Bucolic beauty 2

My house is made of cobwebs

You would think:

a) I live in an ancient, haunted house that the children dare each other to run up and touch the porch rail before the crazy one-toothed witch catches them and makes them into stew (not true, I have more than one tooth)

b) I never clean (not true, I clean every week)

c) I harvest cobwebs for scientific research of the tensile strength of spider webs for future space use. (not true, NASA won't return my calls)

I am afraid if I sleep too long I will wake up spun into a giant spider web cocoon. Let the new nightmares begin. 

Chopped

Yesterday afternoon I finally got around to prepping all the produce in my fridge for the week.

2 heads of broccoli trimmed and steamed

1 head cauliflower chopped

2 bunches of celery cleaned and cut

7 red peppers deseeded and sliced

1 bag of fingerling potatoes cooked and made into potato salad with heaps of fresh dill

1 English cucumber sliced

5 heads of romaine cleaned

Salad? Easy-peasey yes pleasey.

Shiny

The slovenly days of the past 2 weeks are over. I spent the weekend cleaning and dusting and polishing every surface including the leaves of the orchid. Everything is so clean and shiny a photo would be blinding. If you come to visit please keep in mind you will have to wear hospital booties and please don't sit on the furniture and try not to touch anything, actually it would be better if you just stood outside and we waved through the windows.

Since last time

Since posting last, the house has gotten very messy, then messier, then it was so bad I had to pick everything up out of shame but then it got messy again. 
Easter was happily ignored this year.
Had several zombie/Apocalypse nightmares and one last night where I lost Lola.
Haven't been on the treadmill this week, might explain why I am a bit blue. 
Picked up sticks, raked and mowed the lawn. 
Forgot to take out recycling last week, newspapers piling up. 
Three more boxes made their way up from the basement.
Etsy shop to be opening soon, will announce grand opening hopefully next week. 
New painting project underway, will post before and after when done. 
Made 76 curried chicken roll-ups for museum luncheon fundraiser. 
And of course sent in my taxes, probably the real reason I'm feeling a bit blue.

Hope the first half of April has been good to you!

Bathroom fix up

The cherry stained cabinets and dark green granite look great in my kitchen but they used the same materials for the master bathroom.  Bleck. It was driving me crazy, something had to be done.

I have a "can of paint" budget rather than a "carrera marble" budget so off to Home Depot I went. A quart of paint and two rollers later I was ready for my first painting project on the new home. My mother who for years has been painting everything that stands still long enough gave me a quick tutorial along with a much needed drop cloth and a brush to get all the places a roller can't.

I thought it would be a quick weekend project but with in-between-coats-drying-time it extended over two weeks. And today I finally put all the doors and drawers back up. I am thrilled!

This is what it looked like originally. Sorry I didn't clean off the top!

Here it is in the process of being painted. 

Looks better already.

All done! What a difference.

I have touched every piece of paper in my house

My files are glorious, my filing cabinet – a work of art. 

I have spent several weekends going through all my papers, every last crumpled receipt. 

95% of everything that was clogging my old files, closets, purse, and kitchen counter has been shredded. The remaining 5% are filed, labeled and hanging neatly and submissively in my filing cabinet. All color coordinated of course in pale grey and white.

And my receipts! After the date and total has been highlighted on incoming receipts they go into their tabbed section of the newly labeled accordion folder, then all the receipts for each month are stapled together once a new month begins. I am breathlessly awaiting April 1st.

Need to check the insurance policy? No problem, back in a jiff. Utilities? Business receipts? Dog care? Investments? Upcoming events? Coupons? I can get them with only two fingers and one eye open. 

I pounce on the mailman when he comes, will it go to the shredder or be filed? Who knows, this is so exciting! I am less interested in what I actually buy now and more excited when I get to highlight and file the receipt.

I am the file queen, bow down your folders before me.