P is for pep and peppermint and pulling-off-the-blinders

These dry, breezy, cool sunny/cloudy days that scream "spring" and "fall" in the mid-Atlantic region always, always, reset my system to GO.  Today I wondered...where in the world is it like this year-round?

So, what did I do with all my pep?  This manatee on a mission put a dent into her decluttering/cleaning.  I decided to go low tech in my rodent repelling and picked up some peppermint essential oil and cotton balls instead of the sonic gadget.

I bought this new-to-me cleaning product last weekend when the mysterious dust made its debut into my consciousness.  It's been on my list of things I'd like to do, for ages, to make some cleaning solution with vinegar.  I've been very happy with it so far.

The "after" shot of under the kitchen sink.  There is no way I would subject you to a "before" shot of this former disaster area.  It's kind of crazy how things can get as bad as they do.  But, I am a very concretely "out of sight, out of mind" person.  

In a positive way, this has allowed me to maintain very emotionally close friendships with friends who I have little to no contact with (visual or otherwise) for not only months, but years.  The key is that I never stop caring, and I am quite comfortable with the "not thinking about" (it just is, there is no baggage).

The pockets of clutter in our household represent the negative way in which "out of sight..." manifests.  There is something bordering on (seemingly) pathological going on because these pockets don't always exist behind closed doors.  Sometimes, they are in plain sight, yet my brain stops "seeing" the clutter.

By the way, there were some droppings under the sink.  Those cotton balls you can see are infused with peppermint oil.  Peppermint oil is considered a mouse deterrent.

I cleaned out the area next to my side of the bed.  I'd cleared it out about seven or eight months ago, but it quickly filled back up with "things to donate/find other homes for".  So, for about six months or so, this area was cluttered with, as it turns out, three garbage bags worth of stuff that literally just sat there, seen yet unseen.  

That framed poster was given to me about a year ago, a thoughtful hand-me-down from someone who was decluttering herself.  (She'd noticed I had a postcard of the same print.)  For a year it has been propped up against one wall or another.  I've reached out to my brother-in-law, who is handy, to see if he can help me put it up.

After cleaning up from dinner, I kept going and decluttered the counter top and washed down the stove.  (The stove top needs more work...and product.)  I was nonplussed to turn from the counter top and see this heinous pile of mess tucked in the corner right next to it.  Another no man's land that is in plain sight, yet gets seriously overlooked.

One step at a time.

That's the linen closet.  Usually, the laundry basket is in there overflowing with dirty laundry.  That is just classic...and sad.  I'm thinking I'm going to tackle this spot tomorrow.

Believe it or not, the day was not all about cleaning.  We also played Carcassonne, went to the library and did laundry.  The kids introduced a friend to their Minecraft server and gave him a tour, all virtual-like.  The kids wrote cards and watched a movie they borrowed from the library.  They did homework.

I have a new book from the library and am dying to get to it.  But, there is also laundry that needs folding.

Peace and love.