Think a Cleaning Schedule Won't Work for You? This Will Change Your Mind (Free Download)

One of the things that Mr. C and I have struggled with is developing a routine that keeps the apartment in top shape. Last night, as I folded the last of seven loads of laundry (in fairness, we have a TINY washer and dryer) I realized that I needed to do something to intervene.

When Mr. C decided to go back to grad school, we discussed it and decided that I would step up and take on more of the housekeeping activities. Even before he started classes again, I cooked all of our meals, but now I'm supposedly in charge of making sure everything still looks nice. This is not to say he doesn't help clean, because props to those women who can keep a house looking sharp solo, but I am not one of them. He is definitely in charge of his bathroom and the den, but if I ask for help with the rest of the apartment kicks in.

The problem I've run into in trying to develop a routine is that our days vary quite a bit. I have evening meetings, we go out to dinner or drinks with friends, our parents are in town for a few days, it makes it difficult to find a consistent schedule. I scoured Pinterest looking for ideas. I found daily lists that required an hour day, I found breakdowns by room, breakdowns by task (i.e. vacuum, dusting, etc.) but nothing that really fit. Then, I stumbled across this gem:

"Cleaning Schedule Architecture, Building One that Works for You" by Of The Hearth

Isn't it pretty? AND it looks like a board game. AND it doesn't say that on Wednesdays we scrub toilets. Because sometimes on Wednesdays, I have a meeting and don't get home until 10:30 and don't WANT to scrub the toilet! I love the central, daily to do tasks, and the ability to move around the outside at your own speed. That means, those rare days when I get into a cleaning frenzy, I can work my way through the boxes. 

I adapted our tiles a little bit. As she says in her blog, the original creator really wanted to focus on the bathroom and the kitchen. I may readjust a bit after we've sort of settled into the schedule I worked up, but I roughly envision getting once around every week. Here's what I came up with:

Nothing too fancy or crazy, but I figured this way, Mr. C won't mind it hanging on the fridge. For now, I'm going to hang it with a couple small magnets, and move one like a little game piece around the square. 

I hope this helps you (and me!) get a grip on keeping things tidy. Do you have a system that really seems to work for you? Want to try the board game approach yourself? Click here to download the free blank template! And don't worry, I made it a nice pretty blue, just for you :)

From the Other Side

Photo courtesy of our friend Katie

Well, I am now officially a Mrs. We just returned from our honeymoon, and we are exhausted but very, very happy. I will try to go post some "recap" style posts for you, but I'm already kind of happy to be done with wedding things and moving on with real life. We got engaged in May of 2013, and I was told I was a very well organized bride, so there were lots of little details. I'm excited to get some free time back again to start doing other things.

Here's a couple of pieces I'm going to try to work on, to name a few:

• Writing a book
• Getting my ankle back in shape and then getting the rest of me there as well
• Recording and sharing my recipes
• Revisiting my museum focused blog, and reconnecting with the social media happenings in my field

100 Happy Days, Week 1

I have a couple of friends from college who are doing the #100HappyDays challenge, and posting their results to Facebook. It seemed like a good idea, and with so much stress happening in the buildup to the wedding, I thought focusing on the positive and happy couldn't hurt.

So, I've signed up for the #100HappyDays challenge. I'm now one week in, and though I'd post a compilation of this week's images here. 

Day 1, 5/24, T-99

Ah, The Moose. I could totally make this a 100DaysofMoose challenge if I wanted to. I don't, really, so I figured I'd get this one out of the way now. But gosh, isn't he so darn cute?

Day 2, 5/25, T-98
I try to avoid impulse clothing buys (hahahahha) so a couple of weeks ago when I tried this dress on at Kohl's, I was very proud of myself for walking away. But days passed, and I kept thinking about it. Wouldn't it be perfect for my July bridal shower? So, I went back and bought it, then brought it home, put it on, and twirled around. I can't WAIT until July when I get to wear it. 

Day 3, 5/27, T-98

This one was a pleasant surprise. We've got good friends Mr. C met through work. They are seriously the nicest people. They've got an adorable little house a little north of us, and they invited a bunch of us over for a bbq on Memorial Day. At one point in the evening, the husband was hanging out with Mr. C and another of our friends, and the wife and I were sitting on the porch. She ran upstairs and came down with a guitar, which I didn't realize she played, and we spent the rest of the evening sitting around and singing. Eventually the boys joined in, and by the end we were all belting songs from The Little Mermaid at the tops of our lungs. It was pretty awesome. 

