:

[  ] Tear up carpet in hallway and lay tile

[  ] Office Makeover project (this is a huge one)

[  ] Laundry room redo (another biggie)

[  ] Finish patio project behind garage

[  ] Finish corner garden

[  ] Do the garden table(s)

[  ] Finish fairy gardens in front beds and pot on front porch

Other

[  ] Get creative again....do anything!

[  ] Write and keep to monthly life goals

As you can see this is a HUGE list....and the truth is there's even more...so here's to a great Monday, getting back on track and all the other good things in life!

On Track for a Great Week

I keep kicking myself because I had just gotten into my home routine and everything was going smoothly...then Christmas and I told myself it would take a while to recover from the holidays.....and then I decided to work a couple of days a week and now I feel like I am struggling to get back on track!  Everyone keeps saying well how did you do it when you worked full time...Let's face it....I didn't!!

I decided I am WHAT makes the week work...and so therefore....This week I pledge to make it a GREAT one....not a perfect one. To mark things off my list and move forward in my daily routines. One of which is doing my daily blogs on different blogs each day! It's Monday and I'm marking it off the list...blog at Month by Month!

It's Clean Week....I'll be focusing on the Master bedroom.



Slow and Steady

 

 

First of all Merry Christmas!  It's December both a joyous and exhausting month. So I thought with that in mind I'd give you a bit of an update on how my "working the plan" is going. Today on my plan it's clean the living room and clean the bedroom.  They are already done and it's not even nine o'clock.  What I am noticing is that by working the plan consistently, things just do not get as crazy and therefore a quick clean is so easy. Now if only I could conquer the kitchen!  That's a room that I feel like I can clean constantly and still have something messed up! 

 

 

I've settled into a routine and it's pretty basic but some days it's still overwhelming. I'll give you the current version because sometimes I adjust it based on needs.

 

 

1. Blog:  (this is whichever blog I plan to write on this day)  I have several blogs so I assigned them each a day of the week. Then I can keep a steady flow of new posts without being overwhelmed.  I can almost "guarantee" that there will be a new post on every blog at least once a week. For December I am blogging twice a week at Magical Holiday Home and North Pole Notes.

 

2. Clean:  Each day has a room or rooms. I actually combined rooms because I wanted one day for BIG project cleaning like the basement and garage, plus I wanted to take Sunday off. I tried putting two rooms together that are pretty much under control so that it is manageable to do two!

 

3. Zone:  This is an adaption of the FlyLady program. I like her daily reminders and tasks and they remind me to do things that I might otherwise not do. Sometimes I don't do the task that she suggests if something else fits better. This week is the Kitchen zone. I normally clean the kitchen on Wednesdays but this week I will do one task daily as well as the regular cleaning on Wednesday. I try to slot in a "monthly task" if the one she suggests doesn't need it or seem to fit my needs.

 

4. Declutter 15:  I pick something to declutter just for 15 minutes. Currently I am alternating between the garage and the basement for my 15 minutes...one day basement, one day garage and so on.

 

5. Laundry: At least one load every day plus I have assigned a day for each family member so they know when they can use the laundry room without messing up someone else's schedule.

 

That's pretty much the basic approach I have been following for about 5-6 months and it is really starting to make a difference! I am hosting several events this month and getting ready for them has been so much easier. Now adding in the Christmas shopping, wrapping etc is a bit of a challenge but I do feel like I am making progress.

 



Zones, Rooms, Weeks, and Months

So I'm sitting here blogging this morning and watching the clock, realizing that I'm a little behind schedule with what I want to accomplish today because I did an extra post instead of just the two I had planned. I usually try to be done blogging by 8:00 and it's almost 9:00. So I'll keep this short and sweet this morning. Today's post is about of all things, sticking to a schedule. Yep on the one day I planned to write about keeping to a schedule...I'm off schedule. Life you like to play cruel jokes!

Let's be honest, I'm not very good at sticking to schedules and that's why I have a ton of declutter hot spots and other half finished endeavors. Now that I'm retired the schedule is a self imposed one but it's still important. Important to me anyway. I need to feel the victory of overcoming a messy house and the freedom of getting rid of clutter. I've been working my self created schedule now for about two months and it has worked wonders for my home. It's no where near spotless yet but the difference is amazing. I can find things, I actually end up with some extra time to be creative, and I feel lighter in spirit.

