I love that photo of Soba. I wonder why cats like to cram themselves into places? Our cat, Miss Kitty, used to keep you on your toes because if she found a pile of clutter, she PEED on it!!

I too know what it is like to have ogranizational help. Do they help with the laundry too? Calvin and Claudia are so kind to me, they try their hardest to keep the clothes that have just come out of the dryer warm and flatten out as many wrinkles as possible. ;) Happy Monday!

Soba wants to know when you are going to clear out HER storage space.

Perry Penlope feels it is her incumbent DUTY to supervise the placing of fresh sheets on the bed. On occasion she also feels the need to check out the dryer - I always have to double check she's not in there before I turn it on. She loves fresh, warm towels...

And Laurie? You have to keep the beautiful things in life in mind - like painting your toenails. The stuff soaking in the sink will wait :) Life's too short to not have fun too.

I started cleaning on Saturday, then I got distracted and painted my toe nails. Then I felt all girly so I went and hot rollered my hair. And by the time I was done with that I forgot that I had statred the day out cleaning - so I went out and had some drinks. My house isn't any cleaner but my toe nails are pretty :)

Hi Laurie!! I'm so glad that you had a nice weekend. You inspired me to clean this weekend and it's not finished yet but it's getting there. Cat hair is not something I'm ever going to get under control in this house. With wood floors on the first floor I just try to keep up with the many cat hair tumbleweeds. Everytime the a/c goes on they start dancing across the room. Yuck!!!

We've made a deal my hubby and I, that when in he retires, in two years, that the bathrooms will be his job. I hate hate hate cleaing the bathrooms! Nothing else bothers me as much! Which of course reminds me that I have to cleam the tub, ugh!

I think time spent daydreaming about Jason Bourne is time well spent. What you said the other day about sleeping in a tiny corner of your life really stuck with me. I've been having a crappy year, moved into a new apartment at the beginning of the summer, and I realized that's what I have been doing, living and sleeping in the tiny corner that I carved out of all the STUFF that was just too much to deal with. It takes a lot sometimes to just take charge of your life...good luck with yours and thanks for inspiring me to take charge of mine.

Bri

My daughter is getting married later this month, and the idea that some of my relatives might actually stop by my house before leaving town has me in a non-constructive panic. I *did* get the diningroom table cleaned off this weekend, but then suffered a case of startitis, so now the livingroom looks like a yarn explosion.

Jason says hi. Being a new-fangled woman and all, I immediately picked up the phone and called him after seeing the movie on Friday afternoon. ;-)

Your kitty is so round and cute all pressed in that storage box. Isn't it funny how kitties will just get in anything? I wonder what sort of instinct it is and how it originated in the wild thousands of years ago.

My cats have always lain on pieces of paper. I could put a business card in the middle of the floor and my cat would immediately go lay on top of it. I have no idea why.

I finally watched that How Clean is your Home show and I was appalled that (mostly regular looking) people live in such squalor! Definitely motivated me to get rid of the clutter and vacuum and dust (things I loathe!).

Have you seen the blog monkeemaker.blogspot.com????

This is great fun! Monkees! Cute! Travelling England and Europe! I am soo going to make me a knitted monkee a la 007. Plus she links to your blog! (so obviously good taste there)
Now if only I could also travel to Europe again . . .

So will there be a 4th movie with Jason and Nikki connecting again?!?! I couldn't stand it that it was left the way it was! GREAT movie, albeit the shaking camera thing.

Let's hear it for less than perfect housekeeping! Germs and cat hair are endemic- always there, they'll never go away.

The boyfriend and I moved this summer from a 2700 square foot house in which he had lived with his 2 little boys and ex-wife (before she became the ex) into a 1250 square foot apartment. I had the unenviable job of figuring out how to fit everything in here and packing up all of it. It all worked out (although I resented having to pack the stuff his ex-wife left there and all the boys' crap) and I'm oddly much happier and settled in the smaller space. It's easier to manage, if a bit cluttered. And there's room for MY stuff that all just lived in the garage in his old house. The organizing and decorating has helped me get my life together in other ways as well. So I think I know where you're coming from with all of this. Best of luck to you!

There's no help like Cat Help.

