Week-In-Review (10/02/21 - 10/09/21)

Hi everyone,

It's Sunday night! Time to review and reflect on yet another insanely busy week which will be remembered for its crazy amount of decluttering, seriously, put that one in the books!

I am not sure if you could say that something finally "clicked", but it just was one of those weeks where I just could not justify the crapload of nonsense anymore. I get it that it seems only obvious from the outside eye. You walk into someone's house and you immediately feel the pressure from the over decorating, oversized furniture, stuff everywhere! But to those living in it, I can assure you that we are used to it and therefore no longer notice it. It's not like we walk into out home after a long day at work, open the door and get shocked by the sheer sight of our possessions. It's our beloved stuff after all and we have worked very hard at acquiring and displaying it over a very long period of time. During that same time, desensitization set in...You know, when you no longer see the pile of mail on the dining buffet, the abandoned shoes no one wears in the entry closet, the dried up detergent on the side of  the washer or your kids entire school years as displayed in unmatched frames above the mantle. It did not happen overnight. We invested a lot of time and effort into shuffling the stuff around and I am pretty sure each shuffling session left us with the fleeting satisfaction of a job well done...But was it?

I know it can be very frustrating to attempt to even comprehend how people can live in such chaos. Our environment is a reflection of what goes on in our head, sure, and people are real quick to assume that chaos on the outside only means one thing - chaos on the inside. But what if the person simply does not care though? I mean, sure, a clean and well maintained home is great. But it's not a priority to many and it does not necessarily mean that we were not "trained" or given the proper skills while growing up, it definitely does not immediately puts us in the slob/hoarding slob/disgusting slob category. Some of us simply do not care. Maybe a clean and organized home is not a priority to us.  Maybe if life itself is not disrupted and our family is equally happy regardless of whether there is overdue laundry or everything is neatly piled in its dedicated space, there is no pressure or obligation to attend to the dirty socks right this instant. A lot of people will claim "my home is lived in" but I saw on Instagram the other day a lady who said that we need to stop saying that as an excuse for the mess and instead tell the truth...It's not that our homes are lived in...We are overwhelmed! And that overwhelm does not necessarily come from the stuff we own, it could be medical, emotional, work related, kid related, society related overwhelm and in turn, the house is neglected. Trust me, after a crazy day at work, the last thing on my mind is wiping off the dried up detergent or fold a basket of laundry. No Stepford wife lives here!

The main issue really is the expectation vs. reality. I blame social media. I give you a for instance. Here is a picture I shamelessly grabbed from the infamous Instagram - bearer of all toxic contrast and compares:

Barn & Willow

What is this? And where do you put your stuff? How is that even practical? Yet, we are bombarded with images just like this one and made to feel less-than because, well, we don't have this look. So off we go to Home Goods or whatever and buy all the things. Except that we can't really let go of our real stuff, so this new stuff gets thrown over our old stuff and it just never seems quite right. But if you pay close attention to those insta-worthy settings, you will notice a lack of personal belongings. It's all store bought, nothing related to family or memorabilia or even an existence outside of the catalogs. Where is the remote? Where do you put your cup of tea? Where do the pillows go when you want to sit down or do you have to sit on the edges? What's that furry thing draped over the sofa and do you really need the chinchilla one on the other side? How cold is it in this house that you need not one but two furry throws. How does one vacuum the far left corner? Can you imagine my Beagle in this décor? But wait! There is a subliminal message of LAVISH lifestyle here, the pillow says so (also the Chanel book casually facing the camera!) I have to find myself a pillow that says ORGANIZED and maybe some people will cut me some slack! 

So we get bombarded day in and day out with these expectations and then you wonder why people freak out when they see a real home, with real stuff that is actually making living functional but is not cohesive (not catalog ready). Seriously, look at home décor on instagram with a critical eye and tell me it's not just me who feels that this eye candy stuff has skewed our perception of what a real home looks like!