It doesn't matter if you choose a weekly schedule or a monthly one. It's not important if you work zones, areas, rooms or hotspots. Just set up a schedule and work it every day. Now I've always struggled with how to keep up with my daily tasks and take on a more complex project like cleaning the basement. I've played around for years with plans and schedules and checklists. Through the blessing of retirement I now have the time to implement the hodge podge one I've put together from several sources plus my own needs. If you work full time, let's face it....you will need to make a simple schedule or it's just not going to happen. If you have small children your schedule will need to look different also. No one schedule fits everyone.

 

 

It has taken me TWO full months to even start to think I'm getting somewhere. My main focus has been the living areas of the house, places we use every day. Now I can quick clean them in less than an hour a day so I can add in some time to start chipping away at some major projects.

 

Here's a quick look at how my plan works but it's also flexible in case something needs more attention etc.

 

• Monday is quick pick up the house. Living room, bedroom, bath and kitchen. Office also if time allows. It is also clean the living room day so that room gets extra attention. In addition to that I try to work in whatever FlyLady zone it is. (This week it is the baths and one extra room) So each day I pencil in a Zone chore to do. I don't really follow hers but sometimes I do. So today I am working in the extra room (the office) and I am organizing and putting my albums into a pretty basket. Two loads of laundry also get done today.
• Tuesday another quick pick up and the room that gets extra attention (a deeper cleaning) is the bathrooms. Two loads of laundry and time in the Zone. This day I'll clean under one of the bathroom sinks.
• Wednesday is another quick pick and the room of the day is the kitchen. I'll work in the Zone for 15-30 minutes. I've picked some shelves in the office that need cleaning and decluttered.  Laundry as needed.
• Thursday is a quick pick and then grocery shopping day. I don't put a room on this day as I know grocery shopping will be enough to accomplish. I'll still do 15-30 minute Zone chore though.
• Friday starts with a quick pick then the Master bedroom is the room of the day. Laundry if needed and work in the zone 15-30.

Now I am adding declutter projects for 15-30 minutes each day for some major hotspots in my home. No more than 15-30 or it becomes overwhelming. So my focus this week is the family room in our basement. It tends to get ignored and accumulates all manner of odds and ends.

 

So to keep it simple:

1. Always do a quick pick each day
2. Always do a deeper cleaning of the room of the day
3. Always work in the weekly zone 15-30 minutes (pick a task for each day)
4. Laundry (take care of the monster)
5. Declutter tasks in a major hotspot 15-30 minutes.

 

It is taking time but I am at the point where the quick pick up goes pretty fast and the deeper cleaning of one room isn't so overwhelming. That is why I am now adding in some of the more overwhelming areas that I need to deal with. 

I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that you will develop your own schedule to fit your needs. I've struggled for years doing one method or another but not really sticking to them. It doesn't matter whether you do FlyLady, Holiday Grand Plan, Organized Home's plans or your own hybrid plan. The truth is....stick to it and you will see a difference. Start small.

Days, Decor, and Enjoying Your Home

It's Move It Out Monday, one of my favorite days here at Month by Month. I've come to appreciate decluttering because it allows me to create a home that is calm and "cute". It's not just a house filled with junk but a home filled with love and loving touches.

I decluttered the bedroom in October and then created a fun little space to share just a few fun things each month, It makes me smile every morning when I get up and it also helps not being surrounded by mounds of clothes!  It's not elaborate but it makes me smile and our homes should make us smile!

And when November 1st rolled around it was so simple to take down the October and put up a little November display. It makes the bedroom feel fresh and new!

I have created a few places throughout my home for little seasonal displays. The one below had Halloween stuff and then when November rolled around I just took out the Halloween related items and put in the turkeys and Thanksgiving. Presto change-o a new look.

 

Halloween 2014

 

                                                             Thanksgiving 2014

I'm already thinking ahead to December, January, February.  December I have tons of Christmas stuff so that should  not be a problem. I'm think it should be my Santa display!

                                              This is the kitchen Thanksgiving display.
I also changed up the shadow box display in the living room by replacing the Halloween with turkeys and Thanksgiving. I still have a couple empty spots that I'll add a few more items to.

 

You might be thinking CLUTTER...but the truth is, it's cute, it's me and it's what makes a home feel special. The only way I was able to do it though was to get rid of a lot of clutter. To let go of things I've been hanging on to. Decluttering is not about getting rid of everything and having bare space. It's about making room in your home for love and décor that makes you smile!

 

August Goals

I'm blogging again and trying to keep myself accountable. Is it possible?  We shall see. I've created two goal sheets for August.

One Thing List:  This is a list that's tucked into the August section of my notebook and I have jotted down "one thing" to do each day.  I figure if I can mark off at least one thing each day I can call it a success.

