2018 Get Organized & Declutter Your Stuff

[TheOtherMe]

My bedroom carpet could use a good cleaning.  Don't know when it's happening.  At least with hardwood and ceramic, the other floors do get cleaned.

[startsmart]

Bean - insurance doesn’t cover out of country rentals but it’s fine, they mostly want you afraid that you’ll be paying for everything in an accident. The roads are terrible between pot holes and speed bumps but it’s all good!

[TheOtherMe]

I may or may not have ordered myself a Christmas present.  Okay.  I did.  I have a new iPad arriving tomorrow.  

[bean29]

Dec 7, 2018 10:47:17 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I may or may not have ordered myself a Christmas present.  Okay.  I did.  I have a new iPad arriving tomorrow.  

Best buy has the I-Pad as their deal of the day tomorrow. I am trying to decide if I should buy one for DH. If I do, I will have to do it online - we have my company party tomorrow.

[debthaven]

This weekend

- see accountant/Fri

- meeting Job 2/Fri

- mark 18 MSc finals/Sat

- mark 17 MSc finals/Sun

I was out all day so won't start the marking till tomorrow. DH's band is playing tonight so I'm going to see them. I worked 5 days this week. I'm looking forward to next week (only 2.5 days).

[debthaven]

What a long day! DH's band closed the concert (4 local groups at the local cultural center) tonight. All the personnel came in to watch them, and they were asked to come back!

DH had invited the band and spouses (10 people) back here for dinner afterwards (frozen pizza). Then he also decided to invite any friends who came. He stocked up on frozen pizza/wine/beer and I stocked up on paper plates LOL.

 

Our best friends left about 10 minutes ago (2.30 am).

I am EXHAUSTED, but it was a great evening! In the end we had about 30 people here. A lot of local friends came, and so did a bunch of our theater friends.

Food put away, dishwasher running, one load in the dryer and the other in the washing machine.

NOTHING but marking planned for the rest of the weekend. DH was SO happy.

And I ate real pizza, for the first time in 6 months!

[finnime]

debthaven, I'm happy for you and your great evening.

[debthaven]

Thank you finnime

This weekend
- see accountant/Fri
- meeting Job 2/Fri

- bottle bank (DH)/Sat

- clean bunny cage/Sat

- mark 18 MSc finals/Sat
- mark 17 MSc finals/Sun

Also finished two loads of laundry.

[TheOtherMe]

Sounds like you had a lovely evening.  I'm happy you enjoyed it.  

[nikiz628]

I SURVIVED PTO Christmas Week 2018 
Seriously, I should have just moved into DS1's elementary school for the week. It was "Santa Shop" week, which is when we set up a store in the conference room for the kids to shop for their families. The week ended with our annual Christmas movie night last night, complete with the jolly fat guy coming for photos, a holiday craft, snacks, and a viewing of the movie Elf. The movie night is my "baby", as I introduced the idea 2 years ago when DS1 started school there. I basically spearhead that event, so there's a lot of behind the scenes action leading up to that night. I LOVE this week and dread it so much at the same time. It's exhausting spending every day at the school, helping littles count out money (and having to explain a million times that "sorry sweetheart, you don't have enough to buy all of that), restocking the tables after a class of 30 kids destroy them.... but seeing the joy in their faces when they find "THE PERFECT" gift for their mom or dad or whoever- THAT makes it worth it (I also love getting to hang out with DS1 at school as well). I had my 3 year old there with me all week and he was a trooper, but just added to my exhaustion. 

Our PTO is small. We have 5 officers and that's basically all we have working any event we do for the 300 students. Thankfully we did get a small handful of moms who helped sporadically in the store throughout the week, so that was nice. But today, I have literally done NOTHING but hold down my couch. I'm exhausted and sore and dangit, I earned a day off. 

[countrygirl2]

 I haven't done anything since little guy has been here.  I want to work on books but if I use the printer he goes nuts.  I don't know why, he is afraid of it or something.  Today I printed off a recipe and he was wild, screaming, crying, no, no. Trying to hit me while I was trying to turn it off.  I have no idea what is with that. I told hubs if I'm going to work on them guess I will have to take the big computer and printer to the basement.

[debthaven]

That's such a great idea nikiz628 ! Enjoy your well-deserved day off.

countrygirl2 maybe try printing him a picture of something (an animal?) he likes?

[finnime]

Ordered a Miele canister vacuum from Costco today. My DH proposed that it be our Christmas gift to each other, which works for me. The Panasonic I've been using has given up the ghost after 12 years.