You know what? I think three Italian flatmates shed more hair than three cats. I know this because I spent the entire day cleaning yesterday (and getting distracted, and going out to buy cleaning products etc)

Of course one of the Italians neglected to use the bathmat this morning and now the formerly sparkling clean bathroom floor is covered in dirt and hair...

Hey, you know what you could do the next time you are procrastinating from cleaning? The August Hor-o-scopes! Please?

"Fine Patina of Cat Hair" kills me! I think my dog also has a knack for giving my home a fine patina of dog hair!

hi soba!

Hi Laurie,

I don't know if I've already mentioned this to you, sorry if I'm repeating myself, but I use the timer to manage Dreaded Tasks. I tell myself, Self, there isn't anything in the world so horrible that you can't do it for 15 minutes; at the end of 15 minutes, I give myself permission to stop doing it. A lot can be accomplished in 15 minutes, seriously. When the 15 minutes are up, go crazy with the toenail polish and the trying on of old clothes. (I use a timer for fun tasks, too, but that's because I'm crazy.)

I really have to admit that to myself too & get on with life. My hobby isn't cleaning (I know people who's it is) just like my hobby is NOT weeding my gardens. But I do take pride in not having dinosaur sized cat fur balls running the place & demanding that I pay them protection money!

Ok so I watched how clean is your house this weekend. How do people live like that??? My house is no where close to spotless (2 cats, 1 112 lb white lab, 2 1/2 year old and husband). But I am no where remotely that disgusting. I about threw up with some of the things that they found. I don't see how they could touch it bare handed. Ewwwwww.

Take your time on your cleaning and organizing. Make it something that you want to do not that you have to do.

Love your inspection Saboa. Did she pass the test? ;)

Jason Bourne?! Schmeh!!!

I watched "300" this weekend. Now that's some kinda man candy!!!!

Sobakowa looks too cute in that picture. My little herd of cats also delights in helping me clean, showing me the PROPER way to do yoga poses(Emma does a lovely downward dog), etc....

If you get Jason's phone number, will you share it with us??

Also, I have to announce this, I tried the Fried Okra recipe this weekend and it was DELICIOUS. It was my first okra experience (not many okra encounters when you're a Japanese girl growing up in NY), and I didn't turn the okra right away but let it cook and get crunchy just like Laurie instructed, and OH MY GOODNESS I need to go get more okra. I seasoned it with Old Bay.

And then I had some super juicy watermelon to finish up the meal. Fried okra and watermelon. Perfect for a hot summer day, and I felt very southern. And I just have to thank you, Laurie, for helping me find the Southern girl in me.

xoxoxo
Japanese Yankee

Two of my friends just put up new signs in their homes- "Martha Stewart Does Not Live Here" and "The Cat Hair is Free". Erma Bombeck's answer was to leave the vacuum or duster or whatever out. So when people dropped by, she'd say, "Oh, you just caught me cleaning the house. Let me move that out of your way." I used to leave a ladder out with home improvement stuff in my old house. I'd always say, "Gosh, I've been working on getting the plaster off the wall." or whatever was appropriate. No one really cared. Juliann

I clean my house once a month because frankly, life is too short and I've got better, craftacular things to do! I cut others a break, too, tho. I tell them "I come to your house to see you, not your house!" It all evens out. ;)

And Jason Bourne, oh yes, you will be mine. (Don't tell my boyfriend!)

I have 2 words for you: "Simple Abundance" by Sara Somethingorother. I read it years ago and it was so good!

I also spent some time with Jason this weekend. ;-) Time well spent indeed!

Good kitty.

XO

Ooo, I do second "Simple Abundance"!

I went on a cleaning spree this weekend.. 3 grocery bags full of unnecessary papers, and nothing looks different. Sigh. At least I know the places to squirrel away unnecessary papers are clean!

Maybe I need a cat, my dogs never help around the house.

Hi Laurie,

To reduce that "fina patina" of cat hair I recommend the Furminator; it is the greatest cat brush ever! I bought one a few weeks ago. It was ridiculously expensive ($25), but I have been using it on my cat a couple of times a week, and the cat hair has been significantly reduced. Far fewer little cat hair tumbleweeds tumbling around the living room. You should have seen the mound of hair I got off of her the first time I tried it. Here's the link if you're interested:

http://www.furminator.com/

ok, I saw same movie this weekend. And what I want to know is how is it that when Julia Stiles butchers her own hair with clunky scissors, her hair turns out looking FANTASTIC???!!! I'm just sayin'....

