I've gotten (another) wild hair and started a second blog.
Mighty Tidy.
Some of you may recognize this name - it was my cleaning business years ago. But I thought it would be a good title for a blog about organizing and cleaning and all things neurotic. Like me!
I'll still blog here about family stuff and stupid stuff and shoes, but I wanted to have a focus blog, as well. And it's something else for you to read at work!
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!
So, you may notice a change in the blog. Just a little one. I figured, new year, new marriage, new house (INHALE) new car, new kids and experiences, I might as well change up the blog, too. And why not?
Our new year started off Thursday with a lovely dinner at Anthony’s, downtown on the water, followed by adult beverages and games at Dan and Trish’s. They had a couple of other friends over, so it was a quiet evening. So quiet, in fact, that I asked if we could pop open the champagne around 10pm and toast, so I could go home and go to bed. No one went for it. I made it until midnight, then shortly after, Todd and I headed home (after I slipped on the stairs and drove the corner of the Apples to Apples box into my back. Happy new year, indeed!)
Friday was muy productive. I cleaned the kitchen and the bathrooms, while Todd and the kids took out garbage and recycling and tidied up. We took down the tree and other decorations, but left the multi colored lights up around the windows because we were having people over for a Rock Band movie night. The colored lights just added to the….rockiness….of it all.
At 6pm, Steve, Stephanie and Raff came over and we ordered pizza and watched This is Spinal Tap. Then, while still in rock out mode, we broke out Rock Band. And the house was officially rocked. I sang a couple songs, played drums once, played bass once, then just hung out to watch and chat with Steph. It was a fun night.
Saturday began with breakfast at the Easy Street Café (cheap, cheap, cheap) then turned into a mission to find a couple of Rock Band expansion packs (classic and country – just like Todd and me). Once those were acquired, back home for miscellaneous projects around the house. Then some family bonding with Family Guy’s Something Something Something Dark Side and few episodes of Buffy.
Yes, the new year was starting off well.
Until 5am on Sunday morning, when my dad called to tell me that mom had had a heart attack.
When he called, she was stable and being flown to WVU hospital. He called a few hours later and said by the time he’d driven to the hospital (two hours away), they’d already placed two stents in her completely blocked arteries and she was doing much better. The pain was virtually gone and she was able to eat. She was in good spirits and joking around with him.
She’ll be in the hospital for a few days, just for observation, but should be home for the weekend. I’m sure I don’t have to tell some of you this, but there is no feeling like being 3000 miles away from a parent when these things happen. There is panic, guilt, sadness, more panic… It’s exhausting. At least when I got the call about her lung cancer, I was in a position to pack up and leave for a month. Unfortunately, I’m not self employed these days and can’t tell my clients to just clean their own toilets.
So, needless to say, I wasn’t very productive yesterday. Todd and I watched the Seahawks game (thank gawd the season is over) then walked down to the store for dinner fixins. Hamburgers, french fries, onion rings and green beans. Yummy.
And here we are, back to the grind, the holidays over, my cube un-decorated. Sniff. Oh, but Presidents’ Day is a mere two weeks away. If we can just make it until then…
Our new year started off Thursday with a lovely dinner at Anthony’s, downtown on the water, followed by adult beverages and games at Dan and Trish’s. They had a couple of other friends over, so it was a quiet evening. So quiet, in fact, that I asked if we could pop open the champagne around 10pm and toast, so I could go home and go to bed. No one went for it. I made it until midnight, then shortly after, Todd and I headed home (after I slipped on the stairs and drove the corner of the Apples to Apples box into my back. Happy new year, indeed!)
Friday was muy productive. I cleaned the kitchen and the bathrooms, while Todd and the kids took out garbage and recycling and tidied up. We took down the tree and other decorations, but left the multi colored lights up around the windows because we were having people over for a Rock Band movie night. The colored lights just added to the….rockiness….of it all.
At 6pm, Steve, Stephanie and Raff came over and we ordered pizza and watched This is Spinal Tap. Then, while still in rock out mode, we broke out Rock Band. And the house was officially rocked. I sang a couple songs, played drums once, played bass once, then just hung out to watch and chat with Steph. It was a fun night.
Saturday began with breakfast at the Easy Street Café (cheap, cheap, cheap) then turned into a mission to find a couple of Rock Band expansion packs (classic and country – just like Todd and me). Once those were acquired, back home for miscellaneous projects around the house. Then some family bonding with Family Guy’s Something Something Something Dark Side and few episodes of Buffy.
Yes, the new year was starting off well.
Until 5am on Sunday morning, when my dad called to tell me that mom had had a heart attack.
When he called, she was stable and being flown to WVU hospital. He called a few hours later and said by the time he’d driven to the hospital (two hours away), they’d already placed two stents in her completely blocked arteries and she was doing much better. The pain was virtually gone and she was able to eat. She was in good spirits and joking around with him.
She’ll be in the hospital for a few days, just for observation, but should be home for the weekend. I’m sure I don’t have to tell some of you this, but there is no feeling like being 3000 miles away from a parent when these things happen. There is panic, guilt, sadness, more panic… It’s exhausting. At least when I got the call about her lung cancer, I was in a position to pack up and leave for a month. Unfortunately, I’m not self employed these days and can’t tell my clients to just clean their own toilets.
So, needless to say, I wasn’t very productive yesterday. Todd and I watched the Seahawks game (thank gawd the season is over) then walked down to the store for dinner fixins. Hamburgers, french fries, onion rings and green beans. Yummy.
And here we are, back to the grind, the holidays over, my cube un-decorated. Sniff. Oh, but Presidents’ Day is a mere two weeks away. If we can just make it until then…
Friday, September 11, 2009
WWRD?
We have a question!!
What would be your must have essentials for your cleaning bucket? If I wanted to amass a bucket of cleaning supplies what would I be sure to have and what would I pass on? Rags vs Paper towels? I am thinking I have too many things and would prefer a few multi-cleaners, ya know. And, of course, what works best on which surface. Trying to decide if I should put them all in a bucket so I can tote it around the mansion.
- JamieB
And it's an excellent question to start off this new segment of the blog!
Knowing your mansion (i.e. new condo), I will speak specifically to what I would do in your situation. I had a big ‘ol blog post written (three pages of a Word document) but it was more about what I do in my house and in my situation. You may have gotten some ideas from it, but it was a long read.
So, in your brand-spankin’-new condo, I would put the following items in my cleaning bucket:
Swiffer
All purpose cleaner
A sponge
A toothbrush
It’s a small bucket.
I like the Method all purpose cleaners. They’re non toxic and smell yummy.
And I use these sponges call Turn-Abouts, but you can’t find them just anywhere. It’s odd. But they have nylon mesh on one side (good for scrubbing, but they don’t scratch) and cloth on the other side (good for wiping).
I like toothbrushes because you can get into nooks and crannies with them, and they’re great for baseboards.
I would keep a basket of rags in your closet, next to your cleaning bucket, so when you grab the bucket to go clean, you could grab a couple of rags as well. I like the terrycloth rags from Home Depot. I’ve been using the same ones since I had Mighty Tidy, my cleaning business, back in 2005. They’re very durable.
I would keep the bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom, under the sink. I’d have a little basket with:
Toilet bowl cleaner (I have to have bleach in my toilet bowel cleaner)
Bon Ami (powdered scrubber, non-toxic, non-smelly and usually under $2)
Two sponges (the one for the toilet in a Ziploc baggy, so it doesn’t cross contaminate)
A couple of toothbrushes
Gloves
Glass cleaner wipes.
