WORKING IN THE KITCHEN

The kitchen before

Well as you can see the kitchen is a big wreck. Stuff everywhere, can't hardly find a clean pot and tripping over things on the floor.

So working on it 15 minutes at a time today. And in between made some chicken and dumpling soup, yummy, just right for a cold rainy day.

kitchen after one 15 minute session

Well after one 15 minute session things are a little better, I've done some dishes and picked up some of the junk off the floor.

Kitchen after two 15 minute sessions

And here it is after another 15 minute session, beginning to look a lot better. Most of the dishes are done, most of the junk off the floor and two counters have had a lot of stuff removed from them, thrown or put away. I took out the trash too. Still aways to go before I can say it's finished, but definitely an improvement!

RAINY DAY=WORK INDOORS

Bedroom before I did anything

Well since I have been concentrating so hard on the outdoor work of course the house is a train wreck. But today is grey and rainy and I happen to have a day off, so I'm working indoors 15 minutes at a time.

Here's the bedroom before I did anything. Two weeks ago when the weather turned cooler I pulled out the boxes of winter clothes and there they are, still sitting there....


Now here it is after just one 15 minute session; looking a LOT better, don't you think?

bedroom after one 15 minute session

bedroom after one 15 minute session

bedroom after one 15 minute session

   


















I learned about the magic of 15 minutes from Marla Cilly, aka The Fly Lady. Her book Sink Reflections chronicles her journey out of CHAOS and gives you loads of help so you can do the same.

I Have Been Working Hard....

Stone Walls, down stream, right side

Wow I didn't realize how long it has been since I've posted here! Sorry about that! I have been so caught up in so many different things. Right now most other projects have come to a screeching halt while I try and finish up some of these rock walls before it starts freezing up at night. I took this picture Oct 18 and have made more progress since then, but I need to get a lot more done.

I've also been working hard in the garden, trying to get things cleaned up, compost and manure spread and things planted. I've been harvesting a few things, baby beets, baby carrots, some shelly beans and baby lettuce. I've been planting peas of all sorts every spot I can. I just love peas and winter-spring is the only time they grow here, so I plant tons and gorge during the season.

Harvest, 10-18-11 shelly beans, lettuce, beets

So of course the house is  a train wreck! My daughter and her girls stopped by the other day. When the weather got cool I pulled out the boxes of winter clothes to find something to wear to work. They are still sitting in the bedroom and the 8 year old wanted to know if I was moving!

I have decided though that I am not going to sweat it if the house isn't even decent. You know why? Some things just have to come in their own time! Right now I have to get the outdoor work done ASAP because when it starts freezing I won't be able to do it. When the weather gets yucky will be plenty of time to concentrate on the inside of the house. Oh, another thing I've been doing is writing tons of new articles;

All Occasion Gifts for Artists
Gifts for Organic Gardeners
Create Custom Christmas Cards
Italian Potato Soup, Tastes Just Like Olive Garden's!


So that is most of what I have been doing lately besides working the regular day job, which I have to get ready for now!

Time Management

Four 'o Clock or Marvel of Peru

I'm trying hard to get back into my routines and get my house at least as good as it was before I went on vacation. I tend to be a horrible procrastinator about a lot of things, especially when it comes to cleaning up. I have gotten better about picking up after myself, especially when I'm working in the kitchen, putting things away as soon as I've measured out what I need.  I just need to work on doing the same thing everywhere else!

It is very easy for me to sit down in front of the computer and get sucked in for hours. I have every intention of getting up and doing something else "in a minute" or "when I finish this" but sometimes the minute stretches out to an hour and sometimes when the project is finished it's waaaaay past my bedtime. A lot of this comes from what I am doing here. I don't play games, actually I'm mostly working. I have 3 other blogs besides this one, ( there are links to these over on the right) I belong to 3 forums, I write articles on Squidoo and I make products over on Zazzle, all in addition to my own website, Face Book and now Google+. whew, no wonder I need more hours in a day! Oh and not to mention taking photos of everything which then have to be edited before I can post them anywhere.

So what I am trying out is that every time I sit down at the computer I set my timer; usually for 15 minutes. When it goes off I get up and do another task from my list. This way I am not sitting for such long periods at once, I'm still getting things done online and I am also getting things done around the house. So here are a few things I have accomplished the last couple of days.

planting daffodil & tulip bulbs

planted purple pansies along the edge

Star Jasmine storm damage

Star Jasmine after clean up

a cleaner desk

Another 15 Minutes in the Kitchen

Kitchen after a second 15 minute session

Alright, I know I'm not done in here, but there is a vast improvement! I did that first 15 minute session in my last post a couple of days ago and of course since then more stuff accumulated on the counter.

So I put away all the clean dishes in the drainer and then set my timer. In 15 minutes I had all the dirty dishes done up, one counter and the stove wiped down, some bags of groceries put away and lots of trash gone.

And I made a dent in another counter. So now there are few dishes in the sink from over there. But that's ok, I'll get to them this evening when I wash up after dinner. I might even make inroads on the counter to the left of the sink!

I've Been Such a Slacker!

kitchen, before I did 15 minutes

Oh boy! I have been such a slacker! Since I came home from Italy and jumped right back into full time work, along with trying to get some painting done, writing over at Squidoo and making new things for my Zazzle shop, I have sorely neglected my routines and my house!

But all is not lost! With my trusty timer I can do anything for 15 minutes! See what that short amount of time did for my kitchen.

Kitchen, after the first 15 minute session

Yes, I have a ways to go to get back to where I was before I left on vacation, but I know I can do it 15 minutes at a time. I also know that if I stick with it, I can get everything done that needs doing, I just need to keep my eye on the prize and persevere!

Getting Back in the Groove...

sunflower field

It's really been hard getting back in the groove! Next time I'll take an extra few days at the end of vacation to unpack and get caught up before returning to work. In the meantime my timer has become my best friend. I have to set it for 15 minutes every time I sit down at my desk, otherwise I would never get up off the computer and get anything done!

I am still editing photos and trying to finish up blog posts about my trip. I'm also selecting photos to add to products in my Zazzle shop and to use for paintings. Hopefully I'll get back to our daily decluttering sessions over the weekend!

In the meantime the folks over at Get Organized are having a 20% off Everything Sale!
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