Well, there's always the Merry Maids....at least for the heavy cleaning.

Hi Laurie-Too,

Julia Stiles is a fictitious character.

Hi laurie,

do you get HGTV? I swear, it is both straight from God and the devil at the same time!!
They put in some kind of addictive quality, or it's just that almost every show has a happy ending, and I am most addictive to those. Anyways, sharing the love about HG tv and David Bromstad, who I would love to hug on my front doorstep and invite into my parlor for some much needed color help. He's my designstar *** in hopefully a non-stalking way (because that would be bad).

I am like you. My sorta a.d.d. brain hops from one tangent to another, to another,
so easy to get way-laid--

You sound really good, btw, yay you!

errr--Julia Stiles PLAYS a fictitious character--rather think her hair is real. Now I'm curious--think I'll go just to see Julia Stile's cut her hair while she is playing the part of a fictious character. Or something like that--Soba knows--you can see it in her eyes....

I saw the 3rd Jason Bourne movie as well. Oooooeee ! It was goooood ! Guess I'll be buying that DVD too.

I started getting my house cleaning groove on, but was distracted by the calling of the buttered popcorn. No rest until that urge was sated. Now, back to the grindstone.

Hugs & such,
margaritavillian

Dishes, vacuumed dog hair, cleaned bathroom, laundry, watered plants, pulled weeds, clearance rack and school/clothes shopping, read Sunday paper, cooked breakfast and dinner, and finished my knitted bucket hat.

Just a regular multi-task weekend. A little of everything

I, too, hated the cleaning until I found Clorox wipes in the four pack at BJs, the Mr. Clean extendable arm thingie, and the Bissel hard surface wet/dry vac. I used to take a whole weekend to clean the house, because if I just did one thing it still took me forever, so I wanted to save up all the "forevers" and get it done in one fell swoop. Of course, I was rarely willing to commit a whole weekend to cleaning, so not much cleaning really ever got done. But with the aforementioned tools, I can actually decide to do just one room, or even just one part of a room and it only takes a few minutes and I feel better and cleaner and like I'm holding up my part of keeping the filth away.

We watched How Clean is Your House on Friday, and it totally made us feel like cleaning. Who knew TV could do that?

The weekend went by. The house is still cluttered. But...I did buy big, BIG storage bag things...it's a start, right? I'm glad you had a nice weekend. I can almost feel you smiling again! :-)

June must be a FlyLady devotee. Yes, we can do anything for 15 minutes. I have discovered that I can wash all of my dishes and tidy up the kitchen in 15 minutes. I can clear off my bar in 15 minutes with plenty of time to spare. I can make up my bed, clear my bathroom vanity, and tidy up in 15 minutes. My house has a fine patina of dog hair nuanced with cat hair. But the 15 minutes keeps it to an acceptable level. Good for you Laurie on getting started. You've inspired me once again.

Hey, I keep all my yarn in many of those plastic storage boxes.. ok, they are larger plastic boxes and I have many of them.

I am the queen of distraction.. I have cleaning ADH. At least I'm constantly entertained by all the 'subplots' that happen when I'm trying to do something and my mind is diverted to other things-of course the downside is.. a variety of unfinished projects/cleaning jobs left all around.

:D

Well, with 8 cats and 3 dogs I have resigned myself to vacuuming at least every other day! On the bright side I never have to worry about crumbs or scorpions!! I also have lots of help with warm laundry :)

There's a term for that distracted thing: "yak-shaving"
http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2005/03/anecdote_circle.html

(although technically yak-shaving involves eliminating obstacles from what you were originally trying to achieve, not getting sidelined. So if you went to vacuum but realized you had to go to Target to get vacuum bags, but your car wouldn't start so you had to take the bus but you didn't have change for the bus, so you had to walk to the store & they wouldn't let you get change without buying something so you get some gum.)

One of my goals in life is to finally make enough money to pay someone else to deal with the scrubbing.

Now there are quite a few advantages to being single. And one of the best is not having to share your space with anyone else so if you want to blow off the dishes and paint your toenails pink and fantasize about Jason Borne, you are completely within your rights.

