Leslie's Litter

So...I am a few days behind, but I am back on track with organizing my home! Today I decided to finish up Day 5 of  Money Saving Mom's  Organization Challenge so that I can start back up tomorrow for the weekday challenges. Here are the goals & how I did: Day 5 Assignment ::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your  free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps , if you need more motivation in this.} Maybe I didn't do so great with this, but I did have comfy PJs on! ::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your  list of weekly goals , and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today. I tried a new, delicious Pina Colada hot tea, and put together a list of things that I wanted to finish up today.  It's still afternoon and I am almost done! ::Complete your morni...

I have been trying to do my best at piecing life together, making everything fit nicely into my idea of what I want and need in life.  I then realized that the more I try to make everything fit so that it looks great from the outside, the worse it gets on the inside. I do things because I am supposed to do them; some of these things I enjoy and others I feel obligated to do because I used to enjoy them or because it is the "right thing to do".   For the past week I have been working like crazy; I was out of town for a food show Sunday and Monday, and I am following that up with 5 - 11+ hour days.  Is it really necessary that I am everywhere, or could the small parties get by without me?  Do I really need to look at every single place setting to make sure I like the way that the napkin got put in the water glass?   My house is a mess (which is not surprising to hear, but it is worse then usual), laundry is piling up (my husband asked me to please do laundr...

This morning when I was getting ready I noticed that I had a pair of winter white shoes in my closet that I hadn't worn yet during this challenge and so I decided that I needed to get them out and wear them before Spring weather takes over again and it is time to wear white white!

Even though today was a long day at work I knew that I needed to come home and finish Assignment #4 from  Money Saving Mom  before I could let myself relax and curl into bed. I got right to work, and started with my 15 minute bathroom clean.  Wow!  I can't remember the last time I got that much cleaned in my bathroom at one time...  Usually I clean just the sink, maybe the tub one day, and the toilet the next.  Tonight I cleaned the mirror, toilet, tub, counters, swept the floor, and then cleaned the floor.  I even took the time to wash down the cabinets, baseboards, and doors. Then I went out and moved the couches before I could back down.  Once they were moved I had to clean out from under them before I could sit on them to watch TV.  They weren't that bad, as we had just cleaned under them a few weeks ago.  Just a few milk rings and cat toys that I was able to put away where they belong, and a quick sweep underneath.   T...

Another pair of brown shoes today!  My first pair of brown heels, and they are still comfy and wearable to this day!  I remember how much higher they were then in the catalog and  I thought I was crazy to wear them...now I don't think twice when putting on high  high heels.

I needed something comfy for today, and so I decided to go through some of my brown shoes since I have been wearing so many black shoes lately!

While I am a week behind on  Money Saving Mom 's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home, I am still moving right along and working on her daily assignments as I can between work and my other work. ;) Today I set my 15 minute timer and was able to change the bed sheets, start a load of laundry that had been sitting in the bedroom waiting to be done for almost a week, as well as wipe down the bed, dressers, and night stands.  The timer went off and my 15 minutes was up, but I decided since I was so close to having a clean bedroom that I might as well take the extra 10 minutes and pull out the vacuum!  I am so glad that I did this.  I swept under the bed, behind the door, around the litter box... it's amazing how a little cat hair here and there can fill up the vacuum canister! My freezer was a fairly easy task as I had cleaned it out a few months ago, so I just needed to wipe down the shelves.  I did find a few things to add to my menu in the next fe...

Below is "Day 2 Assignment" from  Money Saving Mom .   I was able to complete everything today, but I was surprised at the mess that was in my refrigerator.  For not having very much food on hand, there was quite a bit to get rid of!  I threw out almost an entire garbage bag of expired food and left overs that never got eaten up!  I will have to make a note to do a better job of eating what we buy, and not letting things pile up for no reason! My 7 things to get rid of today were all from my closet, which is a good thing because it was starting to overflow! Day 2 Assignment ::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your  free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps , if you need more motivation in this.} ::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your  list of weekly goals , and  ma...

