January Cure 2014! Days 1 & 2

Day 1: January 2, 2014
Assignment: Create a Project List
See full assignment and sign up for the January Cure at ApartmentTherapy.com. 

I started by copying my updated project list from the end of January 2013. Some additional things were completed last year so I went ahead and crossed those off, as well as add the potential projects for 2014. I know that this list will grow and change during the January Cure, as well as through the year!

Project List: 
Completed in 2013
Not completed in 2013
New for 2014

Entry
Outbox
Clean out/reorganize hall closet
Paint front door
New door mat
Deep clean floors
Clean out/reorganize hall closet
Outbox

Living Room/Dining Room
Print Cuba photos for large frames in dining room
Print, frame and hang photos in living room
New coffee table (glass top)
Fireplace insert
Entry table/cabinet/hooks/something?
Screen door
Deep clean floors (these are the same ones as the entry)
Deep clean living room
Put away holiday decorations
Reorganize china/booze cabinets
Hang mirror

Kitchen
Organize pantry cabinets -- containers for dry ingredients
Deep clean floors (see above)
Deep clean kitchen
Hang NOLA signs above stove
Hang paper towel holder
Purchase/hang light(s) above sink -- Hang second light.
Hang photo canvases

Family Room
Screen door
Clean out/re-organize DVDs/Blu-rays
Paint shelves -- Get second shelves for other side of couch or new side tables?

Office
Clean out/reorganize closet
Hang diplomas
Hang guitars
Fix closet doors
Declutter and reorganize books/shelves
Declutter and reorganize paperwork

Guest Room
Guest bed and side table
Move elliptical 
Small TV -- hang in front of elliptical
New light fixture
Hang Bosnia photos
Clean out/reorganize closet
Hang mirror

Bedroom
Hang Croatia photo
Jewelry organization
New light fixture
Wedding photo - printed and framed
Deep clean bedroom
Reorganize dresser
Print, frame, and hang photo(s)
Clothes and shoe repairs

Bathroom
Paint
Deep clean bathroom
Declutter and reorganize under sink cabinet
Purchase/hang new towel rack(s)
Purchase/hang wall cabinet -- shelf/counter?


Day 2: January 3, 2014...and the Weekend of January 4 & 5
Assignment: Flowers and Floors
See full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com. 

I had already made a trip to the store on Thursday, and we still have a pretty poinsettia from the holidays so I am going to wait to pick up flowers when I go to the store this Saturday. Floor cleaning -- vacuum and mopping is on our to-do list for today!

Check out the links above to read more about the January Cure and/or to sign up! 

January Cure -- Day 18 | Weekend Chores

Day 18: Friday, January 25 and the weekend of January 26-27
Assignment: Weekend Chore: Weekly Flowers, Living Room Clean Up, & Empty Your Outbox

We did a living room clean last weekend, in preparation for having friends over so I used Friday to catch up on a few other to-do list items. I had the day off work so I had plenty of time to focus on the January Cure.

First, I decluttered and reorganized the under sink cabinet in our bathroom. This was quick and easy because it is the only storage space in that room and we keep it fairly well organized. I did find a use for a little jar thing to hold some small items that often get lost.

Next I did our hall closet, which houses a lot of our bathroom things, such as towels, medicine, etc. It is also where cleaning supplies live, including our vacuum. To tackle it, I started by emptying it out completely, wiping down the shelves, and then organizing everything as it went back in. This declutter and reorganization felt like a huge accomplishment. Here is a photo collage so you can see how it turned out...

As for our outbasket -- I emptied it on Monday so while it was ready to fill up again on Friday, most bathroom/closet clutter went directly to a trash, recycling or donation bag. 

My honey took care of the weekly flowers on his way home from work. He made a good bouquet decision, don't you think? 

Having my honey on board for the January Cure has been critical. We are a good team. For example, while I am writing this post, he is cleaning our stove...because I haven't figured out how to make paella without making a complete mess yet.

