forcing it

This weekend I decided to embark on the exaulted spring ritual of convincing detatched tree limbs that it's in fact warmer and springier than they realize. So I picked up a big bunch of what I believe are probably (and somewhat ironically) Japanese Quince branches. They weren't marked, I just thought they were pretty. And considering I saw the flowers, you can extrapolate how little work I would need to put into this endeavor. Even in their little refrigerated room at the florist, they had already set a ton of buds and launched a few open. And just a few days later, I have beautiful pink blossoms adding a nice little touch of newness and rebirth in my home.

Never mind that, after several near-70 degree days in the past month, we're awaiting another late season snow/rain storm and are experiencing temperatures around 15 degrees below average this time of year. Mother Nature is confusing everything around here.

Which just goes to show you, even out of our element and under difficult conditions - with the proper care and feeding - we can still flourish, bloom, and make our own little world a more lovely place.

controlled chaos?

For those of you who aren't familiar with this rather unproductive, panic-inducing method of cleaning, a.k.a "A.D.D. Cleaning," you will find the process below to be entirely counter the advice given by experts on such matters. Behold:

1. take all contents of bathroom cabinets out, spread along dining room table and living room floor. earnestly begin the process of separating out what needs to be combined (lotions, hand soap), donated (unopened samples of god only knows what), and tossed. make progress but become overwhelmed when lipgloss and eyeshadow depths are understood. take 2 days off.
2. reinvigorated by a weekend guest's pending arrival, reduce and sort bathroom goodies into well labeled boxes, similar things together (much as experts would advise).
3. brew batch of iced Passion tea. leave to cool on counter.
4. realize must unload dishwasher, do so. reload while here and handwash a couple of items.
5. remember came to kitchen in the first place to ... what was it again?...
6. start much needed loads of laundry. fold and hang clean clothes - leave in utility room.
7. change air filter, god, when was the last time...?
8. magazine-induced anxiety strikes. sit on floor with cup of tea and weed through first stack. back hurts, must move again. leave piles.
9. put next load in dryer and look intently at the area where the dryer filter goes. gross. grab chopsticks and pull out random lint that doesn't stay in the filter.
10. take on clothes closet, as clearly must make room for clean clothes. start another big pile of clothes that really. must. just. go. dust surfaces, realize that some dust isn't coming out without vacuum attachment.
11. hmm. vacuum quite dirty and clogged-looking from drywall dust and abuse from contractors. take filter part apart (thank gods repeatedly for Dyson), and bang out all of the icky stuff. multi-use chopsticks grab most of the leftover gunk. need dental scraper pokey thing to push the remaining clogs out. satisfied...
12. ...switch loads...
13. hang boots and put shoes back into nice storage boxes. will vacuum hallway when back and forth is done, which is convenient as vacuum still sitting here.
14. put bathroom towels away in newly cleaned shelf area. pretty. remember artwork sitting in hallway from painting, rehang.
15. return to closet. vacuum and then clean floor with lovely Caldrea Basil Blue Sage All-Purpose cleaner. take large bag of to-be-donated to utility room intending to add more as stuff comes out of the dryer. feeling particularly ruthless now.
16. start attacking entry closet and decide to part with 1 winter coat and will hang others in main closet for the season. but need to wash coats first. clean out pockets of random change and tissues, toss into utility room. difficult to pass through here again, but return to pulling clean clothes, towels, etc and putting them away.
17. stop to blog
18. realize starving, haven't eaten since rice krispies at 11:30am. think about making pasta for dinner...

So you can see where this is going. But I'm so used to my horribly bad habits that I'm actually feeling really good about everything. Each project (magazine recycle, closet clean out & clean up, laundry, put laundry away [yes, for me, this is a separate project entirely], bathroom/toiletry reduction, etc) is underway and each is at a differing level of doneness. But each will get done between now and when my girlfriend arrives tomorrow. And I can already taste the sweet satisfaction of my tidy, pretty home...which, now that I've had a little sit, I'm energized to attack once again.

