A Pair and a Spare (Day 7)

I hold onto stuff.  A lot.  My linen closet is a prime example.  Not only do I stuff it to the brim, but then Rosie the cat jumps in, knocks piles over, and now the door won't even close.

I've been reading a bit about minimalism recently, and learned that some people live with only 1 or 2 sets of sheets.  In a house with 2 cats, a dog, a sweaty husband, and a toddler, I'm not sure we could get by with a single set of sheets.  However, the "pair and a spare" theory sounds like it will work - 3 sets of sheets, one for the bed, one in the wash, and one as backup.  And since I don't really like the set that's on our bed right now, I chose our silver set (which we got for our wedding and has held up beautifully!), a dark blue set, and a light blue flannel set.

As for towels, I have a set from before we were married, the set we registered for when we got married, a random non-matching set that someone got us for the wedding, a set that matched our old bathroom, and a set that matches our current bathroom.  Whew.  Narrowed it down to the 4 towels that match our new bathroom, the 2 from the old bathroom (that can pass in the new one), and 2 extras.  And beach towels.  Eight still seems like a lot when you think about it, but my husband sometimes uses a new towel every day (a habit I've mostly broken him of, but sometimes he slacks).  Plus there's the inevitable towel mix up when I need a new midweek towel, and the random messes that require towel useage - I think 8 towels is a good place to be!

So here's the after:

Bottom shelf is guest room sheets and baby crib sheets (I kept 4 sets of those - that kid is a pooping barfing machine).  Second shelf is our three sets for the master bedroom, plus some extra pillow cases.  Third shelf up has hand towels, wash cloths, and kitchen towels.  Next up is the shelf of bath towels.  Yes, there's only one there.  It's laundry day.  Finally, the top shelf has beach towels and paper towels.  Whew!

And this is what is getting donated.  I'm waiting until my husband gets home...not because he's particularly attached to our linens, but because I don't want to freak him out when he comes home and we have less than half the sheets we used to have!

Day 6, I think...

I do believe this is the 6th day of my 40 bags challenge.  And, as I mentioned earlier, I have a sick kiddo who won't let me do anything.  So, like yesterday I had to set my sights lower (even though internally I want to go tackle the mess in the office).  

So with baby on my hip, I tackled one of the things I'm most ashamed of: the recycling situation.

I always save boxes, bottles, jars, etc. meaning to recycle them.  However, the recycle bin is downstairs in the garage, it's cold, I can't leave the baby alone, etc.  Couple this with my water bottle issue (I always think I'm going to re-use them, so I have them strewn everywhere), and I have all kinds of recycling scattered all about the house.

Since I'm also out of plastic bags, I grabbed a box and went to town.  Water bottles in the bedroom, boxes i the kitchen, empty shampoo bottles in the bathroom...and I filled an entire box!

To the recycling it went!

Yum yum, Spaghetti Squash!

I had so many plans for today...errands to run, projects to finish...but I still have a sick kiddo.  All he has is a cold, but at 13 months, he's already perfected the Man Cold.  He laid around all day moaning and wanting me to hold him, rub his back, and never ever do the one thing that might make him feel better (use the nasal aspirator). He also refused to eat much, threw milk at the dog, and followed me around whining "mamamamamama" no matter what I did.

So my plans were shot.  Since I couldn't go anywhere, however, it was a perfect day to make spaghetti squash!

Most of my recipes are fairly quick and easy, but this one is time (but not labor) intensive.  You kinda have to be home for at least 2.5 hours to make it happen.  So it's a bad idea if I'm working or out running errands, but perfect for a cold day stuck inside.  The good news?  Your labor only takes 5-10 minutes at the beginning, and about 20 minutes at the end.  The rest of the time you're just babysitting the oven.  So here's how it happens:

Let's pretend for a minute that I don't have the ugliest counters that ever existed.  And that I don't buy ginormous jugs of olive oil.  Don't judge me.  

Grab a spaghetti squash...they should be in your produce section of the grocery store by the butternut and acorn squash.  Squash is wonderful: cheap, filling, and healthy.  Butternut and acorn squash can both be used in mac and cheese and soup.  Spaghetti squash is the oblong yellow squash.  You can see the sticker on it up there.  It should be labeled.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cover a pan in foil.  I bend up the edges of my foil to catch drippings.  This isn't really necessary, but I hate doing dishes, and we have no dishwasher, so I cover pans in foil.

 Now it's time to cut the squash.  This is the most challenging part of the whole thing.  I use a long, skinny knife.  Shorter knives get stuck, while the cleaver-like knives are impossible to get through the skin.

To start, I insert the point of the knife in the squash (to cut it lengthwise), and push it all the way through.  You can see in the picture that the rind of the squash will crack (most of the time), which makes your life easier.  Wiggle the knife around until it comes loose.  Flip the squash over and do the same at the other end.  More cracking, more wiggling.

