Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Two Hours One Morning :: Corner View {Home}


I had planned to write this post yesterday but the evening got away from me.  
Luckily, the theme of this week's Corner View fits perfectly so I can 
kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.  I would never
willingly kill a real bird.  I love birds.

Anyhoo ....

My house has been DRIVING ME CRAZY!
I've had a few piles of stuff laying around that I needed put away
or find "homes" for but just hadn't made the time to do it.

I had the day off yesterday, the children were home too, a fact that actually worked
in my favor.  I set the timer for two hours, gave them a small list of tasks
and told them once those were done, they were free to do anything
they wanted, as long as it was quiet and in their individual
rooms.  They are great little workers, my two,
they set about their tasks and got them
done quickly.  I did not hear from
them much after that, but that
could have been because
I had the music 
cranked on
the 
surround sound
and I didn't hear much else!
A word of warning, if you hear loud music
coming from my house during the day, you should
never and I mean NOT EVER look in the windows.  The music
I clean to is pretty darn up beat ... hip hop sort of stuff ... and my feet, in the
privacy of my own home, can't help but dance!  Every Zumba move I have incorrectly
interpreted is happening!  My kids think is it embarrassingly hilarious.
Seriously ... it is not something you want to see.  EVER. 

never. ever.

So ... I set my timer.

 photo 4816A15E-17E7-45A3-A5C5-CB37B973B206-24270-00000C74ED576F14_zps51992043.jpg

Two hours.

Before I started, I did a walk through and took "before" shots of all the
problem areas in case I got distracted.  I had to use the photos a
couple of times to get me back on track.

Here's what I accomplished.

 photo F9F60895-1311-4315-B0B3-0A7381909A73-24270-00000C73D73937F6_zpse45b806c.jpg  photo 23871259-5088-4F19-B77B-FDB2B2118E32-24270-00000C74AC61CCB9_zps2f71f9b5.jpg

I started by making my bed.  This always makes my room feel instantly tidier. 
I (almost) always make my bed.  I hate it when I'm too lazy and don't.

 photo A3A79F98-FDA7-472A-8A6D-A826AB5451F4-24270-00000C73DF167E1E_zpsdddfafd4.jpg  photo 04E15ADB-EF9A-4742-BD43-3E72B20BF823-24270-00000C75182B4AF8_zps1ca839c3.jpg

I tidied up Rory's music table and the floor beneath. 
Not much though, just enough to get the pedals up off the floor
and move the guitars out of the way of the bathroom door!

 photo 223A3F3F-76A3-429E-91F7-A0E4AECE71D8-24270-00000C73EA9DCE37_zps21f9d19b.jpg  photo 99DED07F-9605-4149-8B89-F152C97BC53B-24270-00000C751E33D48D_zpse6d98417.jpg

Laundry baskets full of clean laundry!  A shopping bag with toiletries to be put away.
Movies the kids have watched in our bedroom, an iPhone charger that needed
to go back to the docking station in the family room.  A library book. 
All of these things have homes ... I just hadn't put them in them!

 photo 8DF4C9FE-EBCA-4D74-8CAD-BCA2E449768F-24270-00000C741E964767_zps3169b5e4.jpg  photo B981716D-C7EE-4684-A2CB-DF6F1C0DED55-24270-00000C74A7D42ED9_zps6080f36a.jpg

Rory likes to refer to the elliptical as my coat rack ....
I won't lie, it's easy to hang my clothes there.
Although ... those jeans are his!

 photo 4C2AA341-BF3B-407F-8D45-A20D68D1A984-24270-00000C740A79FD0D_zpsd766683d.jpg  photo 72A08B20-B2E1-4385-A155-403536C125E8-24351-00000C8CD3CF24E7_zps37b0beb0.jpg

Cleaning stuff left on the bathroom sink after Alia cleaned the kids bathroom ... ON SATURDAY!
I went ahead and cleaned the sink and put those cleaners away!

 photo F2A4CD3E-C4A8-4D2C-ADF9-13649CCC198F-24270-00000C73B1646C3D_zps5afdb753.jpg  photo 92D2EC5C-C955-4321-93F7-683F45443503-24270-00000C74F81B211C_zpsa6680261.jpg

Guest bedroom bed ... Alia pulled the sheets up a few weeks ago after she and her friend
had slept in there one Friday night but it was bugging me.  I remade the bed.  Baby
clothes that I had to wash after the ants made a nest in the box they live in!
They are washed, dried and folded ... waiting for me to put them away.
I'll get to it, that project is bigger than just putting them away!

 photo 2D3AF54B-C34C-48EA-992B-295AF3664027-24270-00000C738A309E92_zps63390703.jpg  photo 830F5982-A98E-4796-A426-5B8000006B9B-24270-00000C74F2B9721B_zpsaa06f823.jpg

Two boxes that I bought for the guest bedroom closet, and movies left out.
Putting the movies away was one of the jobs on the kids lists!
The boxes in the guest bedroom closet, they are a project
for another time but at least they aren't in the family
room anymore!!

 photo 880B71B0-6657-4304-819C-73310CEA7F22-24270-00000C74B115CCC7_zps63e06419.jpg  photo 1E3D423E-CD0C-4941-B18C-E00A9F8F7FFD-24270-00000C74B5CC9F85_zpse3dc539a.jpg

My sock drawer has been driving me nuts.  I had too many socks. 
The drawer wouldn't close.  I pulled out the socks that I don't
ever wear, put them in my 'to get rid of box' in the garage.
Drawer now closes. Job well done. 