A cup (to rinse out the tub) if you don’t have a handheld shower head.
Since your bathroom and your kitchen are close together, you could either grab the bathroom basket so you could use the powdered cleaner and non-toilet sponge in the kitchen, or (because I am somewhat neurotic) I’d just get another basket with powdered cleaner, a sponge, a toothbrush and an all purpose cleaner and put that under the sink.
I get on cleaning fits rather quickly and if I have to go and seek out what I need to do what I want to do, I get annoyed. I’d rather just keep everything right where I want it.
I rarely use paper towels to clean, even though we can now throw them in the composter. But there is one exception – when you’re cleaning a stove top. Using a sponge just smears whatever it is that you’re cleaning up. Fresh paper towels (or rags, if you have enough of them and don’t mind washing them) make sure that you’re not just pushing the same grease around.
Some people like the all purpose wipes. The only time I use them is in my cubicle at work. And that’s only because it’s just easier since I don’t have a water source close by. A rag wet with water can do wonders. If you’re looking to disinfect, then a cleaner would be good, but just in general, water is fine.
I wouldn’t have a spray glass cleaner. The ammonia that sprays into the air is icky. I like the Windex wipes. They still reek of ammonia, but at least I’m not spraying it. For some reason, this makes me feel better. And I just use the wipes on mirrors. I clean windows with a wet rag and squeegee.
I would have furniture polish on hand, maybe tucked away in the closet, behind the rags, but polish doesn’t need to be used at every cleaning. Swiffers are fantastic at picking up the dust and keeping a hold of it. I've found that feather dusters don’t really hold the dust, so I’ve never been a fan. Although, I’ve read that *down* feather dusters actually attract the dust, as do the static dusters, so maybe I was just using the wrong kind. I still love my Swiffer, though.
Okay, I think I've babbled enough. Thanks for your question, Jamie. I hope I answered it well.
Until next Friday, that's what Raechelle would do.
What would be your must have essentials for your cleaning bucket? If I wanted to amass a bucket of cleaning supplies what would I be sure to have and what would I pass on? Rags vs Paper towels? I am thinking I have too many things and would prefer a few multi-cleaners, ya know. And, of course, what works best on which surface. Trying to decide if I should put them all in a bucket so I can tote it around the mansion.
- JamieB
And it's an excellent question to start off this new segment of the blog!
Knowing your mansion (i.e. new condo), I will speak specifically to what I would do in your situation. I had a big ‘ol blog post written (three pages of a Word document) but it was more about what I do in my house and in my situation. You may have gotten some ideas from it, but it was a long read.
So, in your brand-spankin’-new condo, I would put the following items in my cleaning bucket:
Swiffer
All purpose cleaner
A sponge
A toothbrush
It’s a small bucket.
I like the Method all purpose cleaners. They’re non toxic and smell yummy.
And I use these sponges call Turn-Abouts, but you can’t find them just anywhere. It’s odd. But they have nylon mesh on one side (good for scrubbing, but they don’t scratch) and cloth on the other side (good for wiping).
I like toothbrushes because you can get into nooks and crannies with them, and they’re great for baseboards.
I would keep a basket of rags in your closet, next to your cleaning bucket, so when you grab the bucket to go clean, you could grab a couple of rags as well. I like the terrycloth rags from Home Depot. I’ve been using the same ones since I had Mighty Tidy, my cleaning business, back in 2005. They’re very durable.
I would keep the bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom, under the sink. I’d have a little basket with:
Toilet bowl cleaner (I have to have bleach in my toilet bowel cleaner)
Bon Ami (powdered scrubber, non-toxic, non-smelly and usually under $2)
Two sponges (the one for the toilet in a Ziploc baggy, so it doesn’t cross contaminate)
A couple of toothbrushes
Gloves
Glass cleaner wipes.
A cup (to rinse out the tub) if you don’t have a handheld shower head.
Since your bathroom and your kitchen are close together, you could either grab the bathroom basket so you could use the powdered cleaner and non-toilet sponge in the kitchen, or (because I am somewhat neurotic) I’d just get another basket with powdered cleaner, a sponge, a toothbrush and an all purpose cleaner and put that under the sink.
I get on cleaning fits rather quickly and if I have to go and seek out what I need to do what I want to do, I get annoyed. I’d rather just keep everything right where I want it.
I rarely use paper towels to clean, even though we can now throw them in the composter. But there is one exception – when you’re cleaning a stove top. Using a sponge just smears whatever it is that you’re cleaning up. Fresh paper towels (or rags, if you have enough of them and don’t mind washing them) make sure that you’re not just pushing the same grease around.
Some people like the all purpose wipes. The only time I use them is in my cubicle at work. And that’s only because it’s just easier since I don’t have a water source close by. A rag wet with water can do wonders. If you’re looking to disinfect, then a cleaner would be good, but just in general, water is fine.
I wouldn’t have a spray glass cleaner. The ammonia that sprays into the air is icky. I like the Windex wipes. They still reek of ammonia, but at least I’m not spraying it. For some reason, this makes me feel better. And I just use the wipes on mirrors. I clean windows with a wet rag and squeegee.
I would have furniture polish on hand, maybe tucked away in the closet, behind the rags, but polish doesn’t need to be used at every cleaning. Swiffers are fantastic at picking up the dust and keeping a hold of it. I've found that feather dusters don’t really hold the dust, so I’ve never been a fan. Although, I’ve read that *down* feather dusters actually attract the dust, as do the static dusters, so maybe I was just using the wrong kind. I still love my Swiffer, though.
Okay, I think I've babbled enough. Thanks for your question, Jamie. I hope I answered it well.
Until next Friday, that's what Raechelle would do.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
WWRD?
I had dinner with Jamie last week. She just bought herself a new condo! Yay!
She was asking me questions about organization and packing, and I told her about Stephanie’s email a few weeks ago.
Steph was cleaning her office and thought, “Would Raechelle keep her printer manual on her desk, and if so, where? Or would she file it away?” She said she should just wear a necklace when she cleaned that said “What Would Raechelle Do?” or “WWRD?”
Todd took it one step further and said, “How about WTFWRD?”
Get it? The WTF?
No? Ask a 20 year old…
Anyway, guess what Stephanie got for her birthday?
I’m so good.
Jamie thought that was great (as did Stephanie) and said that should be a blog feature. What Would Raechelle Do?
I like it! And you know how I love talking about organizing and cleaning and preaching the gospel of vacuum cleaners. So, on Friday I’ll start a new feature of the blog. WWRD? Or maybe, when it’s a tough question, WTFWRD?
So use that link “Email Me!” on the right and send me your organizing or cleaning questions. I’ll pick one per week and answer it.
It’s not like I have anything else going on, right?
She was asking me questions about organization and packing, and I told her about Stephanie’s email a few weeks ago.
Steph was cleaning her office and thought, “Would Raechelle keep her printer manual on her desk, and if so, where? Or would she file it away?” She said she should just wear a necklace when she cleaned that said “What Would Raechelle Do?” or “WWRD?”
Todd took it one step further and said, “How about WTFWRD?”
Get it? The WTF?
No? Ask a 20 year old…
Anyway, guess what Stephanie got for her birthday?
I’m so good.Jamie thought that was great (as did Stephanie) and said that should be a blog feature. What Would Raechelle Do?
