Tag: series

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.

 

A Week of Cleaning: Monday February 04 2019

On By jackiblosblackisIn Cleaning, House, OrganizationLeave a comment

I did not forget today! I just had a really late start so it is not quite as satisfying as I would look forward too. I just simply needed to try and get some sleep.

You can check out what I did on Sunday but this is about Monday. Monday consists of the kitchen and dinning area. The reason I do the kitchen on Mondays is because Tuesday is garbage day. Makes sense to clean out the fridge, pantry, and freezer out the day before. That way in the summer things do not start to go rancid before it is off my property. The kitchen I tried to get to all day but Missy was not in the mood to deal with cleaning. Lot’s of in progress pictures.

I snapped these before’s really quick Sunday night before I went to attempt to sleep.

I did put all the groceries a way though. Pantry is a bit of mess but I do not actually have homes for anything I put in there.

This is the before for Monday. Or an in progress picture since I did take one the night before. My counters are terrible I know. Not where I start though.

I started by opening two parcels that have been kicked around the house for an entire month. The Oatbox was just granola and I put those bags in the pantry. The Walmart box was all stuff for my nieces and nephew. The second picture is showing the box of a small portion of their gifts. It is all together now though till I wrap them.

I added an oven lock and knob covers on the stove next. I have only had them for a few days. I thought this was the best opportunity to put them on. Also Missy was asleep and the directions say to put them on when the child is not around.

No pictures but after this I emptied and loaded the dishwasher. I proceed to wipe off the counters after clearing them off. Most of which ended up on the dinning table.

I think it looks a hundred times better. I know it is not completely done but I made an impact. That is what counts.

This the before of the dinning area. Before I did the kitchen so the table was not quite so bad at this point.

Yes my Canadian readers, I have a walker. Even if it was not banned here Missy does not use it as a walker. With the exception of a time or two. She likes to push and pull it around. I am also not shaming any one for using one. Missy can walk I have witnessed it but she simply just does not want to yet. The only thing she ever really liked that was confining was her bouncer.

The after of the dinning area. Again not completley clear but I did put a LOT of things a way. I also took some stuff with me when I came in to write the blog post. The one box contains stuff my Brother needs to come pick up and the other box (that you cannot really see) is full of recycling. I do not have a home for the speaker at the moment. When I asked to borrow it from my Mother, she made it sound like it was a portable….it is not actually portable. I do need it for my Kindle and I got on the Audible train.

I also cleaned out the fridge. Not much was thrown out. A few things that I did not purchase and a thing of mushrooms that I did not get around to using. I needed to put things where they fit though. I just threw the groceries in there from Saturday.

I did have the intention of doing the freezers today. They badly need to be organized but I just do not have the time at the moment.

 

My ‘Got Done’ list is much better for Monday though. Besides a whole lot of laundry. I switched out all my main light bulbs. I had a white light in them and it was just too much in such a condensed area. I switched to a warm white. So much better. I put a way seven parcels! Scary that I still have two more to deal with. First two weeks of every month is when the donations are received in the mail. They pile up fast. I did condense the recycling in to empty boxes. It is very cold outside and that is why it has not gone out yet. The other thing is I have all the items from the car sitting in the house. Again the weather, it is just too cold to be out there for more for something that does not seriously need to be done this second.

Tuesday is just a floor day. If I do something I will try to remember to take pictures. I may get the freezers done. I am not going to take before and afters of the floors. If I even get around to doing them. Still a lot of stuff in the way. I cannot promise that there will be a post on Wednesday.

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 – Update Part One

On By jackiblosblackisIn House, OrganizationLeave a comment

So far this series has not turned out how I wanted it too. It is not that I do not want to post. The problem is I do not have my phone with me all the time to take photos. I always think about it after the fact. I want to catch my daughter growing up and I never have my phone to take those pictures either.

Not going to lie; I have no clue where my phone is at the moment ha-ha.

I also organize things as I go along. While something works in theory, it may not work in practical. This means systems need to change until it works the way it should. If it takes too much effort to put things back where they belong, than the system does not work.

An example of this would be my cookie sheets. I did have a system that worked. I have since consolidated three drawers into two. I needed a drawer for ‘healthy’ snacks that would be in reach of Missy. In this case unless I add another set of drawers in the pantry I will just get over it. It really is just a pain in comparison. So this one does not have an end yet. Until I find my happy place the sheets just keep getting shuffled around.

Another example would be….who knew this would be so difficult. I am having trouble thinking of a decent example. Even from the duplex before this place was purchased.

I will have to come back to finding an example. Rather than trying to do the full room, I am going to split some of the areas in to parts. I also have to go back and change what I have organized in the first place. I do not want to go over the entire room again if I have only touched a small area (which usually has a large impact). Breaking things up to simply just what I have done, if there is enough content, will make me feel less overwhelmed. It will also keep you feeling good about your place compared to mine.

Cleaning and Organizing – Laundry Area

On By jackiblosblackisIn House, OrganizationLeave a comment

I lost the before photos for the laundry area but trust me it looks better now ha-ha. I do have the after photos though.

On the floor we have the container that we keep the dry dog food in. I purchased this on amazon. There is a smaller container that is empty right at the moment. It actually is only ever in there when a new bag gets opened. The laundry hamper is used for towels and clothes. I also have a plunger hidden back there.

The bottom shelf starting from the left is canned dog food, dog treats, dog grooming and health items. Once Missy can walk some of this needs to be moved. Galaxy’s pills are there. The first basket is clippers (nail and hair), hair brushes, and toothbrushes. The last basket is all the cleaning clothes and in the back I have the mop pads.

On the middle shelf starting from the left are all soy candles and the basket contains wax melts. We have the regular cleaning supplies loose and in the basket is stuff I do not use often. I put them in a basket just so they stay together.

On the top shelf starting from the left we have the water additive for the dogs. One basket contains filters for the dog bowl and the other contains random dog items and poop bag rolls. The blue pail is just random cleaning items, tools, small bag rolls, and the attachments for the forced air dryer. A large excess of laundry soap. Normally I would say you are not saving money when buying smaller containers but when the sale come on it turned out I saved more on the small bottles compared to the big bottle. Unfortunately it is not very environmentally friendly either. I have two rolls of paper towels behind the one box of tissue. I hardly ever use paper towels.

On the left side of the closet is pretty basic. The only things missing are the mop and the vacuum. The fabric hamper is not truely suppose to be there but I currently have no use for it. I am going to hold on to it for a little bit longer before I donate it.

Across from the closet are the washer and dryer. Is my cow not pretty! It was the first piece in my cow collection. I have been dragging it along with me for 11 years. Okay, so, on the left we have dog towels and mostly laundry supplies. I also put the essential oils in here. There is no way for Missy to get to them in here.

On the right starting on the bottom is just a small brush and dust pan. The middle shelf has extra cans of air, the basket is magic sponges and brushes, latex gloves and the fuzzy dust things. On the top shelf are the tools for cleaning the dryer vent and face masks. I have the face masks from when I was cleaning homes. I used them particularly at seniors homes since they have compromised immune systems.

These are things that no longer belong in this area and are not actually leaving the house. I had to throw out a bunch of stuff but I have no photo of that. The few things in the bin are being put in the porch with the other dog items in that area.

I am hoping areas like the cleaning supplies will get smaller. I am just currently trying to use up products I have and just will not repurchase them. I also get cleaners from my mother if she cannot stand the smell of them and they do not bother me. I really do prefer just the vinegar.