Whew – we worked hard all morning!! The house is spotless; the yard looks great again. The grass was REALLY long from all the rain and the 2 weeks that we let go by, so I took me forever to mow. I had to keep lifting up the mower to keep it from clogging and shutting off. I now have blisters on my hands 
It took me over an hour to mow both the front and back yards. I really like mowing a lot because it’s an excuse to "play" in the yard. I would never go out there and just run around or roll in the grass, but I always wish we used the yard more. We need a dog, or a kid, I suppose!
Meanwhile, the husband was busy removing the giant flower stalks from the garden so now we can see the yard again!
From the upstairs window:
We also cleaned all the floors in the house…I figured out the perfect combo: Distilled vinegar + water to clean the floors, but that leaves them very dull, so I go back over with OrangeGlo to polish them. They are sparkling!
And washed and folded all the sheets and towels and cleaned the bathrooms. And organized the dish cabinets in the dining room!
Lunch came around….3:00 !!! I got a little hungry around 1pm but hunger went away mid-mow and I wasn’t really that hungry at 3 for lunch. But I knew I needed some fuel, and by the time I sat down I was ready.
I defrosted a Ezekiel English muffin and spread it with my fantastic mystery dip/spread . Yum!
Plus a few crackers -
And a bowl of honey Chobani (which I decided I don’t like because the honey makes it too runny) topped with 1/2 a peach (shared with the hub), some raspberries and Kashi U cereal .
TEAM KERF Update
Thanks so much to Anne P . and Bev for the donations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’re up to $1,167 for this great cause!
I am off to run some errands around town now. So happy I can come home to a clean house!!
OH yeah, and my Foodservice professor just emailed us the breakdown of the prerequisite exam scores – I did well!!! The highest grade was an 88, and I got an 87 8) That means I missed 13/100. I’m curious to see what they were – that test was H.A.R.D.!
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
really vinegar to clean hard wood floors? I would think that would make it reek like vinegar! Maybe the polish covers the smell!
I just love a freshly cleaned house, enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!
ModelBehavior ,
It’s only a small amount of vinegar in the water. Just to change the pH a bit. You can’t really smell it.
K
Congrats on the exam!
I suggest getting a dog! I live in NYC so we got a small one– a pug. She is sweet and makes the best expressions. We call her Shirley because we both dig the band Garbage and just because it fits!
I just wanted to say thank you for the bookbyte.com link. I just made $134 on old textbooks!!!! I’m very very excited about that! lol…
I would highly suggest a dog! I have one and she is just the love of my life. She is 6 now and i can not imagine life without her…
So sorry about the blisters
But hey, they’re worth it after all that hard work you accomplished today!! 
That mystery spread looks quite intriguing…
Congratulations on the well-deserved/fantastic grade on your exam!! Whoo hoo!!
YES, GET A DOG!!!! I sorely miss mine (just lost her this past June, as you may remember), and she was a blessing.
Bona Swedish floor cleaner plus bona mop is awesome on hardwoods
I’d suggest getting a dog, too. Not as high maintenance as a kid.
Congrats on your high exam grade!
And nice job finishing all the chores!
Congrats on the test!
I’m curious about the mystery spread to.
Get a dog for sure!
Congrats on making a nice grade on your exam.
And that mystery spread looks yummy!
Where did you get your dining room table and chairs? It looks like what I am looking for. Thanks.
just picked up the new Shape magazine… YOU LOOK AMAZING!!! congrats! this is soooo awesome, you are such an inspiration !
Congrats on your exam!!! We love spending time outside on our deck. We eat out there a lot and just go out and have drinks. I’m trying to find our badminton set because I am jonesing to play! LOL Perhaps something like that or croquet will get you guys out there more.
kath,
neat carving in your dining room! i believe that’s a west african statue of a woman pounding yam/manioc (i wrote my haiku about it!)
hehe love the Beatles reference!
your house and yard look fannnnntastic. it’s so satisfying to be productive and shiny and clean
and you totally have me craving fruit and yogurt and cereal. well, i usually always crave that, but this post definitely enhanced my craving.
great job on the 87!! bah hard graders
the spread on the english muffin looks like the icing for the carrot cake oatmeal!
