A Slob Comes Clean

Only One More Week in February!

2012-02-23T04:33:03Z

Don’t forget that my e-book, 28 Days to Hope for Your Home, is on sale for 4$ through the end of February!

If you’re on the fence about it, I thought I’d share some feedback I’ve received and link to some reviews.

A few comments:

“Bahaha ~ I read it all the way through (though I *DID* stop about halfway through to finish cleaning my kitchen!). I loved this ebook ~ thank you so much for writing it for the rest of the slob population. (I am a bit embarrassed that you described my kitchen for all the world to read about ~ Ha!).”

“I was so struck by your description of what sweeping means for the Slob Brained person. So, SO true!”

“This really is a rehabilitation program for slobs.”

A few reviews:

This review by Cindy of Get Along Home made me cry. (A good cry!) Really, you need to read the entire thing because it paints such a great picture of exactly why I wrote this e-book. Here’s a quote from it – “Dana gently, and with great humor, guides us down the path of neatness slowly, one useful habit at a time. What she teaches in these 51 pages is simple and doable. Even better, it works!”

(By the way, I’m Dana, and evidently putting my real name on the book “cover” made a lot of reviewers decide to use it!)

SAHMmy Says wrote a review and isn’t even affiliate! (Though she should be!) Her review made me giggle and I loved her “normal person” take on the book. Here’s a quote from her: “The beauty of 28 Days to Hope for Your Home is that it’s a keeper: Outstanding information put across in a simple way . . . Read it through. Follow the 28 Day plan. Read it again if you fall off the wagon.”

My fave line from Beretta Fleur’s review, “Her advice is simple, pure genius, and you don’t need to be a full-time housewife to apply it.”

Yes, this is a sales-pitch post. Mostly, though, it’s a reminder post. If you’ve thought about buying the e-book, maybe reading one of these reviews will help you decide if it’s for you.

Mostly, though, I needed a place to put links to reviews so my mom can go read them.

Here are some more, Mom:

Mama’s Laundry Talk

Giving Up on Perfect

Feels Like Home

And there are others! If you’ve written a review, feel free to leave the link in the comments!

Just so you know, if you click over to read a review and it happens to be the one that talks you into chunking over four dollars . . . use their link and they’ll get a 50% commission. That would just tickle me pink! I love my affiliates!

Go check out more info on 28 Days to Hope for Your Home.

Breaking the Clutter-Guilt Cycle

2012-02-22T03:27:54Z

I’ve written about how I had to get over the guilt of decluttering things that were given/handed-down to me.

I’ve accepted it as the givEE.

But what about as the givER? What about when it’s my daughter wanting to get rid of something I gave her?

My daughter loves-like-a-mommy all of her (many) dolls. When she decides she’s okay parting with one, it’s kind of a big deal. It doesn’t happen easily or often, and I know better than to cause any hesitation.

But what if it’s a doll that I gave her? That was mine? That I saved . . . for more than a quarter of a century with the sole purpose of passing it on to my daughter?

I’m sad that Carlina Emmy didn’t capture my daughter’s heart the way she did mine back in the 80s. Yes, my heart breaks a little to think of my hiney-stamped darling sitting on the shelves (or in the bins) of a thrift store somewhere.

But I don’t need her anymore. I used to have a purpose for keeping her, and that purpose was to pass her on to my own daughter someday.

I did.

And now my daughter is ready to get rid of her. Though I can think of some really good reasons to force this doll upon my daughter, I know (from personal experience) a lot more really good reasons to let her place Carlina in the Donate Spot.

It makes me sad, but I refuse to place Clutter-Guilt on my five year old.

P.S. I do feel the need to make it clear that my own mother is awesome about not placing Clutter Guilt upon my head. Somehow, I’ve managed to create my own “issues.”

DIY Furniture Moving Sliders {Cheap Organizing Tricks}

2012-02-21T02:13:48Z

Sometimes . . . decluttering/organizing requires furniture-moving.

Sometimes . . . the motivation to move furniture hits when big, strong (handsome and hairy) men aren’t available to help.

