Flybaby Brenda

Baby Stepping New Year

2006-12-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's nearly 2007 and I'm all ready to baby step my way through it. I admit, I've not been doing the missions, but as we just moved most of the way across the US, I'm still emptying boxes. The move went well, and only one thing was damaged. Easily replaced. The house is TWICE the size of our last one. You would think this would put disorganized little old me into a panic.

Nope. I've been thinking about a control journal and what will need to go in it. So far, I've been doing the laundry every day in my brand new washer and dryer, and keeping the sink shined. My biggest goal is to keep the counters free of EVERYTHING except the new microwave and my coffeepot. That's it, nothing else. This house has cabinets galore and putting the crockpots, toaster and mixer away once I'm done using it, isn't a problem. That's good for me. The hardest part is "teaching" the family that's how it's going to be.

The worst part of this house is the carpet. It has WHITE carpet. It also rains here, so consequently, I get mud. Already, I've put my FeatherLite Dirt Devil carpet shampooer to work. It does work great, except we have stairs with white carpet. That's harder to clean. I'll have to figure out the best way to do them.

One big plus with this house is that it has a trash compactor. I never knew how GREAT a trash compactor is until I was able to put a whole weeks worth of trash into one bag. That's a family of five who generate a LOT of trash. Great invention.

Hubby and I now have a bed we both can sleep in. YAY. We spent the last year and a half sleeping separately because he has a bad back and couldn't sleep on the waterbed. Now we get to share like a real couple. A lady in one of my groups was complaining that her hubby rassles with her kids on her bed and pulls the sheets off and wondered how to keep them on.
I am a neat bed freak. The sheets have to be wrinkle free and the blankets on straight and proper. Hubby is a kick the covers off the bed type. Every day, I have to remake the bed from scratch but I'm just glad we can sleep together. Since my situation is so diametrically different than her 'gripe', I just don't get it. Maybe I'll feel that way after six months. Who knows.

I mentioned I'm going to be doing a control journal. Yes. I'm going to try again. I need to be able to keep the house clean and write my books and work on my crafts. I am hopeing that with a control journal I can do all these things and not neglect my family to do them.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

HAPPY 2007.
I'm hoping mine will be better.

Brenda

We're here

2006-11-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

Things got busy the last week, but the house was clean when we left. We've made it to Alabama, and staying in a nice hotel while the rental house is completed. They are putting in new counters and linoleum. That'll be nice. So, here we are with maid service and I can't wait to get into the house and start the FLYing right from the start.

Brenda

7 Days Left

2006-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

We'll be outta here come Saturday the 18th.

Today, I'm preparing for the movers to come and pack us up on Tuesday. Well, to be honest, I'll be preparing for the rest of the weekend and on Monday. It'll be easier that way. I'm also doing a final separation of what I'm taking and what I'm shipping.

Things are going fairly smoothly, so the Flylady thing is working. I only have to do the change of address and the utilities and scrub the house down. THATS IT.

I'm well on track, doing good, relatively stressless, and heck... I can't wait to get into the new house so I can start fresh. Flying is going to be easy-breazy there. I've filter through my stuff, will have a clean house to start with, and, as long as I do the Flying, I'll have a house people can visit in.

Brenda

Final Countdown : < 10 days

2006-11-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, folks. I'm under ten days to move.

This next week is going to be slightly insane for me, so don't count on too much posting, if any. Heck, my internet is going to be shipped so I won't have access till I'm actually in Alabama. I'll let you know how it went once I'm there.

This week is actual move day. Well, next Saturday we'll be on the road. The packers will be here and taking our stuff. The cars will be picked up and shipped, and the van will be packed. The house will be cleaned (by me, not including the carpets (WHEW), because the owner is going to replace the 30 year old things.) and We'll be outta here.

I've taken care of everything but the shut off dates of my utilities, and I'll do that Monday.

I'm excited and nervous, but like the lady in the testimonial from today (Woohoo! I did it) I'm going to make Flying my goal for the new house.

Brenda

Final Countdown: 15 Days

2006-11-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I did paperwork that, yes, I've been procrastinating on. It's done now, and I don't have to think about it again. I also took my oldest and let her do her first, get aquainted with the automobile drive. She needs a lot of practice, but I think she'll be driving soon. WATCH OUT!

Other than battling a headache, that's what I did yesterday.

Today, I've been cleaning up my laptop. I still have some things to do around the house, and I'll get them done. LOL

Answers are coming in at a rapid rate now. Our temporary housing has been confirmed (we'll be in a nice hotel until Dec 1) and the vehicle transporters will hold onto our cars until the first as well.

Hm. The movers will be here the 14th and 15th to pack our stuff and EVERYTHING including the cars) will get loaded up and shipped on the 16th.

I have to admit, this is going much smoother than if I had to do everything myself. Hopefully, things will go smoother. LOL. I have been trying to stay on top of everything, but my house... You know those paths between the chaos people talk about... I'm acquiring them. sigh. Well, the packers and movers will take care of that. :)

I can't wait to get going. Next week, I have to talk to the counselors at the school to begin the transfer of my two high schoolers. The school they are going to go to has a different way of doing things. They go to three classes a semester for a couple hours each, each day. Then the second semester they take three DIFFERENT classes. It's more like a college setting, which will be good, but right now it's going to cause PAIN. I have two teens, 6 classes half completed. How they are going to transfer that, I don't know, which is why I have to get them started now.

One thing I haven't started is Novembers goal. GRR. Next month I'm hoping to start that menu planning goal. It would be nice to not have to think about what's for dinner. LOL

Brenda

Final Countdown: 17 Days

2006-11-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's the First of November. Busy month for me ahead.

Today, I've started off my day with the usual getting up and getting dressed to the shoes. Hair too. Ok, so I'm ready to do the day.

I dealt with a bit of moving business, and business with my editor, and now, since the oldest is still asleep (she partied a little past her normal bedtime last night... she didn't get home till 11. LOL) I'm working on my WIP (work in progress), trying to get the story done before we leave this house. I only have about 10 thousand words to go, and that's not much. I can do it, but I have to schedule time out of my day to do it. That's all right. sigh

So, here we are. Soon the daughter will wake up and I'll have to leave my comfy chair for some hard work. We have to UNPACK the book boxes. I figured out a scheme though. I'll take my yarn boxes and open them as well, take out half the books until it weighs about 30 pounds, then fill the rest of the box with yarn. That way, I've got two boxes still, but they weigh the 35 max allowed.

How's that sound? I think it's a good idea in theory. I'll let you know if it actually works. :)

That's the goal for today. Have a great day, all.

Brenda

Final Countdown: 18 Days

2006-10-31T07:18:00.000-08:00

We will be leaving this house in So Cal on the 18th. That's the day we return the keys to the owner. YAY.

We'll probably spend the night at the in-laws and leave the morning of the 19th.

I'm ready.

We've been in contact with the moving company, the company who will move our vehicles, the real estate agent setting up our rental housing, and um.... I'm still trying to get the trailer registered. Waiting for a Bill of Sale from the BIL. sigh

Otherwise, I think we are in good shape. The packing, well, I'm going to have to unpack and repack my books (a 35 lb rule). I think I can get away with just unpacking them, and letting them pack them. HEHE.

Oldest and I spackled the walls yesterday and did the Monday morning routine of getting rid of the weekend clutter. Yes, even in what seems to be total confusion, I still make sure I do my routines.

Today is shopping/bill paying day. Also have errands to run for the hubby. I'm going to try to get my oil changed on the van as well. Don't want that date to sneak up on me without having gotten the oil change.

Catch you tomorrow and I'll update you.

Brenda

Hopefully Final Date

2006-10-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

We have a move out date and a leave the state date.

Nov 18th is the move out date (handing the keys over to the owner)
Nov 19th Leave the state.

Tomorrow, the moving company rep will be here to check out our stuff to do a weight estimate. Maybe after that I can get a date that they will come empty my house.

Housework is still going well (around the packed areas and boxes). I've donated and tossed TONS of stuff. The hitch is on the van and the trailer is ALMOST completely registered. Man, it's hard to register a brother in law's trailer. It isn't registered (up to date) now, because he's military in Germany. He left it with us as storage and if we needed it, have at... But... To transport it cross country, it needs to be in our name.

go figure.

He's sending the last of the paperwork snailmail and as soon as I get that, I'll run it BACK to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and get the plates. Tires have been rotated on the van, I'm learning to back the trailer up... Ok, I suck, but that's what the hubby is for. I can go forward just fine.

Hm. I need to go to the dump a couple of times to dispose of some large items, but other than that, I'm just slowly packing my things.

I have to start separating out the stuff we are taking with us from the stuff that's getting transported.

I'm thanking Flylady, because so far, it's been, if not easy, slightly less stressful.

We have a company that is looking for temporary housing for us. Nov 21-Dec 1 until the rental house is ready. We still have to do paperwork on the rental house. Hubby said he has that under control. Sure hope so.

Brenda

Ack!

2006-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

About an hour and a half ago, hubby called. He has a start date, a must be there date, and a date I'll go insane. :)

Here's the deal. Hubby has officially taken the job that will send us to Alabama. His start date is Nov 13. We (the family) has to be installed in Alabama on Dec 1. Tomorrow the relocation company will be calling him.

