As the month draws to a close, what would you like to have accomplished in February so you don't have to deal with it as Spring approaches? How can you move forward creating a satisfying supportive physical environment which nurtures you? Post your projects here and get it done!

Thanks, onebyone, for getting us going again.

This week I intend to clear up lots of little things so the decks are clear once again.

Financial bits and pieces to chase up.
Quote for a job where the potential client is keen, inexperienced, busy and sounds very nice.
MoT (annual check of car for roadworthiness) to prepare for.
Get on top of my part of the ironing pile.

I also want to finish off another job for a client. They have been fiddling about since August and I think crunch time may be approaching for them. I am very keen to get this out of my hair but I don't want to let it go if parts of it (for example, statistics) are wrong.

I have a few things I'd like to finish in February so I guess I should make a plan for the week. I don't like to move forward on my personal taxes. I'd like to finish reports for the business taxes. I'm sure I will think of something else, as well.

Last week some great progress in my yard with beautiful warm days. Saturday I set the timer for 20 minutes then set the timer for another 20 minutes and set the timer for another 20 minutes. I always resist starting but once I get going I really enjoy it. Credit.

I also spent a morning in the little house next to my rental which is lots of family storage. I needed to move a dresser from the rental into the storage and there was no place to put it. I reorganized and got rid of some things. I had two twin mattresses that had been sitting there forever. I put them on the Facebook garage sale site and a friend of mine came and picked them up within 20 minutes. I also took numerous items to the thrift store.

I didn't buy anything new this week which means that My stash has gotten smaller. LOL. Have a great week everyone!

Hi!

Dishes done, bed made and laundry processed. My reliable 1-2-3 dance. When I started this process I would neatly fold dh's clothes and would put mine away. When he would sort mine just ended up in a pile. So several years ago I decided I could just as easily put mine away and pile his for his own folding. It's a process that works for me since I take on many other household responsibilities.

I gathered mail and opened all this morning. I was waiting for a temporary mailed password from my health insurance. I found it and went online to pay my monthly premium. Glad that has seen closure. Next month will be easier.

I picked up a bit in my office and will tackle taxes/paperwork tomorrow on my first day off. That will free my time/headspace for something new.

Hi.

My studio had unexpected WATER just in the center of it and miraculously it missed all the paper and all the prints that I have on my floor. Water is a disaster for me. If it happens again I will have to pack up my studio there. I can't risk that. Apparently it was a one time thing by someone who was enthusiastic with power washing the floor over the weekend. I haven't had water before (it's been a few years that's I've been there) but even once could have been too much. I'll head up to the studio and really examine where it went and whether anything has been damaged.

And since I'll be pulling up stuff and wiping stuff down I will continue my clearing out/cleaning up in the space. I noticed I couldn't make it to the coffee maker yesterday. A small table and a large matteboard blocked me. I need to make all surfaces accessible and all applicances functional. That coffee maker probably needs a good cleaning. May replace it with the Tassimo.

So here are the goals for this week. Each one has a few smaller steps to accomplish them:

1) lift up all flooring. Put new stuff down. (cheap sponge squares)

2) clear off my desk area. I love sitting and working there. It is jam packed with large rolled up prints and paper. I need more concrete tube forms from home depot to store my papers and prints in. Will get some today.

3) make space for storing things on my big shelf. So moving things around up there as well. Also removing things, like the boxes that are full of my brother's stuff. Time to go through them perhaps or at least make them more accessible on that shelf.

That's enough for the week.

onebyone, i'm so glad to hear you didn't have any water damage!

I've been trying to get over the hump with a cold and I didn't feel like doing much yesterday. Somehow between rests I managed to get the dishes done, move the laundry forward, carpet clean the pet room and Give the cocker spaniel a bath. I didn't do them all at once. I alternated between rests. It made it manageable and as I sit here today I feel happy that those things are crossed off the list.

I have the entire day to myself and the weather is crappy outside so I will try for the same today. Some rest and some projects accomplished.

While the power was out yesterday, I made progress on a bunch of the physical items.

Mail stack. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: caught up

Tickler. Current state: today. Goal: today.
Progress: caught up

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: caught up

Email. Current state: 935 total, 267 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: falling behind

Checkbook. Current state: balanced. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: caught up (but now I'm wondering why I haven't seen the February statement yet)

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

I didn't make much headway last week - work has increased exponentially and so that means several hours of working in the evenings from home many nights and a decent amount on the weekends. That said, though, I did buy the paint for the living room, so a small step forward there. Still have to check out what supplies are fresh and what need to be bought.

Brother and SIL are contemplating a trip here - possibly as early as in two weeks. If so, that would mean a LOT of deep cleaning - which really sounds terrible. We don't live in a disaster ... it's just things i don't see (drips on cupboard doors, dust bunnies under this, cobwebs on curtain rods) that I want to be cleaned off and not noticed. DH and I said we'd tackle stuff every night but last night was work (me) and prepping for two interviews today (him). A part of me would prefer that they visit in June when it's pretty here, we can sit on the patio, etc., but then DH is not off much and they'd miss the art exhibit they're looking forward to seeing in Chicago.