Anyway, back to decluttering. So yes, a lot of decluttering happened this week and I am proud of myself! Having the Town-Wide garage sale next week may or may not have been an incentive, but it sure did not hurt. So here is the week-in-review:

Saturday October 2, 2021

Saturday morning is kitchen cleaning day except that this time around I had Edward lend me a hand. The day was spent filming a declutter video (Episode 8) where I pretty much let go of 40% of my everyday dishware plus some and then of course it was Band Competition in Randolph, NJ where William's Band took second place. 

1. Saturday morning "sigh"!

2. Edward did assist since most of the mess was his. We went to the Football game last night and he pretty much left all his dinner dishes and stuff all over the place. 

3. Scott and I enjoyed a glorious sunset at Randolph HS while awaiting William's band performance. 

4. Back from band competition - a bit late too, Edward and I enjoyed a game of chess, which of course he won. I'll have you know that I taught him the basics of Chess when he was around 7 years old and he picked up the rest while in school and now college. He far surpasses me but then again I am not surprised because even though I know how to play and can win against William, I am really not that good a player. I sure do enjoy the challenge though. 

Sunday October 3, 2021

I had a late start since I went on the bike and raked in about 8 miles...Then of course I had to recover!

Sunday is always a mad dash to film as many videos needed to make it to a count of 3 for the following week. I was able to do another declutter (Episode 9) and bake a Zucchini and Pineapple cake. Don't turn your nose, it was delicious and did not last long. (Video coming up this week). The rest of the day was spent blogging. So you see, there is not much time to attend to dried up detergent on the side of the washer!

1. Sunday breakfast - Poached eggs over avocado and Ezekiel bread ( I am trying, but not a lot).

2. A successful declutter from the spice and tea cupboards. 

Monday October 4, 2021

I actually had to work from home today in order to finish the audits in a relatively quiet and uninterrupted environment. I feel so much more productive and structured working from home and I was an idiot for resisting the idea for so long. There, I said it!

1. Enjoyed a Cappuccino for breakfast and I am loving our new Keurig. It was pricey but the frother makes it worth every penny. It's easy to use and it makes Cappuccinos in no time. Let me know if you want a demo. 

2. A no makeup kind of day - I just needed to get stuff done.

3. Fiona loves that basket on our desk. It's under the lamp and I suspect she is there for the heat.

4. I managed to edit and post Monday's video without pulling my hair and I went to bed on time!

Tuesday October 5, 2021

This day will be remembered as the day FB and IG went down for what appeared to be a very long time. Maybe it was accidental, maybe it was by design. Who cares! I was able to capture the attention of William who found himself with NOTHING to do! Enters big declutter #1. William needed help with his room anyway. I am afraid to say that the apple does not fall far from the tree in this house and both boys can live endless weeks with the same pile of junk pushed to one corner of their room, the entire set of glassware and mugs on their desk and not to mention all the empty seltzer cans. But, since he is still young, I helped. In all, we got rid of 5 fifty gallon garbage bags of stuff, mostly clothes, but also a lot of toys, books and miscellaneous. Everything was thoroughly dusted and vacuumed. I kid you not, the room had an echo once we were done. 

1. Going back to work and stuck in traffic.

2. Jersey City finally opened the new lift bridge. I have watched this bridge being built from day one - I was pretty excited to finally see it open except that they only had 2 lanes for traffic and the back-up was miles on. Took over two hours to get to work. So much for NJ engineering! The bridge was meant to ease traffic by the way!

3. 5 large bags of stuff. It took about 4 hours but we did it!

4. William's room - like brand new!

5. And, he was able to let go of all the stuff that was kept on top of the bookcases!

Wednesday October 6, 2021

Who would have thought that seeing his brother's room all neat and organized would inspire Edward to want the same? 

I worked from home and managed to catch up with quite a lot of work and some telehealth, then Edward and I decluttered his room. He did not have as many bags as his brother's but we managed at least 4 and a lot of big items like storage containers he no longer needed. His shelves are pretty much emptied. 

