FLY LADY WEEK 2 - Living Room & Dining Room

 Good morning, everyone!

Well, last week was less than productive. I got almost nothing done I wanted to do. My PMOS flared up the first couple of days then we were on the go the last three. By Saturday I was wiped out. I did spend Sunday getting kitchen Halloween packed up. I plan to take care of the laundry room stuff on Tuesday.

There will be some progress on the living room this week. Mostly just getting Halloween tubs packed up and out to the warehouse. The rest of the week is going to be shared between processing a bushel of apples throughout the week during the day and working on my novel in the evening.

I really want this book done. Last week, during a writing workshop I had an epiphany on what I need to do to weave everything together... and haven't had a single twenty-five minute sprint time to work on it. I plan to do almost nothing but writing on Friday - the 13th - and see if I can get in thirteen sprints. That will take some work because thirteen 25 minute sprints adds up to seven hours! Yikes. But if the words flow, the time will be well spent. Can you say Stouffers Lasagna or a Crock Pot meal? 

That's my plan for this week. Are the temperatures becoming more seasonal where you are? Are you on fall yard clean-up, holiday house prep? Let me know and remember, if you ever have something I can help with, please ask.

Be safe, Be Prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

STOCK PILING OR STOCKING UP - Is There A Difference

 Good morning, friends!

We are expecting full sun and upper 60s *F for the day. Bedding is all going on the line today.

I want to start using Thursdays to talk more about prepping. Intentional prepping, to be more specific.

I think the Doomsday Prepper series on Discovery channel several years ago gave 'being prepared' a bad connotation. Being prepared (in my opinion) doesn't mean we build bunkers, arm ourselves for protection against outside forces or stockpiling items we won't eat/ use but might want to barter with them. Folks, if the SHTF, I'm not talking to people to barter. I'll have my supplies - items we will actually use and eat.

Last week, governments in 34 countries suggested we  have a minimum of three days  of essentials. HERE  is the link to the article I'm sourcing.This isn't a 'fear news report'. What they are talking about is something I've always said on this channel. I'm about Emergency Preparedness. Preparing for being without power for several days, not being able to leave your home because of serious inclement weather, having enough food and water to sustain you for that length of time for, as the news suggests, 'until assistance can get to you'. The key thing taken from a podcast by former FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, is the military bases are stocked up for 90 days and you should be to. But to at least start with 3 days and build from there.

When I asked my daughter about the news report, she told me "everyone should have a 90 day stockpile in their house that they rotate through in order to keep it fresh and work. Yesterday, today, next week. Tornados, fires, snow earthquakes, power failures, etc. We are never immune."

I'm so proud of my daughter. She sold her trucking company three years ago but still works with long-haul drivers and has her own permitting company - Coast To Coast Permits.

courtesy of pixabay - rmpublishing

She insists that her drivers have 3 days supplies in their trucks. The road washes out, who is coming for you? How do they get there? Or that mountain passes closes due to an avalance?  They've been stuck on mountains for 72 hours eating their slow cooker chili, drinkg their coffee and getting some much needed rest. She 'encourages' them to have the basic necessities should they need them. 

The same is true for us at home. So are we STOCKPILING or STOCKING UP?

Accourding to Cambridge dictionary:

Stockpiling is the the act of accumulating and storing a large reserve supply of goods, materials, or resources for future use, especially in anticipation of a shortage, emergency, or price increase. 

The key phrase there is 'for future use'.

Now let's look at stocking up?

Technically, they mean the same thing but here's where I tweak the meaning. For me, stocking up means building the rotating pantry. Not for 'future' use but for working through on a day to day basis. This doesn't mean I have a large supply but the everyday items I work through when preparing meals and want to have on hand for the short-term... that 3-10 day I might not have access to the things I need... and can replenish (rotating the stock) when I can get out.

While I'm a week behind Leisa's 100-Day Pantry Challenge (only by a week), I encourage you to check out her video and take a look at your own 'stock up'. I'll be back next Thursday to catch us up and let you know what I'm doing. In the mean time, check out Leisa's (Suttons Daze) video and find a starting point. 

Also, let me know in the comments below... Are you Stocking Up or Stockpiling?

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY - Week 1 - Laundry Room & Kitchen

 Good morning, friends!

Welcome to November, the month when busy takes on it's own color. I'll be focusing on what needs to get done before I start holiday baking the first weekend of December. It's tradition.

Since I took care of most of the deep cleaning before decorating for Halloween, I don't have a lot to do in the laundry room. Wednesday, I'll begin packing away Halloween. I always leave those decorations up until after Day of the Dead. I posted a picture of my Day of the Dead display piece on my IG account if you want to see. @angeladrakea I'm trying to be more regular about posting under my author account as well as my creative. @kellyscreativedreams

Wednesday, the haunted village will come down and the witch display on the high chair. I'll take up the orange rugs under the cat box, sweep/ mop then put down the tan/ cream rugs. I have a fall display for the high chair. I'll also sweep behind the appliances and give the upright freezer a good wipe down. 

