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Post by dtesposito on Jul 8, 2015 6:20:27 GMT -5
Lucie, do you mean there was dirt piled in front of the doors? And you dug it out and moved it? Doors that open all the way DO make things easier!
So, I got to bed really early yesterday and was able to wake up extra early. I got sick and tired of moving the ladder back and forth in my small kitchen while waiting to finish the blinds, so I decided to finish them this morning. They are DONE! And the ladder is put away.
I looked at the window--it's puttied shut at the bottom--I can't even remember if I did this years ago (I don't think I did) and I'm wondering if it's worth chipping that away so I can see if the window opens. I'll decide that another day--it's not top priority right now.
And, I did my stretching yesterday in the middle of the day. I'm much busier today so I don't think I'll get to them mid-day again today.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 8, 2015 6:31:08 GMT -5
Sparkle, if you've still got the decluttering people coming today, GOOD LUCK and keep us updated when you can. There seem to be lots of posts on the board lately about people who hired help and are so happy and relieved that they did.
Keep reminding yourself that you are releasing "things" and in return you will gain peace of mind and freedom--so much more important than "things"!
Diane
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Post by lucie on Jul 8, 2015 6:46:09 GMT -5
No, that was no dirt. It is a concrete like floor that has cracked and risen in the middle. The concrete was about 2 cm deep and we cracked it with a hammer and a chisel into small pieces which I swept away. Now there is a bare dirt showing in the middle of the landing, surrounded by the rest of the concrete floor and we can open the door easily. I am talking about inside of the house. The door opens into a staircase that leads to the two flats - one above another.
Does it make sense? I do not know how else to describe it.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 8, 2015 7:48:34 GMT -5
Yes, it makes sense and I understand what you're talking about now. I was picturing a door that opened outwards into a yard. But now I get it--an inwards opening door and a concrete floor inside, the concrete was hitting the door so you couldn't open it properly--pretty smart to use a hammer and chisel!
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 8, 2015 21:13:35 GMT -5
Stretching done for today!
Diane
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Post by mythreecats on Jul 8, 2015 22:57:08 GMT -5
ooh, me, too! I moved in April (again!) and I can't quite get over the last decluttering hump. That's my goal.
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Post by flotsam on Jul 9, 2015 5:52:59 GMT -5
Great work on the kitchen blinds, Diane! Were those the last ones, or do you have some more? I played some shelf tetris (added one shelf, but this was tricky because it's very tight there) and book tetris (only 4 books to rehome, but very big ones with more than 2 inches each, and two of them have to be accessible very easily). So far I'm not really convinced, and there's still one pile on the bed. The shelves are not deep enough. I'll have to think about it more. At least I started.
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Post by sidestep on Jul 9, 2015 8:20:09 GMT -5
Ok, dtesposito, I passed my Trial 3-Day Challenge & am in for July! Since I went down in flames last Oct., I am tender-footing it regarding setting time completed goals or specific goals. Meanwhile, just know that I'm committed to WORKING HARD DAILY thru the month of July, & will re-evaluate/re-commit after that for August! (No whispering needed now!) Thanks for your challenge! L.E.: Yes, I'll hop back in to report more visible progress hurdles!
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 9, 2015 13:35:16 GMT -5
Alright Sidestep! Working hard every day IS a goal, and it's a good one. And July is already 1/4 over--see how fast it goes?
Hi Mythreecats, do you still have unpacking to do? Or just haven't found places for everything yet?
Flotsam, I still have 5 sets to go. 3 are in the dining room, and are very visible, and the sun shines back there part of the day, and ever since I started the blind cleaning project I'm painfully aware of how dirty they look every time I go in there. I said I'd do 2 sets for this challenge so 1 of those 3 is next.
The last 2 will be the most difficult, since you mentioned tetris, you'll know what I mean. They're in my second bedroom, which serves as a work/storage room--there's a work table in the middle of it, and all around the walls, including the ones with the windows, are pieces of furniture. There's room to walk around the table, but not a huge amount of room. So, moving anything away from the windows will involve moving the table over first, and it will be very tight--there's no extra space. Plus my plants are in those windows, so I guess I'll have to move them out too if the blinds are going to come down to their full length--right now they are permanently kept at half way up the window. So, not looking forward to those last 2.
