34 weeks of Clean! Week 6- The Dreaded Stove And Loose Ends

We should have called this "the week that almost did not happen!"  Seriously!

My friend, Cristi, from Through the Calm and Through the Storm reminded me of Kitchen Countertops!  I did that when we did the cabinets, but failed to mention it to you. SOOOOOOOOO, if you have not tackled that area yet, today is the day.  Clear them off, clean them up and see if you can keep them clear!  I challenge you to only put half back that you take off- it might seem stark at first but you will be surprised at how much neater it will look and how much more prep space you will have.  Out with the clutter, my friends!

And the loose ends- are you ready?




The Stove/Oven and Microwave, tops of cabinets and light fixtures.  Hang in there - I promise this is the end of this room!  The good news is that after this deep cleaning we should only need a light weekly maintenance to keep it sparkling.  At least that is my story and to keep you as friends I am sticking to it.

So our final push-

• Clear/clean off any countertop space you have!  Get rid of the piles you have sitting there, I KNOW I can't be the only one, and resolve to not let them creep back up on you by next week, or tomorrow!

• Microwave- Clean it!  This is a good job for teens, just saying! ;)

•  Stove/Oven- This is a good job for a maid, but since I cannot convince my hubby I need one, I guess I am the one tackling this one.  Yay for automatic oven cleaners, yuck for the burnt smell no matter what.  I admire you who can keep the bottom of your oven clean.  I am not one of those people (obviously). I have tried. I have failed.  Crack your door if you can to get rid of the smell!

Before- don't judge!

After!  Yay!

• Tops of cabinets.  While I do like the fun decorative space they provide, someday when I build my own house I am putting in cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. Until then, the dust must go!  Make sure you not only take all that decorative stuff off the tops and wash off the LAYERS of dust, (anyone else?), but then also take the time to vacuum the layer of dust off the cabinets.

• And last but not least, wipe off any light fixtures you may have in your kitchen, replace any burned out light bulbs, and check your fire extinguishers!  If you do not have one, small but handy ones can be purchased at your local Walmart or such.  Consider that your friendly public safely announcement. You are welcome.

Wow!  We are DONE!  Take a step back, admire your hard work and pat yourself on the back!  Imagine me cheering yay you!  You did it!  

Let me also take a second to encourage you to keep moving forward.  Several ladies who linked up last week reminded me that even small steps are good steps.  We all have busy lives.  Some weeks are crazier than others.  Some times we gets lots done, other times we should just celebrate that the children got fed and bathed, right?

Ok, Kemi over at Homemaking Organized has worked her magic AGAIN and made a really neat oven conversion chart for you.  Hop over to print out your FREE copy and make sure you thank her while you are there!

Who is ready to move on to greener pastures?!  ME!

Until then, let's see how you did with Recipes!  Several people have mentioned digital recipes- I am in awe! I do pin a bunch that I find, but to date I am not sure I have ever gone back and actually used one.  I just forget they are there.  How sad is that?  Also, one of our friends, Carol, who blogs over at Home Sweet Life mentioned sharing a recipe that we uncovered while organizing.  I love the idea so here is ours.

Until next week - Happy cleaning and many blessings,

Week 5- Recipes

Week 7- The Dining Room

An InLinkz Link-up

Blessings and Happy Cleaning,