The kitchen will get a bit more detail. I'll start by taking down the minimal Halloween decor I put up in there. Other than that my only other plan is to do a deep clean on the refrigerator and steam clean the Emeril and the oven. I'v had this oven for over a year and never used the self-cleaning feature. I think it's past time. I want the oven all sparkly clean before I start my holiday baking.

Having done deep cleaning in those two rooms in prep for Halloween is a blessing as I move closer to Christmas. While I've not done all I'd hoped (thanks to a couple of really irritating health days), I am happy with what I accomplished. Fall & Halloween decorations have been paired down and I know where everything goes back next year.

How is your November looking? Anything you really want done before Thanksgiving or Christmas? Make your list, pair the tasks down to one a week and let's get started!

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

 ~ Kelly

FLY LADY - Week 4 - Halloween Decorating

 Good morning, friends!

I woke up to 50* this morning. In the final week of October. Really? I haven't looked to see the projected high for the day but I'll be inside all day anyway setting up for November and finishing the decorating.

I've been deep cleaning one room at a time decorating that space. Once the decorations are in place, I've moved to the next and repeated the process. By the end of this week, my goal is to have gone through all of the Halloween & Fall decor, keeping only what I'm using this year and going forward. I deleted a lot of the photos off of my camera, not thinking about saving to share here. I'll have those next year. In the mean time, here are the bathroom pictures.

My shoe cabinet (and Tabby's bed sometimes). I've draped this piece with remnant black felt from my stash. The book is a vintage book of Riddles to Scare you. I'm not concerned about moisture. Should I decide to use the bubble tub, which is the only item creating moisture, I'll simply remove the book from the room. Then there's a motion-sensored ghost from Dollar Tree and my furry little pumpkin friend (probably a garage sale find).

This next display is above the tank. I got the picture from Big Lots several years ago. You can set it to leave the lights on or press a spot in the top left corner to make spooky sounds as well as the lights go crazy. Most of the figurines below are from Spooky Hollow collection from Menards.

This last display is the top of the tank. I've had both of those Pooh beanies for over twenty five years. I draped the tank cover with a black hand towel from WM, Mainstay brand. 

Next I have a picture of the laundry room. Are you getting the idea I'm one of 'those people'? I've been accused. LOL

In the everyday layout, this top shelf would be filled with birdhouses and my vintage baby scale. During Christmas, this becomes Santa's Village at the North Pole. 

These houses were created from $Tree doll houses. The ones on either end are created from two, the one in the middle from three then two singles. I sprayed them completely black. Some of the videos showed highlighting detail with silver or other colors but for their height, I went will all black. The bottle brush trees are all sprayed with Espresso paint. I ran orange lights through each house. As you'll see in the second picture, the scene is set off by a beautiful orange glow, almost as if the whole block is on fire. I've added Harry Potter, Weasley and Heroimine figurines from $Tree as well as a witch figurine and mail box from the Spooky Hollow collection from Menards and a cauldron from tim Holtz.

Here is the scene at night. Witch hats replace the sun hats of summer. At Christmas, Mr. & Mrs. Clause hang their hats as well as the three top elves' hats.

After coffee with Bob this morning, I'll dive into decluttering the kitchen then deciding which decor goes up in that room. Then anything not designated for the living/ dining room area will be off to the thrift store.

Christmas is only two months away. Are you planning to decorate? My philosphy is do what brings you joy then let the rest go. Life is short. 

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

 ~ Kelly

FLY LADY - All About Decor

 Good morning, friends!

After a long week at conference then trying to get my system back on track, I'm ready to dive in and decorate.

I didn't eat like I should of at the conference. Four days of too many carbs and not enough protein plus not eating on schedule really made for a long recovery last week. I'll get there. 

First off, last week when Bob said he was taking trash in, I decided to finally get the 'cat counter' cleared off. Initially, when we designed the living room a 3-cabinet length of countertop was supposed to be for folding clothes. Then we had to put the cat food dishes up where HoneyB couldn't get to them - thus, the 'cat counter'.

This is the Before I showed you last month:

The canning jar box with stuff is gone. The magazines went to recycling and the three bin cubes became much clearer storage. If there was anything having to do with HoneyB, it went out. Bob took part of the old towels for his shop and I put a couple in the office. The bird food is now much better organized. That blue cube is water for cooking should the power go out. We emptied what was left. I just need to sanitize it then fill with fresh water for the winter. That cube will not go back on the counter until we need it. I'll show you the new placement next week. 

Here's where we are now:

Much better. The bare end is where Tabby jumps up to sit in the window to argue with Tennessee who lives on the front deck. After a trip to town later this week, the cube baskets will be swapped out for two black and an orange for Halloween, then the black swapped back for the brown for the remainder of fall. Just before Thanksgiving, the orange will be swapped back outfor the cranberry. Yes, I'm one of those people. LOL

One thing I learned through the process this week is to not look at the entire room when trying to declutter. Weekly cleaning schedule? Absolutely. But not decluttering.

