Monthly Challenge - March

(An old photo of me cleaning our fridge when we first moved to Texas.)

If you don’t know what the challenges are about, please read the first one. :-)

I had written up a different challenge for this month, but then realized that the northern regions of the globe would maybe be too wintry still for it to practical, so I had to figure out something else.  I postponed the other challenge to April, so that little hint should keep you guessing. :-)

Since it’s March and “Spring Cleaning” is popular with some people, I thought this challenge might be a good one for us to do this month.

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Clean something that you know needs to be done, but you have been putting off.

And/Or

Get rid of 5 things you don’t really need or never use.

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Even if you don’t practice “Spring Cleaning” (which I don’t) this challenge is doable.  A lot of us have some cleaning job that is nagging us that we could get done this month.  I can think of more than one at the moment.  It doesn’t have to be something huge and exhausting.  You don’t have to clean out the whole garage.  Pick something for which you have the time and energy.  Ideas:  Clean the fan blades of ceiling fans in one or more rooms, clean the top of the fridge, wash a load of rags that have been waiting to get done, clean out the bath tub you never use, etc.  Cleaning and getting rid of 5 things could easily be combined in some cases such as cleaning out the fridge.

On the other hand, if you’re not up for a cleaning project at all, you can get rid of 5 things you don’t need, want or use.  That should be fairly easy for anyone, except maybe a pathological hoarder.  (If you feel too overwhelmed by the thought of getting rid of 5 things, and assuming you’re not a minimalist, you might want to seek professional help.  Seriously.)  Some areas to look: clothes closets, storage areas, cleaning supplies, the freezer or deep freeze, shoes, book shelves, seasonal décor, toy boxes, craft/sewing area, etc.

I’m thinking that it probably would be good for me us, if I did both of these challenges this month!  Since some of these challenges are meant to improve our own personal spaces, naturally it can improve things for those around us as well. :-)

Random Kitchen Shot and Some Thoughts On Using “Treasures”

Here is a random photo of my kitchen.  This was taken a year or two ago.  It’s before I got my new stove, so I know it was before the fall of 2010 anyway! :-)

A little description might be in order.  As you can see I have a dishwasher (praise the Lord), but I still use a drainer as I do some things by hand.  I also use it for drying fresh fruit and vegetables that I wash. 

The dark hole above the sink is not something out of The Time Zone.  Actually, it was a window before the living room was added.  The people who did this left the opening, put a board on the bottom (apparently for serving food into the living room, as it’s quite wide) and removed the glass panes.  The reason it looks so dark in the living room is that the shades and drapes are all shut (probably it was a hot day – we have a surplus of those in Texas).  The light is coming from the window which is across from the sink.

On the counter I see – coffee grounds waiting to go to the mulch pile, breakfast dishes, milk thawing (we buy ours at Costco and freeze what we can’t use right away), the toaster, a “cookie” jar (that’s the old one that now holds garlic), peanut butter, etc.

Using Those Treasures

Notice the little decorative pitcher up on the window ledge.  That is an “heirloom” from my grandmother.  I use it to water my house plants.  Yes!  You can use heirlooms for something useful! :-)  They don’t need to just sit on a shelf and collect dust – making work for you.

One of my grandmothers was especially bad about saving things for “special” occasions.  Unfortunately, those occasions seldom came and she had little opportunity to enjoy actually using her nice things (and some clothes).  I am trying to learn from that that it is OK to use my nice things and not to just keep them shut away or in the china closet for “special” occasions.  Any occasion can be special if you use a cherished and lovely item! :-) 

Take that little pitcher – I use it and I have the added pleasure of seeing it sitting right on the ledge every day.  Otherwise it would probably be stored in some dark corner out of sight!

These plates I probably only ever saw when my grandparents moved and when we cleaned out their house for the last time.  Isn’t that sad?  They are so nice!  My husband and I use them as everyday plates.  They went very nicely with our “eclectic mix” of blue and white dishes. :-)