Showing posts with label Geting Organized. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geting Organized. Show all posts

Thursday, August 11, 2011

My Little Purple Friend

Let's talk about toilet bowl brushes! We are learning to live a more Simple Life, after all, so anything that moves us toward that end is up for discussion. I have found an awesome toilet bowl brush. Let me  backup a minute....

I've mentioned before that it is easier to like my husband when we do not share a bathroom. Man hair...ugh! Anyway, our bathrooms are as far apart in our house as they can get. This works for me! Except, when I would have to transport the toilet bowl brush from one end to the other. For the longest time I've told myself I needed to get two brushes to end that particular insanity. I do not know about you, but I never think about toilet bowl brushes until it's time to use them. Then it's too late, I'm stuck transporting the nasty thing again.

I subscribe to FlyLady, a site dedicated  to helping those of us 'organizationally challenged' souls to find easier ways to do things. FlyLady researches common tools we use around the house and came up with the awesome purple toilet bowl brush. I've read the testimonials from people saying it was amazing and wondered just how amazing a toilet bowl brush could be. One day, after having had the TBB (toliet bowl brush) transfer again, I just decided I would order two of them while I was thinking about it and not wait hoping I remembered to buy TBBs when I actually got into town.

On Monday I was being driven home by a friend and I asked if she would stop and let me check my mail. I was anticipating the arrival of the package. I climbed back in her truck, all excited. Another friend asked what I had received. When I said toilet bowl brushes, she exclaimed loudly, "Why would you order toilet bowl brushes when you can get them at WalMart?" I told her she would just have to wait and see. I then pulled out my magnificent new purple toilet bowl brush. It was like Christmas all over for me!

This unique looking purple wonder is cute as it can be but how will it perform on the real test - the hard water rings? I am delighted to say it is almost magical. The trick, of course, is to stay on top of the rings and not let them build up. As part of my morning toilette (I love that word!), I  Swish & Swipe (FlyLady language) before I leave the room. This means 'Swish' the toilet bowl with TBB and 'Swipe' the counter, sink and flat surfaces on toilet with rag. I walk out of my bathroom with it spotless and find it welcoming when I revisit later. It is one of my favorite routines because I can walk away not having to worry about the condition of the room the rest of the day. My husband's bathroom....well.....not so much.

This is where the purple FlyLady TBB really shows its stuff -my husband has been Swishing & Swiping ever since I put the TBB in his bathroom!!!!!  That's right, he does it himself! Now is that an amazing toilet bowl brush or what?! Yep, life is better around here with our purple TBBs! Ah, the Simple Life!





Sunday, July 31, 2011

Who's There?

Is it just me or do you ever wonder if you really have a split personality, too? I'm not quite sure how many of 'me' there are but I know the main players well. This questioning mode came to me very early this morning when my attention was as diverted by the fluttering of the white paper prescription slip for blood work I was to have drawn in June. Oops!

I knew when the nurse handed me the slip of paper I was going to have to put it someplace 'safe' yet visible. Ah, ha...thinks I, my desk is at my finger tips every day...perfect place. Not so much....

There is just something about paper that brings out The Procrastinator in me. She's not hard to find in the first place, but paper paralyzes her into inaction. In my quest to 'get to busy', I put off dealing with paper stuff. I have work to do, I can't be bothered with paper! I'm a writer; see the glaring error and double-mindedness in my thinking?

So, The Procrastinator puts this small (another problem right off the bat) slip of import on the desk. I see it alright! I see it every time the ceiling fans blows it around till it dances its way off the desk, onto the floor and swirls to the tune of the squeaky fan. I’d be ashamed to say this was a daily event but I know I have to be transparent in my life and writing…so, yeah, it happens every day. No joke…every stinking day. It happened every day till The School Marm’ showed up and stuck a tack in it on the bottom rim of the cabinets over my desk. Not a place I really want things stuck to but she seemed determined so I stayed out of her way. She was mumbling something about “…insanity to let this happen every day…” Yeah, I stayed out of her way.

The question is, why do I keep it up there? It’s outdated, seems to have something suspicious stuck to the front of it (but I’m not getting close enough to find out what it is) and it distracts The ADD Child that lives within! It flaps around in my peripheral vision and she finds herself looking up at it instead of doing her work…watch out, The School Marm’ lurks behind the corner and you never know when she’ll show up.

I just hung my head because it struck me the reason I keep it there is to remind me to call and schedule the Dr’s appointment I’m supposed to have in September…or at least call and ask if I already have one scheduled. *SIGH* The Procrastinator is alive and well.

See why I asked that question at the top of this post? I prefer to think I am multifaceted with character and depth...LOL...wonder which one of me came up with that? Probably The Visionary, sounds like something she’d say.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Day 166! Time Flies

WOW, this is day 166 since we we launched Simple Life on Hacienda Hill and our resolve to live a more relaxed life, less cluttered with consumerism and moving toward a 'greener' lifestyle. We have made many changes and have many more to go. There are still old thinking and habits we need to eliminate and/or replace with greener, more efficient ways of doing things.