...now, why did I come back into the kitchen...?

spring fling

Amazing. Two days of hovering-around-zero temps earlier this week and tomorrow it's going to be high 40's. All together now, folks: only in Minnesota! But I feel a little more confident looking at the weather report for the next 10 days that perhaps spring has - finally - sprung. And I am so ready.

This week has been overwhelmed by my as-yet-developing bathroom redo. My beautiful new Marmoleum flooring has some sort of issue and at least 1/2 of it will have to be torn out (again) and reinstalled (again). This also means a minimum of another entire day without a bathroom...in about 10 days when the flooring arrives. I still have all the under-cabinet boxes and buckets in the middle of my living room! It's a pain, to say the least. But I figure, if I'm going to go through all of this, I certainly want it done right!

On the upside, the new paint started going on yesterday and the color is exquisite. It's a deep grapey plum color that brings a fair amount of sophistication and swank to my loo! But I think it's going to make me want to reconsider some of the decor in there. I also had the contractor pull out a completely irrelevant towel bar, providing another expanse of wall space that I didn't have before. I'm starting to think about ways to use that space...

But here's the fun part: I've decided that once the drywall dust and flooring adhesive settles, I'm going to sort of redecorate my entire loft. By that I mean the little touches, the little decor items that are in each room. I'm going to pull everything out that makes sense (as in, not the bedside lamps which can only really go right there) and put it all on the dining room table. I'm going to add the items that have been in storage for the past 3 years. And then I'm going to start fresh. Decide what each room needs, pull from my stash and repurpose everything that should be repurposed. Then, when I see what I have left to deal with, I'll fill in the blanks from my favorite vintage shops, thrift stores and maybe even a little trip to IKEA and Target to round things out. I'm excited to re-look at everything with new eyes and put things together in new ways. And for as little cash as possible! BONUS!

Of course, as I do each room, I'm going to give it the spring cleaning and purging of its life. After it's all redecorated and cleaned to a high shine, the rest of this stuff is going to the Goodwill. This spring cleaning is going to be intense. I can't wait for the feeling of a fresh start!

gloom rx

Today is one of those late winter days in the Midwest when we wonder, truly, will spring ever come? We've had 2 straight days of overcast, foggy, spitting gloom from the sky...and a promise of snow today. I don't think we'll be anywhere near the 10-15 inches they're predicting for northern MN but still. I don't want to think about snow at all. I want to think about cute open-toed sandals and sitting on my deck with the sun on my face, drinking my morning tea.

So I'm improvising. Because sometimes you've just gotta fake it until you make it. Lots of warm light around the loft this morning - some plain basic candles in strategic spots. Some wonderfully nummy scented candles, like my favorite Votivo Deep Clover, adding a little dimension to the flat day. Upbeat music. Freshly juiced orange juice. Crossing fingers...

These candles rock although, forgive me, they're not overly green. They're made of a really high quality parafin wax (meaning super long burn time) and they do have a nice papercore wick, so that's a plus. The end product is a beautifully handmade, hand packaged little lovely. They are incredibly scented and I've found that Deep Clover will actually remove any funky odor from your home - fish cooked in olive oil, cake overflowed onto oven floor, what have you - it just seems to eat the unwanted scent. I burn these very judiciously because they're not cheap; but at times, they're just what the doctor ordered.

PS - for those that have been eagerly awaiting the much more eco-friendly soy candles that I've been pimping for years, hang in there just a little longer. We're close to an assortment breakthrough that I think will make everyone happy! More to come!)

sparkly

About a 100 years ago, I was one of those avid "I make my own home cleaning products" dorks mostly because I really wanted things that smelled pretty. I can't say that I was driven to reduce the toxic chemicals in my home; there really wasn't any decent smelling products on the market at the time. The nontoxic, earth friendly versions weren't widely available and cost too much. Of course, since then we've undergone an evolution in home cleaning.

