Today I Noticed...Cleaning

I noticed something as I was going about my business today and I thought my grandmothers are probably just shaking their heads. I cannot even imagine what my great-grandmothers might be thinking of the life I lead.

I was doing some cleaning today. I had a load of laundry drying in our automatic clothes dryer. There was another load of laundry sloshing around in our automatic washer getting clean without my attendance. I just tossed the clothes into the machines and pressed the buttons and the work of cleaning began.

The robotic vacuum cleaner was rolling across the den floor sweeping up the bits from the trees that we had tracked in and strewn across the floor. I had cleaned out the dust bin of Rosey Jetson and attached a new filter. Then, as I sat sipping a cup of tea, I opened the app on my phone and instructed Rosey Jetson, the robotic vacuum cleaner to sweep the den floor. 

adapted from this source

I had just finished cleaning out the fridge and disposing of outdated salad dressing and ketchup. I also tossed out the unrecognizable food that had been tucked away in there a week or so ago but let go to waste because we never got a yen to clean out that leftover bit and eat it. There were a few little sealed containers with mushy something and something suspicious growing like a science experiment on the corner of another. I can just hear Muffa, my paternal grandmother, exclaim with disdain about how wasteful we are as I was scraping those bits into the trash.  

I was unloading the dishwasher so that I could reload it with containers where I had cleaned out the spoiled and wasted food and paused to pour myself another cup of tea before I sat down to rest my back. I felt pretty productive, though, as I opened the app on my phone and instructed the oven to begin a clean cycle to get that black crunchiness off the oven floor where the strawberry bread I'd baked had bubbled over yesterday afternoon. You see, I had forgotten about the dribbled over mess in there and when Mike had baked biscuits to go with the ham we had for breakfast, smoke had curled out into the kitchen and smelled it up until he had turned on the exhaust fan above the cooktop to clear that away and in just a little while, the inside of the oven will be sparkling clean again and I will get a notification on my phone that the cleaning is done.

I realized that the laundry will be ready to swap out again - I will fold the dry load and transfer the wet load to the dryer and start the next load to wash. So, I am sitting here sipping my cup of tea and browsing through an online post that has a how-to instructing me how to transform something to give it a new look or purpose while there is a soft tune playing in the background from Alexa, my virtual assistant. 

I know that Granny, my maternal grandmother, is probably smiling and shaking her head in comparing how my cleaning is so different from hers back in the day. She would have embraced the robotic vacuum and all the gadgets just as I do but she would also sit us down and tell us tales about how things were when she was a young woman and those chores would have a whole different look. She would tell us about drawing water from the well and heating it and scrubbing and the back-breaking labor it took to get things cleaned.

Earlier in the week the house-wash-guy came and used a power washer with a generator and blasted all sorts of suds and rinses to get the mold and mildew off the siding and make it new and shiny, just like a fresh paint job that my ancestors would have swiped across their siding as a way to freshen it up, taking hours or days to cover it all out in the hot sun. 

As I sit here capturing these thoughts and memories, I think of how different it must have been for my great-grandmothers and grandmothers and remember my own mother scrubbing, sweeping, and painting to give things a nice fresh spring cleaning and I am so thankful for the luxurious life I am fortunate to lead. I also wonder what is in store for my grandchildren in years to come. Will they have something even more advanced than the Robots from the Jetson's cartoon that I enjoyed?

Weeding Out the Extras

I'm just wondering if it is just us or does everybody have closets that get to be an overcrowded, jumbled mess? 

One day last week I got pretty frustrated at having to fold and re-fold clothes. We have a large, walk-in closet with hanging space and shelving. On the shelves is where I stack folded T-shirts, sweaters, and some of Mike's shorts. I noticed that while my shirts tend to stay folded and sort of stay in stacks, those stacks and folds of mine don't seem to stay very tidy and Mike's stacks and folds had wound up looking like a scrambled mess. 

I decided that a clean-out was needed. I pulled all the T-shirts off my shelf and sorted things out. If I hadn't worn it in months, it went into a garbage bag to be donated. I would up with a couple of garbage bags full. I decided that while I was at it, I was going to clean out the two drawers of the dresser in our bedroom while I was at it and wound up bagging up every single item from that dresser. 

Then, because I had promised Mike one day while he was wearing a shirt that had stains and holes, I dove into his scrambled mess. Again, I filled a couple of garbage bags. He asked me if he had anything left to wear for the next day!