Everytime . . . motivation related to decluttering/organizing must not be stifled. It’s just too elusive.

When I need to move furniture, I place glossy gift-bags under the feet of the furniture to be moved. Occasionally, a certain bag won’t work for some reason, but I always have plenty.

The slipperiness of the bags helps the furniture slide across the floor more easily. I’m sure that the real furniture-sliding-thingamabobs work better, but I’m pretty sure I had some at one point, but could never find them when I needed them.

Mediocre Cheesy Potato Soup

2012-02-20T03:29:49Z

At 5:17 yesterday, I wandered into the kitchen, suffering from the munchies and completely unaware of the time.

Hubby asked if I was making supper.

I looked at him like he was crazy. I mean, it was nowhere near time to think about supper . . . right?

Except that 5:17 kind of is time to at least think about it. I had no concept of time because we had a late drawn-out lunch after a morning of basketball games so I wasn’t terribly hungry.

Since I didn’t make a menu plan last week, I had no clue what to make for supper.

It was cold and rainy outside and Hubby mentioned how good soup sounded. I wasn’t in the mood for anything spicy, and was completely out of milk (or anything that could substitute for milk) for any creamy soups.

So, I got creative. Now just to clarify, this isn’t really a recipe post. It’s just encouragement that kitchen experimentation is okay.

It’s not like my family was starving and it’s not like my made-up soup was poisonous. And it’s good for them to learn that sometimes in life you just choke it down and purposefully be thankful that you have something to eat.

Y’know, since some people don’t.

I put six-to-eight . . . ish cups of water on to boil and added chicken bullion for six-cups-worth. I dumped in three cups of potato-flakes (instant mashed potatoes).

Then, I got a little crazy.

I had done a quick Swagbucks search and found this Vegan recipe that used pureed chickpeas to thicken a soup. I didn’t use the recipe, but I gave the chickpea idea a shot.

At the very end, I put in a handful of grated cheddar, stirred it in and let it melt.

The verdict? Totally, completely . . . edible. Yep. My family was fed with what we had on hand, and we didn’t run out for fast food. I call that a success. And four out of five actually liked it!

While I’m encouraging creativity in the kitchen, I’ll go ahead and tell you that even though it makes total sense to use canned minestrone soup in place of tomato soup or marinara sauce in a casserole that’s going to have some veggies in it anyway . . . that total sense doesn’t really translate into edibility.

My husband still remembers the unsuccessful Minestrone Casserole Experiment from over a decade ago, and that’s probably why he was perfectly fine with this un-exciting but not-too-bad experiment.

This week . . . I’m makin’ a menu plan so I don’t have to experiment next Saturday night.

Monday – Chicken Salad and Spinach Salad

Tuesday – Meatball Gyros (from the Feast in 15 e-book) and hummus

Wednesday – BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Kale Chips

Thursday – Omelets

Friday – Out to Eat

Saturday – Homemade pizza

I’ll be linking this up to Menu Plan Monday.

Swagbucks Sign-Up Code

2012-02-18T22:11:18Z

If you’ve read much around here, you know I LOVE Swag Bucks! I especially love it when I can let you in on a code that will give bonus SwagBucks to people signing up for the first time.

Right now, Swagbucks is having a birthday challenge and if you aren’t a member yet, you can earn an extra 110 Swagbucks if you enter the code BIRTHDAYBASH12 when you register! Just be sure to enter the code DURING the sign-up process!!!

That means that with the 30 you get for signing up anyway . . . you’ll be almost a third of the way to your first 5$ Amazon gift card!

And just to keep with the usual clearing-out-the-clutter theme around here . . . did you know that you can trade in old cellphones or books for swagbucks?

I just saw that recently, and was intrigued. Unfortunately, all the books I’ve grabbed off of my shelf aren’t ones they’re taking. You just go to “Trade In” on the Swagbucks homepage and enter the isbn to see. If you have 600 Swag Bucks in trade value you qualify for free shipping.