I like it! And you know how I love talking about organizing and cleaning and preaching the gospel of vacuum cleaners. So, on Friday I’ll start a new feature of the blog. WWRD? Or maybe, when it’s a tough question, WTFWRD?
So use that link “Email Me!” on the right and send me your organizing or cleaning questions. I’ll pick one per week and answer it.
It’s not like I have anything else going on, right?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Weekend Update
I barely have enough brainpower to form a coherent sentence, but I’d still like to give you an update. I just don’t have a personality right now. Therefore, I give you…..BULLETS.
* First, fantastic weekend weather. Blue skies. 75 degrees. Beautiful.
* Friday, my belated birthday dinner with Jamie. Volterra. Yummy poo.
* Saturday, cleaning and organizing with Stephanie. She warned me her garage was in bad, bad shape. But I scoffed at it’s “bad shape”. Todd’s bedroom was worse. And look at it now!
* Also, I clicked a very bad link in an email and now my computer is dead. Todd installed a anti-virus thingy (a bit late, I realize) and it found 22 viruses. And I can’t even open my email. He had a buddy come out today and it doesn’t look good. But he says it’s not hopeless. Just one more reason I’ve been non-existent. And stressed.
* Saturday evening, Val’s wedding reception. Knew three people. Looked at babies. Ovaries screamed, but not too loudly. They knew better. They know the work that lies ahead for those poor mothers.
* Sunday, just wanted to relax in the sunshine and read my wedding book. But got uber productive. Re-organized the shed with all of the yard tools and did a little weed whacking. Good stuff.
* Sunday evening, dinner at Ray’s. Our one year anniversary of dating. It was a lovely time.
* Monday, Star Trek at the Cinerama with the whole family, and Miles. Lunch afterwards at Red Robin on the waterfront.
* Side Note: The movie was pretty good. I don’t consider myself a trekkie by any means now, but the movie was okay. Very entertaining. I even got a few of the references.
* Monday night, a bit of conflict. Not too bad. But enough to make me stay home on Tuesday, and get some me time in that afternoon. Shopping. Semi-productive shopping, but shopping nonetheless.
And today, well, I’m here. That’s all I got for ya.
But I think about you. Really. Life is just so chaotic right now. Looking forward to some normalcy. If there is such a thing.
Uh oh.
What if this IS normal?
Oh, good gawd, we’re gonna need more wine.
* First, fantastic weekend weather. Blue skies. 75 degrees. Beautiful.
* Friday, my belated birthday dinner with Jamie. Volterra. Yummy poo.
* Saturday, cleaning and organizing with Stephanie. She warned me her garage was in bad, bad shape. But I scoffed at it’s “bad shape”. Todd’s bedroom was worse. And look at it now!
* Also, I clicked a very bad link in an email and now my computer is dead. Todd installed a anti-virus thingy (a bit late, I realize) and it found 22 viruses. And I can’t even open my email. He had a buddy come out today and it doesn’t look good. But he says it’s not hopeless. Just one more reason I’ve been non-existent. And stressed.
* Saturday evening, Val’s wedding reception. Knew three people. Looked at babies. Ovaries screamed, but not too loudly. They knew better. They know the work that lies ahead for those poor mothers.
* Sunday, just wanted to relax in the sunshine and read my wedding book. But got uber productive. Re-organized the shed with all of the yard tools and did a little weed whacking. Good stuff.
* Sunday evening, dinner at Ray’s. Our one year anniversary of dating. It was a lovely time.
* Monday, Star Trek at the Cinerama with the whole family, and Miles. Lunch afterwards at Red Robin on the waterfront.
* Side Note: The movie was pretty good. I don’t consider myself a trekkie by any means now, but the movie was okay. Very entertaining. I even got a few of the references.
* Monday night, a bit of conflict. Not too bad. But enough to make me stay home on Tuesday, and get some me time in that afternoon. Shopping. Semi-productive shopping, but shopping nonetheless.
And today, well, I’m here. That’s all I got for ya.
But I think about you. Really. Life is just so chaotic right now. Looking forward to some normalcy. If there is such a thing.
Uh oh.
What if this IS normal?
Oh, good gawd, we’re gonna need more wine.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Weekend Update
My weekend started with a breakdown. I love that.
I just wasn't able to wake up the entire day, and then I sat in traffic for an hour (which is quite unusual), so when I got home, I just wanted to lay down. Just for a bit. But the Friday night schedule had changed and, while it really didn't affect my personal schedule, I still felt pressure to things I didn't want to do, even though Todd said I really didn't have to do anything and well, that made me cry.
It's funny how I don't think I'm stressed, but then the stupidest things make me snap and cry. Maybe I should just suck it up and admit it.
I am stressed.
There.
I have a lot going on in my little ol' bubble. It may not seem like a lot on a day to day basis, but step back and take a look at the whole picture.
I am stressed.
Luckily, the crying and the snapping was short lived, so I was better by the time we made our french bread pizzas and sat down to watch "W". It was really good. You know how when you watched "Walk the Line" you kind of forgot what Johnny Cash actually looked like because Joaquin did such a great job? Same thing here. Josh Brolin did an amazing George Bush. The movie is a bit too long, but all in all, a thumbs up.
And you have to wonder, does Bush really talk with his mouth full all the time?
Saturday, we headed to Eiffel Printing in Ballard to visit Todd's friend, Brittany (the owner), and talk wedding invitations. One hour later, we had a demo in our hands and order placed. Easy as pie. It really helps when the two people getting married tend to agree on just about everything from graphics to fonts to how sparkly the paper should be.
After that, a quick lunch at Blue C, which, in hindsight, was just dumb when your fiancé is allergic to shellfish. TBFE never actually ate any shellfish, but he had a cucumber roll and apparently there was cross contamination because that evening he got sick. Really sick.
We had plans to see ThorNton Creek play, but instead, we curled up in bed while the kids were at game, and watched The Black Swan, Todd's most favorite pirate movie ever. I left briefly to pick up Trish and Dan from the airport, as they were returning from their lovely Hawaiian vacation. I did not give them a hard time, but I did mention that it snowed here while they were gone. I'm sure they got my point.
Sunday, Todd was feeling better so he went off to coffee and I slept in until 10:00am. And thus, begins the most fantabulous day EVER. I cleaned and cleaned and then we shopped and then we came home and I cleaned some more, then I got a little manic at 6:30pm and decided to rearrange the downstairs/laundry area to tidy up and make room for Elvis' litter box and bowls. The litter box was in the kids' bathroom, but that made an already small room even smaller. So now the kids' have some more space and Elvis' has less privacy. He doesn't seem to mind.
I finally came down around 8:30pm. I poured another glass of wine and took a hot bath and dipped my hands in paraffin wax*, then curled up to watch Family Guy with my family guy and a big bowl of popcorn.
Then at 10:00, the kids got tucked in and Todd and I got tucked in and then [blog material censored by the author] and then out like a light. Whew.
**********
*So, you know how you say "I am never going to be like my mother/father!"
Well, yeah. Good luck with that.
It seems that I may have arthritis in my hands (and probably even my knees). My left thumb joint started aching when I was in West Virginia in January, but I thought I had just hit it or bent it the wrong way like I do because I'm a klutz. So, I didn't really think too much about it. Then, I got a pinch in my neck that ran down my right arm and literally prevented me from using my right hand for two days. I got a massage and thought that would fix the problem, but here we are two months later and both of my thumb joints ache like a bitch most of the time. I'm sure it doesn't help that I type and mouse as much as I do.