 Find the biggest crack on the squash and put your knife horizontally in that crack.  Press down.  The crack should lengthen.  You may have to repeat on the other side, but eventually the whole squash will crack in half.

 I promise

 Next, scoop out the seeds.  You can use a normal spoon, but I find an ice cream scoop works wonderfully.  If you have a pumpkin carving spoon somewhere, that would work well, too.  Pumpkins are squash, after all.

Pour a half tablespoon of olive oil in each half of the squash, then use your fingers to coat the squash halves.  You could use cooking spray for this, but I recently discovered that it will kill us all or something.  So I went out and bought a 3 liter bottle of EVOO.  

 Lay the squash face down on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Put it in the oven, set your timer for 45 minutes.
 
After 45 minutes, turn off your oven.  Leave the squash in the oven.  You can open it and check to see if the squash has gotten squishy (if you have a large squash it might need a few more minutes; you want it just a little squishy), but put it back in and close the door.

This is where my method differs from most I've seen.  Let me explain:  I had a heck of a time for awhile where my squash would either be burned and dry, or not cooked enough.  Even if I checked on it regularly, I'd miss that window of perfect squash-ness.  This method keeps the moisture/steam from the squash in, and gives gentle heat for that last little bit of cooking.  Added bonus: it will be cool enough to handle when it's done.

Leave the squash in the oven for 1 hour.  Oven off, squash in.  This is probably against every food safety guideline out there, but whatever.  It makes delicious squash.

Just out of the oven squash.  See the yummy roasted parts?

Next, use a fork to scrape from the stem end down.  The spaghetti strands will start to separate.  

 Toss with your favorite add-ons.  Tonight we had sauteed mushrooms, red onions, and italian sausage, topped with mozzarella cheese.  Yum.

Other favorites include pesto or marinara sauce (just make sure to go lightly, spaghetti squash gets soggy easily) with whatever veggies are available.

A great side dish:  toss the squash with parmesean cheese, some bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Yummy.

Traditional recipe format (because that's what people do):

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash (find one that's not the biggest or the smallest)
1 Tb olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line a pan with aluminum foil
Using a long, skinny knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise
Scoop out the inside seeds
Coat the inside of the squash with olive oil
Place, cut side down, on foil-lined pan
Bake for 45 minutes
Turn off oven, but do not remove squash
Let it cool, in warm oven, for 1 hour
Remove from oven
Starting at the stem end, scrape "spaghetti" out of squash
Mix with your favorite toppings and eat!

Next up: The "Office"

We currently live in a 3 bedroom apartment, and the third bedroom is what we call "the office."  In reality, it is a catch all for stuff that doesn't have a home, a hiding place for the cats, and home to a million books and papers.

I planned on today being the start of the hard part: cleaning the office.  And now I have a sore throat, a sick kiddo, and zero motivation.

Such is the beauty of the 40 bag challenge: all I need to do is fill one bag.  Not clean the whole office, not fix everything at once, just one bag.  Much less overwhelming than fixing the whole thing at once.

One bag can take 10 minutes.  I can find 10 minutes today even though I need to run errands, take care of Levi, and go to work.  So 10 minutes is what that office is getting...10 minutes, one bag.  I can do this.

Day 4 - Baby "stuff"

Honestly, I could probably purge about 40 bags just from Levi's room, closet, and the garage (where more of the stuff we're saving resides).

Deciding what to save and what to keep is difficult for me emotionally.  The original plan was to have 2 kids in close succession, and be done with it.  I figured 15-18 months apart would be perfect.  The sleepless nights would be like a bandaid - rip it off and get it over with.  I could take a 2ish year hiatus from my professional development, then jump back in.  My kids would grow up as best friends.  If I still had the urge to have more kids, I could adopt.

Then I got pregnant in May of 2010 and developed Hyperemesis.  As a result of this, I lost 12 pounds by the time I was 7 weeks pregnant, my thyroid went crazy, and I was more or less non-functioning for 4 months, and only semi-functioning for the next 3 months beyond that.  I got a wonderful 5 week reprieve where I felt great, then started non-productive labor at 35 weeks.  Contractions every 20 minutes for a month?  Awesome.  I'll go into all the crazy details about my pregnancy complications, labor, and delivery someday, but long story short, I could only function for 5 of the 40 weeks I was pregnant.  Add in an unexpected C-section and an almost 10 pound baby (amazing for someone who didn't gain weight until I was 28 weeks pregnant!), and my hopes of close together children were dashed.  We were financially and emotionally spent...

Getting rid of some baby stuff was easy - the things that represented those broken dreams.  Almost immediately after giving birth, I gave away all of my maternity clothes.  In my closet they were a daily reminder that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to handle another pregnancy.  We survived 5 weeks of breastfeeding, but I was heartbroken that it didn't work out.  So I sold the pump, another reminder that my body continually failed me.

