The Sickness Continues!

I slept in today - if you can call passing out on the sofa and waking up at 11 am "sleeping in". The last thing I remember is watching an infomercial for some blender of doom. It was late, I couldn't sleep, it could have been anything really. I noticed a slip of sunlight through the curtains and thought it would be nice to make a cup of coffee for Elvis before he headed in to work this morning. Only problem with that is... he was already at work for 5 hours before I managed to stumble in to the kitchen and see the clock.

I'll tell him I thought about it... it's the thought that counts, right?

I cleaned in my sleep. No, I didn't clean the house while sleeping... my dreams were about cleaning and what I wanted to get done. As motivating as it's suppose to be, it was a little saddening when I realized that I actually have to DO them now.

My focus has been the kitchen. The wall cabinets are now shining in their "Yes, they are Ikea cabinets" white. I am going to make Elvis clean "his cabinet" because even on a step-ladder I can't reach it and I am not adventurous enough to dangle over the stove. The difference between the cleaned cabinets and that one is amazing...

Yes, I used vinegar and baking powder. I think I am addicted to it. The bubbles... THE BUBBLES!

I decided to move some appliances around. There isn't a heck of a lot that I can do because there aren't many plugs available. I have more appliances than I have room for and I need to change them around from time to time.

The coffee pot, crock pot, microwave and toaster over get the most use, so they have a permanent home in the valuable real estate known as my counter. The Kitchen-Aid is on the butcher block because it's the only other place I have a plug and it's too tall for the counter and too heavy to lift.

WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN

(well, parts of it)

The largest crock pot and coffee pot are on the small bit over the dishwasher, next to the sink. I don't know what to do with the coffee, sugar and creamer. Eventually I want to get them in to the cabinet above, but for now, they are going to stay where they. Yes, that IS an odd shaped cabinet. It's a corner unit so it's triangular. It was the only design that would give me the storage space and still allow me to have some head room. Since I am short, I had them installed at 16" instead of the usual 18". It's still too high for me, but I can get to most of the first shelf and the front of the second. The dishwasher is original, oddly it was black. I know black isn't an unusual appliance color now, but it was back in 1977 when the condo unit was built. It's on the list of things that need to be replaced. It may be old, but for now, it's working. The frugalista in me can't part with it yet.

The microwave and toaster oven are on the counter that makes the L from the one the coffee pot is on. (Pardon the crumbs in the toaster oven, I hadn't cleaned it when I took the picture) I think corners are a waste of space, especially when you are short and can't reach in to them. Originally I had the microwave sitting kitty-corner. It looked okay but it took up a lot of space and things managed to hide behind and beside it. The toaster over use to be next to the coffee pot because I was lugging the crock-pot out almost daily. There is another corner cabinet above the microwave, next to it is a double door dish cabinet and then an over the stove/vent cabinet. The stove is on the right just out of the picture. The bottom corner has a swing door and 2 wire lazy-susan racks. Next to that, cabinet at the bottom right corner of the picture is a triple drawer unit.

That's the end of the official counter space in my kitchen. I will post more pictures later and eventually a picture of the whole thing.

I know I should be thinking up some wonderful dinner for Elvis tonight because he got stuck doing mandatory over-time today (his day off) and will come home exhausted and starving from a hard days labor... but, I'm thinking pizza. I know, I know... but, I just cleaned the stove!

Sign of the Apocalypse?

So... here I am again. A bit later than I had originally planned, but hey, I never claimed to be perfect. What have I been doing all this time? What's with the title you say? I've been (insert drum-roll and grab your desk) cleaning.

GET OFF THE FLOOR!

I told you to hold the desk, don't blame me if you tripped over your jaw and fell on your backside. The shock that I, The Domestic Goddess, spent the last few days cleaning is a shock to anyones system... especially mine.

I'm pretty sure there is something written somewhere about this being a sign of the end of times. I woke up the other day -wanting- to clean the slider. Seriously. I didn't even drink a cup of coffee until after I scared the neighbors. I was in my pajamas at the time. Epic I tell you. 

If only it stopped there... The dishes were done, the toilet was scrubbed, the kitchen sink shone so much I needed sunglasses! If it's not a sign of the Apocalypse, it's a sickness I tell you! The butcher block was cleared off and scrubed down. The fridge was cleaned, inside and out. More dishes were washed because I started taking things out of the bottom cabinet to give them another washing because I felt they got "dusty" sitting down there.  The stove was scrubbed down, the vent was cleaned and the filter replaced.