Instead, pick ONE area and dive deep til it's done.

This week I'm focusing on sorting through all of my fall and Halloween decor. Apparently, not everthing got put away as it should. Here's where I'm at as I type this on Sunday evening:

After breakfast, I'm going through every single tub. I'll sort into rooms, decide what I want to keep and the rest will go into donation later this week. The only thing not going up this year are the Halloween trees, but at least the house will be ready for them next year. 

The week before Thanksgiving, I'll repeat the process with Christmas tubs. There's a lot more of those and they're bigger. 

Pick just one area, even if it's just one drawer, dive deep then reward yourself for a job well done.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY - WEEK 3 - Office

 Hi everyone!

Even though I'm scheduling this a week in advance, I know for a fact I will have had a great time at the conference. LOL

If all went well while I was gone, I'll be spending this week trying to find some semblance of order in this room. The filming corner is tops on my list then I'll work my way out into the rest of the room. There will be more purging! I also want to clear off and organize the work table. 

My work table is 2 ft. wide by 6 ft. long. With the ironing platform on one end and the side leaves in place, that gives me 4 ft. x 7 ft. of work space. My computer/ immediate office items for daily work take up about 3 ft. x 6 ft. The other side houses my printer and stuff. 

I have my work cut out for me. I was almost there before the ceiling issue and I had to move stuff to where ever I could find to put everything out of harms way. 

One reason to get things in order is I have a 4+ hour class with Tim Holtz on the Simon Says Stamp website on Saturday, the 17th. This will be the third class I've taken with Tim. Always a great time. If not for Tim, I'd be heading for the Witch Crawl in Eureka Springs on Saturday. I am officially a crone and this would have been the year for me to go. Maybe next year, as we step into a new turn of the wheel. 

I'll be back next week with more of an update and hopefully some pictures.

What will you work on this week. Remember, the holidays are fast approaching so if there's anything you can go through now in prep for however you celebrate, make your list and start somewhere.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

 ~Kelly 

FLY LADY WEEK 2 - Living Room & Dining Room

 Good afternoon, everyone!

I'm getting this scheduled on Sunday the 4th as I'm in deep prep for my trip on Wednesday. With that in mind, I will be paying some attention to the area before I leave.

My goal for this week is to move the Pink Ribbon journal kit boxes moved back to the warehouse as well as a couple of other things. Beyond that, there are not enough hours in the day. 

There won't be anything to doin the dining room because I'm pretty sure Bob's going to be tearing out part of the ceiling to see if he can find the link that has been a trouble spot for years. We think the leak is saturating the insulation then just continuing to drip after the rain has moved out. I don't want to be around for that excavation. LOL  

I'll be in Eureka Springs AR for the 60th Annual Ozark Creative Writers conference. This will be my 30th year in attendance and my roommate's 50th! I've met amazing people through this conference and many have passed on over the years, as is bound to happen. 

I won't be back until the 12th, so I'm going to schedule that post next.

Good news is, the leak in my office seems to be fixed. Bob is going to repair the ceiling so I can spend my first week back putting things back to normal in my filming corner. So once again, office and bedroom will be flip flopped. 

I hope you're enjoying nice weather where you are. 

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 1 - Kitchen & Laundry

 Good morning, everyone!

I am so in love with the fall weather that has finally arrived in the Ozarks. Our high today should only be about 79*. With full sun and me with TONS of work to be done in the house.

I'm back to cleaning the laundry room & kitchen. With all the office prep I have to do this week ahead of leaving for a writer's conference next week, I'm not digging in deep. Just making the rooms presentable. 

I've still not hauled out the fall decor. At this point, it's all about Halloween - hopefully by the weekend so I can enjoy it for a few days.

Laundry is cat counter and floors. Bob took recyclables in last week so I don't have to do those.

Kitchen is all about clearing that corner by the coffee pot I didn't get to last week so I can put up the Halloween display there, the coffee island, and the floors. I need to deep clean the refrigerator but that will have to wait until the the first week in November when I start prepping for Christmas baking. 

The only other thing for the kitchen is to prep meals/ leftovers for Bob to have at the ready while I'm gone for five days. That is the 1950's mentality. I always make sure there is food in the fridge/ freezer for Bob. While he is totally capable of cooking his meals, I like to provide him with a variety that is easy to grab. 

Aside from that I have to get blog posts and videos up ahead of leaving a week from Wednesday. I need everything scheduled/ posted through the 17th so I don't have to dive right into working as soon as I'm home. I want to spend a couple of chill days with Bob.

What room are you focusing on this week?

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLYLADY Week 4 - Still In the Office

 Good morning, everyone!

Well, I turned last weekend upside down. I'm involved in four different craft challenges due by end of the month. Rather than make a bigger mess by pulling everything out of the planner corner, I decided to see how many of the challenge videos I could knock out. It's been a busy three days and I'm nowhere near done. But I do have until this afternoon.

