31 Days to Clean - Day 4

Day 4 - A Place to Put Your Feet Up

Today 31 Days to Clean talks about the inability to get comfortable when you go to someone's house that is "too clean." It's hard for you to get comfortable because you're afraid to touch anything. There is something about a house that you can come in to and just prop you feet up. I would like to think that our house is one of those kinds of houses that you can do that. Not because our house is a mess, but because we have huge comfy couches big throw pillows and a few really comfortable blankets/throws that scream "curl up with me."

Having a clean house isn't just about making your house spotless, or having every bed made or even making sure that everything is in your place. It's about making an environment that encourages people to feel welcome in your home.

Here are 5 ways I can make my house "Feet Propped Up Friendly"

1. Not having anything covering my that has the letters "poly" in it. (NO PLASTIC)

2. Add some more big comfy pillows and a couple more soft blankets.

3. Make sure my living room is clean but not untouchable.

4. Always have a soothing beverage ready to be made (aka coffee or hot tea)

5. Listen when someone is talking to me about their troubles. (or anything for that matter)


Mary Challenge:
I wasn't able to do my Mary Challenge because I had other things I had to do so, tomorrow for my Mary challenge I will have a friend over to enjoy my house and I can enjoy their company.


Martha Challenge:
Kitchen- Clean out my oven and microwave. Don't forget the exteriors.

Day 3 Results

So day three to me was SUCH an eye opener. I had no idea how dusty my cabinets were! Even Derek was surprised how dirty they were below our sink. My fridge I knew was kind of a dust bunny grave yard because we never really dust it or clean it off. It's kind of the forgotten zone where we just shove stuff that we don't know where to put. So that was no big surprise. Here is a before and after of the fridge. The cabinets you couldn't really tell a difference so I'll spare you all those pictures.

This is how dusty the top of my fridge. Let me just tell you that this is really embarrassing for me to post this. But, what better way to get motivated to clean than to put it out there for the world to see.

 I bought a new vacuum yesterday so I got some serious cleaning done on the carpets. I use a sprinkle first on the carpets because it makes the whole house smell good while you clean then, I vacuum. I like the sprinkle because it helps get a lot of the dirt and dander from Groucho up too. I mopped the kitchen floor and got some more laundry washed, folded and put away. I woke up early today and once we were up I made the bed and took a tip from a friend and fellow blogger Ashley. She makes her bed every morning and prays for her marriage. I just that was really neat so I started doing that too.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I'm having a blast!

Give Away

Keep your eyes peels and check in the next week for my VERY FIRST giveaway!

I will explain more once I pick a date to start. 

I hope everyone remembers that SEMO Bloggers first meeting is coming up FAST!

SEMO Bloggers first meeting will be on Monday, July 11th at 6pm at Calix coffeebar on Broadway. Bring your laptop if you'd like, and a little cash-ola if you want to eat dinner. Calix will have soups and sandwiches available, and also delicious coffee :)

The purpose of this first meeting is to get to know each other a bit, take down each other's info i.e. Twitter accounts, websites, etc, and to discuss blogging goals.

If you have a friend who is an avid blog reader but doesn't yet have a blog themselves, bring em' along!  We'd love to meet them and also help them start their own blog if they're interested!

31 Days to Clean - Day 3

Day 3 - 10 Ways to Give Life to You Home

I don't want to give away everything in the book so I'm going to go off of the 10 things that Sarah Mae's sister in law Renee Behringer lists out for us and say how I'm going to give life to my home.

1. I'm NOT going to put anyone down for their short comings. I WILL encourage the good things they do no matter how small. I will also try my best to comfort those around me and help uplift those around me.

2. I WILL try my best to always offer "grace-filled and life-giving" words to Derek and Stratton.

3. I WILL try my best to not get angry but rather love and forgive when mistakes are made in my home.

4. I WILL decorate my home because it should be a place of beauty. "Beauty raises life above mere existence."

5. I WILL try my best to keep cleaning even after the challenge is over and I WILL try instill this into my son and husband because the messier my house is the higher my stress level will be.