Countdown has started. I'll know soon exactly how many days I have to complete the packing.

I'll let you know.

Oldest daughter had done a clean sweep on her room BEFORE we got the call, so she's in good shape.
Son is working on his now, but not the clean sweep thing.
Youngest daughter is doing homework, so will have lots to do another day.

I got the trailer registered today. Mostly. I still have to take it in for an inspection. Shoulda told me that earlier. sheesh. However, I have to go tomorrow and get the hitch I bought installed. Hubby was going to do it, but holes need to be drilled in the frame and he doesn't want that liability. :) smart boy.

Hubby will have to put in the electrical package so I can take the trailer to the DMV next Tuesday.

But hey, I had the best experience at the DMV ever. I walked in early. About 8:05am and was out by 8:20am. Cool, huh? Everyone was even smiling. It was great.

Other than that, I'm broke, going to be broker, and payday isn't until the first. LOL

sigh.

As I said, I'll keep you updated. At least half the packing is done though. That's nice. The move is going to confuse the holidays though. But hey! I won't have to worry about family dropping by my house. LOL

Brenda

Going to Alabama

2006-10-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Alabama for the weekend to check out the area we are moving to, and to hopefully find a place to live. Wish me luck. Apparently, rentals are few and far between.

No teenagers from Thursday to Sunday night. Exciting isn't it?

Sure hope this goes well.

I'm packed, following the airport rules (found a site online that tells me them in detail), and I've made extra meals this week for the teens to eat while I'm gone so they don't starve. Laundry is done, and hm... Teens have been instructed on what to do in case of emergency.

Sure, I'm a worrywort parent, my oldest being 18, and youngest 15 next week, but heck... I've never been this far from them and if there's an emergency, I want them to be able to dial 911. LOL

Okie dokie. I'll update when I return.

This is the last chance for us to opt out of this cross country move if we don't like it there, but I think we'll be moving.

Have a great weekend.

Brenda

Move Change...

2006-10-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's official.

Yesterday, the hubby got a start date from the Vice President of the company he's going to work for. Alabama it is, and only one move. YAY.

Next week, Thursday night - Saturday, we will be going to the town we'll be transfering to, to look for a place to live. We will have to meet up with a realtor, the HR HEAD of the company, and a city council member. Hubby and I will be the first transferring family (with our three teens) and city council wants to get to know us. Oh, the trials of management. :) I have to find a NICE outfit (apparently, jeans won't cut it), and make sure my camera is ready to take pics for the teens.

Teens are cool with it cause they will get to miss a day of school Friday.

Me, I'm getting nervous. I am a bit of a hermit, and tend to say stupid stuff. I think I'll just smile and look like a California Trophy Wife.... Do Trophy Wives usually reach the age of ALMOST 40? Hm. Well, the Oil of Old Lady I've been slathering on my face morning and night since Flylady told me it would be a good idea, might just be helping.

OH, meant to tell you. We will be driving out of California, going to Alabama with our banjo's on our knees, on December 1.

The dining room is 1/3 filled with boxes and they are mostly mine. The rest of the family needs to start boxing their stuff, but we have until mid November.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 55

2006-10-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be so long, but here's an update.

The dining room has been essentially emptied and refilled with packed boxes. We are going to have all the things we are taking inside the house because the owner has things in the garage we don't want to take.

My oldest and I are about to pack the van for a thrift store trip to get rid of some things (won't that be nice) and trash day is tomorrow, so we can get rid of some more things.

I have to register the trailer really soon, so we can get the plates. Then we can go to the dump to dispose of the rest of the things we won't be taking.

Things are unshaping up around here. But I realized I'm getting old. LOL I don't have the strength or energy I thought I had.

Anyway, other than getting old, both my daughters have birthdays this month (one 18 and one 15). The craft fair is next weekend (which I will attend but not purchase) and I'm thinking by then I can tell my MIL what's what. We should have answers by the end of the week. I know them, but until I see the actual paperwork, I won't share it. :)

Things are heating up around here. Hold on, it's going to be a stressful, dusty ride. At least the house is half packed.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 47

2006-09-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're packing.

All right, update time. The office is packed. Boxes labeled, pictures taken of the contents, and weighed.

My kitchen and master bathroom are clean. I've been doing the Before Bed routine (which I'm just about to start since I shower at night instead of the morning) and my sink is shiny. Both of them. I just need to get busy in the hall bathroom so I can swish and swipe at that one every morning after the teens leave.

I'm getting there, slowly.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 43

2006-09-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Lot's has been accomplished this week.

The office is done. Well, the desk is still in there, and a few items that were too big to fit into the size boxes I had, but everything else is packed.

I still have to take pics of the contents of the boxes, label them, weigh them, and tape the top. That shouldn't take more than a couple of rounds on the timer.

YAY! The hardest room of the house is DONE!

That was yesterday. My oldest and I kicked bootie and did it all.

Today, I kicked bootie and scrubbed the master bathroom, ceiling to floor, and bleck, it was gross. Hubby is a smoker, and to keep it away from asthmatic old me, he smokes either in the bathroom, or the garage. Smoking in the bathroom with the fan is a great thing for my lungs in the long run, but is also the most horrible icky thing for the bathroom walls. We won't go into how gross. Needless to say, the hard part is over and from here on out till moving day, I'll only have to do quick wipe downs.

Now I have to spend a little time on my book. Maybe I can get some words written. Might just have to take a nap though. LOL

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 40

2006-09-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a whole week! Wow. It went by quickly.

In the last seven days I've accomplished many things, and got behind on several more. That's okay. I was able to nurse several family members through illnesses. Seems like everyone got it, domino effect. Hopefully, it's over with and I didn't get it.

Also, I spent quality time with the family. Watched movies, joked, did nothing really, but spend time together. Went to see the MIL and made a catalogue order from my niece.

I'm trying to FACE my finances, and so far, I've only oopsed once. For me, that's pretty good. I'm striving for money left in the account before the next payday.

Also, I've been working on my September goal. Doing my before bed routine. I think I'm doing pretty good. Most of the time.

On the moving front... My dining room is still bombed, has boxes and things that need boxing and who knows what else. Laundry is caught up still with the load a day, and my kitchen... well, that's my goal for today.

Hubby has an interview tomorrow evening. Sure hope it goes well. Won't talk about it now, but soon. Things be happening here SLOWLY.

All right, gotta get to my day.

I'm sure that when I have some answers, the blog and the packing will go faster.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 33

2006-09-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Time sure gets away from a body.

Here's what I've been up to. Trying to make my house livable again. :) I got rid of the rental laptop and got myself a Dell. That's what I'm on now. Works great and I don't owe anything on it. So, FACE'ing my finances should be a tad easier.

Hm. Other than trying to keep up with my household stuff, I haven't really boxed anything in at least a week. I've been trying to burn stuff of the computers so if they die in shipment, we will still have all our information.

Next week, I should have more info about the moves. I can't wait till the questions are answered and we know what we are doing.

I really need to do some writing now, so, I think I'll do that.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 26

2006-09-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

I've been brainwashed.

It's so sad.

Yessiree.

Here's how I know.

Last night, I set my clothes out for today, then went to get some more water to drink. I had already concluded that I would ignore the kitchen sink for the night and do it in the morning. HOWEVER!!!!! As I poured my water into my cup, I glanced around. Without thinking, I emptied the dishwasher then filled it.

The teens went and took their showers, then I went. Then, to make matters worse, I turned on the dishwasher.

Sigh.

Second instance.

Even though it was nearly a million degrees outside this afternoon, and I'd already washed and hung out my one load of clothes for the day, I had run a second load this morning. SO, this evening, I thought, Heck, I'll just take down my jammies from the line, and then I'll finish this chore tomorrow.

As I passed the washer, I put the clothes in the laundry basket, hung them out, took down the clothes on the line and folded them. The clothes will be nicely dry when I take out tomorrow mornings load.

What's wrong with me???

I'm telling you... I've been brainwashed.

:)

Today, I made sure all my air mattresses would hold air. Somehow, my teens' twin sized matresses ALL got holes in them that I had to hunt and patch.

The living room looks WAY better without my daughters stuff in it.

Now I'm ready for a shower and bed, since I've already put out my clothes for tomorrow.

Night Flyers.

Brenda

The Little Move: Days 24&25

2006-09-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've got BOXES!!!

Our supplier (who shall remain nameless) gave us 75 boxes. WOOHOOO!

Ok, so here's the update.

Everything is back into the office, because I heard a rumor that it might, just might, rain. Don't want wet books.

My room... I got rid of a couple more boxes into the garage, and wiped down the back wall. Last night, I slept without waking up with my asthma bothering me. Musta been the dust.

My room is slowly emptying except for the furniture, clothes and television. LOL. Ok, so the afghans I'm working on are still in here too.

Living room. good grief. The teens were very helpful and went through some boxes that were in the garage. Now they are separated into dispense with, and keep boxes. But they are still in the living room. LOL Will do something about that tomorrow.

The boy and I (ok, I was supervising, and the hubby had to come bail us out because of the stinking back brakes, bah!) changed all the brakes on the van. Now I don't have to worry about not stopping.