On the One Thing List are things like clean out the linen closet, clean under the bed, and dust the ceiling fan. They aren't major tasks but I need something to get myself motivated in  the right direction.

It's back to school this month too and that is always a challenge. The plan is to retire at the end of this year. So I have also taken on a task over at Ginger's Journey to blog this my last year in education. So as always I am spreading myself a little too thin.

Personal Monthly Goals:  This is a system/project whatever you want to call it that goes all the way back to my days on the forums of Organized Christmas. I'm not sure who started the idea but the focus was on setting personal goals each month in different areas of your life such as, family, marriage, hobbies, spiritual, etc. I wanted to get back to doing it because I feel like the more I focus on something the more likely it is to actually come into being. I printed a neat little sheet to track one simple goal in each of eight areas.

Happy Weekend!

It's Memorial Day weekend...the official start of summer! I have so many plans in my mind that I want to accomplish on my days off, but I know that it will be impossible to do them all. 

Looking at the photo above reminds me. I wanted to say how much I love my Nook Color that I got back in February. I've slowly been stock piling some books so when we go camping or other places I am all ready! I doubt I'd take the nook on the beach with all the sand but still it's nice to have. I have taken advantage of Free Friday's a lot where Barnes and Noble offers a free book to down load every Friday. Some are not ones I'd normally pick to read but for FREE...I usually down load to give them a try! They also now have apps so I have bought and downloaded a couple of games too!

I wish the rain would stop for a while, however because my yard is looking pretty tacky and it's so hard to get anything accomplished with the weather as it has been being. Well just wanted to check in today and say have a GREAT Memorial Day weekend!  

Flea Market and Resale Shop Finds

So...the goal as we know is to redo my bedroom...on a shoestring budget...I have had this plan in my head for like TWO years and never managed to even start.

Color Scheme: Lavendar and Sage Green (Walls lavendar/ceiling white/accents sage green)
Flooring: Tear up old carpet: put down vinyl tiles that look like wood
Bed: Been wanting an metal headboard (think iron but not really)

So.....at the resale shop I found an absolutely hideous lamp...for $3.50. Now I say hideous....I'm going to take a before picture so you can see. The shade was a bit dirty but in good shape. The lamp was TALL and sort of a modernish look (think retro). It "called to me" though so I bought it with the intent to paint it sage green and use it in the bedroom when I finish redoing it....sort of an incentive to GET BUSY.

Then at the flea market...I happened upon a bed...headboard, footboard and frame.....metal....exactly in the style I've been dreaming of....it has a brass ball atop each post BUT the bed was BLACK....I don't want BLACK...I wanted a rustic look or white....but for the price....$95...but he came down to $85....I just couldn't resist....so with some white paint...I'll have a GREAT bed with lovely brass trim! The ones I had looked at were $695 for the HEADBOARD!!! I can just see it in the room!  And with the headboard...greenery and lights draped across the top during the holiday season! (the bed pictured above is sort of like the one I bought except ours is queen sized and has brass trim and some more details in the trim)

As you can tell I am pretty excited about this project.......I'm buying the paint over the holiday weekend....and starting to tear up that filthy horrid carpet that is in there!  I may even get the lamp spray painted....can't wait to show you the pictures!!

August Plan Update #2

Room of the Month: The kitchen.....this is still not udner control and I have one week of August left...okay 9 nine days....lol. I have manged however to make REAL progress in the office...I don't know i was just inspired to do it...I have more to dp to the office but it looks a lot better!
Focus of the Month: Clothes....Today is laundry day...so this evening I will work through a basket or two of clothes that are just lingering in the laundry room and see if I can get a bit more accomplished with this focus area!

Living My Life: This is a hard one for August because things are rather hectic but I have manged to schedule: Trip to zoo on August 29th (weather permitting), Schenck Girls at the Lake-Autumn for weekend of October 2nd.



THIS WEEK'S PLAN:

Sunday: Laundry and Bedroom:  I will clean what I can on the bedroom during the day and then work on laundry in evening while watching TV in family room (which is close to laundry room!)

Monday: Kitchen: I will clean the fridge and work on the cupboard again! The cupboard seems to be a never ending story!

Tuesday:  It's Tuesday in Paris as some of my fellow MHH members say. Bathrooms!! This isn't a huge chore but one that seems to take some motivation!

Wednesday:  Livingroom...It's usally a bit of a mess by midweek so hopefully this will make it easier to clean on the weekend!