6. I WILL face my downfalls (anger, fear, anxiety, depression). My home should reflect my mental/spiritual/emotional health. I'm going to look to the Lord to help me with my downfalls.

7. I WILL make time to get out of the house to make sure I stay rejuvenated.

8. I WILL plan fun things to do for my family when I can.

9. I WILL play music that is uplifting. Both when I clean and when I am in the car.

10. I WILL ask the Lord to help me to become aware of the areas in my house that cause myself and my family stress. I WILL also ask how I can bring life to these places.


Mary Challenge:
Ask my family what makes them feel the most loved when it comes to caring for our home.

Derek says he likes when I take care of the laundry and make the bed. It makes it nice to be able to go to bed and not worry about all the clutter around us before we got to bed. Also it is one less stress factor to wake up to something nice instead of a huge mess.

I like when my kitchen is clean. I think the kitchen is the heart of the house so I like to clean and keep my kitchen clean. I also think it makes your guests more comfortable when they eat over. It doesn't feel like they are eating dirty food.

I think if Stratton could tell what he likes the best about what I clean, it would be his bedroom. I would hate to have to sleep in a messy room and not be able to do anything about it. I think since he can sleep in a clean room it's relaxing for him.


Martha Challenge:
Dust tops of fridge, cabinets, shelves and also clean and shine the outsides of drawers and cabinets.

Two days down! I hope you all could see a little progress with my fridge. I know it's a little hard to tell. I will post pictures first thing tomorrow of my Martha Challenge for today. I hope everyone has a fun filled and relaxing weekend.

Friday Confessions

I confess it's actually really nice to get a compliment about cleaning when not asked by my husband.

I confess I begged my mom to bring me home hummus from St Louis the other day because I've been craving it for the last 3 months.

I confess I am going on a diet. Not like a lose weight diet but more like a stop eating so much crappy food diet. More fruit and veggies and not so much ice cream and cookies.

I confess I look forward to my Thursday afternoons because it's when us girls (my sister in law Steph, my grandmother in law Mona, Dotty- Mona's friend, Bonnie- Mona's friend, Payne and Stratton) go to eat el torrero. It's nice to have a girls night. I like getting to hang out with family.

I confess I would seriously be lost without my mom and dad. They do so much for Derek and I. I love that they live the next town over and I can see them whenever I want.

I confess I have been peeing like a race horse because I've been trying to drink at least 3 bottles of water every day. I hate going to the bathroom at work.

I confess as much as I loved going to Chicago. I could never live in a big city like that. Too many people. No thank you.

I confess I'm actually liking this 31 days to clean. I enjoy getting my house clean. I like even more that I only have to do one thing a day so I don't get overwhelmed with what I need to get done.

Day 2 Results

So I did my day 2 as soon as I got home from eating dinner with the girls yesterday. All in all it took me around an hour and a half to get the whole thing wiped down, bleached, dried off, and cleaned out. I took everything out and threw away anything that was bad. I also emptied boxes that were taking up a lot of space. The biggest thing was getting all the tea splatter and soda splatters off the inside of it. Here are the pictures to show you what I got done. It doesn't look like a whole lot but I really feel like the wiping down and bleaching made it a lot better to look at.

I started with the outside of our fridge. I took down all the pictures and papers fro the front of it and then wiped it down with windex and bleach wipes. Then I washed Stratton's magnets and threw away any papers that we didin't need on there any more. This pictures on the side I left because I love all of them up there and I didn't want to mess them all up. 

 Next I did the inside of the fridge. I started by taking everything out one shelf at a time. Then I used bleach wipes on the glass parts and then windex to make it shine. I cleaned out any food that was expired and organized it so it was easier to find everything. I took anything that was in a box and got it out of the box to make for more room. I took out each drawer and cleaned it with soapy water then dried it out. I even took the bottom fruit/veggie drawers out and cleaned under those too. I never realized how much stuff falls down under those.