I did get the rest of the flour and rice dry canned as well as four loads of laundry. I'm contemplating the white oad this morning. Haven't decided yet.

Weather is still hot but to cool down this week. I'm still waiting on a storm to test the roof leak. I don't know what I need more at this point, confirmation the roof is fixed so I can put stuff back or for the temperatures to get considerably below 100*F.

I'm supposed to do a 31 Days of Halloween on my creative channel but right now, I'm strongly considering 13 days. That would let me hold off until the 19th before I have to start uploading content. The Ozark Creative Writers Conference is the second full weekend in Oct. I'll be gone for six days, meaing I'll have to have all that content recorded a head of time and can upload the videos while I'm at the conference ot just relax so I'm not wore out before the conference. I'll let you know what I decide LOL

As we approach Autumn (supposedly) think about how you want to switch things out, or do you? At this point, with the house in complete chaos, I think fall decor will wait til next year. If I'm lucky, something more than the Christmas tree will go up. 

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 3 - Office

 Good morning, friends!

The mornings are cooler here in the Ozarks but doesn't take long for temperatures to climb. At least we're not in the low one hundreds. 

Even though I'm ready for fall, the house is not. It is getting there. We're still waiting on rain to test the seal on the leak. Keep sending positive vibes, please.

I pulled out an almost full pack of black cardstock over the weekend for a project and all of the pages were warped. Thankfully, I had two new packages in the warehouse.

While Week 3 should be the bedroom/ bathroom, I am focusing on the office this week. Bob leaves Thursday for a trip to OK to see his brother. I'll have 4 days to totally empty out and redo the planning corner in my office. Need to take advantage of the empty space while I can move freely and at  my own pace. I'll have leftovers in the fridge so I won't need to cook, though the first morning I might treat him to breakfast at a little market/ cafe up the road on his way out of town.

Speaking of Bob, I'm off to have coffee with him. 

In the mean time, this week's task is to take a serious look at one room in your house you want to bring in some Fall inspiration and what you need to do before that can happen.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLYLADY WEEK 2 - Living Room/ Dining Room

Good morning, everyone!

How are you? Have stocked your pantry ahead of price increases? Both of my freezers are bulging. I anxiously await when I can turn on the AC and start running the pressure canner. Between now and then, I need to figure out where all of the filled jars will go on the shelves.

For the next couple of weeks (at the very least) nothing but basic pick up is going to be done in any of the rooms. At this moment, we're still waiting for a good hard rain to see if we have the leak fixed. In the mean time, a lot of the photo boxes containing my polymer and rubber stamps as well as cardstock and 6x6 paper pads are in the living room and the bedroom. There isn't any point in putting stuff in new boxes and back on the shelves.

I also have a lot of boxes of jars stationed in the living room on a card table waiting to be filled. I can't see hauling them back to the basement to bring them back up again. I'm also gradually filling the quart jars with dry mixes/ jar meals. 

If you want to look back at last week and compare with your cleaning duties, you'll find that blog post HERE.

I'm working hard in the office the entire month trying to get ahead of work that needs done before I leave for a writer's conference in October. One thing I'm doing is the popular 31 Days of Halloween on my blog/ YouTube channel. A lot of videos will have to be done up ahead of time.

If you're a paper crafter in any vein, I invite you to visit my YouTube channel or my creative blog.

In the mean time,

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 1 - Laundry Room & Kitchen

 Good morning, everyone!

Were you able to experience some cooler temperatures last week? We did but I guess the temps are going back into the upper 90s this week. Ugh! Anyone else ready for fall?

Last week's post provided a cleaning list. I failed to mention that some things, like the walls & drapes only need to be done twice a year... NOT every month. I'll be revamping that list in January with an easier check list to follow. 

I'm not deep cleaning this week. The office is in total disaster after a leak over my cardstock storage. Boxes of stamps and dies are everywhere. We're just waiting for a good rain storm to see if the leak is fixed before putting stuff back. And I was SOOOO close to getting things in order. I'll update you on the office in Week 4... hopefully. In the mean time, here's where we are this week:

I'm not doing any deep cleaning in these two rooms this week, though I would love to get the shelf liners and fall curtains made. Here are the two areas of focus:

LAUNDRY

Behind the fooc containers, there is a 3-cubby unit that is suppose to hold the pet supplies. They were mostly HoneyB's. He's been gone since January and I've just put off going through this stuff. My goal is to have all of the items gone from in front of the unit. The water cube on the right needs emptied, winsed good then refilled. this is the first emergency water I work with for cooking should we have a power outage. There's another one in the basement. I also have 3 cat litter juts I keep water in for dishes and sanitary usage. My goal is to clear this then post an update next month.

Then there's the kitchen:

My old coffee small Keurig and Bob's Bunn used to sit in that corner. When the Bunn went kaput (I may or may not have melted butter down through the vent) We decided the dual unit was best against the wall (You can just see my side of the dual on the left) and the corner became a catch-all.  My goal is to clear that out and put in a fall display followed by a Halloween then a Christmas display throughout the season. 

