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

FLY LADY WEEK 1 - Kitchen & Laundry Room

 Good morning, friends!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. Sometimes, it's hard to comprehend our country as we know it has been in existence for 250 years. But then, as I approach 65 I find that hard to believe as well.

I got a head start on the this area last week. We had a nice day so I stripped out the items I could move. I began by a deep sweep of the floor followed by a serious mopping. Mind you, I still need to steam clean and use the bissel but that will wait until I do the deep clean for the holidays. But this was a start. While the recycle bins were empty, I gave them a good scrubbing before putting them back in place. How you can wash the cans & plastics and still wind up with crud in the bottom of the baskets baffles me. 

I have one goal for each of the two areas; laundry room & kitchen:

LAUNDRY - the pet bins. I don't need any of the things that belong to Honey B anymore. I want to use one of the bins for the bird food containers. I also need a better place to put the box where I collect magazines for recycling. We'll see how this goes as I don't have a definitive plan, yet.

KITCHEN - the corner where the coffee pot used to sit at an angle. We changed that when we got the new pot system. Now the area has become a catch all for all manner of things we use routinely. I want to change that out so the area is ready for the Fall tiered trays I bought a couple of years ago and have  yet to put into place. I have one for Fall and one for Christmas. I'd like to find a white one for the rest of the year. Maybe I need a 'me' day of shopping. I've not done one of those in a long time.

I'm planning to have a check list for each of the weeks by the first week in August. While not all of the items on the list will apply to everyone, they might get you looking at your area with a new perspective.

In the mean time...

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

 ~Kelly

#JARITUPJULY

ANGELA - THE INQUISITIVE FARMWIFE

Good morning, everyone!

Welcome to Jar It Up July!

I don't know about where you are but summer has arrived with temperatures near 100* with heat indexes topping that.  The heat is exactly why I'm not going to be doing any water bath or pressure canning for the challenge this month. Instead, I'm going to be giving my jar vacuum sealer a work out. If you're curious, THIS is the one I use and am very happy with the appliance. The item has gone up about $5 since purchasing ours but is still a great deal.  

I have a long list of what I want to put up this year, most of which I've gotten from Jara at Wicked Prepared on YouTube.  Here's a direct link to her Meals In A Jar Playlist.

Basic mixes:

Cheese sauce

Alfredo sauce

Chicken gravy

Brown gravy

Mulling spices

Baking mixes:

Dinner Rolls

Muffin Mix

Quick Brad

Bread In A Jar

Meals:

Mountain Man Casserole

Creamy Lasagna Skillet

Hamburger Lasagna

Shepherds Pie

Chicken Ala King

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Italian Stew

Burrito Filling

Chicken & Rice Bake

Vegetable Beef Soup

We've tried several of these and very happy with the results. They are something Bob can dump and fix if I'm not home or need help with dinner on a busy day. 

These are all made using freeze dried products (some ingredients may be substituted with dehydrated but the rehydrating will differ a bit. 

My plan is to do these on Sundays and possibly one other day during the week. I can do all the Baking mixes in one day. Same with the Basics. The meals will take a bit more so will probably do two a week, pairing up similar ingredients for specific dishes.

When I'm through with this project, I'll know what I need to restock in my freeze-dried food pantry. Now that Thrive doesn't exist anymore, I'm looking at ThriveAList  I know a couple of ladies that were with Thrive, have moved to Thrive A List and are very happy. Leisa and Jara both work closely with the company.

I'll be back soon. In the mean time, let me know in the comments if you are participating in the challenge and what you are most excited to have a supply of in your pantry.

Be safe, Be prepared, Be Blessed!

~ Kelly