 

The door to the fridge was next. I cleaned everything that was expired out, wiped down the drawers, and even took one of the drawers out to make more room for the taller bottles that were having to be laid on their side at the bottom of the door. I took Stratton's capri sun and put them in the bottom of the door too so they are easier for him to get to as well.

 I mostly organized my freezer because when I tried to wipe it down my cloth kept freezing and sticking to it. So,  I thought I took a picture of the inside of the freezer as an after but I didn't. Here is the before picture though.

 I promise it was more organized after I was done with it. There wasn't corn in the ice tray after I was done.

I cleaned and organized the door to the freezer like I did the fridge. I took them out and washed them in the sink with soapy water. Then I organized everything and threw anything that had bad freezer burn on it away. Including the bananas that I put in there hoping to make banana bread with.

So, there you have it. Day 2 of 31 Days to Clean down!
I even did three loads of laundry last night, folded them AND put them away. I have even been waking up earlier and getting ready for work BEFORE I'm supposed to be there too. My husband asked me who I was and what I had done with his wife this morning. That's an awesome compliment for me!

31 Days to Clean - Day 2

Day 2- Created to Give Life

"Life-givng is about receiving from God in order to give to others." -Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Women


Today is about why we (as women) are the life-givers in the family. 
The book explains that the reason why we are this way, the reason why we as woman are life givers is because God made us this way. We give life in so many ways and we are blessed to have this ability to give life. 


Here are some specific ways that we as women give life:

-Through our words-
We can encourage and build life through the nice and loving things we share with the people around us. 
-Through our Home-
When we decorate our home, create a meal, be hospitable, or make the atmosphere of peace we are giving life. 
-Through our Education- 
When we educate our self, our children and the people around us we are giving life.  
-Through our church-
We can use our gifts to create life in our church. 
-Heritage and Traditions-
You can enrich the lives around you by instilling these traits in the people you love.


Mary Challenge:
How can you bring life into your home, children, husband, and sphere of influence?

For my home:
I would like to do at least 1 load of laundry daily. To keep my laundry going and keep my bedroom and Stratton's bedroom clean.

For my child:
I would like to do an art project weekly with Derek and Stratton for Stratton. 
Here is my plan:
Take three black 8x10 frames and give Derek, Stratton and I any art supplies we could need and make one picture for the week. Once they are ready to be hung I would like to hang them up in the kitchen as a reminder that we can bring life to our house weekly by spending that time together and I can help Stratton be more creative through his drawings.
For my husband:
I would like to go on one walk a week just to have some personal time to really get to knowing each other again. I feel like we spend too much time with me doing computer work and him watching the television. I think an hour a week of walking would not only help us stay in shape a little more than we are but it would also be a good way to grow. 
For my sphere of infulence:
I would like to make sure I encourage my friends in whatever they are doing and make sure they know that I am always there for them. I also want to build them up when they are down and make sure I am a pillar for them to lean on when they need me.  For those that don't know me as well I would like to be a good influence and show them it's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.


Martha Challenge:
Kitchen: Clean out and scrub down fridge and freezer. Wash exteriors as well. 

Cleaning Tips:
Day to Day Cleaning-

• Clean up any spills as soon as they happen. That means that you need to remove the drawers and clean under them. This is the location with the most potential for trouble as the stains are likely to stay.
• Always store food in covered containers. Open things can easily spill or be pushed to the back and forgotten about until they spill.
• Keep an eye on the leftovers. Throw out food when it expires or goes bad. Food that is stored too long will develop mold which could contaminate other foods.
• Monitor the temperature. You need to keep the gauge set accurately so that food does not spoil and bacteria does not grow.
• To stop odors, store an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator.
• Use a sanitized towel to wipe down the shelves, handles and door each day or week as needed.

