Frugal Luxuries - Caretaker of Happiness

From Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride

Part II: Food

Chapter 7: Every Day a

Feast

Caretaker of

Happiness

"You are the caretaker of your own happiness. As such, you must discover the positive pleasure in performing the tasks that enhance the essence of life

itself:

• Collecting, preparing, and preserving food

• Feeding an empty stomach with wholesome tasty, nourishing fare

• Relaxing in a thoroughly cleaned home (preferable your own)

• Settling to sleep on sweet-smelling sheets that are freshly laundered

(I just got the best smelling linen water from Scentennials. I love spraying a little spray over the sheets when the bed's made. Very summery smelling to me.)

• Awakening your senses via working in your vegetable or herb garden

• Learning an interesting, useful skill"

I also got some new scented drawer liners for my new vanity from Scentennials as well. Hopefully pictures will be up soon. I'm in the middle of painting my bedroom and swapping out furniture...

Afternoon sunlight and Princess

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

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!!

New Comforter

Hey guess what, I got a new comforter today. It's really cute. Now all I need are the pretty curtains, lamps, bed, rug and night stand and I'll be all set!!! :-)

It's definitely not pink and purple anymore!!!

I've finished painting for now. All that is left is the ceiling and that is Artie's job. Everything is laid out for him when he gets in from work tonight. Hopefully he won't have to work late!!!

The door on the left goes to the hall and the door on the right goes to the bathroom.

This door goes to a big closet.

Then, there are two small closets on each side of the built in toy box. Artie is gonna have to replace the lids. They were killed a while ago!!!

There is still a good bit to do before the boys are ready to move back in (from the living room). When Artie is finished painting the ceiling, I will work on the floors. It's amazing how much gunk boys can get on a floor. It's Troy's job to mop upstairs on Saturday, but I am gonna have to go around with a scraper and get the stuck on stuff off. After the floors are scraped up well, it will be good to mop before all the furniture is moved back in.

Then furniture, then all the new Diego covers, then the wall stickies (the most fun parts of all!!). I can't wait until the boys see it all finished!!!

Boys in a Boy Room!!!

It's Tackle It Tuesday at 5 Minutes For Mom - so I'm definitely in the right place. I need to get this TACKLED!!!

The girls and little boys switched rooms about a year ago. Brenda and Emily new room got painted all white with bright - almost glow in the dark - pink accents. It looked very cute. The little boys - Stephen, Bobby and Terry - got the girls old light pink and purple room.

Those poor little boys have been living in the girlie room for over a year now. For Christmas, they got new Diego stuff - covers, table and chair, wall stickies, and paint. Their SLOW mama is finally getting the room painted for them. Troy and Brenda helped move out the furniture.

The boys are so excited. This will be the first time they've really had a room fixed up for just them, since they were in the Sesame Street nursery!!


Here you can see what color the room is gonna be. The walls are a light blue and all the trim is gonna be a dark blue. I worked on it the whole weekend Artie was out of town, but didn't get to work on it all last week or this weekend either. I finally decided yesterday that everything else was gonna have to wait for me to finish up there. I'll post more when I get finished.