How can we be entering a new rotation already? Where does the time go?
Well, I can tell you a good portion of my time is spent with Bob. Though over the course of May a lot of my time was canning potatoes and baked beans. As you read this, I'll be processing the last of those #40 of potatoes. I am so ready to be done with those! I'm also putting the pressure canner away until fall. We're going to move into summer temperatures pretty quick and, if you've not experienced pressure canning, the task is a hot job. I don't want to work my AC any more than necessary.
For the most part, I'm done canning though I am planning on some blueberry and strawberry jam. I can put those in the water bath canner and they don't have a long processing time. An early morning task.
Now I can focus on serious cleaning.
I'm hoping for next month to focus on an actual task list that I can share with you. Things to look for in your own home you might not have thought of. For this last month in quarter 2, I just want to spruce things up a bit.
Laundry:
Go through the 3-cubby unit and get rid of anything I no longer need. We have no plans to get another dog so the bath towels, extra bowls, vet back pack, etc. can go! That will free up at least 2 cubbies for bird feed. LOL Yes, we have a wide variety of birds (and squirrels and raccoons) we feed on the front deck. Bob has gone from we aren't going to be able to afford bird feed to, 'let's grab a couple extra bags while they're on sale'. LOL He's so funny. He even researched what squirrel prefer and their visiting habits. He's such a softy.
So cubby/ wild life food is the priority for that room. I also run the cleaning pod for the washing machine.
From there it's the weekly run of the rumba and detailing the litter box area.
Kitchen:
I have 2 main areas of interest this week.
The back area of the corner counter top. I want to declutter, add a lazy susan and possibly a couple of 4th of July/ Patriotic decor pieces.
The other area is my baking island. I already have the Patriotic decor for that space, I just need to clear everything else off so I can bring that in. I have planned to show you what that looks like in a later post.
Getting those areas done this week will be a big win. Can't wait for those two rooms to start looking inviting again.
Are you following this cleaning routine or have you developed your own? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Looks like we get a day or two break in the rain. Saturday, I finally found healthy strawberry plants as well as Marigolds. Who knew those flowers would be so hard to find! I'll be planting my own next year, so that will help. I'm putting the marigolds in the tomato and zucchini tubs. We're going to put the strawberries in a holding pattern in the tower pots until we get the bed built. I need to wait for the 4-th of July firework tents to go up so I can haul a massive amount of cardboard.
As you read this, the two areas of my bedroom will be done. I still need to take care of the 2'x4' table holding my Christmas paper crafting but not ready to bring it back into the office yet. But I will be able to sit at my roll-top desk and work on planning out the next big personal project - Alchemy180. I'll talk about it more in a later post.
For this week, I'm back hard on the office. I have multiple areas to work on so I'm taking each area and using my Your Path Forward game board for inspiration. If you want to know more about that, I'll link the video HERE. I need to do an updated video this week that I hope to have posted by Wednesday, so if you are interested in that, please subscribe and click notifications on the linked video. That channel is my author account, Angela Drake. If you like Hallmark quality stories, I think you'll enjoy my books. I need to re-release one I got rights back to and Book 2 of the Eureka Springs series is coming soon.
Let's start with the Ugly Truth of this office. Watch the brief video then you'll understand. I'm being fully transparent here.
I know this looks bad. I'm not a hoarder. I USE my stuff and, most of the time, I can get exactly what I need in the moment. However, I want to be able to sit on my sofa and write or read the current book I need to write a review for. Come into my office, shut the door and just do my thing.
The main things I need to focus on are:
1 - The filming corner
2 - The space in front of the scrap rack binder shelf
3 - Record videos then put the retreat items away
4 - Clear the sofa, stacking the kits in front of the work table
5 - Finish 3 Bee journals and get one of them in the mail
6 - Organize the stamps that we moved. Some hadn't been included into the boxes yet.
7 - Put digital kits away
Next month I plan to focus on my Tim Holtz storage area.
Using the Game Board Strategy of Your Path Forward (brain child of YA Fantasy author, Sarra Cannon), I'm just going to pick one area, map it out on the game board then get started. If I can get through at least three areas this week, I'll count it as a win.