Heavy Duty Cleaning-

• Start by removing everything from the refrigerator. Put the food in a cooler or another refrigerator if you think the project will take you a while.
• Turn off the light bulb and raise the temperature.
• Remove all of the removable things such as the shelves and drawers. They will be washed in the sink later.
• Use a terry cloth, dish detergent and a bit of scrubbing to wash down everything inside. Try to remove any and all debris that you can. You’ll come back again to sanitize after you get the grime out. Get into all of the seams, edges and any other hidden areas.
• Use a sanitizing solution or just use a clean cloth to wipe down everything a second time. This will insure that there are no germs lurking.
• Air dry or use paper towels to dry off the inside of the refrigerator.
• Wash down the drawers and shelves thoroughly. Use dish detergent and hot water, rinsing well. Allow them to air dry or dry them with a paper towel.
• Reassemble the fridge, turn it back on and load the food back in.

My internet is currently down at home so I will post pictures first thing tomorrow morning of the before and after! Hope everyone is having  a wonderful week.

31 Days to Clean

Cleaning is a four letter word to me. I hate cleaning. Most everyone that knows me knows that I'm not an organized person when it comes to my house. By no means is my house dirty or super unorganized but it's not what it could be. I'm going to try to change that in the next 31 days. School starts August 22 so what better way to get ready for a semester, that is going to be horrible, than to clean your entire house so that you don't have to stress about it while trying to take an ungodly amount of studio classes and working full time. (If you can't tell I'm not excited about school next semester. That post will come soon about what my plans are for next semester.)

I hope to blog my progress throughout this whole experience so it can help keep me motivated to stay on task. I don't have any plans for the next month (i.e. vacations, traveling,  school, etc.) except for the SEMO Bloggers meeting that is coming up.  Which by the way is Monday, July 11th at 6pm at Calix coffeebar on Broadway and bloggers and non-bloggers are invited.

Anyway...

I'm reading the book 31 Days to Clean, Having a Martha House the Mary Way by Sarah Mae. Please check her website out here. I feel like it's a good way to go about getting a deep clean to your house because not only does she give you a great guide on WHAT to clean in your house but she also gives a good message as to why you should WANT to clean your house and how to make your life happier by keeping your house a clean domain. She includes bible versus as well as some really great quotes to keep you motivated.

Let's start this experience...

Day 1 Why clean?

Why do you want a clean home? 

I never really thought about why I want a clean house. I always just thought of it as I NEED to clean my house because that's what you're supposed to do. The more I think about it, the more I can see why I really want to make my house clean.

Here is why I want a clean house.

-a clean house is inviting- 

When I have friends over I don't want them to be uncomfortable because my house is a mess. I also don't want to have to shut doors to rooms because my house is such a mess. I know I'm not fooling anyone. I want to be able to show my house off for what it is. I nice home.

-a clean house is more calming then a messy house-

I can't sit still and relax when my house is a mess. It's especially hard for me to get my schoolwork done knowing my house is such a mess. If I have a clean house I think I will be able to focus more on my school work and it would help with my stress level.

-a clean house causes less fights-

Derek and I argue a lot when it comes to messes around the house. I was always taught that if you made the mess, you pick it up. But, as I have gotten older I've become worse at this. I make messes ( though they may be small ) and I don't always pick them up. Derek is really good about picking up after himself. If I were better at cleaning up after myself I think we would fight about petty things less.

-your house smells better when it's clean-

My biggest fear is someone coming into my house and it not smelling good. I hate going into someones house and smelling their garbage or smelling the kitty litter box. A clean house doesn't have those problems. Our bedroom was the worst. When the dirty clothes would pile up it would make our room smell like...well dirty clothes. I want to change this and make my house smell GREAT!

-when you keep up with laundry, you have more to wear-

 I hate when I want to wear a shirt but when I go to look for it I find it crumpled up in the bottom of the laundry hamper. If I stayed on top of our laundry I could make better use of the clothes that I really enjoy wearing. 

Now I'm supposed to make a mission statement that motivates me.