On the day I was planning to drop off the items that were still in good shape for donation, we chatted about it and I wondered how does one acquire so many clothes? As I sat and thought about it, I realized that about half of the shirts filling the bags that had come from my dresser and shelf were items that I've had for fifteen or so years. So, I guess it was just time to do some cleaning out.

A couple of days later, Mike came in while I was sitting at my computer and noticed that I had a clothing store website pulled up. He asked me if I was shopping to refill the coffers.

Summer Project #1

Summer has traditionally been the time when I work on projects and get things done. Most of them are home-improvement-type endeavors where I'm organizing or repairing or updating or simply making something work better around the house.  My first project was out of necessity.  The drain hose for the dishwasher cracked and was leaking.  So, one day there was a puddle in the kitchen floor.  I mopped up and did some investigating under the kitchen sink only to find water standing under there as well.  First, I cleared everything out from under the kitchen sink and mopped up all the water.  I left it to dry overnight and called a plumber.  

In the meantime I went online and ordered some clear plastic bins that would organize the cleaners, jars, etc. that I store down there.  I was inspired by Ann at On Sutton Place.  She talked about how the handle made it easier to pull out the items that were in the back.  So, I found these nice see-through bins and ordered these as well.  After weeding out the junk and throwing some things out, this is how my tidy under-the-sink cabinet looks:

• The left-hand cabinet has a trash can and a container that holds dishwasher pods. (You can see the pod container there on the left with the green label.)  
• That is one of my scrubbing brushes sitting on a clear plastic coaster right in front.  
• The clear bin right behind it is 14.5" long and just fits in that space with only about a hand's width to spare.  In the front, it has a tub that contains silver polish, brass polish, tooth paste for cleaning spots on silver, and that sort of thing.  In the back of that bin are oils for my butcher block counter top and cutting boards and front porch rockers.  
• On the right, I have two of the bins with handles.  The one in the back holds some empty jars and a couple of empty cans that can be used to discard something like bacon grease when I need something of that sort.  The front bin holds extras of dish soap and hand soap to refill the containers on the counter by the sink as well as window cleaner and the gloves I use for hand-washing pots and pans.  I also have an empty spray bottle in it for when I mix dish soap and vinegar to clean things.

The next project turned out to be sort of a consolation prize.  I had hoped to redo and update our kitchen this summer but we decided that our budget just wasn't ready for that, yet.  Plus, there is the Coronavirus and we just didn't feel good about having folks coming in and out of our house.  So, I decided that I would just make the things we had work better for us!

I had gotten frustrated with spices and things falling out of the cabinet every time I tried to get something out for cooking.  It seemed that every time I reached for one thing, another couple of things fell out as well.  So, again, I decided it was time to organize and followed Ann's advice! I ordered more of the clear bins with handles that stick out, a couple of these turntables, and large jars and small jars.  I hate I didn't take a before picture but these two will give you an idea of some of the jumbled up conglomeration that I had up there:

I threw out things that were out-of-date or simply looked yucky.  I combined a couple of containers into one jar when I had more than one opened.  It was really quite rewarding to get this spiffed up! I wiped down the cabinet and shelves and placed the turntables inside and filled them up!

• The bottom shelf has spices that we tend to use most on the turntable.  The jars behind the black pepper container are baking soda, baking powder, and corn starch.  There are a couple of bottles of flavored oils and a bottle of vegetable oil along with salt for refilling the shaker and some vegetable spray.  All tidy and within quick reach when cooking.
• On the middle shelf, the turntable holds spices that we use less frequently.  On the right are jars with tea bags, cocoa mix, lemonade mix, and bottles of different extracts and flavorings such as vanilla, almond, maple, etc. 
• I followed the advice that I read online in several places and put the items on the top shelf in clear bins with handles to make them easier to take down.  One bin holds bar-b-que rubs and it is in the middle because it is most frequently used by Mike as well as me. 
  
  The one on the right holds sprinkles and sugars for baking with/for the Grands.
  

The one on the left holds extras for refilling the jars.

I smile every time I open this cabinet now!  Everything is easy to find, easy to access, and easy to return to it's rightful place.  

I still hope to update and revamp my kitchen someday and when we do I will still be able to use these bins and turntables and jars.  For now, making our kitchen work efficiently for us and tidying it up are good enough.

