Springing into Spring

Today is a beautiful warm spring day here where we live, so we are going to take this opportunity to enjoy it. Off we go, out into the warmth.

Have a good one.

DMC

Warning: Disturbing Sludge

This is my bathtub. See that black stuff all around the tub? I think I know where that came from...


I decided to clean the overflow drain thingy. Innocent enough. It had a little gray stuff on one corner. So I removed this screw, and off came the cover....
This is what I found....THIS is what I found. Try clicking on the photo to enlarge it.

This is what it looks like now after a little cleaning and scrubbing.

DMC

William

William, has begun marking his territory. He has sprayed inside my closet, marking two comforters and all of my dresses that were long enough to catch it. Last night he sprayed behind the couch where I was sitting. This is a new and deplorable experience for me, and I am at a loss as to what to do. The boys (cats) are scheduled to be "fixed" in May, though, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This is William...

Off I go...

DMC

Cleaning the Fridge

This is morning I have been cleaning my fridge. I took out all the shelves and drawers and washed them with hot water, vinegar and dish soap. I also washed the inside with hot water and vinegar, which dries really quickly and is a natural germ killer.

Now, on with the rest of my day.

DMC

A Case of Mistaken Identity

This is so cute. Miss Mew, who just had a litter of kittens this morning, also had a litter of kittens last July, nine months ago. We kept all four kittens, because, well, I am soft, and because we fell in love with all of them.

Today, Miss Mew kept trying to pick up her nine month old kittens by the scruffs of their necks and carry them back to the box where the tiny little kittens are. The nine month old kittens are bigger than she is(she was brought into the Humane Society when she was a couple of days old with her brothers and sisters but without her mama. So she is quite small compared to other cats.)

Here are some pictures...

I didn't get enough done today. No shopping, not done the basement, no appointments for estimates, and no closet cleaning. Oh well. I did make a cool schedule form on microsoft office..?....

Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

DMC

"Kitten Day"

We have officially called this a "Kitten Day," similar to a snow day, but with kittens.

Today I would like to....wash my kitchen floor thoroughly, since that is where the kittens were born. Call the contractors to come in and give me estimates on the basement drywall. Finish my pantry/school supply closet, and finish getting all the stuff out of the basement. I also need to do the grocery shopping I did not do yesterday.

That's not too tall an order for the day.

Happy Kitten Day,
DMC

Daily Dose of Drama

I got up this morning and had to push a box out of the way so I could sit down at the table, but it was kind of heavy. I turned the box toward me, and there was Miss Mew with one tiny kitten between her front paws. She immediately began having contractions, so I raced upstairs to get Emma, who told me last night she didn't want to miss it. That was at 6 am. This little one in front was the first born.

This little guy was born second....

Followed by a third, whom Emma thought looked like and Oreo cookie, so his name is Cookie. (He/she is the black and white)

This little one was still born, but I include her in memorium. We would have called her Ginger.

This was the last one. Another Oreo cookie look alike, so he is called Oreo.

They are so sweet.

DMC

Earth Day Drama

Today one of our kitties, Miss Mew, began her labour pains. Her water broke, so to say, and she began politely asking for a place to have those babies. Meow, meow, until we brought down the already prepared box.

Anyhow, I did get some stuff done today amid the drama. I cleaned out most of the rec room; I even took apart our book shelf. And I did the first three shelves in the pantry. It would have been more but for errands.

This is our science kit. Just the basics: matches, candles, test tubes, cotton balls, iodine solution, laundry detergent, and on and on........

Tomorrow is another day, full of possibilities! This is our older cat again, looking unconcerned that her sis is giving birth.

DMC

Two Big Projects Today

I have two big projects planned for today, as well as tidying and vacuuming the whole house, running some errands and doing some shopping. Unfortunately, I feel like I may be getting sick, so I will have to pace myself.

The first project is the pantry in my kitchen that holds all of our homeschooling supplies, books and art supplies. My method is this:

1. Remove large items which block the shelves
2. Beginning at the top shelf, remove items, wipe shelf, re-organize items from shelf and replace, all the while sorting to remove unnecessary items, or items that belong elsewhere.
3. Work through all shelves. I should mention that I drew a picture of the inside of the closet the other day. I organized the items I wanted to keep in the closet thereby eliminating guess work.
4. Once the shelves are done (I think there are 5) I will box the items that remain on the desktop. The items that were removed to begin with I will sort through and place where they should be.
5. Then I will set up the desktop they way I have planned it. And again, distribute what is left over.
6. Next, empty everything out of the floor area. Clean the floor. Replace what is staying, take care of the rest.
7. Done!

