Author |
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Monday, October 11, 2004 - 5:42 pm
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Monday, October 11, 2004 - 5:45 pm
Hey, Everyone! I spent the weekend Zone Cleaning the Kitchen (I hadn't gotten to it during the week), reuniting with cyber-friends, and rereading Sink Reflections. Vee wrote: "This concept, 'Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion,' absolutely blew me away with its simple truth. I am guilty of allowing this to happen in my life. ... So I am now resolved to find even more ways to make life simpler because I want more time than I already have. How selfish of me! ... We did not accomplish as much as we had hoped...we always set our goals a tad too high." It isn't selfish at all, Vee. What it is, however, is that you have finally been Flywashed enough to want the peace and tranquility that comes with no longer being in CHAOS. Instead of setting a long list of tasks and tackling them all willy-nilly, try this: write your list, and next to each item write down how long you think it will take and its absolute importance--I base mine on the following: If the G4 crew was coming to the apartment today to film Potshot, is it a "it must be done so it isn't on film" (1); "I'd like it done so the crew doesn't see it" (2); or "it doesn't matter, since the crew won't see it" (3). Then select items in category 1 that total between 35 and 45 minutes; items in category 2 that total between 15 and 10 minutes; items in category 3 that total between 5 and 10 minutes. Do not exceed 60 minutes! Set your timer and GO! Remember, you are playing beat the timer. It will work, honest. I have three different timers, so I set one for the hour total time (which would be for Category 3) and the correct time spans for Categories 1 & 2 on the other timers. It was great to know where I was time wise, and I would keep moving to beat the timer. Biloxibelle wrote: "Ok Ok Ok I am joining up here. I have lived in this house for a year. Since it was 'new' this spring I did not spring house clean. I am ready to fall house clean." Bad news, Belle. If you follow Flylady you won't need to do Fall OR Spring cleaning. Which, honestly, are archaic now since we have heating and air conditioning, and no longer rely on charcoal, wood, hay or buffalo chips for primary heat sources. "I've got to start in my closet. I can not hang one more article of clothing in there. When I did laundry the other day I ended with boxes of shoes tumbling down from above. The hangers are so overlapped in there. The sad thing it is a huge double walk in closet. But I have a tanning bed in one side of it so everything is jammed in the other. ... "I know I have to get rid of many things but it is so hard. I only wear certain items now that I no longer work. But I have so many nice work suits, beautiful Mardi Gras gowns and I won't mention the clothing that no longer fits but hangs there just in case. ... How do you part with all these things? Maybe if I took a picture of my closet and posted it here I would shame myself into parting with my past." Belle, my DH and I moved from a five-foot walk-in closet (each of us having five foot of space) to a 6' standard closet. It led to a LOT of clothing pruning. What helped, though, was that we have a storage bed with 6 drawers on both sides. Four of mine are filled with sweaters and folded shirts (t-shirts and sweat shirts) and shorts or lightweight pants while the other 2 are filled with lingerie and pjs. I am also losing weight, so I am changing sizes and have a variety of sizes in the closet. I've been donating clothes right and left. As for your work suits, unless they are classic and will look great on you in 10 years, donate them to places like Dress for Success or Bottomless Closet. The likelihood is that those items ill not fit when you return to work. As for the Mardi Gras gowns how about contacting a local high school to see if there is a version of Becca's Closet which provides fancy dresses to low income teens for proms, etc. I part with these things only because I want peace and happiness in my life. These old things may old good memories or bad, but they are only memories. I don't need a closet of memories. I need a closet of clothes that look good on me, fit me well, and make me feel good about myself. However, I'm not certain that you're ready to go through the clothes yet; that is a MAJOR task. If, however, you chose to go there, only go there for 15 minutes at a time. And, as Vee says, Welcome! Your sink looks awesome! I redo the process every Sunday before the kitchen Zone starts. It amazes me how much gunk always comes out