February 28 - Refrigerator, a fresh start

This one always gives me a fresh start as spring is near and the dark corners of winter's old is just that...getting old (and smelly)...

for today,

Tuesday, February 28:

***Spend 15 minutes and Clean out your Frig!***

(forget the freezer today, just pull everything out of your frig, say goodbye to old holiday dips and expired mayo and sour creams.  Give your surfaces a good wipe down, including the cheese/meat, veggie & fruit drawers.  You are now ready for more of the Easter, Spring and outdoor cooking that begs to bring fresh aromas & life!)

I'm still working on my "after!"  :)  Try to make sure you have some Easy Off Oven Cleaner in stock for tomorrow and if you are at at the store, may want to get some sweetened condensed milk for all out in Boston to make some snow ice cream tomorrow w/ the few inches we finally may get!  :)
See you tomorrow, hump of the week, last day of February, and our special extra day of February that doesn't come around very often!

--Aimee

BEFORE:

(up close it's very icky!)

Olive approves of the frig:

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. Refrigerator
   
2. purse/handbag/wallet
   
3. 20 more books give-away
4. File Cabinet--30 minute paper toss!
   
5. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
6. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
7. Books
   
8. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
9. Dresser/clothes
   
10. Coat Closet
    
11. Cookbooks
    
12. First Aid supplies
    
13. Rx/meds
    
14. Pet supplies
    
15. files
16. under the sink(s)
17. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
18. 1 paperwork pile
19. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
20. a desk drawer
    
21. gift wrap
22. office supplies
23. night stand
24. make-up
25. linens
26. laundry products
27. shoes
28. board games
29. tops of frig and mircrowave
30. jewelry
31. coats
32. vases/serving dishes
33. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
34. baking goods
35. socks/pjs/undergarments
36. tupperware/pots/pans
37. junk drawer
38. utensils
39. spices

February 29 - Oven (good enough goal)

Wednesday, February 29 - Good enough!

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FROM:

• Aimee Mury

TO:

• Aimee Mury
• Stephanie Albert
• Masako Atake
• 61 More...

Message flagged

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 7:14 AM

Hi everyone,

Here's my after refrigerator picture below as I chose to scrub it a bit since I don't and won't do this one very often!  Amazing how dirty it is when you clean it...but I also had a stopping point as I believe we each have to get to our own "good enough" on these tasks, especially as we do more spring cleaning type ones.  I think it's better to do something then nothing (if you are trying to do some of these tasks now) but don't get discouraged if you can't get it spotless.  This is where timing yourself can help--if you have 30 minutes, set your timer for 15 minutes to see where you are at after 15 so you know how to pace yourself for your last 15 minutes. 

The next picture is our task for today, Wednesday, February 29 and my good enough on this one:

***Clean your oven...I highly recommend Easy Off (non-fume version is nice)***

See you in March! :)

Aim

ps--freezer to come

pps--

Snow Ice Cream, by my mom, Bonnie Belle Burkhart Gosse, 1941-1975

1 BIG bowl of freshly fallen snow

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sugar (taste as go as may only need 1/2 cup)

2 tsp. vanilla

Catch the snow, stir the ingredients, and enjoy a night of snow ice cream!

Olive approves of the frig:

Oven 'before' and "good enough" for me 'after:'

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. Oven
   
2. Refrigerator
   
3. purse/handbag/wallet
   
4. 20 more books give-away
5. File Cabinet--30 minute paper toss!
   
6. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
7. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
8. Books
   
9. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
10. Dresser/clothes
    
11. Coat Closet
    
12. Cookbooks
    
13. First Aid supplies
    
14. Rx/meds
    
15. Pet supplies
    
16. files
17. under the sink(s)
18. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
19. 1 paperwork pile
20. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
21. a desk drawer
    
22. gift wrap
23. office supplies
24. night stand
25. make-up
26. linens
27. laundry products
28. shoes
29. board games
30. tops of frig and mircrowave
31. jewelry
32. coats
33. vases/serving dishes
34. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
35. baking goods
36. socks/pjs/undergarments
37. tupperware/pots/pans
38. junk drawer
39. utensils
40. spices

February 27 - Purse!

a new week, a new day, and almost a new month!  Good morning everyone!  Since we only focus one task a day, though, just for toay,

Monday, February 27,

***Clean out your purse (or wallet, backpack, whatever it is you carry)***

Some of you change out to new handbags for the spring, and with many signs it's around the corner, this is a good one to do and I thought we'd start out the week a little easy, too.

