The Beginning of Spring Cleaning

Well, it was time to pull out my spring cleaning list that I came up over the course on the winter. On the thought that we won’t be moving anymore, I wanted to come up with a list to check off every spring of things that ought to be done. (Can you tell I like lists?) I was so honored to have my neat freak sister (sorry Heidi…I know you wear that label proudly) requested a copy of my list so that she could develop one as well. Since work on this list began today, I thought I’d share it with you too. (Sorry, I know this is way more boring than pictures of my kids. But hey, the blog’s title is “Life on the Farm” and this is what we do!)

Gretchen’s Spring Cleaning List:

Wash all windows inside and out
Sweep ceilings
Vacuum/Mop under furniture
Wash carpets if necessary
Wipe down cupboards and vacuum above
–kitchen
–laundry room
–den
Oil kitchen cupboards
Defrost freezers and inventory
–kitchen freezer
–chest freezer
Clean rugs
Clean all light fixtures and fans
Empty all closets, wipe down and reorganize
–back entry closet
–front entry closet
–back hall closet
–upstairs hall closet
–upstairs bath closet
–downstairs bath cupboards
–boys’ room closet
–Silje’s room closet
–master’s room closet
Wipe down all crayon/fingerprints from walls
Reorganize and clean back hallway dresser
Clean/dry clean/mend/organize winter outdoor clothes for storage

Wheew! So I have my work cut out for me. Let’s just say it won’t all get done in a day. I’m hoping that most of it will get done before summer. I list all the different parts like closets and freezers, just so I can cross of things when they get done, as I get way too much joy from it. I know many of you are like “EEEwwww! You only do that once a year!” and others of you are going “Wow, I didn’t know you should do that every year. Hmmm.” I’m hoping the windows will get washed more than once, and some other things should get done more often. But hey, it doesn’t get done in my house if it’s not on a list.

So today to kick off cleaning, I cleaned out Silje’s closet. I never work in order on my lists. Usually, it starts in a room where the kids are happy and playing, and no one is sleeping in. Silje’s room presented more work than normal, I hope, this year, since during that move, things that were left for us were put on shelves in her closet. I should have muzzled Knut, as Lars was going through his room and asking “Hey, Knut, you want this?” and Knut kept saying “Sure, just leave it in Silje’s closet.” An entire side of her closet was taken up by boxes full of Knut’s childhood memoribilia, and alas,I think it needs to be stored somewhere else now.

So here’s her closet, all nice and clean:

I took out all her clothes that don’t fit anymore, and put away the 1000 plastic hangers that were crowding. (I really should have taken a before shot)

The boxes on top are my old dollhouse that my dad gave to Heidi and I when we were little, but it was never put together. Heidi saved up and bought a box of furniture as well. We collected wallpaper scraps and other decorations, and they are all there as well. Heidi said I could have it (Yeah!) And I hope one of these Christmas’ Silje will get an all put together dollhouse from her daddy.

Look, there was an empty shelf! We have room to grow!

And of course, plastic bags with her old clothes organized by size.

And for those who love to compare, if my sister would have done this closet, she would have organized the clothes by the colors of the rainbow, and put a typed inventory of what was inside each container. (I say this because we used to share a room…I know.)

And here is just a bit of the things that Knut and I will go through tonight that don’t belong in Silje’s closet. There is more than just this. There were some random twin sheets (that Linda left because they left their twin beds for us too) some old curtains that I don’t know which window they go to or if I like them. I haven’t looked at them all yet. In Knut’s boxes, I was just purusing the top, but found a model car that was unfinished, an old otter football shaped pillow, a cassette tape recording of the 1999 Hillcrest vs. Verndale playoff game (historic game really, for those who were there. That was the one played in the mud.) Old confirmation books, football pictures, leftover senior pictures, old high school folders, complete with notes. I actually think it will be fun going through this stuff with Knut and going down memory lane.

Sorry for such a boring post, but it makes spring cleaning more fun for me if I get to post it!