I've reconstructed my control journal, and the teens have thiers, which my youngest actually says may help her. :)

School starts tomorrow, YAY! and the oldest and I will be doing the work on our own for the most part after today.

I've got to get the oil changed on the van and the tires rotated, go to the post office to mail out my winners' winnings, and I think that's it. Well, that's all that's on my cj.

OH!!! I'm getting a Dell... LOL. Yes, I broke down and bought a new laptop, and will be returning the rental.

That will save me $200 a month. That's a big chunk of change and will definitly help fly my finances.

I think that's it. I'm going to lay down and try to stay cool. It's 106 today.

Brenda

The Little Move:Days 21-23

2006-09-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry all, I've been busy.

Here's what I've accomplished in the last few days.

The garage is beginning to accept the boxes we have filled. The ones from my MIL's Michaels. Each of the teens have filled at least two. I have filled 7 with just crafts and yarn out of my room. My waterbed is now in the disposal pile and I can nearly see my floor.

I also started in on the kitchen... Okay, so I went through the container cabinet and got rid of 2/3rds of it. :)

Other than my asthma not being as under control as I would like it, things are going well.

Now, if I could just fit some writing time into my schedule.

Brenda

The Little Move: Days 19&20

2006-08-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Didn't post yesterday because I was just too darned tired.

Here's what we've accomplished in that time.

The teens and I went out back and cleaned it up. Everything is ready to go to the dump that is going to go from back there. We still have to go through some boxes in the garage, but that won't take but a couple hours.

Then I had an online chat for one of my books and ran a drawing. I nearly didn't make it to the 10 pm deadline, I was so tired. But I did and a lovely reader, Becky, won. Congrats, Becky.

I'll have to send out her winnings on Friday.

Today, Day 20, so far, I've started draining the waterbed. It's going well and should be done within the hour. Hubby and I have old decrepid backs and can't work all day then sleep on the soft waterbed. We are going to get rid of it and get a new bed that we can both stand. or lay down. In the meantime, we are going to use our camping gear and sleep on the air mattresses.

I am going to go give blood (there is a drive going on at the police station) and then take my MIL's stuff to her (that will take a few hours). I've also been washing my bedding today, and that's nearly done.

I think that's all I'll be able to handle today. Oh and turning in the can's we found out back to the recycler. That too.

Ok, catch you tomorrow.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 18

2006-08-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've had a very productive day.

Yessirree.

I started with the hall closet. I went to show the teens that I have an upright carpet cleaner, which apparently they knew nothing about. While I had the door open, I realized that I could do that space. I did. Ok, as I'm still without the all important boxes, the items I'm keeping is now gracing my dining room floor. TEMPORARILY.

Then, since I was feeling frisky, I started in on my room. That was after I found a disk for my FIL. So, now my walls are clear of any items except for my tick-tock clock that I will have to pack special so it doesn't get broken. Also, the end tables are empty, and so is the headboard (Waterbed). I'm actually really happy with what I accomplished today.

Two of my teens actually worked hard on their rooms today. I'm impressed with what my son accomplished. My youngest got sidetracked with the items. But, she still made some progress.

My oldest... Well, she told me, "Tomorrow, Mom."

We will see.

Me, I'm wiped. My back hurts. I took some Aleve and I'm hoping that'll help. I didn't do much, I guess I just did a lot of bending. I'm old and tired. LOL. But, I've run the dishwasher tonight. YAY. My two loads were done, and I even swished and swiped. Well, sort of HA (half-a$$ed) but heck, any is better than none.

I'm done. I'm going to go to sleep now. Night.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 17

2006-08-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

I took the day off and played. :)

Yes, I have thousands, if not millions of things to do, but Heck, if I burn out now, I'll be in trouble.

I played with my yarn, watched tv, spent time with the family, did dishes.

That's it.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 16

2006-08-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

The teens and I were shocked and surprised to find that there is actually a floor in the garage. Yes, Flyers... Today we worked on the garage.

Lot's and Lots and LOTS of work, but we got rid of a lot of dust and dirt and things we had that I'm not exactly sure what they are.

There is also room for things that get packed.

There is also other news, but I'm going to save that until after paperwork is signed, but it's a good thing. I'll let you know in two or three weeks.

Still moving though. So, tomorrow, we continue working... somewhere.

I'm really tired and need to get some sleep. But only after I take a couple of Aleeve.

Night.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 15

2006-08-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the 14th day, was fairly productive, but not for the moving, exactly...

I did my two loads of laundry, dishes, more dishes, even more dishes, and wiped down the counters. I wrote, promoted my books, and talked to my MIL. I also went to bed really early.

I feel rested, but with a little headache. I think the oldest is giving me an ick she picked up. I don't want it, thank you.

Today... Let's see. I think I'll go through the cabinet that holds my linnens. Dispose of those that aren't used or are in bad shape and prepare the rest for boxing. These will be some of the last things to box.

I need to sweep and mop the floors too, but I might have the teens help me with that and vacumming.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 13&Bleach

2006-08-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that bleach cleans. Even I use a lot of bleach to clean floors and walls and, heck, everything. I always mix it with water though.

Today, I put some in a spray bottle with water and sprayed my shower curtains. Sigh, they had gotten kind of icky looking, with the red and black moldies. It's easy to keep the tub clean, but for some reason, the shower curtain gets passed over. Anyway, I went in there, sprayed, left the room for about five minutes, then sprayed it down with clean water. Wow. Looks new. I know, I know... duh! Right? Yes, but heck, it just never dawned on me. It has now. :)

There is your tip for today. Bleach works.

Since I don't keep amonia in the house, I don't have to worry about mixing bleach and amonia and making a poison. Very important. I would use vinigar instead of amonia. It doesn't kill at least. :)

So, today, the 13th day of the little move, I did my laundry, sprayed the shower curtains, talked to my MIL on the phone, took my youngest to get her school schedule and books so she wouldn't have to do it first day of school, and worked on my webpage, WIP (work in progress) and my blogs. Been pretty productive, if you ask me.

I'm going to try to write a little more, but doubt I'll be able to, and then work on my yarn projects.

Dinner and dishes will come later, and I'm feeling good about my chances of the move being mostly stress(less). That's good. I have enough stress. :)

More tomorrow. Have a nice night.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 12

2006-08-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the post office and picked up the intent to sell that the landlord mailed. Sigh. All right, so it's official now. And since I was there, I mailed my BIL a care package to Germany. He's been craving a particular fast food hot sauce so we collected and sent him a gallon sized zipper plastic bag full along with a car repair manual and his own personal backpack. I feel better having accomplished that. It's one thing off my To Do list.

Yesterday, instead of working on books, I worked on my bedroom. I don't think it will take long to actually pack it, but the contunual lack of boxes is slowing me down. I cleaned out the closet and got rid of things we don't want, need, love. I kept two items from my Army days, two items from my high school ROTC days and the rest... gone. No clothes that don't fit for either myself or hubby, even though I had to talk him out of a pair of pants he thought he might eventually fit back into some day. I Think the hardest work is done, now I will only have to stick our keepsakes, and keepers, into boxes and push them out the door. A day or two should manage that. Even if I only go 15 minutes at a time. Although, my room now looks messier than it had when I started. :) It's organized in a system only I can understand or see, but the rest of the family isn't going to complain. They got the day off while I worked in my room.

The rest of the house still needs to be gone through. LOL. Lot's of work to do.

Today, I had to catch up on some writer obligations so cleaned nothing. Other than the Post office and buying lots of milk, I stuck with my author/critique partner/proof reader responsibilities.

So, tomorrow, I should be back to work.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 11

2006-08-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

I've been busy, and didn't take the time to post.

Here is the update. We have two lines on boxes. One line is from a friend with access. May or may not happen, but either way, we thank him.

OR:

There is a place online that we can purchase boxes for a really good price. Even with s/h it will be less than $1.50 a box. That's about half price.

Either way, we at least have a better grasp on where boxes are going to come from. Don't want to forget that my MIL is still looking for me, as well.

I went down there (about 40 miles in Cali traffic*There were 5 accidents on the way there and 3 on the way back, sheesh*) and got some newspaper from her. We don't get the paper, but she does. She is being nice enough to save it for me. Also, my FIL gave me a bunch of straws. Those long thick ones. I use them when I drive so I don't have to block my vision with a large cup. It's a safety feature. Since I was nearly out, this was a great boon.

What else. Oh, the oldest and I have been, and will be working on the books until they are done. We've only been doing a little at a time, because it's hot out there and our backs can only take so much leaning over. We are OUT OF SHAPE. sigh.

I think I'm going to have the two younger teens hop to on the backyard while the oldest and I do the books. That's what they get for lazing around while we did all the work. Besides... They go back to school on the 5th. Gotta get the work out of them while I can.

So, that's my update.
Hopefully, I won't get too busy to post. Maybe even a new one tonight. Maybe I'll just wait until the morning. :)

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 6

2006-08-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have a question and an observation.

How come, corrogated cardboard boxes cost as much as they do? I found out today, that one can purchase plastic lidded carry-all bins for slightly (about $1) more than a cardboard box.

Why? Seems silly to me that something that is recycleable can cost you more than something that will last half an eternity.

