2022 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[seriousthistime]

I'm at the stage now where I'm rearranging furniture and starting to hang things on the walls. 

I'm realizing that just because something "worked" at the old place, it may not work in this new place, and I am seriously thinking of decluttering some of it.  I think I need to get to a certain stage of "decorating" to decide what to declutter. 

My DGS, the little preemie who was in the NICU for better than 8 months, turned 2 this week.  They had a big party with relatives and friends last weekend, and a pizza party just for the grandparents on his actual birthday.  He is my annual birthday gift; my birthday is a day after his.  He is such a little bundle of love.  I feel so fortunate to be able to see him more frequently.

So I told my DS and DDIL that I didn't want any fuss over my own birthday, there'd already been enough of a fuss and I feel I kind of shared his birthday celebrations.  (I don't like to be the center of attention anyway.)  I left the pizza party with a big hunk of birthday cake, which I had for breakfast on my birthday.  Then I decided to do something that felt good to me. I looked up a couple of wishlists for a local organization that takes children and teenagers on a temporary basis when they can't continue to live at home.  The teenagers are also transitioning to independent living.  I went shopping with those wishlists in hand.  I had already donated two carryon suitcases which the kids use for visits home (depending on circumstances), so they don't have to carry their clothes and stuff in plastic bags. 

I'm not too embarrassed to say that in the course of picking up a bunch of stuff to donate, I also made some nice purchases for myself. 

As for today's decluttering, I think I will declutter by finishing the rest of the birthday cake. 

snapdragon, do you like the car otherwise?  Care to share what make and model it is?  If not here, you can PM me. 

finnime, I am waiting for that surge of energy too.  Please send it over to me when you are done with it. 

debthaven, I am getting very excited for you as these last months of your work wind down!  

[Sharon]

I'm still continuing to get as much done outside as possible before it gets too cold.  This week was my on call week at work and I had multiple calls, ugh.  Hopefully this weekend will be quiet at work and I can hand it off to the next person.  Our on call is Monday - Sunday.

The kids are supposed to come over today to work outside.  We are hopefully getting two cows tomorrow.  DD's due date is Tuesday so some of our planned activities may abruptly change.  Right now it is 16 degrees with freezing fog.  We are supposed to have a high of 35 degrees today.  It will be chilly to be outside.  One of our planned activities is to light off the burn pile.  It is huge so we will have a bon fire going while we are working on other items.

I have a lasagna put together and in the fridge.  DD is going to bring french bread and dessert.  We knew that everyone would be cold and hungry after being outside today so we planned a good hot meal for the end of the day.

ETA: Mom will arrive on Tuesday and be here until Saturday morning.  She hasn't been to my place since I moved so that will be nice.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

[debthaven]

We went to Ikea this afternoon because we needed two more pillows, and I wanted to get wrapping paper there (it's cheap). Then I took a nap. I feel like such a slacker compared to you guys LOL. 

seriousthistime so happy you're settling into your new place! What a lovely way to celebrate your birthday, both for the party and the donations. And thanks. I'm really looking forward to working less come January. 

Hope things have slowed down for you Knee Deep in Water Chloe !

How exciting about the baby and your mom's visit Sharon ! 

[startsmart]

My mom is doing okay after losing their dog, the other pup is sad but that’s expected. She’s recovering well from the cancer surgery, still waiting on lab results.

I ordered my dryer and it should be delivered Monday. I am trying to identify the source of a funky smell in my bedroom so I plan to wash all the linens and blankets next week.

I think I’ve mentioned before the quilt I’m making for my best friend who gets married next year. I have 7 strips assembled and now I’m putting those together and 4/7 are done. Once all the strips are together I need to attach the border pieces. I did some math and it’s hand sewing about 48’ of stitches. One inch at a time!

Goal is to have the quilt and backing ready to go to the long arm quilter in December. Then I want to focus on stitching the rest of my quilt tops which have been done for more than a year. I have 8 of those to do.

Oh and a Christmas runner. And another science quilt…

It’s a lot, folks.

[debthaven]

I don't know what bit DH but we just spent about 4h going through his Shitepile. 

PS He got rid of the contents of two medium-sized garbage bags ... one for recycling and one for the fire pit. 

[TheOtherMe]

Congrats!

[debthaven]

This weekend
- Shitepile/Sat
- DH's Quickbooks/Sat
- mark 5 videos/Mon
Finished the marking. 