Spring Cleaning Challenge: Final Update

Soooooooooo...I totally didn't finish my spring cleaning challenge. *blush*

I suppose it was a bit ambitious to think that I could get through 30 spaces in 30 days, especially since I was gone for a bunch of days last month due to our wonderful 2nd anniversary weekend away and a business trip.

Since I always try to see the bright side, at least I cleaned out a number of spaces I wouldn't have otherwise and I cleaned, decluttered, and reorganized our entire family room and bathroom. I know I will get to the other spaces someday.

Here is my updated list...with still a ways to go. Whoops.

1. Bathroom
2. Bedroom
3. Bedroom - Closet
4. Bedroom - Nightstands
5. Bedroom - Dressers
6. Office 
7. Office - Desk/Filing
8. Office - Bookshelves
9. Office - Closet
10. Guest Room 
11. Guest Room - Closet
12. Living Room
13. Dining Room
14. Dining Room - Bar Cabinets
15. Kitchen
16. Kitchen - Refrigerator
17. Kitchen - Pantry cabinets
18. Kitchen - Under sink
19. Kitchen - Other cabinets
20. Kitchen - Drawers
21. Family Room 
22. Family Room - TV stand
23. Family Room - Cubbies
24. Family Room - Bookshelf
25. Garage 
26. Garage - Laundry
27. Garage - Holiday storage boxes
28. Garage - Other storage
29. Garage - Yard work supplies
30. Backyard - Garden

Spring Cleaning Challenge: 30 Spaces in 30 Days

About a year ago, I did a 20 Bags in 40 Days challenge. Although marginally successful in the actual challenge, I did a lot more decluttering and organization than I would have done otherwise.

Fast forward to this morning when I woke up and thought to myself,  "Happy April! Spring cleaning time?"

I'm going to take the main steps from the 20 Bags in 40 Days Challenge but apply them to a 30 Spaces in 30 Days Challenge. By the end of this month these 30 spaces will be decluttered, deep cleaned, and organized. Some days I know I won't be able to get to a space but other days I will be able to cover multiple spaces. I am going to take photos along the way to try and capture the change and improvements to our home.

Challenge Steps
1. Make a list of 30 spaces. Start by naming each space in general (i.e. kitchen) and then, if needed, break up each general space into smaller, more manageable spaces, i.e refrigerator, pantry, etc.
2. Label paper bags: Donate, Recycle, Repair, and Trash.
3. Pick a space and get started! Remove all items from the space, clean it, return items that you are keeping to the space and place remaining items into the appropriate paper bag. Repeat the process with each space.

Step 1...

1. Bathroom
2. Bedroom
3. Bedroom - Closet
4. Bedroom - Nightstands
5. Bedroom - Dressers
6. Office 
7. Office - Desk/Filing
8. Office - Bookshelves
9. Office - Closet
10. Guest Room 
11. Guest Room - Closet
12. Living Room
13. Dining Room
14. Dining Room - Bar Cabinets
15. Kitchen
16. Kitchen - Refrigerator
17. Kitchen - Pantry cabinets
18. Kitchen - Under sink
19. Kitchen - Other cabinets
20. Kitchen - Drawers
21. Family Room 
22. Family Room - TV stand
23. Family Room - Cubbies
24. Family Room - Bookshelf
25. Garage 
26. Garage - Laundry
27. Garage - Holiday storage boxes
28. Garage - Other storage
29. Garage - Yard work supplies
30. Backyard - Garden

I threw in our garden because I want to get it cleaned up and new stuff planted by the end of the month. 

Want to participate in the challenge with me? Let me know in a comment or via e-mail: industriousjustice [at] gmail [dot] com.

How: Weekly Meal Planning

Weekly Menu Planner

When people find out that I plan our meals every week, they sometimes don't believe me.  I get a look of disbelief and/or a delayed question such as, "wait, you really plan out your meals each week and then you actually cook them?"  Yes, I do.  I'm a planner and I enjoy cooking and eating.  It works.

