Spring Cleaning - Week 2

We did get some Spring Cleaning done over the weekend. My weeks are so messed up - let's call this week 2. :-)

We didn't finish the bedroom yet completely but moved on to the hall while Artie and Troy were available. So, here's the list...


Hall - Upstairs and Down
Upstairs Bathroom
Master Bedroom

• wash bathroom rug
• clean hall floor - Troy
• clean out hope chest
• sweep hall - Troy
• wash hall window - inside and out - with extension ladder - Artie (inside on the ladder) and Troy outside
• paint bottom of hall burgundy - Kelly and Artie
• paint top hall white
• begin painting bathroom trim
• hang new bedroom light fixture - Artie
• hang new living room light fixture - Artie
• hang new bathroom door, new knob and strike plate - Artie
• new light covers in hall - Artie
• flipped and rotated mattress, replaced washed dust ruffle

Charming the Birds from the Trees

I found a new blog recently that I love - it's called Charming the Birds from the Trees. It is written by a young mama with two children named Emma. Here is her bio:

I am a twenty-nine year old Orthodox Christian who is happily married to an Orthodox priest. I am a mama to two little ones (Sugar Plum is two and a half and Little Man is one) and I enjoy trying to create a peaceful and lovely life for my sweet family!

One of my favorite posts I've found on her blog is a series of teaching called Finishing School. There are posts on several different topics - my favorite being on Femininity throughout the Seasons. I love the change of seasons and have begun notebooks with ideas for each month. I get so inspired by Dawn's seasonal notebooks at By Sun and Candlelight. All her notebooks inspire me.

There is a great one of her clipboard. I am fully using mine right now. It currently holds:

the upcoming April calendar (time to transfer to my bulletin board)

today's to do list - getting longer by the minute

grocery list

menu plans for the week

Bi-lo and Ingles sales items for the week

page on Easter plans - still mostly blank letting me know there's some planning to be done!!

bills to pay today

questions and to do list to talk over with Artie

Terry's birthday party plans - 4 wheeling!!

Beginning summer plans - teaching new chores, reading club, activities, calendars to do - 40 or

so days of school left?

spring cleaning lists I'm working on

some notes about a surprise for Artie for Father's day

today's updated bank account balance

and back to the start of this post - my upcoming spring plans!!

Artie has finally after all these years made peace with the fact that I can't work or do anything in my head - it all has to be down on paper for me to be able to think clearly. :-)

So, I love Emma's list of Spring ideas and will be making plans accordingly.

Pinewood Derby - Stephen

My friend, Daniel, was learning about the Pinewood Derby in a Weekly Reader type paper in his school (in Asia). He was asking his mom about it and she told him it was something little boys used to do in the states. They were surprised to find out that our boys were fixing to compete in their Boy Scouts. So, Daniel has been waiting on my to finally get the pictures up. Hope you enjoy Daniel. :-)

Stephen's Hummer

The competition - Wolf Cubs - That Batman car was fast!!

Stephen won most creative for the Wolves - it came down to him and Bobby. They also raced each other - it was like the wrestling tournament all over again - ALMOST!!

Here is a video of one of Stephen's races. The sound on our computer isn't working, so I'm not sure how this sounds, but it is a good view of Stevie's race.

Pinewood Derby - Bobby

The Wolf Cubs

Bobby's Car - #6

Pinewood Derby - Terry

Terry was so happy to be able to participate with the boys' Pinewood Derby. He isn't old enough to be in scouts yet, but they let him race with the Tiger Cubs - the first graders. He love it and unfortunately for the other Tiger Cubs - ended up coming in first place!! Oops! :-)


Terry's car - #7 -



The competition - Tiger Cubs



The race

Terry with the other Tiger Cubs

First Place trophy :-)

Here is one of Terry's races...

My boys!!

Troy revelling in his tallest in the family position!!! Just wait til those little ones catch up!!! Pinewood Derby pictures coming...

Brian and Terry

Big Snow

I mentioned the other day about or pre-spring snow. We ended up with about 10 inches. That is the best snow I've seen in South Carolina since I was in college and we all got snowed in at Patterson Hall!!

Here are some snow pictures before the kids came out Monday morning. All the tracks are from Sunday night - once the snow had fallen enough to cover the rain puddles we all headed out to playing it - we stayed out until way after midnight.

Looking down my street

Our house

Backyard

Then it was time to work on the snowman. Artie, Troy and I worked Sunday night while the little children were playing on a giant snowman. It wore us out. We had to wait and Artie and Troy finished it Monday morning. I think we were one of the few families with a 7 foot tall snowman (except the Roses). Lots of people came by and took pictures of it.




Almost finished



Ta Da!!