Posted Episode 9 in my Decluttering series. And just in case you were wondering, no, I did not film the kids declutter.

1. Breakfast at home - Veggie Omelet with cheese and toast. 

2 and 3. Look at all this space? We also bought a new computer chair since I took his and since he asked for a large white erasable board, I made a request through my town's Facebook page and was able to get a free (very large one) for his Calculus and other College related stuff. He is pretty much set for success! So yes, the red chair landed in his room (at his request) he loves it and does most of his reading in it. It is also a preferred spot for Fiona. 

Thursday October 7, 2021

Nothing really exciting or noteworthy happened on Thursday. I did spend some time in the garden sprucing things up a bit and that was it.

1. The Asters are in bloom.

2. It took a while for the dogs to realize they were walking right by a Doe. Some hunting breed they are!

3. A sure sign of Fall season: The Wooly Caterpillar! According to folklore, the amount of black on the woolly caterpillar in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is found.  The longer the caterpillar's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest.  If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe.  If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. If true, this will be a short winter with December and March being the coldest! Personally I think it's just Genetics and whether the food in my garden was plentiful. 

Friday October 7, 2021

I was finally able to post my video about the Spin Bike from Yesoul. So far I have used it every week. I am having a hard time finding the time to do more than once per week, put I tell you, it's an awesome form of exercising. The Treadmill is fine but I find the activity to be boring and not very engaging. You are pretty much at your own pace and finding the motivation to push harder can be difficult. The bike, however, because I am following classes on the app, I really don't have much choice but to take a beating each and every time and I love it! I am already 22 miles into my Amalfi Coast Challenge!

Yesoul S3 - Unboxing and Review

1. Work at home breakfast - I finally opened the jar of Apple butter!

2. Granny Smith from the yard -This is our first home grown apple. Scott truly loved it, I thought it was a bit too sour but this is his kind of apples. Delicious nonetheless. 

3. Football game - well, you all know why I am there really. Enjoyed an Eggplant and Mozzarella Sandwich. 

4. Finally took a good picture of William! He is been ignoring his parents (like most 14 yo would) when we come to watch his band, so catching him willing to have his picture taken has been quite hard. 

And that is all I have for you this week. It was busy, as all other weeks are. I am hoping that catching a glimpse of behind the scenes is enjoyable to you. I think we lead a pretty normal life, nothing fantastic or glamorous going on and that is just fine by me!

Have a great week!

Cheers.

Sophia 💜

DIY Vanity + Makeup Storage

Hi friends,

This is a project I have been putting off for so long, but no more!

My husband and I have not done much with the Master Bath in our attic since we bought the house and it is just about as functional as functional can be. Tub/Shower, toilet, vanity with one sink, mirrored cabinet. That's it!

This is our bathroom after I had painted it prior to moving into our home.

It's a no thrill bathroom - but it does like space and storage for all my junk (ahem - makeup)

I had this dresser right under the window, which I use for my intimate stuff (undies etc.), socks and pajamas. I don't care much for the standing cabinet you can see in the back, the glass part of it is cool, but the drawers are too deep and very narrow making them unpractical for makeup and other small items. 

So, after 3 years in our home, my makeup collection and other stuff grew and the bathroom exploded with bins on top of bins, trays full of stuff, drawers that could not longer be shut etc. So, I decided it was time to take matters in my own hands and build a vanity that would be an extension of the sink, with enough storage underneath to stash all my stuff - in a more organized and functional way.

(These are not the best pictures in the world, they were all taken with my cell phone - I hope you do not mind too much - I am simply trying to showcase the process here).

My first step was to remove the dresser - it was relocated to the other side of the room, by the door.

I also disassembled the tall cabinet and only kept the glass top for storage. This would make a great storage unit if fixed directly onto the wall.

I came up with a design that would fit the overall look of the bathroom and took off to The Home Depot to have some plywood cut to size.