of the sink. I always love watching Potshot wipe out the sink to prevent water spots. And our sinks look a lot alike! Lumbele wrote: "Somebody hand me my shades, please! ... If you can stand it, I'd recommend the separate emails for the first few weeks until you've found your groove." I heartedly agree with Lumbele, Belle! Try to put up with the updates so that you can tackle them one-on-one at first. It takes 21-to-27 days to create a habit. For now, just let the reminders wash over you and concentrate on just your basics. Sia wrote: "Men! Go figure." If I could, I'd be wealthy. "Part of my frustration stems from the chaos in my home. I'm trying to get some furniture moved to the cottage before the park closes at the end of this month, but I can't physically move big items of furniture. I have to depend upon other people to lift and transport big items. My hernias and the fact that I don't have a truck limit the size of what I can transport by myself." Good luck! Check out the newspaper service section too. You might find some low cost movers to tackle it for you. When it doubt, try finding some HS or College kids-for the price of pizza and gas, you might get a moving crew. "I will see if I can get a couple of things moved today. I need twin mattresses for the cottage, so the furniture store/funeral home where I buy my furniture might just be willing to cart a couple of items from my home. I'll ask really, really nicely--and then tip the movers!" So, did it work? Vee wrote: "I have one other suggestion for you concerning moving furniture. In the past, when I have needed help with those sorts of jobs, I have called a local youth group. Churches, boy scouts, whatever is available in your area. They are always fundraising and so are often looking for a little extra money. I got my deck painted that way twice and a piano moved. But you need to stop lifting if you have hernias because that just isn't helping you one bit! Sorry, my mom has them, too, and she is always hauling on something. No wonder she has hernias. Be good to yourself!" ITA! Please don't hurt yourself!!!!! "Yes, we are very tidy and have all clothing arranged according to color and item. All white shirts together, all black pants together, etc. We have one large bag to take to Goodwill. Since a lot of the clothing still had the tags on it...this is embarrassing...I think we'll claim at least $300 for the donation." Totally Awesome, Vee! I am so proud for you! Julieboo wrote: "Take one room at a time, take a picture of it as it is right now (yes, messy and everything.) Maybe even take a couple shots of it. Then start to organize it. Tell us where you are stuck and we can help you. Maybe make piles or pull everything out. Do like they do in clean sweep. Make a throw out pile and a donate pile (and a sell pile if you feel like a garage sale.)" Remember, tho, that you cannot organize clutter. That's one of Flylady's main rules. And she's right--it is only until we get things together that we can get organized. Taking pictures is an excellent idea. I even have some to share. I also went back through the archives and found pictures I posted on December 16th:
Looks pretty bad, hunh?
All I need are my bookshelves! My kitchen, overall, is done:
The stand is still one of the cluttered spots of the kitchen. The Living room is, overall, looking good.
The cardboard box between the coffee table and the entertainment center is a box to put donations in. I still nee to unearth the top of my desk, but that's about a 15 minute job. The big cauldron is waiting for me to put plants in it. The pumpkin jar on top of the entertainment center is holding onto the treats for Halloween. Punk, on the couch, is waiting for the TV to come back on. This room still has its hot spot, tho:
I need to clean off the door and put up another rack for Potshot's hats and just, in general get things tidied. But again, only a quick hot spot shot or two should master it. My major problem, though, is now the dining room.
I have to go through my art supplies and get them together. It will take awhile. But, I'm using the time on Zone Week 3 (Bathrooms and an Extra Room) to work on the area as well as Zone Week 5 (LR, since mine is small) and Zone Week 1 Dining Room. It will get there. The sooner I have shelves, tho, the sooner it will help! One bright spot: the boxes behind/beside the screen are the empties from my shredding sojourn.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, October 11, 2004 - 10:38 pm
WOW! That is great Lk! Looks like you know how to get it done. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Keep us posted with your progress, especially in the dining room.