Mom has arthritis in her hands (and her spine and her neck and her arms), as do (did) my aunts and my uncle. So, looking at heredity, that's probably what I'm dealing with.
Mom had purchased a paraffin wax dipper years ago for her hands, but upgraded to a commercial grade/size model that would accommodate most of her forearm, so I got the little one. The thing is fantastic. I did two dips last night (you just dip, wait for the wax to cool, then slide it off) and my thumbs feel much better this morning. The only drawback is that this thing takes 2.5 hours to heat up, and even then there is still a ball of wax in the middle. I don't know what to do about that ball of wax. It just won't melt.
Anyway, you have to plan in advance.
So, we're at achy hands, cracking knees, bad eyesight and gray hair. Hard to believe I'm only going to be 34 next month.
*cough*April 14th*cough*
Ahem....
I just wasn't able to wake up the entire day, and then I sat in traffic for an hour (which is quite unusual), so when I got home, I just wanted to lay down. Just for a bit. But the Friday night schedule had changed and, while it really didn't affect my personal schedule, I still felt pressure to things I didn't want to do, even though Todd said I really didn't have to do anything and well, that made me cry.
It's funny how I don't think I'm stressed, but then the stupidest things make me snap and cry. Maybe I should just suck it up and admit it.
I am stressed.
There.
I have a lot going on in my little ol' bubble. It may not seem like a lot on a day to day basis, but step back and take a look at the whole picture.
I am stressed.
Luckily, the crying and the snapping was short lived, so I was better by the time we made our french bread pizzas and sat down to watch "W". It was really good. You know how when you watched "Walk the Line" you kind of forgot what Johnny Cash actually looked like because Joaquin did such a great job? Same thing here. Josh Brolin did an amazing George Bush. The movie is a bit too long, but all in all, a thumbs up.
And you have to wonder, does Bush really talk with his mouth full all the time?
Saturday, we headed to Eiffel Printing in Ballard to visit Todd's friend, Brittany (the owner), and talk wedding invitations. One hour later, we had a demo in our hands and order placed. Easy as pie. It really helps when the two people getting married tend to agree on just about everything from graphics to fonts to how sparkly the paper should be.
After that, a quick lunch at Blue C, which, in hindsight, was just dumb when your fiancé is allergic to shellfish. TBFE never actually ate any shellfish, but he had a cucumber roll and apparently there was cross contamination because that evening he got sick. Really sick.
We had plans to see ThorNton Creek play, but instead, we curled up in bed while the kids were at game, and watched The Black Swan, Todd's most favorite pirate movie ever. I left briefly to pick up Trish and Dan from the airport, as they were returning from their lovely Hawaiian vacation. I did not give them a hard time, but I did mention that it snowed here while they were gone. I'm sure they got my point.
Sunday, Todd was feeling better so he went off to coffee and I slept in until 10:00am. And thus, begins the most fantabulous day EVER. I cleaned and cleaned and then we shopped and then we came home and I cleaned some more, then I got a little manic at 6:30pm and decided to rearrange the downstairs/laundry area to tidy up and make room for Elvis' litter box and bowls. The litter box was in the kids' bathroom, but that made an already small room even smaller. So now the kids' have some more space and Elvis' has less privacy. He doesn't seem to mind.
I finally came down around 8:30pm. I poured another glass of wine and took a hot bath and dipped my hands in paraffin wax*, then curled up to watch Family Guy with my family guy and a big bowl of popcorn.
Then at 10:00, the kids got tucked in and Todd and I got tucked in and then [blog material censored by the author] and then out like a light. Whew.
**********
*So, you know how you say "I am never going to be like my mother/father!"
Well, yeah. Good luck with that.
It seems that I may have arthritis in my hands (and probably even my knees). My left thumb joint started aching when I was in West Virginia in January, but I thought I had just hit it or bent it the wrong way like I do because I'm a klutz. So, I didn't really think too much about it. Then, I got a pinch in my neck that ran down my right arm and literally prevented me from using my right hand for two days. I got a massage and thought that would fix the problem, but here we are two months later and both of my thumb joints ache like a bitch most of the time. I'm sure it doesn't help that I type and mouse as much as I do.
Mom has arthritis in her hands (and her spine and her neck and her arms), as do (did) my aunts and my uncle. So, looking at heredity, that's probably what I'm dealing with.
Mom had purchased a paraffin wax dipper years ago for her hands, but upgraded to a commercial grade/size model that would accommodate most of her forearm, so I got the little one. The thing is fantastic. I did two dips last night (you just dip, wait for the wax to cool, then slide it off) and my thumbs feel much better this morning. The only drawback is that this thing takes 2.5 hours to heat up, and even then there is still a ball of wax in the middle. I don't know what to do about that ball of wax. It just won't melt.
Anyway, you have to plan in advance.
So, we're at achy hands, cracking knees, bad eyesight and gray hair. Hard to believe I'm only going to be 34 next month.
*cough*April 14th*cough*
Ahem....
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Gobble Gobble
It’s that time once again. Where we cook too much food, drink too much wine and watch football. I love Turkey Day.
And I know you must get sick of me reminiscing, but I can’t help but think back to where I was a year ago.
I don’t need to go into the whole my-life-is-so-much-happier-now ramble. You know all that.
Oh, but I sense that tonight, I will be right back on track with the Pre-Turkey Day Freakin’ Out. We have four people coming over tomorrow for dinner so I need to vacuum (the actual highlight of the night!) and clean the bathroom and we have to put the leaf in the dining table and Kayleigh wants to make Irish soda bread and my jeans stink so I should probably do some laundry and I promised Tyler I would help him finish cleaning his room and Kayleigh’s clothes are all clean now but she’s completely out of room in her dresser drawers so we need to organize those so she can put her clothes away and I need to get in her closet and clean that out and help her organize it because right now there’s all this wasted yet useful space and then there’s our closet and my boots are just everywhere and where are we going to put all of the towels because right now half of them are piled up on the floor beside the bed because they won’t fit in the cabinet where the towels are so I should really get Todd to help me sort through them so we can put everything away and I bet the kids’ bathroom needs cleaned because what if someone needs to pee and the half bath upstairs is occupied?
Um…
Where was I?
Oh, right.
I need to vacuum tonight.
That is all.
Happy Thanksgiving.
And I know you must get sick of me reminiscing, but I can’t help but think back to where I was a year ago.
I don’t need to go into the whole my-life-is-so-much-happier-now ramble. You know all that.
Oh, but I sense that tonight, I will be right back on track with the Pre-Turkey Day Freakin’ Out. We have four people coming over tomorrow for dinner so I need to vacuum (the actual highlight of the night!) and clean the bathroom and we have to put the leaf in the dining table and Kayleigh wants to make Irish soda bread and my jeans stink so I should probably do some laundry and I promised Tyler I would help him finish cleaning his room and Kayleigh’s clothes are all clean now but she’s completely out of room in her dresser drawers so we need to organize those so she can put her clothes away and I need to get in her closet and clean that out and help her organize it because right now there’s all this wasted yet useful space and then there’s our closet and my boots are just everywhere and where are we going to put all of the towels because right now half of them are piled up on the floor beside the bed because they won’t fit in the cabinet where the towels are so I should really get Todd to help me sort through them so we can put everything away and I bet the kids’ bathroom needs cleaned because what if someone needs to pee and the half bath upstairs is occupied?
