Every little thing she does is magic.

I like our kitchen. I didn't get to design it or pick anything out (other than the appliances we bought shortly after moving in), but I like pretty much everything in it. While it would have been nice to put hardwood throughout the kitchen area when we did the entry way and the sitting room, it just wasn't an option. But that was ok because I love the look of our tile -- big white squares lined in light brown. As much as I like how they look, they are a royal pain to clean. They're not even particularly groovy (har har), but somehow and somewhere the dirt just gets trapped in an impossible-to-get-out kind of way. The first few years we tried everything -- mops, hands-and-knee scrubbing... Nothing made a dent. Then we went on vacation and Lynn, who was pooch-sitting, got bored and tried something new. The magic eraser. Low and behold, it actually worked. Like magic! I don't know what sort of crack they put in those things, but they are beyond amazing and literally transform our kitchen. You still have to get down on your hands and knees, but otherwise it's pretty effortless. As part of our continued spring-clean-get-ready-to-sell whirlwind, I tackled the floor this afternoon, and despite the help from my little secret weapon, I'm still quite pleased with myself.

Before, and after!

As is my typical luck, this past week I came down with a crazy cold (or crazy allergies perhaps? I blame the furry white tree outside my window that smells of rotten roadkill), but I managed to suck it up for a few days and get this house in ship-shape order. Luckily, we watch a lot of House Hunters. So I know not to leave our crap laying all around when people come looking. And it helps having done this before, too, so we don't feel like total deers-in-the-headlights. Away with the photographs (boohoo), away with the knickknacks, away with the piles of books everywhere... I must say, our house cleans up pretty nice. And I feel like dang housewife of the year!

"This house is clean!"

Meanwhile, Brad's been Mr. Handy, fixing screens, touching up the paint, climbing on the roof to recaulk, and... da da da... rebuilding steps (Larry's been nagging us about this broken step for years!). Go hubby go!

One of the saddest moments was when Brad had to paint over our height chart... our baby pooches have never lived anywhere else, and we have so many memories of their puppyhood in this house!

Oh well, it's all for the greater good. And we'll have lots of new puppy memories in our new house, and hopefully Heidi will finally get to swim!

Next up... cleaning up all the dead bugs and mouse poo in the basement! Operation: Fool New Housebuyers continues. :)