THE ROOST

My Embarrassingly Toxic Pantry

Well....... I finally got the lap-top up and going again.  I know you are hanging on the edge of your seat to hear about my visit to Mr. Perfect's house.  I promise I am getting to that really soon but first I have to tell on myself. 

I have prided myself in being a pretty good house keeper.  I actually enjoy keeping things orderly and weeding out is fun to me.  Weird I know! 

A few days ago I was getting an ingredient out of my pantry that I don't use often. When I checked the date on the item I was shocked to see how out of date it was.  My pantry had gotten out of order the past few weeks anyway and I thought I would just go through and do a little straightening and see if I had one or two other things that might be out of date that I was not aware of.

All I can say is it is a miracle that hubby and I are still alive!

Here are a few of the MANY things that were out of date in the pantry!

The more I dug the more I found.....

Most of the items I rarely use (thank the Lord) or had bought and never opened like the Hot Chocolate.  I filled this trash can up NOT once, or twice but THREE times!!!

I decided to peek in the refrigerator and see if I could find an item or two in there.

Yep!  BOTH of my ketchup's were past date!  Why I had two is a whole other issue. What really mad me mad enough to spit frustrated me were the items that I could not find expiration dates on.  It should be a law that the USE BY date is easy to find and clearly visible.  

A few hours later I had a nice, tidy, toxic free pantry and refrigerator. 

I hope if you check your pantry or refrigerator out that you don't find as many items as I did......But if you do let me know so I will feel a tiny bit better.  So much for the pride thing! 

I Think I Might Be A CLOSET FREAK

Chicks, I hope like heck you don't think I have been lazin' around over here since I haven't been posting as often and have just come off my dream vacation!

No sir, I have not.  I have been cleaning out my closet.  Do you do that every season? It is a biannual event for me.  Do I enjoy it?  NO way!  Do I like the results?  You better believe it.

It has not rained as much as it has in Northwest Ar. this spring in 127 years!  What does that have to do with cleaning out the closet?  LOTS!  You can't do yard work which is my favorite thing to do this time of year.  So, the ole closet got a make-over.

This is how it works for me.  I go through all my fall/winter clothes & shoes before I put them away and decide....

• Will I wear this again next season?  That depends on wear & tear and style and size.  (No comment on the size thing)    If the answer is no it goes in the NO pile.  If the answer is YES it gets hung up in the off season closet. 
• I also check to see what needs one more cleaning and might need a repair before I retire it to the off-season closet. 

    Then before I put the spring/summer clothes in my main closet I go through each item and do a little critiquing....

• I ask myself the question..... Will I really wear this again this year?  Will it fit right?  Does it make me look smaller even look good on me?  Is it too worn out? Do I still like this style?  

If the answer is YES I hang it up.  If it is NO I put it in the NO pile with the winter NOs.  

Now with the NO's I decide....

• What would someone else enjoy that I am tired of or can't wear anymore? 
• What needs to be thrown out or made into a rag?   

The throw outs are simply thrown out.  The items I don't want any more I give away to a friend who is in touch with many others that could really use the clothes.

Now I can takes notes on a 3x5 card about what I might need to look for when I am out shopping because I know exactly what I do and don't have.   Yes I group colors  together silly because that way I KNOW I have to much black and white and can then venture out to more color.  Plus it helps when you are getting ready.....oh yes it does, just try it!

Hubby even decided to join me on this last closet clean- out.  Yes miracles do still happen from time to time.  After 29 years of marriage I think I might have him trained convinced that it really does pay off.

Here are the give-away bags that we ended up with.......

It felt so good to weed out items that would not have gotten worn this year anyway. 

And the results were.......

Very rewarding............

I found these really cute baskets at Hobby Lobby to put my scarfs and belts in.

Yes, I even went through and weeded them out too.

In fact I went through everything.....PJ's, undies, t-shirts, hand bags.  You name it.  It felt so good to have things all cleaned out and in order.

Next I was going to start in on the billion of photos I need to organize but the good ole sun came out.  Now I am spending time in my garden and I guess the photos will have to wait for another L O N G rainy spell.

Gosh I hate that ;) wink!

Sifting Through the Rubble

I think we all have an area in our house that needs more order. It may be as small as a closet or cabinet or as big as an entire basement.

Kinda like this one......

I wish I could say this is someone else's messy basement...........but it is not, it is mine.

You do need to understand that the rest of my house is in fairly good order and that I pride myself in weeding out and giving away items & clothes that I don't use.

And that I have only been in this house for 2 years and this is where all the junk over flow has gone...

Now that my excuses the facts have been stated.........I still have a disaster of a basement.

People have said to me......" That is what basements are for! "

I on the other hand must have some order down there.

So the hubby and I have come up with a plan.

The job is much to big to correct in one weekend or evening & I am afraid we would kill get cranky with one another down there for that long.

So our plan is:

1. Spend one hour three times a week in the basement. Believe me I am setting a timer!

2. Take a large trash can down and throw away the junk. We are starting in a small section so not to get overwhelmed.

3. Make a separate pile of stuff to give away.

4. After the area is clean and we can see the floor we are going to come up with a plan to utilize the space......I want a place to exercise & to put my extra reading materials and he wants a place for his tools & junk electronic equipment. Hopefully we can both be pleased.

I am hoping we get this project behind us before fall. So be watching for an update on the newly organized basement.........If not we may need some serious counseling!

Regrouping Monday

Monday is my regrouping day for the week...

If I take just a few moments in the morning to think through my week and do a little planning things go so MUCH better the next few days.

I usually sit down with my calendar, cook book or two, a TO DO LIST & a pen.....First I look at the week ahead on my calendar noting any appointments, meetings or other commitments I have written down.... That way my schedule for the week is fresh in my mind.

Then I right down a To Do List for the week noting places I need to go, things I need to purchase or pick up..........Stuff like: pick up dry cleaning, purchase gift for a birthday party, make a bank deposit etc. I list them in order of importance.

Next, I think through the meals I will be fixing for the week....If I can plan meals for 6 nights I feel like I am doing good.....we usually eat out 2 nights a week but I like to plan for more just in case. That is when the cook books come in handy as well as recipes I get on line from other blogging chicks.....check out the ones from The Queen B and from
I'm an Organizing Junkie.

My goal on Monday is to go to the grocery store, straighten the house from the weekend , get laundry caught up as well as phone correspondence ....

I take the rest of the week to work through my To Do List carrying it with me so when I am out doing stuff I can glance at it and have some direction instead of trying to recall it from memory......

This small little step has saved me time and elevated much stress from my life. I hope it is helpful for you as you plan your week as well. Happy Monday!