Cleaning, Air Fryers, and #AmWatching

On By Teri PolenIn Monday Share

The cleaning spree continues here at the Polen house. After plowing my way through Son #1’s apartment, I kept the momentum going. Both boys still have lots of ‘stuff’ in their bedrooms here, but I was able to get them to clean out a lot of it over the past month. Many trips have been made to Goodwill, and numerous trashbags have been filled. Son #2 took his mattress when he moved out, and the new one was delivered a couple weeks ago. New bedding will be here this week (used up some Amazon gift cards!). A large, bulky desk in Son #1’s bedroom has been donated to a local charity, and a cube organizer took its place. It’s strangely freeing to be rid of so much ‘stuff’. Almost like I can breathe better.

How many of you use an air fryer? I subscribe to Cooking Light and their latest magazine is devoted to air fryer recipes. Hubby and I took the plunge and bought one. We love it. Ours isn’t the largest size, but it’s perfect for just the two of us. Recipes have included different types of fish, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (hubby isn’t a fan of them, but he ate every bite of this recipe), chickpeas, tater tots, and a Buffalo chicken bowl. I’ve never had much luck with chicken recipes (it tends to come out dry), but it was very moist with the air fryer. And cleanup is super easy.

I’m super late getting to this show, but I started watching Titans on HBO Max over the weekend. I’m more of a Marvel fan, but I was hooked after the first episode. Side note to Staci – it was cancelled before I started, so our curse doesn’t apply to this series.

Have a great week!

52 thoughts on “Cleaning, Air Fryers, and #AmWatching”

  2. It is freeing to clean out and clear out, Teri. It’s something I need to do for myself…again. 🙂 I have never used an air fryer, but hear only good things about them. Congrats on the success!! Have a great week!

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    1. Maybe it was our fault. Did you start watching before it was cancelled?

      It’s been years since I read the Mayfair books so I can’t say how closely the series is following them. I know Michael’s character was merged with Ciprien – not really crazy about that. The actress playing Rowan isn’t how I’d pictured her at all. Loving Lasher. What do you think?

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      1. Sorry. Now that I read my comment, I can see how unclear it was. I started watching Titans when TNT started airing it a couple of years ago. (I think it was that long ago.) Then I realized it was on HBO and binge-watched two and a half seasons. By then, I’d caught up to them, and I watched the remainder of the season one episode at a time as they dropped. I was one episode into this season when I heard it was cancelled. They better tie up all the loose ends, or I’m going to lose my mind.

        I never read Mayfair, so I can only go off what I see. The show is moving a smidge slow for me, but all AMC shows tend to do that. I’m still on the fence right now, but there’s finally been some action to follow. If it continues at that pace and the characters continue to develop, I’ll continue watching. But if it drags for a few episodes then has a fast-paced one, I won’t enjoy that and will stop watching. (Which probably means it’ll have many seasons. I quit watching Discovery of Witches after one season, and it’s had a few more since then.)

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          1. I haven’t pulled the trigger on that streaming service yet. And doubt I will. The last show on that network that truly sucked me in was Rubicon with James Badge Dale. It was fabulous, so of course it only got one season. I think The Killing might have been on there, and I did watch (all?) three seasons, but it also moved slow for me. I’m still looking for the show that blows my socks off AND doesn’t get cancelled right away.

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            4. But a show like Next, which started strong and just ramped up, got cancelled after one season. I don’t understand the people who produce and buy shows. (Which is probably why Hollywood isn’t interested in any of my properties.)

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  7. I love my air fryer. So many things come out very nicely done. We have a minimal lifestyle and love it. We sold out the last house furnished (beach decor does not translate well in the city) and moved in with nothing.It was refreshing to start over.

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    1. We’ve been really happy with how the food turns out, and it’s perfect for the two of us. I also love how easy it is to clean.

      I get what you mean about starting over. I’d sure make some changes with our furniture.

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    1. No tears. The important things are in storage, although I did take a pic of some trophies before getting rid of them. I get what you mean about the counter space, Jacquie. I’d planned to keep ours in the pantry beside the slow cooker, but we’ve used it so much it’s still on the counter.

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  10. We’ve been considering an air fryer. Even looked at a combination air fryer/convection oven before Christmas.

    Hurrah for the cleaning. I’m excited that this week, we’ll be able to get rid of our old VHS tapes. The Rotary Club is taking all kinds of electronic donations and VHS tapes were on their list. Getting rid of those will free up a lot of space. Plus it will go to help good causes.

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    1. We’re sure happy with ours, and now my parents are giving it a try. I haven’t seen the models with a convection oven, but that’s a great idea.

      I’d love to be able to get rid of some VHS tapes – we still have several. And you’re right about them taking up space. Maybe I should look around town and see if anyone’s accepting them.

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  13. I love decluttering and moving old stuff out, Teri. It’s a necessity here since I don’t have any closets. Good for you for keeping up the momentum – it does feel good. And we love our air fryer. I rarely use my oven anymore for simple meals. Enjoy the new recipes!

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    1. No. Closets. My house would be a disaster, Diana! I mean, they’re fairly organized, but I have no idea where I’d put the stuff without a closet, so I get your need for decluttering.

      I’ve only used our oven once or twice in the past week – woohoo!

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  15. HI Teri, it must be rather strange taking your son’s bedrooms back. It sort of makes their departures so permanent (which they are, but still). I’m glad I’m not there yet, but it’s coming. I think air fryers are great for small families. You struggle to cook for six in one.

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    1. Don’t get me wrong – their stuff is still there. Sports memorabilia, band posters, Marvel posters, etc. Just not all the things they’ve accumulated over the years and didn’t take with them. Son #2’s wall is almost literally wallpapered in posters, lol.

      With the air fryer, there’s no way we could cook for more than the two of us. I know there are bigger sizes – which you’d definitely have to get, Robbie. After cooking for just the two of us for the better part of the last few years, cooking for six again sounds daunting!

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  17. Victoria Zigler

    Glad you’re making great progress with the decluttering and cleaning. We’re working on a similar project, since my Dad gave us a lot of stuff when we moved in here two years ago (way more than we expected when he said he had a few things we might want) and we decided it was past time we went through it properly, got rid of what we didn’t actually want, and organized what we do want. My health-related low energy level, combined with not having our own transport to make things disappear so needing to wait for others to be available, means it’s a much slower process for us, but we’ve donated or given away a load of stuff, thrown out some other stuff, and have some areas starting to look organized enough that we can see we’ve made progress.

    I don’t have an air fryer. I keep being tempted to buy one, but haven’t taken the plunge yet.

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    1. Doesn’t it feel good to clear out some things? We made some great progress, and when it gets warmer I’ve got my eye on the storage area next.

      We’re still enjoying the air fryer and use it several times per week. I’d planned to keep it in the pantry instead of on the counter, but with how often we use it it’s remained on the counter.

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