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Sia
Member
03-11-2002
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 3:42 am
Lkunkel, your place is looking great! I wish you'd come Clean-Sweep MY kitchen! Julieboo, I have used digital pictures to help motivate my kids to help with the cleaning. We download them onto the computer to see the "before" and then can check our progress after we've done a de-cluttering. The biggest incentive for my kids is that I let them take the photos--even at the cottage! They love using the camera, and they don't do a half-bad job. Well, my daughter takes better still-life photos than my son does. I had him take pictures at the cottage last evening and he took close-ups of some rather bizarre compositions: straight down into the toilet, the dirty, broken shower which I will have to replace next spring, a broken window pane. Well, I sort of get the broken window. That actually is a cool shot, but geez, I wanted pictures that would show the rooms!!!
The above photo is the one my son took of the broken bathroom window at the cottage. Can you see the package-sealing tape that is across the pane of glass? It is sort of a neat photo because you get a look out the window of a corner of the lake. Our cottage is right on the lake.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 5:24 am
Wow...so much information...I've got to come back later and check more carefully. Right now I am placing a couple of websites for your perusing pleasure. The TODAY show is doing segments called It's Time to Get Organized with Elizabeth Mayhew. There are a number of points of interest. The segments feature The Container Store where I could spend a couple of happy hours. What I am particularly interested in are the canvas over the closet pole organizers. Have fun, everybody! Keep up the good work!
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Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 9:11 am
Yikes, would you listen to all these busy beavers. Lk, my storage area and office will need the same kind of attention your December areas needed and a couple of trucks - I think. But right now I am trying to make sure the areas I have already decluttered don't do a backslide. This morning I tackled the master bathroom. Thought it might need major attention, but most was done after 30 mins. Only mirror and light fixtures left to do. Guess I was neater than I thought.LOL That eraser really is worth every penny, won't need the car wax for the shower any more. Now the other bathroom will be a very diff story.LOL Needed to clean my grnadmother's ring today and remembered Joan Rivers saying "toothpaste!" Figured "what can it hurt" and tried it. Works like a charm. Toothbrush and paste got into all the nooks and crannies of the old-fashioned setting. Stupid me used to pay a jeweller to do this kinda stuff. Vee, if my wallet were a little fatter I'd ask to tag along to that Container store. But alas......I'll continue to grab a few whenever one of the boxstores has a special. Oops, time to get dinner ready. Later! P.S. Does anyone do the "5 min Room Rescue"? I find it a silly system. 5 mins is just not enough to get anything done IMHO.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 1:04 pm
Really? I love the five-minute room rescue. But then there are just two of us here...maybe that makes the difference. Lum, are you saying that you used the Mr. Clean eraser thingy in the shower? I didn't know that you could do that, but I'm thinking life is looking up! I'll wait until I hear the official word...I threw the box away so I'm clueless over here. TTFN
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 1:37 pm
LK, I feel remarkably better after viewing your pictures of your undone rooms. They look JUST LIKE MINE!!!! Only, I don't think that I have as many finished spots as you. I tackled my computer desktop today, and now I have all the downloads filed and you can actually SEE the screen saver a bit. I was getting tired of not finding things on it. I still need to get my desk workable and a good way to get papers to flow in and out. My office is a mess! But at least I think that the lady is done painting in here. I should have closed my pool when it was warm. Now I have to get in an vacuum up MOUNDS of leaves on the pool bottom and it is rather FRIGID! YIKES! Little by little we will all get to have livable areas. <Marm is too mortified to actually post pictures!>
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 2:16 pm
Don't be mortified. I bet we all have had or have now, huge messes. It might even motivate you to make progress. Do you really think people will think less of you? No. They will feel good that someone has as big of a mess as they do!
