Buying a house is stressful!

I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post! Where has the time gone?


I have been TRYING to buy a house! I put an offer down on a cute 4 bedroom 2.5 bathroom house with a sandbox in the backyard and wood floors in the living room. It's absolutely darling and perfect for my family! The offer was accepted! Yay! Problem is, my "pre-approval" was an estimate and we are having a bugger of a time securing the loan. It has been the most stressful thing I've done except for boot camp. Every day for three weeks I got a call, text, or email from the banker saying they needed yet another item! Then four days before closing, which was supposed to be today, the lender said they "need more time"! So the realtor had to amend our contract to extend the closing to next Friday. In the meantime, I flew to my soon-to-be new hometown for a visit and to sign the closing papers. Well, I leave on Thursday, the day before the new closing date! So what are they going to do? They're going to send a notary to my house so I can close. Argh! Why couldn't they just do their jobs quicker? I want to be here to sign the papers! I want to have keys in hand when I sign those papers. I want to take a picture with the SOLD sign!


I know I'm whining. I'll stop. Time for an update of a different nature. My husband and son are alone this weekend! What will my house look like when I return? I asked them to clean the house, sort what they could, and box up what they didn't know what to do with. Let's see if it happens.


In other news, we took a full van load to the thrift store. I also donated kitchen stuff directly to a woman in need. She was so grateful. It gave me joy to see her face light up with gratitude. It wasn't big things...not to me. Plates, bowls, cups, cooking utensils, all just excess stuff I no longer needed. Giving my stuff away is the best! Okay, so truth be told, I'd rather make money from selling it, but I dont have time for a garage sale.


It's late and I need some sleep. Tomorrow a storm is heading our way and I've got a cake to make.
Until next time....sleep well.

Still plugging away!

Hello! Oh my goodness I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post.


A lot has happened in the last two weeks. I went back to work, I put an offer in on a house and am now waiting for the funding to finalize so we can get the keys in three weeks, and I've decluttered. That's what you're here for, right? To see my list? ;-)


Well, I'm sad to report that I don't have my list available. I made one...but I misplaced that notebook when I learned my mother-in-law was heading to our house and was only 30 minutes away! The mad dash scramble to make the living room and dining room presentable resulted in a misplaced notebook. I'll find it though. Don't worry!


In the meantime, I can tell you that we took two van loads of stuff to the thrift store...including two microwaves. We have a built in microwave in the kitchen and yet, I had two in the garage. Oh sure, I had plans to use those microwaves for soaping, but they're old and probably draw a kazillion watts just to heat 1 cup of melt-and-pour soap base. Since I can acquire a new microwave for not much money, and whatever I spend on a new microwave I can use as a tax write-off, I donated both of the microwaves! Plus there were all the boxes of miscellaneous stuff like clothes, dishes, and toys.


Well, my lovelies, I'm off to watch and episode of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners and play some games before I fall asleep. Or, I might just shove all that aside and cuddle the 4yo who just climbed into bed next to me. Until next time:


Happy Decluttering!

My big girl is FOUR!

Hello Everyone! It's been nearly two weeks since my last post. Life has been absolutely crazy! We put a bid in for a house and I've been a mad woman trying to clean. Today my daughter, Miss E, turned four years old. We started off the day with a visit to IHOP. She ordered the "Make a Face" pancakes and then ate only the yogurt and half my bacon. Silly girl! She doesn't eat much in the way of breakfast, unless she's at preschool and then she eats everything on her plate! After quiet time we will open gifts from her Great-Aunt and Great-Granny. We had a birthday party with all her preschool friends on Friday so today is extended family gift day.

I've continued my decluttering. Last night we loaded five boxes into our van. If the thrift store is open tomorrow, MLK day (a federal holiday), we will drop everything off. In the meantime, I intend to load at least one more box.

I realized I haven't updated my list of thrift store donations.

On the 4th I donated:

60 pairs of pants 87 shirts 29 dresses 20 tights 3 sweaters 1 swimsuit
18 Jammies 1 hat 3 leotards 33 shorts 2 blankets 1 diaper clutch
1 changing pad cover 1 burp cloth 1 scarf 4 bibs 1 crib skirt 5 jackets
271 items

On the 5th I donated:

8 men's shirts 3 men's slacks 2 men's shorts 6 women's blouses 8 nightgowns 7 bras
1 maternity belly band 6 women's shirts 5 women's jeans 2 women's slacks 2 dresses 2 crib sheets
2 bed skirts 2 toddler jammies 1 shower curtain 8 board games 1 doll
66 items

337 items over the course of 2 days

On Friday (Jan 16) and Saturday (Jan 17) I boxed up the following:

3 Adult Socks 1 Baby Blankets 5 Baby Dresses 7 Baby Hat 1 Baby Head Positioner 4 Baby Jackets
3 Baby Outfits 13 Baby Pants 34 Baby PJs 8 Baby Shirts 1 Baby Shoes 2 Baby Snowsuits
74 Baby socks 2 Baby Swaddle Wrap 3 Baby Sweaters 1 Baby Washcloth 1 Bandanas 2 Bath Wipes Packages
1 Bell Bicycle Cover 1 Belt 1 Bib 3 Blanket 3 Bloomers 7 Burp Rags
1 Car Window Shade 1 Changing Pad Covers 2 Changing Pads 1 Cheerleader PomPom 1 Child's Shirt 1 Cigar Box
1 Cloth Napkins 2 Costumes 1 Craft Supplies 2 Crib Sheet 1 Decorative Basket 1 Diaper Bag
2 Dog Beds 1 Dog Toy 2 Doll Clothes 1 Dress 1 Glo Worm 1 Hot Pads
1 Lei 1 Lingerie Bag 1 Maternity Pants 2 Maternity Shirts 1 Maternity Support Belt 2 Mittens
1 Mouse Pads 2 Nightgowns 1 Nursing Bras 3 Nursing Covers 40 Onesies 1 Photo Album boxed set of 3
2 Picture Frame 1 Pillow 1 Pillowcase 1 Prefold Diaper 2 Scarves 2 Shawls
2 Small Pet Bowls 2 Stroller Netting 3 Stuffed Animals 1 Tights 1 Toddler Harness 20 Tommee Tippee Bottles
19 Toys 1 Women's Jacket 2 Women's PJs 1 Women's Sweater

332 items over the course of 2 days of decluttering.

So far in 2015, I have donated 669 items! That's not including all the items I have thrown away. I am making great progress towards a clutter free home.

Thanks for reading! Keep checking back.

Distracted? Not I...nope...couldn't be.

I thought I'd be writing daily, but then life happened and my plans changed. So I come to you 5 days after my last post (which was typed on the 5th and posted on the 6th). A lot has happened in the last few days. More decluttering has occurred. I've got another huge box filled to the brim with toys, books, clothes, and blankets. All things that we should have donated before but hung on to for unknown reasons. What are those reasons? Why do we hang on to things that have no purpose in our lives? For some it is memories. Without the items in their homes, even if those items are in boxes in a shed, they fear they won't have the memories anymore. For some it is laziness, pure and simple. They just don't think about the items because they don't "see" them. They put things in boxes and stack them in the garage. For some it is overwhelming to think about getting rid of things they perceive to have value. We have been discussing that last reason, the value one, in depth in a Facebook group I belong to. Members have asked why their items don't sell when they post them on swap sites, but the moment they post on a Freecycle group the items are snatched up like they're gold. Why would someone value them when they are free, but not when the seller posted them with a price tag? I can't answer the question. I wish I could, but I also wonder this. That is the reason why I now am just gathering things for donations and don't bother trying to sell all but one or two items at a time. Those items do have value that can be seen and I have them priced fairly low. If a buyer doesn't come forward and purchase the items, they'll join the remainder of items on the shelves at the thrift store. Today, I went with a friend to a Holistic Health Fair in a neighboring town. It wasn't anything like we'd hoped or expected it to be, but I did get to drink cumin, fennel tea (I do not recommend it by the way). I also spoke to an "animal whisperer" about why my cat Grissom is peeing in the corner next to his litter box (determined he did not like the kitten we had up until a week ago). Next we ventured off to the thrift store where I purchased a terra cotta garlic roaster...something my husband has been wanting for awhile. Now to go to the food co-op and purchase some elephant garlic so we can have roasted garlic with dinner tomorrow. That's all for tonight. Tomorrow is another busy day. We are heading down towards Seattle to return my son's gift...it was broken when he opened the box. Good night.

Bad Day Turned Productive

Howdy! Today, January 5, did not go quite as planned. We woke up late. After rushing the kids through getting dressed and out the door to take Ms 3 to pre-school, Daddy and I decided to take Ms 2 out to breakfast cuz, you know, she was hhhhuuuuunnngggrrrryyyyy Mommy! We drove to a neighboring town and arrived at a local cafe and sat down in the same booth we had been in just a few months ago. I ordered the steak special. Why am I sharing my meal? Because it was the second thing to go wrong. I ordered my steak medium. When it arrived, it was raw. Oh sure, the cook seared the outside, but the inside was raw. Even my husband said heck no and he likes his steaks medium rare. I sent it back and it came back well done. I lost my appetite. We came home and were just feeling blah. So nada got done. That is until after I laid down for about an hour and got some rest. Then the decluttering happened. I pulled several boxes from the garage and sorted through them. I stopped long enough to eat dinner (beef fried rice...yum!). I also organized a closet and cleaned off the bathroom counter top. It's so pretty now. :) In the last two days I have bagged/boxed up the following items: Sunday I bagged up 60 pairs of pants 87 shirts 29 dresses 20 tights 3 sweaters 1 swimsuit 18 Jammies 1 hat 3 leotards 33 shorts 2 blankets 1 diaper clutch 1 changing pad cover 1 burp cloth 1 scarf 4 bibs 1 crib skirt 5 jackets 271 items in one day Monday I boxed up 8 men's shirts 3 men's slacks 2 men's shorts 6 women's blouses 8 nightgowns 7 bras 1 maternity belly band 6 women's shirts 5 women's jeans 2 women's slacks 2 dresses 2 crib sheets 2 bed skirts 2 toddler jammies 1 shower curtain 8 board games 1 doll 66 items in one day Total of 337 items over the course of 2 days. It's just going to get better from here.