But hey, even if you can’t declutter with Swagbucks, you can still earn just by making it your search engine. I highly recommend downloading the toolbar so it’s easy to use every time you search the internet. That way, you’ll give yourself lots of chances to win Swag Bucks (which can be used to get Amazon Gift Cards, Paypal, various restaurant gift cards, and much more). I looooovvvvve Swagbucks!

You can read my basic Swagbucks explanation here.

They’re also running a fun challenge right now and will be giving out four $1000 prizes.

Here’s how you enter to win the $1000:

1. Go to this page and RSVP for the Swagbucks Birthday Bash, a 24-hr Team Challenge happening on the 27th.

2. Pick one of the two parties and RSVP for it – if you don’t have a preference, click “Surprise Me”

3. That’s it – do that and you’re entered to win! They’re revealing the 4 winners on February 27th, and until then you can invite others to join you at the party you’re attending by sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

There are two “parties” and even though I don’t fully get what that means . . . I chose the guy one. The girl one was something about a beach and bathing suits. Nobody wants that. Even if it’s virtual!

If you’re not signed up for Swagbucks, go here (my referral link!) and be sure to enter BIRTHDAYBASH12 during sign-up to get your 110 bonus swagbucks!

Big Things Going On in the Gameroom

2012-02-20T14:48:41Z

Did you notice how I called it “The Gameroom” without any slashes, parentheses, or other explanation?

I’m doing my best to start thinking of this as a single purpose room that can adjust to other purposes when needed.

This is the second week of work on this room-overhaul, and I’m ready to see some real progress. Last week’s frustrating furniture-moving-episode is now just a memory, and I’m beginning to adjust to the new arrangement. I might even like it.

Might.

The new arrangement makes this room look more like a gameroom. (Which is, after all, the point.)

My big task for this week is to get rid of the desk. The desk which (once I decided it had to go) has been getting on my last nerve. The desk which I will gladly place on the curb with a big, handwritten sign saying FREE.

But before I can get rid of it . . . I have to unearth it.

So today, I cleared the desk. Not cleaned . . . just cleared. There is a rebellious little part of me that thinks the recipient of the free desk should have to dust it him/herself. It’s likely the same part of me that causes a lot of my slob-problems . . .

This is my VERY least favorite type of decluttering project. Paper. Lots of it, and all random.

I grabbed a trashcan and began going through the clutter item by item.

I found plenty of trash. Expired voter registration cards, school papers from when my second grader was in kindergarten . . . and lots more.

Mmm-hmmmm, totally useless stuff.

A can full of out-of-the-box staples, random Little People, faded nerf-darts, and such?

I tossed it all.

There were several moments of Decluttering Paralysis. Knowing that I wasn’t just straightening or cleaning, or even organizing this desk . . . but completely clearing it so I can purge it from my home, was big.

And overwhelming.

Since I couldn’t go ahead and set up the new computer table (the heavy TV will require Hubby’s help to move), and I didn’t want piles all over this room for the next two days . . . I did my best to consolidate and contain.

I was particularly proud that I turned this basket into a storage spot for CDs.

I think it looks slightly better than the way I had been storing them in the desk’s cubby:

It turned out that a LOT of the paper clutter was made up of good intentions. Most of it was recycled paper that people have given me to use for printing on the other side. I gathered it up (along with other office supplies) and placed it in this storage tub.

Yes, I’m slightly stressed about how I’m going to deal with these things on the new computer table.

After about an hour and a half, it looked like this:

Once we move the computer, we can drag the desk out to the curb!

I just have to distribute those last remaining knick-knacks to places of honor throughout the house. Things like my tiaras (purchased, not won), and . . . .

(That’s Hubby and Me in our dating years!)

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I’ll be linking this up to Orgjunkie’s 29 Day Organizing Challenge.

I’m also linking this up to The Nester’s “It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful” link-up. This project is far from (and will never be) perfect . . . but progress is beautiful.

Laundry Day’s Most Important Step

2012-02-16T02:39:07Z

Last week, I finally caught up on laundry. After Christmas-break-craziness and a January of e-book-tunnel-vision, my Laundry Loveseat was finally back to being . . . just a loveseat.

All it took was one Family Folding Night. And the kids didn’t mind at all helping with the folding and putting away.

