Happy First Day of Fall! Although here in New York it has felt like autumn for sometime now, it is officially sweater season. Although I love the cool, crisp air of fall and hot chocolate in front of the fire, the change in seasons brings the end of all my endeavors in our garden this year. Most of my plants have finished producing yummy veggies, but my herbs are still strong and healthy. I'm bringing them in this year, in the hopes of many delicious recipes this winter with fresh herbs from the garden. They look so beautiful on our window ledge. The dogs aren't too happy about their spot being taken though.
Deep down inside I'm a messy person. I admit it, I can be pretty lazy and as a kid I was the worst. My poor mom. The mess was everywhere. My book bag, my room, I swear it probably seemed like there was a trail of mess behind. I like to think it was my creative side. My mind was too busy thinking and creating to bother with organization. Oh excuses, I'm sure there are many of you artsy people out there who beg to disagree. Well with time I have definitely changed. Maybe it's my mix of Type-A personality and need to control over the chaos, but I love when things are clean. Especially now that I have my own house, desk, and classroom to take care of. It doesn't come easily, but I work hard to keep things organized.
My husband on the other hand has always been overly neat, almost serial killer-like in his method for cleanliness. When we first began dating I wasn't even allowed to help fold his clothes. Everything had to be done a certain way. I don't think I need to tell you that it was quite interesting when we began living together. Over the years though I like to think we both rubbed off on each other. I began to see how great it is to keep things well ordered, while Paul began to loosen up a little.
Now with our busy jobs and lives it is hard to keep chores from getting out of hand. It's so easy to come home from a busy day and want to actually clean. We usually rely on the Company is Coming Over Method. "Oh no so-and-so is coming over in half an hour we need to clean ______ & ______ & ______!!!!" I swear we get more done in that span of time before people come over than we do in a week. Honestly I am tired of it all. I decided to sit down and finally come up with a method that works for us.
I perused many great sites and I love this idea. 15 Minutes a Day to a Clean House
Seriously?! So smart. I feel in some ways I already do try to get a little done each day, but why not make it deliberate and planned? I can handle a few small jobs every day. So I took this idea and made my own list. I tweaked it a little to better fit my needs and went from there. I also planned with Paul who would handle different items. Things go so much faster when 2 people are involved. It has really seemed to help so far. No more feelings of being overwhelmed by what needs to get done. I don't know maybe other people just do this naturally, but it takes a lot of work and pre-planning for me.
Do you have any great cleaning methods that work for you and make life easier?
It's that time of the year again. The leaves are changing and the air is turning cool and crisp. I won't deny that I love fall. It reminds me of some of my best memories. Festivals with my family growing up, falling in love with my best friend, and new beginnings as a teacher. Though I'm enjoying taking in each moment of the season, my mind is always on the future and things I want to accomplish. With the cold weather approaching, along comes to many days inside around the fire. This year I want to stay busy and line up some projects I hope to accomplish. This lead me to create my own winter bucket list!
So like any new project I did my research and found that I'm not the only one to come up with such an amazing idea. Well sort of. Many people have created such a list, but it contains things such as curl up by the fire and go sledding. Well, duh, of course I'm going to do those things. I spend my days cooped up inside getting projects done that I've meant to do, read amazing books, and try making new recipes.
So here it is, my winter bucket list. This is what I have so far, but I have a feeling I may add more. Hopefully I am making it at least manageable.
Projects:
1.) Quilt place mats
2.) Watercolor ceramic mugs
3.) Office magnets
4.) Set of homemade birthday cards
Books:
1.) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2.) The Goldfinch
3.) The Night Circus
*Disclaimer - I have a feeling this list will expand
Recipes:
1.) Lasagna Rolls
2.) Prosciutto wrapped rosemary chicken
3.) Juicing
What do you think of my list? I hope it is doable, but in Rochester winter easily lasts into April so I definitely have plenty of time. Is there anything you hope to accomplish this coming winter?
