Backwoods Wife

31 Days to Clean - The Reboot

Hi hi!

I thought I'd join in on Sarah Mae's "31 Days to Clean - The Reboot".  Sarah Mae will be listing a new challenge every day (Monday through Friday) beginning on June 4th.  I figure a little extra motivation and "we're in this together" feelings can't hurt!  Here's the link to Sarah Mae's page about June's cleaning adventure.  See you Monday with the first installment!

 

 

 

 

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention.  Or in my case, the end of procrastination.  I needed to do laundry today but I ran out of laundry detergent yesterday.  I did go to the store yesterday but purposely avoided the detergent aisle.  Why?  For months I have had the supplies to make my own laundry soap powder but haven't gotten around to it.  Today, I desperately needed to wash clothes and soap was necessary.  So, guess what?  The laundry powder got made today.  The first load is washing as I type. 

 

 

I had two cute little helpers.  That always makes this sort of thing more fun.  I recommend using your own cute little helpers if you have them.  Or ask to borrow some from a friend!  ;)  I got the recipe from this post on Amanda's blog.  

 

 

Here are the ingredients you'll need: castille soap (I used Dr. Bronner's citrus castille soap), baking soda, Borax, and washing soda.  Follow the recipe here.  Stir it all together and you're done!  Store it in an air tight container.  I'm trying two tablespoons of laundry powder per load.  That means 40 loads per recipe.  Not too shabby!  I imagine you'd need to adjust that based on the relative hardness or softness of the water where you live.   I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

 

(Isn't she lovely?)

No more tree!

Last night we FINALLY took down our Christmas tree.  Somehow I managed to get all of decorations off the tree and a third of the lights before the kids noticed what I was doing.  There were some minor protestations, but with the assurance of decorating for Valentine's Day today all was well again.  Today I have to pack up all of the ornaments and breakable bits from around the house.  Riley had a blast "fishing" off the loft railing last night with a long length of silver garland.  Then the garland was threaded through the sleeves of one of her dresses and hung off the antler's on the deer mount as a decoration/dress drying device.  We now have several shorter lengths of garland as a result of all of the "fishing", etc but it was a lot of fun for all of $4.

For now we are breakfasting and doing laundry and dishes.  Then it's packing up the Christmas stuff, getting out supplies to make Valentine's decorations.  The girls were supposed to resume dance class this morning after a long hiatus (the instructor wasn't well) but I've kept their big brother home from school today as he wasn't feeling so great yesterday so we're all staying put.  We'll have to make a quick trip to town later to pick up some milk and check the mail.  I am really hoping my engagement ring is waiting for me at the post office.  I sent it to a jeweller at the beginning of December and have not seen it since.  I was told 10 days...it's been about 7 weeks now - I'm not impressed.  I won't be using those jewellers again.

Dwayne's parents begin their trek home tomorrow via the winter road again.  My mom and dad are driving them back.  It works out well for all parties - Mom and Dad V get back to the airport, Mom and Dad B get a change of scenery and a few more shopping and restaurant options than we have here, and I have Dwayne and don't have to worry about the wood stove(s) or the generator and other fun stuff like that.  (Normally I don't mind doing that sort of thing, but the whole being VERY pregnant thing has kind of made those tasks a bit difficult!) :)

Off to continue what has so far been a productive morning! 

Oh, I also have to call the sheriff's office to try to get out of jury duty next week...

Update:  Apparently the sheriff's office cannot excuse a very pregnant woman with three children 5 and under from jury duty.  I actually have to go to the courthouse and ask to be excused which, I'm told, doesn't usually take more than 2 hours.  Ugh.

Cobweb Love

It would appear that my lack of housework lately, at least in the vacuuming department, has paid off.  The rugs have been vacuumed enough, but the poor corners of the ceilings and support beams have been sorely neglected.  As I sat at the computer yesterday, I noticed a long strand of web blowing in the breeze.  Breeze!  Aha!  An air leak.  Sure enough, when I climbed up on a chair to investigate I found a spot where the house had settled, the chinking had shifted, and there was cold air coming in from the -40C clime outside.  I pulled the books off the shelves on the adjacent wall shelf by shelf and discovered a couple of more spots in need of attention.  Dwayne sealed them up, along with another one we found near the front door.  I know that there are more behind the other bookshelves, but I just haven't got there yet.  Those dusty cobwebs have resulted in a much more comfortable sitting place at the computer.  No more frozen feet, no blankets required in the evening.  Yippee!  This is why I love cobwebs today.

A shining stove top

Yesterday I tackled my stove top.  It was long overdue for a good scrubbing.  It was well worth the effort, both for looks, and for my peace of mind!  While I was cleaning, I was also rearranging the kitchen in my mind, trying to think of ways that would make it work better for me.  I came up with a few good thoughts, now I just need to implement them.  After the kids are asleep would probably be best...otherwise baking ingredients are likely to be strewed across the house!

Power cleaning

Today, like yesterday, has been a very grey, rainy sort of day. Grizzly, drizzly, and cold. It made me feel wintery which, in turn, made me feely Christmasy. So this afternoon the kids and I are listening to Christmas music and doing some power cleaning.

I think we will start with Diana Krall's Christmas Songs and go from there. If you click on the link you can hear clips of the songs. :)

The babies really like dancing around the living room to "Jingle Bells" and "Let It Snow". There is also a really nice version of "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" which fans of "White Christmas" will remember Rosemary Clooney singing.

Off we go!

Clean rabbits' cage
Vacuum
Dust living room and dining room
Run dishwasher
Sweep/wash kitchen, bathroom, and porch floors
Wash chalkboard in dining room
Clean bathroom sink and counter
Clean kitchen sinks, counters and stove top

I'll come back later on to update our list!

(Oooo. I bought a lovely lime apple scented votive candle yesterday afternoon, I'll have to light that as well.)