Tag: Organizing

91 Day Declutter Challenge – Week One

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, Donations, House, Organization

I’ve been following Creating Mary’s Home  for quite a while now and I finally decided that I would try one of her declutter challenges. She’s currently in the middle of doing her 91 Day Declutter challenge. I just finished week 1 which is the master closet and the master bathroom.

Now I want to start off by saying that I did not do the master closet. The reason the master closet was not done is that I already do this twice a year. It doesn’t make sense to do this ahead of regular schedule by about a month and a half. Instead I will be moving those 4 days to another short week or to an open week.

There are only two days for the bathroom which makes sense. Most of our bathrooms aren’t that big. Well there are a lot of things that I don’t keep in the bathroom, I know most people do which I think is why it also was not crammed into one day.

Master Bath Declutter

In the left of the photo I have the bulk of my declutter. Most items here are expired. I’ve been having all kinds of skin sensitivities and I’m just not willing to run the risk. There are some notable products here that I did really enjoy.

The IGK Rich Kid oil gel was something I really did enjoy in my hair, besides being expired it seems to be very thick now and not so useful.

TIGI Bead Head Screw It curl hydrating jelly oil I think will be a repurchase.

Laneige Essential Power skin toner, I did enjoy this very much so. I had no reaction to it but I am using a different toner. No point of me holding on to this. Much so when it has already reached its date.

A few products that did not impress me at all where that Laneige water sleeping mask in the blue container, Catwalk by TIGI Curls Rock amplifier for definition and separation, Peter Thomas Roth cucumber de-tox hydra-gel eye patches, and Matrix Total Results curl please shampoo and conditioner. These probably work for somebody else but they just were not for me.

On the right I have a pile of items going to my Aunt. I have three boxes of muscle relaxant patches from China. Sensitive skin and the adhesive is too strong for me. If it wasn’t for that I probably would keep them and finish them up. There is also a hot and cool pad along with lavender and rosemary massage oil, and a roll on stress vial. I also included some bath melts that are moisturizing cocoa butter scented in Tangerine.

In the center I have items that I’m really just not sure what to do with but I do not need them taking up space. I will figure something else out though. Vase is staying. I was not going to dump out the sponges every where. 

Not pictured is a pile of items I’ve already passed along to my Mother. This included a few samples of products she may be interested in, a nearly full bag bath salts scented in apple or something like that, and shower steamers that I do not use.

I have looked ahead on the declutter challenge program. I crossed off areas that I don’t have or weeks of rooms that just simply do not exist for me ha-ha. More or less to see what I am in the store for but also to make sure I was able to fit closet in somewhere without compromising the declutter of another space. So far it looks good and it seems easy enough to adjust it to work for me. I will follow it through though and make my final decision in the end. I am hoping to be able to use this as an annual system just to make sure I get all those areas I might miss during the rest of the year.

 

Cleaning and Organizing – Freezer and Deep Freezer

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, House, OrganizationLeave a comment

I finally, really, got around to organizing the deep freezer. Now about a month or so ago I had my Aunt stop by. I gave her about half of the contents out of the deep freezer. Most of it was meat that would get beyond eating before we got around to it. There was also quite a bit that would be better for the dogs. However, with Galaxy’s allergies I could not give it her. I in turn also dealt with the freezer.

First photo is of the freezer. It is not bad but you can see there are things in there that should truly be in the deep freezer. The lamb roast, cornish hens, and even shrimp do not belong here.

The second photo is of the deep freezer. This does not look like it was ever emptied. Things like the fruit and veggies do not belong in here. I also cannot find anything. Even if I wanted to cook a protein it would be impossible to find.

I bought two stack-able blue bins with handles from a local chain store. I think there were $10CAD each. I took the dimensions and looked online before choosing. I had chosen two different bins. I looked through the store and could not find the other one that was suppose to be in stock. I think these were the better choice anyways.

This bottom bin I have put all of the lamb into (minus the roast as I had not done the freezer yet). There is ground, sausage, meatball, and roast lamb all in there. Now the reason there is so much lamb. Missy needs to be use to the protein before we go to visit her family in China. This will common for us to eat in the area we are going and I do not want her possibly getting sick while we are there.

The top blue bin contains all other proteins. The only thing that is not actually in there is pork. I do not like the taste what so ever. I am not a bacon eater (I use it in cream soups only because I cannot get that salt ratio right with out it). I think there is a bit of ham in the pizza slices pack and I do have pancetta somewhere in the mess as well.  I tend to use pancetta over bacon.

One the left hand side I have boxed items stacked. Such as veggie burgers, breaded chicken, and I have a loaf of garlic bread behind that. On the right hand side I have more butter than I know what to do with! There is a bison pie in there too from a local producer and I have since added some quick breakfast options.

On to the freezer! All of the vegetables have been added here. In the back there are a couple bags of fruit. Most of which came out of the deep freezer.