But I have a hard time letting go of the things that represent HOPE.  Hope that there will be another baby someday.  Hope that we'll be in an emotional, financial, and physical place to make that happen.  For me, our stash of bottles is pretty much at the top of this list.  Who knows if breastfeeding will work out next time, or if our next child will be OK with the same brand as Levi.  Don't get me wrong, it's a relief to be off of the bottles, the washing, the boiling, but I wasn't ready to let go.

Until yesterday.  I listed them on Craigslist (along with a pack of diapers that gave Levi a rash).  I immediately got multiple responses.  As hard as it is to let go, I hope they can bless someone else.  As we talk about getting closer to God, I know that He will ask me to let go of things I'm attached to.  I'm working on being OK with that.

Day 3 - Baby Toys

Last November, I felt so bad for my little guy.  He didn't have many toys, and he was getting to the age and mobility where he needed toys.

Then Christmas happened.  And his birthday.  Holy cow!  The little guy now has more toys than any child could play with.  Blocks, drums, balls, trucks, books, stuffed animals...

Guess what he plays with?  The cabinet full of plastic cups.  My phone.  Dog toys.

Sigh.

I had such grand plans for a toy purge, but it turned into more of a toy organization project.  I can't shake the feeling that he NEEDS toys.  Truth be told, he plays with his drums and his hammer.

Anywho, last night I purged enough that all his toys fit into my ancient toybox and a set of shelves.  For the purposes of this activity, I didn't consider puzzles or books to be toys...they're in their own category.  But hey, my family room looks a lot better, and I have two Target bags full of toys to sell or donate.

There are more.  I swear.  But the kiddo keeps taking them out of the bag and hiding them...apparently I've passed on my Hoarder's gene.  

And right now he's playing with a sippy cup lid and the garbage can.

Day 2 of purging - baby clothes

I'm starting out easy.

Our old house had no closet in Levi's room, so I'm very very very good at getting rid of baby clothes.  I've also been fortunate that I have an awesome network of mommas, and we rotate clothes among ourselves.  So as soon as he's out of one size, I usually have a place for those clothes to go, and a new set of clothes coming in.

There are, however, stragglers.  That shirt that happened to be in the wash while I was packing things up.  Those socks that he stuck between the mattress and the wall (kid refuses to nap while wearing socks).  The clothes that came back to me, and I haven't decided yet what to do with them (AKA all the 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes!).
So I finally got on all that stuff.  Kept the gender neutral clothes for when  we decide to adopt, or I lose my mind and decide to attempt another pregnancy.  Sorted the rest into 3 categories:  small clothes for my friend whose due in April, donation clothes, and clothes that another friend wants back.  She's also getting her baby swing back.  Arranged meetings for the hand offs, made a craigslist posting for some of the stuff I found in the process (see tomorrow's post), and I'll head to the donation bin tonight.  Total time: 30 minutes with toddler assistance.  Granted, I was already pretty organized in this area, but it feels good.  When I go to get toys out of Levi's closet, I will no longer be bombarded by flurry of baby clothes!

For my BFF Craigslist

A word on the donation bin.  When we were moving, this was my best friend.  Random bins around town that accept clothes and shoes.  Some even accept books, small housewares, and more!  I've learned, however, that these bins move!  I had a trusty bin in the grocery store parking lot, perfect to drop clothes off on my way  to shop...then I pulled up one day and it was gone!  Another time, I made a mental note of a bin that accepts books, then I showed up the next morning with an entire set of encyclopedias from 1978 (found in the old basement), and it was also gone.  So I drove around for a week with those encyclopedias until another bin magically appeared in front of Home Depot.  They pop up and disappear overnight...

For the next 40 days...

Lent.
I spent my childhood and teenage years giving something up.  Pop.  TV.  The ill advised year I gave up fast food, not remembering that I'd be on the choir/band bus to Florida (I ate a lot of granola an Subway).

In college, I started adding something into my life.  I'm not Catholic, so I figure I can be flexible. Reading the Bible daily.  Exercise.  Getting up before 9am.  Packing a lunch.  Actually completing class readings.  You know, grown up things.

I had no idea what to do this year until I read this today: http://augustfields.blogspot.com/2011/03/40-bags-in-40-days-preparing-for-easter.html

It was perfect for two reasons.  1)  Lately I've been frustrated with our "stuff."  It's getting in the way of what I want for our lives: more time with Levi, less chaos, closeness to each other and to God.   2)  I've already started!  Tuesday night I took 2 giant bags of clothes to the charity bin.  So it doesn't matter that I missed Wednesday.

This is just the cardigan sweaters...

Last August,  we had a giant garage sale.  I got rid of almost half my clothes.  Somehow, I still had way too much...so I got rid of more.  Here's the "after" sweater picture.  

Five seems much more reasonable.  Yes, two are black.  One is short sleeved.

So I got rid of two bags of clothes and shoes.  I took pictures to remind myself what things looked like before, and that I will never really miss all those clothes I'll get rid of.  Fingers crossed.  

My goal tonight: figure out what to do with outgrown baby clothes!