A little DirtDevil to aid my handy Swiffer!!

I'm here to tell you that I recently purchased two wonderful additions to my cleaning tool kit: the hand held DirtDevil and the Swiffer mop. They are making my cleaning a breeze!

I have an indoor kitty, whom I love very very much. However, her litter I don't love...at all. Hence, the DirtDevil, which I have ready to go right by her litter box for all that lovely litter she tends to kick and track everywhere.

Also, I have a very little apartment, my kitchen and living area are one in the same, separated by a cute breakfast bar/counter top. This presents the issue of tracking in dirt into the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. So, in comes the Swiffer. It makes cleaning this small area easy and quick, which I value to no end.

So, if you thinking about a couple of useful purchases for your cleaning closet, add the hand held DirtDevil and the Swiffer.

Soon to come: a few pictures to accentuate my appreciation for these wonderful inventions!!

An Ode... To Be Fair

So, I wrote the Ode to the Single Parent, which got me thinking... what about the bachelors, and, ehem, bachelorertts? We have it rough in our own way in regards to keeping up with the organization of things. Revving up the motivation can be tough sometimes. So I decided, to be fair and to follow on our behalf with:
Ode to the Singles

O, single one
Childless and free
Laying there in bed
With a sink full of dishes
Staring at your britches

Hanging on the door

O, single one
Childless and free
Waking up for work
Making your way in life
With no husband or wife

To be considered

O, single one
Childless and free
Coming home at night
Whenever you might please
Simplicity and ease

Can be your motto

O, single one
Childless and free
Scrubbing down the tub
Or sweeping up the floor
Can be a horrid bore...

Maybe tomorrow

O, single one
Childless and free
Internet surfing
Vacuuming, maybe...might...
That carpet once was white

But who has to know

O, single one
Childless and free
With a life so hard
Full of arduous tasks
Always forced to relax

With a good movie

O, single one
Childless and Free
Bachelors and etts
We are hard workers too
We have plenty to do...

After the game...

And Monk

Then... maybe

Taking time for an Ode

I have to admit, some days are definitely harder than others to make sure I clean the dishes, sweep, vacuum, make the bed, put away the clothes... and this is just for lil' ol' me! I know that organizing for a family's home is a tremendous amount of work! Now imagine doing that all on your own! Single moms and dads have to do just that.

That's way I am taking a little time to write this
Ode to the Single Parent:

O, single mom
O, single dad
You who work so hard
You who hold your own
Even when battles drone

Between the children

O, single mom
O, single dad
With no time alone
And mounts of work to do
Fit for a ten-maned crews

With none to be had

O, single mom
O, single dad
Hold your own with dishes
Granting Birthday wishes
Posing as Santa, too

Multi-tasking saints

O, single mom
O, single dad
There is truth to tell
Of your strife to maintain
What little bit remains

Of your sanity

O, single mom
O, single dad
Don't let yourselves think
You don't deserve to get
Pats on the back still yet

And maybe a spa

Or two.

Knotty Curtains

Coming by curtains that are both attractive and affordable can be a pain. I find that curtains that I like tend to be overly priced. Conversely, curtains that I'm not so thrilled about are right smack-dab in my price range. Annoying, to say the least.

So, I decided to take a new approach. I was wondering around Jo-Anne Fabrics one afternoon looking for something no at all related to curtains when I passed some fabric that I thought "wow, that'd look good as some...", then it came to me... why not just use some loose fabric for window treatments? I already had venetian blinds that were looking very sparse and not-so appealing. However, they do the trick regarding privacy and all that... but looks wise? Not so hot.

I didn't have the time to put too much time into the whole thing, so I bought some fabric that I was crazy about as-is. I bought some clip-on hangers at Home Depot along with easily installable curtain rods. I measured out and cut the fabric into four even sections for two windows. I clipped and hung the sections and then, to hide the fact that they are pieces of unfinished fabric, I tied the bottoms up into large neat knots... and walla! Curtains!

A little sneaky, I agree, but saved me a bundle and I got the look I wanted. So, all's well that ends well!

BEWS: Symptoms and Treatments

Making a large wall space look... well... not boring is pretty tough at times. Large empty or uninteresting walls can take away from the over-all aesthetics of a room. While parts of a room offer smaller, manageable wall space, making it a little easier to create an interesting decor, having a big empty area across from it makes what you've done look lost in the sea of blank walls surrounding it.

There are a few ways to defeat the evil large empty wall, also known as Big Empty Wall Syndrome (or BEWS). One way is by using larger decor for this space. Place the sofa against this wall and hang a very large painting or image above it to interrupt the space. Use tall standing objects such as statues or indoor potted trees, large wall clocks, or interesting wall hangings.




My preferred way of dealing with BEWS is by using a series of similar small objects to create a pattern across the wall. I usually use frames. Frames are an easy and convenient way of dismantling the BEW's power over the room's general aesthetics and composition. A series of like frames across the wall visually cuts the wall space into sections, causing it too appear smaller and less over powering.

You can also use frames in corners. If you have a blank corner that's haunting your family room, use the same theory used to conquer BEWS; like objects. In corners you can also try hanging the objects at varying levels. This visually separates the conjoining walls and creates aesthetic interest.

So don't let your BEWS get you down. I'm here to tell you, my fellow sufferers, there's hope yet!

Even More Importantly...

I think even more important than having a clean place to come home to... is having someone there to great you. Save's my someone. Some people have dogs, some have ferrets, some have cats. Save is my cat. Although I don't see myself as her owner but rather as a companion and partner. She's always there for me. She waits by the door when she hears me pull in and greats me with a meow and a roll on the kitchen floor looking up at me, as happy to see me and I to see her.

At night she knows when it's time to go to get some sleep and waits for me to go to the bedroom, her eyes observing my every move. She follows me to bed and snuggles up under my arm, purring and purring and purring.

In the morning when the alarm goes off she wakes up and pats my nose as if to say "hit the snooze, hit the snooze!" When I finally do get out of bed she runs ahead of me to the kitchen or bathroom and waits for a morning pat and snuggle. If she wants to play she meows and goes to her toy, looking up at me pleading for a little attention.

She isn't always begging for attention. But she's rarely aloof. She has her places where she sleeps and gives me a soft gaze if I disturb her... honestly I often demand her attention more than her demanding mine! Save and I... we provide for each other. I give her food and water and shelter, she gives me attention and company and love. I think that's a pretty good deal.

So if coming home to a neat abode still feels empty, maybe it's time for a new addition to the family.

CAUTION[Zoned for Major Over Haul]

Sometimes I find that organizing can be, shall we say... a little daunting? Not because I don't want to do it(ehemm... of course), but because it doesn't look the way I want it to in the end. Everything still looks unorganized, or aesthetically unappealing. At moments like this I reorganize.

Not just little things, like the magazines on the coffee table or mini shampoo bottles in the bathroom cabinet. Nope. I'm talkin' major renovations here!

Recently I found myself facing this very frightful rut. My apartment in disarray, my belongings askew...my mind felt less clean than the dust bunnies nipping at my heals. So I knew it was time for the BIG over-haul.

If you decide to reorganize a room, don't start with the little things, start BIG. Move the dresser, the couch, the entertainment center... the BIG things. Doing all this might sound a little pointless, but it is most definitely not. Changing things around brings new perspective to a room and revitalizes it's energy. Also, as you plow on through, you'll find yourself easily tidying up the small stuff as you go simply because you're in THE ZONE... and if feels good to have a room reorganized, refreshed, and looking ready to go.

So, if that coffee table is holding more than it's weight in mail, or your coach is pinching more pennies than you are, it's time for some very BIG, very drastic measures.