Accomplishing those two spaces this week will be a major improvement.

If you want to refer back to the cleaning schedule for these two rooms, you'll find that BLOG POST HERE.

What's on your list for this week? Do you have an area you keep putting off, or just not sure what to do with? Let me know in the comments below.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 4 - Office

 Good morning, everyone!

A gorgeous 65*F in the Ozarks as I type this morning. I need to check the garden. Produce is pretty puny since I've been a baby about going out in the heat. 

When I was younger, heat bothered me. I'd even get nose bleeds if I tried to work in the garden. That's when mom decided I was better suited to the household duties and I learned about keeping house. As a young adult, the heat didn't bother me but now, as I approach 65, the heat just zaps the life out of me. I've gone from keeping the AC set at 73 to 70. What a difference three degrees can make. 

No detailed cleaning list this week as I realize a lot of you don't have an office. Maybe it's your craft room and you just need to put stuff back where it belongs. Or maybe the children's playroom or one of their bedrooms. Pick a room that suits you this week and a previous cleaning list that fits that room.

I've been slowly (and I do mean a turtle's pace) putting things to rights. I spent all day yesterday moving digital files I've had in a tote bag into the scraprack. The tote bag is already in the donate pile. One more thing off the floor.

For this week, I want to focus on finishing the Patriotic Journal as well as two challenge pieces for the Spectrum Art Creations FB group. I just have to tweak the fairy piece then make a shaker card by week's end.  With those out of the way, by next weekend I can dive back in to going through more 'collective' boxes to pitch, donate, put away. 

I'm also still dry canning mixes. I meant to post last Thursday about the progress. I'll work on that for this week. 

What room will you work on this week? If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I love to hear from my readers.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLYLADY WEEK 3 - Bedroom & Bathroom

 Good morning!

We finally got a bit of rain last night and we're overcast this morning. Still going to be in the upper 80s and humid today, though. Is it fall yet? I'm hoping to get fall decor out this weekend. Maybe that will clue Mother Nature in that we've had enough summer.

My main focus this week is to deep clean the bathroom. We're pretty good about wiping stuff down but this is the week to get serious about the detailing. Keep in mind, you do NOT need to do the entire list in one day. A lot of you have  day jobs and just don't have time. A single task in the evening will help bring the rooms to right. Start with a top project and work your way down day by day.

NOTE: When cleaning any room, start from the to of the room (where the ceiling and walls meet, or the  molding in that spot, and work your way down. I suggest some type of eye covering for this, such as safety glasses from the dollar store to protect your eyes from any falling debris.

*Put your choice of toilet bowl cleaning in place and let it work while you continue on with your tasks.

* Using some type of dust mop, reach up and go around the upper perimeter of the room. $Tree has a mop-length pole with interchangeable heads. I like their dust mop for this. 

* Using a damp swifter, or equivilent head from the $Tree collection, swipe down the walls from top to bottom. Aside from anything already on the walls, this will also catch anything that might have come down in step one. I recommend a FLAT head for this as opposed to a dust-style mop.

* With cleaner of choice and a clean rag, wipe down all cabinet facings.

* Use either a clean swiffer pad or a dust rag, wipe down all the framings, such as doors, windows, cabinet trims. 

*  Wipe down mirros & windows with a clean dust rag, Follow with your window/ mirror cleaner of choice, wash these surfaces. Also dus/ wipe the light globes. 

* If you have a surround on your tub/ sink, wipe these down with a damp cloth. I use a spray bottle with equal parts water/vinegar. You can remove fawcet handles and clean around the base much easier. Note which type you have and check that brand's cleaning instructions (sometimes as part of their install).

If you have hard water build-up, I do use Lime Out for directly behind the fawcet area about every other month. I don't leave it on long, just a couple of minutes then go after that with a tooth brush followed by a clean wet cloth until all the residue is gone. 

*Bathtub & sink drains also get the baking soda/ hot vinegar/ hot water flush treatment that I use in the kitchen. About 1/4 C. baking soda, follwed by 1 C. hot vinegar. I use a silicone spatula to pull all the soda/ resdue to the drain opening then flush with hot water several times. DON'T USE directl from the tap. You want the water HOT before pouring down the drain to assist the vinegar/ baking soda in doing a complete clean out. I heat mine in a 4 C. measuring cup from the microwave or the tea kettle.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When putting ANY liquid in the microwave to heat, place a length of wooden scewer or wooden chop stick into the cup to catch the molucules. This prevents the water from popping when you remove it from the oven. 

* Using cleaner of choice, wash the tub and sink bowls. Follow up with a hot rinse.

* Swish the toilet bowl. 

*  With a clean rag and your spray bottle of vinegar solution, Wipe down the entire outer tank/ bowl/ base of the toilet. 