Day 4, 5/27, T-97

Oooo, sparkle. It isn't really the sparkle itself that made me happy, although hard to ignore that. What really made me happy were two things connected with this photo. First is that I was there trying on the ring with Lady A. Mr. C and I had gone the week before (see previous posts), and I knew that, for myself, I'd need to go back and try some things on. Lady A came with, and was the perfect person to have with me. She knew our budget, made sure I didn't get talked into anything, and was able to articulate exactly what I was thinking. She's seriously awesome, you guys. The other part that made me happy is what my wedding band will stand for. It is the physical symbol that Mr. C and I are going to be a team. We're going to be right next to each other, supporting each other, encouraging each other, for the rest of our lives. And if that doesn't make you happy, I don't know what does. 

Day 5, 5/28, T-96

On Day 4, I didn't take a photo. I know, I know, awful right? I guess I'll have to take two somewhere along the line. I realized the problem of primarily using Instagram to document this challenge. What made me happy on May 28th was reading some of the inspirational words of Doctor Maya Angelou, who passed away that morning. She was someone who I have always admired, and her words have offered me guidance. When I was first thinking of going into the museum field, a good friend of mine sent me this quote. "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need to be lived again." I've tried to carry this with me throughout my career, to face those sometimes difficult topics that are so vital for us to preserve and keep in the public consciousness. 

Day 6, 5/29, T-95

Last week, Mr. C went down to NYC to pick out his suit and spend some time with some friends. While he was there, they got tickets to go to the barely week old 9/11 Memorial Museum. Being a museum curator, I told him he had to take a lot of pictures and copious notes for discussion after he got home. Well, he didn't take the pictures, but he did pay attention to a lot of little details that he shared with me. Then, on the evening of Day 6, I was sitting in my car after coming back from the gym while the digital creators for the exhibit were giving an interview. It was a great feeling being able to listen to their discussion, knowing that as soon as I got into the apartment, Mr. C and I could talk about it at length. 

Day 7, 5/30, T-94 

Watching the rain clouds come in. Today, the weather was very off and on. In fact, I sent my poor interns out to plant part of the garden after looking at the weather online, and we though we'd have a couple of clear hours. Within three minutes, a front passed through, and they both got soaked! I was running errands later, and as I was heading back to work I saw this great cloud. I miss really being able to watch weather move here in NY, but this was a gorgeous rain cloud coming down the valley. 

The Noms

Oh, the noms. I already detailed, at length, the delicious desserts that we'll be offering at the wedding. But the food itself is going to be DELICIOUS.

I know this for a fact, because when Mr. C and I were back in Iowa for Christmas, we and my parents were able to do a tasting. Our caterer is included in our venue, and we really could customize whatever we wanted. They offered us suggestions based on our preferences and guest list, and we tweaked from there. Here's what we're having:

Via Catering DSM. I was too busy eating to take photos myself. 

Cocktail Hour:
Cheese & Fresh Fruit Display with Crackers & Breads, Hummus, & Hot Cheesy Artichoke Dip*
Prime Rib Slider with Boursin Cheese & Pickled Red Onion
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
5 Spice Chicken Wonton Cup with Sweet Chili Slaw (Passed)
Fresh tomato, smoked mozzarella, basil and garlic oil on a crostini

Dinner:
Seared NY Strip** with a Honey Peppercorn Sauce served with Herbed Potato Gratin & Roasted Asparagus
Frenched Breast Chicken*** with Boursin Cream Sauce served with White Cheddar Potato Puree & Seasonal Vegetables
Roasted Salmon with Beurre Blanc Sauce with White Cheddar Potato Puree & Seasonal Vegetables
Free Form Vegetable Lasagna with Asiago Cream Sauce & Arabbiatta Sauce

Seriously, I am so excited. Mr. C has already decided on the steak. And honestly, I'm torn between the steak and the lasagna. I know, right, lasagna? But seriously, it was delicious. During the tasting, they brought each of us a full serving of each entree, but luckily they let us take a lot of it home in boxes. The lasagna was the first one to go!

*When we tasted the artichoke dip, it was good, but was not cheesy enough. Previously, our caterer had called it Artichoke Dip. Note that it is now Cheesy Artichoke Dip. And yes, I realize there are a LOT of dishes with cheese in them, but hey, I'm a Midwest girl.

