I've been busy with stuff and then hadto make a trip to my mom's and I just got back. We were required to speak to the director and the head nurse where my mom lives so I met my sister there to deal with things. I dread these trips they are very hard and everything else feesl too hard to do until the trip is over. Well, I got back yesterday and so it's over for another while. They told us they were concerned about my mothers' "hoarding tendencies". *sigh* She was hiding food *sigh* in her room and since she had too much stuff it wasn't found and then there was a problem with flies and then her cat was becoming too difficult for herr to look after so we had to get rid of the cat *sigh*. So, from here, I arranged a great home for the cat. Cat is gone. Check-one from the list. While I took my mom out, my sister removed extra clothes and unused stuff/old stuff/crafty things etc. from her room. We came back to an open emty dresser drawer. My mom was upset and then I don't know what happened cause I had to head home. I am awaiting an update but it seems to be ok. Cleaning, clutter, hoarding, too much stuff. Always the thing it seems. My studio is a bit full now as all my paintings are there now. I did move a bookcase-like thing to my studio from the bathroom. It is now fully organized in the studio with my printmaking supplies. I am just about ready to work in there but I have a few pressing obligations to the potters' guild and a xmas sale tomorrow to get thorugh first.
I did get home to a disorganized space and I am always discombobulated after a trip to my mom's and it's worse than ever. My glasses and my backup glasses are both missing. My CD with my old art images that I need to make some cards from is gone. I brought it with me to Ottawa and I think I left it there in my room. I hope to reach my sister to ask her to check for me if it is there. And I can't find my old hard drive either which ahs a bunch of images I wanted to use for ths sale tomorrow. So frustrated by this not-being-able-to-find-what-I-want business. Time to put my decluttering/organinzing effort back on the front burner.
onebyone,, I am glad to hear from you. Your post hit home with me...I really started my big declutter commitment after accepting that Icould no change my mom's situation; I could only change my own. I am continually grateful to be resolving my own clutter issues BEFORE I am forced to deal with hers.
It 's one day at a time for me.
Acknowledging this morning my two different types of clutter;
1. The stuff that got brought in(over many years)...was stacked all over....some of which now remains out of sight in drawers and closets.
2. The stuff that accumulates very fast when I don't pick up after myself.
It's a work day and there wasn't time to deal with any of #1, so I dealt with #2 and one small cleaning project. I made the bed, put my jammies away, hit my "hotspots" (office and dining room table) and swiffed the downstairs bathroom. Looking around now...it feels much better. Work calls.
Based on my post yesterday I made a plan which I'm going to try out for a few days.
1. deal with current clutter
2. find a small project to deal with old clutter
3. accomplish one cleaning project
3. I took down the shower curtains and soaked them in the tub w/clorox. They have both been up for 9 years now. I hung both back up and felt a sense of accomplishment. I put a new rod on the shower curtain that hangs over the window because it was rusted. credit
2. I opened several small drawers in my office that are super convenient access to my desk/computer and are holding craft stuff I never use. I am still in the process of reshuffling/reorganizing and pitching stuff that no longer has a purpose. credit
3. I will put away all the current stuff before I leave the house today. credit
After cleaning the shower curtains I had a *sabotaging thought* Why don't you keep cleaning more stuff??
The reason is that I won't get the other projects accomplished if I do that so I stuck to my original plan. Small bits of daily progress in all areas move me forward.
Thanks Lexxiss for continuing to post here. Your regular updates help me to re-focus on my own clutter and clutter issues. You are refining your approach to your stuff more and more. I feel fortunate to witness this here, so thanks for that in particular.
DH has continued to do the dishes. He needed them when I was away and had to clean them to be able to use them, but he's doing more than that. I did find myself also doing a sinkload or two when I noticed they were accumulating again nd the threatened to undo his progress.
I need to create some new goals for my place. My old ones don't ring true and I need to be somewhat ambitious. I want to really *get* something when I am done. Something I can't deny. I think I may be back to tackling the moving boxes once more. Oh boy. but I have you to help me so -- off to write this out and to make a plan.
Looking forward to some more updates! One month left to the end of this challenge... anyone else got anything else specific they want to tackle? Let's help each other get there.
Glad to see you back, onebyone! I must admit I've been a bit lonely here. I was considering not posting but if it's helping you I will continue. I am excited to hear your modified plan. Let me know how I can help... I will mention that I have found my greatest success since I started using the timer system... 15 min/per day decluttering. It has made it doable...and the progress really does get noticed a week then a month at a time.
I was just going to post yesterday about how helpful my DH is getting. Hearing about your DH keeping on the dishes makes me think that as they watch us make progress that they wish to be a part of the process, too.
I'm continuing on my 3 step dance. It is working really well right now. Yesterday I:
1. cleaned in the kitchen/laundry room
2. decluttered my current/daily stuff
3. picked a drawer of old stuff to organize/declutter. The drawer is in my dining room and has tape/ribbons/wrapping paper and cards for gifting. I sorted/organized and recycled all the envelopes w/o cards and cards that I knew I'd never give. credit. Later, I went into the drawer for something and felt a big relief at it's organized state.
Life is going to change for me as I now have a pup with progressing heart disease. DH is more stressed than I yet I marveled at how we came together this morning after sleeping in . We enjoyed coffee then DH made coffee while I picked up the kitchen. He started laundry while I made the bed, swiffed the bathroom sink and brought dishes down from last night.
I truly believe this teamwork is a result of my continued commitment to decluttering and staying organized. credit.
RE: my 1-2-3 I cleaned (BR) decluttered current stuff. I WILL do one small old declutter project when I get home. If I do I will still notice the positive effects next week next month.