I also want to finish emptying the rec room. The boxes are gone but what is left is a bit trickier. There are items that need to be removed, others that should be sorted and still others that I don't know what to do with, like my driftwood collection, for instance. In this room I will just work through it one item at a time. That will be the easiest way.

Before
During....
I really thought that these pictures would show a big difference, but it really isn't apparent what I have done so far! Ugh. Hopefully by the end of today the difference will be greater.

Here I go again.

DMC

Coat Closet Cleaning

I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked. I did, however, clean out the whole coat closet instead of doing a little on all three closets. Before.....
After...

I will have to make this a short post as I am tired today.

DMC

My Plan

I took some time today to make a plan. We have taken the month of April off from formal homeschooling, but E is still finishing up projects, like this one, that Cali our oldest cat, is holding. This is the cover of E's story, Solomon the Plow Horse. This project incorporated a study of Beatrix Potter, watercolour painting, drawing and colouring with pencil crayons, and writing about her favourite topic, horses. She has also been doing some hands on stuff, like helping in the curriculum sale, and sorting/painting in the basement. I am doing the planning for the rest of Grade 7 and Grade 8, filing Semester 2 work, and doing the report card.


The plan for today is...

• do 2 shelves in the school closet
• do the shelves in the coat closet
• do the shelves in E's closet
• move the boxes into the storage room
• try to move the furniture
• finish planning Canadian History class
• work on Report Card for 15 minutes (I had to redo it)
• complete the new menu plan I am starting (in which you plan meals for 4 weeks instead of 1)(I will try to post a link for this soon)
• some other stuff I can't remember right now, but might add on later.

Here goes....

DMC

Household Binder

The end of another day and I actually feel as though I have accomplished something. After moving about 10 boxes out of the rec room, I realize that the mountain is not so big after all. And, after washing the floor in the storage room, I realize that replacing that flooring must be included in my renovation budget. I admit I completely forgot about doing the pantry, but I had an unexpected errand to run. Maybe tomorrow I will begin with that.

The thing that I did today that most excites me is all of the forms and things that I created for my household binder. This sounds silly, but I have had this vision of having a household organizer for years. I have always had a basic one, but awhile ago I revamped it only to discover that I really couldn't find anything anymore. See how it is overflowing and messy.

Then I started to do some research on the web and by reading blogs and I found some wonderful ideas. For instance, I have been carrying around my day scheduler all this time, instead of purchasing a purse size calendar that I can use for notes and appointments, etc. Here is the one I got the other day. This is really a must have for those appointments, like the one I made today, that will not happen for several months.
I am chronically misplacing things and this will hopefully help me keep appointments straight at least. Also, a bonus, it matches the new stationary that I got at the dollar store for $1. It has mountains on it, which reminds me of a special place I used to live.

DMC

A Slow Start

Ok. It is after lunch, my daughter is sick, and I haven't done any work in this house yet today.

I did do some stuff on my computer though. I made some lovely forms for menu planning, shopping lists, weekly chore lists and many dividers for my refurbished Household Binder. I also finished my daughters Semester 2 Report Card. Normally I don't do report cards but we got a great template with Microsoft Office, and it is always handy and prudent to have a record.

So here is my agenda for after I get off the computer...

1. Clean out kitty litter.
This is a big job: carry in 50 lbs. of litter, throw out the old litter, clean the boxes, and refill them with fresh litter and baking soda.

2. Wash the floor in the storage room.

3. Sort the laundry and start it.

4. Start moving boxes from the rec room to the storage room.

4. Box the contents of my pantry, aka The Beast

I guess I had better get going. First though I have to cancel lessons for this week (as daughter is sick) and make any other calls necessary.

Have a good one,
Donna

The Beast

The week ahead looks full. We have lots of projects on the go including getting all those boxes, desks and stuff into the storage room; decluttering 'the beast' which used to be a pantry before we renovated the kitchen and got more cupboard space, but now contains all of our homeschool supplies, curriculum, equipment, and lots of other stuff that doesn't belong there. Somewhere buried in there is some filing and other important stuff I can't quite remember right now. This is a must do.

I'm also planning on getting our coat closet and entrance ready for spring by storing all of the winter items, and removing the carpet which protects my hardwood flooring from salt damage. And I would love to spring clean and rearrange my living room which is feeling a bit blahhh right now.

Then there is my daughter's closet which need an overhaul, collecting estimates for the work on the basement, planting grass seed in my yard, planting seedlings and herbs indoors, and finally cleaning out the trunk of my car which still has toboggans in it. Should be a fun week.

Have a good weekend.