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Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 3:03 pm
Vee, the rooms I would have to do the room rescue in would be said monster messes.LOL Ok, so I don't read instructions and owner's manuals, just use the article and hope for the best. I figure if there really is a problem I can still read it after. Don't see a reason why not use the eraser on the tiles and shower doors. If you can take the thing to walls, tiles and glass shouldn't be a problem. Afterwards I just spray a little 50/50 water/vinegar and wipe it down. No fuss, no muss. For the weekly cleaning I grab the fiber mop and run it over the tiles. The second bathroom sees more action, so that has to be "erased" more often. Marm, isn't it great how Lk's pics make us feel better? It's a real comfort to know we are not alone, Lk.LOL
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 5:27 pm
Thanks, Lum, I think. I may not dare to try it until I get to read the box...so much for tossing everything. You're a brave soul! I did use the eraser on my painted kitchen cabinets and all I can say is...amazing! So easy and quick and the results make some cabinets where the paint still is all on look like they have been freshly painted. I'm one of those crazy folks, though, who enjoys paint in layers so I actually have taken sanding paper to my cabinets to make them look a bit more distressed. Very convenient for covering the little things. Wonder where Biloxibelle is today. Hope the e-mails have not overwhelmed you, hon. I think you have done amazing things with your home, Lk. What will happen with the things that you have in your dining room now? Are you tossing or finding a home for it all? Sia, your cottage on the lake looks so pleasant. How lovely for you and your children to have that be a part of your lives. I didn't even notice the tape until you pointed it out! What a clever idea for the children to take before and after photos. Such an excellent way to motivate them. You can never train children too early to help with cleaning and being responsible for their own spaces. Schoolmarm, I posted those piano serial numbers aways back, but you sound so busy that I hate to impose. But, if you should in your unpacking run across whatever that book was that you were telling me about, the info is here someplace. Hope that you can find the time that it will take for you to begin the process of getting your home the way that you want it. You are one incredibly busy gal! Catch you all later in the week!
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 6:43 pm
Julie, thank you very much. I do, I just don't usually succeed in part due to my fibro. I want to continue but my body rebels. Sia wrote: "Lkunkel, your place is looking great! I wish you'd come Clean-Sweep MY kitchen!" Sia, thank you for the compliment on the kitchen. I did it using GrandmaTo2 and my modified FlyLady's 15 minutes. We blitz for 20 minutes and then chat for 10. We give ourselves a specific task to do (Clean off stove) and then set our timers and go! I despise Clean Sweep--it turns families into competitors and under NO circumstances should one spouse be able to toss the other spouse's most "important" item. But, it is mice to to be asked. Thank you. (Oh, and your son has an interesting eye for composition; is he in a class?) Vee: There will be no buying of clutter bunkers until the clutter is gone. Remember: you CANNOT organize clutter. All you can do is hide it in a clutter bunker. NO BUNKERS FOR YOU!!!! Lumbele: As long as you do your dailies, you'll be fine on keeping the done areas done. I love the 5 minute room rescue--I use it both in the way Flylady intended which is how I tackled the breakfast bar area, but I also modified them to spend 5 minutes on a completed room to pick up, straightened up, and make sure that the room is satisfactory. (Note: I did not say perfect.) Marm, I still have a lot of electronic clutter to tackle. My hope is that by next month, I'll be able to treat my computer as "the other room" for Zone Week 3 and actually turn it into a lean and mean machine again. I am glad you felt better after seeing my disaster rooms. I wanted to show that we ALL have rooms/areas that need a lot of help. I have decided to get a length of chain to hang from the ceiling for Potshot's caps. I also need to see if the holder is sturdy enough for our coats, or if I need to do something else. Lumbele: the purpose of the 5 minute room rescue would be for me (for example) to take 5 minutes and work on creating a pathway to the wall or to the table. Trust me, it is easy to keep working MORE than the 5 minutes, but spending ONLY 5 minutes means that I do not have to feel guilty and I can salute it and say "see ya tomorrow!" Vee: Never toss cleaner instructions until you know how to use the cleaner in question. I binder clip them all together and stick them on a nail on the wall of the under the sink cupboard. The stuff in the dining room is actually craft stuff. I am sorting it and dividing it, but I really need my floor to ceiling shelves so I have a place to put the baskets. For now, tho, they'll have to sit on the floor and be stacked. I am going through everything. I need to go through all of my rubber stamps, for example, and check out each company's angel policy. If it isn't a liberal policy, then I'll be getting rid of that company's stamps. Generally, then, everything will find a home in the baskets, school boxes, accordion files, etc., labeled accordingly, and then be placed on shelves. I do plan on getting rid of quite a bit, tho. I know now what I like to do with my altered books and what works and what doesn't, and the other types of crafts I'd like to do; so everything else will be going. I have a church I donate things to for their monthly rummage sale; I'm sure they'll be able to package the stuff into sellable units. I still have a lot to do. I know that. But I also know that it is less than I had. The pictures make me feel much more confident. I hope to post more pictures next month to show my progress.