Glad to see you back, onebyone! I must admit I've been a bit lonely here. I was considering not posting but if it's helping you I will continue. I am excited to hear your modified plan. Let me know how I can help...
Lex & 1x1 - Please don't stop posting - it does help!
Sorry haven't been posting - should be bushwacking my way through the holidays - which in reality means THINKING about what I should be doing! Lex is on to the daily routine, which is key. I tend to do marathon sessions - my house was lovely at Tgiving but am disappointed it doesn't last long enough.
Lexxiss, I am sorry I've neglected checking in on my friends here I've thought of you with your new habits in place though! I will commit to checking in more often.
One of my 'hot spots' was putting away clean dishes. My cabinets were so full with unused stuff that it was hard to cram the everyday things in there. I have been gradually getting rid of things, then I was ruthless a couple weeks ago and cleaned out alot. There were 'novelty' cups/glasses that DH bought. Now they're gone and I don't know when he will notice. Not yet at least. It might seem mean of me to do that but honestly they were covered with years of grime because they were not used.
Anyway, now with spacious cupboards, putting away the clean dishes takes just seconds now, YAY. *credit ( I like Lexxiss' credit system)
I painted the bathroom yesterday!! :shock: It looks so much fresher. *credit
I am trying to get in the habit of taking a Pledge dusting cloth and going down the stairs backwards to wipe off every riser (dog hair and dust) once a week *credit
I went through my closet last night and put about 6 shirts into a bag to go to Re-Use center, because I bought 2 shirts from the thrift store (if clothes come into the house, I have to make myself remove some that I never wear) *credit
Went through my top bureau drawer (a hot spot because it was crammed) and got rid of undergarments that I never wear) and that made it easier to open and close! *credit
Our living room project has kinda slowed to a crawl. DH did paint 2 wall sections, that leaves 3 sections. He asked if I'd do the borders, that hurts his shoulder, so I did that yesterday. We still have not gotten the new furniture. I so wish the room was larger but it is not so that is what i have to work with.
Great credits, Holly! Thanks for posting progress and helping me in the process to stay centered! It's amazing to me how things can move forward!
Thx, Mountain Momma for encouragement to keep posting....do you have a project?? As FL says, just jump in where you are.
It's our 20th anniversary and again, DH seems to be more into the process! It's a day off and I snuck to the PO in my jammies this morning to see if the new wallpaper border had arrived that I picked for my office. I like the "Key West" border, which was the only thing I could find years ago at H.Depot, but I decided recently that I wanted something to more reflect my life. credit. It was there but I had to sign so I'll go get it after I finish posting. I hope I like it and it will be easy to put up.
This morning I:
1. swept hardwood floors and cleaned a hotspot (coffeemaking area)...also took out compost and scrubbed the containers then cleaned kitchen sink
2. Old clutter....went through a drawer in dining room and determined everything was, in fact, a keeper, although I did find an empty bag to pitch
3. Current clutter....it's all in the office and I'll have to deal with it before installing wallpaper.
Last week I went through an office drawer and put several old "organizers" in the thrift box. I went through them first....pitching old business cards, etc. I found a to do list from years ago in one of my attempts to get organized in Alaska. I've been thinking about this for years. I also found notes from a college class...1977...that's how long I've been hauling this stuff around.
As I continue this process, pitching, organizing, cleaning....I recognize that DH and I are having more of a "relationship" where we both take responsibility for our home life. I like that.
Lexxiss: congrats on 20 years! We reached that milestone just about a year ago. It feels great.
I don't have much of a project right now, but I'm still absorbing the energy of this thread. I made sure that putting up the Christmas tree motivated us to take care of two projects in that room that had been sitting there for years! Woohoo!
Lots going on with us all here in our clutterfree corner.
I have had about 4 requests from people who want to "drop by my studio and see where I work". In my studio are a series of canvases pushed up against one wall. On the other wall is the 8' x 4' piece of marine plywood for our potters' and the weavers' and spinners' guilds new outdor sign. We are creating the mosaic part of it in my studio space so the grout can cure in temperatures that are above zero! I think this project will happen toward the end of the second week of December. I expect it to take about 4 days give or take a day on each end. Once done it'll continue to lean against my studio wall until the town tells me when they can uninstall the old sign and install the new one. I may need to find a second space to store it in so I can have my work space back, as it may not be installed until the spring. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm concerned about just getting the mosaic to be right--whatever that means.
And along the back wall I have my work table which has my mannequin underneath it, an easel in front of it, chairs and portfolios full of prints alongside it and a box and a bag on it. I need shelves to put some inspiring objects on. I need an area for books. I need a printer. I need to get my ott lite there. I need a coffee maker.
I actually can't wait for visitors. I sure hope I can have many lengthy pithy art discussions there.
Anyway, it's my studio space I need to tackle. People will be coming to visit soon! And I have to get in there and start work soon, like next week. I already have a Dec, deadline to meet. Good grief I have a dec. deadline to meet! Bye for now.
I'm on the run this morning reminded by FL I'm not behind...just jump in where you are. I thought I'd have home time yesterday but it was not to be. We spent the afternoon taking hubby's DD around to do chores since her car is out of commission. I got home with less than an hour until the next event which I was supposed to bring food to. I made my dip and made DH a pizza.
Even in the rush I washed several items. I know now from experience that certain things are 10x harder to wash the day after;
~knives
~pizza cutter
~cuisinart (blended cream cheese)
I was sure happy this morning when I could just put them away without the marathon scrub down.
Even in my rush I've picked up the kitchen, installed a timer on my outside wreath AND
made the decision to throw the timer away that didn't work. I've been finding out it didn't work for years now and keep throwing it back in the timer box.
progress in fits and starts
stalling
I've thought of you with your new habits in place though! I will commit to checking in more often. 
Lots of activity