The red bag has been returned to the car. One task down! The rolling craft bag is taken care of. Some items were put back where they belonged. Duplicate items stayed in the retreat bag. I've also cleared the filming table... then put stuff on it again. LOL It's a process!
So, as you can see I've made some progress.
What area are you focusing on this week? What major project could you make progress on using the Your Path Forward game board strategy? I'd love to hear from you.
This is the beginning of a regular to semi-regular post. I plan to try for every week but at least twice a week. Stay tuned.
The theme of this post will be whatever comes to mind regarding everything household, prepper pantry, gardening, etc. Usually sharing a trusted YouTuber.
This week I want to share a video by my favorite homesteading youtuber, Leisa from SuttonsDaze. A year ago, she posted a video about FREE ways to cut your electric bill. Before you watch the video, I understand not all of the items will be feasible for you. But, if you can apply even a percentage of these, I think you'll be less stressed when you look at future statements.
I can say I've tried a couple of these for sure and they WORK! Our electric bill was almost $300 about four months ago. Mind you, we were using our 'back up' electric heat (rather than the wood burner I prefer) and because of that the house wasn't keeping as warm, forcing the heat to run more as well as a space heater for Bob in his mancave and one in my office to compensate for what my Split can't handle when temps got into the teens. We've learned a few things.
One, Bob will spend less time in his mancave and in the main part of the house when it's really cold. The trade off is he can work downstairs more in the summer where it's cooler as opposed to running the AC upstairs as much. As for the split in my office, it's energy efficient but not always able to handle the super cold temps. They just aren't made for that.
Two, I've gone back to hanging clothes on the line whenever possible. Sometimes laundry will wait until I can if weather is severely cold or wet. Clothes will dry mostly in cold temps. A few minutes in the dryer in the evening to top dry them and heat the house a bit is another great trade off.
I understand a lot of you will say you can't hang clothes outside for whatever reason. You Do You. That said, if it's a pollen issue, let them dry outside then bring them in and toss in the dryer with a dryer sheet as you normally wood EXCEPT you only need to run the dryer (possibly even with NO HEAT) or low heat for about 10-15 minutes. You'll be amazed how much you'll save.
I'm also using electric appliances less with most even unplugged (I'll get to that next) Our stove is a gas range and the only thing we run on a 250 propane tank. A fill lasts us between 4-5 years!!
As to unplugging things, we moved as much as we could to power strips. When not in use, I simply turn the strip off. I've done this with my dehydrator, our bed (we have serta system that raises & lowers), the tv in the bedroom (I only use for a couple hours in the evening when I go to bed, as well as the Emeril Multi-oven, the mixer and the toaster in the kitchen.
Making these small changes have cut our bill in HALF! Mind you, I know we won't be using the back up heat, but we're using the AC as little as we can.
So check out Leisa's video below then see how many of the changes you can make. Also, please subscribe to her channel. She does in-depth research in a lot of things that affect our Pantry Preparedness. You'll be glad you did.
Looks like another wet week in the Ozarks. Great time to focus on the inside cleaning.
I do love my naps but I really need to get the bedroom in order. This week I'm going to focus on getting the roll-top desk organized. I have a basket of stuff to use there. I started participating in 'listing' with a content/ product creator called Listing With Layle. Layle walks you through documenting life in a 2-page spread of a traveler's notebook. I love the concept and I played along for a few weeks but I didn't have a place where I could really lock myself away for 4-5 hours journaling & visiting with others. Yes, I have a studio but everything goes on here. When I found that vintage roll-top desk at a yard sale for $40 I knew that would be my journaling spot. Once we got it moved from the warehouse to the bedroom, I never took the time to actually set it up. That will be my main focus for this week. That and clearing off my nightstand. The piece is actually a vintage vanity that has seen better days. The top needs stripped. Not my task. Just to clean it off and declutter the two drawers.
I'd love to wash the bedding & put it on the line. Sadly, with the forecast I'll have to get an early start one morning so I can put everything through the dryer. Our power bill has dropped considerably since I've stopped using the dryer so much. I'll be posting a video from a YouTuber I follow where she talks about saving on the electric bill. In the mean time, what are you focusing on this week?
Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!
~ Kelly
Those two tasks will do me while I focus on clearing the craft room/ office so I can work in here next week.