I am still in love with hanging the clothes on the line rather than using the electric dryer. Only one day, so far, have I not enjoyed the ritual. It was freezing, literally, and I had a load of my Honey's work clothes that needed to be hung out. Cold air dries clothes, too. It also makes your hands turn into red stumps of agony. We don't have many bitter cold days in this part of the world, so I do not perceive that to be an ongoing issue. We did have a recent stretch of foggy, misty days that threw a kink in my laundry schedule but we lived to tell about it without any major life altering issues. I just considered how the families of days gone by would have dealt with the same issue, and persevered in my determination to stick to my guns and commitment. I can honestly say it has only required planning ahead and more careful attention to the weather forecasts. All in all, it was a positive change to my routines and our lower energy bill. I have no plans plans to abandon this life change.

I have a few areas of less than productive results. My raised garden bed has all but been forgotten. It has gone to pot...no, not the brain cell killing, cash crop of pot (LOL) but as in neglected and weed infested. It will be but a few blinks of an eye before it is time to get the spring garden planted. I am not prepared! Nor is my sad, pitiful garden bed.

There is still a ton of 'stuff' of which to rid our lives and home. I'm sad to admit that a cabinet I previously cleared out and de-junked is full again! That's NOT the way to go about things. On a positive note, we've done some reassigning of space allocation. My Honey's studio has become my new office and is smack in the middle of redecorating, as in painting & wallpaper. Working on the book has occupied the bulk of my time and attention, as did the mission trip to Costa Rica. There are only so many hours in a day and I need to re-assess the way I am using them. We all have the same 24 hours a day, many people utilize them efficiently, many more don't. Some days I do, some days I don't. I need to find a consistent rhyme and rhythm that works every day for me. I'm not THERE yet.

I am currently trying to find a good balance and division of time to better meet all the needs I have IF I am to get the book ready for submission, my office cleared out of everything but the necessities of my writing profession and make it esthetically pleasing to my sensibilities and juggle the demands of life in general: meals to prepare, bills to pay, laundry to be done, dust bunnies to chase, clutter to clear, etc. It's difficult to remember that living a simple life is about ridding ourselves of excess so we can manage that which requires managing to maintain a peaceful, less stressful life when you're tripping over paint cans, boxes to sort through and stacks of papers you'd rather just chunk in the trash. There is practical work that must be accomplished if we are to attain that peaceful place. This is where I struggle...finding that balance. 

All in all, I'd say Day 166 finds us in fairly good place toward our goal. I am thankful for the positive changes made and am eagerly awaiting the changes to come. Twitching my nose won't get us there, so I must push on.

Let me know about the progress you've made, areas of struggle and ideas to share. I could use some good tips!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Layers of Life

I'm happy to say I am writing this from my new office! No longer am I situated a few steps from the fridge..a very good thing! I can resist anything but temptation! Also, I am farther away from the scuffles of the hounds, the road noises, the phone, the washing machine...etc. I am revamping what has been (in chronological order from the time we bought the house)...the office, a little girl's garden decor bedroom, a teen boys beach shack bedroom, my Honey's studio and now...TA DA...my office!

As I take down shelves I can see layers of paint of decors past...ah, a moment to reflect...ok, I'm over it! I've uncovered the original color the room was when we moved in and the lovely fantasy garden treatment I painted. Painting over the beach shack wood plank (looking ) walls was a tad bit sad and the sign I painted (Studio B) for my Honey's studio is still in here, I'm taking it to him when I leave the room. All bits and pieces of life we have lived and family traveling through our home over the years. A bittersweet transition, indeed.


Now, I am claiming this room as my own since my Honey graciously sacrificed his studio for me to have a better place to write. Life is a lot like the layers of paint I've uncovered. It's colorful, diverse, and changes over the course of time. What works for you at one point in time might not be so satisfying or suitable at another. Life is just that LIFE, it should not be stagnant. You've seen the creepy crawlies and gunk that grows in stagnant water...that has no place in our lives! We want, need and should pursue all that is vital, healthy and life-giving. This often requires changes to be made in our environments, our relationships, our habits and ways of thinking.


I have a friend that hates change...a lot. Here's one example. Her home looks very much like it did six years ago. Everything sits in the same place, moved only for dusting. The decor has not changed at all except for a wall color change in one room and that only happened by accident. They were planning on refreshing the paint and bought the wrong shade. The new shade was not so very different but it was certainly a change. This threw my friend into a tizzy. It was inconvenient to take the paint back, so they used it anyway. To this day she isn't happy with it. Two more gallons of paint could have taken it back to the shade she had in the first place, but the effort required was not something they were willing to do, so she lives all these years later with a color that doesn't make her happy. Why? I do not understand that logic. Even when I lived in apartments, I painted them and then painted them back when I moved out. Life is in living color...it's too short and precious to spend being unhappy over something as easily fixed as a wall color! Not all things in life can be corrected that easily.

