long. week.

This post is merely for documentation purposes.  We've had a long, tough, but exciting week all lumped into one and I need this for my records. ;) Here's a recap. A long, long recap... *Two weeks ago today, Joy got a stomach bug. She was a very sick baby. *That same day, Graham let me know that now was the time to purchase new floors.  MIND BLOWN! *On Wednesday, March 4, 2015, Joy was so lethargic and puny that she would just doze off randomly...even sitting in her high chair.  I took her to the doctor.  They drew blood. It took two tries and that was tough. Blood work showed that she was dehydrated, had elevated liver enzymes, and had a bad virus.

*Thursday, contractors came to measure the house.

*Thursday night, the big girls start vomiting! 

                                

*Friday, I purchased the flooring and got the installation booked!

*The girls laid around all day trying to recoup.

*I completely cleaned out our shed, garage, and attic.

*Saturday, Graham took AG and Edy to Texarkana.  Na met them there and took the girls on to Conway for their traditional spring break at Na and Pop's!

*Saturday night, Graham and I unloaded the girls' room.  What a mess! What a mess!! ...and I call myself a NEAT FREAK.

*The walls were so dingy and yuck that I repainted them.

*Sunday night, we continued unloading the contents of our home into our garage.  

*After deciding to swap the girls' rooms when we moved back in, I revamped their armoire.  I knew orange wouldn't look good with the pink walls in their new room.

It was originally oak.  I stained it espresso about eight years ago.  Then, I painted it orange a few years back.

This time, I painted it cream, sanded it, and rubbed it with stain.  I really like how it turned out.

*Last Monday, I got a call from Lowe's saying they wouldn't be able to drop off our wood due to the weather.  I was so upset.  You see...that wood needs to sit inside for 48 hours to acclimate and the contractors were set to start on Wednesday.  I pleaded and pleaded with Lowe's to make arrangements to get it here.  Thankfully, they rented a Penske truck, dropped it off, and unloaded it by hand in the pouring rain.

*Meanwhile, Joy went back to the doctor for another blood check.  After two blown veins, screaming, vomiting, and lots of prodding, they finally got her blood drawn.

*Monday night, Graham got the stomach bug.

*Tuesday, Graham spent the day recuperating.  Corey came down to help me around the house.

*Tuesday night, I painted a TON of quarter round. A TON.

*On Wednesday, the guys came to install the floors.  They worked SO fast!!!!

*DAY ONE...

We were able to move all the girls furniture back in after DAY ONE!

*DAY TWO...

*I tidied up the girls' rooms. (better pics to come)

*At the end of DAY TWO the guys had our room and closet completed.  That night, Graham and I moved back into our bedroom and finally got to sleep on our bed!

*DAY THREE...

*I don't have pics (videos to come), but the guys completely finished our house on DAY THREE.  That night, Graham and I (and a friend) moved everything from the garage to the house.

*Saturday, I spent the day cleaning.  It was a really, really long day.

*Saturday night, I went to bed with everything in its place and a completely spotless house.  It was such a good feeling.  

*After church on Sunday, I got a wild hair to paint an old cabinet that had been in the girls' old room.  (I counted and I've given this cabinet five makeovers!)

I've been needing more room for homeschooling materials so this cabinet will really come in handy!

*Sunday night, I got my girls back!!!  They absolutely loved their new room!!!!  They loved the floors.  

*Slowly but surely, I am puttying and painting the nail holes on the quarter round.  Other than that, everything is back together and we are so pleased.

*Joy's blood work clotted so they will be taking another sample this week.  Please keep her (and us) in your thoughts and prayers.

*I am going to try and upload a few video house tours.  Hopefully, I can get them posted in the next few days.

TIPS For a Better Looking Fireplace

To all my friends with wood-burning fireplaces: 
When winter ends and spring begins, the fireplace takes on a dreary appearance.  You know this, don't your?!  Not only is it soot covered and dirty, it's also empty, lonely, and a bit of an eyesore.