Diane
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Post by flotsam on Jul 9, 2015 13:56:31 GMT -5
I don't envy you, Diane. Maybe you are lucky and the last set will only have to be scrubbed half. I had forgotten that I put some small things in the back of the shelf (usually not visible since the shelves are at the bottom). After a little rearranging everything fits. I'm not sure it'll work, but I'll know this only after trying it for a while. I don't like how the books are arranged though. It's handy, but looks very awkward.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 10, 2015 9:31:20 GMT -5
Flotsam, you're right, since the half of the blinds have been closed, and will remain closed, I very well may find that they don't need to be scrubbed. Hmm, you're making me think that maybe I don't need to move everything then...I'll have to think about this some more.
I hope your shelf configuration works out. Sometimes I'll rearrange something in a way that seems to make sense, or looks good--but after a while it just doesn't work for me and I change it back. I have to have things laid out in ways that make it easy to get to the things I use all the time, otherwise I don't put things away where they belong.
I did do my stretching yesterday, during the middle of the day, and I should be able to do that again today since I'll be home. And, today was supposed to be spent visiting my sister but that plan was cancelled, so I have some unexpected free time. I'm vowing to spend 2 hours today on my challenge items. Not sure on what, but 2 hours should be manageable.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 10, 2015 20:58:51 GMT -5
Well, I didn't get anywhere near 2 hours done today, but I did do 45 minutes on my book job, so I guess that's better than nothing. I did my stretching also.
Diane
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Post by sparkle on Jul 10, 2015 21:56:44 GMT -5
My apologies for not keeping up with posting. I am in the thick of getting help to clean out the barn. I posted the story on Bin There, Dump That. i've called in the pros.
Last night we had another big hail storm and, once again, there were black bits all over the deck this morning so I put on my big girl panties and called the insurance company. Sure enough, I'm well covered so I asked them for a recommendation and they gave me the name of a company that they like. I called and their field man was just finishing an estimate on a house about a mile and a half from here. Living out in the country like this it's rare to get same day service so I snapped it up. I will need a whole new roof so I called and filed a claim so that ball's rolling now, too. When it rains, it pours. The pros will be here in the next couple of weeks to clean out the barn. I hope they don't overlap.
Diane, I'd like to thank you for making me stretch. I've been keeping up except for yesterday when I had a meltdown from the barn mess. I should have done them then because I also find them to be a good stress reliever. I started my day with a good stretch today which may be where I found the gumption to make the insurance call.
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Post by angela on Jul 11, 2015 1:26:46 GMT -5
Reading back on everyone's progress. sparkle, I am so excited for you getting some pro help with the barn. I can't wait to hear how it all turns out for you. I have a couple big project goals going on and I need to be a little more accountable about the progress. Continue decluttering my own possessions. Back porch: needs cleaned and decluttered. The organizational bones are still there under the grunge. Doom Room: oh so very much to do... And oh, sorting my own excess is just one of the major projects. First priority is extracting things for the yard sale. Also working on bringing things upstairs that I need to have closer, in the interest of consolidating. This week, a deadline to sort wool and stuff wholesale wool into wool bags for shipment.
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Post by flotsam on Jul 11, 2015 5:56:19 GMT -5
Angela, your plan sounds quite ambitious. I wish you success! I'm following your blog, and your thinking about tiny houses has made me think about my plans to upsize (in space, not in belongings). But that's one way or the other not going to happen very soon. Diane, I really want to get rid of the paper piles on the bed (which I had to put on the table/desk every night and back onto the bed every morning). I rearranged the books some more, and now it is handy and looks quite good (or well? arrgh! 80% for 'good' I'm too layzee to look it up). That small goal was reached quite quickly. I want to go on with getting rid of the dorm-look, and that means obviously getting rid of paper, reducing and (if necessary) replacing binders so that they no longer look higgledy-piggledy. I'll report on that mainly on the Paper Clutterer's Thread, sometimes here.
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