That's my daily update. It's what I did. Shopped for, but didn't purchase, cardboard boxes.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day's 4&5

2006-08-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

Didn't post yesterday, sorry. I had to take my oldest to her friends' house so they could head off for their mountain excursion. They arrived safely, and I told my daughter to warn the driver to use a lower gear coming back down to save her breaks.

Anyway... Yesterday, I started going through my category books. Those are the Harlequin and Silhouette books. I have many types and many, many individual books.

Today, well, I'm not doing much of anything, because I had a book release. Wanna know what I do when I'm not keeping my sink shiny?

Going Nowhere 1: Howling in the Moonlight

Brenda Bryce

Genre: Shifter Paranormal

Length: Novel

Price: $5.99

Purchase now!

Lannie Michaels has had enough. She leaves her home in the city for a nice, quiet stint of sculpting in a small town called Nowhere. When her mistrusting almost fiancé catches up with her trying to get her back, so does a killer of unfathomable evil, who wants to keep them apart.

Kyle Sylia is only in town to get his mate back after a catastrophic misunderstanding. He will do anything to make her his permanently. An upcoming showing, a crazed werewolf killer, a skeptical and angry sheriff, a hunter, and hyped up pheromones, are not the way he expected the reunion to progress.

During a showing of her artwork, Lannie discovers something new about herself, and Kyle is to blame. Who knew her boyfriend had kept so many life altering secrets from her? Oh well, the sex is phenomenal, but the tail will take some practice.

Now they just have to clear the area of terror, before Lannie loses her temper and bites someone.

To read an excerpt, visit: Excerpt

I'm doing promo work today. And since it's the 15th, bills are needing to be paid. So, I'm taking the day off.

Maybe.

I might just feel frisky later and get back out to the office.

Brenda (who uses a pseudonym for her writing. I do have teens you know. Gotta protect them)

The Little Move: Day 3

2006-08-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here it is, Day 3. Today, The oldest and I hit the books again. She has an idea to make a wonderful interactivve database for our books and movies. No... I had nothing to do with that idea... Um, okay, maybe I did. So, we got the rest of the mainstream books listed (in a notebook) today, and I'm typing them up in Word. I'm half done with that.
The son was very helpful today and stacked some broken wood for me. It was hot and he did a great job.

Tomorrow, I have to get some writing done, so will do that for a while, then work on the category books.

The oldest is going to the mountains for a couple of days with her girlfriends, so won't be of much help to me. She'll be back Wednesday. I sure hope she has a good time. Most of her friends are going north to school next month, so this is the last hurrah for them.

The youngest... well, she spent the night at a friends house last night, so I'm going to work her hard while her sister is gone. LOL

Lot's and lot's to do still.

Laundry status... still doing at least a load a day.
Sink status... With my oldest trying to make sure she has money for the trip, the sink has been staying shiny. Unfortunately, she's going to leave the chore to me after tonight. That's okay. I can do it.

I should start getting boxes sometime mid-week.

And that's where we are on this sunny, warm (95) Sunday.

I'm going to shower then maybe do one of my relaxation things... play with yarn or read... whichever I have the energy left for.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 2

2006-08-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here it is; Day 2.

10:30 AM:

Todays plan is to go out into the office and start organizing it. I think if I have it all ready, the minute I get boxes, I can pack them up quick and easy.

Sound like a plan? I think it is. Hm, gotta get the teens and tell them they are going to help me. MUAHAHAHAHA.

I'll let you know how it goes.

*Later that day*

My oldest and I kicked booty and got a large portion of the books listed on our list and put neatly in a box. I'm going to shower and go to bed. I'll elaborate tomorrow.

Brenda

The Little Move: Day 1

2006-08-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hi, Everyone.

As you know, my name is Brenda. I've decided to NOT go insane and instead, use Flylady as my guide.

Here's the deal: I have three teens and a hubby and a house we've been renting for almost 12 years. Wednesday (the 9th) at 9 pm, the landlord called and said he was selling the house.

So, I guess we are moving. We have to find a place and do the actual moving.

NOW, here's some backstory...

Hubby is in the process of interviewing for a new job. He has two great prospects and both will transfer us out of the state by end of this year. Whichever way he falls will be fine with me, but the excitement he's generating in the teens and I is agonizing. We would like to know which state we will be going to, Alabama or Kansas, or nowhere. (From now on, I'll call each job by the proposed state. Neither are a done deal *the moving, I mean*, but a proposition). I'll keep you updated.

Hence, we were ready for a move, but the company would have paid for the whole thing. Now, we have to find an interim place, preferably in the path of his job, until the BIG MOVE. First, we have to find out which company he's going to be working for.

All right, backstory over.

Yesterday, I called my Mother in Law (who lives in the path of the Kansas job), and asked her to keep an eye out for a place. She got all excited, and told me that I should have called last month. A house just down the street from her, on her same block, had been for rent. Unfortunately for me, I had been busy signing a new year's lease on this place, so hadn't thought to call her. Now, she's eagerly walking her neighborhood (she takes daily walks and feels great) looking for a rental for us.

Hubby is all for it, since it will put him close to his best friend. He says his time with his friend is getting short, and since that city is in the path of the Kansas job...

Two of the teens - who are still in high school - aren't so sure. They'd be going to the high school their father and aunt and uncles went to... Um, hubby and brothers were trouble makers (reformed... One is a lifer in the Army, one the head of maintenance, and one... Well, he's not been in jail, holds a steady job, and is a really wonderful guy. The sister is a teacher, so they eventually did great). However, this doesn't help the two younger teens. Well, the boy doesn't care, as long as he has internet, but the youngest... She asked me if she could ditch, have parties, um, and all the other things her father got away with. Unfortunately, because of her father, the rules of the school were changed, so I told her it wouldn't work. She sighed and went on about her business. :) The oldest isn't as worried. That town has jobs too, and since she's taking a break this term from school (she just graduated high school, and missed out on the deadline to register... NOT her fault, actually) she can wait until after the BIG MOVE to start school. Teenagers.

Where was I? Oh, right, looking for a new place to live...

I spent the day yesterday (after I finished edits of my story that comes out the 15th) searching the internet for houses, apartments, heck, even mobile homes for rent. I found a few promising places, within our budget, at least 3 bedrooms (which the youngest is not happy about), and aren't in scary neighborhoods.

Now all we have to do is figure out which job he ends up with.

Which leaves me with: The actual packing and moving. And a storage place is in the plans for the things that won't be moved until the BIG MOVE. Non-essentials for a couple of months.

I have millions of books. Yes, I know Flylady recommends we get rid of them, but it was only a recommendation. I told the hubby they are reference material. I'll not get rid of them. Hubby and I made a deal. I don't get rid of his tools (that are only occasionally used) and he won't get rid of my books (which are read, reread, and rereread). All this means is; I'll have to pack them. Currently, they are in one of the two rooms of the house which haven't been hit with my Flying. The 'office' is a wreck. Teens have dug through the semi-organized boxes that I had put my books into until the boxes exploded and I now have books... Well, it looks like a bomb hit a book store. Lots of work - and organizing - to do in that room.

First, I need boxes. That's my first goal.

According to Flylady moving journal, I have everything else.

Boxes -- need to get these, and lots of them
Packing tape -- probably need to purchase more
Garbage Bags -- got them, 33 gallon suckers and 13 gallon ones
Scissors -- I'm a crafter. I have lot's of scissors
Markers_Sharpies -- I have teens. I have lot's of colors
Newspaper -- Hm, might have to have the MIL keep hers for me

That's my list. Gotta get to gathering, I suppose. It's going to take me a while, because I have to ask the hubby where the boxes are going to come from.

I'll keep you posted on my efforts. Wish me luck.

Brenda

"But" My take on it

2006-07-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Flylady sent us an email today that said to think before you hurt other's feelings. I say, great idea. Telling someone that they did a good job, BUT they should reorganize their cabinets for maximum usage, is well, mean.

Flylady said to think first. I can expound on this by doing one thing.

Say what you want to say, but when you get to the BUT, stop. Don't say anything further.

Basically, think of it as a BUTT and sit on it.

If it's a negative thing you are about to say, just don't. It's pretty simple I would think, and I'm going to implement it immediately.

As for my house... I've caught up on what should be caught up. It's not perfect, although (see, no but) it is better.

Well, got to get back to writing. I have a book coming out August 1st from Samhain Publishing and since it's the first coming out with this publisher, I'm a little nervous. Who am I kidding? I'm always nervous when a story comes out.

I'll get through it. If you're curious, my pen is Brenda Bryce and the story is a short called Tree Sprite.

Brenda

I'm Not Behind

2006-07-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm just not as caught up as I should be if I had been following the flyladies.

Yes, I've backslid. That's okay, I can get back on track.

Today, I'm catching up on my laundry and to be perfectly honest, my sink. It's not shiny. :(

Again, that's okay. I won't let it get overwhelming. My house isn't bad, although the hot spots are trying to return.

