Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Monday, February 14, 2011

All From A Little Warm Up ..

Before pic .. by Mrs Mac
So far this winter, we had our snowiest weather in November and December.  January was a mix of freezes and thaws.  February is halfway over and has been warmer than normal .. a mix of rain, gloominess .. and a few days of sunshine.  It's the sunshiny days that get me going .. soaking up a little natural vitamin D, listening to the birds chirp, seeing the colorful blue sky and mountains .. is a nice reprieve from winter's doldrums.

Spring cleaning is on my list of things to do starting in the kitchen.  I'm working on one wall space at a time .. ceiling to floor, wiping down walls and cupboards .. all the while emptying out and washing items we don't use too often.  This is a good opportunity to get rid of STUFF.  By the time spring rolls around it will be nice to have this sometimes dreaded chore put to rest.  It's amazing what crud collects in drawers and the pantry floor in between cleanings.  How often do you 'spring' clean?

8 comments:

The Professor's Wife said...

About three times a year - once after New Years, once at the start of summer break, and once before Thanksgiving

Felisol said...

I have to admit, I am a random cleaner, I just do what has to be done.
My mother of the other hand, is of the old school; full cleaning twice a year. That used to mean changing wax paper in all the shelves of her cupboards, washing the ceiling and dusting every book in the shelves, my dad had four thousand of them.

After recovering from her brain seizure 3 years ago, she has had to "down seize her ambitions. She still changes curtains all over her house; one set summer curtains and matching pillows, and ditto winter curtains/pillows.
She also lies on her knees and wash the three sores of her house every Saturday.
She's a role model I never can live up to, but I do admire her.
I hope to empty and wash the drawer closest to my stove. It needs a thorough rinse. It doesn't have a wax paper in the bottom though.

Lynda said...

I do it three times, too. Once before my birthday in March to start off my new year; Once in June before I start canning; once before Thanksgiving the end of my heavy canning season. I have a big house so the March clean is everything but the kitchen...June is kitchen only and then Thanksgiving is whole house including the kitchen.

Mavis said...

We "spring clean" twice a year... once in Feb. and again in the fall when the kids go back to school... Wait a second... did I say we? I meant I clean twice a year :)

Maria Stahl said...

I was looking at your bulk buying log and wanted to ask how you are doing with your laundry soap and the coffee roasting. Do you think they are working out well for you?

I'm happier with the laundry soap this time around for some reason. And I just heard coffee prices are jumping up again and even though we are not out of green coffee beans yet I'm pondering buying some (not a ton) as a hedge against it getting worse in the future.

Mrs. Mac said...

@Maria .. I prefer to 'make' homemade powdered laundry soap .. it takes up much less space and is easier for my family to use (no mixing). We wash just about everything on the soak cycle setting .. that way all the ingredients are thoroughly dissolved and it rinses out of dark fabrics well. It probably costs us about $20 a year to make up enough soap for our family of 4. I buy about 4 gallons of white vinegar a year to use as fabric softener .. using it on towels, whites & sheets for freshness and softness.

I have heard that coffee prices are going up as well as lots of other food items. Just for the heck of it .. I went ahead and bought another ten pounds of green coffee beans (for the same price that I paid in January). We use about 3.5 lbs a month. My supply should last through June. I may even buy another ten pounds as they store well for over a year (so I've read) unroasted ... stored in a food grade burlap (or cloth .. breathable) bag.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I clicked on your photo to make it larger and see the details. I didn't see anything I'd want to get rid of. As for how often I clean, I start several times a year, but get sidetracked, and don't always finish any one area.

Dana said...

there is definitely something in 'the air' as I was suddenly inspired to clean my kitchen last weekend. I took a load to the Goodwill and have another load (nearly) ready to go. We got rid of some vitamins, etc that had expired and got all of the cabinets etc washed down. Considering it's only Feb - I feel really good!

Have a wonderful day!