Clean at Last!

Well I actually did it. I told lots of people I would (including everyone who reads my blog) and I had to force myself to do it, but I actually did my spring cleaning this weekend! I started early on Friday morning (got up at my usual 7am to trick myself into thinking it was actually a work day) and spent about 3 and a half hours filling garbage bags and emptying boxes. I took about 7 or 8 garbage bags out to the dumpster (and boy did my legs feel it the next day!). I managed to accomplish my first goal of the living room and bedroom. I have to say, they both look awesome now! I forgot to take the traditional "before" photos, so there's not a lot of point in posting the "after" photos (I e-mailed them to the family members who have seen my place at its worst, figuring they now deserve to see my place at its best). I took a break on Friday afternnon when I was done the task I had set myself. I ended up with a tub full of odds and ends that I'm donating to charity, unless my friends want to lay claim to any of the items in it. A few of them, after sending out an e-mail offering up the stuff in the tub, have e-mailed me back to lay claim to a few of the items, so that's good. I also have a bag full of clothing to go to charity (if I took another close look at my closet, I could probably come up with another bag full) and three boxes of stuff to go down to my storage area.

This morning I woke up early again (though not quite as early as Friday since my task for today was a lot smaller) and tackled the kitchen. That was mostly a cleaning job rather than an organizational job. Traditionally my kitchen is a terrible mess, but I couldn't let it stay that way given the nice and clean living room and bedroom I now have. I got the room cleaned and organized (my counters have never been more free of stuff) and it only took an hour and a half (including the time it took to wash the dishes. There weren't that many dishes, but one of the bowls was new and it had a sticky label on it that took about twenty minutes to pick off). I got a couple of other pesky chores done too. I definitely want to get my painting done sooner rather than later! My walls have a bunch of holes in them from stuff that the previous tenants had hanging on the walls and I don't want to hang up my own pictures until the walls have been patched and painted! Hopefully I'll get the painting and "redecorating" done during the last week of May when I have my Spring Break from school. Now I just have to decide on paint colours!