And DD closed on her apartment today! 

[snapdragon]

Nov 19, 2022 9:12:25 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

As for today's decluttering, I think I will declutter by finishing the rest of the birthday cake. 

snapdragon , do you like the car otherwise?  Care to share what make and model it is?  If not here, you can PM me. 

finnime , I am waiting for that surge of energy too.  Please send it over to me when you are done with it. 

debthaven , I am getting very excited for you as these last months of your work wind down!  

I am considering the Toyota Corolla Cross. It is a smaller SUV and built on the Corolla frame. The Corolla sedans look really nice also. I have also looked at the Hyundai Tuscon hybrid (though it was a bit bigger and had more "bling" than what I really want.

[snapdragon]

I got my car back and so far things are doing well. The updated brain has thrown me though -- When I unlock the car the running lights now come on and the dashboard gets activated, the car never used to do that as I recall, it was only gone for 3 days, so for a minute I was thinking that it was turning into Christine. I didn't even have the key in the ignition.

I cleaned my ceiling fan yesterday so that was really nice to have clean since it's over the bed. I have my Flu shot after work and the eyes are getting looked at later this week.

T-day is going to be Rosemary Beef and Barley stew. I work Friday and Saturday is Friendsgiving.

[debthaven]

So snapdragon , if I understand correctly, you got your car back, but you're still considering a new car? 

Good luck with whatever car you choose! 

I have a long day tomorrow, but this week is an easy week, and no more marking for 9 days! I'll take it! 

Thinking of you and your DD Sharon ! How exciting! Hope that all goes well. 

[NastyWoman]

Congratulations on DD closing on her apartment debthaven. 

[snapdragon]

Nov 21, 2022 17:46:06 GMT -5 debthaven said:

So snapdragon , if I understand correctly, you got your car back, but you're still considering a new car? 

Good luck with whatever car you choose! 

Correct, I am getting to the point that in the future I might need to get a different car. I am thinking possibility next year or 2024. There is no way that I want to keep the car as  a main vehicle, maybe secondary. I have had it for 8 years now and it's a ok commuter car but not what I want to keep driving long term.

[moneysquirrel]

Just wanted to pop in to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I am very grateful for a lot of things and that list also includes all of you and the support we offer each other on a regular basis. 

[debthaven]

I'm only teaching one hour on Zoom tomorrow morning so I'm considering this week done. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I too am grateful to have this place and all of you. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Had a different cleaner today and was satisfied with the work. Was hoping I was moving on to a new one, but schedule says back to other cleaner next week. 

Since i was off today, got a lot done around the cleaner's work. She did upstairs first so I did some shelf declutter/staging until she came downstairs, then took a bunch of plants I been meaning to transfer upstairs, and did a few things up there while she worked downstairs.

Fairly happy with all the odd one out cleaners I've had but not with the regular person I am slotted with. I wonder if tipping in cash is working against me? If the office thinks I'm not tipping so not sending their best? I prefer to give directly to the cleaner just in case the office might take some off the top if I put it on the credit card with the bill. And in that case cleaners may not mention the cash tips? idk. All women with limited english skills, so I worry.

[debthaven]

Rukh O'Rorke I have no advice on the tips, but surely you can say you prefer the cleaner you had today? 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 21, 2022 10:57:47 GMT -5 debthaven said:

This weekend
- Shitepile/Sat
- DH's Quickbooks/Sat
- mark 5 videos/Mon
Finished the marking. 

And DD closed on her apartment today! 

Hurray for D's DD!





And for you to too!

[debthaven]

Life update, feel free to skip

Finally, the countdown ... It's not that exciting, because I WILL continue to work next semester (significantly less). 

- I have 2 more weeks of regular/student classes. Next week is a full week, but not a crazy week.
- Then I have 2 more short weeks of professor/staff classes + meetings. I'll finish on 20 Dec because we only get our exams on 21 Dec. So I won't be able to finish my marking before Christmas. 

I'll be working more than I planned next semester, for two reasons. One, my pension is pitiful.   Two, DH is getting a knee replacement in early January, so we can't travel. Job 2 asked me to do extra hours in June. I declined. They asked again last week, and I accepted. 

Long story short, I will be at school 2 days/week, plus the occasional 3rd day. To me, a significant improvement from being at school 3 days/week, plus the occasional 4th day. 