The Time To Make A Change Is Now

Welcome to my blog! I am Mommy Malfatti. I am married to Daddy Malfatti and we have three Malfatti kidlets: Mr 19, Miss 3, and Miss 2. We also have 2 cats. 2015 marks a major change in the Malfatti household: I am changing careers! I have felt for many years that being a Stay/Work At Home Mommy would be the best career choice and during the next few months I will be transitioning from working outside the home to staying home with my kids! Along with this change comes a move. We will be moving closer to family! Yay! So excited!! Join me while I downsize, declutter, and donate many belongings in preparation for our upcoming move. Create with me as we sew, make spa products, and craft with our kids. Become a world-renowned chef with me as we cook up a storm (or at least try some new recipes and expand that collection). Let's Treasure the Time we have!

Shakeology Cleanse Day 1

This morning I woke up and knew...knew I was going to be doing a lot of drinking today. Water and Shakeology that is. Geez, what were YOU thinking? I'm starting a cleanse...everyone should do this once in awhile. Some call it a fast. I'm calling it a way to make sure I am below 160 on the scale when I weigh in for the PRT. Okay, first things first. Drank a cup of green tea, lovingly made by my husband. Then, I went downstairs, poured a cup of water and a cup of ice into my blender, added a packet of Strawberry Shakeology, and turned it on. Ummm....several minutes later, the blender was still whirring and the ice...was still whole. So, I stirred and shook and tried to force the blender to blend and chop the ice. Eventually, I gave up. Scooped out all the ice cubes and added them to a cup of water (so I wouldn't waste the god Shakeology all over them), then added that cup of water to the blender and blended everything again. Needless to say, what was supposed to be an 10ozshake became a 20oz shake. Took me over an hour to drink it all. I've also consumed another 8oz water so far (it's 1:27pm) and am about to go make a chocolate Shake and run to the store for some almonds and salad fixings! Yum! BTW, maybe TMI, but I've peed 6 times so far (and I've only been awake 4 hours). 3:00pm Went to commissary. Even though I brought my chocolate Shakeology with me (made the RIGHT way this time), I was so hungry! Anyway, I grabbed salad mix, apples, bananas (mostly for my kids...they're little monkeys!), a grapefruit, almonds, chicken, fish, and a California roll. "E" was hungry, so I broke open the roll as soon as we got to the car and gave her a piece. I strapped her in her car seat, then loaded the groceries. "Mommy...more please." I gave her a piece and gave myself one too. It's natural...fresh made too. The chef was standing there rolling them as I picked one out. Rice, Nori, Avocado, Crab. YUM! When we got home, I hear again "Mommy, more please", so I gave her another piece, and myself one more. I have to stop. I'm so hungry though. So, when we walked in the door, I grabbed a bottle of water and chugged 1/2 of it right away. After doing the mom thing (diaper changes and snack time), I opened the bag of almonds, scooped out 1/2 cup, and started chowing down. 4:53pm 1/4 cup almonds and another bottle of water down. Still have dinner (salad, fish), 2 bottles of water minimum, and a Shake to go. 6:00pm Made dinner....ate 2 bowls (about 2 cups) of mixed greens with just a touch of vinaigrette dressing, a piece of catfish (baked), and because I was told I could add things to the salad, I added carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower to dinner (only I steamed them instead of eating them completely raw. I ate too much! I didn't expect that considering how hungry I was. I still have 1/4 cup almonds left and I didn't eat any fruit today. 9:25pm I'm drinking my last shake now. I am not going to eat any more almonds or any fruit. I don't know how I'm going to get a bottle of water in me before falling asleep, but I'm going to try. Final thoughts on Day 1 of the Shakeology cleanse....Overall, this was very difficult. I slept in so my time schedule was messed up. I really missed not going for a walk or a real workout, but I was busy all day and barely sat down. Washed all sorts of laundry, dishes, and picked up a ton of toys. Danced with the girls and made a dozen trips up and down the stairs today. I couldn't keep this up for long if I wanted to. Drinking this much liquid and not eating often is crazy hard! I'll be so glad after my weigh in on Wednesday when I can eat again...healthy foods yes, but still be able to eat more. Good night!