I have bags within my purse, a friend gave me to keep my things in my bag, somewhat organized.  It still needed a good cleaning--including being totally dumped out and all the lint and wrappers at the bottom cleaned-out.  And it was nice to just sit on the floor and start out slowly this week after a fun but tiring "vacation week" here for me last week.

See you tomorrow,

Aimee

Here's my "after" with my pile of junk!  (Olive was right there to "help" me!)  and a picture of my various bags I carry inside:

 

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. purse/handbag/wallet
   
2. 20 more books give-away
3. File Cabinet--30 minute paper toss!
   
4. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
5. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
6. Books
   
7. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
8. Dresser/clothes
   
9. Coat Closet
   
10. Cookbooks
    
11. First Aid supplies
    
12. Rx/meds
    
13. Pet supplies
    
14. files
15. under the sink(s)
16. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
17. 1 paperwork pile
18. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
19. a desk drawer
    
20. gift wrap
21. office supplies
22. night stand
23. make-up
24. linens
25. laundry products
26. shoes
27. board games
28. tops of frig and mircrowave
29. jewelry
30. coats
31. vases/serving dishes
32. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
33. baking goods
34. socks/pjs/undergarments
35. tupperware/pots/pans
36. junk drawer
37. utensils
38. spices

February 24 - just 20 more books to go!

Happy Friday everyone and happy BACK TO SCHOOL next week for some of us w/ our kids ;)

I had Xander's 11th birthday party last night, so had intentions to work on something else for today's task for us, but I ran out of time (aren't you sad?!), so this one today will be "cake."

Friday, February 24:

***Clean out 20 more books!***

One of you emailed me after our book clean-out the other day how she couldn't believe after going through hers, she still felt like she had so many books!  Books are like that, aren't they?  So, what I would encourage everyone today is now that you've had a couple days from our original book clean-out day, go back and you will be shocked how quickly you can get rid of another 20 or more! 

What I did, too, that I'd recommend as best you can--sort what you keep.  For me, that meant being sure I had all of Xander's on his bedroom bookshelf, Jazzie's on hers, Eliza's on hers, and mine on mine (John has his own zillion in the basement office!).  Put away what doesn't go with any books..that game you put there, a photo album, etc.  This will help ongoing when you can sit down w/ each kid and really find out what they want/don't want from their libraries.  And even for yourself so you are cyrstal clear all the books you already own and as time goes on, you continue to not touch/read, you will be more likely to finally pass on when they are sorted in some way.  Just seeing them all as a jumble makes us less likely to realize how many per person in our household we have let alone don't ever use. Then, you can also be more choosie in which ones you really want to hold onto as keepsakes for a child or yourself.  Just keep 2-3 favorites in that vain.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone and we will get back to real work Monday! :)

Aimee

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. 20 more books give-away
2. File Cabinet--30 minute paper toss!
   
3. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
4. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
5. Books
   
6. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
7. Dresser/clothes
   
8. Coat Closet
   
9. Cookbooks
   
10. First Aid supplies
    
11. Rx/meds
    
12. Pet supplies
    
13. files
14. under the sink(s)
15. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
16. 1 paperwork pile
17. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
18. a desk drawer
    
19. gift wrap
20. office supplies
21. night stand
22. make-up
23. linens
24. laundry products
25. shoes
26. board games
27. tops of frig and mircrowave
28. jewelry
29. coats
30. vases/serving dishes
31. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
32. baking goods
33. socks/pjs/undergarments
34. tupperware/pots/pans
35. junk drawer
36. utensils
37. spices

February 23 - File Cabinet 30 minute paper toss!

Morning everyone.  Sometimes out of my own necessity, the task of the day is decided.  I really had to find some medical ID #'s as I try to go online more w/ the kids' medical records and thus have to send in more forms in order to try to have less forms!  hmmm!  (I'm a bit in a medical-forms frenzie finally getting some other long overdue ones on Eliza in, too, so stayed on the same type task.)

What might it be for today, Thursday, February 23:

***Spend 30 minutes throwing-away as much filed paperwork as you can***

As I was looking for these medical ID #s (found 2 out of 3, ain't bad) in my overstuffed file cabinet, I could fairly quickly pull several papers that at a glance, I knew I could toss out or don't want to keep (like how kids teeth erupt, that I can look up online!).  Or my old paycheck stubs from 10 years ago!  So, the idea w/ this one is similar to your clothes-closet cleaning for this first time through--try to just flip through as quickly as you can to get rid of as much excess to just thin things out.  It will make later steps of this task when we go through papers more closely, a lot more bearable.  