I started with a simple design, two cubes with shelves on either side, feet and a single shelf on top, a lip all around, nothing fancy.

Here are my measurements:

Top: 53 3/4 x 21

Sides (4): 21 x 20

Shelves: (4): 21 x 15

Bottoms (2): 21 x 16.5

Lips (all around): 53 3/4 x 2.5 and two 21 x 2.5

Legs: I used deck spindles cut to size (8.5) but you can also use 2.5 in dowels cut to size.

The idea here is to simply assemble all the pieces using deck screws and wood glue. I started with the cubes.

Once the "U" shape was put together with three deck screws on either sides, all I had to do was insert the shelves and screw them directly into the sides. I did use wood glue on all sides prior to using the more permanent screws.

This is what it looked like once the two cubes where completed. I temporarily placed the top so that I could measure the needed space in between as well as the amount of overhang (in the front) I wanted. The overhang makes the vanity a bit more stylish and much less like a homemade design. My overhang is only 3/4 of an inch.

For the legs, I used leftover spindles from our front porch project a few summers back. These spindles are perfect since one will produce two feet, so all together, I needed four spindles (8 feet).

This is a great way to recycle stuff you have laying around in your garage. All I had to do was measure the height needed (8.5) so that the top of my vanity would align with my other counter top (with sink). I needed to cut the ball (in the middle) out and measure on up to 8.5 inches.

Here, they are, all 8 of the feet for my vanity.

Now, attaching the feet to the bottom of my cubes was a bit tricky and I ended up drilling a hole in the bottom and the foot, then used carriage bolts straight into the foot for a solid hold (I explain this process in detail in the video below).

The advantage of using carriage bolts drilled directly from the inside of the cube into the feet is of course stability and if need be, they can be tightened. Something that would not have been possible, had I just toe nailed the feet directly into the bottom panels.

On to the top!

Adding the lips all around was not a huge task either, however, instead of nailing them, I pre- drilled holes and screwed the lips directly into the top panel from the bottom. If you are planning on replicating this DIY project or a variation of it, remember to place the lips prior to fixing the top onto the cubes, otherwise you will not be able to screw the lips directly from the bottom of the flat top. I am hoping I am making some kind of sense here. I simply used wood glue and finishing nails to affix the top onto the cubes.

I wanted to have more use of the top and decided to add a shelf on either side, with a gap/ space in the middle for my mirror. You could also run a shelf across the entire top if you want to, it is just a matter of using finishing nails directly into the lips. You would need smaller inserts to support the middle part of the shelf though.

In my DIY project, I have a shelf on either side.

Because this is plywood, it is important to spend a lot of time sanding all surfaces and buff them to a smooth finish before painting.

I did use caulk (the paintable variety) all around to fill in hairline gaps and little defects in the plywood.

For paint, I chose a Glidden interior latex in bright white/semi gloss. The hardest part was to paint all the corners first (twice) before applying the top coats on flat surfaces.

And here is the finished vanity:

Next week, I will take you on a tour of all my organization and makeup storage ideas since the whole point of the vanity, was to store my makeup and other pampering goodies.

Here are two videos I made of the full project - I explain everything in much more details.

Part One:

Part Two:

I really hope I inspired you with this project - it really was not too hard, it is just a matter of being organized and taking the time to go through the process, no skipping steps on that one.

What do you think? Is that something you could build? I am interested in finding out what modifications (if any) you would make if this were a vanity for your own use.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog.

Connect with me on:

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Sophia, NJ.

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Have you tried it yet? Teavana iss my favorite brand of tea! You can read my review here.

*This blog contains affiliate advertising. I receive a commission on items purchased through my links. I am not solicited to review products and all opinions are my own. I also purchase items with my own funds unless otherwise noted.

Spring Cleaning Series - The Living Room

Hi friends,

I am back with another episode in my Spring Cleaning Series. This time around I tackled the Living Room and it was another gruesome task and it's all on YouTube too!