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Biloxibelle
Member
12-21-2001
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 9:16 am
Hi all, I'm still here but boy were you right about the e-mail. Glad it is cyberspace mail and not real mail I would have a big disaster on my hands. I am really enjoying all this. I love feeling I am really getting things done. The downside is I now have more time for on-line shopping. Lkunkel thanks for the suggestions about the clothes. I really like the idea of Becca's closet. Your before and after pictures are amazing. You have done so much. Schoolmarm I know what you mean about pictures. I did do the sink. I even walked in my closet with the camera looked around and said "nope". Maybe I'll get brave and take the picture yet. Sia I love your cottage. I miss those days when I grew up in Ohio my parents had a cottage down on Williamstown Lake in Ky. I look back on that as such a wonderful time in my life. Vee & Lumbele the sink is still shining LOL. Did have a bump in the road yesterday. My husband took me away over night Monday and my oldest son and his g/f stayed here to watch my other kids and dad. When I got home yesterday morning the sink was piled high with dishes. But I had it cleaned in no time just knowing my shine was down there somewhere. My biggest goal is to have my dinner cooked and cleaned up by a decent hour. We have got in the habit of late dinners which make even later clean ups. And to have more time to do other things like painting and wallpapering the house. I do have the paint to do my bathroom and today have had to time to order some things on-line for it. I think I will start painting today.
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Biloxibelle
Member
12-21-2001
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 9:18 am
Oh yeah forgot to add today is the 30 minute clean-up on my desk. I will post the before and after pictures of that. I promise .
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Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 11:34 am
Atta girl, Biloxi!!! You are fluttering just fine. One step at a time. Since I have been cooking for 1 pm my day is much easier to take. Before I used to dread having to start around 4 pm and often wouldn't get out of the kitchen til about 6. Now I have the whole afternoon to plan as I please without supper hanging over me. Vee, lucky you. There was a new pack of Erasers in my closet, box intact. "Try it out wherever you find tough dirt: Car interiors, even wheels. Athletic shoe soles, leather uppers and more!" "Removes set-in dirt on appliances." "Cleans scuff marks and dirt from walls, floors and doors" "Breaks up soap scum." "Cleans ground-in dirt on patio furniture." "Attention: Test first on an inconspicuous spot with light pressure to see if surface may scratch. Not recommended for use on surfaces that are polished/glossy, or on finishes that are brushed, satin or dark. If using for dishwashing rinse dishes thoroughly. Do not use with chlorine bleach."
