Yes, that is a Hello Kitty pink microwave. And no, it doesn’t stop there. We have a matching Hello Kitty rice cooker.
Here we find ourselves as the daily temperatures drop and darned if it ain’t getting darker earlier. Thanksgiving (for some) is right around the corner. Ick.
Oh I know, this is a lovely time of year for friends and family to get together and share about the year’s doings. Love & tenderness. Ick.
Some of us have plans to visit others for the holidays, some of us have volunteered to be that destination for our peeps. Either way, this is an excellent time to clean that crap out.

For over 20 years I’ve moved every year or two. It was fun at first, but after 15 or more years I got tired of it and wanted to see the seasons change in the yard, watch my plants grow. The last 4.8 years is the first !!!
What I hadn’t figured on was that if you don’t move, your stuff and place get really dirty. I had no idea what the back of a stove area could look like after cooking, like I do, for nearly 5 years. The word spiffy didn’t describe what I sawr.
So, instead of giving you holiday recipes & procedures (it could still happen, but don’t bet on it), I figured I’d give you some motivation. Start now and …
… CLEAN OUT THE CRAP !!!
If you’re hosting anything, start now. The cooking isn’t the only thing a host has to take care of. I’m not convinced party goers really know what we do to make it a decent place to be. Start now.
Get the yard cleaned up, mow it, chop it and get the weeds out. Remove garbage and sweep. Nobody wants to go out and have a smoky treat with derelict cars & weeds and spilled over que pits laying about. Do it.
Get the bathrooms sparkly today. When the holidays arrive all you’ll have to do is hose a wipe a bit.
There are places in your kitchen & living areas that collect crap during the year. Pull them to pieces and clean, don’t put anything back you don’t use.
Along those lines, get in to your kitchen. Pull everything out and off of the exposed shelving. Clean & polish. Don’t put anything back you don’t use. Go back to your enclosed shelves and cabinets, do you really need all that? Pull out what you don’t use. Make it easily available to your reach. Does bread flour keep for 4 years? Ick.
Swipe & clean.
At this point you’re hopefully looking at a pile of stuff that can either be tossed or donated to someone who will use it, which is more than we did. Right?
As you can see from the above photo, I”ve torn in to my kitchen like a badger. This is a good thing. Why? Because when the holidays really hit, I’m ready. My bathroom is sparkly for my family, the kitchen is effective, efficient and ready to go. The dining area is organized and pleasing (I use flowers and pretty things like doilies). This way when I’m attempting to roast turkeys (that’s right, more than 1), mash those taters and render some world class gravy, I’m NOT worried about cleaning ANYTHING. I got it done. AND if something gets overlooked, it’s no big deal to take care of.
This is a great time to get the black crud off stuff before the winter really hits and you can’t deal with it. Send yourself in to a beautiful winter all clean & sparkly.
Xo Xo