Quickie Clean Up: the Bathroom

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This week our Spring Cleaning is going to focus on the bathroom. I'm sure you ladies out there don't let your bathroom get as bad as I let mine get, but it never hurts to be reminded of several quick steps we can take to keep them smelling fresh and looking clean.

1. Clean the toilet. This should be obvious and I think to most of us women it is, but it is very easy when life gets busy to just let it go. If you can do it once a week you are super woman! If you get to it every other week, I think that's fine. You decide how often you think you need to clean. If there has been illness in the house you'll want to clean more often. Personally, I'm lucky if I get mine clean once a month....so do as I say, not as I do! Ha, ha.

2. Wipe down the outside of the toilet, the seat, tank, bowl and footers by the floor. It is amazing how filthy this area can get, especially if you have children still living at home.

3. Put away clutter. I usually do this while the toilet bowl cleaner is doing its' job. Clutter accumulates everywhere and our bathroom counters are no exception. Get items back where they belong. Medicine, hair pins, toothpaste all need their own space. Once again, storage is a great tool for organizing and reducing clutter. Storage does not have to be expensive. Go to the second hand store and buy a few glass containers like I did, for your hair bands, Q tips and cotton rounds. The glass looks pretty on the counter and it tidies everything up. There are tons of options on the web. Here are a few:

4. Clean the sink and countertop using a mild, non-abrasive cleaner. If you vanity top is shiny like mine, you want to keep it that way, so don't use Comet or other cleaners with abrasive particles in them. A cleaner like Windex Multi-purpose with Vinegar (my go to, for almost everything), or some of the Lysol products do a great job. There are tons of cleaners out there, so make sure you read labels. Find the right cleaner for the job and for you. 

5. Clean the mirrors. Mirrors can get gummed up with toothpaste spatters, fingerprints, hairspray and makeup.

6. Replace any burnt out lightbulbs. A bright bathroom looks cleaner than a dingy one.

7. Scrub out your tub/shower. Depending on the finish on your tub or shower pick cleaning products that will clean and leave a smooth, shiny finish. There are cleaners that contain bleach that you spray on the tiles then rinse off after a few minutes. I would not recommend using those on a regular basis, but once in a while is great for eliminating mold from the grout in between the tiles.

8. Replace or clean your shower curtain or the doors on your shower stall. Again these are places mold and soap scum can build up.

9. Sweep and mop the floor. As with the kitchen, if you don't have time to do both, at least sweep. Sweeping can go a long way to making the floor look better.

10. Empty the trash.

Honestly, now that I've written this I feel like I should go clean my bathrooms! Hope you are enjoying these quickie clean up tips and that they are motivating you to do some spring cleaning.

Next week, the living room/family room.

Quickie Clean Up: the Kitchen

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Spring cleaning often involves deep, intensive cleaning, but the next few weeks I am going to offer tips on quick cleaning. This is the sort of cleaning we should do on a regular basis, but more importantly it is cleaning we can do in a hurry, for instance, when you find out your relatives are going to drop by for dinner, or your husband invites friends over for a game night. 

Since my kitchen is the first room people see when they enter my house that is where I am going to start. I am going to try to keep this to ten steps.

1. Put away clean dishes. (I always have dishes sitting in the drying rack and in the dishwasher after it is done washing. By putting away all the clean dishes you not only have bowls and spoons available for guests, but you have a free dishwasher to start loading up again.)

2. Load the dishwasher.

3. Wash and dry all other dishes and put away. (I do not put certain pans, sharp knives and some of my plastic storage containers in the dishwasher, so what often happens is a pile to the right of my sink of dirty dishes. Get them done. Less clutter on the counter means a nicer looking kitchen.)

4. Clean off the counter tops. (When you are washing those extra dishes take your soapy dish rag and clean off all your counter tops including under the toaster or other small appliances. Don't forget to remove excess papers and other mail that tend to accumulate on the counter. If you are not ready to throw it away, find a place for it at your desk or designate a tray or drawer for papers.)

