This client recently began working from a home office and although the design of the room and built in desk are beautiful there were some issues with the functionality. The clients punch list included one part design and remodel and one part organization and efficiency. At our first meeting I took an assessment that included the following: [Read more…]
Moving Monday::New Routines
We’ve been here for about 3 weeks now and it’s funny how some new routines have already been established and some old one’s have maintained. One routine I’m having a hard time re-establishing here is blogging so bear with me in my absence please!
We are now officially residents of South Carolina having made multiple trips to the DMV, courthouse and Social Security administration. You wouldn’t believe all the documentation required to prove you are who you say you are here! Anyways, that’s behind us and I’m looking to plant my feet as firmly in the sand as I can now. Hum, sand shifts around a lot and that’s a perfect analogy for how I’m feeling about settling in here. I’m not quite there yet!
I miss my three times a week yoga class, my monthly meetings for volunteering and organizing, my regular client appointments and visits with friends and my local food/farm sources. I’m loving my new routine of going to the beach in the morning to watch the sunrise, write in my journal and walk. I’m not doing this daily but a few times a week so far. I also love going to watch the sunset on the Waccamaw river.
I’ve scouted out a few sources for locally grown food, one road side stand is just a few minutes from our house. I’ve already got my local library card and checked out a stack of books. I’ve made contact with the local NAPO Charleston chapter and plan to attend my first meeting next week. I’m also currently working on getting involved with the local Master Gardener program.
I think it’s funny how easy it is for some routines to follow you wherever you go and other routines are more difficult to re-establish. I’m looking forward to both establishing new routines and carrying on with the best of the old ones.
Moving Monday::Where to Begin with Packing
Okay, it’s time for my weekly check in on our moving progress. I’m excited to share that the house is on the market and has shown a few times. It’s got to be kept spic and span which is a challenge in this state of affairs but it’s kind of nice! I’m enjoying having things looking neat and clean for our last amount of time here.
A few more items have made their way onto Craigslist and the flea market is behind us now. It was a wash out but we made a little money before it started pouring and the remaining non valuables went directly to donation. So, what’s the next step? Packing of course! When it comes to packing I wanted to share a little of my strategy. I have a list week by week of what I will be packing by category. I’m sure there will be a little overlap but it’s a plan and it creates weekly goals for our packing which will help keep us on track and feeling less overwhelmed.
- Pictures and artwork, especially personal photo’s (those came down before we started to show the house). Next, all the small artwork come off the walls. I pack smaller photo’s and artwork in medium size boxes with newsprint wrapped around each and bubble wrap or cardboard between them.
- Small decorative non function items. Otherwise known as Nicknacks:)
- Formal china, stemware, crystal and serving pieces. I’m not planning to do any formal entertaining before we leave so these things won’t be needed. We don’t have a lot of it but what there is will go in boxes this week.
- Any books I know I won’t be referring to.
By next week it will begin looking a bit more bare around here. This is the part I don’t like very much but I’m hoping to embrace the empty space and enjoy the simplicity of living with less.
Related articles
- Moving Monday::6 Week Countdown (hkpowerstudio.wordpress.com)
- Moving Monday::House Tour (hkpowerstudio.wordpress.com)
Follow this Friday::Reuse and Organize
Here are a few favorite things I found this week that fall into the categories of reuse and organizing. You can’t beat that combo!
Suitcase Side tables from Cupcakes and Cashmere
Crate’s are popping up everywhere and here are a few ideas for their use.
Crate Side table from Neet Magazine
Crate Shelves from Design sponge
Various shelves and organization by way of re-purposed crates, suitcases etc from Recreate
To see more ideas for re-using everyday stuff check out my Pinterest Re-Use It board. If you would like to follow my boards click Here.
There is a lot of discussion these days about how images collected on Pinterest are attributed, in my case I always try to link back to the original makers. In some cases, these items are for sale but may not be available. In other cases, they are simple ideas that no one would mind you reusing in your own way. In any case, I hope you will give credit to the creative makers who inspire us with their DIY inventions!
Wednesday Wellness::Natural and non-toxic
Image via Wikipedia
Use natural and non-toxic cleaning products in your home.
I do this and I think you should too. Maybe you don’t care what I think but if your reading this, maybe you do, just a little.
Nasty Stuff-Chlorine, Formaldehyde, Chloroform, Lye, Hydrochloric Acid, Ammonia , Phthalates, Parabens, Petroleum Distillates, VOC’s…these are the worst offenders causing a whole spectrum of health problems that you probably don’t want to know about but should. I don’t have kids but I care deeply about how and what I surround myself with and if I had children I’d probably be even more fanatical about this topic (I’ve been known to buy bleach on occasion and use products that may contain Lye and maybe a hint of Ammonia-I’m not perfect, I confess!).
Now that I listed the Nasty why the HECK would you want to use toxic products? Hello?
From my experience there are 2 reasons people haven’t already made the switch to non-toxic:
1.) They think that toxic means cleaner…!*@#???=healthier (please refer to the Nasty above, does that seem healthy to you?).
2.) They think natural means more $$
Seriously, do you want to have anything with a skull and crossbones in your house (and I’m not talking about your sense of fashion or your funky taste in art)?
I don’t and sense I’m not paid to endorse any products here (or anywhere) I’m not going to. I’m sure you know how to use a search engine of your liking to find the ton of websites, books and blogs out there that already give you the specifics about what to look for and how to make your own-it’s easy and cheap (so you can eliminate #2 from your excuses now).
As for #1, there are a lot of germaphobes out there and I’m not one of them. I’m very healthy, I don’t get sick often (neither does my husband) and I spend a lot of time in my home (I work from home) so something must be working for us. If this is your excuse for not using natural cleaners than I urge you to do a little research and give some products a try, you just might find that they smell better, don’t require using heavy duty plastic gloves to apply and work just as well as the toxic avengers!
One note of warning, so-called “green” cleaners are a big area of revenue for business but not all products are created equally. Some “green” products are nothing more than the same old toxic cleaners diluted and with “essential oils” added. Beware, read up and be a smart consumer (read the ingredients). Seriously, it’s not that much work and you and your family are worth it.
Your life is worth living well so don’t pollute it when all your trying to do is clean it up a little!
PS. For those of you who are lucky enough to hire cleaning help, supply them with the cleaners you want them to use in your home and make sure they are using them:)
Related Articles
- Wednesday::Wellness (hkpowerstudio.wordpress.com)
- How To Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaning Products (huffingtonpost.com)
- The Toxic Tradeoff: What Happens When Some Products Go Green (greenbiz.com)