heymomo vows to keep the flowers coming as often as possible.
The Fall Cure is tough, but keeping the habits we've adopted during the process can be even tougher. Keeping our daily actions responsive to the needs of our home allows us to keep the organized vibes flowing. After following a schedule for 8 weeks that was aimed at improving the health of our spaces, it can be easy to put your feet up kick back until Spring. However, if you're still wearing your Cure hats, it's possible your brain might twitch a little at the thought of regression. Click through the jump to learn how to keep pace through the holidays and pick up a few tips on entertaining and making the winter a smooth ride. (Plus a sneak peek at some of your cured homes! Get your photos uploaded for Friday's slideshow!)
minhus has hung the stockings and trimmed the tree! Looks great against the new fireplace color!
Suggestions for maintaining a healthy home (Maxwell's tips from the book):
Make your bed each morning
Take out the recycling (and trash) each morning on your way out
Say hello to your neighbors
Keep buying flowers or fresh fruit for your apartment
Sort your mail as soon as you walk in the door
Keep the refrigerator full of fresh things
Do the dishes before you go to bed
Keep only one book next to the bed
always eat on a real plate with a real napkin
Give 4 parties a year
Sarahc gave us some great tips this past April in our Spring Cure. Check out her wise words of advice below...
Cooking at home really improves your quality of life. You'll eat better, learn new skills, and save money if you continue to make as many meals as possible. For daily inspiration, check The Kitchn.
Stick to a cleaning schedule to stay organized and cut down your overall work. By cleaning just a little bit on a daily basis, you'll be able to enjoy your home rather than worry about it, and you won't feel overwhelmed when last-minute guests stop by.
Buying fresh flowers brings new life and color into your home. In summer, it's even easier to stick to the weekly flower rule. Pick them up at the farmer's market when you're shopping for groceries on Sunday.
The most important habit we learned from the Cure was smart shopping. Don't bring anything into your home that you don't absolutely love and/or need. If you're ruthless about this rule, you'll see your home's clutter drop dramatically.
very_lame has some new four legged house guests and a great use of an old frame and some open space on a big wall!
We had several people update the Midwest Flickr Pool with their after (linked to their before shots) photos, but not nearly enough of you! We'll highlight some great transformations later this week as we are extending the deadline to get your photos uploaded until Wednesday night at Midnight (central time). So bust out the cameras and try to upload a few snippets of the progress you made (no matter how small!).
Home_For_2 has their landing strip up and in use. These are a great use of a small space that normally wouldn't have a purpose (other than holding an umbrella).
Are you feeling satisfied with your Fall Cure activities? Did you get done what you wanted? Have you made a "carry-over" list of things you want to keep working on through the winter months? No matter what was done, remember that even a little bit counts and should be applauded as a success!
Great suggestions. These are tips I definitely need to be more mindful of following. The last thing I want to stress out about is my home!
view TyceH's profile
I think I've done well for my first Cure, but I've still got more to do. I feel like my apartment is a ton lighter without all the extra stuff that I cleared out, and I managed to finish a lot of projects that have been on the list.
I have a few more projects to go, so I'm hoping the motivation continues into the new year!
I want to thank all the Midwest (and fellow Canadian!) Curers that have come along on the journey - your support has been awesome! It's been great to see everyone's progress and collaborate on ideas.
view heymomo's profile
This cure did not happen for me, in spite of good intentions. Between family emergency that required a trip to Italy, family sickness etc., I did not cure. I will see you in the spring!
view Francesca's profile
I blame the economic downturn for my Cure failing. As of week 2 I was completely broke & haven't been able to even buy weekly flowers, nevermind proper lighting or a much needed coatrack.
So the Cure is ongoing. I still have much stuff to clear out, and organization to tackle. It's been two cures for me. The first completed the bedroom & the bath. In this one I really improved the living room. Maybe next time around the kitchen & the entry?
view jenny!'s profile
I was doing fine up through clearing out the kitchen, and then it all sort of fell apart - I will try again in the Spring though! And keep taking stuff out until then...
view lemonadefish's profile
As I've said before, I'm going to keep curing since I didn't make much progress during the actual cure. Perhaps by the end of the spring cure I'll have some decent "after" shots to show you! ;)
view Mrs.Mack's profile