Actually, I’m just assuming they didn’t mind.

Because I actually didn’t ask them how they felt.

Since I don’t actually care.

Anyway, I was happy to finally be caught up, and then I opened my big mouth and volunteered to help out at the school for a few hours and have a meeting with my pastor about ideas for drama.

All on Monday. Laundry Day.

It’s now Wednesday afternoon, and I’m chugging along at getting it done.

Here’s the thing. Even if I don’t have a successful Laundry Day, just having a Laundry Day Mentality helps. Most housework doesn’t get to end with a Big Finish, but laundry can.

Two days later, I’m still working toward the Big Finish.

Monday morning (as I was VERY tempted to skip it) I realized what is the most important step of Laundry Day.

It’s the gather-every-single-piece-of-dirty-clothing-in-the-house-and-sort-it-before-I-wash-my-first-load step.

Yep. That’s the key.

Making random trips through the house looking for darks doesn’t work. I’ll miss two or three or twenty and suddenly . . . it will be way too logical to put off that quarter-load of Hubby’s socks until next week . . . and then the story of the Laundry That Is Never Truly Done will begin again.

If I wait until I’ve emptied every last hiding place for dirty clothes, I know that all I have to do is work my way through those piles. Even if working through them takes two days (and newly-dirty undies appear in hampers), all I have to worry about are those piles. I can know (not guess) that the newly-dirtied things . . . are next Monday’s problem.

Make sense?

How I Store Plastic Food Containers

2012-02-17T01:33:03Z

(I’m teaming up with some other bloggers today to talk about . . . kitchens!)

As someone who could create a graph of my life showing a way-too-sharp upward spike in plastic food containers followed by a way-too-gradual downward decline . . . I’ve learned a thing or two about how to store them.

For me.

And for my Slob Brain that doesn’t do terribly well with complicated and elaborate organizing systems.

Did I ever mention that once upon a time I was a Tupperware lady?

I graduated from college in December of nineteen-mumble-mumble, and planned to substitute teach in the spring. When I found out I had to wait six weeks for my background check to go through, I decided to sell Tupperware. I had been to a party a few months before, and all that domesticity, storage-possiblity, and promise of super-duper-organization was crazy-appealing to me.

Y’know, because I was still in that delusional I’m-a-slob-now-but-once-I-have-a-real-kitchen-I’ll-magically-be-organized phase.

Anyway, I collected tons of plastic containers while I was selling. That was (over) fifteen years ago and I feel like I’ve been purging plastic ever since.

Now, I have finally reached the point where I can open my Tupperware cabinet without using an umbrella for self-protection, and can (generally) find what I need when I need it.

For me, that’s big.

Here are my two strategies for keeping it under control:

1. Less is more.

While the idea of being able to store enough food to feed an army is appealing, it doesn’t work for me. If I have more than two meals of leftovers stored in the fridge, I end up with too many fuzzy, unidentifiable substances that have to be spooned down the garbage disposal.

If I know how much food I can handle storing, I better understand how many containers I need.

And the fewer containers I have, the better organized the cabinet stays without being officially “organized.” Just like I find with all of my other decluttering efforts, it works best for me to just keep purging until I get to a manageable amount of stuff.

2. Store containers with the lids on.

I know this goes against everything that most storage-container-organization-system-creators believe, but it’s what works for me. No, it’s not the most efficient use of space if you’re looking to fit as much as possible into your cabinet. But when I’m following my first rule, I find that I have plenty of room to store them this way.

Since I’m a grab-and-go kind of girl, reaching blindly into the cabinet and pulling out a complete container in one grab . . . works well for me.

Matching up lids and containers from a way-too-full cabinet . . . doesn’t.

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Today, I’m teaming up with some other bloggers to provide ideas and inspiration for the kitchen. Go check out their posts and be inspired to tackle a project in your kitchen!

Jami from An Oregon Cottage is re-vamping and beautifying her “pitifully small” spice cabinet.

Nony from A Slob Comes Clean is talking about how she keeps her food storage containers from causing an avalanche every time she opens the cabinet door.

