Guess what I did today!!!!!!! I hung towels on the line! Did you expect something a little more exciting? Ok, I may be a bit crazy for being so enthusiastic about a chore most people don’t even do anymore. I will admit, it is a bit odd. I just love the smell that you can only get from clothes hung outdoors. No dryer sheet can give you that! I like that I can save money hanging clothes and it is a really good excuse for me to get to go outside. It is a very relaxing job really. Not only that, but it means that spring is actually here!

Which means….. I planted flowers too! I like the cheery colors I chose this year. Yellow, orange and bright pink. Marigolds, Kalanchoe, and pink petunias. Nothing like getting your hands in the dirt to make you feel close to nature and at peace in your soul. It is such a great feeling!

An article in “Modern Farmer” by Anna Brones entitled “Does Dirt Make You Happy?” suggests that dirt is an antidepressant, an immune booster and suppresses inflammation in the body. I am all for that! No wonder Spring feels so good! Go outside and get your hands dirty and come back to a clean house. The outside dirt is such a wonderful thing but the “dirt” in our homes, not so much!

I used the bathroom downstairs today. I don’t use that bathroom very often. I keep it clean but I don’t actually use it much. I happened to notice the baseboard given my position. ummmmmm….ewwwwww. The bathroom is uncluttered and clean but sometimes something like a nasty dirty baseboard can make a whole room look gross. I am NOT a detailed person. I am just not. I can keep a whole house looking clean and tidy but when it comes to the little things I really have to work to get those done. It doesn’t just come naturally. I know this about myself so instead of waiting, I went and grabbed an old toothbrush, cleaner, and a rag right away. I looked at my watch. 2:14pm. I sprayed the whole baseboard along the longest wall. I started scrubbing at the end where I had started spraying. I scrubbed, sprayed, wiped. I also scrubbed the floor where it met the baseboard.

Right here I am going to interrupt myself to recommend that you NEVER use a sponge mop. Just don’t do it! I can’t think of anything more disgusting than spreading around the nasty grossness that never comes out of a sponge all over your house. Sick. If you must use a Swiffer type mop, fine, not as bad but don’t use it all the time. You don’t want to be pushing ickies to the edges of the room. Use an actual mop that you can twist and wring out and replace the mop head now and then. It will not leave you with gunk in the corners so much or be spreading nasty bacteria. I also spray my mop with Clorox Cleanup after rinsing it when I am done. I hang it to dry between uses.

Ok, back to the baseboard… I got the one wall done and decided to keep going. The others were shorter although maybe even dirtier. All done! I looked at my watch. 2:19. FIVE MINUTES guys!!! Five minutes to do a nasty job that doesn’t get done often but made the whole bathroom look way cleaner! That is my proud moment for this week! We can get so much more done in five minutes than we think we can. We build those things up in our minds and make mountains out of molehills!

Go conquer some molehills friends, and get your hands in the dirt outside too! Spring is here!

Since spring is here that means its time to change up that menu! Move over soup and casserole! Salad and BBQ are ready for their turn.

I am going to leave you guys with my famous potato salad recipe. I promise you it’s the best darn potato salad you’ve ever had and you will have people begging for the recipe! Just be sure to tell them where you got it!

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E’s Potato Salad

E’s Potato Salad

Serves:
12

Ingredients:


3 pounds	red potatoes diced
1 cup	sour cream
1 cup	mayonnaise
1 bunch	green onions sliced
1 pound	bacon cooked, drained and crumbled
1 teaspoon	salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon	black pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon	paprika
1 tablespoon	dill weed
2 tablespoons	pickle juice
1 tablespoon	cider vinegar
	chives for garnish

Directions:

In a stock pot cover potatoes with cool water. Toss in about a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Boil for 15-18 minutes, checking for doneness with a fork. Don’t overcook, you don’t want mashed potato salad. While potatoes are cooking stir together remaining ingredients, except garnish. When potatoes are done, drain and rinse with cold water. Gently stir potatoes into the mixture. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with chives and more paprika if desired.

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Salads / Salads

We went camping last weekend!! Yes, it rained and possibly snowed just a bit. It was cold and wet, but we went camping!! I am just a little excited that the camping season is upon us. At least for us crazy diehards, it is. We did go to our State Park where we had electric hookups. We didn’t go all survivor style or anything. We just needed to get away for a couple of nights and have some nature therapy.

I love the fresh air, the dirt, the grass, the trees and walks in the rain and roasting marshmallows. Most of all I love the memories we are making. Memories are what holds families together. Memories will be what’s left when we are gone.

I want to give my family a clean, organized home that is a comforting safe place to be and leave them memories that will live on long after I am gone. I know that sounds like having your cake and eating it too! How do you have time to make memories if you are keeping a clean and organized home?

I know for me, personally, I had a tough time trying to balance cleaning and laundry and cooking with spending time with my kids. I loved reading to them and baking with them and working on schoolwork together, but it was hard to do when I had so much that had to be done! I knew that there had to be a better way.

I have spent years developing that “way”! Thinking it out and perfecting my system. I wish I could have had my ducks in a row when my kids were really young. I hope they knew I was trying! It is my goal and passion to pass what I have learned on to you!

Breaking down household chores into little bits and doing those little bits each day, establishing habits that are seemingly effortless, and eliminating excess, creates what is the “Self Cleaning House”.

Eliminating things that create clutter helps to cut down your workload and keeps your house tidy. More is NOT better. Less is best! For example, I HATE dusting! The best way I avoid doing this job is simple. I just don’t have things that need to be dusted. I am a minimalist when it comes to knickknacks and decorations. Having very few “things” makes a room look more open, less cluttered and just simply beautiful. It makes it easier to tidy up and much easier to do the dreaded dusting. Less “stuff”, even if its pretty “stuff” gives the illusion of a much more tidy home.

We get used to seeing our stuff. It becomes like furniture. It’s just there. Even if we don’t like it, it just sits there and pretty soon we don’t see it anymore! Do yourself a huge favor this week and take a close look around. Walk into your home and pretend you are a guest. Look at everything with fresh eyes. What do you see? What do you like? What don’t you like? What looks out-of-place or outdated or just blah…? Then gather all those things up and take them immediately to your local St. Vincent’s or another thrift store you choose to support. Don’t stick them in the garage or closet just creating more junk to clean around. Be rid of the stuff!! Just say NO to stuff!

Dusting a flat surface takes very little time. I still don’t enjoy it but at least it doesn’t take long. Less time doing housework equals more time with your family and more memory making! Get rid of some stuff and go do something you love!