Still tearing around......

Continuing on from the last post................Here is the other cabinet, cleaned out and everything accessible.

Now, all of this stuff laying on the cabinet (minus the pretties, of course) is out of

just one kitchen drawer.

Everything back in it's place, easy to use, easy to find.

Looks good.

THIS is the pile of "left-overs" that are going away.

This entire kitchen project --

the pantry, the kitchen cabinets and

this drawer--

took just a little over an hour -

start to finish.

Here's my method for superfast cleaning,

whether it's cleaning house or

organizing drawers, closets, cabinets.

1. Set a timer. Decide how long it should take you

THEN set the timer for

several minutes less.

Push yourself to see how fast you can clean

that drawer, cabinet or closet.

For me, it's all about beating the clock.

And I AM going to win !!!

2. Keep with you one box for "give-aways",

another box for "this goes somewhere else",

a trash bag for "throw-aways".

3. Don't dawdle! Never pick up one item at a time. Never

take time to "think" about each item -- where you got it,

who gave it to you, or wonder what else you could use it for.

Move, move, move !!!

4. Clean out every single item from the space you are

cleaning.

This give you a clean "canvas" to work with.

5. Be ruthless when you are deciding to keep, pitch or

give away.

I can not stress this one thing enough !!! --

and I quote my daughter, Dana on this --

"If something doesn't bless your life,

out it goes. Let it bless someone else's".

6. Don't bite off more than you can chew !

If you have only 30 minutes to work on

a cleaning project, set your goal for a

30 minute achievement.

Don't set out to clean an entire closet in

30 minutes.

Instead, set out to clean just one shelf in

that closet. Or just one drawer in the

kitchen. Or one shelf in the pantry.

7. When the timer goes off, S T O P !!

and set the timer again for 15 minutes

and go get something refreshing

to drink or have a snack.

When the timer goes off signaling the end

of break time, jump up and get back

in there ---

you are on a quest and

you gotta keep pushing yourself

toward the goal.

8. At the end of the day -- be proud of whatever

you have accomplished. Pat yourself on the back!

You have achieved much !

Just want to leave you with a restful picture from my kitchen

after all that chaos earlier.

I sooooo wish you could smell the aroma

of this Paula Deen candle.

It is "creme brulee" scented and in the store

it did indeed smell just like creme brulee.

When it burns though, it smells like.....

this is really funny, considering it's from

Paula..... frying bacon.

It does!!! bacon with just a hint of maple.

HA!! now THAT'S funny !!!

Gwynie Pie

I'm On A Tear

It started Monday morning! I was thinking about my job -- as a wife and homekeeper.
Next thing ya know, I'm meditating on Proverbs 31.
And from there ----well, let's just say conviction fell upon me
and I got up and started tearing into the one job
I had dreaded and feared
the most ---- going through the two big, bulging boxes
that contain all our bank statements, warrantys, receipts, IRS stuff,
bill stubs, newspaper clippings, etc. etc. etc.
ALL in there together,
in NO order whatsoever.
Now this is the kind of thing that haunts me.
It does. I want to be able to lay my hands on any document
at any time and to be able to tell William where to find, with ease, whatever we're looking for.

It took me ALL day long - from about 9 until 6.
But, we are now organized in our finances.
And ready to really declare war on debt.
We have been pursuing financial freedom for some time now
but I believe getting organized in this area is
taking care "in the small things" and
trusting the LORD for the rest.
I'll show you those pictures later.

Right now ----
the conviction continues !!!

Here is my newly organized pantry.
Yes, we do have a lot of tea bags.
FIFTEEN !!! boxes
Sam's had them $2 less than normal.
We go through a lot of iced tea.
And, in case of a British invasion --
I'm all set.

This cleaning frenzy extended to the kitchen cabinets today. I'll spare you the "befores".
These are the "after" pictures.

I had other pictures that I thought I had posted, but alas ..... they aren't here.

Stay tuned......I'm going to find them..... I am.

And then I'll post ......

the rest of the story.

Gwynie Pie

Going Green Part 2

There are many companies who now make "green" products. That means biodegradable, natural, not toxic to you or yours ---

at least that what it should mean.

Read the labels!!! on any cleaning product

you are buying.

As with food -- if you can't pronounce it --

you might want to leave it on the shelf

or at least look it up and see for yourself what

ingredients it contains.

Nature's Source by SC Johnson

Green Works by Clorox

Method

Seventh Generation

Shaklee and others

all make a line of natural, environmentally friendly

products.