If you need to paper shred some of it, put it in a bag marked "paper-shred" and if you or a spouse work in an office w/ a shredder, or you have one at home or buy one w/ a friend, you can try to get that done when you can.

If kids are home, a way to involve them is during your 30 minute task, have them also clean out some of their papers for 30 minutes.  (Backpacks, desks, anywhere they also pile-up paper.  For those on February winter vacation, cleaning out some of their school papers in their backpack or desk will help them feel good when they go back to school on Monday.)  I give my kids each a "basket" at the desk they work at downstairs to keep current books they're reading, homework-related papers, or other magazines, knick-knacks they like handy.  If you limit them to a basket/area, it can help them have to manage their "stuff" when it gets too full and needs a clean-out again (or on a weekly basis, etc--can help them develop a good habit).

See you on our favorite day tomorrow...Friday! --Aimee

Here's the pile I came up with in 30 minutes, ahhhh:

Example of Xander's basket:

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. File Cabinet--30 minute paper toss!
   
2. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
3. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
4. Books
   
5. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
6. Dresser/clothes
   
7. Coat Closet
   
8. Cookbooks
   
9. First Aid supplies
   
10. Rx/meds
    
11. Pet supplies
    
12. files
13. under the sink(s)
14. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
15. 1 paperwork pile
16. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
17. a desk drawer
    
18. gift wrap
19. office supplies
20. night stand
21. make-up
22. linens
23. laundry products
24. shoes
25. board games
26. tops of frig and mircrowave
27. jewelry
28. coats
29. vases/serving dishes
30. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
31. baking goods
32. socks/pjs/undergarments
33. tupperware/pots/pans
34. junk drawer
35. utensils
36. spices

February 22 - Your Closet!

that is take care of YOU!  I hope if you did your dresser you feel great.  The next one is about you, too.  It's daunting but when we dig in, it's not bad and we take care of ourselves with this one.

For Wednesday, February 22:

***Clean out YOUR clothes closet***

(get rid of at least 30 items--promise, it adds up fast! If getting started is hard, just walk through your closet and pull clothes out that you KNOW you never wear, won't wear, etc.  Or things you keep but just don't like so hardly use, like that one holiday sweater so you think you "should" keep it. Or, It doesn't fit right.  Wasn't what you thought it'd be.  This method can be quick to pull things out and put straight into a large donation garbage bag.  Next, pull things out that don't belong in your closet--I had photo albums, things to mail shoved in the corner, things that belonged in the basement, books, etc.  Pull all that stuff OUT and put it where it goes!  If you still have energy and motivation to keep going, NOW you can sort your clothes by types--I put my warmer winter things to the back now (dress, sweaters),then short-sleeve blouses, then all my pants, then my long sleeve blouses/shirts I still use now.  THEN, you can flip through them once more to say "yay" or "nay" and get rid of another 10 things that you just don't like (sleeves too short, never liked those colors on me, it shrunk, etc)

See, you didn't have to try on a thing!  You can if you want, but not necessary to at least take this first step.  You can do your own fashion show another day when the mood strikes you :)  When you look at my before/after closet photos--I counted on my side of our closet (that upper area to left and some hooks), a total of 42 clothing items left (and about 10 pairs of "dress" shoes).  I really slimmed my supply down, but if you could get yours to 100 or less--that would be BRAVO!  Just take each step you can!
Again--if kids are home, you can have them work on their closets--set a timer for them if that helps an give them a couple specific steps to take, too.

See you tomorrow.  You'll sleep well tonight after this one! --Aim

Before:

 All the stuff I pulled out to get it out of there:

After (best angle I could get-hopefully get an idea):

Quick reference what we've done so far:

1. Clothes Closet-YOURS!
2. Dresser/clothes-own, if haven't done yet
3. Books
   
4. Food cabinets (canned goods, grains)
5. Dresser/clothes
   
6. Coat Closet
   
7. Cookbooks
   
8. First Aid supplies
   
9. Rx/meds
   
10. Pet supplies
    
11. files
12. under the sink(s)
13. bathroom vanity(ies)
    
14. 1 paperwork pile
15. that "other" junk drawer (flashlights, keys, menus, batteries)
16. a desk drawer
    
17. gift wrap
18. office supplies
19. night stand
20. make-up
21. linens
22. laundry products
23. shoes
24. board games
25. tops of frig and mircrowave
26. jewelry
27. coats
28. vases/serving dishes
29. media (CDs/DVDs/video games)
30. baking goods
31. socks/pjs/undergarments
32. tupperware/pots/pans
33. junk drawer
34. utensils
35. spices