Hi Ladies!

Credit on supplies and completion of tasks. I am out at our cabin on the Platte River and enjoying the beauty of nature for the weekend. It is easy to keep this place in shape as we don't have the excess clutter that is in town.

Relaxing and maintaining is my goal this holiday weekend.

Hope the market is a good one for you and your bathrooms sparkle.

Hello.

I noticed tonight that my market supplies, which usually are painfully strewn all around my apartment, now seem to be not so much in the way and even though they aren't all put away, they aren't taking up all the space. I don't really get why that is except I guess when I decluttered and made my floor clean, I really made space and I must have made a lot cause like I say, it seems to be able to hold my amrket stock. So *credit*

Wow. Completely wiped out. Must go. Hope all is well with y'all!

Sweet!

This morning when I finally had the opportunity to look around I was just amazed at how quickly "things" start to slide. I just had enough time to unload the car and get ready for work and "stuff" just ended up wherever. I did a survey of each room:
~laundry/cat room-bicycle in the middle of floor
~office...laundry not put away, stack of books/mags/undealt paperwork/stuff to go downstairs
~dining room-lawn chairs headed towards basement in middle of floor
~kitchen-new cleaning supplies all over counter
~bathrooms dirty
~living room-little piles accumulating
~bedroom-CLEAN!!

I was a little frustrated at first and started s-l-o-w-l-y picking up. Remembering FL, I set my timer for 15 minutes. Amazing, the pace picked up...bike outside, lawn chairs to basement, laundry put away. Downstairs bathroom cleaned....paperwork sorted/filed/tossed.

IT TOOK 20 MINUTES! I have to persist. After that, I sat down and paid some tax bills (not yet due) but they are now done. I will file them NOW.

I have to persist and maintain my losses.

Now I'll go enjoy my morning coffee before work and will commit to the accumulated pile of books/papers on coffee table. (after work)

Hello

Very tired this Sunday morning. Had an early day and a late night last night.
Such a gorgeous day. Makes me want to swim in a lake. Little to no chance of that today.

I was gripped with *fear* about this coming month a few minutes ago. I still haven't made my schedule for all the events coming up, which will then break down for me all the work I need to get done and the type of work that needs to be done. In september I always think "oh, good, the busy summer is over" and then I realize "uh... NOW you REALLY get busy" as the schedule gets crammed with fall and xmas sales. For me though, I get to take off and fly away for at least a week at the end of November. So that's an excellent endpoint to my artistic year, and will surely set me up for next year.

So, for brain-dcluttering and fear reduction I need to get that schedule made.

As for today I have to do the to-do list as there are some things I really need to do or my work of last week will unravel. The kitchen is the top of the list. I have dishes to put away and I need to make a goal of removing whatever is on the kitchen floor so it is free and clear. I want a clean open kitchen by the end of the day. Maybe I can take some time to begin organizing my workspace more closely like one of my sets of drawers, the table top, or the cube shelf along the wall. We'll see. could also use some time off.

ok. I'll be back later.

Just got some inspiration from DW: she's ready for my pile of stuff from our trip to get put away and for my pile of stuff on the kitchen table to get put away.

Now, the trick is to figure out where, LOL.

Welcome home, BBE!

onebyone, great that you acknowledged the need for a little bit of progress on a day when you also needed some time off!

Me, glad I picked up yesterday...I felt much better in my space when I got up this morning. I attacked several procrastination projects which involved getting into my files and finding the "manuals" for my kitchen faucet (needs fixed) and for the electric cat box which needs to go away, manual included. credit for finding both.

It seems FL skipped Zone 1 (Entrance, Front Porch, Dining Room) and jumped into Zone 2 (Kitchen). I've decided to follow her lead and work in the kitchen this week. I am going to reorganize drawers, and purge in the process.

My thought this morning as I shuffled my "stuff" into it's proper place was this;

Even though there may be "room" for everything IT IS STILL about BEING HAPPY WITH LESS. I want to spend 1/2 hour when I get home today and purge again, starting under my kitchen sink.

Have a great day.

Hello

Well the end of the summer is this month. A few more weeks. I feel good about where I am at so far with this decluttering challenge. I would like to make it a priority to get more stuff out of here and donated or tossed. This requires me to go through my stuff. It's better as the "moving my stuff" is kind of done for a while. I don't feel a need to do any more of that kind fo work. *credit there for sure. Now it's zeroing in on what I am using, what I need to keep even if I am not using it right now, what I really want to keep and then "all the rest" which is the stuff I can get rid of one way or the other.