This week we focus on the living room & dining room. For you, that might just be one or the other. Ours is a combined 26' x 12' living space separated by our sofa and a sofa cabinet we use for our board games.
I should go through those this morning, first thing and add to the car full of stuff to go to Goodwill this week. Yes, I know there is a lot of controversy about Goodwill but here's something some people may not be aware of. While there is a huge financial payout the higher you go up the corporate ladder, they help a lot of people. They have education centers that help people get their GED and other learning opportunities, (some) offer daycare while those people are learning. They higher disabled (in a variety of ways), giving them a chance to gain life experience while receiving a paycheck and help the community. For the most part, the ones I've been in are clean. I have a local thrift store (former furniture store) that smells of cat urine and their receiving room is stacked with bags of stuff that literally go the full width of the room and to the ceiling. I realize this is partly due to lack of volunteers, but seriously, I won't even donate there anymore.
When you look at your living room, what do you see?
End tables/ coffee table tidy, ready for your beverage while you watch a movie? Or do you see clutter to the point you don't even know what lays beneath? For us, we have both. Bob's end table houses a small storage box to keep 'his things' in, a coaster, a lamp. Mine has a lamp, a coaster... and stuff left over from when I sorted out my car console. yeah. I'm the collector here LOL.
Our sofa/ recliner arms have a storage section beneath. I've not cleaned mine out in forever. Bob's is home to the remotes.
I did a lot of decluttering in here on Friday but there is still more to do. Out of frame on the far left is a card table with my current canning supplies. I spent last week canning sausage and hamburger. I still have #25 of potatoes left to do this week. After that, I plan to canned baked beans. The basket that looks like a bassinet holds the kitchen towels I've not had the chance to fold. That's first on my list after writing this post. The box on the Gazelle on the far back sits on top of an empty tub. I plan to clean that out today. The tub is going to hold reusable boxes we can use for gifts at Christmas. I'll finally have them all in one place. So, not a lot left in the living room.
The dining room will take a bit more work so I've decided to work in stages starting with the game cabinet. I not only have games in there we no longer play (over 40 years we've chosen our favorites) but vintage candle holders, puzzles and a variety of candles. Next will be the immediate stack in the foreground. Those two stacks are in need of breaking down for images to put in my States Junk Journal. I really want to get that journal done and the remains gone. I had a 3' lateral file drawer at one point full of travel books/ brochures by state. Those stacks are all that's left for me to break down into the actual images I want to use.
The key is to look at your space, make a list of the areas you want to focus on then start with one. If one section is all you get done this week, that's one completed area towards your goal to a tidier, more welcoming home.
Did I mention Bob may have friends visiting from Iowa later in the month? LOL Yep, expecting company is always a good incentive.
Please tell me in the comments... What is the one thing you can do in your space this week?
When I came in to write the blog post I realized weeks three and four never got posted. I thought I'd scheduled everything before I left. Was a crazy couple of weeks. ::: laugh :::
I had a great time at the retreat but am so glad to be home and really dig into this house. I have no travel plans until October. With that said, let's do this!
Bob's turn to be gone this week so I can really dig in. I've been busy canning stuff. (I'll show that post later in the week). As you read this I am working on canning #40 of potatoes I brought home from my trip. At least ten of the potatoes weigh just over #1 each! The skins are thin so they'll peel easy but that's going to possibly a two-day process.
Once potatoes are out of the way, my plan is to go through the bottom kitchen cabinets & purge (again) and to do a deep detail on the kitchen floor. Hopefully, wipe down the cabinets, too. The steam tool on my steamer should make that relatively easy.
The laundry room is pretty much the way it needs to be except for getting rid of dog stuff so I can store the bird/ cat foods in the tubs and off the counter. Crossing fingers.
Since I'm not sure which day Bob is coming home I want to get a car load of stuff taken to Goodwill and the rest of my stuff out of the living room so we can both sit on the sofa and watch TV together.
As I get stuff cleared out, I'll have a more detailed cleaning list. For this week, take a look at your kitchen and laundry area. Are there things you could pitch? When's the last time you wiped down the cabinets? The appliances? Do you clean the inside of your washing machine? Clean the lint tube/ vent?