I think it's because it's been so hot. Here in Southern California, we have been humid, which is something we don't have in the desert, but no rain. Also, it's been over 110 degrees. My house does not have central air, but we do have an air conditioner in the window of the living room. So, the living room stays cool, the rest of the house swelters. We've been spending a lot of time in the living room and staying out of the rest of the house. LOL The air isn't on now, Probably won't be until after noon when the teens come home, but that means while I'm doing chores, I sweat. I hate to sweat. I don't do it prettily. LOL

So, I've washed and hung out my towels, put in a load of darks, did two loads of dishes in the dishwasher, need to wash the pans, and I folded and put away the whites that I washed yesterday. The living room hot spots are half hit, and the bathrooms have been swished and swiped. I've also started drinking my water for the day. Oh, I ironed hubby's clothes this morning as well, and watered the grass.

I have an hour and a half until I have to go get the teens from school, and I plan on using it wisely.

Oh, this weeks Master bedroom is going to have to wait. It isn't any worse than when my mom was here, but it also isn't any better. It isn't quite a sanctuary yet.

Did I mention, that's OKAY?

This week, I've noticed that testimonials are centering around control journals. Do you use yours? I've started one several times, but still haven't gotten in the habit. I need to start using it. That's next months goal.

Well, back to the kitchen.

Brenda

Flying, Flying

2006-07-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Whooha... Yes, I'm still flying. I've been decluttering my front yard a little at a time, due to green waste can constraints. I still have a lot to do, but eventually, I hope to have the front and back nice and neat. The house is still liveable, I've been swishing and swiping, and still pounding the water. My cold is over, YIPPEE, but now we have the smoke in the air from the local fires. Darn it. I hate that there are fires, but the damage it does to my delicate, girly lungs is too much. Oh, and the robbing Peter to pay Paul thing is starting to loosen. I've been gradually catching up on my debts and maybe by the end of the year, I will have a bit of free $. Wouldn't that be nice. I've lost 3 pounds this last two weeks, and I'm feeling pretty healthy. The water is doing something to my skin. I have to admit, it's pretty gross, but I tend to break out just before my cycle. This month, with the added water, I didn't. I'm too old to be getting zits, and this was a nice change.

Now that you're thuroughly grossed out, I'll leave you to drink your water. LOL

Brenda

Bathtubs

2006-07-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I read a testimonial about bathtubs and how to get them clean. It said, and I'm paraphrasing, to just do it.

Okay.

I can do that.

So, Wednesday, (due to the American holidays, my heavy cleaning time had to wait till then) I grabbed the scrubbing bubbles, the green scratchy pad, a washcloth and a table knife and headed for the hall bathroom.

I stood there and stared into my icky, nasty bathtub. It's one of those with the walls that go nearly to the ceiling. Entirely covered in thick scum, but no mold, thank goodness, but there was literally a half inch of congealed soap leftovers on the shelf.

I sighed, set my utensils down and turned on the water.

First, I wet down the back wall. Then turned the water off. With the scrubbing bubbles, I sprayed the short wall to the right from the top to half way down. Then I left the bathroom and did laundry and dishes for 15 minutes.

When the timer went off, I returned to the bathroom and grabbed the scrubbie. With elbow grease, grunting, groaning, and moaning, I managed to chisel my way through that section. Once I got JUST that portion clean, I rinsed it off, rinsed me off, and turned off the water. I sighed deeply, admired the shiny section, then picked up the scrubbing bubbles and used it on the bottom part of the right wall. Not the actual tub part, just the wall. Then I went and did some other chores.

Returning after the allotted 15 minutes. I scrubbed that lower part, (see above method)sprayed the top portion of the LONG wall, and left.

By now, I'm pretty pooped. Tired. Sweaty. And it's nearing 9:30. I prepared myself for my writing schedule and checked some emails.

It was a little harder to motivate for the final section of the day, but I dragged myself into the bathroom and got to work. The knife was used to scrape all the built up soap off the ledges, and the scrubbie was utilized to it's best purpose.

When I stepped back, I could see, noticeably, the difference between the sections of shower wall that I worked on and the sections I hadn't. YAY!

I gathered up my cleaning supplies and put them away for the day and got to writing.

Thursday-Saturday were repeats of Wednesday.

So, on this hot Sunday, I have the walls of both showers neat and clean. Wow. Okay, I admit it was a lot of work. But it was my own fault. Procrastination and avoidance is practically my middle name. But now, it's done. I will keep it that way. Shouldn't take more than a moment or two a day to swish and swipe it.

Technically, I still have to do the tub portion of the baths, but they never got as bad as the walls. I actually did clean those once in a while. So, next week, I'm doing the tub part, and the walls above the baths.

Oh, I am officially over my awful cold and am feeling much better. Swishing and swiping for the month is going slow, but I'm trying to develop that habit. I'm still kicking butt on the water drinking one. Well, to be honest, I'm always a big water drinker. I dehydrate easy. :) If only all the habits were as easy.

Well, I am in need of shining my sink, I really need to get back into that habit. Darn it. Tonight I will have a shiny sink or I won't go to bed.
I'll keep you updated on my shining.

Brenda

Parental visit OVER!

2006-06-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's the deal.

While mom and grandma was here, I kept the sink shiny, bathrooms neat and tp'ed, trash taken out, and laundry done.

Three days before they leave, I catch the mother of all colds. I'm an asthmatic with little delecate, girly lungs. Any bit of congestion and I wind up in the hospital, blue, and nearly dead. My mommy took me to the docs and got me on antibiotics and sterroids. Hubby read all the directions and warnings, and put me on a schedule where I have to take certain meds every two hours. LOL.

I'm getting better, but my sink isn't shiny. I'll start doing the hot spots again tomorrow, but not in 15 minute times but maybe 5 minute frames. Don't think the recovery will survive the 15 minute ones. :)

Anyway, I'm not giving up. I want to start working on my office and back yard soon (after I am better), and don't want to lose my momentum.

Are your sinks shiny? sigh. Mine will be tomorrow.

Promise.

Brenda

Deep into Parental visit

2006-06-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is Thursday night of the first week of Mom/Grandma visit.

We are having a great time, and I've made healthy, tasty dinners each night. Every night before bed, the sink is shiny, the hotspots are mostly hit and I've done at least one load of laundry (and hung out and folded and put away). My house doesn't look any worse than when they got here, and today the teens mowed. LOL

So, things are going well, and once the visit is over and they return to their homes, I can resume the 15 minute decluttering. Wonder where I'll start.

I'll keep you updated, Oh, and the reason I'm not in bed yet is because I'm waiting for the dishwasher to finish so I can put away the dishes and refill the dishwasher so I can have a shiny sink.

Brenda

Good enough

2006-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have declared the house, Good enough. My youngets's room has to be cleaned out this weekend since it's where we will be stashing the mom and grandma, but the rest of the house... passable.

I'm so glad. 15 minutes at a time worked. The garage, backyard and my office all need extensive timer time. But heck, I'm happy that the living areas are good.

For the next two weeks, I will be doing family stuff, and showing the family the Flylady way. LOL

Just thought I would update you. But for now, I have to get back to writing since I won't have time when they are here.

Brenda

Wow! Thursday already

2006-06-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

My house isn't looking as nice as it has been, but tomorrow is the 15 minute catch up day. I've been knocking myself out paying bills and grocery shopping the last two days. Even my writing has fallen behind. LOL

My sink is still shining. Yay.

Since I always drink a lot of water, this month is going to be a breeze. good, I need a good breeze. It's hot in the desert. :)

Ok, Just wanted you to know, I haven't backslid into my usual routine of not doing any housework. No, I'm still going, maybe not as strong, but still going. :\ That's all right. It will only take a few 15 minute rounds to get back on track.

So, as I drink more water, do my evening routine, I listen to an audio book I've been listening to for a while. It's almost over, and I'm looking forward to the next one. I got two from the library. One is a book I've never read or even the author. So, it will be a new one for me. It's easy for me to clean while listening to a book. What do you do?

Brenda

Weekend is over

2006-05-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Memorial weekend is over. I've been a slacker.

My sink is shiny. Had to get that out before I put out the bad news.

Here's my story. Saturday, we packed up the family and the camping gear and went to the high desert. It's only about 70 miles from here and is normally a nice drive. However, the trip is on the road to Las Vegas. Everyone was headed for Vegas, or the river. The traffic was murder. LOL

I took my loom with me so kept happily busy.

The wind was horrible, but we had a great time with our friends and zooming along on buggies and four wheelers. I taught my teens how to drive the four wheelers and drove them around in the buggies. The buggies are stick shift and I taught myself how to drive a stick in an old orange Datsun B210 during the late 80's (when I was around 19). Did I mention the family had a blast? The teens said mom is a psycho driver and they will stick with riding with their dad. That says a lot. LOL

We had opted out of camping due to the nine thousand mile an hour winds, and as the boy and I were packing up, the girls rolled up on a four wheeler. They had dumped it and the oldest had a cut on the top of her foot at the ankle, scratches, bruises, and torn clothing (she is over wrought abou the overalls because they are her favorites), the younger daughter has a few tiny grains of sand or rock embedded in her face (which will probably come out on their own, or she will pop them out like zits. LOL), scratches, and a sore neck and arm. Happily, nothing is broken, the cut on the foot is being monitored but doesn't need stitches.

So, we came home. I made dinner, we all took long baths, doctored the injured, went to bed. Sunday, I did some laundry, cooked a nice fish and rice dinner, and shined my sink. That's about it.