That said -- here are a few of the

oh so cheap, cheap, cheap !!!!

products you can make very, very simply

AND since the main ingredient in almost all

cleaning products - natural or otherwise -

is water, I figure I'll just do it myself, thank you.

I really thought I would have to sacrifice quality

in order to use these items BUT

really --- I am so pleased with how they work.

The quality is as good or better than those I have retired.

Here are a few of the recipes I have discovered online.

Just Google "natural cleaning products" if you are interested

in expanding your line of cleaners ---

GLASS CLEANER --

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

Mix in a clean spray bottle.

(Walmart is where I got mine)

FURNITURE POLISH

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

Mix and store in a glass jar.

To use - Dip in with a cloth, reseal jar immediately

and polish furniture.

DEODERIZER

Straight vinegar

in a spray bottle.

The smell will dissipate fairly quickly.

Your house/car will not smell like a giant pickle for long.

And nothing kills odor like it!

MOLD KILLER

ALSO - did you know that straight vinegar kills 82% of all mold.

So, spray on and let it sit on any areas where you are fighting mold.

Another mold fighter is

2 teaspoons tea tree oil

2 cup water

in spray bottle. Spray on. Do Not Rinse

For CLEANING CUTTING BOARDS, COUNTERTOPS

White vinegar in one spray bottle

3% hydrogen peroxide in one spray bottle

Spray one on area, then the other

Wipe off. Germs killed !!!

FABRIC SOFTENER

Add 1/2 cup - 1 cup straight vinegar

to the rinse cycle.

There will be absolutely no vinegar smell,

just fresh clothes.

Works great !!

AND super cheap !

DEGREASER

2 cup warm water

1/2 cup Murphy's oil soap

in spray bottle.

Cuts grease on stovetops, counters, floors

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

2 tablespoons ammonia

1 teaspoon dish detergent

2 cups rubbing alcohol

a couple drops orange essential oil

(TOTALLY optional)

Mix in gallon jug. Fill spray bottle to use.

You get essential oils at health food stores -- all fragrances.

And a few drops can be added to any of these products.

But, I prefer no smell at all since I almost always have

a fragrance plugged in to wall plugs throughout the house.

FLOOR CLEANER

1 gallon warm water

1 cup vinegar

Mix in pail or sink.

Works on vinyl or laminate floors

Same recipe for wood floors -- just 1/2 cup vinegar instead of 1 cup

and dry floor as you go.

SCRUBBER

for dirty dishes, crusty pans, stubborn surfaces

Cut a lemon in half

Sprinkle with baking soda

Scrub away.....smells great, cuts grease and grime.

Try some of these. You might be pleasantly surprised

as I have been at the quality.

My house still smells good.

AND I get to avoid the "cleaner" aisle at the store now.

AND I'm saving significant $$$$$.

Just wanted you to know,

Gwynie Pie

Going Green

CAST OF CHARACTERS

White vinegar

Murphy's Oil Soap

Dawn Dish liquid

Borax (and all of it's 20 mules)

Baking soda

Rubbing alcohol

Hydrogen peroxide, 3%

Today is the day ! I've been researching and experimenting and testing

different methods of natural, biodegradable cleaning

for several weeks/months actually.

Everytime I cleaned my shower with those

cute little "guys with big white brushy moustaches",

the ones that were going to remove hard water scale and make my

shower sparkly clean,

the ones in the spray can with the lemony scent ---

I would find it difficult to breathe while spraying my shower

down so I would hold my breath 'til I 'd nearly

pass out. Then I'd evacuate the bathroom until the lemony, yet noxious

fumes died down a bit. Then go back in to finish the job.

And bottom line --

nothing, but nothing !!! worked on the kind of hard water scale we have

in this part of the world. Sheeesh !

(I thought)

I started thinking that surely to goodness there had to be a better way.

I wasn't even really looking for healthier at that point.

I just wanted something that would work!

THEN, I started googling "natural home cleaning products"

and wow!!! came up with lots of great info.

I learned along the way that many of the cleaning products

I use on a daily basis are very harmful and damaging to the lungs

and the skin and the mucous membranes.

Also, the residue from many of these products

is something I'm just not comfortable having in my home.

Having a grandbaby really made me hyper-aware of it all

and so, after much research and googling and searching

other blogs for info ----

I have come to today.

I'm "going green".

I've been very skeptical about the cleaning "power" of some of these

natural products. But, I've put them to the test.

I've been researching them on my most stubborn

of stains and cleaning problems and I'm convinced !!

I have so much info to share with you and I don't want this post to just go on and on and on....