I'm really looking forward to having a great vacuum. It will make life quite a bit easier in this house, with hardwood and tile floors and area rugs.

[countrygirl2]

I told hubs we are getting hardwood or carpet next summer if I have to charge it on my credit card and pay it monthly.  I've had it cleaned each year, its not worn but its looking grubby to me.  He thinks its fine, no, its going this year if I have to cut it out and put in laminate which I don't want.  DD wants hardwood in hers but it and the guest bedroom are the 2 with good carpet.  It's the living room, our bedroom, that is getting bad.  But I want to change the office to hardwood too and its in excellent shape so its a want.  But I want it all to match if we do it.  I will even wait on our bedroom if I have to. He said no one sees it, I do and that's enough.  I told him I'm not his mother that had the same nasty carpet down for 40 years.


Hardwood he has to do as we can't afford to have it installed.  Carpet we can have installed.  Laminate I could do and it would be the most reasonable, but I want hardwood, its luxurious I think.  But if worse comes to worse I will settle for doing laminate, some of it now is really beautiful.
 

[debthaven]

countrygirl2 we have engineered wood flooring in all the bedrooms except ours (ours has old carpeting). That's what we recently put in DS2's room.

Unlike laminate, engineered floors have a top layer of real wood (light oak for us). But it also comes in click/lock installation. Maybe you should look into that. It's considered hardwood, although it's not solid hardwood. It really looks great!

I would prefer to redo our bedroom with that (eventually) but the compromise with DH was to redo DS2's downstairs bedroom in hardwood, and our upstairs bedroom in carpet. Our bedroom is in bad shape, but my priority is paying off the kitchen loan.

[Sharon]

All the flooring has been installed, all toilets are back in their proper places.  The house won't truly be back in order until after the Christmas tree is gone.  DD and DSIL came and helped move the big stuff back into the living room today.  That means the piano is now out of the kitchen and the TV is back into the living room, it isn't hooked up yet, but is back in the correct room.

The kids brought me a Christmas tree today also.  We were all supposed to go to the town Christmas parade but DGD was tired so DD gave her a bath, put her in her jammies and they hit the road for home.  I ended up going to the parade by myself.  Tomorrow morning is breakfast with the firemen.

[wvugurl26]

We put nice laminate in my grandma's kitchen when it was redone this summer. They ordered tile originally but it was too high and didn't mesh with the entry to the other two rooms it touches. It all locked in together and looks very nice. It's a new type or so they claimed at Lowe's.

We are slowly ripping all the carpet out of my house. It's bad for my allergies so it's all being replaced with hardwood or tile. DH can put both down so our expenses are materials. The bigger problem is finding the time to do it. The carpet is builder grade crap from 2001, it is plain nasty. It's only left on the steps to basement, the steps to second level, upstairs hallway and the two guest bedrooms. The master has hardwood and the bathrooms have laminate.

I think the plan is to get rid of it all except stairs to basement in 2019. That we will replace with new carpet when we're ready to move.

[debthaven]

This weekend
- see accountant/Fri
- meeting Job 2/Fri
- bottle bank (DH)/Sat
- clean bunny cage/Sat
- mark 18 MSc finals/Sat

- mark 17 MSc finals/Sun

- Job 1 oral marks: first years, second years, MSc/Sun

- Job 2 oral marks: first years/Sun

- give Job 1 feedback (first + second years)/Sun

I'm finally caught up except for participation marks (which I do last). I'm only working 2.5 days this week! No more marking till Fri when I pick up 39 more exams.    

[debthaven]

This week

- participation marks Job 1 x 7/Mon

- Quickbooks appt/Mon

- call new boiler guy/Mon

- get Secret Santa gift/Mon

- participation marks Job 2 x 5/Tues

- lunch w P/Tues

- pick DD up from airport/Tues

- all-day meeting Job 2/Wed

- all-day meeting Job 1/Thurs

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. It is the only thing I always do at the last minute (usually because that's when I get the kids' lists, and I prefer working from a list).

[countrygirl2]

The newer laminates are good stuff, I put it in the kitchen, family room in Texas was waterproof and just good. Hubs likes the vinyl flooring, I don't.  The wood pattern to me looks kind of cheap on the patterns. That will likely get better as time goes on.  Yes, I have seen the engineered wood flooring, but hardwood can be refinished and it cannot.  So that is why we are thinking hardwood.  But it I think hubs will have to put down and time is the issue with him.  He has a list of stuff to do out the door.

