Clean my house from top to bottom

I don’t know why I just can’t make a dent! Last weekend I did the superficial cleaning in the livingroom and our bedroom. This weekend I did the deep cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen. I guess I didn’t know how bad I let this place get! I don’t even know where to start anymore. I think today I might just organize the guest bedroom before it starts looking any more like a “catch all.” :/

today i cleared off a couple of shelves on the bookcase and put away the books that I had lying around the house

November 10 – everything must be clean and organized again or I will throw it all away. Who needs all this junk anyway? What am I going to do with my wedding dress?

I got the curtains finished in the bathroom. (I know the towel is hideous with the curtains; it’s old.) I haven’t decided if I like them or not, but they help give the room a more finished look. Once I get it finished the way I want it, I will be more motivated to keep it orderly.

This weekend, I got some plants repotted, cleaned up my garden, cleaned up my dining area and scrubbed the wooden floors with Murphy’s Oil. I sewed curtains for the bathroom and got them hung and painted some more of the stencil in the bathroom. I also scrubbed the kitchen and did some organizing. Took out some trash. Got some hardware organized and found a place for it.

I did every room in the house including the cupboard under the stairs. It took all day and although there are proably much better ways of spending my time I am really glad I did it.

I made progress:

1) Washed and put away seven loads of laundry.
2) Scrubbed kitchen.
3) Washed and put away crystal stemware.
4) Cleaned off one sofa in living room (laundry, assorted shopping bags, etc.).
5) Cleaned off and windexed glass sofa table in living room.
6) Painted window frame and sill in bathroom.
7) Hung bamboo blind on window in bathroom.
8) Painted door and half of door frame in bathroom.
9) Painted 1/3 of stencil in bathroom.
10) Painted and polyurethaned shelves for bathroom.
11) Painted screen for under the sink.
12) Finished sewing curtain for tub enclosure for bathroom
13) Finished pinning second curtain for tub enclosure for bathroom
14) Found supplies to finish curtains in bathroom when I cleaned off sofa.

Not bad considering Friday afternoon and evening, I hung out with my daughter shopping at thrift stores (where I bought a dozen and a half new pieces of crystal stemware, some candle holders, and some hardback books), photographing the Glenwood Cemetery, and eating at Cafe Adobe. Saturday, I started on the laundry and got the kitchen cleaned, then ran two errands to pick up some repaired jewelry and to buy supplies for the bathroom before spending the rest of the day at a friend’s house for a cook-out. Sunday, I went to church and spent the rest of the day eating and getting tattoos with my daughter and a friend. I also squeezed in two movies this weekend and read some on Peru for an upcoming trip. All that aside, I am bringing to bathroom closer to completion and the living room closer to being habitable.

I have been working on this little by little, but I decided to make it an official goal. One thing I have been doing that I have noticed is helping with the organization is to design and fix each room. When a room is painted and fixed the way I want it, I am more inspired to keep it clean. This weekend, I hope to finish my bathroom makeover. If it turns out well, I will show pics.

I got my cleaning ladies back – the one has recovered from her surgery, so I should be able to focus more on getting rid of clutter and leave the heavy cleaning to them. I’m just not a neat person, you know? I try. But it’s summer and I’d rather have my kids at the park, the beach, the pool, riding bikes, going on picnics than parked in front of the tv while I clean all the time. Excuses, excuses, I know. But this will let me focus on the gazillion loads of laundry I have to do, getting rid of old toys and wading through all the old magazines and paperwork. It’s stupid, but having cleaning ladies makes me feel like a failure.

This goal is way too ambitious, really about 20 goals rolled into one. We worked so hard on cleaning last week and got lots done, yet I still can’t check this off.

@Librarian, I’m starting hear the siren call of the 4 Day Win.