Um…
Where was I?
Oh, right.
I need to vacuum tonight.
That is all.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Weekend Update - GO! GO! GO!
Rumor has it that Todd isn't too motivated this morning to blog, so maybe I can get this done before him. Hee hee.
Friday night - FOOTBALL. Yeah baby! Seahawks won their first preseason game against the Vikings and we had a small, but nice, crowd to yell at the TV with. And Trish and I now have every intention of making food and being the hostesses with mostestess every Sunday for the games. This big plan was decided after a couple glasses of wine, so we may need to reevaluate.
Saturday morning consisted of a full on breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, then a mad dash to Ikea for organizing gear. In and out in 45 minutes. A new world record, I'm sure. We came home with drawer organizers, bins for the office, and cargo nets for all of Kayleigh's stuff animals, which are now hanging above her bed. I personally would be afraid those things would fall on me in the middle of the night, but she's young and daring, so we'll see how it goes.
The afternoon was extremely productive, until we had to run off to dinner and "Crazy For You", a play done by Todd's theater group, Twelfth Night Productions where I got to see my man in true form as the cool popular guy. After the show, the cast was milling about, chatting with people and one after one I would hear, "TODD!" in a very high, screechy female voice. Quite popular with the ladies, he is. As a matter of fact, even last weekend when we were in Bellingham, I heard that familiar screech. In the consignment store where we were shopping. I said to no one in particular, "It's a good thing I'm not a jealous woman. This could get ugly."
And Sunday began early with a last minute dash to meet our real estate agent (after stopping for much needed caffeine, of course) to view a house. A very cool-retreat-like-would-accommodate-a-pool-table house. After that, there was more organizing and cleaning (I'm infectious, I tell ya!), then dinner, then Blazing Saddles (which, yes you guessed it, I had never seen) and a glass of wine. What a lovely way to wrap up a fun weekend.
Again, I had every intention of coming home yesterday afternoon, but for some reason, I just wasn't able to tear myself away from the big, burly man hugs, so it turned into a full weekend visit. A good sign, since I'll be spending seven straight days with the Downing clan here in a few days, doncha think?
And, Happy Monday, what did I find when I emerged from the bathroom this morning?
A latte and a croissant from The Best Boyfriend Ever (herein known as TBBE).
[insert big ol' mushy grin here]
Whew! Done!
What's the time on that, Bob?
Friday night - FOOTBALL. Yeah baby! Seahawks won their first preseason game against the Vikings and we had a small, but nice, crowd to yell at the TV with. And Trish and I now have every intention of making food and being the hostesses with mostestess every Sunday for the games. This big plan was decided after a couple glasses of wine, so we may need to reevaluate.
Saturday morning consisted of a full on breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, then a mad dash to Ikea for organizing gear. In and out in 45 minutes. A new world record, I'm sure. We came home with drawer organizers, bins for the office, and cargo nets for all of Kayleigh's stuff animals, which are now hanging above her bed. I personally would be afraid those things would fall on me in the middle of the night, but she's young and daring, so we'll see how it goes.
The afternoon was extremely productive, until we had to run off to dinner and "Crazy For You", a play done by Todd's theater group, Twelfth Night Productions where I got to see my man in true form as the cool popular guy. After the show, the cast was milling about, chatting with people and one after one I would hear, "TODD!" in a very high, screechy female voice. Quite popular with the ladies, he is. As a matter of fact, even last weekend when we were in Bellingham, I heard that familiar screech. In the consignment store where we were shopping. I said to no one in particular, "It's a good thing I'm not a jealous woman. This could get ugly."
And Sunday began early with a last minute dash to meet our real estate agent (after stopping for much needed caffeine, of course) to view a house. A very cool-retreat-like-would-accommodate-a-pool-table house. After that, there was more organizing and cleaning (I'm infectious, I tell ya!), then dinner, then Blazing Saddles (which, yes you guessed it, I had never seen) and a glass of wine. What a lovely way to wrap up a fun weekend.
Again, I had every intention of coming home yesterday afternoon, but for some reason, I just wasn't able to tear myself away from the big, burly man hugs, so it turned into a full weekend visit. A good sign, since I'll be spending seven straight days with the Downing clan here in a few days, doncha think?
And, Happy Monday, what did I find when I emerged from the bathroom this morning?
A latte and a croissant from The Best Boyfriend Ever (herein known as TBBE).
[insert big ol' mushy grin here]
Whew! Done!
What's the time on that, Bob?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weekend Update
Where do the weekends go?
I had lunch with Ms. Traveler on Saturday. It's always good to hang out with her. She knows everything about everything and never fails to, at some point, compliment me on my writing. Seeing as how she's a Professional Writer, it's always a huge confidence booster. And I walk away inspired and motivated to find a writing job. But then I get overwhelmed and discouraged because I don't have an English degree like so many people are requiring and well.....I end up blogging and whining to you guys.
Thanks for listening.
After lunch, I ran some errands, did some dishes, paid some bills. Then just sat on my couch for an hour flipping through channels and looking through the new Ikea catalog. It was nice to just enjoy my apartment.
That evening, I headed over to Todd's to make dinner and watch some movies. And I have to say, I LOVED 50 First Dates. So warm and fuzzy. I'm a sucker for warm and fuzzy. I'm putting it right up there with When Harry Met Sally... Yes, THAT warm and fuzzy.
We also watched Airplane, which, GASP, I had never seen. Big surprise. Funny, but like with Star Wars, I missed the curve. At least I know what Todd and the kids are quoting now when they say, "A hospital? What is it? It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now." Now I'm one of the cool kids.
Sunday, after sleeping in until 9am (I know!) I got on a teeny weeny cleaning bender.
I washed up some dishes and wiped down the counter, then just meant to wipe off the stove. There was something that looked suspiciously like dry Coco Wheats everywhere, probably from when Tyler cooked breakfast. (I'm guessing that's where the hunk of butter on the cabinet door came from, too. Teenagers are fun.)
But a simple wipedown turned into taking off all of the burner pans and knobs to soak and 409ing the shit out of the stovetop. Kayleigh was sitting at the kitchen table, playing solitaire while I was doing all of this and she (very seriously) said the funniest thing yet.
"A house without messes must be your own personal hell."
She's quick, that one.
After the cleaning bender, we headed out to lunch and a movie, where migraine number four made a brief appearance. It started with the squigglies on the drive, and progressed into the fork-in-the-back-of-the-eye pain once at the restaurant. I downed four Advil and Todd rubbed a pressure point in the muscle between my thumb and index finger, which actually seemed to ward off the worst of it.
Seeing a movie that afternoon was probably not the best plan, but I figured if my head started to hurt too badly, I would just lay against Todd, close my eyes and snooze alittle. But it never really progressed into the normal oh-gawd-please-just-cut-my-head-off headache. I still have a bit of pain today, but not enough to warrant turning off the lights or wearing earplugs.
And I'm glad it didn't get too bad because WALL-E was just fantastic. (You have to watch some of the videos on the site. HAVE TO.)
Holy crap, Pixar can do no wrong. And the movies just keep getting better and better. They're so good at conveying expression and emotion in the smallest amount of detail. And, although the movie is cute and funny, there is a very clear message to be had. If we keep up this pace, earth will be uninhabitable and humans will become brainwashed blobs of goo.
It really is a heartwarming film. Really.
