2022 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[debthaven]

Home sweet home!

I unpacked my bag, DH unpacked the grocery shopping. I am on the second and last load of laundry.

I'm WFH tomorrow morning. 

This weekend
- haircut/Fri
- yet more retirement papers (3 more sets!!!)

Our trip was great but very hectic. I'm going to take it easy this weekend before school starts again on Monday. I still have some very full weeks left, but the worst is over.

PS DS3 and A closed on their apartment while we were there! So excited for them! DD closes later this month. 

[finnime]

Welcome back, debthaven. Glad to see your kids are prospering and your retirement plans are progressing.

I have a new refrigerator that I'm very pleased about. I got it for almost 50% off at a scratch-and-dent warehouse. It was new in packaging but out of its box, hence the discount. TG for the internet or my handyman would never have found it. He did a search for the special dimensions I needed and found one that fits perfectly in my kitchen. It had to be under 66" tall and 31" wide, with the features I wanted. Very hard to find. Mostly refrigerators with the French doors are wider and taller.

[moneysquirrel]

debthaven -- Welcome home.  Glad that you had a great time.and the the chicks are beginning to make nests of their own.  Congrats to DD and DS3.

TheOtherMe -- The shower looks wonderful.  I am sure that you will enjoy it for years to come.  

After several days of not getting much done this morning is a complete turnaround.  I got up early to get a pot of red beans started.  I do in the old school way, -- soak beans overnight and then cook them all day with the occasional stirring.  Also did my egg muffins and baked a cake.  Got a load of laundry started and since I had a full load got the dishwasher started as well.  Mopped the kitchen -- because spills.

Tomorrow I have a craft show so I did get the table loaded into the car.  Will get the other containers loaded later today.  But first I have to put the finishing touches on that necklace.  Did not plan to but I do have two new items to add to my inventory.    If the mood strikes me I may try to get a few new little necklaces that are perfect for kids and teens done.  I do have a good selection of those but they don't take much time to make and I am continuing to work my stash.

Will check in later.  

[TheOtherMe]

I took my first shower this morning.  So nice to be back using my bathroom.  I still need to figure out where things need to be for me in the shower.  

Money well spent.

[debthaven]

Congrats on using the new shower TheOtherMe ! You must be so happy!

I worked this morning, then we picked up our new leased car. We both feel very meh about it. We had a Ford Fiesta and wanted another one, but they don't make them here anymore, and options were very limited. We ended up with a Puma (which is a bit bigger) because it has a sunroof, which is the only option we want. First-world problems I know. I'm sure we'll get used to it but I was sad to give up our Fiesta.

This weekend
-pick up car/Fri
-haircut/Fri
- yet more retirement papers (2 more sets!)

I'm planning to stay home this weekend, take it easy, and work on those papers. 

[Iggy aka IG]

debthaven I googled Puma vehicles and how cute!  Congratulations.  And congratulations to your children.  

moneysquirrel I process dried pinto beans the same way.

TheOtherMe congratulations on your completed shower!  You deserve it.

finnime glad you found a perfect fitting fridge.

Yesterday DH went home early with the stomach flu and banished himself to the basement guest room.  I must admit I didn't miss his alarm clocks going off at 4 this morning...  

This weekend I really must rotate clothing and tidy up the walk-in closet.  My side is a mess.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone.

[debthaven]

While doing the retirement papers, I needed something from the vertical file holder on the desk, so I went through it. I can't decide if that counts as displacement activity or not LOL.

This weekend
- pick up car/Fri
- haircut/Fri
- more retirement papers (set 1)/Sat
- yet more retirement papers (set 2)/Sat

I'm taking the rest of the weekend off. 

[TheOtherMe]

You deserve some time off to get ready for the push to the end of the summer.

Fedex says the trim piece that is the correct color will arrive today.

Played phone tag with the shower door guy yesterday.

I am very excited the cleaning people are coming Monday afternoon.  I am paying extra because it's a construction clean up and it looks like it.

[startsmart]

Finnime - that’s the style of fridge I got and I love it! Since I had to wait so long (COVID delays in 2020), I now have a task on my calendar every month to clean the fridge inside and out. Just did it last night before shopping today and love having a clean space again.

