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Post by angela on Jul 26, 2015 22:23:36 GMT -5
Today sorted more books. Have 2 more boxes in the go-away pile.
9 of the books are high dollar on the used market so I am setting those aside for the eBay project.
Parents came over and took away S's 2 bikes. We'll see if they sell at the garage sale. If they don't, they'll go to the local homeless shelter. There are a handful of homeless guys around that bike camp. I'm sure there a couple more that would use a bike if they had one.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 26, 2015 23:29:08 GMT -5
Have 2 more boxes in the go-away pile.
Wow, excellent.
I did my stretching tonight, but very carefully--I have a pain in my mid-lower back the last few days--it feels different from the usual lower back muscle pain, so I'm hoping I didn't do something with the back-arch stretch that I like so much. I didn't do that one today, and I did the others very gently until I see if this pain goes away.
So far this is looking like another light week for paid work, so I hope to make some progress on some of these challenges by the end of the week. We'll be half way through this one by then.
Diane
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Post by phoenixcat on Jul 27, 2015 0:39:12 GMT -5
Way to go on the books and bikes Angela!! Both you and Diane are doing great with letting go of books. Diane- Hope your back feels better tomorrow. For being literally the "backbone" of the entire body - it can be amazing fragile. I finished the stuffed animals!! They all have a home now. I have NEVER been able to put all of my stuffed animals out at one time before. 1) I needed room and 2) I needed room either high up or off limit to cats. I sorted out six bins of clothes and discarded 3 bins. I even decided to donate the bins All of our clothes are now in our closet - mostly accessible except for the one bin I kept of slightly too small. The other two bins are retro/vintage - 70s disco, 70s little house on the prairie, 80s flash dance and can anyone say hammer time. Someday I will let them go but they are in a corner - completely out of the way for now. Good think we have August in the challenge because I know I won't finish by end of July. Angela - I'm a memorabilia packrat. Just reading your blog and yours sounds a lot more interesting than mine! I have every letter, every picture, every negative, every concert program, etc. etc. of everything since I was old enough to pass my first note in school. And, what I don't have, my mother does! I just shipped in about 8 huge boxes/bins of pictures from her house that she wants to do when we are together It will be a huge undertaking - I'm willing to get rid of 80-90% but overwhelmed with the volume right now. PC
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 27, 2015 18:41:08 GMT -5
Phoenixcat, you seem to be on a roll lately, great work on the clothes!
I'm willing to get rid of 80-90%
It sounds like a lot of work but if you really are able to get rid of so much paper it's going to free up a lot of space! Don't forget the possibility of scanning items too.
I just did my stretching, so that's over with for the day. My back is a little better, I went easy on it again today. I really think I might have overdone the back arching, but it seemed to help my neck so much that I didn't think it would hurt. This was a different kind of pain, not the usual lower back muscle pain that I get when I'm on my feet a lot--but a sharp pain that was kind of scary. I have a friend with bad arthritis in her back and it's very disabling, she's in constant pain. I really don't want that.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 27, 2015 19:18:15 GMT -5
I'm finally getting around to listing my decluttering areas. I won't finish these but having a list will help me pick something to work on next without having to wander around looking at everything again.
SUNPORCH
This room is pretty much okay, but I'm thinking about trying to get rid of two bins I have by the windows. One is large and one is small, and I put them there so my cats can use them as steps up to the window. (Of course, they're full of books too, but I honestly did put them there as steps!) However, there is another way up to the windows, I have a little set of actual pet steps that goes up to the large bin in front of my loveseat (acts as an ottoman and is also full of books). The cats can go up to the bin, which is always kept very close to the loveseat, which is against the windowsill, which runs around the three sides of the room. So they can get to either side of the windowsill by climbing up the other steps.
I love to get things away from windows. There was a time that I had so much stuff that I couldn't get near any window, and to open and close them I'd have to lean and climb over things. It's such a pleasure to walk up to a window and just reach down and open it! It would mean one more window that has empty space in front of it. Of course, I'd have to put them the bins somewhere else or get rid of the books. Ha.
While talking about the sunporch I'd also like something that looks a little nicer than the bin in front of the loveseat. I actually thought about the trunk before I got rid of it, but it had a rounded top and that spot is a favorite place for the cats to sit--and for me to put my feet up while reading--so the trunk wouldn't have worked. But I can live with the bin for now, I can't justify spending any money on something like that.