* Sweep/ mop the floor

BEDROOM:

The bedroom is much easier.

* Repeat walls proces, dusting around the parameer of the room then swiping down the walls. 

* Wipe down ceiling fan blades first with a dry dust cloth, followed by a damp one. 

* Strip the bed and start the laundry process

NOTE: This needs to be done AFTER you've done the steps above or you'll have to vacuum the mattress!

* Light globes/ shades/ bulbs.

* Dust all the furnitue pieces. Remember lower railings on the be frame and the headboar

* Sweep/ mop. 

* If you have access to under the bed, you will not believe what collects under there. This is where I use my $Tree mop handle and dust pad followed by a damp mop.

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.

Be safe Be prepared, Be Blesed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 2 - Living Room/dining Room

 Good morning, everyone!

Another hot day in south-central Missouri. I am so over summer. 

I did get the patriotic decor taken down yesterday and all the fabric stuff washed. Well, except for one mat. Have you ever thought you had everything in the washer only to discover you missed something AFTER the load is finished? That one mat will go in with the curtains, hopefully later this week. I try to have my fall decor up by our anniversary on the twenty-fifth. This will be our forty-second anniversary.

I'm determined to really dive in deep to the living room this week. Get the last of the dry mixes done so the canning jars can go back to the basement. I won't be pressure canning or making preserves for a couple more months. Finally get the tub of boxes for wrapping gifts taken care of. From there, it's general cleaning.

LIVING ROOM:

*  Put away anything that doesn't belong in the space. Have children? Get them to help. I'll bet most of it is theirs anyway. 

* Curtains, take them down. If you can, take them outside to shake out. If not, a no-heating setting on the dryer with a previously used dryer sheet will help. NOTE: Check the cleaning instructions for your drapes/ curtains.

* Dust Everything.

Door/ window frames

Wash the windows (I will add this to last week's list), including tacks. HERE'S a short VIDEO for tips. Clean window tracks help keep the windows energy efficient.

Remove knick knacks from shelves, wipe them down and dust the shelves. (this used to be part of my every Saturday house cleaning as a teenager. Did you have weekly chores?)

Fan Blades/ Light Fixtures

*Furniture

Using a vacuum hose attackment, clean between sofa/ chair cushions. 

Sweep under/ behind all the furniture you can

Sweep/ vacuum/ mop the floor.

Often times, just picking up what doesn't belong in a room can make a huge difference in the asthetics.

DINING ROOM:

If you don't have a dining room, swap out for another room in your home. The basics will fly anywhere thoughout your cleaning routine.

* Put things away that don't belong. 

This is a great time to see if you're putting the same things away every week and can you create a better storage system for them. Because we practically live at our dining room table. Bob built us each a cart for our respective sides of the table for the things we like to keep handy.

* Shake out drapes/ curtains (same application as for the Living Room)

* Windows & sills (same as for Living Room & other rooms in your home)

*Change linens such as table cloth/ runner

* Dust everything

Shelves

Sideboard

Table/ Chair legs & cross boards

Fan Blades

Door frames/ base boards

*China Hutch/ cabinets

Dust will seep in between the doors. 

I deep clean mine once a year - prepping for Christmas decor. I take everything out, rinse/ dry them, wipe down the inside and shelves then put dishes back in place.

Sweep/ vacuum/ mop

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Once you get into this routine, you won't need to be as detailed with things like the window tracks (maybe once a quarter) unless you've had storms that blow everything in through the screen to settle in the tracks.

HERE IS A VIDEO on cleaning tips collected from 'professionals on Tik Tok. The first one they show is using a Swiffer. I use this trick because I'm less than tall so reaching things like the top of the mirror can be a challenge without climbing or asking Bob to wipe it down.  I also use a shorter handle with a cloth on my swiffer to wipe down the inside of my oven after I've run the cleaning cycle. 

If you have any tips to share or questions about how to clean something, please post them in the comments below.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 1 - Laundry Room & Kitchen

 Good morning!

We've had cooler temps the past couple of days, putting me in a much needed cleaning mode.

As promised, I have a check list. Mind you, items may be added before this list is complete and while broken down by space, they are not in any particular order at this time. If you have suggestions for either, please leave them in the comments. At some point I want to provide a google docs.

IMPORTANT NOTE!

You don't have to do everything in one day! Make a check list, decide what you can do each day and tackle them.

If you've not done this complete clean before, decide what you can do this week and what can wait until these rooms come around again next month.

If that's the case, I would suggest tackling the deep cleaning items such as cleaning the oven or the Emeril. Next month, those items will be much easier and you can do more of the other tasks. You'll slowly build a routine. 

LAUNDRY ROOM:

I'm going to give the list then items with ** will be discussed at the end. 

*  Pitch/ put away anything that doesn't belong in it's current location. This includes emptying/ putting clothes away from the dryer. If things are in the washer, toss them in the dryer now so the dryer will be available for a later step.

