Sunday Morning..

Unlike many who are probably scrambling to get their taxes done, I got ours done early and mailed it in already.  I have plenty on the agenda today though so that's a good thing! 

I already spent some time cleaning the living room floor. I damp sponged the laminate floor, then sprinkled some Arm & Hammer carpet cleaner on the area rug and vacuumed it up very slowly. There was a lot of dirt/soot in the canister which I know clogs it up some, so I emptied it 3 times.  Granted it was not full but there was a lot of it, considering it had just been swept on Monday by my ex-cleaning lady.

I also have a lot of work to tackle today but also need to plant the rest of the flowers I bought last weekend and if I can go get some started vegetables, get those in too.  Even though this summer is suppose to be hotter than normal, I can't help myself. I just love trying to grow my own!

Okay so I took just a few photos of my deep cleaning upstairs yesterday. I didn't take any photos of all that the vacuum picked up, but it filled my powder room waste basket and a half!  I did notice that there is a chance the cleaning lady didn't see that the back of the vacuum has a hose adjustment and a floor adjustment. When you use the hose for edge cleaning, you have to change to that setting.  So that may have been the case. However we were both home, so she could have asked us about the lack of suction. Or she could have come downstairs to get that vacuum cleaner (yes we have two). Instead she just skipped it.

Here was that BEFORE Picture

Here is the AFTER (also after vacuuming) . See how even the CARPET looks cleaner?

 Here is the bottom stair of the dog steps up to the bed after I cleaned it. The only way to really get these clean is to use a damp sponge. 

To give a better idea of the before and after, here is a side shot with only the bottom step done. Second step was not done yet.

So NOW I'm happy with how clean it is upstairs. Hate to sound cliche' but sometimes if you want to do something right, you got to do it yourself. 

I'll take some pics this afternoon of the back balcony to post either later or tomorrow.

Late...

Got back from my sisters fashion party. It was nice!  I worked for a bit too and now too tired to blog. Will post tomorrow as I also cleaned today for 3 hours doing what my inept cleaning lady couldnt'! :)

TGiF!

Guess what? Hubby cleaned the entire back balcony for me!  He even scrubbed the back wall and hosed it all down.  I forgot to take any before pictures because I was working when he was doing it. But I will take some nice after pictures and post them tomorrow.

Now it looks really nice and tomorrow I want to see about finding some veges to plant and also finish planting the flowers I got last week. I also have some work to do and also tomorrow evening I am going to a home party for some fashions that my sister invited me to. So it will be a full day tomorrow!  I may try to hit a few garage sales too. There are several in the area. 

They just showed on the news that there is a news story tonight about how push up bras are not good for you.  I have read some articles about how bras themselves are not good for you as they slow down the circulation and prevent toxins from being released from the breasts.  That is one reason why I rarely ever wear a bra, unless I'm going out somewhere and even then if I layer enough I don't even have to then.  Although I have to say I haven't worn a push up bra since my 20's.  They never fit very well anyway.

It is suppose to actually get into the 80's the next few days. Yippee!!

Saw the doc...

Finally saw the gyno today for an exam. I found a new one nearby and she was very nice, attentive and we got along great!  She gave me a sample of Estrace for dryness, but I am not sure I will try it. Although it is a cream, still has all those warnings about estrogen and cancer, etc.

I decided to research the Internet instead for any other alternatives. I found a few places where women have had success with olive oil or coconut oil.  So I think I will try using raw or pure coconut oil first.  My gyno told me that because I was thin the skin would be thinning out faster than a woman who was hefty.  Not that she wanted me to gain any weight.  She also gave me a card for a dermatologist near by that is also a woman as she noticed I had a red spot on my upper chest and I gladly took the card. That red spot has been there for a while and sometimes itches and just seems like a unhealing spot. So I better get it taken care of.

She gave me a script for my mammogram and then one for next year to get mammo and bone density. I told her I was planning on only have mammos every 2 years as I don't think yearly is necessary and I've read enough articles about getting too many of them and would rather not increase the chance if getting breast cancer.

She also wanted me to get my next pap in 2 years and I told her I want to do that every 3 years. I didn't point out to her that a large poster right on her wall in the office concerning cervical cancer, etc., had that older women who have had 3 clear paps in a row can go every 2-3 years. I opt for 3. I've never had one that wasn't clear (for 33 years). 

All in all it was okay but I'm glad to have gotten it over with. She asked me about my family doctor and last time went. I told her last time I went was for my pap 3 years ago. LOL.  I exercise, eat right and take my Omnitrition vitamins every day!  (Yes I am a rep for them. I absolutely love their liquid vitamins!!). The doc kept calling me skinny today which I loved!  I am thin but not skinny!

Okay off to relax for the evening...

Late hump day post

Last night the wind was whipping up some around 2:30AM, of course, perfect timing. So I was awake for  over an hour.  Then it started getting cold. It was the 70's last evening when we went to bed and by this morning it dropped to the 40's. Brrrr...

It took me a little while to even get to sleep last night, not sure why. So I purposely stayed up until Jay Leno (comes on in a few minutes) so that hopefully I can get to sleep quickly.  I hate turning from side to side, being comfortable for only a short time.  I feel pretty tired so hopefully will be a great sleep night. I know it will still be blanket weather tonight for sure. :)

On to tomorrow...my favorite day of the week!

Well that was a waste...not for the squemish about dirt!

Already fired our new house cleaner. This was only her second time here yesterday. First time she came she spent almost all her time downstairs. She spent most of her time yesterday upstairs specifically our bedroom but the floor hardly looked touched! There was so much dog hair (and a few bugs) everywhere, she just was not cutting it.  She blames it on our vacuum cleaner, but I always look at the source!  Yes you have to clean out the canister or it just won't provide great suction, but that is a given for anyone that uses one of those HEPA filter sort of vacuum cleaners (and I mentioned about dumping it often).  We have an upright cleaner with attachments and its worked well enough for us!  I should have known the first time she came when she said she didn't mop floors that I should have escorted her out the door right then and there!

Here are some of the pictures we took last evening after I started looking around at just how bad it was!

 This was what was there when I moved a light weight dog kennel to the side (the center mostly clean spot is where it sat!)

 This was behind a small (college size) fridge that we have in front of the fireplace.  Yes that dark thing below the cord is a BUG!

 Areas around a chair, with large clumps of fur

 Chair bottom

 This was gathering the stuff along the edge of the trim!  Yes I know it was bad but that is why I hired a cleaner. I work a ton and do not have time to clean that much.

Another pile of gathered dirt/dog hair and yes another dead bug!

Okay that's enough graphic icky pictures!  I'll be properly vacuuming the 2nd floor this weekend. Just what I wanted to do!

Balcony clean!

Well I did it!  I stopped work before 5:30PM, for me practically a record, and finished mopping and cleaning the balcony!

Let me refresh you with a before photo from yesterday and then some after photos

Before

After

And more after..

The green flowers in the hanging baskets are the Impatiens, just hard to tell as not flowering yet.

Still have the back balcony to go and also need to plant whatever veges we're going to have.