Thursday: This is our "girl's night out" so no room!

Friday:  Office...I'm not sure I will always be able to manage this on Fridays. It will depend on my schedule etc. but I think it is a good goal to set because if I keep at it...the office will just need a quick pick up and the desk top to be cleaned off!

Saturday: This is MAJOR cleaning day as well as grocery shopping...so floors, vacumning, etc. I am hoping this becomes easier if I stick with the room a day routine. This will also be the day for BIG projects like working on the garage and basment. So I may alternate ...like one week MAJOR cleaning, next week garage, next week MAJOR cleaning, next week basement. There's a lot to do in both the basement and the garage. I got a good  start in the garage in the spring but then hot weather pretty much put a stop to that, Time to get back with it!!

Keeping on Track: August

August you are approaching quickly. I've struggled with keeping on track lately but this week has been productive. As summer's end is drawing near, I am working on getting back into some kind of routine. I'm still working on books....believe it or not but I've managed to declutter some other areas too.

August Planning:

Room of the Month: The kitchen.....I already got a bit of a head start on this because I cleaned the top shelf of the cupboard but there is still mega stuff to do. This is a great room to do for August because it gets me ready for holiday baking, menu planning and parties!

Focus of the Month: Clothes....I'm not sure exactly what or how I am going to mange this focus but something needs to change. I know it's not early enough for changing seasonal clothes. I am more concerned about going through clothes in the laundry room and getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Closets and drawers are over flowing! (I'm going to continue on my shelf a week of book decluttering also!)

Living My Life: This month brings back work but the one thing I want to really cultivate in "living my life" is to get over the idea that everything comes to a stop when school starts. I still want to find time for a few fun excursions this fall.

So that's the basic plan....I am going to go one step further for August and I am going to break down the items into "weekly room tasks", "weekly focus goals" and "weekly living my life thoughts". BUT ....I know and you know the real progress comes in actually MAKING myself do the things on the list! lol

Getting Back to Work

Wow ....I have been home from my trip now for four days and just can't seem to get moving. Spent two of the days at the emergency room and the orthopedist.....because daughter Kelsey twisted her knee while in Mexico and it looks like it's going to need some ongoing treatment....nothing like doctor visits to upset one's routine.

July is still GET RID OF BOOKS MONTH and so today I will work a bit on that, as well as, laundry....I have a ton of that. So I want to get some of it finished. To keep the books managable, I plan to work on just two shelves today and then make an immediate trip to the Goodwill store to get rid of them. I also have some clothese to go there so I can do both on the same trip. Another MUST for the day is to clean off my desk and pay a few bills.

Since it's Stocking Stuffers Month also I wanted to try picking up a few things. Yesterday I made a trip out to the local book store at the little outlet mall and was very disappointed to discover that it was closed....everything is gone and they have shut their doors....so sad! This economy has to get better because things are really getting depressing!

I'll try to pop back in this afternoon with an update and a yummy recipe!!!

July is Get Rid of Books Month

So if you have been reading you realize that I have far too many books and seriously need to get rid of them...or about 90% of them.

So here at Month by Month...we are having Get Rid of Books Month during July. I hope you will join me on this little adventure. If you don't have a lot of books ...pick the one items that you do need to get rid of...clothes? magazines? or something else?

We will cheer each other on...post results and if I can figureout how to set it up we will have some polls...that will show our progress.

I am off for a week's vacation but when I get back ...we will get started....getting rid of books....and think of all the free space we will have!!

Thursday Notes

When I return from my trip...it will be JULY.....where oh where does time go? I must work my July plan better. The garage project sort of got sidetracked because of this blasted HOT weather but it's still on my mind and on my list...I am determined to conquer it...maybe not on the time line I set but little by little it will get decluttered, cleaned and organized. I have made progress but more to do!

Today is Fairy Day and my daughter's birthday so I am picking up Evan after lunch and we are making fairy bread and a fairy in a jar to celebrate Fairy Day. He is also making something for his mom's birthday! It's one of our summer Grandma Days...well it's just an afternoon but believe me he will enjoy it!

On the agenda for this morning is cleaning my bedroom as I pack for my trip. I need drawer space so I am putting a few things in a tote. They are some clothes that don't fit or fall items...I know they say to get rid of things that don't fit but I am losing some weight so plan to keep them six months and re-evaluate. If they don't fit or I don't like them then to Goodwill they will go...I'm calling this my Six Month Box and am labeling it with the date!!

So off to blog over at the Faery blog and then on to the bedroom and packing!!