Today I am putting away the fabric I cut since my bday trip. Then I have 12 bags of rocks to move into the greenhouse.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 5, 2022 11:10:34 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Fedex says the trim piece that is the correct color will arrive today.

Fedex delivered a medicine cabinet which I don't think I need.  Can't call anyone until Monday to find out what's up.

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe is the medicine cabinet in addition to the trim, or instead of it? What a pain. 

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 6, 2022 4:10:08 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe is the medicine cabinet in addition to the trim, or instead of it? What a pain. 

I think instead of since I wasn't told there was anything wrong with the one that got installed.  It's heavy but I have to drag it to the garage today because the cleaners are coming.  

That's my focus today and in the morning--getting ready for them.  

I am thinking the medicine cabinet was sent to the wrong person?  I got an email from Kohler saying it had been ordered at my email and I didn't order it.  However, I could not get on the Kohler website to see what was coming.

Contractor said all he had left to do was change out the trim once the shower door is installed.  He doesn't do that but said he would check it out.  

I will email my designer to see how that got ordered and tell her someone has to come get the medicine cabinet or I'm going to try to sell it.

[TheOtherMe]

I can't wait for the cleaners to come tomorrow.  I cleared the desk in the living room except for the printers and there is white dust everywhere.  I also found some things I have been looking for.   Yes, I know.  I must keep to the clean desk concept.

I'm thinking I'm going to let my Ancestry subscription go for a year so I can concentrate on organizing and scanning all of the information I have.  I obviously don't know where things are and there are boxes of information under the desk.  

I can resubscribe on their Black Friday sale next year.  I have access until mid January.

Now that I see all the information I have, I can't let it sit in boxes.  I also know the photos deteriorate a little every day.

[debthaven]

You can always resubscribe again earlier TheOtherMe if you get those items scanned. 

Gearing up to go back to work. I have 5 weeks of regular/student classes left (plus marking, meetings and professor/staff classes). The next 2 weeks are very full but not crazy.

6.5 weeks till Christmas break ...

[TheOtherMe]

The Black Friday cost is so much cheaper than any of their other sales

[Sharon]

Another busy weekend were I accomplished about half of what I and hoped to get done.  Yesterday I got the sheets changed and 3 loads of laundry.  I also processed the chicken broth I had made earlier in the week and ended up with 7 pints of broth.  Then I made some apple pie filling and ended up with 7 quarts of that.  DD and the kids came over last night and we had pizza for dinner.

Today I worked some before church.  I'm on a high profile project that has lots of alligators snapping at my rear end.   After church I tried to work in the yard but the rain came in earlier than expected so was only out there about an hour.  Once inside I got all my canning from yesterday cleaned up, labeled, and put away.  That included putting away the canner and the pressure cooker.  The dishwasher was emptied and filled up again.  It really took quite a while to get the kitchen in order, but now it is clean and ready for the week.

 I've also got a pot of hamburger soup cooking.  It will be ready in a little over half an hour.  We are having the first really cold days/night for the fall.  It froze last week but this week we have a possibility of a little bit of snow and two days will have highs barely above freezing and lows of about 20 degrees.  Having a hearty soup already made and in the fridge will be nice.

[TheOtherMe]

Cleaners texted to see if they can come this morning.   Yes they can.  

[finnime]

Need to run Nino today. Also, sweep up shoes under the bed and bring a bag of clothing for donation. And, organize the kitchen spices etc. Tomorrow our handyman will start staining the house exterior. It's cedar shake, new, and unfinished.

[TheOtherMe]

Cleaners are done.  Place looks gorgeous.  Cost not outrageous.  Only $10 more than normal.

Designer called.  There was a small piece missing on the left corner of the medicine cabinet.  This is a warranty replacement.  At some point the contractor will return and replace it.  He only wanted the missing piece but they sent a new cabinet.