The stove, vent and cabinets are the bane of my existence. I would rather scrub a port-a-potty than deal with the fine layer of ick that seems to accumulate on those 3 things. I don't fry -ever-, I barely even pan-cook meats. I bake most things because I hate the smell of oil in the air. White cabinets, white vent, black stove. Could I have picked worse colors for a kitchen? As a whole, it looks great (from a distance)... titanium gray walls, white cabinets, black sink and appliances.

I have tried just about every product on tv, on the store shelves, online, reccommended by complete strangers when I grab them by their ankles begging for the secret to ridding myself of this greasy plague...

Sometimes the old ways are best. I am proud to say that I have conquered the beast that has overtaken my kitchen! How? As I was standing and glaring at the stove it came to me... -the solution- Well... I suppose I could tell you. Volcanoes.

Yes, volcanoes. Vinegar and baking soda. I sprayed the stove-top generously with straight white vinegar and let it sit about 15 minutes. Sprinkled some baking soda over it and stood there in amazement as this concoction began to bubble. When it finished its magic, I took a soft sponge and wiped it all up. A quick cold water wipe-up and .... (sit down, seriously... I'm not going to finish until you do....... )

Sitting?

Okay.... it was CLEAN! It was a bit trickier on the vent, but I sprayed it and then when it was time to add the baking soda, I put it in a small bowl, added a small bit of vinegar and turned it in to a gluey substance that I brushed on with a silicone basting brush.

That's all for today... I have a pile of clothes with my name on it... 

Wow... 4 Months... REALLY???

As busy as my life has been, I felt as if something was missing. I am happy with my family, my home-life, even came to terms of my defeat by Mount Laundry... The bills are paid, the pantry is full, the closets (and baskets, and the corner of my room) are full of clothes.
-- Something was still missing. My outlet. MY BLOG!


So, with that, I bring you the months of March, April, May, June and up until today in July. Bare with me, it may take a little while.


My life so far -- in a nut shell...
March - Um, I wish I could tell you that something out of the norm happened, but other than warm weather and sunshine... nothing really.
April - Diva had school vacation. It was good to have her home during the day. It was better having a break from the daily school runs.
May - Mothers Day was great. Flowers, balloons, breakfast in bed and Diva made me a serving tray.

Diva's birthday party was what she asked for... not to have one. We did have a family dinner at a restaurant to mark the occasion though. I offered her a big party with her school friends or a bigger gift. She chose the bigger gift. Here Elvis and I were thinking she would want a flat-screen tv, or something equally electronic. Imagine our surprise when she says she wants the 3 of us to go to Kahuna Laguna? It was FANTASTIC! I could live in the wave pool. Seriously.
June - Diva graduated from the 5th grade, ending her time at the private school she had been attending for the last 2 years. You are going to have to trust me when I tell you she looked STUNNING and much MUCH older than 12 that day. I held it together until they played a video yearbook during the ceremony. I lost it. I admit it. I came prepared with 2 boxes of tissues.
Fathers Day wasn't exactly the bag-o-fun we wanted it to be for Elvis. He was working. By the time he finally got home, he was too tired to be master of his grill. Pizza it was then...

July - BUSY month!!! Our friends from PA arrived late on June 30. On July 1 we went for breakfast, did some local sight-seeing and then headed off to Shrugs to soak up the sun and lounge in the pool. It was hard for me to leave there that day. I knew it would be a week before I saw Diva again. Why? I'll tell you why... July 2, Elvis, my PA friends and I boarded the Carnival Glory for a 5 day out of Boston to Saint John, NB and Halifax NS. (I'll write another post with pictures and details tomorrow.-edit: okay, so I lied, I will get to it, eventually) July 7 is Elvis' birthday. It was also the day we got off the ship. I tried to make it special for him, but not sure how special -getting up at 5:30am to go down to declare at customs, shovel some breakfast in and run around picking up Diva, checking in to the hotel, buying some groceries - really was for him. We did try though. My friend, Diva and I headed to Salem, MA for some touristy things. We didn't stay nearly as long as I thought we would, but it was a great time all the same. My friends headed back to PA on the 9th. I cried. Yes, again. No, I don't cry at the drop of a hat!
That more or less brings us up to today. I have a HUGE secret, but I can't say anything right now... eyes are everywhere and the wrong eyes will ruin the surprise because they share face-space with a huge mouth!