You can try www.flylady.net to keep you motivated but it ended up driving me bonkers. I don't care if my sink is polished and she couldn't convince me it was something I should care about.

I did learn that I can do a lot in the 2 minutes it takes to heat my Trader Joe's shepherd's pie in the microwave.

One of my goals in life is to finally make enough money to pay someone else to deal with the scrubbing.

Only my one cat has a real addiction to boxes. He's currently holding one at bay by sleeping on it. The other two, well they dont' much care for boxes or cleaning. But the box kitty, well he'll fit into any box, any time, any where. you just dare him. yes, my 15 lb kitty (who is just large, not actually fat) will fit into a box that is 3"x 3"x 2" or at least he thinks he will and will not give up until i take it away and put it some where far away.

i spent the weekend with previous jason bournes, in preparation for the current one. can never get enough of that man... :o)

also, thanks for the cleaning inspiration, god knows i needed it too. it's amazing how many people's lives really are pretty much the same.

Back off girlie! Jason is mine!

I had a dinner party this week-end and the CAP personal environment focus was a perfect prelude. My house is so clean right now I wouldn't even do a bathroom fly-by if you wanted to use them. The floors are OK in any light, am or pm, and dog-hair tumbleweeds are non-existent. Bits of restorative tossing and re-packaging happened too. Wheeooo - I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Whenever I get inclined to do some housecleaning, I just sit quietly for a couple minutes and the desire passes.

My Sam can't resist a box either.

I am not the best housekeeper on the planet. My Mother always gives me the eye and tells me a woman's home reflects her to others. I always tell her then they should meet me and know that they can walk into my house and put their feet up for a good visit if they want to. No worries about putting stuff down in the wrong place or getting rings on the table.

I removed the nonsense from my filing cabinet last night and actually put the FILES in them, go figure. Then I started going through the nonsense. Then, I knitted. I figure a few hours a week outside of regular cleaning will do wonders. Rome wasn't built in a day.

OK. Just did some checking on Barnes & Noble. There are two more books in the Bourne series. Squeeee!!!!

I'm with you, Laurie. My plan was to really clean my bedroom this weekend. Saturday I went to the grocery store, which lead to eating, which led to napping, which led to knitting.

All roads lead to knitting. (And eating - but that's another Oprah.)

Sunday I was determined to attack the bedroom, but ended up gardening & cleaning the patio for three hours. I decided that my patio garden counts as a room, so I'm going to count the weekend a success. And do the bedroom next weekend.

Or possibly the one after that...

I have to clear the clutter off my desk so I can type...

I picked some tomatoes so the bugs wouldn't get them. Now I want to try making fried green tomatoes [which I've never had] but I need a really good recipe.

Seems to me that FGT is a Southern dish, so I need some help from you okra cookers!
.

I'm with you, girl. I am going to see Jason Bourne AGAIN tonight!

Soba is such a cutie pie!

Bourne, huh? Pretty damn cute. But won't Al be jealous?

that entire second paragraph is my life in a nutshell. NO wonder I never get anything done!!

I had a huge yard sale over the weekend (partially inspired by you). The way you talked about your relationship to stuff really resonated with me. Made it easier for me to really put a lot out on the lawn to get rid of. I feel so much better having it gone than I ever did having it in the house :) Thanks for sharing youself here.

De-lurking to share a few thoughts:

1. Do you see how inspiring you are? So many people with clean houses and de-cluttered lives (internally & externally), including me - I got into the zen of cleaning yesterday, thanks to your previous post!

2. Sometimes I enjoy reading all these wonderful comments almost as much as I enjoy reading your writing!

3. Thanks for making Monday that much more bearable!

Tracy

Ok, the only thing better than the movies are the books! LOVE Jason Bourne...

As another woman who lives with a daily coating of cat hair I think you will appreciate this story. Over the weekend I went to the doctor because my right ear was killing me. He looked in the left ear first and asked "Do you have a cat?" and I said "Yes, why do you ask?" He smiled at me and said "There is a cat hair in your ear." I think I shuddered. I was certain he was going to say something about cats causing ear infections or judge my personal hygeine because of a stowaway cat hair. He just smiled and said he sees it all the time. Makes me wonder how much cat hair I've inhaled and eaten over the years.

Mmmm...Jason Bourne. Mmmmm....

