FLYing Along
Aug. 19th, 2011 07:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sailorzeoWe've switched our grocery routines a little. In the past, I would make out the list based on the sales in the flyers and what we were low on, then early Saturday morning, I would try to roust Matt out of bed so we could hit all the stores and be home before noon. That rarely worked; getting him out of bed early on his days off is a monumental feat, especially for something he hates as much as spending money.
Two weeks ago, we started going to the stores Thursday and Friday evenings on our way home from work. We usually hit Frys, Safeway and Fresh and Easy on Thursday (those are the closer stores, actually on the way home), and hit the northern stores (Smart and Final, Sprouts, Trader Joes, Albertsons, Bashas, and WalMart) on Friday. Yesterday, though, since Bashas had a one-day special on deli meat that was enticing, we instead hit Bashas, Fresh and Easy, and Frys. Safeway and Albertsons had nothing of interest in their ads, we didn't need anything from the other northern stores (other than WalMart, but there's one on the way home), so other than a stop at WalMart tonight for dishwasher detergent, our grocery shopping is done for the week. That's always a good feeling.
One of the things we picked up this trip were a few tubes of cinnamon rolls that were on markdown. I can't eat them, but Matt can, and since I usually get up before he does, and he's been making breakfast for me, I figured I could make these for him when I get up. I actually set my alarm for 5:30 this morning (and was actually awake-ish when it went off, due to putting the book down and turning off the light at 10 pm), and when it went off, I gathered up the clothes I put out the night before, my shoes, and my water bottle, got dressed in the bathroom, preheated the oven, started the coffee and put the cinnamon rolls in the oven.
They had to bake for 15 minutes. Remembering FlyLady's statement, "You can do anything for 15 minutes," I set the timer on my phone for 14 minutes and went to work in the little bathroom.
The main bathroom has been under control since the shelves went into the medicine cabinet. However, I don't think I've cleaned the guest bathroom since our last guest left...in April. It didn't look bad, to a casual look, but I could see some areas that needed work. I grabbed the window cleaner and a microfiber towel, and went to work.
The mirror still has some hard water spots that I'll have to go over with a vinegar-water mix, and the floor still needs some work, but I got all the soap scum and cat prints off the counter, and some of the worst spots off the floor. Plus, the toilet's been swished with some wiping around the seat area, so it's better than it was.
Yes, I staged the towel. It's about the color I want to paint in there.
Again, not shown: cat who likes to sleep in the sink. Usually Scamp or Patch.
No more black spots on the tile in front of the toilet!
I finished up with 3 minutes to spare, so I made sure the computer was on and Firefox was loading, then went to pour my coffee, take the rolls out of the oven, and drizzle the icing over them.
Today's BabyStep is to include laundry in your daily routine. Well, It's just Matt and me, so we don't have enough to do laundry every day. Having gotten the kitchen under control, I don't have to slog through a counter-load of dirty dishes on the weekends anymore. We've had our laundry-sorting hampers in place for a few years, and Matt understands the difference between "darks" and "colors" now, so I don't have more than 4 loads by Saturday, anyway. I preflight the whites (the largest load) on Friday night, taking it from the hamper to an easier-to-maneuver basket. Then, when I wake up on Saturday, dress, and make the bed, I can just grab the basket and get that first load started while I make breakfast. I also put a stain-stick on my dresser, by the hampers, so if I've dropped something on my shirt or pants during the day, I can pretreat it right before it goes into the hamper, while I'm still thinking about it. That's helped on many occasions. It even got out the washed-in stain from the purple lip balm I made. No trace of it on that white shirt anymore. Good stuff.
I may have to set aside another basket for my microfiber towels, since they're not supposed to be washed with fabric softener, and I use one a day in the main bathroom. I can wash them with the regular towels (again, no fabric softener), but I need a spot to put the dirty ones.
Two weeks ago, we started going to the stores Thursday and Friday evenings on our way home from work. We usually hit Frys, Safeway and Fresh and Easy on Thursday (those are the closer stores, actually on the way home), and hit the northern stores (Smart and Final, Sprouts, Trader Joes, Albertsons, Bashas, and WalMart) on Friday. Yesterday, though, since Bashas had a one-day special on deli meat that was enticing, we instead hit Bashas, Fresh and Easy, and Frys. Safeway and Albertsons had nothing of interest in their ads, we didn't need anything from the other northern stores (other than WalMart, but there's one on the way home), so other than a stop at WalMart tonight for dishwasher detergent, our grocery shopping is done for the week. That's always a good feeling.
One of the things we picked up this trip were a few tubes of cinnamon rolls that were on markdown. I can't eat them, but Matt can, and since I usually get up before he does, and he's been making breakfast for me, I figured I could make these for him when I get up. I actually set my alarm for 5:30 this morning (and was actually awake-ish when it went off, due to putting the book down and turning off the light at 10 pm), and when it went off, I gathered up the clothes I put out the night before, my shoes, and my water bottle, got dressed in the bathroom, preheated the oven, started the coffee and put the cinnamon rolls in the oven.
They had to bake for 15 minutes. Remembering FlyLady's statement, "You can do anything for 15 minutes," I set the timer on my phone for 14 minutes and went to work in the little bathroom.
The main bathroom has been under control since the shelves went into the medicine cabinet. However, I don't think I've cleaned the guest bathroom since our last guest left...in April. It didn't look bad, to a casual look, but I could see some areas that needed work. I grabbed the window cleaner and a microfiber towel, and went to work.
The mirror still has some hard water spots that I'll have to go over with a vinegar-water mix, and the floor still needs some work, but I got all the soap scum and cat prints off the counter, and some of the worst spots off the floor. Plus, the toilet's been swished with some wiping around the seat area, so it's better than it was.
Yes, I staged the towel. It's about the color I want to paint in there.
Again, not shown: cat who likes to sleep in the sink. Usually Scamp or Patch.
No more black spots on the tile in front of the toilet!
I finished up with 3 minutes to spare, so I made sure the computer was on and Firefox was loading, then went to pour my coffee, take the rolls out of the oven, and drizzle the icing over them.
Today's BabyStep is to include laundry in your daily routine. Well, It's just Matt and me, so we don't have enough to do laundry every day. Having gotten the kitchen under control, I don't have to slog through a counter-load of dirty dishes on the weekends anymore. We've had our laundry-sorting hampers in place for a few years, and Matt understands the difference between "darks" and "colors" now, so I don't have more than 4 loads by Saturday, anyway. I preflight the whites (the largest load) on Friday night, taking it from the hamper to an easier-to-maneuver basket. Then, when I wake up on Saturday, dress, and make the bed, I can just grab the basket and get that first load started while I make breakfast. I also put a stain-stick on my dresser, by the hampers, so if I've dropped something on my shirt or pants during the day, I can pretreat it right before it goes into the hamper, while I'm still thinking about it. That's helped on many occasions. It even got out the washed-in stain from the purple lip balm I made. No trace of it on that white shirt anymore. Good stuff.
I may have to set aside another basket for my microfiber towels, since they're not supposed to be washed with fabric softener, and I use one a day in the main bathroom. I can wash them with the regular towels (again, no fabric softener), but I need a spot to put the dirty ones.