For years, I haven't really given it much thought. Something has been off, but I've not stopped to think about why! I've decorated my mantel for the changing seasons, but just chalked-up the ugly cavity below as part of it!

Recently, I took a long look at the fireplace--like really looked at it.  I thought, Oh my! that's ugly--really ugly!!!  Once I came to that place of realization, I was able to get my plan together and set it into motion.

TIP 1:  Clean out the fireplace.  

It goes without saying, but get rid of all the winter's ashes, wood, and soot!

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

TIP 2:  Store the fireplace gear in the attic until next year.

I cannot tell you how many years my fireplace tools, grate, and screen have been propped up on the hearth during spring and summer for no reason--no purpose at all but to collect dust.  I'm not the only one that does this either.  Many of us leave these items out because we just don't think about it.  WHY is that?  How hard is it to take these things to the garage, attic, or shed until they are actually needed? Get them out!!!

Better?  Sort of.  

TIP 3: Paint the inside of the fireplace.

I mean, really?  That is U-G-L-Y!

  I will never understand why these fireplace inserts are white.  

Yes, that's spray paint!  No worries!  I simply opened the windows for lots of ventilation, threw down a drop cloth to protect the hearth (I didn't have any messes), and lightly sprayed the three walls.  It only took one light coat and a grand total of FIVE minutes!  FIVE minutes, y'all!!

TIP 4:  Fill the fireplace with something natural!

I chose some nice, round logs to fill my fireplace--big pinecones, a basket, a tumbleweed, some candles, or something natural would work beautifully!  Get creative!

I hope these tips helped to get the wheels of change turning in your head!!  Here's to a spring with interesting fireplaces.  NO MORE EYESORES! Linking up: A Stroll Thru Life:  Inspire Me Tuesday, The Dedicated House, Craft Frenzy Friday

spring cleaning...

Spring cleaning is FINISHED!  It was long, hard, but SO rewarding.  My house has never been cleaner and I just love that feeling--stress-free for the moment!

Here's the run-down:

Ava/Edy's room: 4 hrs

master bath/closet: 2.5 hrs

master bedroom: 3hrs

laundry room:1 hr

Joy's room: 1.5 hrs

kitchen/entryway: 10hrs

hall bath: 1 hr

office: 2 hrs

garage: 3 hrs

grand total: 28 hours

Yes, that's a long time, but I spread it out over a couple of days (remember my kids were in AR) and I touched every square inch of this house...I'm not joking.  It was that kind of cleaning.

Indulge me as I show off some of the hard work...

 

Graham helped me with the garage, but he cleaned out his shop and really got it looking nice.  It's been really junky since we moved in.  I just love that he loves to organize as much as I do.  I was tickled with the finished product! Doesn't it look nice!

Now...before you start judging me by the next photo, let me take a quick second to explain:
Our house has a ton of tile, we live out in the country (lots of dust/dirt), and our house isn't elevated off the ground (everything gets tracked in).  I said all of that to say, the tile throughout the house was bad.  They've probably been this way since we moved in, but I didn't take a great look at it--looks can be deceiving.  About 7 months ago, I really noticed how bad it was, but I was in the midst of morning sickness and whatnot.  *Disclaimer: I mop every week without fail, but the dirt/dust embedded in the tile wouldn't come up with just an average mopping, it had to be scrubbed.  The worst places were the entryway, around corners/doorways, and up against the baseboards--where the dust/dirt settled.
Wanna see the pic? I know you peeked anyway.

 

 [left=dirty, right=clean]

Multiply this by like 1 million and you get the idea.  Oh yeah, picture me with knee pads on, scrub brush in hand, bucket of hot water/pine sol, and clean mop.  I scrubbed every.single.solitary.tile in our home and it nearly killed me, but I can say without hesitation that they've never been cleaner--except maybe for the day they were installed! *I have to say, the photo really magnifies the dirty side. It wasn't as easy to see as you would think or it wouldn't have taken me 2 years to take action.

Had to show my worn out knees after nearly 6 hours of scrubbing.