Ahem, you have definitely inspired me! I just finished cleaning the bathroom so it "shines like the top of the Chrysler building!" Woot! I mean, you could eat off the floor (but, ewww, it's still a bathroom, so I wouldn't!) I THREW AWAY OLD MAKEUP! Really!! I cleaned out the cabinet under the sink that still had bottles of cleaning stuff from BEFORE we moved in FIVE YEARS AGO! I'm sorry I'm yelling, I'm so excited it's clean!

My cat Nick, the Catfather, leads my cats in box-love. I've seen him discover one of those cardboard boxes that jewelry stores put ring boxes in (so, SMALL), and put exactly on paw in it and sit that way for 20 minutes, so I had time to hunt down the camera, come back, get it up to my face, and ten he got up and left. Because that's just how he rolls.

Hey - i saw flylady mentioned already in the comments. didn't see the website though -- www.flylady.net. I've signed up there. I've embarked on my own soul-searching to find the housewife within since we moved to a new house. Anyway, flylady sends a daily email reminder (or eleventy million reminders all day long) (even in the middle of the dagblamed night) and i'm not going to pretend like i actually do all the cleaning they want me to do (in order for me to live the perfect life they all have or whatever) but it does help me think of little things i can do that add up to make a difference. Some days I delete the email altogether, and other days I give it my best shot. I hope it helps, though. You go, Purl. take care

The main way I motivate myself to clean up my house is to invite people over every second weekend, thus ensuring the place is vacuumed, dishes are washed and junk shoved in the second bedroom on a fortnightly basis. It shouldn't have to be this way, but it works. I've been taking the junk that is too good to throw out to the Op Shop (not sure if you have them in the States) one bag at a time, but it still seems to expand to fill the available space. Maybe my second bedroom is a Tardis?

So after watching Jason Bourne don't you want to

a) kick a lot of ass

and

b) drive some cars really fast and smash them up

?

or is that just me?

Everybody is asleep but me (only 10:33). I think about drinking another glass of wine to help me sleep and how it will make waking up tomorrow even harder. Insomnia sucks but so does going to work on three hours of sleep. That glass of wine is sounding better especially if I call in sick tomorrow.

Does sleep depravation count as sick?

Maybe a day off will inspire cleaning and grocery shopping.

If I were (was?) a paparazzi I could stalk Matt Damon every day, and when he saw me he would have to smile at me. Imagine having the power to make Matt Damon smile at me! I am definitely in the wrong job.

Paula, the correct verb is "were" as you are using the subjunctive. And while we are correcting grammar, "paparazzi" is the plural form of the word. I am assuming that you are female by your name and so "paparazza" would be the correct term for you.

Sorry. Just the teacher in me coming out.

It's not related to housecleaning, but just in case you haven't seen this yet, the Guardian has a page full of zucchini recipes here:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/08/courgette_souffle_anyone.html#more

(We call them courgettes, but they're the same thing. Looks like you're not alone in your predicament!)

Yup. I know all about distracting oneself from cleaning. Did it to myself just yesterday, mind you. Around mid-afternoon, I faithfully gathered every piece of paper in the house (bills, etc), brought it to one place, and sorted it into broad categories. I faithfully sorted the receipts. I went into the computer room to get file folders so I could finish the project.

Decided while I was in there I should check my mail. Remembered to check Flickr re: being upgraded to Pro. I was. Since the light was good and I could make more than three sets, decided to photograph my weekend stash enhancement. Decided to upload them to Flickr then Ravelry—only takes a minute, right? Spent several hours in the time-suck that is Ravelry.

Realized I wasn't sure what socks were due when (too many sock KALS) and decided to whip up a quick spreadsheet (ha ha). Set up spreadsheets to get the multiple sock KAL thing under control and color-coded the 25 sock projects for the year. Reeled from the horror of 25 socks on deck and blogged about it. With full graphics.

Returned to Ravelry to organize my Queue chronologically. Remembered to check MySpace messages. Discovered MySpace had finally transitioned my page to an Artist Page (musician). Dinked around with that for awhile. Realized MySpace allows links to an external website. Realized my personal website hadn't been updated in four years. Realized how bad that would look... spent several hours updating website and complaining about my lack of template skills when I designed it.