Time for some posing...

Even Elmo came out to play a little

Can anyone say snowball fight?

Watch out!! Here is comes...

Terry's using the snowman as a shield, Stephen is throwing AT the snowman

Snow Angels

WORN OUT!!

Hot chocolate time!!

Spring Cleaning - Week 1

I did start on my Spring Cleaning, but I definitely didn't get finished what I wanted to. There is always so much to do...

I guess a little is better than none; and I'm not finished, still working, just behind where I wanted to be.

I started the first day with my planning and then moved to my bedroom. I decided that it needed the most attention and would be most appreciated by Artie (who also got in the act a little).

So, here's my list so far and what's left...

Saturday

• yard sale at a friend's
• wash little boys' clothes
• hang Troy's sheets and comforter (Troy washed earlier in the day)
• wash a load of dishes in the dishwasher
• begin in bedroom - take all dirty clothes to laundry room and sort
• empty trash can and replace with new bag
• put up all shoes
• fold up 3 baskets of clean clothes and put away
• open bedroom's outside door and air out bedroom
• wash our sheets and comforter
• dry little boys' clothes
• wash another load of dishes in dishwasher
• plan dinner - eggs, bacon, grits and biscuits
• run to grocery store - bacon, grits, biscuits
• wash all little boys sheets
• dry our sheets and comforter
• fold up little boys' clothes and put up
• pick up floor and sweep
• move bed and clean underneath
• sweep and mop under bed
• while bed is moved, take down curtains and wash window and sill
• take off dust ruffle to wash
• pack one box of Artie's winter clothes
• remake bed with clean covers
• wash little boys' new clothes from yard sale
• dry little boys' sheets
• move Artie's dresser - clean, sweep and mop behind - how does so much junk end up BEHIND and UNDER furniture?
• move bedroom frig - clean, sweep and mop behind
• wash frig - inside and out
• dinner time - Brenda cooked - paid job - working for cell phone money
• have little boys make up their beds
• fold up little boys' new clothes and put up
• move night stand - clean, sweep and mop behind
• move hope chest - clean, sweep and mop behind - Brenda
• fold more clothes from the laundry room and put up
• mop bedroom - Brenda
• clean out all dresser drawers
• clean off dresser - Brenda

Monday

• load dishwasher
• wash bedroom curtains
• fold Troy's clothes
• pack one box of snow clothes
• pack one box of winter consignment clothes
• unpack one summer box
• clean out nightstand drawers
• wash outside door windows
• rehang curtains
• plan grocery list for dinner
• wash dust ruffle

Artie cleaned out all his dresser drawers on Monday for me while he was off. He also steadied a new bookshelf for the little boys and hung my new bulletin board for me by the computer desk.


So, not near as much done on Monday - I have regular life I still have to be working with....

Still to do in bedroom:

• wash outside of windows
• clean out hope chest
• flip mattress and replace dust ruffle
• dust light fixture
• wash mantle
• wash walls
• one more good straightening of all dressers tops and polishing furniture
• one more good sweeping
• empty trash again

Since Monday I haven't done any of my Spring Cleaning. It's just so hard to do with all the regular things that need to be done. My goal from here on out - on school days - is to do at least 15 minutes of extra work a day. Still not the way I would like it - but better than nothing!!

Terry's Word of the Week

Mysterious, it's very mysterious mama!!

Spring Cleaning

Although it is still almost a week until Spring officially begins, Spring fever has hit in the Quinn home. Last week was beautiful - temps in the 80's some days - this after the week before having 10 inches of snow!! Today it's in the high 30's and raining with rain forecast for the rest of the weekend.

Today I am mostly planning my strategy. I started great last year, but ran out of time to do all I wanted before Easter. Hopefully starting earlier, I will have a better run.

I am starting with the same principles I did last year -

washer and dryer always running (using clothesline when weather clears)

folding and putting up clothes as they come through...

continually running dishwasher

unpacking one spring box and packing one winter box a day (not so sure about packing winter clothes when we just had our big snow two weekend ago?)

Now to plan my attack a little more thoroughly...

This Week's Menu

I am working on my menu plan for this week (our grocery week runs Thursday through Wednesday). I found a great deal on eggs at Food Lion so I am trying to incorporate them ever other day or so.

Thursday - fried chicken, corn on the cob, french bread, roasted potatoes and strawberry shortcake for dessert

Friday - pan fried pork chops, mama's deviled eggs, chicken rice and biscuits

Saturday - scrambled eggs, bacon, grits

Sunday - roast with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, biscuits

Monday - pancakes

Tuesday - spaghetti and french bread

Wednesday - fried egg or egg salad sandwiches, chips