Once home, Todd and I rested our eyes for a bit. What, old, you say? No, not old. Just soaking up some cuddle time before I had to leave. After such a craptastic week, it was so nice to just curl up with him and be happy.
I got home relatively early so I puttered around my place and watched some TV before heading to bed at 9:30pm.
Okay. Maybe I am old.
I had lunch with Ms. Traveler on Saturday. It's always good to hang out with her. She knows everything about everything and never fails to, at some point, compliment me on my writing. Seeing as how she's a Professional Writer, it's always a huge confidence booster. And I walk away inspired and motivated to find a writing job. But then I get overwhelmed and discouraged because I don't have an English degree like so many people are requiring and well.....I end up blogging and whining to you guys.
Thanks for listening.
After lunch, I ran some errands, did some dishes, paid some bills. Then just sat on my couch for an hour flipping through channels and looking through the new Ikea catalog. It was nice to just enjoy my apartment.
That evening, I headed over to Todd's to make dinner and watch some movies. And I have to say, I LOVED 50 First Dates. So warm and fuzzy. I'm a sucker for warm and fuzzy. I'm putting it right up there with When Harry Met Sally... Yes, THAT warm and fuzzy.
We also watched Airplane, which, GASP, I had never seen. Big surprise. Funny, but like with Star Wars, I missed the curve. At least I know what Todd and the kids are quoting now when they say, "A hospital? What is it? It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now." Now I'm one of the cool kids.
Sunday, after sleeping in until 9am (I know!) I got on a teeny weeny cleaning bender.
I washed up some dishes and wiped down the counter, then just meant to wipe off the stove. There was something that looked suspiciously like dry Coco Wheats everywhere, probably from when Tyler cooked breakfast. (I'm guessing that's where the hunk of butter on the cabinet door came from, too. Teenagers are fun.)
But a simple wipedown turned into taking off all of the burner pans and knobs to soak and 409ing the shit out of the stovetop. Kayleigh was sitting at the kitchen table, playing solitaire while I was doing all of this and she (very seriously) said the funniest thing yet.
"A house without messes must be your own personal hell."
She's quick, that one.
After the cleaning bender, we headed out to lunch and a movie, where migraine number four made a brief appearance. It started with the squigglies on the drive, and progressed into the fork-in-the-back-of-the-eye pain once at the restaurant. I downed four Advil and Todd rubbed a pressure point in the muscle between my thumb and index finger, which actually seemed to ward off the worst of it.
Seeing a movie that afternoon was probably not the best plan, but I figured if my head started to hurt too badly, I would just lay against Todd, close my eyes and snooze alittle. But it never really progressed into the normal oh-gawd-please-just-cut-my-head-off headache. I still have a bit of pain today, but not enough to warrant turning off the lights or wearing earplugs.
And I'm glad it didn't get too bad because WALL-E was just fantastic. (You have to watch some of the videos on the site. HAVE TO.)
Holy crap, Pixar can do no wrong. And the movies just keep getting better and better. They're so good at conveying expression and emotion in the smallest amount of detail. And, although the movie is cute and funny, there is a very clear message to be had. If we keep up this pace, earth will be uninhabitable and humans will become brainwashed blobs of goo.
It really is a heartwarming film. Really.
Once home, Todd and I rested our eyes for a bit. What, old, you say? No, not old. Just soaking up some cuddle time before I had to leave. After such a craptastic week, it was so nice to just curl up with him and be happy.
I got home relatively early so I puttered around my place and watched some TV before heading to bed at 9:30pm.
Okay. Maybe I am old.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Early Chick Gets The Parking Space
I had my first school night overnight at Todd's. And because my routine was different this morning, I factored in a little extra time. My reward? I beat the big suburban to work and RECLAIMED MY PARKING SPOT!! HA!
And I am now rewarding myself with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. And bacon. Gotta have the bacon.
I could recap the weekend for you, but why? Todd does it so well? Thanks, sweetie.
(I'm really not using him.)
It was a funfilled weekend. Pretty houses, babies, ex boyfriends, meeting new friends, movies, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning.....all good things.
Also, who puts onions in gravy? Ick. I've hit my biscuits and gravy wall.
I'll post again when I have all of my coffee in me and can form better sentences......
And I am now rewarding myself with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. And bacon. Gotta have the bacon.
I could recap the weekend for you, but why? Todd does it so well? Thanks, sweetie.
(I'm really not using him.)
It was a funfilled weekend. Pretty houses, babies, ex boyfriends, meeting new friends, movies, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning.....all good things.
Also, who puts onions in gravy? Ick. I've hit my biscuits and gravy wall.
I'll post again when I have all of my coffee in me and can form better sentences......
Monday, June 30, 2008
Weekend Update.....And Then Some
One of the perks of dating Todd is that he's so quick to get his post about our weekends up so you guys are In The Know come Monday morning. Thus, alleviating the pressure for me to get something written. Because, believe it or not, I get emails asking me how my weekend was and just why have I not posted yet this morning!
Almost makes me feel famous.
Side note: artichokes kind of look like chicken in the pasta salad I'm eating for lunch, but taste nothing like chicken. So, it's quite a shock to expect chicken and get artichoke. Very different experiences. I'm just sayin'.....
Anywho.
While I didn't consider this past weekend to be jammed packed, in retrospect, we were quite the little social butterflies. Todd has even created a google calendar for us to which we can both contribute. Planners unite!
As you may have read, we partied it up with some of my co-workers Friday night. And somehow the party ended up at the Lock-n-Keel. Okay, maybe I was the one who suggested it. Who knows. You remember the Lock-n-Keel. My old home away from home. When I was apartment hunting last summer, one of the requirements was that it was walking (or, stumbling) distance from the Lock-n-Keel. Then I had the bottom of the barrel night in October and well, the desire to hang out there suddenly disappeared.
And Friday night, I made the declaration to Todd that I did not need to go there again. Too many memories. Memories that I would rather put to bed and then forget about it. There were some fun times with the Ex there, but that's a different life ago. Time to move on.
Saturday morning, I declared that I did not need to drink jack-n-cokes again, either. My stomach was not at all happy with me. So my little bottle of Jack Daniels that I bought when I first moved into my apartment went home with Jessica and Sam.
And speaking of Jessica, I bawled like a baby when she left. It's one thing to not have her spending the night with me every week (she was great blogging material), but now I won't even see her at work. Luckily, as the fates would have it, Todd has family in Bellingham, so here's hoping there will be some road trips up there.
After my crying fit, Todd and I ate some breakfast, then headed to Costco. Where I thought Todd was finally going to get see Very Cranky Raechelle. Lemme tell ya, it took a ton of energy to not just whack people upside the head as I walked by them. I don't do people. I don't do large groups of people who are completely unaware that they are not alone on this planet. For the love of puppies people, just be aware!
So, we made it out of Costco in tact and Todd didn't have to see my head spin around while I called people very bad names. Probably for the best.
Then, that afternoon, was the big joint birthday party. It was a good time and I met lots of cool, new people who just absolutely adore Todd. I was introduced to a few people who had heard of me but that I'd never met, so I was a bit on the spot for a while.
Almost makes me feel famous.
Side note: artichokes kind of look like chicken in the pasta salad I'm eating for lunch, but taste nothing like chicken. So, it's quite a shock to expect chicken and get artichoke. Very different experiences. I'm just sayin'.....
Anywho.
While I didn't consider this past weekend to be jammed packed, in retrospect, we were quite the little social butterflies. Todd has even created a google calendar for us to which we can both contribute. Planners unite!
