WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY MOM MINUTES, NEW FOLLOWERS AND MORE!!

It has been quite a week so far! A group of men from our church (hubby and teen son included) worked really hard Monday evening and all day yesterday (Tuesday) tearing off and replacing the roof at my BIL and SILs house. It looks incredible! I so wish I had some before/after pictures.

My BIL is going through treatment for brain cancer right now, and this was something that our church wanted to do to help them out. I helped with setting up for the snacks and meals. It was a lot of work, but there is something to that old saying, "Many hands make light work," because everything went very smoothly. God surely was looking down upon us with favor, because the men finished that roof , everything was done and cleaned up, and less than 2 hr. later, it started raining. I don't mean a light, cute-little-sprinkle; it was a DOWNPOUR!! The good new is, my nephew reported that there wasn't a leak to be found in the house!! YAY!!
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I was excited (and by now, most of my regular readers know I get VERY EXCITED by alot of things..LOL), but upon checking my blog this morning, I saw that I have THREE New Followers!! And you know what that means! A Big Woo-Hoo Shout Out to:

• Debbie over at Suburb Sanity: Her blog title says, "Laughing and Still Going Insane;" definitely my type of gal!
  
  
• Lin over at Duck and Wheel With String: You just HAVE to go check her blog and see who is under HOUSE ARREST!! :)
  
  
• Margaret Cloud over at Old Digger - She has an awesome post labeled "Old Barn;" it is wonderful!! A definite must-read!!

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Now, the moment that you all have been waiting for (especially Helene, Mom's Biggest Fan) :)

MOM MINUTES BY EARLENE

"Recently, I have talked about organization of cleaning supplies and first aid kits, and now I am going to talk about something that we all dread, but it is necessary: organization and cleaning of the refrigerator!! You know what I mean when I talk about dreading it; there are always those items that get shoved way to the back and are now showing more colors than the fireworks at the 4th of July! What is a person to do, and how does a person start to organize? Well, that is what I am about to tell you!! :)

• The first thing to do is to remove the existing items out of the refrig.
  
  
• Throw away any old or expired food into the trash
  
  
• Place the food items that are "keepers" to a cooler with ice to keep it safe and cold while you clean the remainder of the refrigerator.
  
  
• Turn off the refrig/freezer so that it doesn't run while you are cleaning it.
  
  
• Take out all removable drawers and shelves and set them aside. Drawers and shelves that are made of metal or plastic can be washed with hot water and dish soap right away; glass and ceramic pieces need to warm up to room temperature before being washed with hot water to prevent cracking and breaking.
  
  
• Wipe down the inside of the refrigerator using a cloth with hot water and a mild detergent like dish soap. Work from top to bottom to prevent dripping on surfaces that are already clean. Stuck on spills may need a little scrubbing (I like to use those Mr. Clean® Magic Cleaning Erasers) . Another option would be to lay a warm, wet cloth over the spilled area for a few minutes. The spilled area will be easier to wipe away. Rinse cloths thoroughly and/or use multiple cloths to insure cleanliness. Pay special attention to the bottom crevices (I have found that an old toothbrush works wonders in those tight spaces) and back of the refrigerator where spills tend to go unnoticed. Finally wipe down the interior doors.
  
  
• Using a clean dry cloth or paper towels, wipe down the interior of the refrigerator to make sure it is completely dry. Don't forget to dry the interior doors as well.
  
  
• Put the food back into the refrigerator. Now is also a good time to wipe off any jars or containers of food that may need it. This is where the organizational part comes in: don't put the items back in haphazardly; think about what you use the most and what is used only occasionally.
  
  
• Put the items that are most used in an easy-to-locate area; for some, that might be the side door, for others, that might be the top shelf. Ketcup, for example, is very popular. Don't just put it into the very back of the refrig. When someone wants it, they'll have to dig around for it and that make for the door being open longer than necessary.
  
  
• SUPPLIES NEEDED ARE: Cleaning cloths, bucket of hot water, dish soap, paper towels, old toothbrush (optional), trash bags (for old food items), and elbow grease....lot of it! :)
  
  

There you have it!! I usually do the refrigerator but not always the freezer. As long as the freezer door stays shut, I don't have a problem with anything thawing. However, next week's tip will focus on freezer cleaning. So, clean out your frig, get it all nice and spotless, and next week, we'll tackle the freezer. Until next week, keep smiling!" :)

Thanks to Earlene for the above tip; unfortunately, since she IS my Mom, I feel that I now have to get my own frig clean. It is looking mighty sad.....but, since Mom broke it down into easy steps, I have no more excuses!! HA!!

I hope you all have a great day! It is raining here, today, but that's okay. My garden is loving it! :)