Favorite brands like Caldrea and Mrs. Meyer's have wrapped my home in yummy goodness for years now. Seventh Generation, Ecover and other less mainstream brands have become commonplace in Target and Walgreens. All good things. Best yet, I feel like my skin doesn't suffer as much when I use good stuff in the cleaning water or in the laundry. But I've always reverted to basic Windex to clean so much of my bathroom and kitchen since it really just does such a good job of dealing with every kind of sticky, greasy, icky mess. With no streaks! Well I won't say that I've found a really great alternative for that yet, but it's only because I haven't really tried. Lately, in an effort to be cost-conscious while getting greener (which sometimes seems like two opposing efforts), I decided to try making some of my basic household cleaners once again. If you'll forgive me the pun, I've been scouring around the web and other resources to find the best formulas out there.

If you haven't gotten my joke yet, I tend not to just put a pile of links or whatever on this blog. I really try to give you recipes, resources, books, lipgloss, etc that I've already tried and can feel good about recommending. Of course, sometimes I'm yearning for something I haven't actually used yet, but I believe in adding value to this process. Any fool can post a bunch of links. On the other hand, sometimes things just speak to a person and a list of resources can be a great way to quiet an inquisitive mind or kill a good 20 minutes of office time. Whatever moves you. So there will be a list of more links and resources coming at you once I have a chance to check them out and give them the Trixie Stamp of Goodness.

In my chilly day funk, I decided that a bath, some candles and a nice green tea were in order. So, in a slight bastardization of a recipe from The Naturally Clean Home, I just mixed up a little scrub for the tub consisting of 1 part castille soap (I used Dr. Bronner's tea tree scent), 2 parts baking soda and one ground Vitamin C tablet for every 1/4 c baking soda. I smooshed it all together in a travel sized squeeze tube I picked up at Target the other day and I gave the tub a quick shine. I also tried out a 100% biodegradable sponge that I had picked up last fall. It's from Twist and made of a material that will completely biodegrade. And how cute is this: they've designed the cardboard sleeve that held my Euro Sponge to turn into a bird feeder with a little crafty effort. How can you not love a fun product like this?

Well, it certainly helped quickly remove 2 weeks of bathroom remodeling deritus and smelled delish. And I'm not at all worried about whether or not I rinsed every gritty bit out of the tub...a considerably different experience from when I use Soft Scrub with Bleach! I very well may need to keep that bleach product handy for other purposes but I'm guessing that with a little more research, I can come up with a perfectly fitting replacement for just about every task in the house.

I'm working to use up what I have first so this won't be a wholesale switch. But I'm having fun adding the tools of the naturally clean trade to my loft. My goal: spring cleaning this year using at least 80% natural products. For now, if you'll excuse me, I have a nice warm bath waiting for me.

how oxo saved my kitchen

I've been in a bit of a declutter/organize/sort/purge mode this week. As I'm putting the final touches on my business, I'm also trying to make sure my office is moving in the direction of a room that inspires me. We have a ways to go. But I have made progress and found additional inspiration from the recent Oprah episode about the "Clean Up Your Messy House Tour" and the cute clutterbuggies. So I'm trying to use some of their tips (not that these are revelatory or anything, but sometimes practicality escapes our best intentions) and set aside a small amount of time each day to deal with a little project in there. It's going well! But more on that later.

For now, I'm reminded of the one room that works pretty darned well in my home: my kitchen. I love cooking and I love kitchen gear. (I may have a little obsession with Penzey's spices too.) And it's not perfect but by all accounts, I know where to find things and I feel like everything has a place.

Last fall, I started investing (and I do not use that term lightly) in some better storage for the things in my pantry. I fell in love with these OXO Pop Storage Containers and picked up a few to try them out. Then a few more. Then even a few more after that. Before you knew it, I had thrown out a bunch of old staples and sorted the rest into the proper sized containers. Like Oprah's guy recommended, I got the similar items stored together - not 4 kinds of rice spread between 2 cabinets. DUH! My cabinets looked beautiful AND I'd managed to "find" a bunch of available space while I was at it.