Tuesday Must Dos

Well yesterday was a lost day as I explained. I'm up early this morning to walk and then start on laundry again. I also MUST get the livingroom in order. The problem in there is Evan's toys...I need to take most of them back downstairs and that means trips back and forth. Perhaps I can combine that with the laundry trips somehow, otherwise I am going to be exhausted.

I'm still not feeling well and hope I get over it before Saturday when we leave for Mexico. I'm really looking forward to this trip and just relaxing a bit.

Tuesday Must Dos:

1. Laundry

2. Clean livingroom

3. Take Evan's toys back downstairs

4. Dishes (again)

5. Sweep kitchen floor

6. Pedicure (on the Cozumel Countdown so need pretty toes...:)

Hot Hot Housework

I know the title caught your attention....lol. It is VERY hot here today...is suppose to be hot all week....so today I will be working inside until evening and then I simply MUST work on the faery garden in front of the house. The backyard beds are all overgrown and crazy but I just can't seem to get to them...

Today my focus will be books, laundry, and the kitchen. Just got back from the flea market and I have a few finds to share with you later. I'll take some pictures here in a bit because pictures are always a fun way to share! But here's the list:

1. Sun wall hanging (from Mexico) to use in my office at school

2. New plants for the faery garden

3. A cute little end table

4. A hat box (I couldn't resist...it's Paris themed)

5. Christmas Dishes (Set for Four) They are snowmen....I already have a green set with snowmen but I figured this one could mix and match with it.

It was a good day for finds. :)

So I'll blog a bit more and then ...to work to work....on this hot hot housework...

Kitchen Clutter

I'll be doing some kitchen declutter this morning before heading off to see Wicked, so I thought I'd jot a short post about my thoughts on kitchen clutter.

Kitchen gadgets can be a blessing or a downfall. How many of the latest gadgets do you have and where do you store them? I have come to the realization that less is better. Many times we are lured into buying the sandwichmaker, smores maker, kitchen chopper, quesidilla maker etc etc and really all they do is present storage problems.

Do they save us work? In my book, the answer would be no. I spend as much time getting out, cleaning them and restoring them as it would take to just do whatever kitchen task...by hand or the old fashioned way. Oh, there are a few I love and use daily or several times a week. Like my minature blender that I make smoothies in ....I use it almost daily or at least five times a week. So it takes up a tiny bit of space on the countertop because it is used OFTEN.

The other thing that tends to accumulate lots of stuff is my utensil drawer....that is in need of a serious declutter. I use most of the items in there frequently but how many does one really need. The melon scooper could be delegated to a different spot since it is only used once in awhile. This drawwer will be my goal for this morning. Perhaps getting rid of a few items, changing a few to different locations, and in general making it easier to find what is needed.

So I'm off to make a breakfast smoothie, blog a couple posts on some other blogs, and then declutter a tiny bit in the kitchen. If I get back early from Wicked, I'll pop in with a new recipe for today.

Spring Flower Pots...

Evan and I created some Easter Egg flower pots as a decor project. The four lovely colored pots were a dollar each at Dollar Tree....and I hope to use them for another Spring display after Easter. We also bought the eggs on stakes at Dollar Tree for a dollar for a package of ten. They had full size eggs on a stake...which I went back later and bought a couple packs of them...then every few nights I switch out a couple of the small for the larger ones...Evan has a lot of fun when he comes over....checking to see which ones are growing...LOL. I used moss to cover the foam that I inserted in the pots to hold the egg stakes...but you could also use some of the lovely colored Easter grass they have out now. They have it in all different colors so you could probably find it to match each pot color!!

Total Project Cost:
Four pots= 4 dollars
Foam inserts (4 in package) 1 dollar
Moss (1 bag) 1 dollar
Eggs (2 bags ten in each) 2 dollars
TOTAL= 8 dollars....!!!

After Easter I hope to turn each one into a minature faery garden using some artificial flowers and other items!!

The Case Against and For Lists

I'm a long time list maker....sometimes the lists work well....they help me organize, remind me of important things, and offer, in a manner, tangible evidence that I am moving forward. At other times, lists have been my enemy...mocking me with an evergrowing column of things that are needing attention. Until I throw my hands up in despair and hide from the lists.

Presently lists...are still part of my life. I find that I just can't remember things without them and they help me look ahead and accomplish things that have to be done rather than scurrying around at the last minute. Sometimes they still stare at me...a big evil grin....and point out quite dramatically that I am BEHIND....But I find them useful and so I continue to use them.