The final day of spring cleaning was spent doing fun stuff: touch-up paint, decorating, putting out fresh candles, labeling (post to come), and other little touches. 

Our laundry room is the only room in our home that has brown walls.  I always keep a little paint on hand for occasional touch-ups.  Apparently, I kept the wrong color so now I have a dark brown smear on the wall.  It's okay, I am repainting this room soon--hopefully before Joy gets here.

The run-down:
ceiling fans: check; baseboards: check; refrigerator/freezer: check; every cabinet/drawer/nook/cranny: check,check,check; dusting: check; walls, check; carpets: check; tile: check; you name it: check, check, check!

Saturday, I had a completely clean house and we went to pick-up our girls in Texarkana! YAY!  They hadn't been home an hour and I noticed a sticky blob on the kitchen tile.  It reminded me that we live in a fallen world.  I had to laugh/sigh/die inside--Ecclesiastes personified.  It's all vanity...futile.  Until our Lord returns, the tile is going to continue to dirty, the dust is going to acquire, the walls will get scratched.  I'm so glad I can say this world is not my home!

Spring Cleaning!

Hip! Hip! Hooray! for SPRING CLEANING!

I have been so pumped to go through every single room, drawer, bin, closet, cabinet square inch of my house and clean like a mad woman!  Some people call it cray-cray (I'm told that's the new word for crazy), but I call it stress-relieving.  I may be an anomaly, but I really do like to clean and organize.  It really does reduce stress for me.

What's on the agenda?

• baseboards
• ceiling fans
• closets
• donations
• consignment
• touch-up paint
• showers
• tile (every.single.one. is getting a good scrubbin')
• carpets
• decor updates
• minimizing (I like empty drawers, people!)
• shredding (or burning)
• organizing
• dusting
• closets
• and much more...

This isn't your average cleaning.  I like to think that I keep a really clean house (I guess it's my thing), but this is much more than a weekly cleaning.  Not only is it spring cleaning time, it's nesting time!  The count-down is on--less than two months before baby Joy gets here.  #unlessthiscleaningsendsmeintolabor

So...one room down ...

 

The girls' room may be the hardest because it's ever changing--new toys, clothes, junk, books, school stuff, etc.  They spend a lot of time in their room and it gets dirty.  Especially when you look at the fine print.  I moved out all of their winter clothes and exchanged them for the spring ones we have on hand.  I gathered 2 bags for Goodwill, 1 for consignment, and 1 huge bag of trash.  I am not a pack-rat and it's easy for me to let things go.  It's freeing.

Who's with me?  What are your spring cleaning chores?

Crazy Cleanin' Lady

That's me!!!

Every year, about this time, I do a MAJOR cleaning of the house and  get rid of old stuff.  (At Christmas, we try to take a big load to The Salvation Army or Goodwill.) Plus,  I am hosting two Christmas parties and that is another motivation to get my house spotless!! So, for the past two days, I have been cleaning like crazy--dusting (fans, baseboards, furniture), scrubbing (any and everything), vacuuming, mopping, polishing furniture, fixing stuff, spray painting stuff, washing linens, etc.

On the topic of washing linens, I decided to wash the sheets on the top bunk of AG's bed.  No one has ever slept up there, but I thought those sheets might be a little dusty.

Oh. my. goodness.  Changing a top bunk bed should be used to torture people.  It is insane.  I don't think I have every tucked, folded, or maneuvered like I did to fix that bed.  It was a work out!  I took a picture to brag show the fruits of my labor.

Speaking of torture...I LOATHE cleaning the shower--always have. You with me?  More than anything, I hate cleaning a shower with a shower door (the old kind).  Those things are cesspools for mold and mildew.  I just want to take that blasted thing off and put up a curtain.  And yes, I use that spray that your supposed to use after each shower--the mold still has a way of creeping in the picture.  I clean that shower weekly and hate it every. single. time.

So what were my kids doing while I was cleaning?....running around with nothing but panties/diaper on, sporting ratty hair, unbrushed teeth,  and dirty faces!  Judge me all you want! :) 

Tomorrow, I will put the finishing touches on the house.  That's always fun!  Gotta go on a nature hunt to get some pine limbs to place around.