Now my 4 kinds of sugar have a home (bakers sugar, powdered sugar, coarse sprinkling sugar and this nifty powdery stuff that I brought back from Switzerland...my kind of souvenir!); the flour doesn't go all over the place when I open it up; crystallized ginger doesn't turn into little ginger rocks; the extra spice bags all cram in one tall container waiting to refill their glass jar friends. Pretty frickin' slick.

But I'll warn you: the price point isn't for the faint of heart. I watched diligently for sales and the lowest prices. Crate and Barrel seems to have the best everyday prices, Cooks of Crocus Hill and Sur La Table both put them on sale for 20% off, and although limited, Williams-Sonoma carries them as well making for an overall great assortment and selection. I'm considering more. I'm also considering a second mortgage to help pay for them. Sigh.

The containers themselves are cool - the top fits snugly so you don't have stale cereal or rock hard brown sugar. When they're sealed, they are stackable to the moon. And the majority of the container is dishwasher safe, just a twist to get the top apart and away you go. So simple all around.

Loft living means being creative with your square footage, a lesson I'm learning and relearning on a daily basis. Trying to be more green, I like to buy things in bulk when I can. Worthwhile storage solutions are key. I must say that stumbling on these nifty containers really has helped make my life a little easier to manage. And who can't use a little of that in their world?

Now back to my office...

moleskine madness

I inherited my mother's obsession with paper. Stationery, notebooks, journals, what have you. To this day, we both have bizarre - and extensive - collections of paper products. You'd think that neither of us would need to venture into a stationery store again for as long as both shall live. But, as I said, it's an obsession. Regardless of my love for technology, I nurture a life-long affair with things paper. I love the feel of all sort of paper - heavy weight card stock, filmy vellum, textured writing papers. I adore the tactile sense I get from just the right weight and finish of the paper in a really beautifully bound notebook. I even love the smell of paper. I can't get enough of the Paper Source, Paper Depot and even places like Anchor Paper. And I really can't have too many journals.

Journals or plain notebooks are the epitome of the unwritten story. A pure and pristine place to start. I know, more than anything else, that this is the concept that appeals to me so viscerally. It is the reason I keep buying more notebooks even when there are pages left to be written on in another tome. I feel like I need to stretch my creative muscles and try again. I need to begin anew.

I get this notion that I will use this notebook or that journal for THIS PARTICULAR PURPOSE. One will be for my consulting work. That one over there will be strictly for party planning. This one, I keep on the coffee table to jot down recipes I want to try from the Food Network. And then there's the one that I put my my bed to capture dreams, thoughts that occur to me. Lastly, there's the one I kept for many years - a Tiffany blue leather bound number with a snap closure that I called "the oracle." The concept of the oracle was simple: just write everything in one place. To heck with the idea of having different journals that are never in the right place at the right time. This also lessened the impact of the million and a half Post-It notes that were always strewn around my workspace...but that is another story for another entry. More than anything, that oracle became part of me, part of my own personal brand, if you will. It was faithfully at my side and ready to receive. I switched to a more conservative, more Washington-appropriate version in black but it doesn't really move me the same way. It feels too much like work.

In the end, I simply can't hold the obsessive nature of my notebook lust at bay. And good thing too. Otherwise I'd miss some pretty amazing products out there. Last few years, I've been spending a lot of time in Moleskine journals. Plain kraft paper ones, stiff backed black ones, and now pretty pink, lime green and more. I just bought this lovely red one from Barnes & Noble as a place to capture my blogging ideas.

I go for the simple ruled notebooks but there are also blank pages, pages with grids, and even sketch-weight pages. A little something for everyone; there's just something accessible and lovely about them. Made in Italy - where they know paper - these notebooks are classic. They were first made in France and used by the likes of Hemingway, Van Gogh. After a brief hiatus, a Milanese publisher revived the brand and the gorgeous product. Thank goodness.

I give them away as gifts for others to capture all of their creative thoughts and ideas. Especially the people that have heads so full of thoughts that they can't see a way forward. I feel like maybe, just maybe, the perfect journal will pull those ideas out in a way that can be carefully shaped and gently coaxed into that person's next big thing.

If only to make room to start again new the next time.