Tackle It Tuesday

I never remember to take pictures until I actually sit down to blog.  *sigh*

This particular Tuesday Tackle I took care of some kitchen remnants that were still hanging around.  The NuWave was put away.  The stone was cleaned and put away (it sat out so long it required another cleaning).  The electric griddle was cleaned (from Sunday's peach pancake success) and put away.  The functional side of the kitchen was resolved, the dishes in the dishwasher and ran.


Also, the Summer Award paperwork for the Pack was dropped off to the Scout Office; and six potential residences were eyeballed for Grandma--once again, far too many were summarily crossed off the list.  *sigh*

Dinner actually ended up being hamburger helper, but that's because I got the beef stew started too late.  However, I did manage to bake banana muffins (and eat too many of them), bake a roast chicken, cook the beef stew, as well as cook and puree butternut squash for the babe.

Pretty productive Tuesday compared to what it has been for quite some time!

{Day 18} Tackle It Tuesday--Shoes

When we moved the driveway to help resolve an erosion issue, we also changed which door we entered the house through.  So now we use the utility room door, which feeds through the kitchen and into the dining section of our public area.  It certainly isn't a guest-worthy entrance, but it also isn't very functional for us. 

I've been tripping over shoes, jackets, bags, and varied accoutrements for months while trying to determine the best reshuffle of our small spaces.  At first I thought there were two possibilities--where the black shelves are in the utility room, or where the tool cart is in the breakfast nook, but after venturing out on some rainy days it became apparent that the shoes needed to be confined to the utility room.

So I revamped the shelves and the bottom shelf holds the box of shoes (we need to find another box that fits better), the hats/gloves basket and the scarves basket.  The shoe tray is directly in front of it.  And the top of the dryer is the launchpad zone.

I still don't have a place for the vacuums to live, and we'll have to trek through the house to the front door to hang the jackets when we get to that season--but at least there's no excuse for puddles and mud to be tracked ALL the way through the house!

{Day 11} Tackle It Tuesday--Rain Gauge

Once again I have neglected to take pictures, but I finally took care of the rain gauge.

This is our third rain gauge at this house.  The first one ended up cracking due to freezing conditions--I think it was moisture under the tube because only the very bottom was broken.  The second one also broke due to freezing conditions, but it had more factors involved.  It did not come with screws so I used some multi-purpose screws that we have.  I neglected to check to see if they fit through the removal holes so it could be emptied.  Before I finally got around to dismounting it and finding appropriate screws, my bonfire of a child put a moon sand mold in it.  The combination of moon sand mold, stagnant water, and algae created too much pressure when it all froze.  It's been broken for three years now.  The replacement rain gauge has been sitting on my kitchen counter since sometime during the summer....

The new is up, the old is down.  Now to wait for measurable precipitation!

Tackle It Tuesday

I cleaned the microwave this morning.

It was a weekly activity, but for some reason I've not been keeping up with it. It's not the only activity that's fallen to the wayside... *sigh*

How I clean my microwave when it's been neglected: I use my 4-cup pyrex, dump some white vinegar and water in it (probably up to 2c total), and nuke it for 5-minutes. Then I wipe it out.

So why didn't I get it done sooner??


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Tackle It Tuesday

The last few years we've been an autonomous kitchen--or a fend-fer-yerself kitchen, however you prefer to look at it. The kids would generally manage their own breakfasts, snacks, and lunches with Mama overseeing (and sometimes vetoing) decisions. There's been a bit of whining and contention lately so this weekend I sat down with my new fancy way of meal-planning and plotted.

First, I notated the activities for the week, then dinner selections were determined. Lunches were next, followed by breakfasts. Snacks and side dishes rounded it out.

What does this have to do with Tackle It Tuesday? Today was waffles, eggs, and bacon. I actually pulled out my feeble wafflemaker for the first time in years and USED it! I tackled the grueling task of dealing with this wafflemaker and my children had a filling brunch!

As a side-note: I don't care for the waffle recipe from Bisquick, even after adding some cinnamon and vanilla to it.


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Tackle It Tuesday

If this were Tackle It Monday I could have claimed an epic tackle for my household. But it's not, so I can't (besides, it wasn't housework related).

If it were Tackle It Sunday I could claim my first attempt ever in my lifetime at making chutney. But it's not, so I can't.

Pear Chutney

 
We have a busy day today. We have appointments, lessons, and a Cub Scout Pack to visit. I also have a microwave, five ceiling fans, and house filters to clean. Which one should I tackle this week?

The microwave isn't wretched. But I have not been keeping up with it weekly as intended. It really isn't difficult. Nuke a quantity of vinegar water in my 4c Pyrex measuring glass for 5-minutes. Wipe out with a damp rag. Wipe down the front. Wipe down the stovetop underneath--fallen debris.

The ceiling fans are a pain in the neck. Seriously. If I take the shortcut, I crane my neck to see what I'm doing with the ShopVac hose as I evict the dust bunny colonies on the fan blades. If I do it properly, I'm craning my neck and straining my shoulders as I wipe down each and every blade with a CloroxWipe. It's not the worst it has ever been, but it's bugging me. The living room would be the first, the breakfast nook would be the second. They're the ones I see the most.

I would love to change the house filters once a month. But they say to change every three months and the ones I prefer to use are not cheap. We've tried the cheap ones--it's an experience that will not be repeated. The goal is to change them the first day of the quarter, but I don't actually remember when they were changed last. We're headed into another round of allergens and we're heading into another sicky season thanks to the time of year and the restarting of public schools. Ugh--just thinking about it makes me want to change the filters weekly!

It's not a difficult task. It's merely removing the cover, removing the old filters, ShopVac'ing the coil, installing the new filters, ShopVac'ing the cover, closing it up and putting away the ShopVac (that doesn't really have a designated place to belong anymore now that we're using the side door).

So which one am I tackling this week?? I guess I'll have to see how the flow of the day goes. And you'll have to wait for the elusive broadband when I can load the pictures and edit all these emailed blog posts--THAT will be quite the Tackle!!

Happy Tuesday!!

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