Spring Cleaning...time for joy, time for cheer

Finals, projects, graduation and end of the year dance recitals signal summer vacation is quickly approaching! Cherished rituals all!! And then summer slips in as a sweet reward for all the hard work.

I LOVE summer, the change in routine and the opportunity to shift focus. My goals for this summer are to have a clean pallet to begin with and to truly embrace the summer months with my family. I won't be bogged down by the clutter this year...having done so much to open the spaces, makes cleaning a quicker process and leaving tables and surfaces available for new experiences...sewing projects, trying new recipes, and exploring our beautiful city and beyond, camera in hand!

So today I am in full cleaning mode, gloves on, buckets and rags ready. Yes, I could hire someone else to do this for me, and have done so when I could not clear my schedule, but there is something to be said for the immediate gratification gained from doing it yourself. Ideas for changes and tweaks in each space occur to me as I move through the house. Not quite a runner's high, but similar.

Stopping to make changes that can be implemented immediately is a choice that I make, so cleaning is not a straight line for me as I interrupt myself often. I accept this and actually enjoy the process more making a game of it all.

For instance, I am sitting here blogging, gloves still on because, I am, honestly, heading into the bathroom that my teenagers use. I am listening to downloads from American Idol and Smash. Aaaahhhhh...lovely ear candy!!

Keeping your favorite tools handy means you can just plunge in when the day opens up. No need to run out to the store which is important for someone like me who is easily sidetracked. : )

Here are a few of my must-haves, beginning with the most important:

music (cranked up loudly)

thin, disposable gloves (saves my hands)

Swiffer dusters

clean rags

sponges

buckets

Mrs. Meyer's lemon cleaning solution (smells like heaven and environmentally          gentle)

Wish me luck! And as always thank you for visiting my blog. Feedback is welcome!

Kitchen...leaning in a new direction

Before you ask, I have not finished recreating my office space, because a new need presented itself. So I took a little detour and found myself in the kitchen.

I suspect most of us find this room particularly challenging. I did not intend to work on this room yet. Gadgets alone can be overwhelming. But while making dinner a few weeks ago, I overheard Ellen Degeneres speaking with Kathy Freston about her new book, "The Lean." I admit I was intrigued, stopped what I was doing to look for it on the web and ordered it there and then. It arrived in the mail a few days later...you have got to love internet shopping, and I have been reading a chapter a day ever since.

You may be asking yourself what does this have to do with creating spaces in your home and to uncluttering? Everything! I am learning, at least for myself, my health and happiness are not in a neat and tidy little box either. I needed to take inventory of the food in my kitchen and make some adjustments to follow this eating plan that is really more of a series of adjustments.

So at least for this week, the changes that I made in the kitchen were food related. Checking expiration dates and freshness of ingredients, replacing empty containers with healthy grains and keeping the fruit bowl full have kept me from reaching for the unhealthier choices that have beckoned me in the past.

If you have considered vegetarian or vegan eating, Freston's book is sensible and easy to follow. The pantry is in order, at least for now, and I am "leaning" in a new direction.

Bathroom Cabinets...Baby steps will still get you there, just ask the tortoise!

Today, I went to the furthest corner of my house, which happens to be a tiny powder room in the master suite. Tiny, yes, but every journey begins with a single step, just ask the tortoise! Decluttering and reorganizing this space is one piece of the larger picture, one part of a greater whole, and much less intimidating.

I pulled out all of the expired over the counter remedies, half empty lotions and potions bottles,  old makeup that I will never use...you get the idea.

It is all gone and what I discovered is that I have enough room for what I truly need and for my favorite guilt-free pleasures, too. Keep it clean...I am talking about my mani/pedi stuff. Yes! I admit it! I have been a BIG fan of nail polish since I was a young girl admiring my Nana with her perfectly painted size 5 feet dash about in high heels.

The sea salt scrub, and my lost-and-now-found favorite lipstick which my kids had given me for Christmas have found a new home where I actually use them.  First aid supplies are all together and in just one space...think about how much time is wasted hunting for one thing that gets put away in a random spot that makes sense at the time until months later when you have no idea why you can't find it!

Labeling clear container boxes is really helpful. Yes, you can see through the boxes but reading a legible label at a glance tells me which box to pull out for OTC's vs. an Ace Wrap. Just gave myself the gift of time!

This little room needs a new coat of paint, and the cabinet needs to be refinished, but for now it is a space that is working for me and I am pleased!