Monday, August 25, 2025

FLY LADY - Week 4 - Office

 Good morning, friends!


I'd love to say I'm diving hard into the office this week, but there's a slight change. The weather is finally cooling down here in the southern Ozarks and I can work on the 'warehouse' where the overflow of craft supplies as well as holiday decor is stored. I am sooo ready to dive in to see what can go to the thrift store, trashed or reorganized. Primarily the Christmas decor.

We've been in this house twenty years and have figured out the decor for each holiday in the various rooms that I am happy with. Everything else can get donated so maybe someone else can use the items.
Reorganizing the Christmas decor will also make room for the four big village tubs I have in the basement in our 'safe' corner. I'd love for Bob to be able to build a storage bench where they are now that we can put stuff to be protected in case of a tornado and that we can sit on. 

Over the course of forty-one years of marriage we've developed an amazing working relationship. Either I design something and he builds, we design and he builds, or we design and build together. This office desk I'm working on was an 8' kitchen island with storage I designed and he built over 35 years ago. Nothing fancy but served as a kitchen island initially that could seat 12 people if needed as well as store all of my baking pans. Then it served as an island against one wall in our first purchased home turning our narrow kitchen into a galley kitchen. In this house it was a crafting/ sewing table downstairs before we built the office/ studio almost 11 years ago. Here it remained a craft table until about 3 years ago when the cat took over my writing desk and I moved my 'office' space to this huge work table. I can move stuff easily enough if I need the 4'x8' space to cut fabric and one side still functions as space for my die-cutting machines when necessary. 

That's me for the week. Next week, I'll be back in the kitchen/ laundry with a bit more of a detailed list of what I do there.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!
~ Kelly


Monday, August 18, 2025

FLY LADY - Week 3 - Bedroom/ Bathroom

 Good morning!

After getting the bedroom temperature down to between 65*-67* (optimal sleeping temperature for diabetics) I finally got a really good night's sleep - the first in weeks! Poor Bob, I'm pretty sure he thinks he sleeps in an igloo. hehe


Speaking of the bedroom...
While I love naps, I don't think I'll need one today. Doesn't mean I won't WANT one. LOL Too much to do.

I'm still in sorting mode in the office. 
Last all, we had a split unit (heating ac) put in my office. That required moving everything out of my sewing corner. Guess where to. Yep.

I did the bedding on Saturday so that's done. We also did my shoe shelves last month to make room for Bob's shoes/ boots. I think I mentioned last month all of his were on five bake rack shelves in the closet. now that baker's rack holds all of the last three orders from Thrive Life. (I'll have freeze dried info coming Friday) 

So, my gal this week is goal this week is to get the sewing stuff out of the bedroom, back into the office, and my night stand tidied up. This whole sorting thing has been a process. Getting those two things done will be a major accomplishment. Getting my small roll top desk into the bedroom where my clay cart sits now will be a major improvement. 

I have a bonus item for you this week. 
I invite you to check out Clutterbug.com. Take their quiz to find out which friendly 'clutter' bug you are. Don't over-think the questions. Just go with your first instinctive answer. You may (or may not) be surprised but the results either way may help you on your journey to a 'company's coming and the house is suitable for visitors'  home.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!
~ Kelly


Monday, August 11, 2025

FLYLADY - Week 2 Living Room/ Dining Room


Good morning, friends.

Trying to get the day started when a nap sounds really good. LOL I had a long three days of late nights.
Friday night, I saw the Bellamy Brothers in concert at the Mountain Grove Heritage Festival. Not often you see these guys in a free show (though I always did as an entertainment journalist) The weather was 100* until about 7 p.m. when they took the stage. Then it was only in the 70s. LOL I got home after 10 p. m. (I normally find my pillow by 7:30)
Saturday Bob and I went to Poplar Bluff to Ollie's in search of some of the amazing craft deals people are finding. Me, not so much. That location didn't have hardly any of the stuff the East coast stores have. Apparently American Crafts is closing their doors and Ollie's bought ballets of everything from the AC warehouse. We went to dinner and got home after 9 p.m.
Then yesterday, I just spent all day on one project, not realizing until I started supper how time had flown by. I found my pillow at 8:30.

Today, I'm trying to get work done here in the office and just want a nap.

I'm on Living Room/ Dining room detail this week. I didn't get everything done in the kitchen last week but made a little progress. I managed to get some laundry done and unpacked eight boxes of Thrive Life and organized on the pantry shelf. I'm really going to miss Thrive Life Freeze Dried Foods. Sad that they are closing their doors in a couple of weeks.

With those boxes out of the way, my focus this week is to get the sofa cleared. I have boxes of spice mix bases to do up and get in jars and jar meal (think hamburger helper but healthier) to get made up and put in the cabinet. Neither of those will take long. 

For the dining room, it's time to clean out one side of the game cabinet. That side also has candles galore that need gone through. We'll see what I decide to keep to turn into wax melts and which ones go in the thrift store box. I'm trying to fill those boxes so I can take them with me on errands Friday.

That's it for me this week. What are you working on? Remember... even if you only spend fifteen minutes on an area, that's progress - Progress is all that is Required. Baby steps.  We got this!

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!
~ Kelly


 

Monday, August 4, 2025

FLYLADY - Week 1

 Good morning, everyone!

Looks like I have one more 'cool' day to accomplish something. The cooler weather sure has made a difference in my energy level. I got a lot done in the office yesterday, prepping for my work week.

Temperatures are to start going back up this week after a very fall-like feel the past four days. I am so not ready. I have an outdoor concert on Friday to meet up with friends, The Bellamy Brothers. We're to be back in the 90s. Those temperatures and hot pavement are not a good pairing. Hoping most everyone crowds under the trees. LOL


As usual, I start the month out with the kitchen and laundry room.

Laundry room:
sweep/ mop floor
wipe down appliances
put away anything that's not been put away properly over the past few weeks.

The laundry room is pretty easy for the most part. I really go deep on the weeks I switch out the holiday decor, which comes up next month when the task list grows a bit.

Normally, this room would include taking recyclables in but Bob took care of that last week. I just need to temporarily move them out to the deck so I can do the floor. 

The kitchen is another matter. 
My main focus is to get the spice mixes done up so I can revamp that cabinet.
I also need to pull everything off the counters, give them a good clean then back again.
I can get the card table down this week, I think. I used it for sorting/ cleaning a couple of months ago. I wanted to leave it until I get the last of the Meals In A Jar put together. My second-to-last ThriveLife order should be here Wednesday. 
I had the last order still in their boxes sitting on the card table, waiting for this order so I could rotate the stock only one time. Bob got antsy and moved them to the bedroom closet where the ThriveLife pantry baker's rack is located. Cook, dry, dark.

The only non- kitchen thing I want to get done today (not later in the week) is to take HoneyB's kennel apart, wash/ air out his bedding and clean the floor good around there. 

What's on your cleaning agenda for this week? Are you following along? What is your main focus?

Until next time...
Be safe, Be prepared, Be blessed!
~ Kelly