** Once the washing machine is empty, do a cleaning cycle. 

* * Dryer empty, Clean the entire length of the dryer venting. There are brush kits available for this.

* * Wipe down the appliances top/ sides. Dust behind the appliances 

* If you use separate containers for your detergent, fabric softener, ect. Fill those now.

* * Clean beneath the appliances

* Dust ceiling fan blades

* Wash light globes & replace any burned out bulbs you've been meaning to get to.

* Wipe out window tracks/ sills & windows

* Vaccuum register vent

* Check smoke alarm & date on fire extinguisher

* Emtpy trash

* Sweep/ mop floor

This is also a good time to take recycling bins to recycling center

KEY POINTS:

** 92% of home fires involve the clothes dryer  LINK FOR COMPLETE INFO

 Cleaning the lint screen with every load will require less drying time, giving you better energy efficeincy.  

If you have a lint hose attached to your dryer and venting outside,  you need to deep clean this using a bursh kit. You'll go from your lint trap at the point of entry and from the point of exit. Check your dryer manual for complete instructions. 

** Aside from wiping the outside and top of the machines, you'll also want to dust/ sweep behind them This provides better air flow and less chance of things to catch should you have a spark. This is also a good time to make sure the plugs are in good condition. If you see a problem you don't feel equipped to handle, contact an electrician.

** Just like behind the appliances, it's important to clean beneath them. Again, mostly for air flow. And if you have one or more cats you won't believe what you'll find under there besides dust bunnies.

To do this, I  use a yard stick, laying it flat against the floor and sweeping to the front or an open side. Once everything is pulled out, I strap a swiffer cleaning cloth to the yard stick with an elastic band and repeat the process. 

** My washer has a cleaning cycle that I purchase their tablets for. Check your manual for tub cleaning tips. You'll find great tips from GAIN HERE.

KITCHEN:

* Put things away that don't belong clutter the counters

* Wipe down all surfaces

** Wipe down any appliances such as microwave, mixer, toaster, etc.

* Emtpy the toaster crumb tray and wipe out.

* * Detail drains/ shiny sink.

* Descale the coffee pot according to manufacturers directions. 

Note: I don't by the cleaners. I fill the water receptical with white vinegar, let that run then continue running pots of clean water through until the vinegar smell is gone. This may take several passes.

* Repeat the same process for the refrigerator and stove as we did for the washer/ dryer in the laundry room. Remember the top of fridge and cabinets.. any open areas. Particularly if you don't have a vent hood over your stove. Include the vent hood, if you have one.

* If you have a counter top appliance like an Emeril 360, Put a pan of water in the appliance and turn on to 400* F for about 30 minutes. If you've not done this in awhile, you may need an hour. Then wipe down with a warm cloth. Again, if you've not done this before a weekly clean will help get you to a cleaner appliance. If you cook anything especially splattery/ greasy, you might want to get into the habit of doing this after cooking to make the task easier. 

* Clean out the refrigerator and wipe everything down (trays/ containers/ bottles) with a warm soap & water. Follow with a clean warm cloth. 

** Clean the oven. If you have a self-cleaning oven, this will make life so much easier. If not then oven cleaner it is. 

* Dust Fan Blades/ Clean light globes as we did in the laundry room.

* Sweep/ Mop. 

FOR THE SINK: This task will help prevent drain clogs and is much better than using chemicals.

   Place a 1/2 C. of baking soda into the drain receptical. Heat 1 C. of white vinegar and pour slowly over the drain opening. Use a spoon to rake any baking soda more into the drain opening. If you need a second round of the vinegar to get it all, heat another cup.  Follow this with 2 C. of hot water to wash everything through the drain.

   Next, fill the sink with hot tap water and a 1/4 C. of household bleach and let sit a few minutes. Do other tasks on the list while you wait for the water to cool. Once cool, remove the plug to drain the sink then wipe the interior and exterior of the sink, including faucet items down with a clean warm, white cloth.

FOR THE OVEN:  I have a self cleaning oven so I simply run the cycle then use a short-handled swiffer with a warm/ damp dishcloth to wipe everything down. They now have Swiffer with an adjustable handle!

If you need to use the oven cleaner, here's my steps:

Lay a few layers of newspaper or shop towels in a row in front of the cabinet. 

Remove the oven door (check your manual to make sure yours does this) and rest it against the cabinet. on the cabinets. The towels/ newspaper will catch the cleaner drips running off the door.

Spray the oven (I always prefered the cold oven method with less fumes). 

Let this set the recommended time (usually 30 minutes) while you're doing the other cleaning, Then wipe down with warm clothes. Will take several wipes. 

If you want... do the kitchen BEFORE the laundry room. Then you can toss your rags into the washer and get them done before cleaing the washer.

~ ~ ~  ~ ~

That's it for this week. Please. leave comments. I'd love to know more about your cleaning routine. Did I miss something? Let me know.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 4 - Office

 Good morning!

A quick post this morning as I am multi-tasking all over the place to kick off the week.