Musical Lamps

As I was dusting and doing some spring cleaning in the front bedroom this week, I did a little lamp moving.  The little night light that sat on this book case was moved to the back bedroom and this little antique lamp with the green shade and marbles in it took that spot.

The brass lamp that was once at my paternal grandparents' shifted from the bedside table over to the table where the little lamp with the green shade once sat.

The little white lamp that I bought in a recent online auction now sits on the bedside table to balance out the white antique lamp that sits on the other side of the bed.

While I'm not excited about the floral shade that is on this little white lamp, I do like the shape of it.  So, maybe I just need to be on the lookout for a white shade with a tulip shape like that.  Spring fluffing continues!

Cleaning Old Treasures

With many of the old pieces Mike and I have been handed down from our mothers, we have had to do a bit of cleaning and scrubbing.  One such item that needed a bit of cleaning was an old number three crock Mom gave me.

 It had been sitting outside and had loads of dust and bugs and crud inside it.  It was also pretty dirty on the outside and had something that looked like dried rust on it.  So, I started researching to see what the best method for cleaning it without harming the glaze might be.

I first washed it with dish soap and hot water.  Then, I tried a mixture of vinegar and dish soap.  Finally, I made a paste of baking soda and water and gave it a little scrub.  Then, I added a bit of peroxide to the paste and scrubbed with a plastic scrubbing pad.  Voila!

I had no idea what I was going to do with this crock but now that it is clean, I didn't want to hide it away.  So, for now, it is sitting on the kitchen counter holding a collection of rolling pins. 

The one on the left was one of Mike's grandmother's.  The center one was made by a neighbor and given to me in 1981.  The neighbor's wife brought it to me when it was still warm off the lathe and smelled of lemon oil.  The center one is a modern one that I got when I graduated high school and left home.  The old square Atlas canning jar was filled with trail mix but a couple of little mice must have nibbled at it!

Hanging on the wall behind the bread basket and these other items are the milk permits that came out of our old milk barn where I was raised.  They are a bit brittle and one crumbled quite a bit but I smile every time I look at them and I think my Daddy would be pleased that they are in matching frames and hanging on my kitchen wall.

Heirloom Silver

One of the things Mom gave me recently was a pile of silver pieces that we had won as awards back in the days when we were exhibiting cattle at fairs and shows.  I think all of it is silver-plate and all of it was badly tarnished.  I hated to see it go to Goodwill or somewhere like that but I also hated the thought of polishing all of it and had no idea where I would store it especially since we were consolidating or getting rid of all the things in the basement to make room for Mike's mother to move in.

For a while it sat in a stack on an extra chair and I simply ignored it.  Then, I set it down inside the flour/corn meal bin to get it out of sight.  Then, one day back in the summer I ran across a post by Ann Drake at the blog On Sutton Place.  She made cleaning silver seem more approachable than it had been years ago when Mom would have us use an old T-shirt, stinky silver polish, and lots of rubbing and scrubbing so that the pieces could be used for a friend's bridal shower or wedding reception.  So, I decided to give her How to Clean Silver Naturally method a try.

I am a believer in Ann's method!  Oh, there was still a good bit of rubbing and polishing required but I think maybe that was because the pieces were so tarnished.  All of them had so much tarnish that they had a black look to them like the bowls stacked above.  I know that tarnished silver as decoration is quite trendy right now, but, like Ann, I really like the shine of the silver when it is cleaned up.  In the center of each tray and on the side of each bowl is engraved something like Champion and the year - most of them are from the 1980s.

As you can see, they all cleaned up pretty well!  I took just a couple of pieces at a time and placed them in the hot water, baking soda, salt, aluminum foil solution and let them soak for about ten minutes.  Some pieces got soaked twice.  Then, I took a little toothpaste and worked on the places where tarnish was still clinging.  A quick rinse with hot water, dry with a soft towel, and I set them on the table to dry - and easily admire.

 The clean pieces sat on the table for a couple of days while I tried to think of where to store them.  I decided that I wanted to try to put as much of it to use as possible.  I don't mind using the trays to corral things or draw attention to a collection since I think it will be fairly easy to clean now.

One tray went to the guest bath as seen above to corral a wax scent burner/night light, a mug for the grands' toothbrushes, a crock with lavender sugar scrub, lotion, and a candle.  Later, I thought the size of it would be better for another little collection and was replaced by an oval one that can be seen in the corner of this photo.  (You can also see how I added a little bit of fall to the guest bath with that ceramic pumpkin.)