As you may have read, we partied it up with some of my co-workers Friday night. And somehow the party ended up at the Lock-n-Keel. Okay, maybe I was the one who suggested it. Who knows. You remember the Lock-n-Keel. My old home away from home. When I was apartment hunting last summer, one of the requirements was that it was walking (or, stumbling) distance from the Lock-n-Keel. Then I had the bottom of the barrel night in October and well, the desire to hang out there suddenly disappeared.
And Friday night, I made the declaration to Todd that I did not need to go there again. Too many memories. Memories that I would rather put to bed and then forget about it. There were some fun times with the Ex there, but that's a different life ago. Time to move on.
Saturday morning, I declared that I did not need to drink jack-n-cokes again, either. My stomach was not at all happy with me. So my little bottle of Jack Daniels that I bought when I first moved into my apartment went home with Jessica and Sam.
And speaking of Jessica, I bawled like a baby when she left. It's one thing to not have her spending the night with me every week (she was great blogging material), but now I won't even see her at work. Luckily, as the fates would have it, Todd has family in Bellingham, so here's hoping there will be some road trips up there.
After my crying fit, Todd and I ate some breakfast, then headed to Costco. Where I thought Todd was finally going to get see Very Cranky Raechelle. Lemme tell ya, it took a ton of energy to not just whack people upside the head as I walked by them. I don't do people. I don't do large groups of people who are completely unaware that they are not alone on this planet. For the love of puppies people, just be aware!
So, we made it out of Costco in tact and Todd didn't have to see my head spin around while I called people very bad names. Probably for the best.
Then, that afternoon, was the big joint birthday party. It was a good time and I met lots of cool, new people who just absolutely adore Todd. I was introduced to a few people who had heard of me but that I'd never met, so I was a bit on the spot for a while.
(Todd, posing with his girls.)
Then the granddaddy of On The Spot happened.
Trish asked if I wanted to give a toast to Todd, as The Girlfriend. She was going to give the toast to Dan, her husband. I very politely said, "Um, hell no". I can get on stage and belt out "Angel from Montgomery" with a moment's notice, but ask me to actually form coherent sentences in front of a bunch of people I just met, who I feel are already paying way too much attention to me? I'll pass, thank you.
So, I made my way to the back of the room to stand by Ann and Doug, because I know them, while Trish toasted Dan and Todd and said really nice things about them. Then one by one, the guests starting saying nice things and it was all well and good until Val toasted Todd. She said she was happy for him and this great place he's in and he's a great guy and (something to the effect of) best wishes to him and his new girlfriend, Raechelle.
At which point EVERYONE in the very large room turned to look at me. Whadya gonna do?
I smiled as best I could and waved.
And Doug said, "Why, Raechelle. You color up real nice."
I thought the tops of my ears were going to burst into flames.
Once the moment of utter spotlight was over, I poured myself a big ass glass of white wine and mingled like a mad woman. That's where Ann, Natasha and I decided we MUST go shopping for shoes and make up. Because that's what women do.
So, the party wound down, we packed everything up and caravaned over to Todd's. There was dinner out, then a movie, then more socializing, and finally at 11:30pm, it was bedtime. Whew. Suffice it to say, I did not need my codeine cough syrup in order to sleep through the night. I was plum tuckered out (getting ready for West Virginia).
And Sunday morning, Todd had to bribe me with a latte to get me out of bed. Finally. At 9am.
Remember when I used to sleep in until 10 or 11am? Yeah, those days are gone. Tyler was at the bedroom door at 5:30am asking if we wanted eggs for breakfast. Sigh. You can't really get upset when a 14 year old is offering to cook you breakfast. Even if it's before dawn.
Apparently, it was even too early for Tyler, because when we left for Starbucks at 9:30am, he was asleep on the couch. And he only had on one sock. It was very cute.
The latte helped my energy level, at least enough to try on a few things at Target. I have a couple new sparkly tank tops for West Virginia now. And a cute skirt.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging because it was too freakin' hot to even think about doing anything else. Well, until I got on a cleaning fit. I simply washed up the wine glasses, which turned into loading the dishwasher, which turned into wiping down the counter tops, which turned into wiping down the front of the cabinets.
Which turned into Todd scrubbing the stove top. Hee hee. I infected him.
But then Jamie arrived for dinner, so I had to put the sponge down. We had a lovely celebratory dinner and then celebratory ice cream and then just hung out chatting until 8:30pm.
I kept saying, last week, that I was going to leave West Seattle around noon on Sunday. I had some shopping I wanted to do, Ruby needs a bath very badly and I wanted to start preparing for my trip. But it's funny how none of those things seem very appealing when I'm laughing my ass off with Todd. The man just cracks me up.
I finally made it home, got some administrative stuff done, and crashed for the night. It was quite warm in my apartment, so I opened all the windows and just slept with a sheet. It's baffling to have such warm weather after freezing our butts off for eight months.
So, this week will be some last minute shopping for shorts and capris (mine are a bit too big and baggy on me) and hopefully a dinner with Shaun. Then I fly out Friday morning!
I'm already giddy.
Well, would you look at that?
I accidently took a two hour lunch. Huh.
Guess I should get back work now........
Friday, March 7, 2008
"This House Is Clean"
Did you ever see the movie "Poltergeist"? The medium in the movie has a line that repeat every time I finish cleaning.
"This house is clean."
She's talking about the poltergeist in the house and how it's been exercised. The ghosts are gone. The house is clean.
But I hear her voice in my head whenever I put away the vacuum cleaner.
Guess what I did today?
"This house is clean."
She's talking about the poltergeist in the house and how it's been exercised. The ghosts are gone. The house is clean.
But I hear her voice in my head whenever I put away the vacuum cleaner.
Guess what I did today?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Notes From A Cleaning Bender
Once my vacuum is plugged into the living room outlet, I can vacuum my entire apartment. Without moving the plug. I love that.
Have I told you about my vacuum cleaner? Maybe in the other blog, but not in this one.
Anyway, I have a Riccar 1500P (this is the newer version). I L O V E my vacuum cleaner. LOVE IT. The carpet head swivels, it has cute little attachments in the body of the vacuum, it comes with a hardwood floors head and you can quickly release the main hose/handle from the carpet head so you can suck along the edges of the carpet. FANTASTIC.
I paid an absolute ton of money for this thing. This is when I had my cleaning business and could justify spending half a grand on a vacuum cleaner. Canisters are a bit cumbersome to lug around, but for hardwood floors, which the bulk of my clients had, they are the shit. Period.
I don't have hardwoods; I have berber carpet. Not as gratifying to vacuum because you don't get the little paths like you do in plush carpet, but brand new berber carpet fuzzes alot, so there's still a bit of gratification to see all those little fuzzies get sucked up. And with the christmas tree dropping needles, I vacuum just about every night. Excessive, you say? Ha. You obviously don't know me very well.
(If I could have taken a class in college where I had to write 2000 word essays about vacuuming, I would have soared through school. But alas....no.)
I also Pledge Oiled my coffee table. For a $7 Goodwill coffee table, that baby shines up real nice. It's amazing what oil can do for wood furniture. I don't own alot of wood furniture, but the few pieces I do have just love it when I oil 'em all up (wait......nevermind). The scratches disappear and the stuff just shines. BEAUTIFUL!
And finally, how well do you know me, dear reader?
What is this rag, hanging on the oh so glamorous handicap bar, for?
