Updating Instagram

I spent some time updating my Instagram, @tara.teasvg, this evening. Instagram is still pretty new to me, I only have 30-some posts on my business account and I really started using it this past year, although I’ve probably had the account for longer. So, I’m still figuring some things out, but I kept seeing these cool little icons on people’s profiles which brought up their story highlights. I love the way it looks, so I wanted it, too. Here’s what I came up with, it’s a little easier to read on mobile, but please comment if you like it and feel free to follow me on the IGs. 😊

Cleaning: Shampooed the Carpet

Shampooing the carpet is so satisfying. Almost as satisfying as pressure washing, but not quite. The pictures don’t do it justice; I wish I had daylight photos, but I do everything in the middle of the night, so it is what it is. The next best part besides it looking clean is that it actually feels softer and the whole house smells fresher for a while after.

Dirty water picture included… 🤢 It’s gross, but even worse… Most of that is from the second pass after is already emptied it once. 😮 Glad it’s gone! Is there a robot for this yet?

✨Robot Vacuum Magic✨

I bought a robot vacuum months ago and I finally got around to setting up last week. Spoiler alert: there really wasn’t much set up needed. I got it out of the box, plugged in the base, let it charge, and connected it to the proprietary app. Then I set it up on my Google Home because I am addicted to voice activating things.

At first I was feeling like it was a waste of money… my floor is generally always covered in toddler toys due to the rampaging two-and-a-half-year-old who also lives here. As soon as I pick up after her, she’s pulling things back out, and I had learned to live in this stasis of clutter… but it’s the cat hair that bothers me. We also have a Maine Coon roommate. He’s very handsome, but he leaves clods of fur everywhere. Cleaning up toys, as they’re being pulled back out right behind me, then dragging the vacuum out and vacuuming the carpet for 10-15 minutes was becoming a dreaded, but necessary task.

This is where the robot vacuum had an unexpected side effect, I learned. If I began to pick up while telling Google to start up the vacuum, the toddler would quickly hop up on the couch to avoid “the circle,” as she calls it. That means no more toys being pulled out as I worked on picking them up before the vacuum got to them! Then, the best part is that I could sit down after clearing up the clutter and enjoy the floor being vacuumed without having to lift another finger. Also, not going to lie, racing myself against the robot to get toys picked up is kind of fun. The kind of fun I hope to introduce to my growing toddler some magical day… Ahh, “the circle” of life.

Refrigerator Cleaning – Complete!

Alright, so, cleaning the fridge was supposed to be Day 1. I didn’t get started until Day 3, though, so I’m circling back… no big deal! This was super gross and I’m glad it’s done. I have a sort of phobia of old food particles and unknown liquid scum.

I removed every shelf, every drawer, the glass in the drawer holder… which was a huge pain, but worth it.

Gross crumbs!

All clean!

Even Andrew noticed that it was clean, so that’s a pretty big difference!

Gardening – it counts as cleaning!

I have not done the greatest job at sticking to the calendar script, I admit it. But, when the weather here is under 80 degrees, I feel the need to take advantage of that and get outside. So, we’ve been outside for the past 3 days, which has been excellent and excruciating (my entire body hurts). This is only the beginning, but we tore out a ton of overgrown weeds in our front garden area. There’s still a lot more to go and eventually we’re going to have to do something about the decrepit tree and planting something pretty in there, but it’s a start.

Birds of Paradise
My Favorite Helper

Cleaning Pause – Hey, it’s an art post!

One of the many things I wish to be better at is watercolor. I love how the color bunches up at the edges. I like the ethereal softness of it. I painted this cool emerald. It’s not as wobbly looking in real life, just bad photography.

I keep picking it up to decide whether or not I like it. I asked Andrew, and he said it’s really good. I don’t think it’s very good, but I decided I like it anyway. 🤔

What do you think? Feedback is appreciated!

Closet Done – Still Catching Up!

This took me 3 days, and the closet is done, but the junk that needs to find a new home is not. I was surprised to learn that most of the space that was being used in my bedroom closet was filled with boxes that were either empty, nearly empty, or filled with trash. It feels really good to have some empty space and minimal clutter.

Some interesting finds:
• A tiny copper ring with the initials AG engraved on it. Andrew believes it was his grandfather’s ring, but is going to confirm with his mom.
• All our leftover wedding stuff like tiny bottles of bubbles (this is going to come in handy with Kate), our champagne glasses, guest book, cake topper and cake knife.
• My old winter garments from Massachusetts including a few hats, some gloves and mittens, a couple scarves. (These are not likely to come in handy any time soon; the daily high temperature is over 80 already here in Central Florida.)

30 Day Cleaning Challenge

Technically today is now Day 3, but my dear friend Alex challenged me to join her in this spring cleaning mayhem. At first I was resistant, but then she showed me this calendar. It’s like a list, it’s kryptonite, I must complete this. So I’m going to have to hurry up and catch up, and she also requested before and after pictures. Not going to lie – some of these will be embarrassing. Maybe I’ll learn my lesson about being a messy person… one of these days.