Today... I was a real slacker. I finished a panel for my youngest daughters afghan, cooked a nice bean soup in the crockpot (that I had started the soaking the night before), and watched a marathon of Law and Order CI. LOL. My sink is shiny, but that's about it. Tomorrow, I get to do the Monday things, but since nobody will be home it shouldn't be too hard.

Oh, and I still have to drag the camping gear back out to their spots in the garage. That way they will be readily available next time we go out.

My house doesn't look bad. We didn't really make a mess, and I did wind about a million balls of yarn, so the cleaning of my room does continue. Just in a sideways manner.

So, school for the teens tomorrow, work for the hubby, and me... I get to get back on my schedule.

Shiny sinks to all.

Brenda

Holy Mackerel

2006-05-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy. Let me tell you what I've accomplished in the last few days.

I mentioned that I started on my room. Well, I found out I have a LOT of yarn. I found 4/ 18 gallon plastic lidded containers full. I filled two large packing boxes to overflowing with yarn, as well. Since I have to have the yarn, I am trying to organize it. Wind it with a yarn ball winder that I've had, but barely used. I was able to wind an entire container full yesterday in my break times. Only one container and two boxes to go. LOL

I have one box of sundry craft items, including my needles, hooks, and exercise equiment. A ball, a rope, well, lots of stuff. I found so much stuff. I still have to go through most of it, to find out what I want to keep and what I can free, but at least it's off the floor. I can see carpet. Woohoo.

I have a lot of papers to go through, writer stuff, patterns, kids homework that I'm not exactly sure how ended up in my room, and to go through my closet.

HOWEVER, I have kept the rest of the house as neat as it has been for the last two weeks. Sink shiny every night, bathroom swished and swiped, hot spots... well, I'm still working on that one. Laundry done... LOL

We are taking today and tomorrow off, we are going camping in the desert with some friends. EVeryone still has to pack, but I have faith in the Lady that the items can be easily located and packed due to my putting away skills the last time we went out.

You have a wonderful Memorial Weekend. Keep your sink shiny, and I'll see you back here Monday.

Brenda

Started on my room

2006-05-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Holy Mackerel. I'm wiped. It's now 7:20pm, my room is 1/3 clean, my house is still clean in the areas I've previously worked on, I wrote 1500 words, did 3 loads of laundry, had the hubby home all day in the way, proofed a book for an e-publisher, the teens and I did the yardwork, and my sink is shiny.

The only thing I still need to do is run the dishwasher. Of course, I made the family fend for themselves for dinner. I haven't started doing menu's yet, sigh. I'll get there.

I've already had my shower, set out my outfit for tomorrow (which I will describe in a moment) and I'm ready for bed.

I'm nearly out now, but thought I should update before I forget.

Now for my uniform. I've decided to call it a uniform because I have gotten tired of destroying all my clothes with bleach. I use a lot to clean with and darned if I don't get splatters on my clothes. grr. I find that those dots will weaken and rot off. It's sad. I have holes in new shirts. ArGh. Also, it's hottern heck here. Already in the 90's this week, and we don't have an airconditioner. Recently, I purchased some clam diggers (or whatever you call them) at the thrift store, 3 pairs, and they fit comfortably. Hubby has uniform shirts (polo type), but he only wears the ones with the pocket and his name. He's given me the ones without the pockets and since he doesn't care if they get bleachy, I am using those. So, right now, on the one clean surface I have in my room, I have a tan pair of clam diggers, a uniform shirt that has my hubby's name on it and his company, a clean pair of socks, and a comfortable bra. I have to tell you about the bra because if you don't have a comfortable one, go get one and toss out the ones that aren't. I work longer, better, and have more range of movement if my bra is fitting properly. Yes, I'm telling you about a bra, get over it. Oh, and lace up shoes. I don't wear anything anymore that doesn't have laces on it. I have sandals, but only wear them if I'm heading to the MIL's and that's if I remember to change. LOL

Okay. I've done my dooty (yes, it's spelled wrong), and darned if I don't feel good. Of course, I haven't worked on my yarn project today, but since I'm in my relaxation, play with yarn time and I'm physically wiped out, I think I'll just stare at the television (Animal Planet) and nod off. Catch you tomorrow. Oh, I wanted to mention, somehow or another, I twisted my ankle. Not bad, but it does hurt. I think I stepped wrong while hanging laundry. It isn't swolen, don't worry, but I think a pain reliever will do me wonders. :)

Go, Flybabes!

Brenda

Evening Now

2006-05-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's evening and I wrote a total of fourty words today. Not my usual quota, but that's all right. I'll survive.

Now for my day.

It's just after eight p.m., and I have a shiny sink. My coffeepot is set up for tomorrow (I'm saving my pennies for one with a timer), and two of the three teens have already showered. They were able to find clothes (underwear, jammies, and a towel) easily, because all my clothes are washed, dried (the retro way), folded, hung up, and put away. Yes, all of it. Naturally, tomorrow I will have laundry to do, but it will be only one load for the five of us. One day we will have two, but that's due to towels. I might just start going into the teens rooms and stealing their sheets to wash. They'll never know.

I still have to do my room, grr. The rest of the house actually looks fairly decent. It's getting there, 15 minutes at a time.

I didn't feel guilty sitting in my recliner listening to an audio book and setting up Quicken all day while doing the laundry. I could look around and see less clutter, less mess. It felt good. I do feel guilty about not writing, but hey! I guess I was due a goof off day. LOL

Tomorrow I have to fit a proof job into my schedule, but that's okay too. Oh and mowing the front yard. It'll be Wednesday and since Trash day is Thursday, we need to get rid of the overgrowth. This will be the first week since we started that I haven't filled up the green waste can with a portion of the mountainous pile in the back yard. I will go back to that next week. Or, if the can isn't full after the yard work, I'll put more back yard stuff in it. I'm trying to eliminate some of the half done jobs I did last summer. I would cut the foliage down, but not bag or can it. Naturally, I have high piles everywhere. sigh. This is one more thing I'm trying to eliminate from my habits. If I start it, I must finish it. If I pull stuff out to clean a section, I will either finish it in that 15 minutes, or I will set the timer for another 15 minutes and work on that area more instead of moving on to another. I think it's the only reason my house is starting to shape up. I love my Swiffer, but the sheets do bite the budget when you use it daily. I am a crocheter, loomer, and knitter, so found a pattern for a cotton swiffer cover that I can use and throw in the washer. It works just fine (I still have to use the dust pan for some things it won't pick up, but I'll survive). I need to figure out if it will work wet. Should probably make a few more first though. LOL.

No, I still haven't done the 15 minutes of movement, but I do make sure I make extra trips across the house. Such as, if I'm hanging clothes, I will hang an item, walk it to the owner's room, walk back to the living room, hang an item... You get the idea. So, I have been getting my time, but I'm multitasking. LOL

I see the cleaning like this: If it feels overwhelming, pick one square foot. Have you found it? Okay, you are doing great. Now, grab anything that's in that square foot that doesn't belong there. Put the item/s away. Good job. Is it dusty? needs to be vaccumed? Have at it. Hm, Well, lookie there. You have a nice clean area! Now, pick another square foot.

Eventually all the square feet will be clean. Just watch out for sfm (square foot messers). Those are the members who think you are only doing this cause gramma's coming, laugh, and throw their shoes in the square foot. That's okay too. I wait till they are in the potty or sleeping, then clean that hot spot. hehehe. The perp is always shaking their head when they have to find their items in thier designated areas. I'm hoping if I show them how it's done, they will get the hint and do it themselves, but I won't hold my breath. LOL

Okay. I have a few hot spots to police, the last teen is in the shower, mine is next. My clothes are put out for tomorrow, my dishwasher is ready to start before I go to bed, and other than the personal stuff in my night time routine, I'm done. LOL. I have nothing on the calendar except to proof that book, so, I'm GTG (Good To Go).

Night all, Shiny sinks all around.

Brenda

Still decluttering

2006-05-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been busy. Yes I have. Lot's of stuff going on. LOL

Here's the rundown on a Tuesday nearly noon.

This week, I've done many things. I've actually kept a clean sink! I have a mopped floor. All of them actually are mopped. The bathrooms have been swished and swiped morningly for the last few days. I have TP, and soap in the bathrooms. My living room hotspots get hit daily. My diningroom progresses every day. Today, I even went through a cabinet in the kitchen that holds my spices and cooking supplies and found... get this... 4 bottles of unopened vegetable cooking oil and 4 ground cinnamon spice bottles. UNOPENED. Sheesh. The rest weren't as bad, but those two things...

I've made a list of what I have, and what needs to be replaced, and I can go from there to acquiring what I still need. It took several turns on the timer, but it's done. Now if I can just keep it that way.

My bedroom. I must admit, I haven't started on it yet. It looks like a yarn store exploded in it. I have a LOT of work to do in there. It will happen once the living areas are more in shape. I'm nearly to that point now, I think. Couple of more days, and I should be able to tackle the NOW worst room of the house. LOL

The garage and office will be after that. sigh. I'm trying not to get the where do I start blues, but every now and then it will twinge in the forefront of my head, then I consciously toss it out and pick something up. "Right here! That's where I'll start." So far, it's working.

