The house is nearly silent.  Well, it was till my youngest daughter walked in the door and the dog felt the need to run and see who was in “her” home.

I realized earlier today that I was having a great day and that was surprising.  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting to have a bad day.  But I had a massive list of things to do around the house that I needed to make a good-sized dent in and I wasn’t sure how successful I’d be!  That kind of day usually ends with me being disappointed in how little I got done, how easily I got distracted and feeling just generally wiped out.

I finished up a couple more freezer meals (one yet to put together), did some cleaning, did some purging of “stuff” (more on this later), took care of some organizational things, chatted about an “upcycling” idea with hubby that I’m pretty stoked about.  In general, I got ALOT done today.  Started the day with a to do list that I knew was too long for one day but I’m pleased at how much has been crossed off!

Hubby stepped in and helped with some of the tasks, daughter number 2 stepped in and offered to help with dinner prep (fresh veggies to be peeled and cut) and I didn’t ever battle “foggy brain” which always happens on these days when I have lots to get done!  What is foggy brain?  Well, it’s this weird issue I have with staying on track during those days when I want to get lots done in the house.  I start off well, but then I get a room cleaned or a major project done and my brain can’t quite figure out where to go next.  I usually end up doing random jobs here and there that don’t really allow me to make any progress in any room.  That didn’t happen today!

I have to give hubby some of the credit because his willingness to step in and work right along side me was definitely motivation to keep going!  And kids who were quick to respond when I asked for help – or who even volunteered to help! – was an extra push.

I said I purged some stuff today.  The nice thing is, I’m not done yet!

For as long as I can remember, Fall has felt like a time to “start over”.  The kind of cleaning most people do in the Spring?  I start tackling late summer and into the fall.  And this time around I have been consumed with a desire to clean out stuff!  Just a couple of weeks ago I filled several trash bags with clothes to donate.  Today it was cookbooks.  I had more than any one person – who is not a professional chef! – should need.  The sad thing was, I was holding on to some of them for one or two recipes. So I pulled the entire collection out of my cupboard.  There are one or two I’m keeping for sentimental reasons.  My youngest daughter and her classmates compiled a book of favorite recipes in 2nd grade.  That one stays.  I inherited a cookbook with popular recipes from the camp I grew up going to.  Not giving that up!

Several years ago, I put together a “Heritage Cookbook” as a Christmas gift for my sisters and mom. A few years later, my baby sister updated the book with some new recipes and a few brand new categories of recipes.  Many of the recipes from my cookbooks have made the jump to the heritage cookbook which made it easy to make the decision to get rid of some.  Others were in magazine form (I love Taste of Home!) so it was easy to tear pages out.

But what do I do with the loose sheets that I have containing recipes?!  How do I keep track of what I’ve done/haven’t done/want to do for a special occasion?!  Slowly but surely, I”m starting to type them all into my online recipe box on Cozi.  (BTW – for my Pinterest friends, I discovered that I can simply copy the link to a recipe website and put that in the virtual recipe box! Hmmm.  Maybe I can purge some of Pinterest boards?  Am I getting too carried away?) I have also set up a spreadsheet that lists the recipe, if it’s online, a loose sheet of paper, or in the heritage cookbook  and whether or not I’ve ever made it.  I have different tabs for different “food categories” (entrees, side dishes, etc.).

I’ve also started making notes (on that same spread sheet) for recipes I intend to try during the upcoming Holiday season.  Not only do I have to consider Thanksgiving and Christmas – especially since we don’t know if we’re travelling for either of them yet! – I also need to plan food for the Open House that hubby and I throw for the church each December.  I haven’t even gotten close to finishing the project yet but I already feel like the system makes sense and will make my life as a menu planner and grocery list maker so much easier!  Here’s hoping!