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 1:39 pm
Belle, online shopping is great; my policy is that for every new item that comes in AT LEAST TWO other items have to go out. You'd be amazed how much I have donated/trashed/given away in 2003 and 2004 AFTER moving (at least 75 30-gallon trash bags of non-shreddable trash; 45 12"x15"x12" bankers boxes [like in the pictures above]; 20 boxes larger than that [plastic storage type]; 9 12"x15"x12" bankers boxes of papers to be shredded; and 4 30-gallon bags of clothes). Today, for example, I am getting a new stick blender. It means I need to remove at least 2 items so tonight I will eBay the Oster Kitchen Center with the blender, mixer, bowls, ice cream maker, pasta maker, etc (none of which I've used in 2 years) as one item and I'll go through the drawer of small kitchen implements and find one more thing to toss. That will be two items. But, while I have the drawer out, I might as well finish going through everything and clearing out that drawer. (I'll take a picture of the before and after kitchen gadgets drawer.) There will come a point, of course, of diminished returns where I have nothing more to get rid of in replacement of bringing in something new. At that point, if I have a home for it, then I will order/buy it. For example, I currently have some canisters I really want. I am probably going to order them when the Kitchen Center sells. That will help clear out the top pantry area (which has NO shelves but is about 2.5' high) of my sugar, flour, etc. The containers they are currently in, will then be used for my craft stuff, or will be donated/tossed. However, I'm also rediscovering the joy of emptiness. If I have things thinned out and straightened up, then it takes me less time to find things. If it takes me less time to find things, then I have more time to do the things I want to do with the objects. The thing that is difficult is distinguishing between "want" and "need." Do I need the canisters? Probably not, but they would make my life easier. Do I want canisters? Oh yeah! I have a big long list of things I desirenow I just need to go through the list and determine what it is I want the item for, where the item will live, is there something I already have here that will work, or do I truly need this new item like, for example, my leg elevation pillow. I definitely need this for health reasons; I tried using other things, but the makeshift substitutes haven't been successful. The item will live on the shelves on my wall, making it easy to get down when needed. So, all I can suggest is to think before you buy. Write down what you want and why you want it. Alton Brown, on Good Eats points out that the only single purpose item in the kitchen or the house is a fire extinguisher. Since I adopted this idea, I have found a lot more peace. Lumbele, I use the 10 o'clock rule: if it's something I'm crockpot cooking, I have to know what dinner will be no later than 10PM the night before. Otherwise, I have to decide by 10AM the next day. Of course, since I have started putting Menu Mailer, Saving Dinner, and my own favorites in MasterCook 7.0, generating my own menus for the month, and then the shopping list. I buy all the nonperishables for the month and other things each week on shopping fill-in days (tomatoes, fresh herbs, bananas, some dairy, etc.). It's been working out really well-and since it's planned out if I'm not feeling up to cooking, Potshot has all of the instructions.
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Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 2:23 pm
Wow, Lk. I'm better organised than I used to be but no where near your preplanning. I am exhausted just reading how you got things laid out.
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 5:03 pm
Remember, Lumbele, from one day to the next, I don't know if I'll be upright or spending the day in bed. I have to get it together and keep it together so that if I am down for the count, Potshot has to take charge, whether he wants to or not. Sunday, for example I was hard at work; Monday I was flat on my back. Tuesday I had the Social Security Disability appointment. I also stopped at Target and the the bank and refiled the car I had borrowed with gas. I then drove the 10 minutes to my friends's house to return the car and be returned home. When I was final home, I crawled into bed and slept for 6 hours woke up for dinner (which Potshot was able to fix because I had it all organized out for him). I do admit that I am grateful that when I am exhausted that I can stil sleep and type recipes into Mastercook. I still have a lot of recipes to type, but in 15-20 minutes increments of being awake, I can type up 3-4 recipes. And, if it is a cut and paste from MenuMailer, I can even go faster. But since Potshot is pretty picky, I have to run through each recipe's ingredients with him. I'm hoping that, in time, I can do some doubling up on recipes and do may own cooking ahead.
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Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 5:12 pm
Lk, I do understand why you are doing it and good for you. Around this house, when I am out for the count, McCain's stock goes up, because the guys cook.LOL They are quite self-sufficient and inventive with whatever they can find in fridge/freezer though.