 photo 65F97914-5286-4E0E-8775-C47B1D7352E5-24270-00000C73C9D22F20_zps4482994b.jpg  photo 3B076800-7DC6-44F3-B6BA-85818F8D4EC0-24270-00000C74CAA6507E_zps1b25372f.jpg

Dirty laundry.  Now washed.

 photo 464D28A5-B601-4272-B84D-03E47B9BBA2A-24270-00000C74C5525688_zpsf16ffb14.jpg  photo 6EF6868B-3BA1-438F-B7F9-53B139E47C98-24270-00000C74BA30DDB4_zps6c51fa55.jpg

And dried.  And folded.  And put away.

 photo B5F8935C-435F-4878-914F-063D4E3779DD-24270-00000C74BF5B927C_zps7225d72c.jpg

And even a shelf labeled .... to avoid confusion with the kids. 
No-one wants to dry their hands on the dog's bath towel!

 photo B434467A-7F70-4375-9C53-A140204D03F7-24270-00000C749233AE76_zps91e1c849.jpg  photo C48A1BCB-6BC5-4944-9486-D4BA2C473231-24270-00000C7497EEDB61_zps8fcd2f55.jpg

A bit of pencil art of the top of our side table.
Gone.

 photo 0181EB1F-0496-45DD-A4A4-BEFB2C7EEA59-24270-00000C73A8AB5E71_zpsafca4bf5.jpg  photo 143FE0D2-060C-45BE-9613-23282D5EF6DA-24270-00000C74D72DABB2_zps59181a0c.jpg

Junk along the top of the kitchen bench.  Gone. Except for the "junk" that lives there.

 photo C3E39216-31C4-4909-BBFD-E53F515A4512-24270-00000C74A2BF120E_zpsbf272105.jpg  photo 60992d73-9fd8-4d8a-9440-6dd64d84afa5_zps50fa376e.jpg

This little box sits beside my desk.  It's where I put tiny little things that need to be put away but I don't want to get up and put them away at just that moment.  You know, like things that the kids bring me or things that I had in my purse but took out.  Something I was planning to use but didn't.  Just little bits and pieces.  I just put them in the box until I have a day like yesterday and then I carry the box around and put everything away. Now, the box is empty and ready for the next bit or piece ....

 photo DC7EDB07-D748-4D72-8909-4B776003C0CB-24270-00000C739FE83663_zpsbffe529f.jpg  photo DDFFE0E0-AA95-435D-9E8A-09EB6FA1EA7C-24270-00000C75276F4B33_zps54e113ef.jpg

The dining room table.  Most of the time it doesn't look like the first photo.  Most of the time
it looks like the second photo.  It's like my bed ... the whole house looks neater to me if the
table is clear!  Busyness had caused this little pile up ... but now it is gone.

As well, I had a pile of jackets and blankets on the back of my desk chair.  Put away.
The kids had think piled on my craft desk in the garage.  Put away.
The shoe shelf need organizing.  Done.

There were socks randomly scattered on the 'riding' toy shelf in the garage.  Put in the hamper.

On a hunch, I asked the kids to check their school bags for Tupperware containers
(even though school finished a week ago and I asked them to check then!)
They brought out 6 Tupperware between them,
complete with food and mold.
All clean now.

I needed to hang a hook in the bathroom.  Done. 

I needed to hang a fire blanket in the kitchen.  Done.

Seriously ... it was the most productive two hours EVER! Sometimes, that's all it takes!

**
Corner View was created by Jane at Spain Daily and is now hosted by Francesca.  It is bloggers from all over the world, posting photos of a specific weekly theme.  To join, just post to your own blog and then link up over at Francesca's Corner View for the week.  Then, visit the other Corner Views ... that's my favorite part !  Seeing the interpretations of the themes, visiting different cultures, learning something new !

5 comments:

Heather July 4, 2013 at 10:52 AM  

Nice house! And your house "before" is much neater and cleaner than my house "afters"!

Happy Winter!

Beth July 5, 2013 at 4:28 AM  

I thoroughly enjoyed this 'tour'! Wow! You did get a lot accomplished in your two hours!
I like your laundry room with the spot outside to dry clothes. I hope to get my husband to put up some lines at the new house. I miss the clean smell of sheets and towels hanging outside. I am the washer and put awayer. My husband is the folder, esp. of towels. I despise folding towels.
My dining room gets piles too and the rest of the house can be in great shape, but I don't feel like it is until the dining room table is clear of 'stuff'--odd how that is, huh?!
My boy cat does what your cat was doing in your before photo of your bed. I always have a spare pillow and a folded blanket for impromptu naps that I keep on the bed after I make it. He likes that spot too, but he likes the unmade bed best.
However, my husband and I make it as soon as we are both up---just something we do.
Terrific post! :>)

Anonymous July 5, 2013 at 6:06 AM  

i'm impressed, and I'll try your 2 hour method. I normally clean a bit here and a bit there, so I never get a sense the house is ever clean and tidy, though I feel I spend most of my time at home cleaning.

gis July 5, 2013 at 5:22 PM  

wow, what a great job. The two hours idea is good, maybe I shall start by allowing a two hour time slot for each of the rooms in the house ;-)! Have a great summer

kat July 5, 2013 at 10:12 PM  

It's amazing how much difference the tidying up does! You do have a nice home!


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