The bottom left hand side is some proteins. Breakfast sausage, bread chicken fries, and I found the pancetta. On the right hand side I have a huge bag of mixed berries that would not fit up top. There are potato wedges and veggie tots(?). It mostly is stuff that I need to use up sooner than later or one off purchases. Stuff that I will forget about if it is not in here.

While I did this, I took a full inventory. This should help me figure out what to cook (it has not done that yet ha-ha) and help when shopping. I hate when things go bad in the freezer. I also hate being in the freezer aisle, seeing things at a good deal, and not knowing what I already have.

So far the system has worked out for me. I do need to really get use to using the inventory system for everything. I do not think I will be changing anything soon. I do need to inventory my pantry though with the expire dates.

A Week of Cleaning: Sunday February 03 2019

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, Donations, House, Organization1 Comment

I almost forgot about this! Which is horrible since Sunday is such an easy day. My weekend also was not as productive as I hoped it would be but there is nothing I can do about that now. Just try to be better the next.

This is my weekly cleaning schedule and also for supper meal planning. There is no meal planning this week though. Maybe one day….

Now with Sunday we have the deck, entry, laundry area, and floors. Right off the bat I can tell you the deck is not being done. It is simply just to cold outside. I also did not get the floors done either since there is so much crap in the way every where. Reality is that the house should be picked enough for me to do a quick vacuum and wash. Lets see the before and afters.

Not that bad really. A few groceries to pick up and move to the kitchen. I need to put a way our outerwear. I am also going to wipe a few things down with a water, vinegar, and essential oil mix.

I mean it does look better. The wall of boxes are donations that I need to drop off eventually. Until then I just keep adding to the pile. The blue basket that is on top of the deep freeze is stuff that needs to go to the shed. I store all the too big clothing out there and NaiNai sends a lot of stuff for her Granddaughter. The couple boxes by the microwave are going to a clients as they are having a baby and I thought I would help out. I also have a second Christmas Cactus as I have killed the one Missy got when she was born. I have to move it out in the summer so it does not get sunburned.

Laundry area is pretty simple as well. Just needs to be picked up and a quick wipe down.

The iron is still there as it needs to go to the recycling. I did do a quick vacuum of the floor and the entry way. I switched over the laundry and pretty much moved everything off the floor.

That really is all I got done ha-ha

I also said I would include a copy of my ‘Got Done’ list. You can actually see my entire weekend. I had an appointment on Saturday so I went to that, went to help a client get paperwork together for their other accountant, and grocery shopping. We did nothing really Sunday morning. After Missy’s nap, we went and gave Grandpa his birthday card. I lazed on the couch until I remembered I was going to do a blog post.

Now this bad boy has been very picture heavy. I also know it was not overly exciting. What I am going to do is include the before pictures from when I was going to try to do this short series. You want to talk about real life in such a small place. Those are it. I just had a good week this time.

This was only a week ago. After another day off shopping. It is also a lot of other junk from a build of other weeks. You can see where I need to break some bad habits though. Like putting the shopping a way immediately. Or putting parcels a way once I open them. It is so hard when the rest of your house is in disarray though and I think a lot of you can understand that.

Monday we have the kitchen and dinning area. That will be quite the job compared to every where else. Something to look forward too!

Cleaning and Organizing – Kitchen – Making it Safer for Missy

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, House, OrganizationLeave a comment

I would have had this up earlier but I have been having modem problems. I am hoping new equipment solves this problem. So, going back to Update Part Two, I have moved around some of the cabinet contents. You can see the before pictures in the previous post but I am also going to include them in this post as well.

I needed to move some of my small appliances so they were not in such immediate reach when I finally unlock the cabinets in the future. I have a reason to be paranoid about this. I have a cousin, who was not so young at the time, that decided to stick his finger in a blender. Kids can do stupid things. Let get on with it though.

I am moving the small appliances into the cabinet were the serving dishes are. The serving dishes have been moved out of the kitchen and will appear in the dinning room post.

I have left the glass prep bowls in the cabinet as there is no other real place for them. On the bottom shelf I have all the mixer attachments. In the baskets I have the different paddles.

On the second shelf I have moved the Baby Bullet, the food processor, and the Ninja blender. In the back I have a basket that contains the cups for the blender, that way I do not have to worry about constantly knocking them over. The blender is a little heavy but not enough that I will avoid using it.

On the top shelf, I have a basket there. I have just left it there. This has stuff in it that Missy is still too small for and there is no point in moving it.

This is the before of Missy’s cabinet and her dishes that I wanted to move. You have seen already where I moved the baby blender to and I just want to move her dishes down. This cabinet does not have a lock on it.

I think this cabinet looks so much better! I left the food freezer trays because I am not that worried about them. In the basket on the bottom shelf are popsicle molds. She will not be able to use these for a while yet but she can play with them in the mean time. I have put the bottle liners down here as well. Her sippy cups (I had two more in the wash) will be there as well.