Tonight's goal: Quick vac around house, dishes done after dinner and master bathroom sweep/sanitize.

Mail stack. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: caught up

Tickler. Current state: today. Goal: today.
Progress: caught up

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: caught up

Email. Current state: 905 total, 236 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: a little progress

Checkbook. Current state: balanced. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: caught up (but now I'm wondering why I haven't seen the February statement yet)

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: did some sorting

DH left yesterday for our other home. I realized I get behind on things when he's here and need to make an extra effort when he's gone.

Yesterday....
~misc. housework
~mailed off old cell phone for rebate
~finished company books, printed reports and delivered to my mom!
~transferred all pics from phone to computer storage....deleted some, added others to appropriate files and left some for later. I recognize digital photos are far easier when kept up with.

Today....
~finished 2015 Fed. Taxes (will file on Apr.15)
~finally did 2014 State Taxes (refund coming)

That took a large chunk of time but once started I was just in the mood to finish. We owe substantially less than last year due to Alaska trip. Yay!

Today I'll take the rest of the day to relax and pick up small stuff. Tomorrow I head back to work.

I was resistant to taxes this morning. I lured myself in with "only 15 minutes" and ended up finishing.

Well, my "tonight's goal" yesterday will carry over to tonight because I ended up taking DH out for dinner to our little local spot downtown for salad and cheese pizza to "celebrate" him going through two job interviews in one day. He was chatty about it and we just headed out, then came home, lit a fire and relaxed, and fell asleep by the fire after midnight, so off to bed.

Have a lot of things to handle this weekend. Passing on some living room tables to a coworker - brought two in to work with me today in the back of the CRV and he will pick up the coffee table tomorrow. GONE out of our garage and to someone who could use them for free. I really like them but just have no room and no use.

I read an article on 100+ things to get rid of and thought, "seriously? People keep these around?" like hairbands that don't have elasticity, gifts from ex's, torn envelopes, etc. Wow.

DH is working all weekend and into next week on days now, so will try to alternate getting things done with relaxing a bit and enjoying a little down time. Would like to get that wall painted as a No. 1 goal.

Back again ... found a new home for our [fairly new] coffee table and two end tables but not a huge amount invested in them ... the coffee table was picked up as scheduled today, so feel good about that and more room in garage.

Have a VERY large peace lily that was sent for my mom's funeral that I brought home and surprisingly it's still alive. I semi-repotted it today - took off the old straw basket and liner and have it sitting in another pot that will allow easier watering, but it just takes up a 4' space it seems. It needs light, or I'd put it in our master bath for some greenery and to enjoy the moisture. It seems we all come to a solution once it's brought forth.

Hi!

Yesterday I made it to the studio and I cleared off my desktop and the surface to the right of it. This is my prime real estate in there. I LOVE sitting in that space and I have had no access to it or used it since last spring. Wow. Once I got busy with outdoor selling last year all work in my studio stopped. I don't want that for myself this year. I want to be in there year round.

I used the giant tubes I bought the other day at Home Depot to house my paper and prints. It's not ideal as I think the edges of my paper are getting smooshed and just rolling them and shoving them into the tubes made me think the paper was getting damaged (wrinkles/creases are REALLY BAD for prints and can make them unshowable rendering all the work useless sales-wise!). But if I didn't have the tubes they would have been wrecked for sure.
Now I have 4 yellow tubes standing upright in my studio. They are visually distracting. Maybe today I can make room for them in my storage area. A little shuffling around and I might make it happen. If I can store them lying down that would be ideal.

Anyway the whole place is usable!!! Yay!!! My mini chandelier is hanging. I am bringing in favorite art pieces to hang along the ceiling edge of my studio for visual interest and inspiration and joy. It's all coming along. I wish the space was bigger but paring it down into a writing and printmaking space only was the best decision I made so far. It streamlines my decluttering process and directs the process in my dining room which is now my painting studio. I did opt to keep an easel at my outside studio and will keep paint there too. Sometimes I will paint there but I have a choice to do so or not.

So great.

Today I am back there and the goal is to use my studio space and make something.

OneByOne - GREAT JOB - You can sense your relief and pleasure at the cleared space. Can you add artistic detail to the yellow tubes to make them more visually appealing - black bumblebees, white daisies, something like that that goes from one to the other for a mini mural?

I'm going to work harder on meal prep than cleaning today - I would like to prep some protein options so we can pull some meals together quickly and to also have options for lunches. This has priority for both of us. DH is working all day, so my sked is my own.

Kudos, onebyone! I look forward to hearing how your studio space evolves.

The weather has been beautiful here and I got to enjoy five hours out in the yard over the past few days. I looked around inside and recognize that might push for the taxes and paperwork had left some new clutter hanging around. I decided I would focus on at least One room per day and aim for 100% declutter in that room only.

It's working pretty well, so far. I will keep going on that this morning before I head to work.