For starters, I didn't get anything done in the bedroom last week except wash the bedding. 

I've been busy getting the 25 Days Of Christmas videos  up on my creative channel and taking a minimum of two hours every evening to work on my book... until Friday happened. LOL Isn't there always something?

Bob set up at a gun show in West Plains last weekend. I helped him set up on Friday after his eye appointment then did a couple of other errands. I wanted things out of the way because I had big plans for the office while he was gone.

I guess you can say, I got an early start on the office.

Saturday, I had a solid eleven hours to work in the office while he was gone. I put in 18,000 (yes, that many) steps pulling stuff off the floor out of the office, sorting it on the bed so I could bring it back into the office in an organized manner. 

Sunday, I pulled boxes/ baskets off the sofa and sorted the contents. Everything is now sorted and put away, donated, or pitched from those collectives.

I won't get anything done the next couple of days. Bob's going to man the house while I go pay bills then settle into a hotel (FREE night!) to get my planners set up for August so nothing drops into an abyss the next couple of months. I want to finish Q3 strong!

I use the HB90 method from Sarra Cannon for most of my planning. However, once I get my stickies done and on the kanban board, I almost never transfer anything into the planners, giving them their own time slot to be done. I just pull stickies off and work through them like a To Do list.  I've started dating the sticky notes so that is helping but there are still other things that really need to go into my planner.

I've made serious progress on An Ozarks Homecoming by working on it every day. I need to get the blurb written so I can order the cover so that's my goal for this week. I'd love to finish the components I need to enter the cover contest at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference. The deadline to enter is August 31st. No self-imposed deadline for me this time around, I need to get moving! I'm ready to put this book out there then start on Book 3 in the stand-alone series while I'm at the conference in October. This entire series takes place in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Book 3 was inspired by my real life hero to set it at the conference, not just in the surrounding community. I can't think of a better time to write the opening then at the conference!

Back in the office later in the week I'll continue the sorting, pitching, donating, writing.

What's your plan this week? I hope it's somewhere cool.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 3 - Bedroom & Bathroom

 Good morning, everyone!

After a day of struggling with an email issue that's been going on for over a month, I think I've found a 'happy at the moment' place and get back to what I'm supposed to be doing.

This week is all about the bedroom & bath. 

While there are things that need tending to, I'm not diving in hard this round. For this week, I'm going to focus on making a list of what needs decluttered. One area is the bathroom cabinet on my side.

When we remodeled the house we used deep pantry cabinets on either side of the vanity, not realizing how easy things could get lost in there.  The other thing was I chose baskets to organize everything on each of the five shelves. After 20+ years, let's just say there's A LOT in there that can go.

My plan is to pull each basket out, pitch what no longer serves me then by individual 'refrigerator' type storage bins. They are quite deep in length so should work great in the cabinet. Something similar to these:

WAYFAIR

I think the bins system will allow me to keep things separated and not all dumped into one basket on each shelf.

If I can at least get the pitching done this week then I'll know the type of bins I need to purchase.

Do you have a cabinet in your bedroom/ bathroom that could use a serious pitch session? Maybe it's time to go through the winter clothes so you know what to purchase for the coming season. Reward yourself with a cozy fall sweather for your efforts.  

I meant to get in here last week with pictures of my #jaritupjuly progress but the computer/ email issues was more than I could deal with. I did get some things in jars. #jaritupjuly only runs through the 25th of the month, but I'm taking the entire month.

What's on your list for this week? Remember, any little step forward is still progress. You got this!

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly

FLY LADY WEEK 2 - Living Room & Dining Room

 Good afternoon!

Apologies for the late-day post. Still trying to get back on track after being at a writer's conference last weekend. Granted, the conference was virtual but I made sure last week's blog posts were up then focused on writing. 

Last night, I'd already shut down before realizing I hadn't scheduled today's post. Then up about every two hours last night made for a rough start to today.  

These two rooms are pretty much non-committal. I need to prep for being unavailable Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The writer's retreat is virtual, as well, so I have stuff to get done. Focusing on deep-diving into a room or two is not on my agenda this week. Part of the issue will be sitting my car bag in the living room so that we have room in the back of Angel for something else this weekend. It's always something.  

I did get the living room sofa cleared last night so Bob and I could both sit and enjoy back-to-back episodes of Forged In Fire while we ate supper. Up to that point, Bob was the only one with sofa room. I had my Patriotic Journal kit items on my end. 

I'm also hoping to get more of the jars out of the living room. I have three weeks left of the #JarItUpJuly and I really want to get more items in jars. I did get the Dinner Rolls mix in jars yesterday. I got 9 pints of mix from a #5 bag of self-rising flour. 

Summer is always a busy time. If you have kids, I suggest just focusing on keeping things in some semblance of order while educating them on taking care of their own things. You are not their maid, nor are you serving them by picking up after them. They can, and need, to pick up their stuff. 

I'll see you later in the week with #jaritupjuly pictures.

In the mean time....

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly