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Yesterday’s assignment was to plan an end of the month Get Together in our newly cleaned and organized home. I do love having people over, but I’m afraid this month is out of the question. Also, Ren Fest begins the 7th of February here and those who know me, know that John and I will be there. The last weekend of January I seriously need to have a gigantic yard sale to get rid of all the stuff piled in the Out Box/Room and which is taking up a good 1/3 of the garage and which has spilled over into the barn.
Thus, rather than spend time thinking about a Get Together, I got together with my measuring tape and my laundry room project. I had to measure the width, depth, and height of the existing shelves, measure the tallest of the small appliances I’d like to store in there, calculate where to place a new shelf to accommodate the appliances, measure up from the floor to be sure there would be enough room for the bag of dastardly dachshund chow, and begin to ponder things like paint colors, and drop zone storage.
Today’s assignment was a timed three to ten minute rapid sweep of one surface. Going after that one area as if the in-laws had just that moment called from up the road and I had three to five minutes before they knocked. We’re talking bust butt frantic here. Not just frantic stuffing things into the pantry, which is why my pantry looked that way before the purge, but grabbing stuff and actually putting it where it belonged.
My desk was the chosen victim because it butts up against the kitchen island and people entering the front door see it before they see that nice sparkling clean kitchen (yes, it still sparkles). I set the stove timer. I don’t even know if my “smart” phone has a timer, but I do know I’m not smart enough to find it if it does. I went old school and pressed the start button.
Grabbing stuff willy nilly and stuffing it into the kangaroo pouch I’d formed in the hem of my sweatshirt. I grabbed car keys, sunglasses an empty coke can, candy wrappers, old mail, chargers, charger cables, laptop cleaner, laptop duster, and ran around the house frantically placing things in their designated areas. Back to the desk I picked up random paperclips, pens, pen tops, note pads, and pocketed loose change. Paperclips went back in their box, pen caps went on pens and pens went in the pen basket. Everything else was placed on the kitchen island while I grabbed a damp rag and wiped clean the desk and laptop. Rag was tossed in the washing machine, the stuff I’d dumped on the island was neatly placed back on the desk. DONE! Five minutes. I could hold off the in-laws for an extra moment by yelling “Coming! Just let me get the dachshund sword!” This would give them something to contemplate until I got to the door.
Jean's Blog of Life, Farms and Everything 
Good job. That’s an amazing transformation in just 5 minutes. It’s great you’re blogging the cure as you actually do it. I seem to be reading the assignments and skipping most of them.
I feel that. There are some things that I’ve done, which will require re-doing once other rooms get better organized. The floor and pantry for instance. I thought I’d at least try to have a couple of neighbors over at the end of the month, but the farther along I get and realize how much clutter I’ll be selling, donating, dumping at the end of the month, I believe I’ll just give that assignment the old skippola.
Great job! I am afraid that if I clean off my desk, I’d have to dust to make the patches look even. 🙂
After spending all weekend getting my kitchen clean and shiny, including window and wall washing, today I was sitting here gloating about my desk and the view of the kitchen when it began to rain and a rather significant leak developed under the pot shelf over my kitchen window. Now I’m wondering if the crud is the only thing holding the house together. Isn’t the bedroom coming up this weekend? Last thing I need is a large water torture drip on my head at night.
I never thought cleaning and organizing could be a spectator sport, but I’m having great fun watching your projects turn into accomplishments. But wait…of course cleaning and organizing are spectator sports…my family has been spectating for years!
Looks great! If you have an Android, the timer is usually part of the same app that also houses the clock, alarms, and stopwatch. I have the time on my homescreen, and if I tap that I can get into everything else. 1: tap clock, 2: swype left/right to see other “time” functionalities. 🙂
If you have an iPhone, my only suggestion is to throw it out a window and get an Android. lol!
I have an Android. So far I know how to take pictures, make calls, text, and upload to Facebook. You’re obviously under 55 lol.
😉 Mom called me one day saying “There is music playing on my phone and I have no idea how to make it stop.” She doesn’t even have Facebook (for which I am eternally grateful), so you have her beaten there!!
I have just started having the same problem!!!! I decided to put some songs on my phone. Why I do not know because this 6 month old phone has suddenly decided not to play through headphones or my stereo. Now, if I grip it anywhere near the screen it cranks up the music player and it takes me 5 minutes to figure out how to shut the thing off.
I still have no idea what she did…because I guarantee she didn’t purposefully put any music on her phone!! And I know she doesn’t have any music apps, because I didn’t install any. It’s still a mystery. She eventually was able to get it to stop by restarting her phone.