Spring Cleaning

I don’t know about you but it’s like a drug to me. A really spiffy, shiny, well-organized drug. With a great floral print.

Kyle and I try to save condiment jars, especially anything that’s an unusual shape and size. We have a drawer full of recycled jars. They make great vases and organizers!

My new favorite spring smell…the Poppy Sunshine candle from Bath & Body Works.

Over the kitchen sink, the bottle in the middle is an antique passed down to me from my mother. The darker green candlesticks are thrifted and the lighter green candlesticks are made out of old recycled Coca-Cola bottles.

The refrigerator, freshly scrubbed and organized. I tried to make us look healthier by putting vegetables in plain sight. But you can see the salted butter in this picture. We’re not fooling anyone. Looking at a picture of my refrigerator is a good reminder of all the things I have and take for granted. Even the menu plan reminds me that we have more than a huge portion of the world’s population. Wow.

Lucky bamboo shoots…I have no idea how they’re still alive because I keep forgetting to water them.

I decided to pack away most of our knick-knacks for the warmer months…but I left this guy out…he’s full of Carolina sand and driftwood and old wine corks and other things.

I finally got around to making my own magnetic make-up board. I take zero credit for this idea. You’ve probably seen it all over Pinterest. Here’s an example and another one. It’s definitely made it easier to keep my make-up off the bathroom sink.

What about you? Tell me about your spring cleaning projects!

love, elizabeth

My Hour

How much can I actually get done in an hour? We’re going to find out.

This year, this January anyway, I’m implementing “the one-hour system.” With graduate school and Kyle’s crazy hours and church and outside obligations, it’s easy to lose sight of the house, of the laundry, the dishes, of making meals, and other daily chores. I’m committing to using the one-hour system Monday-Friday for at least this month.

Source: anthropologie.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

The rules are…

• I get one hour a day. Knowing myself, it will probably be an early evening hour, maybe around 4 or 5.
• During that hour, no internet, no television, no studying, no working out.
• Instead, during my hour, I can take Madigan for a walk, make dinner, pick up around the apartment, do a load of laundry, keep up with my new filing system and/or any other household maintenance.
• I’m trying to make this hour a fun thing – I can listen to some of my dance albums on vinyl. I can have a cup of coffee. I can call my mom. All as long as I keep myself busy being productive around the apartment.
• When the hour is up, it’s up. I have to wait until tomorrow’s hour to work again. Then I can turn my attention to my (no doubt plentiful) homework and study and hopefully squeeze in a work-out.

Source: querita.livejournal.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

 

One hour. How much do you think you could get done if you really gave yourself a whole hour?

love, elizabeth

Scary Stuff on the Internet

Yesterday, I saw this.

And this.

Photo credit

First of all, I am throwing my Neti Pot out. Right now. Bye-bye, irrigated sinuses! I’ll take that horrible cold over a brain-eating amoeba any day! I like my brain. I need my brain.

Secondly, I have a lot of important things to do today like scrubbing every inch of my house before my parents get here on Monday and mailing Christmas cards and making every last effort to decorate our apartment windows for the holiday decoration contest in our complex (judging is on Monday night – I’ve been scoping out the competition and it doesn’t look good for us, you guys…).

How is your Saturday? And THANK YOU for the blog recs! Expect a visit and a comment this weekend.

love, elizabeth

Sometimes a Girl Just Needs a Break

You know how it is…the laundry, the ironing, the dishes, the dusting…it’s never ending…

Sometimes a girl just needs a break.

What?

Don’t judge me!

love,

elizabeth via Madigan

Apartment, Sweet Apartment

Okay, like I’ve been telling you, the last week I’ve been rearranging the apartment. Thought I’d share some pictures of a few favorite things…

Some of my favorite books on the nightstand. And a little copper alarm clock from Hungary that belonged to my mother as a teenager.

A charcoal sketch of Kyle from a drawing class he modeled for a few years ago…

An adorable little owl from a box my grandmother gave me full of my mother’s teenage keepsakes. I love this little guy.

The living room…I moved the books out of the office. I think they were getting lonely in there by themselves.

An elephant from my friend Emily…a present for my 22nd birthday. Elephants with their trunks raised are lucky.

What do you think? I’m still trying to figure out the office space.

What about you? Any projects around the house right now?

love, elizabeth

Clean House: 5 Things To Make Your Space Sparkle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning house today and thought I would share a few things that make it easier for me. Nothing like a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

clean home to make you feel creative and energized!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

  Yeah. Whatever. I WISH I looked like this when I cleaned house. Maybe lingerie and heels are the secret?

 

Pet Fresh Odor & Dirt Eliminator Plus Oxi Clean Dirt Fighters

So if you have a pet, you know that animals + carpets = nightmare. Gotta say that after all the Rug Doctors and professional carpet cleaning companies, it’s THIS stuff that really saved our carpets! Sprinkle, sit, vacuum. So simple and smells great, too.

 

Seventh Generation Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Everyone needs a good multi-purpose cleaner. This one’s mine. I like that it uses primarily natural ingredients, as opposed to harsh chemicals, and that it’s marked safe for humans and the environment. And it’s effective, especially for cleaning the kitchen.

Microfiber Duster

I used to ignore the dust in the house because I didn’t notice it. But it really makes a difference in the air quality and in the polish of a room, especially one with a lot of furniture/knick-knacks! For the wood that needs it, I’ll pull out the furniture polish, too. I know. Fancy.

Sponges

I’m a big fan of the soapy bucket of water and the classic sponge. But those suckers can hold a lot of germs like e.coli and salmonella viruses so CLICK HERE for a Good Housekeeping article on getting those sponges REALLY clean between uses (hint: the microwave method is one of the more effective cleaning options).

 

A Happenin’ Playlist

If someone tells you music is a non-essential to the contemporary house-keeper, you should run away. Because they’re probably a robot. Growing up, my mom had two or three CDs that were the house-cleaning CDs. To this day, if I hear one of them playing at her house, I feel like picking up a mop. Hey, Mom, that’s pretty sneaky! Here’s a peek at my actual House Cleaning mix.

What about YOU? What is your indispensable house cleaning tool? 

What’s the best song to scrub to?

love, elizabeth