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Post by morningglory on Apr 3, 2012 10:47:45 GMT -5
Wow. Just made tremendous progress. Nothing is back there now. All I have left is that little plastic box of miscellaneous junk, which I brought into the living room to sort through. Right now our little guy is picking through it to salvage all his various LEGO pieces. :-)
A small number of items were put away in the garage, such as bicycle helmet and bike lock and some tool-related items.
I also had to put into the garage a power supply that is broken. I didn't want to, but hubby insisted, because he said it can be repaired and would cost $70 to replace. OK. I doubt it is something we really need to keep or that will ever be repaired, but giving in to that (just as I gave in on some stuff I really wanted to keep) kept things moving along.
More toys went into the donation bag, which is great progress for me, because I tend to hold onto all toys, even when they are not something the kids actually use much or will ever use again. I even decided that I want to give away some of the toys I had already salvaged from that pile.
So all I have left to do is finish up that little box, which currently sits at my feet, and that "pile" will have vanished completely. Then it will just be left to wash the floor underneath where it *was*.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2012 11:25:23 GMT -5
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Post by morningglory on Apr 3, 2012 12:07:46 GMT -5
Aw, yeah--IT PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!
I just got done washing down the floor and wall with Mr. Clean disinfecting kitchen cleaner and lots of water. It looks great! I even spent the time to scrub up something sticky that didn't come up with all the regular washing. However, I then had to check myself before I went into total perfectionist mode, as I felt that I wanted to KEEP washing back there! Regardless, at this point, the corner is clear and clean and shiny!
I also sorted through the majority of what was in that remaining plastic box. Some stuff was for saving (filing with keepsakes) but a lot was for tossing! I have a tiny bit left in the bottom of that box, but I don't think it will take long to dispatch it. Once that is done, I will have completely taken care of that whole pile of stuff that was back there.
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Post by casper on Apr 3, 2012 12:11:48 GMT -5
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Post by morningglory on Apr 3, 2012 12:15:50 GMT -5
THANKS, CASPER!!
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Post by moonglow on Apr 3, 2012 16:18:31 GMT -5
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Post by morningglory on Apr 3, 2012 16:33:42 GMT -5
Thank you, moonglow. I can't tell you how helpful it is to know people are watching and cheering me on. Both the encouragement and support, on the one hand, and the necessary confrontation and kick in the butt, on the other, are great motivators to me.
I am proud to say that I finished cleaning out that remaining plastic box--so the whole pile has now been dealt with. :-D
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Post by MissABCD on Apr 3, 2012 16:49:34 GMT -5
Great! Now if I could just replicate your effort here on my own mess! MissABCD
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Post by morningglory on Apr 3, 2012 17:27:56 GMT -5
You can do it, MissABCD! And I'll be cheering you on!
For the next few days I will be totally focused on the cleaning I need to do for Passover (followed by the first couple of days of the holiday, itself). It will be hard work, but mostly just cleaning (rather than decluttering) and cooking.
But I intend to be back here posting about more TOSSING AGGRESSIVELY next week!! There are still plenty of files and boxes and piles to be dealt with.
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Post by dayeanu on Apr 3, 2012 17:38:31 GMT -5
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Post by seashell on Apr 3, 2012 21:48:30 GMT -5
Great job!! Congratulations on all your hard work.
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Post by cando on Apr 4, 2012 1:44:32 GMT -5
MorningGlory, I just read your entire thread and can't believe how I have gone thru such similar things and still go thru them with my home. The paper clutter is the worst... the bags and boxes of them. I am working on them, too. Anyway, you have made such marvelous progress with the kitchen pile, basement pile, living room, papers, etc!!! I just bought new living room furniture a few months ago. And, replaced our refrigerator (thinking of how you just got your washer repaired). I am also in the mood to toss, aggressively and have been going thru tax boxes, too. We are in this together & I will be following your thread more closely. I wish you and your family a meaningful and happy Pesach. CD
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Post by morningglory on Apr 5, 2012 23:51:04 GMT -5
cando, I just read your post and you're right--it seems we are dealing with so many of the same issues at the same time! When I get going on this project again next week, I hope you will keep me posted on your progress, as well!
Thank you so much, dayeanu and seashell! As I keep saying, the encouragement and cheering and even the prodding is a great help to me. I can't wait to get back into this TOSSING, AGGRESSIVELY next week!
For now, I am in the process of thoroughly cleaning the inside and outside of my refrigerator, microwave, and stove. Already cleaned the kitchen work table. The kids cleaning out their bedrooms today. Next will be floor, counters, sink, shelves, and dishwasher. After that, the living room and dining room, and I'll be done cleaning for Passover. I know I'm running behind, but it seems I end up going right up to the deadline every year!
Someday, when my whole house is under control, I believe I will be able to get it done faster. Right now I am fighting against my perfectionism. Really all I need to do is remove any leavened grain products, so I can just clear, clean, and wipe down the surfaces I am dealing with, but the tendency is to scrub and wipe and spray and clean and rinse and repeat all of that again until I do not see any trace of any dirt whatsoever. But I simply do not have time for all that! I need to just get it clean in the normal sense, and kasher whatever needs kashered (usually by heating it up to a very high heat).
This will be my last post until Monday, when I hope to post some before and after pictures of my now non-existent kitchen pile, and maybe also some "before" pictures of the areas I plan to attack next.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 6, 2012 8:16:35 GMT -5
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Post by morningglory on Apr 9, 2012 12:13:51 GMT -5
Courageously, thank you for posting the link to the Passover thread. I look forward to reading through that. It is a time of year that pushes a lot of buttons for hoarders and/or squalor survivors. Perfectionism kicks in, as well as the feeling of being overwhelmed, because while Passover cleaning is difficult for anyone, it's harder when you have stacks and piles and boxes and too much stuff everywhere.
Attached is a "before" photo of the kitchen corner. It is actually from a couple months ago, so the pile didn't look *exactly* like this before I started, but it was the same idea and at least the same size. You can see how the back door (leading to the garage) is partially blocked by the pile, so that things that are supposed to go into the garage often ended up getting tossed onto the pile.
Will post another "before", and then the "after" photos next.
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