**They will be cooking all of the steaks to medium. People are welcome to send them back to cook them more, but they said having people request prior just leads to more confusion.

***Ah, the Frenched Breast Chicken. The caterers actually call it Airline Chicken, which simply means that it is a breast with a wing attached. But how awful does Airline Chicken sound? Frenched breast is another term for the same thing, so we're definitely callling it that.

Putting a ring on it

Nothing purchased yet, but Lady A and I went and tried on bands tonight after the frustration of last week's non-fitting band fiasco. According to our jeweler, the full custom matching ring with baguette side stones and a horseshoe of diamonds would cost over $1,400. OUCH.

So, instead, I looked at options for straight across bands. At first, I was going for super skinny ones, but look at what we found!

Kabling!

The band itself was too small to fit past my knuckle, but I think it looks great. And turns out, once I was actually able to try some rings on, I really didn't mind the gap as much as I thought I would. Now let's just see if Mr. C is okay with it being about $100 over budget.....

Mirror Mirror

So, confession time. I try very hard to not be too "trendy". There is nothing wrong with chalkboards, mason jars, or striped straws, but they are just not for me. However, there is one trend I seem unable to avoid - mercury glass.

Oh, how I love it. It is elegant and pretty and can be formal or casual and is so gosh darn beautiful. Vases, jars, candleholders, you name it, I want it. But, even I know that moderation is necessary. So rather than cover every available surface in mercury glass (as much as I'd like to), I'm limiting myself to signage.

I put my dad's sisters on the task of finding old glass or mirrors.

Oh, and just for fun. Here's a list of other "trendy" things that I would love to do, but have said no to for various reasons (mostly cost and/or Mr. C's dislike of them)

• Watercolor everything. Paper, dresses, table linens. I love it. If we redid the wedding in a more outdoor setting, I would go full-on watercolor for everything I could. 
• Trees/birds. When we were first moving in together and working on selecting decor for the apartment, we quickly realized that if something was had birds and/or branches on it, I was going to love it. Especially if it was teal. While I am finding a way to sneak some branches in (you'll seeeeeeee!!) I did try to restrain myself. 
• "Vintage". I have a hard time with this term, because it can really mean anything. Old looking, quirky, distressed, there are so many things that fit into the category. Other than my mercury glass, we're avoiding this. Mr. C's taste is much more elegant, so things looking ramshackle is not his favorite. 

What about you? Any trends you're incorporating? Which ones are you leaving out?

Mind the Gap

I love my engagement ring. We searched long and hard to find the perfect setting, and Mr. C found a gorgeous center stone and it is absolutely perfect.

The problem, then, is that I never really considered what our wedding band would look like. It certainly did not even enter my mind when I was choosing an e-ring setting. I guess this is why I am terrible at chess.

Last night was Mr. C and I's one year "engageversarry". We've been meaning to go look at wedding bands for awhile, and felt like this was a good excuse. So, we went down to our jeweler's new shop (no more mall!) and took a look at what they had.

Within 15 minutes, Mr. C had picked out the ring he wanted. He walked in saying "white gold, dad ring." Aka, very simple. He ended up picking out one that was a little fancier than I'd expected him to, but it looks great. White gold, brushed in the middle, shiny on the rim on each edge. This isn't the exact ring, but it is pretty close in looks:

via Zales

For me, it was a little harder. In fact, we didn't make a decision, and I feel kind of awful. What I didn't realize when I picked my band was that, because I wanted a low profile and Mr. C gave me this beautiful, not minuscule diamond, the only way to have a flush wedding band is to custom order. Which, as you can imagine, is not cheap.

Without doing a custom order, my only options are to have a gap between my engagement ring and my wedding band. For illustration purposes, here's an image found on a Weddingbee post all about the dreaded (or not so dreaded, for some) gap.

via Mrs. Major on Weddingbee

 Her engagement ring is very, very similar to my own, except my baguettes don't taper out. There are some women who love the gap, and intentionally pick rings where it is highlighted. For me, I really am not thrilled with the idea. But, I think budget wise, it is something I'm going to have to get used to. I'm going to head back to the jewelry shop tonight or tomorrow to look some more, as I know it isn't something I'm going to be able to stop thinking about until I do some more trying on.

What do you think, gap, or no gap?