My schedule is tight now until December so I need to keep my decluttering projects short and to the point. But if I do them daily I can maintain what I have done in my marathon week of decluttering and I can advance the goal of an oasis-like environment of creativity and relaxation. Actually, I need to change my goal as the "looking normal from the living room window is pretty much achieved-at least as far as I want to take it right now. No towers of boxes and no clutter all over the floor. It remains clean and clear. The kitchen is clean as I write this no dishes in the sink-none on the counters. Everything that was dirty has been washed. The floor is clear. And DH did the cat area for me on Saturday. It looks great. He also organized the cat food cans which is great as we have been in a weeks long experiment trying to figure out what our Looloo cat likes to eat. She is inscrutable that cat. So far, Nature's Choice Venison and Pea is her hands down favorite. Venison. hello? A Key West stray who loves venison with peas. This is why we are experimenting cause you just never know...

*credit* alos for finally doing my to-do list. Some aprts are better than I thought, others worse. I do have lots going on and I have to make lots to do a good job at these events. My first big one is the opening of my joint show and my tea paintings in the same building. That's on thursday. After feeling totally discouraged, several times, for several reasons, instead if giving up I pushed forward. now I'll see what the return on my efforts will be. My show partner confessed to me today that she could not get herself to invite her list of friends or email whatevers to our show opening. This upset me greatly but it is her decision. It floors me how short-sighted people are. This was after the show organizer emailed to ask if it would be ok if she didn't come to the event as she had a wedding she'd like to go to and could we look after it. But not suggestion that she'd find a replacement for herself. And in discussion with my art show partner about this the other artist said "Oh we can handle it cause you know no one's going to come."
Well, why are we bothering then? Why did she do it? And yeeah, if she doesn't send email's out or tell people about the show, yeah, no one will come. So I sent out 50 invites and we'll see who shows. I am expecting 10. But before I got so mad, I was expecting 0 but it's one thing for me to think it, another for me to take it in from someone else, someone who is supposed to be my ally. And then to have the show organizer ask to not be there too. Another big Why Bother to me. Everyone complains that these spaces are no good, don't work, people don't come and when an attempt is made to try to change that people don't follow thorugh on their end of things. yesterday I was so upset at "the lack of professionalism" that I was fuming, and then I thought, everyone's a volunteer. Can you expect that from volunteers? I don't know. I am a professional, full time artist and it looks like there is indeed a big difference between being a professional and someone who makes things part-time. But then don't complain about the lack of sales or the poor attendance. People can't have it both ways. And you don't get good results without putting the time and the work in.

hmmm. Goes for de-cluttering and weightloss as well.

And on that tricky observation I will move along. Thanks for listening.

OneonOne: Glad you are happy with the decluttering progress you have made at home. How frustrating it must be to do your part and not to have others pick up their part.

Lexxiss: I am with you on following FlyLady this week. My Kitchen is the dump zone and I intend to follow the daily tasks to get it back up to speed. Only makes sense as this is where I spend a lot of my time when I am here.

Out and about Thursday and Friday. Going to Doctor for Thyroid and Menopause symptoms. Setting up my 50 year old well check.

Hello!

Rachel, any special kitchen projects??

onebyone, if I lived closer I would come to your opening. Great that after you "fumed" that you recognized that the only person you can change is you, whether it be in art stuff or weightloss. Yay for thinking through your plan now through December. BTW-I am having very good results with the FL 15 min/day declutter (and 5min. hotspots). I wear a timer around my neck and do it every morning (otherwise I'll procrastinate it later) and I'm amazed how quickly things are improving.

Last night I thought I was too tired to do under my sink, as I had planned. While I was cooking my dinner...staring at the pan....I thought why not just do it and I did. It took 5 minutes. I pitched some stuff, moved stuff I rarely use into the basement pantry and washed the bottom before reorganzing. credit.

This morning I took advantage of my early morning energy to get a few kitchen drawers cleaned out (onebyone, I believe you have the same rainbow plastic drawers). I'm really trying to remember to save enough time so I don't leave more of a mess than I started.

Oh, BTW, been meaning to mention several things...
Rachel, once you asked me who is responsible for "our" space. I never answered. It is me. I can't make DH change, although I'm noticing the longer I do and talk about it he is getting better. Today on the phone he said he was doing small cleaning things like me and had washed down the washer/dryer at the other house, where he's at now.

Oh, just in general....I have always been agitated about DH trimming his beard/moustache over the mirrors and leaving all the hair. I got a big surprise during FL bathroom week when I washed the bathroom floor. It hadn't been done for awhile and it was lots of my long curly dark hair. Boy was I amazed! Now that I know that I'm being very much more careful about how I brush my hair and I'm making a commitment to sweep more often.