First things first, let me provide you with a list of to-dos when Spring Cleaning your Living Room:

• Dust top to bottom including behind and top of furniture
• Dust frames + clean glass
• Wash windows
• Wash drapes
• Wash all removable cushions and/or sleep-covers
• Clean fireplace in and out, including fireplace glass, brass and mantle
• Clean all upholstery with a professional upholstery cleaner
• Reorganize books and magazines
• Wash walls
• Spot treat walls and paint where needed (scuff marks or dings on painted surfaces)

I started with the fireplace because there is no sense in cleaning the living room without getting rid of all the ashes first.

Following an entire winter's worth of cozy fires, the fireplace needed a real pick me up. It was not just the inside of the hearth that needed cleaning, but the glass and mantle too.
I used Rutland Hearth and Grill Conditioning Glass Cleaner to get rid of all the soot that had accumulated over the last five months.



 

Rutland Hearth and Grill Conditioning Glass Cleaner

 

That product does an amazing job at removing all the residual soot on the glass panels as well as on portions of the brass frame (though a brass cleanser would have probably done a better job for that). I was even able to remove soot from the mantle.

 

 

Next, I tackled the upholstery. We have two boys and two dogs - need I say more?

 

 

 

For the upholstery, I went ahead and rented a Rug Doctor from my local supermarket. Do make sure that you purchase the "no foam" upholstery cleaner before leaving the store.

Rug Doctor

 
I never thought this machine would do such a great job at not only stain removal, but deodorizing as well! I  will go as far as saying that it does a better job on upholstery than it does on carpet! I seriously recommend that you go ahead and rent one to clean your sofa and sofa cushions, you should have seen the color of the water after only one pass! DISGUSTING!

Overall, this was a tough cleaning chore, so be prepared to be spending an entire day between the dusting and cob web spotting!

But in the end, my living room was entirely cleaned and refreshed.

You can watch the whole process in my coordinating YouTube Video:



Thank you for reading and sharing my blog!

Connect with me on:

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Sophia, NJ.

*My blog contains affiliate advertising for which I receive a small commission when you purchase from the links provided.



Spring Cleaning Series - The Guest Bedroom

Hi friends,

I am back with a new episode in my Spring Cleaning Series and this tie around, I tackled the guest bedroom. Everything I did would pretty much fit any bedroom you may have in the house, and as always, my to-do list was extensive.

 
And...

Spring Cleaning a bedroom (the list):

• Wash all linen, including bed skirts, pads, pillows and blankets - iron as needed
• Wash/clean area rugs or carpet, wash curtains
• Dust all picture frames, use a spray cleaner for the glass
• Dust walls and chair rails
• Dust/vacuum baseboards, radiators etc.
• Cob webs
• Dust door and window frames
• Rotate mattresses
• Dust lamp shades
• Dust/clean ceiling fan including glass fixtures
• Wash windows and screens
• Dust/polish furniture
• reorganize closet - switch seasonal items
• Sweep/mop

I had my work cut out for me but used the "excuse" of having guests over next week as motivation to tackle this very long cleaning process.
It is amazing what a thorough cleaning will do because by the time I was done, the room had no odor, none, it was completely cleaned, disinfected and rid of any speckle of dust possibly imagined! I even cleaned out the curio cabinet!

If the beds look a bit different this time around, it is because I decided to make them as though hotel beds and for that I used what is called the three sheet method.

All you need is three sheets and a blanket:

• One bottom sheet (fitted)
• Two flat sheets
• One blanket

In a nutshell, you would sandwich the blanket into two flat sheets and make an envelope corner on each end of the bed. This allows for the blanket to stay put and clean as well. The blanket won't move because it is wrapped into the two sheets, as though an envelope with a two fold method.

It also adds a little bit of luxury comfort to the room.