There is nothing that says, "Simple Life" about being unhappy with that around us. Now, do not misunderstand my position, I'm not saying we should all run out and redecorate our homes in the name of Simple Life. I'm saying the things around us that make life less simple, like the clutter and stuff we hold on to just because we've always held on to it, those things can change to free us from the emotional and mental stagnation around us.

With the guidelines of keeping only that which makes you smile, you love or use regularly, we can eliminate a lot of stuff! No one LOVES everything they have in their home. No one uses everything they have in cabinets, closets and boxes in the attic either. Other than seasonal clothing and holiday decor, why are we storing stuff anyway? If we have to store it, we obviously aren't using it. To add insult to injury, some people are paying to store stuff on a regular basis. Life evolves and so should our possessions.  We can't take any of them with us when we leave this earth anyway. Do we really think God cannot provide for our needs while we're still here?

The layers of life I've uncovered in the transition of this room alone are a colorful reminder that life changes and we must change with it. As we come to the end of another year, we are different than we were this time last year. My mirror certainly tells me I am! Our lives in our homes are a constant source of change. I am blessed to have a husband that rolls with the punches. We are no where near where I hope to be this time next year in our process of moving toward a more simple, peaceful, uncluttered life but we are much farther down the road than we were this time last year. It's a process to progress. 

FYI - my Honey is totally in love with the 'man space' he created for himself. It's edited down to all his necessities (bass guitar, computer, amp, keyboard, books, TV) and customized by him to fit him. He still needs book shelves and a cozy reading chair, which will come, but he's loving his space. It's much more efficient and he's a happy camper. I think if he had a fridge and microwave, he might not ever come out!
My prayer for us all in the coming year is that we keep the good parts, rid ourselves of excess and focus on living in the here and now.

Loving life at Hacienda Hill...........

Friday, December 3, 2010

Small Victories Add up!

I just received an email from our electricity provider with my next light bill and I'm doing the happy dance in my office chair as I write this...it dropped another 25%....yes, that's right, 25% from the last one that was on the way down, too!

***Do not adjust your screen, all the bouncing is just me!***

I LOVE it when a plan comes together! It's the stuff "Planners" live for. Whoo-hoo!!

Hanging clothes on the line, not using dryer - CHECK
Layering clothes and blankets rather than turning on the heat - CHECK
Full-time Job as Electricity Sheriff - CHECK
Using gas cook-top instead of the electric one - CHECK
Leaving TV off reducing power consumption & noise pollution during day - CHECK
Making sure ceiling fans are turned off in empty rooms - CHECK
Utilizing Natural light over electric light - CHECK

These things add up and the light bill goes down! 

I have to say, for me, it is worth any effort and small sacrifices we make. I know everyone is not about to leave the heat off and there have been days when I KNOW my Honey was tempted to turn ours on. Add another layer of clothes and you can be toasty inside a meat locker. LOL We do not get the kind of winter weather some do, so a few days of extra padding is practical for us where it would not be up north. My hands hurt in cold weather and we've had several cold mornings lately. I type all morning long so they are hanging out there, hurting. Last night I bought a pair of gloves at WalMart for $1.50 that are thin enough on the finger tips I can still type but thick enough over most my fingers and hand to make a difference. $1.50....do you realize how much money that $1.50 will save me in the long run? That's a trade-off I can live with. I had to try on several pair to find one that would work for me, but the effort makes a difference far more valuable than the $1.50.

Thanks for listen as I rejoice in my small victories! I hope you will be encouraged to look for ways to build opportunities in your home for small victories of your own.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Three a Day Keep the Dust Bunnies Away

In my de-clutter efforts today I ran across an old friend...my Monthly To-Do-Jobs box. It's just a plastic index card box I put a label on. These are jobs you don't have to do every day or even every week but they need to be done on some sort of regular basis.

I made a list of jobs that fit into that catagory, typed them on the computer and printed them out on card stock. There were many on each page, so once cut apart each card is only 1" X 2"...they are cute little suckers!

Here's some examples: Wash down kitchen cabinet doors, Clean inside of windows across front deck, Organize Food Pantry, Clean outside of windows on backside of house, Wipe down living room walls, Dust the top of door frames.....etc.

Each job only takes a short amount of time, so I pulled 3 at a time to do. Once they were done, I put them in a sealed snack baggie which I tossed back into the box. Once all the jobs were completed & in the baggie for that whole month, I would dump them back out into the little box and start all over again the next month. It was an efficient little system. When I worked the system, the system worked. When I neglected the system, well...you know, it didn't take long for the neglect to show.

I was excited to see my little box today. I think it will help keep me on track in my simple life efforts. I am sitting here smiling remembering how handy I thought the box was when the kids still lived with us. If anyone started that "I'm bored, there's nothing to do...whine, whine" I pulled out my little box and had them pull 3 jobs. If they were still bored after doing those, they could pull 3 more. Ya know, rarely was anyone still bored!! Now, THAT's a good system!