LIVING ROOM
Many pockets of clutter:
Main desk has two paper holders on it that look a little messy I have a pile of books on one bookshelf that are going to the little libraries, it's gotten too tall and looks silly There are two bags of CDs, one behind the desk, one in plain view under a small stand, that are extras that I can't decide what to do with My bird supply basket is overflowing, the basket itself is attractive and neat but not when things are sticking up out of it because there's no room for it There's been a book bin by the fireplace ever since I did my last major book sort, it's covered with a throw and looks okay. The cats used to like to sit there but are no longer interested in it, so it might be able to go--again, if I can find another place for the books The two boxes that form part of the steps up the little table next to my computer (where the cats sit when they want attention, which is all the time) are cardboard bankers boxes and look messy. It would be nice to have something better looking there, but I can't seem to find anything the right size My computer desk has a holder on the side for paperwork that is in progress. It usually has too much stuff in it and looks messy and overflows
ENTRYWAY
Very little to do here: 2 shopping bags on the closet door, things my friend gave that she thought I'd like--I told her I would return what I don't want, but haven't looked through them yet One bookshelf has books put in every which way and looks messy There's a small table that holds a little basket in which I keep "out the door" things--gloves, my MP3 player, my wallet, hand lotion. It's too full and is spilling out
HALLWAY
Has two small tables that are my "books to be read next" tables. One of them has two double stacks of books that are so high that they're wobbly and dangerous. One of the book cases has books going every which way and needs to be straightened up
DINING ROOM
There's a dollhouse (small, toy quality, but has a charming inside and I haven't been able to get rid of it) on top of my boxes of books and it looks silly there I have two book baskets which hold books I'm keeping and waiting to put away in the correct place. They have gotten really full. There is junk in one corner that I was stashing because I don't know where to put it. There are 2 large framed prints, and behind them, a pumpkin decoration, a shopping bag full of...I think, shopping bags? a large pot that I'm not sure I'm going to keep, and my exercise mat Some of my book storage boxes are leaning to the side and look really bad The last item on my handwritten list was "trunk needs to go down to storage unit" but I'm happy to say that in the meantime that trunk went out to the alley!
KITCHEN
I have a very dsyfunctional kitchen, no cabinets, no work counters. On the tiny little end piece of counter (a foot wide) next to my stove I placed a milk crate on its side to hold some things--the cat meds, a roll of paper towels, a bottle of olive oil, artificial sweetener packets, etc. I would really love to have something other than a milk crate here, but again, have not been able to find something cheap that's the right size
Underneath my sink is a horrible disaster, and is completely visible. Of course, the sink itself is a disaster (water is turned off because the faucet leaks so badly, entire sink top is held up with boards, and is sagging in the middle). I can't do anything at this moment about the sink, but I could clean out the underneath. I would like to find some kind of containers that are the right size to hold the stuff under there, but to look neater and more uniform.
BATHROOM
I would like some kind of wall basket that looks better than the little white shower caddy thing I have hanging over the sink to hold a hand mirror (I don't have a wall mirror or medicine cabinet) hair brush, etc. I have a CD player in this room that has rusted because of the moisture (still works fine, though!) so that looks really bad. They don't make a lot of CD players anymore, and I don't think I want to spend much money on one since this one is still working.
PANTRY
This room is always full, of both food and kitchen stuff, and I have some shelves ON the shelves to maximize space. The result is that it always looks messy in there. The door is open to the kitchen so anyone in the kitchen can see the messy shelves. I don't think there's a lot I can do about that now, I guess I could spend money for more consistent storage options for the shelves but don't feel I can justify that expense now either.
I did not include my two bedrooms in this list, because they are still pretty full and messy. They also both have a door I can close to keep people from seeing in!
Okay, just typing this out helped me. I hope to get a few of these things taken care of before this challenge is over, and will continue on during the next challenge.
Diane
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Post by Diane on Jul 27, 2015 21:38:46 GMT -5
I have been gone for a bit, but I haven't forgotten you all.
YOU ALL HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH IN THE LAST WEEK! Really, I'm impressed. Kudos to you.
As long as I'm working for pay full-time M-F, I don't get much done during those weeks. The energy and motivation plummet by evening, when my nerve pain picks up. So I thought I'd do it on the weekend, and instead ...
... I took a 23.2 mile (37.4 kilo) bike ride with hubby on Saturday! It made him very happy. It made this overweight grandma feel very accomplished too, but OH!, I was much tireder than I ever am during the workweek. And I promised to watch the 2-year-old grandson Saturday evening. Then hubby was sick on Sunday, I got going on a computer project, I went to a wedding ... and then the weekend was over.
Even the household maintenance is slipping back into the old patterns.
So tonight, Monday night, on the way home, I decided I'd do some maintenance and get in another lick on that closet. Pain or no pain (yes, pain), and energy or no energy (a little bit of energy left).