I need to work on my new story today, but I'm procrastinating. Telling myself I'm doing laundry. I don't have a functioning dryer at the moment, so have to hang everything out. Ok, yeah, I'm doing laundry, but I could easily be writing while I'm sitting in my comfy recliner with my laptop, but I'm not. Instead, I began setting up a Quicken program I received with my laptop. I want money. Right now, I don't have any. Maybe if I write every expenditure down, I will go through it slower. Management. Organization...

Other than that? Just listening to an audio book. I love audio books. I can put them on my Palm and listen to them while doing other stuff. BUT, it's really hard to write with a story going on, sooooo....

Anyway, I'm hoping to get the laundry done today.

OHOHOH... My grass. It's growing. Mostly weeds, but it's starting to turn green. The daily dose of water is making a big difference. It's the first thing I do after taking the teens to school, and boy are they unhappy. The teens and I do the yard work together. They see the grass and weeds growing, it means work is coming soon. Going to have to do it tomorrow. They get out at 4:30 today, and that's really too late, but tomorrow is a 2:30 day and trash pickup is on Thursday, so it will work out great. hehehehe.

Ok, back to my book and laundry. It's really starting to shape up and hubby mentioned that it must be because the mom and grandma is coming. To be honest, yes, that's part of it, but I really want it to be clean for me. ME! I want time to myself, writing, reading (which I haven't been able to do in way too long for pleasure) being able to have people over without worrying about what they might see, less stress. I need less stress.

I would like to own my own home someday, and if I get into the neater habits now, and money habits now, then I will be one step closer to my ultimate goal. That is my dream... That's what I'm working for. A home of my own. Everything else is incidental.

What is your ultimate goal? And what are you doing to get it?

All right. Purple puddles are over for now... The washer has stopped running.

Brenda

It's been a few days

2006-05-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Hope your sink is still shiny. Luckily, mine IS! I didn't slack off while not blogging. Actually, I have been doing my house 15 minutes at a time and it's looking better and better every day. It's wonderful. All the counters in my kitchen are now clean, my kitchen floor has been scrubbed and the videos in the dining room are HALF gone through. Laundry is nearly caught up (that includes folded and put away), my living room doesn't look too bad, and my bathrooms are clean.

That's not all I have accomplished this week either. I've cut out the frame for a knitting loom and started sanding it. It'll take several 15 minutes to finish sanding it. Yes, I've been using the timer to keep my sawdust breathing limited. Also, I completed the book I was working on. It's with my critique partner now. Plus, I have her newly completed manuscript and I proof read a book for one of the online publishers I freelance for (I don't make money on proofing, only free books. LOL).

Last but not least, I have been taxi mom all week. School is nearing the end so everyone has to be somewhere, sometime. That's all right.

Consequently, my blogs have suffered. I've been falling into bed at night and going right to sleep instead of taking a few minutes to update. I will eventually find a slot in my schedule to do it every day or two, but right now, while I'm still releasing the clutter, entries will be sporadic.

Today, I would like to finish the laundry.

Have a wonderful day!

Brenda

Getting it done

2006-05-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well, slowly of course, but it's happening. I got one counter by the sink done in my kitchen. I started to go through the containers in my plastic storage units (you know.. the bowls with lids you put your leftovers in) cabinet. My bathrooms are starting to shape up (which is this weeks rooms), and I'm sanding wood for a loom. All 15 minutes at a time until 10 am. Then I work on my writing. To be honest, I didn't do any laundry today, but I'm not behind. No big piles to take care of, so it shouldn't take me more than 3 loads to get even again. I did have some extra time today, so swept off my front porch. It now looks nice, my allysium is starting to sprout, and my grass is starting to turn green because I've been watering every day (Southern California is hot and dry already. Reaching the 90's). I have been able to see my counters (all but one now) for days now, and my sink...

My sink is shiny. Very important. The dishwasher is running now. Teens are all in bed, and I'm contemplating ceasing the self editing on my WIP (Work In Progress) and going to take a nice cool shower.

Did you know... Soap on a Rope is difficult to find? Here at least. Hubby wanted a bar for a gag gift and wouldn't you know it? I'm having difficulty finding any. I'm going to try the mall tomorrow, Spencers, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, things like that. If I don't find it there, I will give up. I'll count that as my moving time.

It's nice to look into my master bathroom and see the sink without the clutter and the mirror... Well, I can actually tell it's a mirror and not a splash guard. I can't actually see anything else without moving, (I'm on the bed with the laptop), but will be seeing it when I go do my before bed nearly a routine. It's nice.

I feel like that guy on Saturday Night Live... I write this and think... I can do this. 15 minutes at a time, one shiny sink a day, one more chore completed that hadn't been yesterday. I'm good enough, I'm worth it... I just remembered the name of the character. Stuart Smally. Appropo of nothing, but if you watched the show, you will know where I was going with this little affirmation. LOL

My goal is to get cleaned out enough that I can actually read Kelly's Missions and go, Hey, I can reach that. Or, I can do that in 3 minutes, or... I already did that. But, right now, I'm still trying to shovel the mess out of the way so I can simply get to the mission location. Needless to say, I'm not giving them as much of my interrest as I might be. Soon. I'm sure.

Okay. Goal for tomorrow... Get the laundry caught up, go through the VHS tapes in my dining room for 15 minutes, and go to the mall for my monthly habit of moving for 15 minutes. Other than that... Go around to the spots I've already cleaned and do touch ups. Wouldn't it be nice to just have to go around doing touchups? I think it would be...

Happy shiny sink to you.
Brenda

Gotta commend Flylady

2006-05-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

But first, my sink is still shiny. LOL

Ok, for the reason I had to stop working and post this:

We just received a testimonial from a Buddhist. WOOHOO! I'm thrilled, and here's why. The fly'er mentioned that the Flybabes say that God is their inspiration and keeps them going. That's great, but...

I'm a pagan. I follow the Lady... Mother Nature. I see her daily, her beauty, and her temper tantrums.

The main reason for this post is to thank the Flylady for one part of her answer to the flying followers.

"I stood in front of a Christian audience two weeks ago and told them that FlyLady was for everyone. That women of all different faiths (and I named them) and even those with no faith had the same wants and desires when it comes to their homes.I heard a gasp from the event sponsor when I mentioned pagans and witches. I don't exclude anyone."

Thanks. We of the non recognized, NON SATAN WORSHIPING (darn it, you have to believe in the one god to believe in satan, sheesh) religions. I'm more afraid of litterbugs than I am of a naughty angel.

Anyway, I just thought I would toss out this post.

I'll update you all who have decided to come back to check, later.

Brenda

Still going strong

2006-05-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, still going anyway. My sink is shiny. It was shiny yesterday as well. Even though it was past 1:30 am when I got home last night, (prom you know), I still made sure my sink was shiny before I dragged myself to bed.

Oh, hope you had a wonderful mothers day. I did. I had someone else make coffee for me, and went to Home Depot to get myself the fixings to make myself a lap loom. I'll finish the job this week, maybe. I have other things that need to take my 15 minutes' first.

Anyway, I was lazing in bed working on the afghan I'm making my daughter, and danged if I didn't feel guilty for lazing. I ended up making my bed and sitting on it to work on the afghan. Then I HAD to get out of my jammies and get dressed (you know it) to the shoes. That's when I got the idea for the new loom and proposed it to the hubby. He said, sure, go ahead and make it. So, I went to the home center and got the wood, cotter pins (and danged if I didn't drop a bag somewhere before I got to the register and now I'm short), and the glue. I only have to get more cotter pins and I'm good to go. I have days of work sanding the wood before I really have to worry about the cotter pins, though. So, I come home, and go back to work on the afhgan.
The panel is done. YAY!

I was laying here watching Psychic Detectives on Court TV and thought, "I'll do any dishes tomorrow." sighed, got up, and shined my sink. I couldn't leave it. LOL. That's a good thing.

Tomorrow, I go pay a couple bills (its the 15th) and then come back and do some 15 minute rounds.

Night all, hope your sink is shiny.

Brenda

First Day Is Done

2006-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I've completed my first day of Flying. It's creeping up on 9pm and MY SINK IS SHINY. Probably for about five more minutes.

Here's the story of my endeavors of the first day of flying.

I got up this morning at 6:05. I only hit the snooze once. But then I always only hit the snooze once. Wandered out of my room, dazed and confused, and tapped on each teen's door, hollering, "Good Morning." I kept at it until they each returned the greeting.

Continued wandering down the hall, through the dining room path (yes, I'll get to that), and into the kitchen. Grabbed the coffee pot, rinsed it out, searched for and found the cup thingy that you put the grounds in (what's that called anyway?), filled it, and got the pot going. Grabbed a big bowl, put water in it, put it in the microwave for oatmeal water (that instant stuff you know, since the teens like it), turned on the microwave. Wow! I've made breakfast for the kids. I'm such a good mom.

Wander back down the hallway to the bedroom, stopping on the way and telling my oldest to get up, again.