On the top shelf, in basket I have put just the smaller stuff. It has a few silicon self feeders and the formula to-go containers. Soon enough I will add snack pouches in there and what not. You can see her dishes are now accessible to her and behind those I have put her formula cans.

Now the cabinet that had the small appliances in it. I have moved the rice cooker in to here. I had it above the stove because there was no other spot for it. I expect I will use it more now that I can actually reach it. The water bottles and to-go cups have been moved in to here. I also put the spiralizer in here because it has just been sitting on the counter. It needed a place to go and this is where made the most sense.

A bonus cabinet that Missy will probably never be able to reach but I did it at the same time. This has vitamins and a couple medicines, vases, coffee and tea containers.

Again, another cabinet that looks so much better. I have moved the vases out of the kitchen. Them being there made me nervous every time I needed one. Plus, I want a to add a couple other choices. There was no room for that. I, of course, left the vitamins and medicines. They are out of reach and I take the vitamins with food. The kettle was in the small appliance cabinet and it should have been here in the first place. I only use it when I make full pots of coffee or tea. You can see my teapot and coffee pot. I put the grinder behind the pot. I had a french press in here and as much as I want to keep it. I HATE cleaning it, I have not used it in a couple years. When I make coffee, I grind the beans myself and my coffee never ends up with a burnt taste since I do not use a percolator. Maybe that is technically one but it does not have a heat source, I just have to heat it up the amount I want though out the day.

It is amazing how just having a few things done can make one feel so much better. Then I look around at the rest and I get overwhelmed again. One step at a time.

Cleaning and Organizing- Master Bathroom

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, OrganizationLeave a comment

The bathroom does not look the worst from this angle (which is looking directly in). Trust me in the next picture you get to see the real mess. I want to note that I was only organizing when Missy was in the bathroom with me. I would not use cleaners when she is in that close.

Here we have the real picture of the counter. Somethings I had purchased for postpartum and others simply just did not get put away after being taken out. Such as the following:

  • Toothbrush heads need to be put away in the cabinet
  • Toothbrush charger needs to be put under the sink
  • Tucks pads need to be stored away as I did not end up using them
  • Various bottle need to either be put away or put to the side to get rid of

The drawer is just being re-organized. The only thing that will be coming out of here is a personal shaver that died. Why it got put back instead of disposed of I really do not know.

The cabinet is just being re-organized as well. The blue bin is coming out and everything in there will be going in the small toolbox on the counter. It contains first aid supplies and some medications. I will also be disposing of anything that is expired.

Again under the sink just needs to be re-organized.

Over the toilet storage will be re-organized and I need to go through the vitamins. Anything that is expired will need to be disposed of.

First I added items into the tool box. Which was purchased at the Dollar Tree and has a lock spot. I have to find something bigger for other first aid/emergency items though.

In the top left we have face masks, bath products, and samples. The samples I hold on to for guests or for travel. Top right is all nail polish supplies! Bottom left in the silver basket contains extra products, seasonal products (such as sunscreen since its winter), and personal supplies. Bottom right is Q-tips and cotton balls. The tool box ended up being moved after the picture was taken.

From left to right. Silver basket has bath supplies, hair shears, the extra razor blades, and my make up cleaning pad. In the green basket is all the extra shower supplies. Such as body wash, shampoos, face wash, and foot soak. I also have a shampoo/conditioner set and face wash in the white boxes. In the back are hot packs since I do not use them often.

Top to Bottom, left to right. I have soap for my bras and baby shampoo that I use to wash my make up brushes; foot lotions and a dry crème. First aid stuff (Iodine, isopropyl, and Nature’s Aid). Top shelf in the storage as you can see is where the tool box ended up with a few of the extracts. I also always have eyewash and nasal spray. Bottom shelf is mouthwash and floss. Than daily things like face moisturizer, hair products, and deodorant. Our razors and in the clear container are things we use in the shower but not daily.

Those shower supplies would be a body scrub, pumice stone, and shaving crème. The other would be my shampoo and conditioner. I only wash my hair once a week so I do not see the need to keep the shower cluttered with the two extra bottles.

As you can see the drawer does not look to much different. Front basket contains things I use regularly or semi-regularly. Middle contains Band-Aids and the last contains an electric personal shaver. Beside is just random stuff really or items that are to big for baskets. I really do not want to leave anything on the counter (like the larger mirror).

The bathroom is officially clean and organized. This picture was not taken right after I cleaned but rather three days later. Also, being real it took me a week and a half to get even get the bathroom clean. I would get part ways and Missy would need my attention.

The shower area is also clean. Missy had a bath and I had not cleaned up her bath stuff yet. I only keep my regular use stuff in the shower. As far as Missy’s stuff goes, the soap stays in the shower and her tub has a hook so it hangs on the shower rod.

The bathroom has been clutter free for a week now. This makes it easy clean and really makes me happy to not feel disgusted by it anymore. Next up is the master closet!