Updating the site reminded me of the MP3s on the site, which reminded me of a rough song my guitarist sent some years ago that I'd recently rediscovered hiding on my Mac. Listening to the song inspired lyrics... which lead to searching for MP3 to WAV converter freeware so it could be uploaded to my recording device... which lead to doing so... which lead to dinking around with the recording device because it had been two years and I was rusty on what had to connect where to get the music playback AND the vocals being recorded to be heard simultaneously, which lead to recording several vocal lines... and...

Hey, why is it daylight? And... what was it I came in her for anyway?

I wimped out and came to work, tired and a little late. I need a better plan.

I have decided a long time ago that yes i dislike housework, my daughters nor my husband like doing also and those pesky cats will not pick the vacuum and clean around the litter box when they push it out of the box. Oh, well, the morale is that I pay someone to come in and tidy up the big places bathrooms, kitchen and a good vacuuming. I know have a new kitten and she could be mistaken for a dust bunny that moves very quickly through the house/ Good Luck....start small. That is how i conquer the re-organization/sorting through stuff for a clean out. cecilia and cleo make 3.

The 15 minute rule is the only thing which has stuck with me from the flylady routine. However, it is a great rule. I've often been stunned to find myself resetting the timer because the dreadful job was producing nice results, and I didn't want to stop.

I really wrote to tell you how much that picture of the Sobakowa reminds me of Little Foot, the cat I lost during my divorce. I was the only one who could pick her up and when I sat down, she was right there. My ex insisted on keeping her to spite me. Please give Soba a hug for me.

Yesterday, while I was home with my sick youngest son, I got the kids' toyboxes re-sorted (so now the superheroes are all in the superhero box and the horses are all in the horse box and the dinosaurs ... you get the picture). I also surreptitiously threw away two grocery bags full of partial, broken or otherwise not-played-with-for-ages toys that weren't worth giving away.

Now, if I can just apply similar principles to my stash and my clothes closet ...

Man, Jason Bourne gets around! I saw him this weekend also. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I decided to stop lurking and let you know that Bourne is a real man whore. Also, I love you blog to death.

Hi sweetie! I hope you're having a good day. It's 103 degrees and 50% humidity right now here in Virginia. Do you still miss the South after hearing that???

(muttering to self: fall is coming, fall is coming, fall is coming, oh pleeeze hurry up and come quickly fall)

Posted to The Other Ruth's blog. Thought y'all might want to try it as well.

************

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Here's what you need:

Iron skillet (not uber necessary, but it does make a difference in the flavor)

Vegetable oil or shortening

Buttermilk

Several firm Green Tomatoes (1 small tomato per person. Size of tomato doesn't matter when cooking. This is just so you can gauge how much you need to cook.)

Ziploc Storage Bag (Use freezer bag** -- See why below)

3 parts Cornmeal (White or Yellow is fine. I prefer white.)

1 part Flour

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne (Only a dash or two)

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Oregano

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Large platter or baking sheet (Try to drain in single layer. If not cooking bread in oven, turn on lowest setting to keep cooked tomatoes warm while cooking the rest.)

Lots of paper towels (for draining oil/shortening away)

Slice tomatoes. Each slice should be about 1/4 " thick. Marinate in buttermilk while mixing the breading and heating the oil or shortening. Oil or melted shortening should be just a little less than 1/4 " deep in the skillet.

Mix all dry ingredients (except cheese) together in a gallon-sized Ziploc (or similar) bag. Take 3 tomato slices (DO NOT RINSE !), drop carefully into bag, and gently shake until coated. Place in hot oil/shortening in single layer. Repeat until skillet is full. Cook each side until golden brown. Place on paper towel lined pan or oven safe platter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all tomatoes are cooked. Can be served with ranch or bleu cheese dressing. I like mine plain. This is also good for breakfast. Especially with some good country ham and biscuits.

** About the leftover breading: If you plan to cook eggplant, squash, okra or more green tomatoes, this breading can be put in the freezer and reused again. I've done this three days in a row. Doesn't affect the flavor and saves time/money. If you don't keep Ziploc bags on hand, a Tupperware/Rubbermaid bowl with a tight lid can also be used. Can also freeze in them.

***************

e-mail me if you need specific questions answered before you start cooking...

Cheers !
margaritavillian

I've been on an organization quest, too, since mid-July. It's not about the dust or the cleaning. It's about needing some breathing room in your life, and having a home that is ready to take care of You. Good luck, and don't be distracted by the trivia of the scrub brush.