So, I'm going to break this up into a series for at least the next few days.

Here's a starter --

I have an off white laminate kitchen countertop

that is very susceptible to staining.

I was constantly using spray bleach to

brighten it up and remove the coffee and tea stains

that plagued me.

This morning I wiped the stains with a wet cloth,

sprinkled a little bit of baking soda over the stain,

then added 1 squirt of dishwashing liquid.

With the wet cloth I scrubbed the area

and in just a few seconds the stains

were completely gone.

It wasn't instant like with the spray bleach.

It actually required me to move my arm back and forth

a few times.

But, when I had rinsed the area --

it was sparkling clean, smelled great,

and I knew there was no leftover bleach

that could jeopardize my clothes.

I'm always leaning up against the still damp counter

and having to immediately change and wash my clothes

so they are not ruined.

All in all -- worked super great !!

I'm very pleased!

I'll be sharing many more

cleaning "products" the next few days.

I've also uncovered a LOT of natural health

products along the way ---

GOOD STUFF!!!

Stayed tuned !

Did I mention how much $$$$$ you

can save using this stuff?????

WOW

Safe Cleaning,

Gwynie Pie

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Rather, the livin' will be easy.... as soon as I get my house back together

AND get the mountain of laundry done

AND get all the dishes washed

AND change sheets on beds

AND mow and weedeat

AND vacuum the carpets

AND plan meals for the week

AND buy groceries

AND okay so --

Maybe the livin' ain't so easy at this very moment

on this bright and shiny Monday morning.

But, it's gonna get that way fast,

because.....

company's comin' !!!!

Dana and Lily Kate will be here Tuesday,

Blake follows on Thursday after work.

Colin and Ronnie are arriving Thursday evening

and

Devin is hoping to join us either Thursday or Friday.

THAT = a full house, lots of fun,

and the livin' will be easy !

This weekend will be chock full of July 4th

fun with the annual Pops Concert at

the Riverstage downtown.

We've missed the last couple of years

but are excited to go this year with the whole family.

Then Saturday afternoon we are all working at

FreedomFest,

a wonderful, family fun time

that is sponsored by our church.

This will be held at Colt Stadium

and the fireworks that end the evening

are absolutely great !!!

There will be a world-renowned illusionist

earlier in the evening....

hmmm??? how'd they do that???

So fun !!! and so baffling!!!

We are soooo looking forward to the week.

I just have a few things to do first,

'scuse me, gotta run, talk later.....

What does your week look like?

How are you celebrating the 4th of July????

Super Productive Monday to you all,

Gwynie Pie

Tuesday !!

Here it is 5:53 on Tuesday afternoon

and

I feel like I'm really just getting started

with all the things I wanted to accomplish today.

I've worked all day long at something, but turns out much of my "work"

is not visible to the naked, untrained eye.

It's all been "undercover" kind of work, I guess.

At least that's what I'm claiming.....

Here's just a sampling of what I did today --

* I started off in the kitchen this morning.

There were no less than 2 yards of dishes to wash. I measure this by how much space

they take up on the counter top when they are drying.

Yep,

'bout 2 yards worth.

Just cleaning the kitchen always makes me feel like I'm almost done -- no matter how

much more is left to do.

* Went searching in my closet (the biggest closet in the house) for items for the

yard sale this weekend.

You practically need a passport to go in this thing -- it's pretty cavernous.

It isn't as luxurious as it sounds. :)

Actually, it gives "walk-in" closets a bad name.

My clothes closet holds all our luggage,

2 Christmas trees - no kidding - a 4 ft. tree and a lighted 6 ft. tree.

Of course, it isn't lighted while in the closet.

You knew that!,

the feather beds,

all manner of partly full and completely full paint cans.

I keep the paint cans in the house so the paint won't freeze and

be useless after spending the the winter out in the barn.

There isn't any other place indoors for the paint --- so, my closet, it is.

Also in this closet is all of my clothes, shoes, purses; all winter outerwear;

the footspa and all mani/pedi stuff; AND

a chest of drawers. And that's really just a partial listing.

I really have to psych-up for searching the closet!

I must be brave!

But, I came out with a big box full of

yard sale items. AND the closet is all straightened up

and neat.

* It was "fresh sheet" day yesterday, but that didn't happen, soooo-

today I took sheets off our bed and washed them -

then took them out to the clothesline to line-dry them

in the sun -- ummmmm!

Only just as i got the big, heavy flat sheet muscled over the line and

all spread out and clothespinned down,

an E-nor-mous !!! whirlwind hit!