Which I did. I found two boxes of VHS tapes. I'm sentimental about them. I watched them with my kids, who are ages 34-24. We don't even have a working VHS player, but my son-in-law does. So I've been resisting. I finally went through one box, listed the movies I want to find on DVD if possible, and put about 10 tapes into the Donation Station. I'll go through the other VHS box sometime this week.
I WILL GET THAT CLOSET DONE BY AUGUST 31!!!!!
The kitchen is finally clean again, and some bills are paid.
Diane #2
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 27, 2015 22:10:59 GMT -5
Diane, you get extra credit for doing anything when you're working full-time. I know exactly the feeling of coming home so exhausted that you just want to sit down for the rest of the night--so any sorting you're able to do in the evening is a big accomplishment! Not to mention the 23 mile bike ride! Diane
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Post by 1rarebeautifuldove on Jul 27, 2015 23:07:14 GMT -5
Angela, good job on the books and bikes! Two boxes of books is a lot! dtesposito, that's a super master plan if I ever saw one. I hope the perfect places to put things come your way. Your kitchen sounds a lot like mine. Right now I'm using office furniture cabinets with shelves. We put a new to us sink in last fall. Somebody gave us one. I pray someone will do the same for you. Give you a lovely sink that you really like, that's just sitting in their back yard. Diane58, I'm impressed on that bike ride!! Well done! And a nice way to do something fun with your hubby! How long did you ride for? phoenixcat - yay that all your stuffed animals have a home and can live outside the box!!!! How wonderful!!! And yay that all your clothes are in the closet!! That's super! I think a challenge is just what I need. My piano is getting tuned at the end of August. It would be really neat for her to walk into my home and it be 75% clutter free and level 1 - 0 squalor in the living room and family room. She will see the biggest difference because the last time my piano was tuned was a year ago January or December. So I am way overdue. Should be every 6 months, but that's ok. Since she was here a lot of the squalor is gone so even if she walked in the door right now she'd notice a difference. The living room has been painted. The living room has and needs - Christmas Mountain needs to be put away and donated
- the treadmill desk - cleaned and books put away
- if the horses go to their retirement home, so will the rest of their stuff (much of their stuff is already gone to their new home), the lady came but they wouldn't load on the trailer, I think the horses being here is related to some mountain of clutter, not sure which one
- hang the picture of the hotel on the wall next to the piano
- move the loveseat from master bedroom to the living room
- 5 boxes of things by the hutch where I keep my music
- music books put away
- bring harp from craft room to living room, it was moved in there last summer so no harm would come to it when they did work here
- it would be nice to order the rosettes and buy molding for the doorway between living room and family room/kitchen
- I hope my brother will pick up the bag of drywall stuff that was going to go on the columns, we just decided to paint them
- put wallpaper for faux caps and bases on the 3 columns
The family room - dining table cleared
- end table donated
- clear shelves on top of dresser that I use as a hutch
- clear make shift counter island (desk top on a wooden crate)
Make progress and or clear away entirely the following mountains of clutter: - Red Carpet Range in family room
- Mysterious Mountain in craft room, necessary to access the harp
- Procrastinator's Hills in smaller closet
- Secret Mountain - in larger closet
- Shower Ridge
- Sawhorse Hills in master bath
Odds and ends: - hang drapes in Master Bedroom
- hang curtain rod on other window
- paint columns in bedroom
It would be nice to get a good start on the hummingbird and butterfly garden as well. And de-vine the pigeon aviary. And along the fence. That wild vine smells for me. I don't mind the vine coverage. I mind the smell. I don't like if climbing my oak as it will likely kill it.