Our house has a patina of dog hair with an additional dusting of cat hair...I think how clean my house would stay if I had no pets but then I remember how lonely I would be without my four-legged children! I used to obsess about dust and clutter in my house until my husband sternly said "This is not a museum, people LIVE here!" so I try to just keep a lid on the clutter and keep things relatively hygienic....however,my mother would be aghast if she saw my house. She did say once upon a time that if she had her life to live over, she would spend more time playing with her children and less time doing housework, so maybe she would understand.
Best of luck to you in your cleaning campaign! Oh, and I also think the Bourne books are primo (although the scenery in the movies is pretty awesome!)
Regards,
Blogless Mary Lou

Yes, I too do the 15 minutes FlyLady thing. I like her concepts, but you really have to adapt the system if you work outside the home. I do not get the emails from her (talk about a guilt trip).

Here are a few of my tips: (Laurie, btw, you also inspired me to clean this past weekend)...
1) If you can't do anything, commit to just 15 minutes. If you feel like you can't do that, just commit to 5. Every minute makes a difference. I cleaned out my whole attic doing 15 mins at a time. It took 3 months, but it looks great now!
2) "Equalize" the kitchen before you go to bed. I find it makes a big difference in my mood when the sink is empty in the morning rather than waking up to all the stuff that will still need to be done when I get home from work.
3) Work on something that has a big impact for YOU. I really don't give a crap if under the sink is organized but I LOVE it when my underwear drawer is!

That's all I can think of off the top of my head (plus I don't want to seem like a psycho) - the biggest thing is to find a system that works for you and is flexible...

Best wishes,
Laura

Laurie - I have you to thank for my clean bathroom! You're post on the dirty house show gave me shivers. I realized my bathroom was just so gross, so I scrubbed and threw out a lot of expired/unused/unnecessary products. Then of course I had to go to Target to buy new towels. You know how it is. And now I actually like my bathroom. It's a miracle. Thank you L!!!!

On another note, when I looked at that pic of Soba in the box I couldn't help but think she was missing cuddling with Roy. She's doing her share of grieving too. Hugs to you and Soba.

Try adding a dog to that mix. Once a week or so I have to SHAVE my carpet. Yuck.

Jeanne B, have you ever read the children's book "If You Give a Moose a Muffin"?

RE: Fried Green Tomatoes (of course, no one makes them the same way...)

-slice tomatoes 1/4" thick
-dredge in a mixture of corn meal and salt & pepper
-fry in bacon grease until both sides are crispy golden and centers are almost mushy.

No dipping sauce required.

I've been craving them recently myself.

Drew talks about HCIYH all the time - it always makes me feel good about my house. I had to laugh when I read your post on getting distracted. Right now I have laundry half done, a closet torn apart to clean, and breakfast dishes waiting all because my focus changes every time I move from room to room. Thanks for the laugh and the knowledge I am not alone!

House cats evolved in desert and dry grassland climates as intermediate level predators. This means that they both hunted for food, and were hunted AS food. Cramming themselves into a tight space (like a crevice in the rocks) provides small wild felines with a safe place to sleep. In our domesticated pets, stuffing themselves into a shoebox still provides them with an instinctive sense of protection and security at nap-time.

Cats have very delicate paw-pads which are very sensitive to changes in texture and temperature --much like our own fingertips. Paper surfaces no doubt feel comfortingly dry.

This , however, does not explain staring at blank walls, sitting on business cards or standing in front of the computer monitor.

Our cats help around the house by making sure the olaundry doesn't excape from baskets and by supervising all sheet-changing and bathroom-cleaning activities.

I think you've got a bit of the ADDer in you! Go with it, it makes life more interesting...

There is a New Zealand version of the 'how clean is your house' program. It is really funny, there is an asian woman and an older european new zealand woman who wears designer rubber gloves. She does things like scape up disgusting filth with her fake nails. The chinese woman is a bit dominatrix like, and some people seem to quite enjoy getting a ticking off!

One of my cats helps around the house by 'pressing' things with her paws. Whether they need it or not! She has also tried to help with the ironing (well, she jumps onto the ironing board) but she is a bit clumsy and 2 irons have broken by being tipped off onto the floor!