Task #7: Great Room

The job today covered much more space than usual but is simpler because it is our "minimal" area of the house. It is the first room people see when they walk into the house. The kids clean it twice weekly and I try to vacuum down there every other day.

My goal for it is: uncluttered, simple, spacious, shining. Needless to say it does not live up to that vision very regularly, but that's what I was aiming for this morning -- getting everything possible off the surfaces.

Preparation -- the day before

• Brendan brought the big box of printer paper upstairs
• I brought an old 3D Notre Dame Cathedral puzzle upstairs

Now, for BEFORE (this morning -- son doing his schoolwork in the foreground)




What I did (it's not going to really show up in the picture too much, but take my word for it -- it was a 2-hour task counting helping sons with math and grammar in the process).

• Broke down the boxes we use for firestarters over by the fireplace, in order to consolidate them into a smaller tidier space
• Collected miscellaneous books that were lying around and put them in a pile to reshelve upstairs
• Collected various toys, ditto
• Collected various blankets, ditto
• Swept carefully around the hearth
• Polished the newly cleared wooden surfaces
• Wiped and scrubbed the windowsills and benches.
• Cleaned and swept under the couch
• Changed, cleaned and refilled the barometer water.

After





Conclusion, Continuation

Still to DO, either today or next time around:

• Take the cardboard and newspapers out to the garage or basement (I am not doing that yet because it is perfectly possible it will still get cold enough to need our wood stove)
• Move the ugly taped-up light you see at the bottom of the barometer picture
• Oh, and that SPIDER WEB -- I didn't see it when I was dusting over there.
• Vacuum the floor
• Vacuum under the seat cushions (it doesn't get too bad because of the covers I keep over the sofas but still, needs to be done every now and then.
• Bring up the kids' schoolbooks -- they are in a box on the "hutch". That will be for the next pass through because right now we are still three weeks away from the end of the last term for our year.
• Straighten basket next to foyer ( a catchall for library books, keys, and whatever else)

Task #9:

The north side of the kitchen ... yes, this endeavour will have to be broken down.