The smaller round one went into the front guest bedroom to corral my childhood blue and white tea set - or what is left of it.

One tray went to the den to corral a trio of items on the ottoman/coffee table.  I did a bit of a switcheroo and used a little larger tray later.

The larger tray fit well on the ottoman/coffee table.  So, I had to do a bit of thinking to decide what to do with the one that was here.  It was a bit older and was awarded for a different reason than having a fine cow.

That tray is one that I won as a showmanship award the year I graduated high school.  I teased my daughter-in-law that I was going to give it to her for Christmas along with my high school drape portrait.  Instead, the tray got moved to the kitchen.  I put a command hook on the back to loop a burlap ribbon through and hung it on the front of the china cabinet.  The bay leaf wreath that was hanging there had started to look faded and tired because it was so dry.  I liked the look of the greenery hanging there.  So, I moved a preserved boxwood wreath there but it just lacked substance.  Rather than going out and buying a larger preserved boxwood wreath, I think the silver tray added the bulk that was needed.  Plus, it added a bit of sparkle to the front of the cabinet.  I simply wrapped a piece of twine around the boxwood wreath and hung it down in front of the tray.

Some of the other trays are scattered around the house and used to group a few items together and a little narrow one sits on the base of the china cabinet and holds a twig pumpkin right now.  The juxtaposition of the shiny silver and the rustic natural twig pumpkin looks nice.

If you look closely into the china cabinet, you can see that I have four of the smaller trays propped up in the four corners of the cabinet behind a china plate.  The little bowls are stacked inside the cabinet as well because I couldn't think of a purposeful way to use them right now.  At some point, maybe I will, though and knowing that they are pretty easy to clean makes me not be concerned about them just adding a little sparkle to the kitchen.

It makes me smile a little bit that I could come up with a practical use for something like a silver tray award.  So, my 'heirloom silver' that was awarded to us for having outstanding cattle once again has a part in our life.  And maybe when the time comes for the grands to honor their friends with bridal showers or use at wedding receptions, we can easily clean it up and make it purposeful as well as sparkly and pretty!

Confession Time

I have a confession to make.

I hope you are sitting down.

If you are not sitting, you probably better.

Here it is.

I'm letting the world know right now...

I am not a very tidy housekeeper.

I know it is a shock.  

I mean, you never noticed.  Did you?

Well, I have never been Mrs. Tidy.  

However, I have been doing lots of  - oh, I'll get to that later.

And I've done some - I'll tackle that the next time I'm off for a few days.

I told myself that before Labor Day last year.

I told myself that last fall before fall break.

I told myself that before Christmas break.

I even mumbled it before spring break this year.

Now...

Now it is summer time and all those I'll get to that laters are staring me in the face.

Today's project was the kitchen cabinets.  I told myself I would get that knocked out while Mike was out on the mower.

The last time the kitchen was REALLY clean - right after Mike and I married!

Do you have any idea how things can get out of hand when you say I'll get to that later?

Eeew!  Yuck!

So, I pretended to clean up a bit with some window-type cleaner and a swift wipe down.  Then, I looked really closely and saw the scenery above and all of its yuckiness.

Today, became THE DAY.

I mixed up a solution of vinegar and dish soap and got me a bucket and a spray bottle and a scrubber and a cloth and I've been doing a deep clean.  Just look at what a little elbow grease can do to the built-up yuckiness of cooking, dustiness, I'll-get-to-that-later.

I still love the distressed-over-time look of my cabinets and the kitchen.  It really looks so much better when it is just the distressed and not the I'll-get-to-that-later look, though!

It feels so good to see that cleanliness!  Two down...

...just eighteen more to go and I'll be done!

...with the top cabinets...ARGH!

Had a Helper

I had a little helper while one of the grands was here for her Days.  I enlisted her assistance to clean and straighten my napkin and placemat stash.  I do hate that I didn't take a BEFORE photo.  There was a jumbled up mess in the lower half of my Granny Cabinet.  Honestly, it sort of looked like I had opened the door to the dryer!

Lillie sat in the floor and pulled out stack after stack and pile after pile of cloth napkins and placemats.

I sat in a nearby chair and sorted and created a give-away pile of those things I rarely use.

Neat stacks of napkins!

Then, we organized and stacked things back inside in a more organized fashion.