5. Clean off the table. (My kitchen table is not only the place for eating, but serves as a desk for doing paperwork and a central area for socialization. Sometimes placing a nice wooden or decorative tray at one end of the table can help corral the mail or magazines, not yet looked at. Try to get to this paper as soon as possible, but if you are in a bind, the tray and all it's contents can easily be picked up and moved to an out of the way location while company is visiting.)

6. With the same soapy water that you were doing dishes in you can wipe down the outside of the fridge, stove, microwave and dishwasher. This simple act can make your appliances look like new. (For tough grease or sticky stains you might need a tougher cleanser such as Mr. Clean Multi-Surface or Windex Multi-Surface with vinegar.)

7. Wipe down the outside of your cupboards. It is best to use something for wood surfaces such as Murphy's Oil Soap. Just follow the directions on the bottle and you'll have fresh looking cupboards in a flash.

8. Shake out any rugs you might have on the floor. If it is a nice day. I like to shake them, then hang them to let the air freshen them as well. (It is also useful to have more than one set of rugs. I have a rug right inside the doorway so when people step in they can wipe their feet or remove their shoes if they are snowy or muddy. I also have a rug at the sink area. A little padding beneath your feet can make washing the dishes more tolerable and the rug soaks up some the the water that may spatter while I am rinsing or washing.)

9. Empty the garbage. (There is nothing worse than a smelly garbage can, no matter where you keep it.)

10. Sweep and mop the entire floor. (Be sure to remove the dust bunnies that accumulate around the chair and table feet. If time allows use a floor cleaner specifically designed for your flooring type. If you are strapped for time, a Swiffer works great, but make sure the Swiffer clothes are safe for your flooring.)

I've found doing these ten steps keeps my kitchen fresh and clean, even if my fridge is dirty or there is food expiring in my pantry. Those things we will deal with another time.

If you are really in a bind, you can skip some of the steps, like shaking out the rugs and mopping, or wiping down the cupboards, and major appliances. As long as the counter is clean and the sink free of dishes, the table wiped and the floor swept, your kitchen will still look neat and clean.

Next week we will take a look at our bathrooms. Be sure to come back for more Quickie Clean Up tips.


Spring Launch

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I decided to use this day on Fluff to let you know what is coming up in March. We all think about spring this time of year. For many of us our desire for spring is one of desperate anticipation for sunshine and warmer temperatures. Others are looking forward to being able to break out their warmer weather clothes and maybe take advantage of those new colors put out by Pantone earlier this year. You can see the new colors here. For some of you, spring means cleaning, throwing away and getting a fresh start.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull

I love the fact that we celebrate Easter in the spring. After all, didn't Jesus give us the ultimate fresh start? Isn't spring when we look forward to flowers blooming, trees budding and birds singing? I think they do those things because Jesus rose from the dead! Oh I know, there are real physical, scientific reasons that flowers bloom, trees bud and birds sing, but humor me.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull

For the month of March we will be focusing on a spring theme Blog wide! The faith page will focus on identifying sin, confession, a sacrifice of praise and renewal. The fashion page will be all about those spring colors. You'll see the Pantone palette come to life in outfits I pulled out of my closet. We will also have a special bonus on the fashion page on cleaning out our closet. You'll find tips for what to get rid of and how to organize and I'll be looking for your comments on how you accomplish your closet clean outs. On the family page I'll focus on reordering our priorities in our families with questions like, "Who am I neglecting?" and "Who have I offended?" I'll also post ideas for celebrating Easter as a family and starting over. On the friend page we'll spend some time talking about "toxic" personalities and asking ourselves how we are influenced by our friends. We will also be encouraged to pray for friends as well as make new ones. Finally, the fluff will spend time looking at our homes. We'll talk about cleaning, organizing and just trying to make our homes ready for the summer months of sun and fun.

I hope you will join me. Be sure to like and share my post on Face Book with your friends. This helps me get a wider circulation. Have a great weekend and I hope you'll come back next week.

 

Feeling Comfy?

