Leggings | Scarf | Sweater Vest | Head Wrap 

WHERE WE STAYED

WHAT WE DID

Hat | Boots | Dress | Poncho (from TJ Maxx)

Rough Ridge is one of the easier hikes that you can do in Boone, NC to get a spectacular view! Make sure to wear proper shoes, you’ll want to as you’ll be navigating some rocks up and downhill. You’ll also want to bundle up as it gets a bit windy up there! 

 

WHERE TO EAT

GameKeeper  - If you are celebrating a special occasion or want a fancy dinner out, I cannot recommend this spot enough. Joe and I still to this day rave about the blue berry cobbler with toasted pine nuts that we got there a few years ago. Beware, if you are going to have a cocktail during dinner you may want a ride from the restaurant. The drive there is a bit tricky! 

PREVIOUS BOONE POSTS 

Today I am bringing you a two-part post! I’ve made a vow to only create posts that are of value and so the first part will be on how I keep our home clean and if you keep up with my goals, my October goals will be at the bottom of this post :) Happy reading! 

OUR CLEANING SCHEDULE

• Make our bed 
• Load dishwasher (we unload every 2-3 days) 
• Wipe down kitchen counters - this is usually done right after I'm finished putting our dinner and the dishes away. I know the kitchen likely won't be touched for the rest of the night so I wipe everything down! 
• Pick up clothes and place in the laundry (my husband has this habit of just taking his clothes off when he gets home and leaving them around the house! He is getting better at putting it in the hamper though haha) 
• Tidy up living room - this is as simple as folding our throw blankets and rearranging the pillows, literally takes 30 seconds! 

• Laundry - I do the laundry when the hamper is full so you can see me really doing laundry at any day of the week! 
• Take out recycling - our recycling fills up pretty quickly. I don't like seeing trash overflow EVER so when it's full, I immediately take it out when I'm about to use the car and just make a stop by the recycling bins 
• Wipe bathroom counters - I leave Clorox wipes in the cabinets of each bathroom so that it's easy to wipe the counters when needed. If I see any kind of toothpaste or watermarks, I'll wipe the counters. 
• Wipe kitchen and bathroom floors - if I can see my hair on the floor I usually pick it up ASAP 
• Car wash / Vacuum 
• Wipe dining room table/coffee table 

• Take out the trash (in all bathrooms/rooms/kitchen) - Joe usually has more time on the weekends to help with chores, so this is when the trash is taken out :) 
• Vacuum - this is usually done Wednesday right before we meet for Bible study in our home! Sometimes, if we've had guests in our home I'll vacuum the day after they've left just to keep the home clean for the rest of the week. 
• Wash sheets 
• Clean mirrors (sometimes I see toothpaste on the mirrors and just clean them if they're dirty so this can technically file under "when needed") 
• Wipe toilet seats and toilet bowl 
• If applicable, air changes. We open the windows and let some fresh air into the apartment. 

• Wipe baseboards
• Deep clean fridge / pantry 
• Organize closet / purge 

MY CLEANING TRICKS

• Each major space has Clorox wipes tucked away. - all of our bathrooms, the living room, and the kitchen have their own Clorox wipes tucked away. Even my car has a stash of wipes. This way, I can easily access it and wipe a space clean in 10 seconds.
   
• Each bathroom has mirror cleaner and paper towels in the drawer - this way it's easy for me to keep my mirrors clean
   
• Air filter changes are scheduled in my calendar - We change our air filters every 3 months. It's scheduled in my calendar and since we live at an apartment complex, I can just schedule a maintenance request for it to be changed when it's time!
   
• I keep a stash of trash bags at the bottom of each trash bin - this is most applicable in our bathroom. We use the plastic bags from Walmart or Food Lion and use them as trash bags for our bathrooms. Keeping 4-5 bags at the bottom of the bin make it easy for me to change out the trash and very quickly replace it with a new trash bag!
   
• All cooking utensils are immediately washed - I don't even start cooking until the kitchen is clean so it's a rule that dishes are never left in the sink. I also organize my cooking so that I can periodically clean the pots and pans as they are used, this way the only thing to take care of after I eat is putting my dish away in the dishwasher. Sometimes, this doesn't happen when friends are over or when we're both too hungry.
   
• Fragrance Warmers - It's on my "to-do" list to change all our fragrance warmers into diffusers. But for the time being, we have fragrance warmers placed in various parts of our home. When it's time for a refresh or we are getting ready to entertain, I change all of the wax in these to keep our home smelling good!
   
• Minimalistic approach - The best way to keep your home clean is to simplify your spaces. For this reason, unless I am entertaining seriously my dining room table is bare and does not have any accessories or a tablescape on it. My coffee table is also completely bare (except for the occasional flowers!) There are no extra pillows on our bed, etc. We keep spaces simple, and it's easy to clean them! The same concept goes for our kitchen - only the items we use daily are left on the counters such as our coffee press, the toaster, etc. Everything else has a set place to be stored in!
   
• NO trash is left in the car EVER - Joe will attest to this, I don't care how tired we are but if there is trash in the car, it will be out by the end of the day. Either we will bring it in and place in our trash can or I will even drive to the trash bin before the end of the night to take all the trash out.
   

OCTOBER GOALS 

• Get plans together for my hubby’s birthday!
• Read two books 
• Make eye appointment 
• Complete decorating my office space at work 
• Reorganize linen closet 
• Visit a pumpkin patch 
• Bake something pumpkin themed 
• Work out 3-5x a week