[azucena]

Been spending the nice weather days outside cleaning and organizing the garage.  It's amazing how much of a difference it makes to hang up tools and garden gadgets.  Mostly just using screws and wall anchors so not spendy.  Let DD10 do a lot of it with the power screwdriver - it's an interest of hers and what better place to practice than the garage which already has random holes.  Nice donation pile and taking it every weekend.  Not keeping duplicates of most items.  Grouping like items together.  Labeling shelves, drawers, and cabinets in the hopes that other family is better at putting things away.

[Iggy aka IG]

startsmart I am also a member of loving a newly wiped down fridge interior.

TheOtherMe glad you are pleased with the cleaners.

debthaven hope you had a relaxing weekend.

That soup sounds comforting, Sharon.

Good job on the clothing donation, finnime.

azucena your garage sounds amazing.  Glad your DD helped out.

And of course, I didn't get to the walk-in closet project.  What I did get to:
-3 loads laundry
-Tossed 4 or so holey stained potholders that were several decades old.  I put the rest into the laundry room to be washed next weekend.
-Emptied, refilled, and ran the dishwasher
-Scrubbed a toilet
-Refilled the Keurig, napkins, PTs, pinto bean jar and ice trays
-Boiled eggs and processed raw veggies for lunches
-Wiped down a drippy spill in DH's fridge drawer 
-Wiped down the microwave interior
-Stacked all of the Halloween items in the guest bedroom.  I still need to put them in totes, but I didn't want to spend too much time in there due to DH's illness.
-Cleared off the main counter except for the candlesticks from which I need to remove dripped wax
-Made almond fruit bars with DH's aunt's homemade jam, bacon wrapped little smokes, one sheet pan salmon and asparagus, and a salmon and brie omelet.  If I do the latter in the future, I'll add baby spinach for texture.
-Exercised both days
-Played Words, Wordle, cleared out a few DVR programs, did a bit of reading, and hung out with the neighbor kiddos
-Did a bit of online Christmas shopping

[Rukh O'Rorke]

ok - I'm kind of triggering myself here, would like some input.....

For the holidays, want to change out the curtains and pillow covers for more festive coloring.....also got new curtains for my room, but when the boxes came I felt like I was just repopulating what I had purged in the charity pick up. It is not an equal amount at all, but I do have more stuff I want to order. But it's causing anxiety! I only got the curtains for my room to check quality, it was great! now I want to do for the DR/LR and I know I am set on it, but hard to press that final button!

For the upstairs hall, I want to order a runner rug (just bare floor right now) and a picture ledge, and it is upsetting me to know if I really should or not. On one hand seems not a lot, and some more rug covered floors will be great for winter, and want to put some old photos and a few tiny plants on the picture ledge and then the hallway will be nice instead of drab, but I can't get over a slight feeling of dread to have more boxes delivered!

Any insight or advice?

[Rukh O'Rorke]

also, when do you change out more basic decor for holiday decor? I usually think for Friday after thanksgiving. What do you all do?

[azucena]

I know lots of people do change decor for holidays, but I'm just too busy and not that interested.  One way to simplify would be to change for the overall season of winter instead of just Christmas.  Less changing, more useful life and still helps with your goal of making things cozier. 

Sometimes clearing the clutter lets us see what decor items we enjoy and refreshing them is part of housekeeping.

[Iggy aka IG]

Rukh O'Rorke usually a few weeks before some holidays, I set out a few themed items:  Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's, Easter and the 4th of July.  Halloween is set up the first weekend of October.  I usually decorate for Christmas over the long Thanksgiving weekend, but this year I'm going to do so this upcoming weekend.  For the latter, I remove year-round knickknacks to make room for the many Christmas items.  Changing curtains would be too much work for me.  Several years ago, I did buy Christmas themed couch pillows and I store the year-round ones until after the first of the year.  I don't have themed area rugs, but in the kitchen, I do have a red and green dining room tablecloth and festive potholders.

As far as too much stuff, several years ago I assembled three gift bags with gently used items and gave them to a few folks who could use some cheer.

I think your old photographs and tiny plant ledge sounds lovely.

[debthaven]

Rukh O'Rorke frankly I can't imagine changing out curtains for Christmas! Like azucena I'm too busy/not very interested either.