I probably would have been knocked to the ground

except that the sheet whipped around me, grabbed me up and trapped me!

By that time, I'm talking to myself.

AND to the sheet.

And I just give up,

fight my way out of the sheet,

wrestle the sheet off the line

and take all the wet clothes back inside

to the dryer, muttering the whole way.

BUT ---

being very thankful for my "servant girl",

the dryer.

* In addition to the sheets, I've washed

and dried 4 more loads of clothes today

with a couple more waiting in the wings.

* While cleaning off my desk and computer area today, I stumbled upon a bill from

the electric company.

In my busyness of the last couple weeks, I had neglected paying it on time

and was perilously close to sitting in a dark, hot house tonight.

Oooops!!

I tell ya -- bills and the paperwork that goes with them, that

is my Achilles heel.

I would love someone to teach me a great system

for this on-going, never-ending chore.

Anyway, I paid the bill on-line. It's so quick and easy to do.

But then I was afraid

it might not go through immediately -- you know how things

sometimes go. So -- I spent at least 30 minutes

of my life "on hold" to talk to

a real human, so that I could make

certain they knew I had made a payment.

They knew.

* I folded more white bath towels today than I even knew we had.

I love white towels !!! You can bleach the dickens out of 'em

and know they are truly clean. We just had a bunch of

dirties, I guess!

Not any more!!

* The aforementioned white sheets that assaulted me about the head and neck

are dried and back on the bed. Ahhhhh!

I love white sheets !!!!

AND clean sheet day is just the best !

They will feel wonderful by bedtime tonight.

* I remembered to take the pork chops out of the freezer - yeah !!!

Then pan fried them for dinner tonight. I made brown sugar glazed carrots and

brocolli to go with them.

We are trying to eat "low-fat", counting those

pesky fat grams.

I'm trying to stay around 20 grams of fat each day

and I gotta say --

I'm a tish bit cranky!

You probably couldn't even tell that.

Why, oh why, can't losing weight be easier?????

* In addition to all of this,

I tidied the rest of the house.

Tidy, tidy, tidy

Love that word!

My kids hated that word!

Probably because I was always urging them to

"Tidy up your room."

Tidy, tidy, tidy!

:)

* Now - William is home, dinner is eaten -- very yummy!

and we are heading out to the barn

to drag out stuff for

the BIG yard sale

on Saturday !!!!

Our goal is to make a little money for his upcoming trip to Guatemala

AND

to be able to park at least one car in the

two-car garage

next time there is bad weather

in the area.

SO

If you are in need of something

in particular....

just ask,

I'll tell......

Sure do hope you had a productive day as well !

Whew, I'm kinda tired....

Gwynie Pie

Sweet Day

The Fly Lady (a.k.a. Marla Cilley) was in San Angelo at the Convention Center as the speaker for a Healthy Woman series event. I learned about The Fly Lady waaaay back during my Heart days, when I was part of a group of women who met weekly to live out Titus 2:3-5. The passage begins "you older women teach the younger women....." well, I was an "older women". We covered various topics each week - raising Godly children, respecting our husbands, and being keepers of the home with topics in areas of decorating, organization, de-cluttering AND cleaning the house.

House cleaning can be overwhelming, but The Fly Lady taught us real methods and some skills to make it as quick and painless as possible.
Her first book was called Sink Reflections. The first thing she instructs a homekeeper to do is clean your sink. And not just scour it our with Ajax! Oh no! She says to obsessively clean that sink. Get out an old toothbrush and work on every part of that sink until it absolutely sparkles and shines. I must say when I did practice her methods and keep that sink shiny, my "cleaning chores" really were lighter and much more manageable. She just has really thought through each task you might be faced with. Great book. And now she has another book called "Body Clutter"....oh lawsy !!!! Can I go there?

Soooo, I went to the luncheon today where she was the speaker. I totally enjoyed myself. Sat at a table with some great friends and visited, laughed a bunch and listened to The Fly Lady speak. Marla is so unassuming, so not flashy or glamorous, but just very "real". Now THERE is a Real Housewife who is a real housewife.

Well, right now I can't see the sink for the dirty dishes stacked there. So, I'm going to go remedy that right now !!!

I'm also probably going to post again later tonight....stay tuned. I have a few fun decorating ideas I used in Tuesday night's talk that I want to share with y'all.


Happy sink cleaning,
Gwynie Pie

Monday Morning -- It's Laundry Day !!