The yard/house look great; wanna come over and clean mine next?! ha ha j/k. I would try finding some gardening or outdoor work gloves that you can wear when you’re mowing, that should prevent future blisters
A kid huh… are you guys trying to hint at something?
That dip/spread has got me intrigued.. I’m excited for all this mystery madness to be over!
Just wanted to say I read your article in Shape and it was great! You have some serious arm muscles, too.
Kath, i LOVE how neat and organized you are! I just thought I’d let you know. It’s so much easier when things are organized and you do a VERY good job. This is probably the second biggest reason of why I love your blog so much…first is ofcourse the food! GREAT job getting an 87 on the test! Your hard work and organization is amazing. =)
Beautiful decor!
you sure are keeping us curious with all these mystery recipes!! can’t wait til we can FINALLY know!!
you have a gorgeous house too Kath! And I’m envious of the clean factor… I wish my apt looked that spotless!
Dogs are great fun, but I guarantee that your floors aren’t going to continue to look that pristine if you acquire a four-legged creature who gets to run around outside and then come track his dirt everywhere. I personally find the trade-off worth it.
yes, that is for sure! I have to swiffer my hardwood daily to combat the dog hair. Not to mention the muddy foot prints.
It is worth it though…..they are fun.
Hmmmm…..does the mystery spread involve bananas and almond butter?
hey i don’t think i’m gettin enough credit for all the cleaning i did today!
Hi Kath,
I have a question regarding oatmeal. You see, Im definitely not overweight, but im looking to lose 5-10lbs just b/c i think ill feel better. Im a VERY healthy eater, but im noticing that my weight does NOT want to budge (i feel like my battling against my “natural weight”). Anyway, i want to try oatmeal, but it seems pretty caloric compared to my usual cereal + fruit breakfast, and im worried starting to eat oatmeal might make me gain weight =( What do u think?
you have seriously inspired me to clean tomorrow. i just informed future husband that tomorrow is scrub the floors day, and he looked PISSED.
Ohh it is nice that you and THE HUSBAND do chores together… i think that is important! I love having a productive day where you can see the benefits of your hard work!
i can totally see you with a dog! you should get a big one like a golden retriever or lab or something you can take on lots of walks
mattkend ,
They are from Crate + Barrel, last year.
courtney + HangryPants ,
Thanks
rk ,
Yes it is African. I think she’s supposed to be grinding millet – but I’m guessing that’s the same technique? My friend brought it back from Niger for us where she worked in the Peace Corps for 2 years. I think it’s so cool.
smjohnson30 ,
I have garden gloves but my hands get so sweaty I hate wearing them!
I always had a fondness for cleaning/organizing other people’s bedrooms when I was little
Rin ,
Just reading that makes me glow with happiness of organization
Hil ,
The hair/dirt is exactly why I don’t want one
Megan ,
You’re on the right track, but there’s so much more that the eye can’t see in it!
Jen ,
The only way you’ll gain weight is if you eat more calories than you expend. For me, if I eat just fruit and a light cereal for breakfast, I’ll need a snack in 2-3 hours, which would put me at the same amount of calories as a bowl of oatmeal with fun toppings. So I’d rather have them all at once and not have to get hungry and plan a snack. If you tend to eat oatmeal AND a snack that might put you eating more overall, then that’s something to think about. Maybe just lighten up the oatmeal. But ultimately you should eat what you enjoy most.
caitlin (see bride run),
LOL – Have fun Future Husband!!
Kath
I love the leaf plates – ready in time for fall approaching
The grass + floor looks great and clean
do you live in pier 1? cause it looks like it. Just a little jealous.