Christine from I Dream of Clean is sharing cleaning ideas she’s learned from watching cooking shows.

Taylor from Stain Removal 101 is sharing tips, tricks, and how-tos of cleaning the fridge.

Lauren from Mama’s Laundry Talk is sharing the Dos and Don’ts of Dishcloths.

Pre-Made Decisions

2012-02-14T03:36:49Z

The lovely Lenetta used to often remind me that clutter is made up of “unmade decisions.”

So true.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about pre-made decisions.

What things can I decide ahead of time will be pitched in the trash?

Well, for one . . . pantyhose with big ol’ runs in them.

I just tossed those pantyhose in the picture above. I rarely get runs in my pantyhose for the simple reason that . . . I rarely wear pantyhose.

After wearing those yesterday, there was a big hole in them. And yet . . . a feeling of panic rippled through my chest as I threw them in the trash.

I know that I won’t think about my need for pantyhose until 5 minutes before the next time I need to walk out the door wearing them. So, for some reason . . . that makes me want to keep them.

Keeping them would soothe my slob brain just enough that I wouldn’t worry about not having ANY pantyhose.

Until the moment when I put them on and realize they have a hole. The moment when (re)discovering a run would be a most annoying thing.

Maybe . . . maybe . . . the nagging knowledge that I do not own any pantyhose at all will cause enough mental discomfort that I’ll think to get some before the next time I need them.

Maybe?

Baked Penne with Beef: Trying Out a New (To Me) Ingredient

2012-02-13T05:27:17Z

Thank you to Kraft Foods for offering me the opportunity to recreate a recipe with PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme. Please click here to learn more about all the PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme flavors and recipes.

Baked Penne with Beef

You know I’m all about simple meals.

Keeping things simple in the kitchen is the best way I’ve found to make family mealtime consistent.

I recently tried out Philadelphia Cooking Creme (Italian Cheese and Herb) in a recipe.

Ummm . . . yummm!

It seems like cream cheese is the secret ingredient in all of my favorite recipes! The cooking creme, especially this one that already has Italian flavor, gives that creamy texture my family loves and makes those types of recipes ever so much easier to create. It melts and blends more quickly than cream cheese, which is good for this mama who is always rushing around in that crazy hour before the family starts begging to eat!

Last Thursday, I re-created Kraft Foods’ Baked Penne with Beef recipe.

The verdict? My family LOVED it. Everyone gave the meal a thumbs up, and all but one child asked for seconds.

And how easy was it? Very. (Especially since I used pre-cooked ground beef.) It was mostly just a matter of boiling the pasta, combining the ingredients in a skillet, and putting them in a casserole dish to bake for 20 minutes.

The recipe did call for green peppers. I am so thankful to have a husband who agrees whole-heartedly with me on this: No green peppers shall ever be used in this house.

I know some people love them. We don’t. I just left them out. They weren’t a crucial ingredient, and I have no qualms whatsoever about changing up recipes to fit our family’s tastes!

Baked Penne with Beef

What You Need:

1/2 lb extra-lean ground beef (Hubby requested that I add more beef next time.)

1/2 cup each chopped onions and ~~green peppers~~

One jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

One tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme, divided

One cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Three cups cooked penne pasta

Make it:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brown meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly.

Spoon into 2-qt casserole; top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover.

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through, uncovering after 15 min.

This recipe is truly simple and quite forgiving! I realized as I typed up the directions that I added the pasta before the cooking creme, “dumped” into the casserole dish instead of “spooned” and it turned out just fine!

I also didn’t cover it while in the oven. This scatter-brained mama needs recipes that are simple enough to handle some unintentional adjustments!

Here’s a video where I share my opinion of this easy recipe:

If you can’t see the video, click here to watch it on YouTube.

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Nutrition Information Per Serving

370 calories, 15g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 990mg sodium, 37g carbohydrate, 22g protein

Thank you again to Kraft Foods for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected as one of 20 bloggers by Technorati Media and Clever Girls Collective to participate in the Kraft Foods PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme signature recipes campaign. While I have been compensated for my time and received the product, my opinions and experiences are my own.