My mission statement:  

Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it.  I want my house to go unnoticed. Not because it's boring or drab, but because it's clean, crisp, not dusty, and SMELLS GOOD!

Next I'm making a list of everything that I will need to clean my entire house for the next 31 days. 

Off the top of my head I know I need the following:

-a new toilet wand

-swiffer dusters

-bleach wipes

-book shelf or wire shelving

-new clothes hamper

Any love sent my way is much appreciated and if you would like to join me on this mission please feel free to go to www.31daystoclean.com and buy the book. You can download the PDF for only $4.99. Very well worth it if you ask me. I'll keep you all updated with pictures. I'll do before and after. Hope everyone enjoys me trying to fix one of my biggest flaws. 

Chicago!

Some (most) of you probably didn't know this but we took a trip to Chiago to go see Derek's mom and step dad. They live about an hour north of Chicago in McHenry which is about 15 min away from the Wisconsin border. We had such a great time while we were there but it was nice coming home yesterday to a clean house (thank you mom!)

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures but here are some good ones that I got. I have now started saving for a new camera after I took a good look at these. SO...come October I will have MUCH better pictures!

If any of these pictures are too small to see please click on them to enlarge. 

This picture was for my mom sides of the family. Their last name is McLean. I thought it was pretty neat so I took a picture of the sign for them.

 It's hard to read on this sign but it says "Paw Paw." The story behind this is that I was sending my FIL Dale and MIL Lisa text messages saying that Stratton says "Hi Paw Paw!" with pictures on the road. I kept asking Derek if you spelled it Pa pa or Paw Paw. I of course spelled it Paw Paw and Derek made fun of me for it. Not 10 seconds later we passed this sign and I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw it.

 Stratton was such a happy boy in the car. We had spongebob, cars, and "Cheese" aka Ratatouille.

 Of course there was lots of snuggling with Minnie (Stratton's girlfriend)

 There are a lot of water towers up in northern Illinois and this one was for where we stayed. It says McHenry on the side of it. Every water tower we saw Stratton would say "mom! Like a sucker!" Meaning, it looked like a sucker. 

 If you notice, this is a fine example of the "mullet." This was by far one of the best I have ever seen.

 Shopping at Aurora Outlet Mall was so much fun. We got some really great stuff and Stratton got to take a well deserved nap.

  I got a new watch! I've wanted a gold watch for a while but I wasn't sure I could pull off a solid gold watch so I got this one instead that is mostly dark gray with gold in it.

 Stratton loved Brenda's bathtub. He called it going swimming because it was so deep. He made the side of it a slide.

 We also went to Gurney and went shopping there as well. We just saw Cars 2 last week so this Hudson Hornet was just for Stratton when we walked in the door. He thought it was SO cool.

  Stratton got to do a build a bear too. This girl was super nice and helped Stratton make his bear "big"

 Stratton was too scared to do the pedal so Brenda pushed it for him while he pushed buttons.  

 After he was stuffed she stitched him up. We even got to put a heart in him.

 Stratton loved the light buttons. Each one meant something different. I think red was love.

  Finally he got to squeeze his bear to make sure it was stuffed enough.

 He loved it and wound up naming him Patches.

 He was so happy when he got Patches. He just kept kissing on him and snuggling with him.

 There was even little bear furniture that he played with.

 Derek and I went in to Bass Pro and Stratton got an ice cream cone. He was loving it!

 All smiles with his NEW Minnie. She's pink!

 Stratton's First Train Ride!

 Stratton, Grandpa Jim and Grandma Brenda waiting to get on the train.

 Derek and I on the train. The windows were tinted blue so everything looked a little green.

 Strattton was so excited to give the conductor his ticked. He has seriously been talking about riding the train since April.

 The tickets were so neat since it was the 4th of July weekend.

 Stratton loved his ticket. It was like a little treasure to him.

  The train tracks outside the train window. Again tinted a little green because of the windows.

 Stratton had so much fun riding on the train. He kept telling everyone around him that he was riding a train.