I'll post pics of the party sometime this weekend.  In the meantime, my family is glad that the "crazy cleaning lady" has left the building!

My Favorite {cleaning} Things

While I was cleaning, I got to thinking about all of those "favorite things" posts that bloggers do.  They always grab my attention because I love learning about products, specifically ones that are tried and true.

It's no secret that I love efficiency and things that make my life a little bit easier.  Don't we all?  

*drum roll please* 

Here are my favorite cleaning items (I know y'all are on the edge of your seats):

 Libman mop

best. mop. ever.  

I've tried others and I always come back to my trusty Libman.

 Swiffer Dusters

These guys are so much better than a feather duster.  I think you can use them without spraying Pledge on them, but I don't trust them that much! *By the way, the commercials get on my nerves.* 

 Disinfecting Redi Wipes

I like these better than Lysol or Clorox wipes because they are soft (more like a rag) and cheaper.  For me, they just down-right clean better.

 Pine-Sol  Lavender Clean Scent

If I could insert a scratch and sniff here, I would.  

I used to be a "strictly Pine-Sol" kinda girl until I was introduced to the ocean breeze scent a couple of years back.  But, a few weeks ago, I got a wild hair and tried the new lavender scent.  I know, I'm gutsy!  I can't stress enough how clean this makes my house feel and how wonderful it smells.  I have actually had a few guests compliment the smell of my house.  Thank you, Pine-Sol!

Old English Furniture Polish

This stuff is definitely tried and true.  I use it about once a month after dusting.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

They're magic for sure!  They take off soap scum, crayon, tough stains, etc., with little effort.  I'm in love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although I use a few other cleaning items, those are my faves.  One day, I'll give my girls some cleaning tips and they can help out.  Already, they both love to use the Swiffer Duster, but I always go behind them and do it again.  Is that bad?

What products get your house so fresh and so clean, clean?  I would love to know.  

Got dirt?

Recently when I vacuum, I have had a little shadow behind me and I just love it! AG grabs her little Dirt Devil and has at it! I've often said, "As hard as she works, it would be nice if that thing worked."

Graham was putting her vacuum back in the closet and noticed some dust bunnies in the canister! I should have read the vacuum box better. Who knew? Granted, she's vacuumed with me a half a dozen times and this is all that she's captured, but her efforts have paid off a bit. Makes this momma proud!

Just a tip

I can't give tips on many things. However, I do think that I have a tip that could help some of my friends that are doing some spring cleaning.
Use matching hangers. Sounds picky, but it can really make your closet seem more organized. Many of you might already know this, but it took me a while to put two and two together. About four years ago, I cleaned out my closet and when I went to look at the finished product it still looked junky. It just hit me that all of the different color hangers made it look unorganized. I got rid of all of the colors and went with all white. It is one of those things that wastes dollars, but if you like things to look organized; it is worth it in the long run.

Also, I just love the Command brand of hooks. I hung these in my closet three years ago when we moved in our house and they have never fallen. And that says a lot because my toddler pulls on my necklaces all of the time. When you get ready to remove one, just pull the tab and they come right off without taking off the paint or leaving residue!

Pictured below is the particular type of Command hook that I prefer. I have been using them in my classroom for years and I also love them around the holidays.

Hiding in the Closet!

We can see you!

Spring Cleaning!

Well, I have not passed the kidney stone, but I feel great today.  I did what I had planned to do which was to clean. Graham and I went through our closet and got rid of a ton of stuff that we are going to put in the Youth Garage Sale. Our closet looks great! I'll upload some funny pictures of Ava Grace hiding behind the clothes later. I also cleaned fans, blinds, rugs, baseboards, cabinets, doors, and everything else that doesn't get a good cleaning regularly. Graham mowed and weeded the flower beds. So the outside of our house is coming together, too. Now I am sitting in the living room with coffee and candles lit while Ava Grace finishes her nap. This is nice!