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Post by angela on Jul 27, 2015 23:23:58 GMT -5
Diane on pushing through and getting some sorting done. That is the only way it happens sometimes, to just take those little bites with whatever energy we can muster at whatever time we can manage. It does sound like a fun weekend, so cool you were able to push through 23 miles! Wow! dtesposito, you know that list is not so bad. It read like a series of small projects that will refine things, especially in storage. __________ I went through another box of books today and am releasing I think about 60%? Not sure exactly but more than half. These are my big, beautiful coffee table books. A couple of which I spent mucho dollars on. But onward. Hmm, let me think. I think that was it. I had an unexpected visitor then I had to go work a demo. And since we're all posting our lists, here is mine, incomplete but a start. 1. Decluttering my own possessions. a. Upstairs bedroom DONE clothing, jewelry, bedding. TO-DO: small bookshelf, 2 drawers in dressing table, put keeper bedding in space bags. b. Sitting room DONE: CD's, DVD's, rehomed tech and electronic items in new plastic drawer bin, now in office closet. TO-DO: More book purging, keep dismantling piles (3) c. Office/Craft room DONE: Set up desk (huge wonderful project!), set up new rolling file cabinet, set up new plastic bins in closet for all the little tech and electronic stuff, brought up yarn bins, sorted yarn by color, assembled zip-lock bags with yarns and patterns for project queue. TO-DO: go through 2 boxes of papers, one box is mostly print outs of articles or patterns on crafting projects, will put in file box, other box is who-knows-what; go through yarn bins again and either make room for overflow yarn that is now sitting in a pile OR (ulp) release some yarn; box up vintage type items for storage; rudimentary set-up for upstairs cooking station; rudimentary setup of crafting table/station; painting of metal shelves to set up for fabric and supply storage, etc. This room needs a lot more work. d. Bathroom DONE: Medicine cabinet decluttered and de-molded, S's drawer emptied, my 2 drawers decluttered and tidied, counter decluttered with items in use consolidated but still on counter. TO-DO: 2 more drawers to declutter, try putting in-use items in drawers (ulp, I have a hard time with things being out of sight) e. Kitchen DONE: ALL upper cabinets completely emptied, cleaned, decluttered, restocked with keeper foods in an organized manner, HUGE thanks to my chat buddies for help with this one; refrigerator decluttered and cleaned, two drawers that S used last summer emptied, cleaned, restocked with original keeper contents. TO-DO: All lower cabinets decluttered and cleaned, declutter top of microwave, keep trying to put out the ever-burning hot spot on the kitchen table. f. Dining/Fiber roomDONE: All keeper supplements and samples from friend's move consolidated and stored in downstairs Doom Room, my own demo samples likewise, all dyed and washed fiber consolidated in stacking boxes with inventory bags on the side, spinning fiber storage reorganized, all keeper face and body care products put away in two rolling plastic drawer bins (I would like these to be in the Doom Room with all the other samples eventually, emptied, decluttered and restocked small drawer in small desk, consolidated fiber processing tools. TO-DO: A couple of things on the small desk need rehomed, almost a hot spot. I think that is really it though! Also on the list but not written out in detail, the Little House, the Pump House, and the downstairs Doom Room. I am already doing some work in this room by sorting books.
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Post by 1rarebeautifuldove on Jul 28, 2015 2:03:09 GMT -5
Angela, you've gotten a lot done on that list! That is so great! It looks like the dones outnumber the to dos! I am so happy for you!!!!!!
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Post by angela on Jul 29, 2015 0:42:55 GMT -5
Thanks 1rarebeautifuldove! It was really positive to write that out and to see that I have gotten quite a lot done. _______________ Today I made a VAN LOAD of stuff go away. A bookcase and I think 8 boxes of books to my Mom's for the garage sale on Saturday. Along with a couple of boxes of miscellaneous stuff from the upstairs office. Dropped off a modem for my friend as well as 2 computers, monitors, keyboards, and mice for recycling or repurposing or whatever they need to do with them. A stop at G.W. to drop off "rag" textiles for recycling as well an especially old CRT monitor. Sorted through 2 more boxes of books in the Doom Room. Again, half are going, well already gone in that they are at my Mom's for the sale. So far my release rate for books seems to be at about 50%. Found a couple more that are listed for high dollar online so will keep those for the online selling project. So far only one box worth, I think 14 books? I can handle that. Found out the 2 bikes are big dollars. Not surprised given S's penchant for spending his money on quality. Even used and old, they are sought after and selling online for several hundred apiece.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 29, 2015 9:26:29 GMT -5
WOW--I'm so excited to see LISTS here! I think detailed lists really make us SEE things that need doing.
Last night I turned my computer off to get ready for bed and THEN remembered the stretching, and I did do it, although I couldn't report it. Today my goal is to do it in the afternoon when I come home. My back feels a little better every day, so I'm afraid that stretch could have been hurting it. It's a shame because is helped my neck, but I'm not going to do it again until my back feels completely better, and then I will only do it gently and occasionally.
I also tackled the "read next" book pile from my list of clutter. It took way longer than I thought it would but it's done and the hallway looks much better.
Angela, is your mom's sale this week? Will she take all the excess to donate somewhere?
Diane
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Post by angela on Jul 29, 2015 22:25:42 GMT -5
Hi dtesposito, good job on your stretching! It sounds like you have a good plan for working out your needs for your back and neck. I'm so glad it's feeling better. on sorting your book pile. The sale I've got things in is this Saturday. I'll be helping. Anything that is left is going to two of my favorite charity thrift shops.
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Post by sparkle on Jul 29, 2015 23:04:52 GMT -5
Oh my. Bike rides and book reduction and VAN LOADING and working and donating and stretching. You guys are doing just great.
Challenge #2 is coming to fruition. Work on the barn starts Monday morning.
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Post by angela on Jul 29, 2015 23:35:49 GMT -5
Woo hoo sparkle! Can't wait to hear how it goes!
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