Task it Tuesday - July 24

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Here was my list from last week:

• Clean out most of my in-laws house on Thursday. Dumpster is coming so hope to get a lot done. Heat might be an issue. Living areas and shed are done. Cellar and my hubby's old bedroom are the big ones that need to be tackled. I moved everything out of his attic, so that's a good start. Filled one dumpster, but I think we will need a second. 
• Post a review of The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse. Loved it! Can't wait for the next book in the series. Posted yesterday.
• Schedule a time to get the old furniture out of the house. Not that I have bought the new furniture yet, but I don't want to deal with taking it out while getting the new pieces in. I think I need a few days of empty, clean space. Talked to the contractor, but haven't set a date yet.
• Make my plan to clean out my own house: donate, trash, and clean. That might become my new mantra. The minute I am finished with my in-laws' place, this is happening. Next dumpster is coming here.

For this week, I have a few things I'm working on:

• Schedule my blogs posts. I want to schedule them on Wednesday for the rest of the month. We will see how it goes.
• Pack up items to donate when Hartsprings comes on August 2. I have three boxes so far. 
• Clean my office. I've been moving my in-laws' paperwork and filing cabinet into my tiny office and now I have too much stuff in here. Time to declutter.

How about you? Are there any tasks on your to-do list this week?

Spring Cleaning Month: Rubbermaid® Hidden Recycler Review & Giveaway

One of the challenges of recycling is how time consuming and messy it is. With a large recycling container out in the garage, I don't want to make a trip out there for every bottle and can. So, my countertops usually look a mess. When Rubbermaid® announced they were looking for bloggers to review their new Hidden Recycler, I jumped at the chance.

The Hidden Recycler installs in minutes--either with its over the door hooks or screws (included). I opted for the former, since my hubby would go into convulsions if I put screws into the cabinet. You slip the bag over the carrying handle frame and secure it by sliding the tabs on the frame into the slits on the bag.

The 5 gallon bag is made from 65% post-consumer resin and is machine washable. Large enough to fit 1 gallon milk containers, its compact enough to fit inside your cabinet without taking up too much room. Once the unit is full, you simply lift it by the handle and carry it out to your larger recycling container and dump the contents.
The only odor it seems to retain is that of cat food. I rinse my cans well, but the smell of cat food is strong. That's the main reason I tossed the Hidden Recycler in the washing machine. Hint: Before removing the bag from the washing machine, turn it upside down over the washer to remove any water that has gathered in the bottom of the bag. My laundry room floor and my arm got an unexpected bath when I washed it for the first time. I usually hang my bag outside on the line to let it dry before using it again. It doesn't come out dripping wet, so drying doesn't take long.


The Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler has made recycling much easier around here. Since the unit has a handle, I can easily carry cans/bottles and paper out to the garage at the same time, and my kitchen looks cleaner all day long. Even if the unit is left full overnight, I don't detect any odor in the kitchen. I highly recommend the Hidden Recycler. It's a fabulous product that is perfect for my busy home.

Rubbermaid has generously offered to provide one lucky reader of Books, Products and More! with their own FREE Hidden Recycler. Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Good luck!

I received a free Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this review.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do You Have a Reluctant Recycler?

One of the obstacles to becoming more self-sufficient is the reluctant recycler living here. I won't say who it is, but it's tough to lead by example when not everyone is on board. I'm not the recycling police. I don't hit family members with a baton when they toss a cat food can lid in the trash, but I've made it simple to recycle in this house. Our recycle bins are right outside the garage door, and even if you don't want to travel that far, I have one spot in the kitchen for people to stack up paper/cardboard and another place for cans/bottles/plastic, etc.

Every week when I empty the trash cans, there's a certain someone who has tossed all types of junk mail and catalogs into the can instead of throwing them in the bin or stacking them in the kitchen. So, I spend time digging through the trash and putting things where they belong. On the up side, it's got me to thinking about unnecessary packing materials on products and that has influenced me to change some of my shopping habits.

How do you handle a reluctant recycler? Can you give me any tips that might work here?