Spring Cleaning

Every year at this time, I get so antsy to be outside. I get excited about doing yard work, but then a few weeks later I always find myself feeling frustrated and overwhelmed that I can't keep up with both the house and the yard.  No matter how much I threaten the kids, if I ever devote a chunk of time to yard work and let up on my housework, I have to pay for it.  And I can't live peaceably in a dirty house....I've tried. It's not possible.  So I've decided to do some really deep spring cleaning in hopes that it will make taking care of the house in the summer easier.
I have been working slowly (because Kinlee's nap time is about the only time I can focus solely on cleaning ) at getting rid of all the stuff we have lying around. I hate stuff. Piles of things  make me grumpy.  Knowing that a closet or a drawer is filled to brim just about puts me over the edge. I need clean counters, half filled shelves, a couple of empty (or near empty) drawers in each room for me to keep my sanity...I know, I really need help.
I started at the end of the hall closet and have just about made my way to the kitchen.
It's hard to know for sure because the older kids, the biggest mess makers, are in school most of the day, but it already seems easier to keep clean.  Everything that I've gone through has a definite place and that makes it easy to walk into a room and put things that are out right back where they need to go.

Other than spring cleaning, we've been pretty boring (not that spring cleaning is exciting). Katelyn has started little league basketball and has games 2 or 3 nights a week for the next 3 weeks.  Emi is her coach again and she seems to be having a good time so far. Jacob plays basketball in our house from 3:30 until 8:00. Whenever I walk out of a room, I have to be on guard. There is always a ball being thrown through the air. It will be nice when it finally warms up enough to move the game outside.

The kids and I still go see Jason for lunch on Wednesdays. These pictures of Dal are from our most recent lunch date.  He stole my sunglasses because it was really bright in the backseat, and he wanted to take pictures of himself doing funny faces :)

Jason has the weekend off. And if the weather permits he's hoping to get the new garden spot tilled and I'm hoping to get the garage cleaned out. Maybe we'll luck out and both be successful!