7 Day Decluttering Challenge: Day 1 – Kitchen
Inside: Day 1 and I’m working in the kitchen to get rid of items. First stop, the refrigerator, followed by the pantry. See how well I do.
Today is kitchen day–isn’t every day? Well, while daily I’m working in my kitchen, it’s not often I’m purging stuff. I’ve committed to 25 items.
What types of things can you get rid of from the kitchen?
- Expired food items from refrigerator or pantry.
- Old spices.
- Kitchen gadgets or appliances you don’t use.
- Mismatched plates, cups, and saucers.
- Cookbooks you don’t use.
- Junk mail.
Today I surpassed my goal of 25 items for a total of 36, with a not-so-small stack of junk mail, an old jar of olives, old bottles of syrup and liquid smoke, dried up glue stick, and a cap to something.
A side note: I had to smile at the irony. Mom and I went to a little festival in Clarksville (but we didn’t take the last train) and browsed a small bookstore. So I ended up bringing two items back into the house. But only two.
So did you get rid of anything today? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Join Us for the 7 Day Decluttering Challenge!
Inside: Do you lack space? Have too much stuff? Feel frustrated when you look around your house? Then join us for the 7 Day Decluttering Challenge!
Tomorrow is D Day, and the “D” stands for decluttering! Are you in?
Why Declutter?
Maybe you’re on the fence, wondering, Why should I do a 7 Day Decluttering Challenge? Don’t underestimate the power of a good purge to lighten your load–both mentally and physically. I took a short decluttering class a couple of years ago, and what surprised me most was how much lighter I felt. Seriously. Besides cleaner rooms and more space, the decluttering process paid off in ways I hadn’t expected, and I’ve been wanting to do another round since then.
3 Simple Rules
- Choose your number of items. How many total items will you get rid of? My first decluttering experience I did 500 items in 14 days, and, no, it wasn’t as hard as you might think. (I’m not a hoarder. I promise.)
- Pick your locations or categories. Where do you want to focus your decluttering efforts? You can choose locations, such as the garage, or categories, like clothes. Or you can mix and match. You can go with seven different locations or categories or devote all of your energy on one, like the basement. You decide.
- Determine how many items per location or category. You might only have a few items in your bathroom, but the bedroom closet is a mess. Allocate more items to the closet, then. You might be wondering, So what if I go under or over the amount? If you don’t get enough things from one category, move the remainder to another category. If you go over? Yay! Pat yourself on the back. But don’t subtract item amounts from elsewhere. That’s defeating the purpose.
Accountability
It’s important to tell someone to keep you accountable. So I’m telling you. Here is what I’m doing:
Total items:
250 items in 7 days
Location and areas – how many items:
kitchen – 25
spare bedroom – 25
junk drawers (yes, plural) – 25
paper – 100
closet – 25
living room – 25
clothes and shoes – 25
Okay, I’m putting it out there. Ready to do battle with my stuff tomorrow. Gathering my boxes and trash bags and marching bravely into the kitchen. But first I might stop by the fridge for some inspiration, in the form of pumpkin pie ice cream. But I’ll get there. Come heck or high water, I’ll get there!
Stop by tomorrow for Day 1.
So how about you? Are you in? Tell us about it in the comments. Heavy doses of empathy welcome!
Resources: Don’t Want It? Get Rid of It!
Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy
7 Day Decluttering Challenge: Day 1 – Kitchen
Golden Beans, Whacked-out Weather, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Inside: When beans turn to gold, what’s up with the weather, and announcing the 7 Day Decluttering Challenge.
When Beans Turn to Gold
For whatever reason, yellow seems to be this year’s theme color here at the farm. But I’m not talking some sickly yellowish hue. Rather, I’m talking about a vibrant lovely color that grabs your attention. Makes you pause a moment at the beauty all around you. Earlier this year I had such a treat when the sunflowers bloomed, and now the bean fields around home are so . . . bright yellow. I’ve been around soybeans all my life, have seen 52 summers of them, yet this year, for some reason, the fields are so golden, and they seem to roll on and on into the distance.
Why is that?
Maybe the unique temperatures and rainfall patterns have something to do with it. Or maybe farmers are growing a particular variety that turns this way. Or maybe I am more aware as I seek out these picture postcard snapshots from home to share with you.
Maybe the point is there’s beauty all around us if we (I) only take the time to notice. And be thankful for it.
What’s Up with the Weather?