I really like carpet but in 10 years likely need replaced and even if grandson only comes once a year will take a beating.  And hubs has to walk down the hallway, hallway is ceramic, but still dirt or though our bedroom on carpet to get to the bathrooms and tracks stuff in.  I'm hoping he builds a toilet out doors this summer and stops that for both of us.  He is neat but this tracks dirt in.  This was expensive carpet, very I'm sure from the density and it has never mashed down, but its light tan and 15 years old.  It has done very well.  If I could I would go grey but everything in here is keyed to beige, tile, wall colors cabinets, everything.  Someday I want a home with lots of gray inside and out, I think its beautiful.

[TheOtherMe]

Can't believe you are still working on the boiler!  

[plugginaway22]

I love to bake and get distracted from house maintenance easily when I want to make something.  Trying a new cookie recipe while loads of laundry stare at me.  If these turn out, may make large batch and give out to co-workers.

[moneysquirrel]

debthaven -- So happy that your horrible semester is over!

nikiz628 -- Get some rest after doing all you have been doing both at home and with the PTO.

I have gotten a lot of things done this week.  House is ready for Christmas.  Only have to hang the wreath on the door once the weather is a little better.  I did get the tree decorated and the other items out this week.

I do have some major work to do this week. Yesterday was my last craft show and it was a damp rainy day.  I made enough to cover my table and taxes but not much other than that.  It was a miserable day.  All of my items are spread out all over my craft room and I will begin to pack them up, take a few photos in order to add items to Etsy, and take inventory so I can see what I need to make before next year's shows begin. 

This week goals:
Usual items -- laundry and dishes, counter tops, etc.
Craft Room -- Inventory, Store items, Photos, Store carrying cases, etc.
Craft if time permits
Hair cut -- Wednesday
Lunch with A - Friday
Christmas shopping -- try to get a few more items off the list.

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe I wasn't. I decided to wait. The boiler is working fine, but the same person sweeps the chimney. (The chimney needs to be swept every year for insurance.) Since the boiler was done last April  (expensive parts replaced) and the chimney was swept the previous Sept, I decided to put it off to get both tasks back on the same schedule.

Then, since the new boiler guy is our roofer, I decided to wait till all the leaves were down so he could clean the gutters too. I'm hoping he can come in early Jan, and then that will become the new annual date for all 3 items.

I have seen the engineered wood flooring, but hardwood can be refinished and it cannot.
Yes it can countrygirl2 , just not as often as solid wood. It can be sanded once or twice, depending on how thick the layer of real wood is.

Thanks moneysquirrel ! So am I LOL! Good luck packing up the crafting supplies!

DS1 called with their list, so I ordered gifts for DDIL and Baby! online. DS1's gift will be finalized tomorrow. So I've finally started my shopping!

With the change in plans, DS1/DDIL/Baby! will be here for 8 days instead of 5!

 

[countrygirl2]

Didn't know that, may have to reconsider.  They are opening a new Menards north of us in the next few months.  They are building it now.  I figure they will have some great opening sales.

[debthaven]

We were lucky, we both loved the engineered wood parquet that was on sale. We just replaced the carpet in DS2's bedroom (now DH's office) with this:

www.castorama.fr/parquet-contrecolle-chene-colours-trophy-clic-vendu-a-la-botte/3442720189059_CAFR.prd#

[Lizard Queen]

Dec 9, 2018 15:17:19 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Didn't know that, may have to reconsider.  They are opening a new Menards north of us in the next few months.  They are building it now.  I figure they will have some great opening sales.

We love Menards. They often have great sales.

[Lizard Queen]

Quick update, as I drop baby donations off at church: count is 3333. I have a whiteboard that has been tracking numbers since 2013. This is the first year we've met the goal, so I'm going to cross off 2013's goal once we've made up the shortage for that year (about 1500).

[debthaven]

Wow Lizard Queen !

[TheOtherMe]

I have engineered hardwood.  The builder left a box with a few pieces in the basements.  It says it can be sanded three times.  

I'm sure it came from Menards as we only have Menards and Lowes.  

My basketball team won their game this afternoon despite playing poorly.

Tonight I plan to set up my Christmas present to myself:  the new iPad.

ETA:  Tomorrow is the day I load up my trash container for this week.  I plan to fill it full of kitchen stuff I haven't used since I moved here.  I must not need it.