As some of you know, a recent city-wide search took place for clothesline poles. The ones that used to be here were long gone and I really, really enjoy line drying clothes. Plus, it's just handy to have for non-dryer items like rugs and quilts. Soooo, I put out the call on Facebook and within days, friend Lauri answered and in a few more days, I had my very own clothesline poles. Yippee!!!! Thank you Pops, Blake, Colin and Ronnie for risking life and limb to dig them up, load them up and bring them home. Then Pops dug the holes (I think I saw China!?!), we set them in cement, I painted them dark green, Pops strung the lines and voila -- I'm in business !!! Love them !!! Love all of you who contributed to my happiness -- big, big hugs and kisses !!!

I just wanted you to see the "fruits" of your labor. It's a Monday morning. The sun is shining. The breezes are blowing. Clothes are on the line. More clothes in the washer. My back porch is cleaned and cutesied (def: made cute). And in mere moments while the sun dries my clothes, I'll be rocking on the back porch, Bible in lap, coffee in hand, praising the LORD for such a privileged, blessed, favored life.

You have a Blessed Monday too!

Gwynie Pie

EASTER WEEK

EASTER'S Coming !!!!! I love Easter! It is my very favorite celebration. I sure do hope you have your own Easter celebration plans in the works.

There's been a whole lot of Spring Fluffing going on here for the past few weeks - deep cleaning, rearranging, painting and decorating, lightening-up - in anticipation of Easter, spring and all that it brings.

I'm making lists today (I know, I know --you're shocked !!) and thought I'd just share my plans with you, in hopes that you will share your plans with me.

GUEST LIST -- We are the host home for Easter dinner, so yesterday William and I figured out "the guest list". There's nothing formal about this, it just means who is likely to be here on Sunday. We are figuring there will be between 6 and 19 people here. As the week goes on and everyone knows their plans, we will have the final count.

PLAN MENU -- Pork Loin
Brisket
Potato Salad
Broccoli Salad
Baked Beans
Hot Rolls
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with
strawberries and whipped cream
Tea/Lemonade
Everyone will bring something to add to the table, so there will be lots, lots more before we are done

MAKE GROCERY LIST -- Knowing my part of the meal, I will make a very complete list of everything !!! I will need and then plan to shop as early during the week as possible in order to avoid the crowds. A complete list!! because I can't count the times I've had to have William go by a super-crowded, crazy store and pick up just one thing that is absolutely necessary to a recipe. A complete list before the shopping event sure does relieve some anxiety. AND makes for a happy hubby!!!

DECIDE TABLESCAPE --
Colors I want to use (OR already have available)
Dishes, glassware, silverware
Serving dishes
Tablecloth/napkins, napkin rings
Centerpiece and other table decor

OTHER DECORATIONS --
Front Door -- Welcoming wreath
Flowers for serving table, coffee table

CLEANING AND FLUFFING -- On another list I write down every single cleaning chore that needs to be done before the "deadline" on the day it needs to be done. This year, I want to be completely finished with the inside of the house by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. That way, when William gets home we can have a relaxing start to the long weekend, IN a clean house. And then Friday and Saturday we can spend outside tilling and planting the garden and working in the yard.

I have for years cleaned my house most effectively in this one way ...yes, a crazy way, but it has always worked!! ---nutty as it sounds -- I figure out how many minutes it will take to do a job that's on my list. Then I gather up the cleaning supplies it will take for that job, set the timer and RUN !!! I fly through the room, doing each job listed and crossing it off when finished. The key is to KEEP MOVING !!!! Bad things could happen if that bell sounds before the job is done -- bad things, man!!! I finish one room, move to the next room, reset the timer and move, move, move !!!!
Very effective ! And really kind of fun, too ! And very satisfying when the space gets cleaned and things get marked off the list !!! I am all about marking things off that list !!

BUT ABOVE ALL --- Easter is so much more than eggs and chicks, carrots and rabbits. It's so much more than Spring Fluffing. More than pretty new dresses and white patent Mary Janes. It's beyond good food and fellowship with family. Easter is all about the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is celebrating a love so pure, so deep, so intense for me and for you -- that a man would die in our place and pay the debt we owed. What a great love -- beyond anything I have ever known apart from Him. That's worth a celebration !!!

Well, that's the PLAN here at my house. What kind of Easter week preparations do you do? Are you hosting Easter meals OR do you go somewhere else? AND if you go somewhere and take a dish -- what's the "signature" dish you always take? Comment and tell me about your Easter plans and your family traditions. I'd love to hear about it.....

EASTER'S COMING !!!!
Gwynie Pie