I would buy a set of wintery/Christmas sheets (we have a down quilt/duvet so for me that would mean a quilt/duvet cover + matching pillowcases). That would be a LOT easier to change than curtains. You'd get more use out of them if you choose a winter theme rather than a Christmas theme, especially in Chicago!

Our Christmas decor is pretty minimalist ... I am Jewish and grew up without ever celebrating Christmas. So I've accumulated a bunch of pretty Christmas tree ornaments over the years. I am very attached to them.

Besides those, I have a tree topper/red sparkly tablecloth/winter table runner/two reindeer/a box of Christmas candles. Plus a wreath for the front door. I replace the candles every year with Apple Spice (or something like that) from Yankee Candle. 

EVERYTHING lives in two boxes. I don't want to accumulate anything more than that.

Oh ... I forgot about the light-up seal LOL!!! DS3 was obsessed with seals growing up (he's 24 but he still loves them! ). I got it on sale when DS3 was about 10. The seal is the last Christmas item to go back into the basement ... he stays around until late January LOL. 

PS I also have a couple of Christmas guest towels for the downstairs half-bathroom, and a couple of dish towels for the kitchen. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 7, 2022 15:01:55 GMT -5 azucena said:

I know lots of people do change decor for holidays, but I'm just too busy and not that interested.  One way to simplify would be to change for the overall season of winter instead of just Christmas.  Less changing, more useful life and still helps with your goal of making things cozier. 

Sometimes clearing the clutter lets us see what decor items we enjoy and refreshing them is part of housekeeping.

thanks - this is really resonating for me. I have tended to collect bits and pieces that are free/used/on sale and have a life time of "making do" with them. Being more intentional about what I want is something of a novelty to me, and makes me feel like I am being a little out there, indulgent, wasteful, etc. I'm also finding it more difficult to put things together. When a few major decisions were dicated by chance finds, it was easy to work around them. With everything up for a decision, I'm finding it difficult in a way I would not have done if I had had more money when I was younger.

and just to note: only part of this is christmas oriented, no holiday themed rugs!

With curtains and pillows, I've always wanted to change these regularly. Heavy and red in winter, light and pale blue/white in summer. I think I used to have a 4 season plan, but never got it going....maybe just two is good. Change in November, and then in May.....

The other cautionary aspect for me is that I am still trying to strategized the house overhaul. Waiting to hear back from the architect. Not sure where I will go then, and if I will need to have a whole lot less stuff than more for doing floors, etc.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 7, 2022 15:14:27 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Rukh O'Rorke usually a few weeks before some holidays, I set out a few themed items:  Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's, Easter and the 4th of July.  Halloween is set up the first weekend of October.  I usually decorate for Christmas over the long Thanksgiving weekend, but this year I'm going to do so this upcoming weekend.  For the latter, I remove year-round knickknacks to make room for the many Christmas items.  Changing curtains would be too much work for me.  Several years ago, I did buy Christmas themed couch pillows and I store the year-round ones until after the first of the year.  I don't have themed area rugs, but in the kitchen, I do have a red and green dining room tablecloth and festive potholders.

As far as too much stuff, several years ago I assembled three gift bags with gently used items and gave them to a few folks who could use some cheer.

I think your old photographs and tiny plant ledge sounds lovely.

Thanks Iggy!

I think it will too! I will push through on this one at least

My old photographs are of my maternal granparents wedding, and few more from that time. have one photo of a very elderly great grandma with a stern face and a cane. With very late babies a tradition, my grandparents married in the late 1800's or very early 1900's. So very vintagy. Been meaning to get them professionally framed for a while.

[debthaven]

That sounds wonderful Rukh O'Rorke ! I'd put my money and energy there, go for the 2-season plan on the cushions, and get a nice set of winter bedding that will last for years to come. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 7, 2022 16:10:29 GMT -5 debthaven said:

That sounds wonderful Rukh O'Rorke ! I'd put my money and energy there, go for the 2-season plan on the cushions, and get a nice set of winter bedding that will last for years to come. 

oh - maybe I was unclear? I was only talking about throw pillows for the couch, not bedroom/bedding.