 This is Union Station. Derek and Jim kept talking about a movie that was filmed here but I don't remember which one it was. I'm pretty sure it was The Untouchables but I could be wrong. I'll check on that.

 This was apparently on of the stairs where it was filmed.  I didn't notice until just now that it looks like that man is dropping his camera.

 ...or maybe this one.

 Downtown Chicago right outside Union Station

 This was one of the first streets we saw when we got there. Coincidentally, we live on W. Jackson Blvd as well. I thought that was pretty neat. 

 I couldn't believe how tall the buildings were.

 Stratton also got to ride on a bus for the first time. He was pretty excited about this one too.  

 He even held onto the pole like a big boy.

 Finally...Navy Pier!

  The view here was beautiful. The water looked so good. I wish we could have gone out on a boat.

 More tall buildings.

 Chicago!

 The Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Jim and Brenda got to ride but we didn't get to. Stratton had a minor melt down because he got hot and tired so we watched while Jim and Brenda rode on it. 

 We also played 18 rounds of putt putt. Stratton had such a great time playing. He wasn't that bad either. Grandpa Dale, Uncle Garrett, and Grandma Mona would be proud.

 He kept saying "I whack it SO hard!"

 Derek putt putting.

 Lovely follow through.

 I have horrible form...but I don't play so I think I'll be ok.

 Stratton slept for 2 1/2 hours while we were there. Of course with Minnie right by his side the entire time.

 This was Stratton's first Taxi ride. It was like riding in the bus from Harry Potter. Our driver was CRAZY!

This was also downtown Chicago. There was an orchestra playing. My two favorite things. Really good sculptures and orchestra music. I was in heaven. 

 Isn't this an awesome concert hall?!

 More big buildings.

 The big reflective bean. This was one of the only things I wanted to see while we were there. It was SO cool!

 Stratton couldn't take his eyes off of it. He thought it was SO cool!

 Family picture time. Don't mind the weirdo in the background.

I love this picture.

 This was looking up at the bean from the bottom of it. It's kind of weird because you can't really tell how high the ceiling is.

 Me and Derek standing in front of the bean.

 These two little kids were so cute. They were just laying under it talking to each other. Too cute.

 Stratton loved touching it. It was SO shiny

 I really like this picture.

 Derek and I in front of the bean. It's kind of weird how the bean gave the sky a weird gray color. It dulled everything down a little bit.

 This was the weather for the week. It was SO nice not having any humidity.

We had a kind size bed to sleep in because we thought that Stratton was going to sleep with us but instead he slept in the crib. Here he kept wanting me to take a picture of his Minnie.

 We got him a paint book at Barnes and Noble that he loved.On the 4th we stayed in and spent some well deserved down time with Brenda and Jim.

  I thought it was so cute the way he sticks out his tongue to paint. 

 So professional.

 I think he is going to take after me and be and artist.

 

 

 More sticking out the tongue.

 Look at that sweet little face.

 He gets so serious when he is painting.

 

 He found a "map" to play with in the backyard at Brenda and Jim's

 He was hiding in the flowers.

I made two strawberry pies. They are by far the best I have made yet.  

 

 Even though fireworks are illegal where we were there were still people a few blocks over having a really great firework show for us. Stratton would say "ooooo aaahhhh" 

 We went to bed pretty late and woke up pretty early. This is how I found Stratton the morning we left. He is so sweet.

 I love the way he sleeps sometimes. He just looks so peaceful.

 There were a BUNCH of windmills on the way home that we saw. I thought they were really neat.

 Once we got home Groucho would not leave us alone. He was definitely glad that we were home. I took a nap with Groucho.

 Alex and Lauren came over to hang out with us yesterday too. Groucho wouldn't leave them alone either.

 Groucho was sleeping on Lauren's head.

 He loves Lauren.

We had such an amazing time and I'm glad we got to spend some quality time with Derek's mom and step dad. Thank you so much Brenda and Jim for the wonderful long weekend. We can't wait to see you again.I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July.