I Can See Clearly Now...

This was supposed to post on Thursday morning...and didn't for some reason. I didn't realize until just now. So the references to certain days are in reference around Thursday.

Oh my...seriously. I have been just dying over this living room window since we moved in to this place in June of 2010. We're on the second level, so I couldn't go outside and clean the window. I didn't want to take out the screen and half clean each window. I didn't know what to do, so I left it. I don't understand because the bedroom window isn't as gross and the rain doesn't clean it at all. Being that our apartment building owners don't care about how this place looks anymore, no one is going to be washing my window for me. So since I've been in this "deep cleaning" mood all week, I was bound and determined to clean that window one way or another.

So you can't totally tell by this picture, but the window is pretty much just caked in dirt.

Big cobweb on the outside of the window.

And then somehow I discovered that the sliding window comes out! Seriously!? I lifted up on the window and the bottom part came up above the track enough that I could tilt it and take it out. Oh, I was giddy I was so excited.

I don't usually use paper towels to clean, I use microfiber cloths, but this was a nasty job. I wasn't going to use 10 microfiber cloths to clean the window. I used my Shaklee Basic H2 window cleaner and degreaser. I used the degreaser to clean the metal frame around the window. Worked like a charm.

Wa-la! For real...can you see the difference? Since I was home alone, there was not getting pictures of me taking out the screen and hanging outside the window with my Swiffer Sweeper in one hand, wiping the (left) outside window. It was nuts. Ridiculous even. But it was worth it!

I also pulled out the refrigerator and oven and cleaned behind them for the first time. Gross. I can't believe how much crap was behind each appliance. Pens, markers, a roll of film, a library card, food, bottle caps, etc., etc. Gross. I hand cleaned the kitchen floor with Shaklee Basic H2 degreaser. It went from ewwe to brand new. So amazing. I am going nuts deep cleaning.

That was all on Monday.

Yesterday I went to ACE Hardware to get some screen repair patches to fix the holes in the screen, Staples to get some goods for my recipe binder project (I'll be posting eventually after I get it done), the car wash (oh baby did the Jeeper Creeper need it or what), and Target to get cleaning stuff and other goods.

I have an interview this morning and then need to get my substitute application turned in. Baseball game tonight. Busy busy. I hope I can post something else today. Something with more content. Something more exciting. We'll see. I have a list of a million things I want to post about. I just need the time and energy. =]

Deep Cleaning and Such

I've been busy over the last few days really deep cleaning and getting so much done.

We cleaned out and sold a bunch of stuff on eBay. Student loan repayments start September 1st and we need money since I still don't have a job. We sold some electronics we weren't using -- old laptops, a camcorders, external hard drive -- and some Vera Bradley purses that I was no longer using. I wanted to just sell the computers on Craigslist for $100 a piece, but Chris convinced me to put them on eBay. Good thinking Chris -- each computer went for around $180. We donated a bunch of stuff as well.

I decided that I'm going to substitute until a job offer comes. It's a good way to get into schools and meet teachers and principals. And it pays $95 a day since I have a teaching license. Not too bad. I'm in the midst of filling out the long application and I need to get my fingerprints done...again. School starts next week in Salt Lake, so I need to get this stuff in this week.

I've been on the path to changing my name officially. Banks, credit cards, insurance, car titles, driver license, social security, and so-on... It seems never ending. I have about 10 name change requests to mail out today.

I've been deep cleaning -- coffee travel cups, vacuum filters, central air filters, etc. I'll be doing a post on that at some point this week.

I've also been working on a stay at home mom organizer that a customer requested. It will be filled with tons of printables to help you get organized at home. She gave me a bunch of ideas of what a stay at home mom would need (since I am not a mom yet), and I've come up with some other things to add in. Any suggestions?

I'll also be making a business planner set for those of you that have your own home business or blog. Charissa at Mimi's Babies gave me the idea and I made up some printables for her planner this last weekend. I'm so excited because it's something I can see myself using as well.

The giveaway for a $25 Sam's Club gift card ends on Real Simple Saving Methods tomorrow. There are only 27 entries as of now, so your odds are good. Easy entry not requiring very much.

What have you been tackling over the last week?

Reorganization of the Coat Closet

Back in April I showed you my reorganization of the coat closet in the living room. After a much needed junk clean out over the last few weeks and selling a bunch of stuff on eBay last week, I decided to use some baskets I freed up in the process and reorganize again.

I didn't change a whole lot in the closet really, but I think switching the baskets on the top shelf from crates to solid fabric baskets makes a world of difference in the way it looks. I did do some rearranging on the black metal shelf though. I used a multi-purpose bin from The Container Store to corral all of the canned dog food. I also shoe boxed all of the dog supplies that we don't use often (nail clippers, extra leash, etc.) and used a bucket to hold all of the poop bags. So much easier to access now. I also finally used my noggin and moved the heavy, pain in the ___ toolbox to a more convenient location so it's easily accessible and there's no moving 500 things to maneuver it out.

Please ignore the big ugly stain on the floor. It's just part of apartment living I suppose...even though it's so gross...

Before:

After:

Etsy Store Update: Editable Printables Now Available

Shut the front door!

Seriously...I am so excited about this. After much researching I finally figured out how to make my printables editable in PDF form.

So far I have the following editable forms available in my store:

• weekly cleaning checklist
• monthly budget worksheet
• monthly around the house checklist
• grocery list
• grocery list and dinner menu plan
• daily plan for time management
• bill and payment checklist

More forms to come soon!

Organizing the Fridge Front

I went to Target last weekend (as I seem to do every weekend) and found the most perfect solution to my fridge front needs...keep reading...

This is what my fridge front looked like as of 10 AM yesterday morning. My lovely grocery list and menu plan was folded in half and stuck in a photo magnet along with the recipes I'm making for the week. The unused whiteboard no longer serves a real purpose...and is broken. It was all just a mottled eye sore.

And then, wala! Now it's all color-coordinated-ish. And organized.

So I made this recipes pocket to hold the recipes I'll be making for the week. The pink pocket is big enough to hold full size printed or magazine pages. And the tan pocket holds my standard 4 x 6 cards.

And this, my friends, is what I got at Target. The Mead Organizher magnetic fridge filer (I think it was $8). *in love* It's perfect to hold my grocery list and menu planner. I didn't want to put the recipes in there because it doesn't open wide enough for me to stick my hand all the way in to retrieve the smaller recipe cards. It has 3 tabs, but I've only filled the first so far with my menu.

And then finally I found this matching Post-It magnetic list pad in my closet and stapled a strip of thick scrapbook paper to the back, making a pen holding loop.