I tried

So tonight I tried to break free from my usual habit of procrastinating and packing the night before/morning of a trip. I was planning on doing my laundry so I could pack and have that out of the way. Right before I was about to load up my bag to head next door (I love being right next to the laundry room, so convenient), there was a knock at the door. It was maintenance. He said one of the machines had flooded so he wanted to see if there was any water damage on our side. Nope, there was not. I then went to check the laundry room only to find not one, but two machines are currently out of commission. The second machine won't start. That leaves only one machine, which means I'm going to have to watch it like a hawk if I want to be able to wash my clothes. Saturday is the busiest laundry day (obviously). I have a feeling that I'm just going to end up doing my laundry at 3am since another one of my pre-traveling habits is to get no sleep the night before. At least I can say I tried.

Obviously my kitchen looks nothing like this, but it looks nice and clean

I also did some serious cleaning today. Cleaning checks are Tuesday, but I won't be here. I called the lady that does them to see if I could do mine tomorrow so I could be present in case anything needed to be touched up. I have a feeling they would fail me and charge me if I was not here since it's a "final" cleaning check (spring semester is over and people move out). I haven't heard back from her yet. Since there are only two of us right now (Marjorie is in Michigan doing an internship), someone gets three jobs while the other gets two. I decided to take the three and just did the whole kitchen (fridge, floor, and stove).

Confession: I actually enjoyed cleaning! Almost had a heart attack, didn't ya? I know, I was very surprised at myself. Anyone that knows me can tell you I am not a fan of cleaning. It was a nice day so I had the window open and my music blaring, which definitely affected the mood I was in while cleaning. Also, the kitchen wasn't that dirty from last month when I cleaned. The fact that there are only two of us also cuts down on messes. All this cleaning made me feel really productive today and I love knowing that things are clean.

I'm so excited that I have only one more day before I go home!!

Clean, Clear and Under Control

Anyone who knows me can tell you I'm not a fan of cleaning. I like the feeling when everything is clean and organized, but I'm not a fan of the process it takes to get there. Lucky for me, I've spent the last two days cleaning and getting ready for the "white glove" cleaning check our apartments do at the end of each semester. It's been a long and somewhat grueling process, but I'm finally done and I passed!

To prepare for this arduous task I went to Walmart a few days ago and bought some cleaning supplies. Usually I can get away with just using baking soda to clean, but it's "white glove" so I figured I should buy the real stuff. I also found these cute gloves to help motivate me in my future cleaning endeavors. They're really dish washing gloves, but I'm going to make them my bathroom cleaning gloves. The best part about them is that they're green!

Here's what I did:

• vacuumed the apartment
• cleaned the windows, window sills, the tracks, and the blinds
• cleaned the vent/heater, which was very dusty and I cut my finger on it
• cleaned the baseboards
• vacuumed the couch- there are no attachments so I had to lift the vacuum (even held it sideways at times) to clean the couches and cushions
• my room- I swear it looks better now than when I first moved in...let's hope it stays that way. 

*I'm thinking of maybe doing a little video tour of my apartment for y'all once everyone is moved out and the place looks really clean*

This evening after my cleaning check, Chas invited Rylee and me to go fly kites. We went to the same place we flew the plane. There was another guy there by himself so I helped him with his while Chas helped Rylee. The guy couldn't remember my name. I told him three times within five minutes. He also called me Mary and Meagan/Meghan (however you like to spell it). Those aren't even close to Wendi. Is my name really that hard to remember? Chas told me I was nice to help him with his kite and that the guy should've gotten my number. Um...One: he couldn't remember my name and Two: he wasn't the best looking (not that looks are all I care about, but they help). The wind didn't last for very long. We rolled down the hill a few times and then went to Macy's (it's a grocery store) for ice cream. They have the same kind of ice cream as King Kone back in Albany. They're just as big too.

Rylee is leaving tomorrow morning. Since she just started packing tonight, I decided to help her out by doing most of her stuff for her cleaning check. She wouldn't let me do all of it. She's planning on staying up all night so I'm going to with her. When she's done packing we're going to watch a movie. 

I actually stopped writing this post for a while because Alina called me. She said she kind of had a problem and needed my advice. It was a boy problem! She's 13...she shouldn't have boy problems yet. This boy likes her and asked her out over Facebook. Her friends can tell he likes her and one of them asked him if he liked her (she doesn't like him like that), which gave him the impression that Alina likes him back. Alina wanted help on how to reject him without being mean. 13 and already a heart breaker. I can only imagine what the future is going to be like. I told her there is no nice way to reject a guy so she should just do it. Alina is just growing up too fast! She's going to call me tomorrow to let me know how it goes and I look forward to it. I even told Rylee why Alina called me (while Alina was still on the phone) because I thought it was just too cute and funny to keep to myself. 