Tidy stacks of placemats, napkins, and fingertip towels used for napkins or placemats

Now, I just need somebody to help me sort through, clean out, and organize the junk on the top of the Granny Cabinet!

Bridgette took a few of the things out of the give-away pile.

I took a set of baseball placemats to Harris for his enjoyment.

The rest took a trip to Goodwill (at least a garbage bag full).

A day or so later, I got this photo from Bridgette in a text message along with the message:

NO YOU CAN'T HAVE THESE NAPKINS BACK!!!

Homes On Parade

I've shared a little about our recent Parade of Homes tour.  This post is a bit more about those things I noticed on the tour.

Reclaimed wood and the look of wood is quite trendy.

This bonus room featured a wet bar on one end.  The reclaimed wood planked wall drew me closer and made me want to check it out.  It is truly as rustic as it looks - rubbing a hand along it might provide a splinter or two.  Here they featured the wood look tile for flooring and had set it in a herringbone pattern.  Then, there was the pattern of the granite counter top.  I liked the look of the wall but also wondered if it might prove to be a dust catcher over time.  I also liked the look of the floors and counter tops.  However, I didn't like the combination of all this together.

The reclaimed lumber and plank ceiling in this great room were eye appealing and certainly made one notice the lofty ceilings.  So much so that I cannot recall what the remainder of the room looked like - not the walls, not the floors, not the furniture!  Again, I wonder how this might hold up over time - will spider webs collect there?  Will dust?

This wet bar in a corner of the bonus room of the house also had a reclaimed wood plank wall and I liked the look.  I also liked the look of the metal and industrial looking light fixture and the dark cabinetry for the bonus room.  the bar/snack area was along the wall and looked nice and was efficient use of the space.

There was also this reclaimed wood that was above the fireplace in this grand room.  The ceilings were vaulted.  There were beautiful beams in it.  The wood on the chimney area set in a herringbone pattern was fabulous.  The built-ins on either side of the fireplace were wonderful.

I loved the mantel that was raw wood - looked sort of like a railroad tie or the beam of an old barn.  The rustic elegance was fabulous.  I loved the huge iron chandelier.  I loved the stone fireplace.  I also loved the huge canvas that had feathers painted on it above the built-in cabinetry with the rustic metal tub used for decor.  And the mirrors on the other side with the rustic horses crafted of wood were beautiful as well.  I liked the neutral color of the furniture and the mix of furniture.  The entire room was just gorgeous.  (And if you would like to see more photos of this room, hop over to Kari Anne's post at Thistlewood Farms.)  I'm not a fan of the TV above the mantel because I think it gives the feeling of sitting on the front row in a movie theatre.  It seems like one needs to lean back in the seat and look up toward the ceiling.  I prefer having the TV lower on a cabinet or mounted on the wall sort of at eye level when seated on a sofa or chair.

I liked this cork-covered wall with the hand-painted dart board.  I wish the wall downstairs here in my house had been covered in cork before it was used as a dart-throwing area.  Maybe all those many, many holes wouldn't be peppering the wall.

I thought this wood and industrial looking light fixture was pretty cool.  Not really my style, but pretty cool looking nonetheless.

I liked the rustic look of this staircase banister.  The spindles were simple rebar.  Very industrial and simple but also very functional.  The detail to the wood newel posts and the color of the stain on the wood pieces were also very appealing.  (That little guy climbing them is pretty cute, too!)

This wooden door might not be reclaimed lumber.  However, I do love the look of it.  I like the glass and wood.  I like the color.  I like the arched top.  I like the woodwork at the top.  I like the oil-rubbed bronze hardware.  I like the brick entryway flooring.  Herringbone is quite the trend, too, isn't it?  I'm not a fan of the two-toned baseboards, however.

The window boxes on some of the homes were beautiful.  I'm not sure how easy that would be to maintain, but it was beautiful.  I also liked the stained-wood look of the garage doors.  These that were styled to look like old-time carriage doors were my favorite.  They were all typical lift garage doors but the look was much more appealing.

These garage doors were painted and had a style to look more like old-time wooden doors, too.  I took the photo, however, to remind me of the beautiful way to style containers in the fall.  This would work great for that time when the summer flowers are looking a bit bedraggled but it is too early or different than the pansies that will perk up the containers throughout the winter.

As you can tell, from my multiple posts, I got lots for my money on our quick afternoon tour of the Parade of Homes here!