There are a number of factors that influence my decision regarding our meals for the week.

How to pick your meals:

• Schedule: What is your schedule for the week?  Which nights do you need to plan a meal?  Most Sundays we have dinner at my parents' house so that night is one we never have to worry about.
• Time: How long do prospective meals take to prep and cook?  Something time intensive, like this Beer Braised Irish Stew, is a good option for a day when you know that you will be home -- not so good for the day when you aren't home until after 6:00 p.m. and want to eat before 8:00 p.m.  Slow cooker recipes are great for during the week IF they don't require a lot of prep time. I don't know about you but I'm already not that quick at 6:30 in the morning.  I don't need any added level of difficulty.
• Leftovers: Bringing lunches to work during the week is both less expensive and healthier.  For meals that we cook on a weeknight, my honey and I look for dishes that serve 4 - 6 -- usually the perfect amount for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  In addition to the amount, I also lean towards dishes that I know will taste good leftover.  For example, the Slow Cooker Chicken Chili is just as good, if not better, leftover.
• Weather: Yes, weather.  Certain dishes are great when it is cold out -- stew/soup type dishes, for example, warm up your kitchen just as much as they warm up your belly.  On the flip side, when it is warm out, opt for no or low-cook dishes.
• Variety: Try to keep things interesting -- a mix of different types of foods, such as pasta, vegetarian, Mexican, etc.  I also try to find a balance between our favorites, like this Taco Salad, and new recipes I have been wanting to try, like this Avocado Pasta. 

Planning/time saving tips: 

• Read these articles: Eat Like a Foodie at Home Without Breaking Your Budget and Getting Out of Eating Out: A Game Plan
• Pick a day each week for meal planning and grocery shopping.  Depending on our schedules we do the planning and shopping on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.   
• Make a list.  I make our list based on where things are in the store.  It makes the shopping trip go much faster.  
• Shop early morning or late night.  Go grocery shopping either first thing in the morning or after dinner.  It will be much more likely to have the store (and staff) to yourself.
• Post your menu.  One of the other things that helps us, especially when we are having a particularly busy week, is to have our meals for the week posted in our kitchen.  You may remember that I made this weekly dry erase menu planner.  We have it hanging over our kitchen sink.  The thing is, you don't need a fancy shmancy menu planner.  A piece of paper hung on your fridge will do just fine.  Or print out a template from online.

My love of planning is not to say that we are inflexible.  For example, this week I postponed our Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas from Wednesday to today because we ended up with more leftovers than we anticipated from a delicious Asian Slaw with Ginger-Peanut dressing that we made for dinner on Tuesday.  Recipes for both of these to come! 

How: Weekly Dry-Erase Menu Planner

Inspired by weekly menu planners online, I created my own this afternoon.  Since we don't have a color printer, I outlined the design with a sharpie.  It was super easy, inexpensive and I was pleased with the final product.  You could also do it with other planning tools. 

Weekly Dry-Erase Menu Planner

Materials:

• Computer and printer
• Printer paper
• Ultra Fine Sharpie Marker
• Frame
• Dry-erase markers

Instructions:

1. Copy, paste and fit image into a word document.  Print.

2. If desired, outline with an ultra fine sharpie marker.

3. Put it in a frame.  I found this one at Ross for $9.

4. Write on the glass with dry-erase markers.  I found some fun colors at Target.

5. Hang it up!

To Do: Plan Ahead

I'm a planner.

One of the main reasons I'm a planner is that I know that the time I put into planning saves even more time later. 

And goodness knows, we can all use some extra time later, right?

I came across this website that provides links to all sorts of fabulous, free and printable weekly calendars including menu planners, cleaning calendars and even blog planning sheets.  If I wasn't currently holed up in a hotel room at a work conference, I would be printing a selection of them right now. 

This is for you, fellow planners and planner wannabees:
Free Printable Weekly Calendars