*I looked the kid up on Facebook (I'm not a creeper, just a protective older sister) awhile ago because he commented on of her statuses saying he need to talk to her. Alina wrote back asking what he wanted. He said it was really important and to give him her number. I asked her about it. She used her friends phone (because she didn't want him to have her number) only to find out the important thing was that he wanted to say hi. Ah...little kids are so cute sometimes.* 

Anyway, it's been a little stressful and frustrating having to do so much cleaning, but I love the satisfying feeling and being able to see all my hard work. Last night I even washed all my bedding (comforter included). I love sleeping in a clean bed and I love how it smells clean. I just love when things are clean. If only they could magically become that way without me having to sweat, get cut, and smell like Windex & 409. 

I'm A Little Teapot

(Isn't this just the cutest tea set?!?)

Not really. I finished cleaning the kitchen today. Finally! Part of the job required me to wash the different tea sets that Nana and Mimi have on display. I washed 15 teapots and all the cups, saucers, cream and sugar dishes that went with them. They have even more tea sets that are not on display. They have quite the collection and it was a lot to wash. It was fun though. I washed and Nana and Mimi took turns drying. It was fun to hear all the stories behind them and which distant relatives they came from (the one's they didn't buy themselves). It kind of made me want to buy a beautiful tea set, but I would be spending money [that I don't have] on something that would just sit there. It was a nice thought, but I'm not getting a tea set. At least not any time soon. Maybe when I have my own house I'll buy one and put it on display in my kitchen.

And The Great Purge Continues...

(A Louis Vuitton Trash Bag...How cool is that?!?)

So today I did some more cleaning in the kitchen. The job still isn't done, but it's getting there. Slowly, but getting there. Mimi and Nana are so funny when they argue and bicker about little things. Since we were purging the kitchen of unwanted items, they went back and forth a few times about whether we should keep or get rid of some things. They are so comical without even trying and they make the smallest things, like getting rid of a spice rack or a platter, really funny. I told them when I first came home from school that I missed their little bickering sessions. And I did.

As we were discovering lost treasures that haven't seen daylight in quite some time, I acquired a CROCK POT! It's Tanya's old one. We have a new one, but it hardly gets used. I'm so excited about the new addition to my slowly growing collection of items for my kitchen! Sunday dinners at school are going to be nice. I can just plop food in the pot and "fugetaboutit" as they say in New York.

Side Note: I'm watching The Bachelorette while writing this and they traveled to NYC this week. Hence the accent above. Is it just me or was there a plethora of horrible singing in this episode? I am not happy with the outcome for Jesse tonight. I think he deserved to stay at least one more week and that Kasey should have been in his place. I was glad to see Jonathan go home though. I never really liked him. Kasey has some problems, psychologically. I'm a psych major so you know I'm right. I am not pleased he's still around. I really hope he's the next one to go. This week I become fond of Chris L. and Kirk. After last week I wasn't sure if the chemistry Ali and Kirk had was real and wasn't just imagined (I think that's word I want to use) from their scene in the music video, but I like them together. He was sweet walking her back to her room and putting her to bed because she was sick. However, the previews for next week make it seem like he could be the one that has the secret girlfriend. I don't know. I should stop hypothesizing about what's going to happen based on the previews because they really don't show much and I really haven't been right. I hate being wrong. I want to see more of Chris N. He's still around, but not much has happened between him and Ali. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Back to the purge. It's really fun to get rid of things. It gives you this nice cleansing feeling. If only I didn't have a problem getting rid of my own stuff. I hope I continue to find more treasures in my own home.

Yay For Productivity

"Productivity is never and accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort." ~Paul J. Meyer

Today I cleaned half of the kitchen cabinets inside and out, with help from Mimi. She was more than happy to go through them and get rid of tupperware containers we don't use and other kitchen utensils that never see daylight. Lucky for me, I got to snag some to take back to school.

I also made dinner, poppy seed chicken. I had to have it done early because T.J. had a basketball game. It was good, as usual. I love it because it's so easy to make and it's delicious.

I also did the rest of my weekly chores. Today I was just a little busy bee with a lot of focused effort. Tomorrow is going to be the same story. I have to finish the rest of the cabinets (maybe I'll continue to go shopping in my own kitchen and find more things to snag) and vacuum. We have to get the upstairs ready for Tanya's surprise grad party/dinner for her best friend's daughter who's graduating from OSU.