So in the previous long and winding post with news from the farm I talked about all those signs of fall. Then we get this mini heat wave–temps soaring into the 90s. Those days when you’re having to turn on the air conditioner–sigh–and I’m scratching my head. Hey, jet stream, didn’t you read my post? Weather guys and gals–err, I mean meteorologists–didn’t you get the memo?
But it’s got me to thinking of a combination season. Part summer. Part fall. Fummer. Or maybe sall? No, that doesn’t work. Perhaps a pairing with autumn instead, like sautumn–except that kind of sounds like a place of wickedness and debauchery. How about autsummer? No, that reminds me of a disease. Autumn, you’re out.
Okay, so maybe fallsum? Did Johnny Cash sing there? Let’s try sumfall instead. Yeah, that’s the pick of the litter. And it makes a good pun, too, as in “some fall.” Sumfall, that works, and if you slap a “2017” behind, it sounds like an actual event. Sumfall 2017— complete with spandex-wearing 80s cover band and booths selling turquoise jewelry and rosemary goat milk soap. I can smell the kettle corn now. . .
So make the most of these remaining hot-cold, confusing days. Remember, sumfall only comes but once a year!
Announcing the 7 Day Decluttering Challenge
I’m giving you fair warning. Sunday we start our 7 Day Decluttering Challenge, so get ready! The challenge? Get rid of 250 items–either give away or throw away–in 7 days. Ambitious, yes, but I did say challenge. You might be wondering why now and not, say, January? Truth time: I had this on my list of goals for this year. And while not wanting to inflict pain on any of you, I figure you can either join in or simply tune in to see what happens. Will Amy make her goal or retreat to a corner of the closet, babbling incoherently? Will her house be more manageable? Will her husband secretly rent a storage unit to stash his stuff? Or maybe camp out there until it’s over? Tune in Sunday for Day 1 of the 7 Day Decluttering Challenge!
I’ll post a reminder plus rules for the challenge on Saturday.
How about you? Will you join in or tune in or both? Confess in the comments!
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Simple Suppers: Roasted Chicken Thighs
Inside: We’re updating another food post, so cue the lovely food photography and easy-to-make recipe as we bring you Simple Suppers: Roasted Chicken Thighs.
Hands down, this is one of my favorite suppers. I came upon it by accident, really. I wanted my protein, and I didn’t want to stand around some skillet babysitting a piece of chicken. But my dilemma was I hadn’t thawed out any meat. So what’s a busy (or lazy) girl to do?
Grab a frozen chicken thigh, smear bacon grease over the top, season, and bake. How easy is that? Now, admittedly, it does take some patience waiting for the thighs to roast–an hour and twenty minute’s worth, mind you–but you’re free to go about your day doing other things. I can almost hear Mr. Rogers singing the waiting song, “Let’s think of something to do . . .”
Hmmm. . . A nap sounds good. Only to be woken by the wonderful smell of roasting meat. Just make sure you set the timer–and that you aren’t a deep sleeper!
So what can you pair with these oven-roasted beauties? Salad, of course. Green peas with plenty of butter would work well. My favorite, though, is green beans. I’ve often interrupted the baking, about thirty minutes in, to throw a few handfuls of–you guessed it–frozen green beans in the pan. If you’re partial to the idea, a word of caution: Don’t over crowd the pan with meat. I typically bake two thighs in an 8 x 8 pan. Because most chicken contains a salt solution these days, along with the bacon grease for this recipe, there is quite a bit of juice left in the pan.
- 4 frozen chicken thighs with skin
- 2 tablespoons of bacon grease (I keep mine in the refrigerator, which makes it stick better to the meat)
- seasonings: salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Take the frozen thighs and place them in a large baking pan (9 x 13 is ideal), skin side up and not overcrowding them.
- Smear ½ a tablespoon of bacon grease over the top and sides of each thigh.
- Season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders to taste.
- Place pan in the oven and roast until the skin is golden brown, approximately 80 - 90 minutes.
Notes: I have used thawed chicken thighs and bacon grease drippings from my morning bacon, and it will work (adjust time accordingly), but what makes the frozen thighs and chilled bacon grease work so well is that the grease sticks to the meat longer, resulting in a crispy skin with all that bacon-y goodness. When serving, I spoon some of the pan drippings over my meat for even more flavor.
Ovens vary widely, and if yours tends to run hotter, you might start checking about an hour into the cooking time, looking for that golden brown color.
Do you have any tricks for getting supper on the table quickly? Tell us about it in the comments.
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