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Sia
Member
03-11-2002
| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 8:22 pm
I've been getting some really helpful housecleaning tips from a TV show called "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean." Is anyone else watching this? The hostess of the show is Linda Cobb and she's written several books which I think I'll look at on the Amazon site if they're available there. Linda's very big on five natural cleansers: vinegar, baking soda, borax, lemon juice, and club soda. (I think these are her big five, but I might have mixed up this list with something else! I haven't been taking notes while watching her! Usually I'm trying to clean my bedroom or kitchen when her show is on!)
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 11:18 am
Sia, for cleaning tips, Linda Cobb is great. The difference between the Queen of Clean and FlyLady, is that Marla focuses on more than just taking care of the house. She focuses on taking care of the individual and teaching each of us to Finally Love [Y]ourself. One of the books I am reading is called Spiritual Housecleaning: Healing the Space Within by Beautifying the Space Around You which also examines how various household areas match up with one's inner psyche. I am learning a lot and I must say that it ties in well with Marla's philosophy. Definitely use Linda's cleaning supplies and methods if that makes you feel comfortable. As a Witch, I generally stick to nontoxic, green products, and use everything you mention with the addition of Simple Green to make my own cleaning wipes. (If I have wipes, DH will clean. If I don't, he won't. I make wipes.) I bought a Downy Ball, and fill it with vinegar for the rinse cycle in the washer. I would, however, given your early emails, encourage you to try Flylady's method of breaking the house into Zones, setting up routines, etc. Also, Sia, you might want to set up an Ebates account, and buy the books on B&N. You'll likely still get a discount on the books, put you'll also get 4% of the total cost put aside in an account for you that you get in a check or on Paypal 4 times a year. If you want more details in Ebates, just email me.
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 12:26 pm
Sia: My dad (yes, dad) has read quite a few of the Queen of Clean books. I don't know about her tv show. I prefer to use simple, eco-friendly products whenever possible as well. They're typically less expensive and are healthier for me, my animals, and the Earth . I also use cotton cleaning cloths instead of paper towels - much less waste and they do a better job. I've never heard of Ebates, will have to check that out. Thanks for the link.
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 1:32 pm
Calamity, would you mind using me as the referral? I use paper towels because we're trying to cut down on water usage wherever posible here in Vegas. I used to use cloths all the time, and still do sometimes, but when we're reminded about water shortages everyday, it's hard to think about adding a load of laundry.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, October 15, 2004 - 1:41 pm
Just trying to get caught up with all of you. Probably never will! Thanks for that information on the Mr. Clean box, Lumbele. Guess what? I was using bleach on it all the time. I don't know if they disintegrate normally, but mine did disintegrate after a couple of weeks of use. No more bleach on my eraser! I love reading "Talking Dirty with ...," but, as Laurie says, FlyLady and Linda are quite different. I don't believe FlyLady gets too involved with the particulars of cleaning, i.e., the cleaning agents, methods, etc. Reading cleaning books was my salvation as a new homemaker, however, because my mother never taught me how to do certain things. I guess she felt that she was protecting me. So when it came time to clean a toilet, I didn't have a clue. That's when I first began to read those types of books. I also enjoy Don Aslett's books like Do I Dust or Vacuum First?(and 99 other Nitty-Gritty Housecleaning Questions). Laurie, why can't I have an over-the-pole sweater organizer? Especially if it eliminates a dresser? Geeze Louise! Well, I'm not going to post more...did a lot at my mom's and helped to get her back on track for probably two seconds and a half. I want to go visit, but I know that it will all be screwed up already so I am not going to go. I won't be able to stand it! Flutter on!
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, October 15, 2004 - 1:51 pm
Okay, obviously, I am a huge liar! I just thought I would do a Google on Don Aslett and came up with some interesting stuff that is especially pertinent to me now that all my grandmother's stuff has taken over our lives. This is from junkbusters.com: It is junk if: 1. it's broken or obsolete (and fixing it is unrealistic) 2. you've outgrown it, physically or emotionally 3. [or...] 4. it will shock, bore, or burden the coming generation. I don't know about bore, but shock and burden is definitely factoring in for us.
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