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Midwest winters can get long. By mid to late February many of us are feeling like becoming snowbirds would not be a bad idea. I get tired of layering, tired of wearing heavy coats, thick scarves and gloves and tired of clouds. Having Seasonal Affective Disorder (described here) makes winter, not just an inconvenience, but an actual walk through a valley of shadows. While there are goods ways for dealing with SAD, like light therapy, melatonin and other medications and physical exercise, I often revert back to just doing something to make myself comfortable.

So, ladies here is another list. These are some of the things I do for comfort:

1. Curl up with a good book.

Just a few of many!

2. Watch something happy, silly or exciting. Absolutely, no sad movies during these cloudy months. (That's me. Others might feel a sad movie actually makes them cry and thus feel better. I prefer Gilligan's Island reruns.)

3. Take a nap. (I don't do this as much because as I've gotten older I have a harder time sleeping, but if the mood strikes, especially if I am fighting sickness, a nap is lovely.)

4. Go shopping. (If you are like me and love to shop, this is a real pick-me-up, but if you have a shopping addiction, this may not be the best choice for you. I try to go to one or two stores and have something in mind that I am looking for. But just walking the aisles, seeing spring colors and fashions lifts my spirits.)

5. Put on something baggy. What! No, you did not hear me say that! Well, once in a while, if I am going to be staying home, I do it! Hello sweat suit! Just to be fashionable, my black pants have fake rhinestones on them. (I'll post a picture of me with it on soon!)

6. Have English Breakfast tea in a fun mug.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull

7. Eat something comforting. Yes, I know, this is an issue for so many of us, and if you read the article on SAD, you know we crave carbs and overeat! However, not everything we reach for needs to be bad for us (although, let's face reality, bad food makes us feel good, at least while we are eating it.) I grew up with a dish my mother used to make several times during the long, snowy Buffalo, NY winter called Chicken and Biscuits. Part chicken pot pie and part stew, the smell and the warmth of the oven as it baked made me feel....well....cozy! It was an act of love on Mom's part as it took all day to boil the chicken, cut up the carrots, potatoes, onion and celery, put it all together and finally bake it 45 minutes then put the homemade biscuits on top to cook some more. But it was worth it.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull, Hands of my son in law.

I'm sure you all have your own ways of getting comfy. Let me know a few in the comments section below. And hang on, Spring will come, it always does.


Movie List: My Favorite Things

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I thought it would be fun since it is Valentine's weekend to post a list of some of my favorite romantic movies. Old, new, black and white, musicals, comedies, dramas....romance is everywhere.

It Happened One Night - Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert (1934)

The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer (1965)

While You Were Sleeping - Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman (1995)

The Lake House - Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves (2006)

Gone With The Wind - Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh (1939)

Pride and Prejudice - Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen (2005) or Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle (1995)

The African Queen - Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn (1951)

The Princess Bride - Cary Elwes and Robin Wright (1987)

There are so many good, romantic movies out there and these are just a few of the ones I like. When I watch a movie I want to be drawn in. I want to leave this world behind and be in the world on the silver screen. All of these movies do that for me. Clark Gable and his snappy dialogue, both with Colbert and Leigh, not to mention his good looks, keeps me watching. The dance between Andrews and Plummer and the following dialogue and song in the dark gazebo are moments to be remembered. From Bill Pullman "leaning in" towards Sandra Bullock to Cary Ewles saving his "true love", these are movies I love to watch over and over.

In the comments section below tell me what your favorite romantic movies are!

So What's the Fluff?

Welcome to the Fluff section of my blog. My eldest daughter, Rebecca, (who is also my main photographer) came up with the idea of a junk drawer. That's the place you toss stuff that you are not sure where to put. However, junk drawer starts with a "j" not an "f", so Fluff came into being. I mean, I couldn't have Faith, Fashion, Family, Friends and Junk drawer! It would totally ruin my writer's need for alliteration. This will be the page where you might find recipes, book reviews, music recommendations and all sorts of other things.

After all, an actual woman can't survive without her junk drawer, or her fluff for that matter.