Found some cut off sweatpants. It's been so hot here lately. Getting up into the nineties today. Found socks and lace up shoes. (I acquired that habit when I first started Flylady. It's the only one that stuck). Flipped the covers back over the bed, the habit from last month or the month before, can't remember which. Pottied, brushed teeth. Left the bathroom just as I found it. sigh

All right. I made sure everyone was up except hubby who is snoozing on the couch due to a bad back. Poured myself a cup of life giving java and drowned it with sugar free hazelnut creamer. Gotta love the stuff. My day has officially started.

There is always a mad rush to get out of the house in the mornings. The goal is to get out of here by 6:40am, thereby beating the 6th graders bus (no, I don't have a sixth grader anymore, but it hits the corner at the same time every morning and is a good judge of when I should start yelling at the teens). This morning, we didn't make it. Youngest (9th grader), had to dress in her JROTC uniform and her hair always takes a week to do.

We finally ran out of here at 6:50. Mind you, school doesn't start til 7:25, but I hate the last minute traffic that I have to deal with if I leave close to 7. It can take me up to an hour to get back home, and school is... 4 miles away. Go figure. The teens don't mind, they get to hang out with thier friends, eat another breakfast in the lunchroom, at least my son does. He's 16, 6 foot, and I've had doctors ask him if I feed him, he's so skinny. The girls just gab with their friends.

Me, I head home, wake up the hubby with the official offering of hot coffee, and looked around my house. I nearly screamed. It was soooo bad.

The path through the dining room had gotten narrower, the clean clothes all piled up in wads in my recliner and on the floor of the living room, dirty in the bathrooms in piles, bathroom sinks and counters completely full and if you moved your arm, something fell off, the kitchen.... dishes everywhere, and I don't mean clean ones, counters with unidentifiable stains and splotches (that's where you could actually see the counter, which was one little corner), stove the same as the counters...

the list goes on...

So, after a minor flip out, I decided to drag my control journal out and snatched a timer (I have two) out from under a deep pile by my coffee pot.

The control journal proved worthless. Full of stuff that didn't apply to me yet, so I gathered a pencil and paper and started fresh. I already had my shoes on, so I was starting out good. I filled the dishwasher and ran it, reran the clothes washing machine since I had forgotten about a load that was in there, made sure the hubby was up, started my timer for 7 minutes, and turned on the water outside in the first section of grass. Every 7 minutes the timer would go off, and I would move the hose and sprinkler. When not moving hose, I cleared the table. Eventually, I had watered grass, and the table was... passable. I set my laptop up with my now useless control journal next to it, and all the spices I needed to make the fly mix. One thing my family loves is that lemon fly mix chicken. I put the mix on everything. LOL

Ok, so during the 15 minute incriments, I eventually, did all the dishes including the pans that had hardened who knows what on them, the stove and counter around it is clean, there is a larger path through the dining room (which I'm almost to explaining), and my living room is vacuumed, and some of the clothes are no longer there. They are hung up and put away. I won't lie and say I did them all, but I gave it a good 30 minutes (two rounds of the timer). I also, potted some alyssium that I've been meaning to do for about 6 months. I'm hoping that they actually grow. And did 4 loads of laundry. My drier heating filament is broken so I have to hang everything outside to dry. At noon, I got the reminder to boogie my car, so grabbed my keys and with a little hand broom, swept it out, put the fuse cover back on, emptied both trashbags, and sprayed it with carpet freshener, the auto kind. Locked the van back up and went inside.

Whew.

During that time, I also read through a couple of my own written chapters on my work in progress, drank another cup of coffee and a big glass of water. I'm pretty sure, somewhere in there, I ate a sandwich, too. My mail had come, so I ran out and checked it. A package with my order of audiobooks had come. I am a HUGE fan of Christine Feehan and I've been getting the audio of her Dark books as they come out. This time around I got TWO, I had a coupon. Now I'll have something to listen to as I clean. Cool, huh? The other mail, I chucked in the trash BEFORE I got it inside since it was only ads for places I'll never go. I looked through them first, sheesh, and I put them in the recycling trashcan.

I've been filtering water to put in my 3 gallon waterbottles, and that's still an ongoing project.

Now, for the dining room. The last time I went psycho and cleaned a room to PERFECTION (there's that word that gets us every time, doesn't it?) it was the living room. I've collected lots and lots of vhs tapes and instead of reorganizing them once the rest of the room was clean, the teens and I, who I had roped into helping me, stuck them into four LARGE packing boxes and put them in the dining room to go through later. This was in January. They are still there. Occasionally, my youngest will burrow through one to find something to watch, but that's about it. Hubby got his truck fixed about the same time, so had to empty all the guy truck crap from said vehicle before sending it to the shop. A welder, two containers with parts and tools, a spare tire and the jack and stands all ended up in the dining room with the tapes. Now, hubby's truck runs great, the welder went to work with him, and the rest??? Is still in the dining room. sigh.

Well, most of the above items are still there, but I can move around in it until I get to that chore. 15 minutes at a time...

Hubby came home early, about 1:15 and never mentioned the work I did. That's ok, I'm used to it. He'll at least not complain about having no undies or socks in the drawer.

At 2 I picked up the teens from school and made it home by 3:15. Not bad, but hey... still 45 minutes from the minute I picked them up had elapsed. Came home, settled in to work on my book, and promptly fell asleep for the next four hours. I must have been tired.

I woke to my youngest asking if she could go to her friends after the park cleanup tomorrow, and after much drowzy consideration, I decided I didn't care as long as she had a ride home from there.

Since it was now 7:30pm, I blinked at the clock and realized I felt a little hungry. There was some nice thinly sliced steak that I got at the market for half off, and didn't want it to go bad, so cooked it in my nice clean kitchen. Made a salad to go with and some baby carrots on the side. Water to drink. Sure, I made enough for the whole family, just to keep them from messing up my kitchen cooking for themselves, and we had a nice, healthy dinner for a change. RIGHT after I finished eating, I started to fill the dishwasher. Now my sink is clean, the dishwasher just stopped running, and whoa! the counters and stove are CLEAN. I still need to do the other counter along the sink wall, sweep, mop, and all the other stuff. Still, a huge dent in the cleaning has been accomplished.

There are clothes on the line, clothes that need to go on the line, but I'll leave that for tomorrow. Sorry, Flylady. I'm wiped out. I'm going to shower and plant myself in my bed with my laptop and see if I can't get some of this book done. I'll never get to be a famous romance writer if I don't actually write.

Tune in tomorrow for the hectic schedule I must keep. It's prom and everyone has something they HAVE to do. LOL

Feel free to comment, but if you say... "Geez, what a slob!" don't bother. I already know that. Oh and "Get the teens to help." is also worthless information that I know but is less work to do it myself.

One last thing... I love certain cleaning products. Perhaps they aren't the best for the environment, but neither is a nasty house.

With white counters and sink, I must expound on the merits of owning a bottle of Sof Scrub With Bleach. I got all the coffee stains off the counter where the coffee pot is. We know how tough that can be.
Night.

Brenda

I Can't Take It Anymore!

2006-05-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I look around my home and see... Things. Lots and lots of things. Way too many things to be contained in one home. Naturally, the things have piled up until I have clutter. Clutter piled up until I had a disaster.

I'm tired of living in a disaster zone.

I've been a member of Flylady for nearly two years now. I've read the posts, thought about doing the tasks, then deleted the e-mails. Apparently, and to my great surprise, thinking about doing a chore doesn't get it done. Darn it all anyway.

So, here I sit, at the table I spent twenty minutes to clear a space for my laptop, and sigh.

There is one month before my oldest daughter graduates high school. My mother and grandmother are coming here to stay with us so they can see the oldest grandchild and great grandchild in two families (mine and my hubbys) graduate. My house is a wreck, I'm trying to finish writing a book, I have two other teens to ferry around, my finances are crap, I'm a yarn addict, and my hair is turning gray.

That needs to change.

"If you're so busy, why have you started a third blog?" You may ask dirisively. I actually have an answer for that, and it isn't bull.

I find, that with my other two blogs, if I have nothing to post, I feel guilty. :) I have been getting crafts and writing done like nobody's business and I'm HOPING that this blog will give me the incentive to get off my flat butt and do something. If I can get my house organized, I can get my writing and crafting organized. I would also like to get my finances squared away as well.

Right now, I have the timer set for 15 minutes to rest and start this blog. The dishwasher is open to allow the dishes that just finished washing to air dry (saves on electricity), the clothes washer is nearly finished re-washing a load I had forgotten about the other day, the grass is watered (for the first time in a week), my teens are at the high school, my hubby at work, and I...

I must clean the kitchen.

I need to restart my control journal. I am not exactly sure how it became a monstrosity that it is, with many flylady control journals in it that I never look at. Not right now, but later today and for the next few weeks, I will be starting from scratch and fitting it to MY needs.

Oh, Saturday morning will be fun for me. My youngest daughter has community service with her JROTC program (It's a good thing), my son has an all day car wash, and my oldest has Prom tomorrow night. I only have three children. LOL All are in high school, all are as bad at cleaning as I am... I wonder why.

My timer just went off so I'm going back to the kitchen. Later tonight, I shall update you on my progress and give you some more information on my life and life-styleless.

Today, the 12th of May, 2006, I start on my journey to CONTROL. If you wish to tag along, please do so, then go shine your sink.