That's all....

Soooo good to hear your feedback Lexxiss. I wiped out my sink after I use it. I am the Oscar to my husband who is the Felix. He has been patient with me, is complementing me on my efforts to change my messy ways. I am surprised at how some things are staying organized and clean.

My refrigerator is on my list this week. I want to clean off the shelves and then go thru the freezer to see what I really do have. I am cleaning the top of the refrigerator which is a catch all. Then whatever Fly Lady commands, I am following!

I showed up at my appointment 2 hours early today. My inner Fly Lady kicked in and I washed my car, cleaned out the inside of my car, Cleaned my purse, and made a return list for things that need to go back to the store. I have one box ready to go to goodwill and will continue on.

OneonOne: glad you can vent here and then continue to do what is BEST for you. I agree with Lexxiss, I would come for a tea and artist encounter with you.

Rachel, great job dealing with the car when you found you had some spare time. I'm really finding that the whole FL timer thing has got me doing extra little things here and there AND especially noticing how short of a time most things really take if I just do them.
I used to be oscar and DH was felix....however I think I am really starting to notice that through my persistence I am starting to see a change in the wind. I have started to notice that my DH is quite a collector, but in less public areas....his shop and his two personal closets. I've decided that they are "none of my business". I'd rather focus on all the public areas; LR, DR, kitchen, TV room, BR and baths AND especially my office/personal room, which has all my clothes and other personal stuff. I have started simply taking his items which get left around the house and leave them on his desk. His desk seems to get cleared off and I don't see where it ever goes. His desk and two closets are in an upstairs corner that no one else ever sees (including me).

I had a personal success to share this evening. I was thinking I'd go over and stay w/DH next W-TH-F, but have to take my mom to an eye appt. DH and I talked and decided he'd come over and get me tomorrow AM so I could have 3 days at the hot springs. I decided to cross a few things off my list tonight. 60 minutes of my life:
5 min-cut up chard and put in the dehydrator
5 min-wash off top of refrigerator
10 min-take down my pretty stained glass fixtures in kitchen/wash/reinstall
My original intent was to simply clean under the refrigerator. Once I had it moved I could see all the cat hair/dust inside the mechanical stuff in the back. I got my tool kit (didn't used to have one), took off the back and proceeded to clean it out really well. There was lots of cat hair twisted up in the fan.
After I finished that, as long as the little vac was out I did all the edges in the kitchen and 1/2 bath, then cleaned out the lint trap for the dryer.
40 more minutes total.
The best news is that I did my refrigerator last month AND KEPT IT CLEANED OUT.
So I will wash my floor in the am and be done with Zone 2 for this time.

I am really growing as I persist with this process. I am finding someone inside that I didn't really think existed.
Thx for listening

Love to hear your progress. Isn't interesting in how procrastination and lack of action has to do with time and not making a decision. Your night is empowerment at it's best! Enjoy!

Hi!

No extra decluttering today. I do have a dishpan in the sink, full of hot soapy water, into which all today's dishes are going. We are just getting ready to eat dinner and all those dishes will go right into the hot water so I can get them out and done before bed. It's late now, almost 9pm. But I am partly responsible as I decided to batch cook some diabetic friendly "magic rolls" so it's time well spent. Part of planning ahead, and with the hot soapy water, I'm ready for the clean up too.

I did catch myself accepting the notion that we have "breakfast dishes" everyday. I have never thought of us as having breakfast dishes, such a mundane everyday kind of thing. But we do. Almost everyday. And now that I accept it, I plan for it. It's all good.

I sent out 54 invites to my art opening. Between us, I don't even think that the shows have anywhere near my best work BUT it is good work and it is my work, and it is using the facilities to the max, which is never done here. I have heard back from 5 people, one who said she'll be there. So if she's the only one, there will be four of us and that's enough for a party!

Any suggestions for food I can bring to the event? Does anyone have a favorite party recipe or suggestion? Something that always goes over well at potlucks?? I'm all ears.

Thanks for all your good wishes btw. I'll raise a glass to you guys for sure.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm pretty sure I've taken this picture before -- for a decluttering thread we had a couple of years ago. It's the balcony off of my study and over the sunroom. Really, one of the most interesting places in the house. So, how did it get turned into a storage room? Time to do something better with it!

My vision: a relaxed reading space

I moved the stuff from our vacation from the floor to the bed in the morning, sorted a bit, and put it back on the floor before going to bed last night.

There just gotta be a better way than to shuffle and shuffle removing one item at a time, LOL. But, by my standards, it's progress.