This video will show you how to make a bed using the three sheets method:




If you want to see me go through the entire spring cleaning process, here is the full video ( a tad long, but nothing compared to the 8 hours it took to make this bedroom feel as though a 4 star hotel):





Thank you for reading and sharing my blog!

Connect with me on:

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TWITTER
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Sophia, NJ.

*My blog contains affiliate advertising for which I receive a small commission when you purchase from the links provided.

 

Spring Cleaning Series - Bookcase Cleaning and Reorganizing

Hi friends,

I am back with a new series of blog posts and YouTube videos and it's all about cleaning and organizing!

Are you ready for Spring? I sure am, we had the worst weather EVER, here in Jersey and I am finally finding myself motivated to start big (and small) projects again. This time around I am going to focus on Spring Cleaning with a dash of general organizing.

I found a good Spring Cleaning Checklist on Martha Stewart.com but felt that it was not comprehensive enough for me. While it lists the general stuff we should do at the change of each season, such as rotating mattresses and the like, I still felt that I needed a bit more direction to keep myself motivated and tackle a whole bunch of other stuff I had procrastinated. So sure, enough, I made up my own list!

I went ahead and purchased this very inexpensive notebook from Michael's Arts and Crafts Store (you can find it in their $ bin).

 And started writing in my own list, a mix of Martha Stewart and a bit more that is my own and based on my ongoing list of to-dos around the house. 

I like the idea of using a notebook like this one because it allows me to check what has been accomplished, add on new items as I see fit and keep it around for the next year (provided I use a pencil to check those completed tasks). I even thought of extending it as a year long seasonal cleaning notebook by adding a tab for each season (Fall, Winter etc.) The elastic band allows me to keep other papers nicely tucked inside. It's a win-win!

Because the weather was just miserable this past week end, I opted to stay indoors and tackle one huge project: cleaning and reorganizing my large Living Room Bookcase. It is one of those projects I have procrastinated for ever, and just could no longer ignore. Check it out for yourself: is it a mess, or what?

This was no longer working for me as I identified too many issues:

• Too many books - Most could be relocated to another part of the house
• No room to properly display family heirloom and memorabilia
• Book collections are disorganized and not clearly separated
• It's just plain ugly to look at.

It was time for a change! While there are "after" pictures in this post, I did make a complete video of the process (and the thinking that went along):

So, one of the biggest task was to decide what to keep and what to relocate. I made the decision to only keep full collections in this bookcase. For instance, we have been collecting classic literature, in particular the  NY Times list of 100 Novels of the 20th Century. It took us a while to build up this collection, and while we are missing a few books, when combined with the Modern Library, we pretty much have all 100, plus some. I ended up placing those books by order of the list itself, and then by alphabetical order for the leftovers by similar authors.
In the meantime, a thorough dusting and cleaning of each book and shelves was done.

I also, made room for some of my most treasured heirloom, nicely tucked in to protect them from accidents either caused by overly excited boys or equally rambunctious dogs!

In all, I only kept the following inside the bookcase:

• 100 novels of the century
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Art Book Collection
• Etiquette book collection (a hobby of mine)
• Home Decoration and Style Book Collection
• Antiques and Collectibles Book Collection

Anything else that did not fit those six categories was relocated to the basement/library and that was a lot of books!!!

In the end, and five and a half hours later, I had a bookcase that looked much more organized, completely free of dust and my special items and other decorative favorites are nicely displayed, they can be seen and enjoyed rather than hidden and overwhelmed by the clutter around them.

Here is another look at the before:

And the end result:

I May not look like a big deal but it was a lot of work, between carrying the books around, alphabetizing them and not to mention the dusting!

I am just glad I did it and cannot wait to keep going with my Spring Cleaning next week end as I will tackle yet another project!

Thank you for reading and sharing my post!

Don't forget the YouTube version of this post:

Connect with me on:

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Sophia, NJ.

*My blog contains affiliate advertising for which I receive a small commission when you purchase from the links provided. I am affiliated with Vera Bradley and Yves Rocher.