This last week has been a good one as I get the house in shape for the new year. Last Wednesday I did a deep clean since our house was really lived in from vacation. I did tidy things from time to time over our break, but not like I usually do. It was vacation after all. On Friday I used my new steam vacuum for the first time. I love pouring out brown water and knowing that dirt in no longer in my carpet. It’s one of the most satisfying feelings on this planet, I’m sure of it. Today I went through the house did some organizing. Jeremy and I have been making some extra “fun” money by selling things we no longer use or need on eBay. While our home office really looks like we’re running a business due to large piles sitting here and there, the absence of those items in our house led me to do some rearranging. Our bookshelves were the most obviously hit. I spent some time sorting books and evening the two shelves out. I even divided my personal bookshelf into fiction and non-fiction – like the library. For some reason that fact makes me chuckle and feel happy. The only instance where this does pan out is with C.S. Lewis. His books fall under both categories and I just couldn’t separate them Weird, I know.
After the bookshelves, I attacked the pantry, fridge and freezer! I don’t do it very often, but from time to time it’s good to go over everything and throw away expired food. I usually do this task when my hubby isn’t home since he can argue any expired food should have the right to live just a little while longer. Me, on the other hand, I take those numbers seriously. A day over the expiration date and I’m pretty sure food poisoning is a possibility. With the food items taken care of – I moved on to Jeremy’s junk drawer. I didn’t really throw anything away from this drawer, but I did reorganize it and put a few things away that don’t really belong in there.
Another fun activity I did today was replace some of the photos around my house. It seems every 3-6 months I want to update the photos with our recent travels and gatherings. I like looking at something new when I walk around my house. The only problem is there are so many good pictures to choose from and many of the ones I take down I still dearly enjoy. I try to keep it all in balance though. I can only afford so many picture frames and really I only have so much space for them.
I enjoy this time of deep cleaning and organizing. It makes my house feel fresh. I would say I clean like this with the seasons. Spring cleaning one time a year is just not enough. I know I’m a bit OCD, but even I have the habit of letting things slide and soon before you know it a well organized space is sloppy. Because of eBay, we’re going through our stuff and that is a good thing. I love sorting through my stuff and getting rid of things. I’m not sure why I’m wired this way, but I enjoy it!
However, I did move one or two things today that I probably shouldn’t have… and my back is a tiny bit sore. I think the couch and I will become good friends this evening! I need to balance all this productivity with some rest!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 