DMC

Mission Impossible Accomplished At Last

I am so happy that I have finally finished clearing out the storage/laundry room. My new storage area complete with my trimmed shelf and new resin shelf, is packed with all of our excess stuff. Here is a picture of it. I have included before and after pictures of the storage room. I can hardly believe the difference.

This is the before picture...

...this is the after picture.

Tomorrow it's off to a curriculum sale. We managed to pull together a bunch of boxes full of books and curriculum, and get them all priced.

DMC

One of Those Days

This has to be the nicest day yet this spring, but I am determined to be in my basement decluttering and cleaning. Today I must get this area clean and packed away so that over the next couple of days I can move the contents of the adjacent room, which was flooded last year, into it.

I am also preparing to sell some of our old curriculum and books at a used curriculum sale this Saturday.

None of these things are all that difficult, but they are energy drains, and I have not been feeling very good this week. I am worried that if I push myself I will end up in bed tomorrow. I'll have to take it slow, easy and steady and get things done at my own pace.

Wish me luck.

DMC

Spring Cleaning Inside and Out

Today I let the breezes clean out the cobwebs from my thoughts as I walked along the shore of Lake Ontario with my daughter. The crashing of the waves and the warm sunshine were like a balm, and we both left feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Enjoy the spring,
Donna

A Worthy Plan, Except for the Weather

It seems that when the buds start to unfurl themselves, and the breezes are fresh and newly warm, I just can't keep myself inside. The house seems stuffy and stale, and just outside is fresh air, and new life bursting up where there once was none.

Maybe that staleness on the inside of our homes after a long winter is why homemakers everywhere spend time in the spring cleaning out the cobwebs and freshening their homes. I have read that originally spring cleaning was designed to remove the soot that accumulated inside the home over a long winter of cooking and heating with wood. I even thought I could use that as an excuse to skip the spring cleaning. However, it is spring, and my house really could use a good freshening and cleaning!

That just adds to my long list of stuff that needs to be done around here, thereby stressing me out, when all I really want to do is get outdoors and watch spring bring the sleeping earth alive.

I love spring...and I love spring cleaning; just not at the same time.

DMC

Looking Back and Planning Ahead

Truly, the last name change for this blog. Really.


I am so happy to report that my new washing machine works great. I finally figured out how to level it (by adjusting the screw on feet in the front). This is very important so that the machine doesn't go jumping around....as I found out...a little too late.


I have almost sorted through all of the clutter in the storage room...there are some pictures of the mess somewhere on this blog...and my new shelf is almost full. Today my daughter and I went through a bunch of keepsake items of clothing that we have kept aside to keep...forever? Little ruby red slippers, a fuzzy pink coat, her Sleeping Beauty Halloween costume that she wore when she was 2...so cute. Each year, on or near her birthday, we go through this stuff. We watch home movies, read the journals I have kept since before she was born, and I tell and retell the story of her birth. She loves it and it is really nice to recall those days. Here is a picture of the birthday cake we made. Chocolate brownie with gourmet vanilla bean ice cream in two layers and covered with ganache (Em designed it--a horse jumping over 3 licorice sticks...with blue jelly bean water on the other side).


I have been doing some long term planning for the next term in Grade 7, (which is also the last term), and for Grade 8. I am addicted to forms, and am always trying to create the perfect one for various uses from chores to planning. Recently I figured out a way to create forms on Microsoft Office. I almost tingle when I think of it..I know, I have to get a life.

Anyhow, gotta go make balloon animals with Em.

DMC

General Update

It has been a busy week. I bought a washing machine, started making plans for conquering the disorganization, clutter, flood damage, excess stuff, mouldy caulking, unruly garden and general confusion that prevails in my home lately, put together my new shelf, and conquered some of the clutter in the basement storage area.

Tomorrow my new washing machine arrives from Sears, so today I began pulling up the tiles where the old machine was, and cleared a recognizable path through the basement to the laundry area.

DMC

Got My Shelf!!

I finally purchased my storage shelf today, and I am very excited. It is a wonderful shelf made of "hybrid plastic resin" which is made from recycled materials. Plus, it was only $29.95 at Costco, and that's Canadian.

Here's a picture of my little treasure still in the box.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor to get the results on my test - the mammogram I had last week. I have made a resolution not to worry until I know I have something to worry about.

Until tomorrow....

DMC

Paralysis

I feel paralyzed and am disappointed that I am not able to work more on the house.

After taking several loads of laundry to the laundromat today to wash, and then cart them home to dry, I realize I need to purchase a new washer soon. However, with my daughter's birthday coming up fast, and other important appointments, everything will have to be placed temporarily on hold.

DMC