Monday, Monday, Monday... We all need Mondays to be a little happier, so I choose to cheer mine up with one of my new favorite pair of black heels (I know... how many pairs of black heels does 1 girl need?) I found these on eBay, brand new, for only $3!!!  How could I pass them up!? They look better on, and even though not the most comfy... They make me smile!

As much as I wanted something a little more in the Easter/Spring mood, I decided to go with these boots.  It was a little chilly today and so the boots could keep me warm!  They are also not very comfortable and I knew that I wouldn't have them on very long today (we take our shoes off at my mom's house) so they were a perfect match for the day... I did notice some marks on them and areas where they were stretching and getting old so you will probably notice them in my give away piles coming up!

I have been following Crystal at  Money Saving Mom  for close to a year now, and even though I don't have kids, most of the things she has to say really hit home for me. Right now she is challenging her readers, and herself, to work towards a more organized home in the next 4 weeks.  Each weekday she posts a short list of things to do that will help you work towards your goals.  I have decided to challenge myself and complete her "to-do" list along with her....even though I am starting a week late due to a last minute mini-vacation last week. Here is MSM's Day 1 Assignment & My Progress. ::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your  free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps , if you need more motivation in this.} I got up, showered, and got dressed in my "Fight Like A Girl" shirt with the attitude t...

So...this has become more of a monthly article then weekly. but here is another tip for you on the journey to saving money. When holiday shopping wait until the day after, or a few days after the holiday to purchase things that are sustainable for the next year.  Even though we do not have children I still like to have egg coloring kits around the house when we spend time with friends and family.  The best way to purchase this is a year in advance.  Yes, it may not be the next greatest thing out there, but it is still going to do the job - at a fraction of the price!  Easter baskets do not change much from year to year, and you can always get plastic eggs to plan ahead for next year's Easter Egg Hunt! Halloween is another great example. I purchase costumes (for my cats) after they go on clearance to 70% - 90% off the original price.  This allows us to take part in the holiday, have some fun, but not spend a crazy amount of money. And at every holiday I ...

This was the day before Easter so I needed a pair of shoes with some color and "Spring" in them!  I decided on these orange shoes, that went perfectly with the orange shirt that I wore under my suit.   I had a wonderful day at work, full of laughs and jokes, even though the customer was late with serving, making everyone a little cranky - but we got it done and I even got compliments on my colorful shoes!

Today started with some great ambitions... I was up bright and early, went to take care of my boss' dogs and let them play for an hour while I checked emails and read some blogs.  Then I came home to clean out litter boxes (not just a regular clean, but a deep down, dump the litter and scrub them with soap & water kind of clean!).  After that my husband and I picked out paint colors for our dining room, made a to-do list for the afternoon, and then a lunch date. Then...we ended up taking a nap. Not a normal 20-30 minute nap, but closer to 4 hours, and even then we only woke up because my mom came to drop off a library book that she had borrowed!  Luckily there was still some  daylight left and we re-started our projects.  I was able to go purchase paint, let the dogs out a few more times, and get some cleaning and laundry done around the house.   Needless to say, I wore my slippers all day...including to let the dogs out and go buy paint.   ...

First day back to work so I decided to go with some simple black heels to ease myself back in.  Too bad I didn't think it all the way through, and remember that my legs had a sunburn and that it hurt to stretch them out.  Oh well, I made it through the day, and on to the next pair of shoes...

Still on the road, and traveling California so I needed something that is easy to pack, and matches almost all of the clothes that I had with me.  They went great with the dress that I finally wore, after sitting in my closet for almost 4 years!

Day 1 of the road trip... Nice comfy shoes that are easy to slip off when I want to put my feet on the dash (Sean's favorite thing that I do!) and wonderful for walking around on the beach once we see the California Sun!

Comfy, and cozy, and pretty dang ugly!  Oh well!  I enjoy them :) Today we are headed out of town for a mini-vacation for me, and just another day/week of work for Sean.  I am going to only be able to take a few pairs of shoes with me so I will have to take a few days off of the shoe challenge, but I will make it up at the end by going a few extra days into May. I hope the weather here in Toledo warms up soon because I don't know how many more cold weather shoes I have...