There may be prizes....Friday, November 23, 2007
Martha Stewart Would Be Proud
Or, More Tales of My Neurosis.
While making my coffee this morning, on this exceptionally bright and sunny day, I noticed that there were smears on my kitchen and dining room windows. Since that is completely unacceptable in my house, I decided to just clean them up real quick.
I got a wet rag, a dry rag and my squeegee. I wiped down the window with my wet rag, then I squeegeed it, then used the dry rag to wipe the water off the squeegee in between swipes. This is the key. Always dry the squeegee in between swipes. A good squeegee is the key as well. My squeegee is cheap, but it cleans better than window cleaner.
I finished both windows before my coffee was even finished brewing.
This tip brought to you by:
Method Cleaning products - People Against Dirty.
I love their stuff.
While making my coffee this morning, on this exceptionally bright and sunny day, I noticed that there were smears on my kitchen and dining room windows. Since that is completely unacceptable in my house, I decided to just clean them up real quick.
I got a wet rag, a dry rag and my squeegee. I wiped down the window with my wet rag, then I squeegeed it, then used the dry rag to wipe the water off the squeegee in between swipes. This is the key. Always dry the squeegee in between swipes. A good squeegee is the key as well. My squeegee is cheap, but it cleans better than window cleaner.
I finished both windows before my coffee was even finished brewing.
This tip brought to you by:
Method Cleaning products - People Against Dirty.
I love their stuff.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Cleanin' - n - Shoppin'
One perk of learning to be alone with myself is that you, dear reader, get lots of updates that contain nothing of interest, whether you like it or not.
First, the apartment. I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned while the Patriots absolutely DEMOLISHED the Redskins. (I'm so sorry, you guys) I cleaned the floors, the windows, the bathroom, the kitchen. I finally took the last of the boxes down to storage, I hung a few more pictures and I even made a little nook in the corner for visiting shoes. I aspire to have a "shoes off" apartment, especially after the dog shit incident. I still need to hang my big mirror in my living room, but I need a manly man and a drill for that.
There will be updated photos coming soon!
And then, the shopping. I had awesome kharma today. New patent leather ballet slippers, which I had been looking allllllll over for because my little cheap ones were falling apart. But I couldn't find them for under $60. Until today. Goodwill. $7.99. A Starlings t-shirt (friends of mine), coupla sweaters, green cords, a red button down and new black skirt. Because you can never have too many black skirts. And it turn, I came home and cleaned out my closet. That's just the rule.
And I watched the Halloween episodes of Buffy.
And I baked the October birthday cake for work.
And I addressed my christmas cards, although I still need to go play in the snow and take a picture and actually write in the cards. But they're started!
So that's been my Sunday.
This week is shaping up to be quite busy. Tomorrow evening is walking and dinner with the gals, Tuesday is my hair appointment, Wednesday is laundry day, Thursday is.....something. I'm sure of it.....huh. And Friday is the Day of the Dead gathering.
Oh, and then I'm going to a wedding on Saturday. Ack.
You'll just have to wait to hear about that.
First, the apartment. I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned while the Patriots absolutely DEMOLISHED the Redskins. (I'm so sorry, you guys) I cleaned the floors, the windows, the bathroom, the kitchen. I finally took the last of the boxes down to storage, I hung a few more pictures and I even made a little nook in the corner for visiting shoes. I aspire to have a "shoes off" apartment, especially after the dog shit incident. I still need to hang my big mirror in my living room, but I need a manly man and a drill for that.
There will be updated photos coming soon!
And then, the shopping. I had awesome kharma today. New patent leather ballet slippers, which I had been looking allllllll over for because my little cheap ones were falling apart. But I couldn't find them for under $60. Until today. Goodwill. $7.99. A Starlings t-shirt (friends of mine), coupla sweaters, green cords, a red button down and new black skirt. Because you can never have too many black skirts. And it turn, I came home and cleaned out my closet. That's just the rule.
And I watched the Halloween episodes of Buffy.
And I baked the October birthday cake for work.
And I addressed my christmas cards, although I still need to go play in the snow and take a picture and actually write in the cards. But they're started!
So that's been my Sunday.
This week is shaping up to be quite busy. Tomorrow evening is walking and dinner with the gals, Tuesday is my hair appointment, Wednesday is laundry day, Thursday is.....something. I'm sure of it.....huh. And Friday is the Day of the Dead gathering.
Oh, and then I'm going to a wedding on Saturday. Ack.
You'll just have to wait to hear about that.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Nervous Energy or Neurotic?
I was printing photos a couple of nights ago and while the printer was going, I got antsy. So I got up, wandered into the kitchen and thought, I could wash up those few dishes real quick..... So I did, and just like I always do when I wash dishes, I wiped down the counter and the stovetop (force of habit....I hadn't used the stove in a week). As I was wiping down the stove, I noticed the burner pans were a bit dirty. My first thought was "What a crappy move in cleaning crew!" but then I thought, oh it'll just take a few minutes to take those out, wipe them down and put them back.
So I got the burner pans out, started to wipe them down, then heard that the printer had stopped. I went in, got the completed pictures out, started a new batch of photos printing..........and noticed that my desk was dusty. So I got the swiffer out and started dusting the desk. I had to move things (because I'm thorough like that) and in the process I found some ponytail holders, so I took those in the bathroom.
Where I noticed all of the hair on the bathroom floor. So I got out my little handheld broom and dustpan that I keep behind the toilet for just such an occasion and started sweeping up the hair. As I got to the corner, by the door, I noticed the ledges on the door were dusty, so I got up, got a rag, wetted it down and wiped off the ledges, which led to wiping off the windowcill, which led to wiping any and all surfaces. Then I saw my scissors in the basket on the back of the toilet (I had trimmed my bangs a few mornings ago) so I took them out to the desk, where the photos had finished printing.
I started a new batch of photos, then took my empty glass into the kitchen to get more water and saw the burner pans in the sink. I thought, "What the hell?" then remembered I was cleaning them. So I finished up the burner pans, put them back and went in the bathroom to pee, where I saw my wet rag in the sink, the broom and the dust pan on the floor and a pile of hair. And then remembered I had been sweeping the floor.
My question is, should I be concerned?
So I got the burner pans out, started to wipe them down, then heard that the printer had stopped. I went in, got the completed pictures out, started a new batch of photos printing..........and noticed that my desk was dusty. So I got the swiffer out and started dusting the desk. I had to move things (because I'm thorough like that) and in the process I found some ponytail holders, so I took those in the bathroom.
Where I noticed all of the hair on the bathroom floor. So I got out my little handheld broom and dustpan that I keep behind the toilet for just such an occasion and started sweeping up the hair. As I got to the corner, by the door, I noticed the ledges on the door were dusty, so I got up, got a rag, wetted it down and wiped off the ledges, which led to wiping off the windowcill, which led to wiping any and all surfaces. Then I saw my scissors in the basket on the back of the toilet (I had trimmed my bangs a few mornings ago) so I took them out to the desk, where the photos had finished printing.
I started a new batch of photos, then took my empty glass into the kitchen to get more water and saw the burner pans in the sink. I thought, "What the hell?" then remembered I was cleaning them. So I finished up the burner pans, put them back and went in the bathroom to pee, where I saw my wet rag in the sink, the broom and the dust pan on the floor and a pile of hair. And then remembered I had been sweeping the floor.
My question is, should I be concerned?
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