We were planning to go to the US in February to see my sister, I haven't seen her since 2019, before Covid. But DH won't be able to travel. So either I go on my own, or we go together in spring. TBD. 

If I had known about DH's knee replacement, I probably would have opted to retire a few months later. I could try to change the date, but it would be a huge PITA so I'm just retiring in January as planned, but trying to work/earn a bit more while I can and banking it since we can't travel far. DH will still be able to travel to see our kids.

PS So next semester I'll be working 33.33% less, which corresponds to an additional day off/week. I'll take it!!! 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 23, 2022 22:23:07 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Life update, feel free to skip

Finally, the countdown ... It's not that exciting, because I WILL continue to work next semester (significantly less). 

- I have 2 more weeks of regular/student classes. Next week is a full week, but not a crazy week.
- Then I have 2 more short weeks of professor/staff classes + meetings. I'll finish on 20 Dec because we only get our exams on 21 Dec. So I won't be able to finish my marking before Christmas. 

I'll be working more than I planned next semester, for two reasons. One, my pension is pitiful.   Two, DH is getting a knee replacement in early January, so we can't travel. Job 2 asked me to do extra hours in June. I declined. They asked again last week, and I accepted. 

Long story short, I will be at school 2 days/week, plus the occasional 3rd day. To me, a significant improvement from being at school 3 days/week, plus the occasional 4th day. 

We were planning to go to the US in February to see my sister, I haven't seen her since 2019, before Covid. But DH won't be able to travel. So either I go on my own, or we go together in spring. TBD. 

If I had known about DH's knee replacement, I probably would have opted to retire a few months later. I could try to change the date, but it would be a huge PITA so I'm just retiring in January as planned, but trying to work/earn a bit more while I can and banking it since we can't travel far. DH will still be able to travel to see our kids.

PS So next semester I'll be working 33.33% less, which corresponds to an additional day off/week. I'll take it!!! 

Sounds wonderful!!!

Wha a great new year you have upcoming. Enjoy!

[debthaven]

About the extra morning class I accepted the second time they asked ... I refuse to set my alarm for 6am once I retire. So I said I can do the second Wed am class, but not the first.

They were very happy with that! So I'll teach 4.5h that day instead of the 6h I've done for many years, or the 3h I was originally scheduled for as of Jan. I can wake up at 7.30, I'll still earn a bit more, but it'll still be easier. Win-win.

My boss will do the early class. I feel a bit badly about that ... but not enough to continue doing it. 

And fewer classes means less marking ... I sure as hell won't miss that!!!

[debthaven]

I finally started my Christmas shopping! We have more gifts to buy than usual this year, because my younger niece and her two teens are coming for Christmas. DH, 4 kids, 2 partners, 2 grandkids + my niece's family = 12 people. Yikes!

I got gifts for DH/DDIL/DGS/DGD today, so just 8 people left to go!  

[TheOtherMe]

Will everyone be staying with you?  That's a lot of house guests.

[debthaven]

No, there's not enough room with everyone here. 

My niece and her two teens will be staying in an AirBnB 5 min walk from us for 3 nights, and then moving on to a hotel in Paris for 3 nights. 

[finnime]

It will be a wonderful Christmas, debthaven.

We had 13 for Thanksgiving and it was perfect, every minute of it. Even though I completely forgot the creamed onions, we had much more than enough of everything. So good to live here, close to family and by the beach.

[TheOtherMe]

I have made my grocery pick up run this morning and everything has been put away.  I should be good for a couple of weeks.

The cleaners are coming on Monday so I got cash for them.  I also realized that next month I need to pay them for a Christmas gift.

I hope to get my Christmas decorations up today.  The red, white and blue tree is going in to the trash can.

I did find the list of drop off spots for cardboard for my county.  There is one around the corner from me.  Stopped this morning but it was full.  I can watch for when it gets emptied and take a bunch of boxes over there to speed up the process of getting all of the boxes out of my garage.  

Between my regular recycling and the boxes I put in immediately after  the last recycling day, the bin is near full.  There isn't room for more big boxes.  

[moneysquirrel]

Good morning all, I hope all of you are doing well and had a restful holiday.  I have spent more time in the kitchen than usual the last few days. I hosted a small family group on Thursday so most of the prep was done Wednesday and the rest on Thursday. Yesterday I did stock with the bones of the turkey and today I finished skimming the broth and packing it for the freezer.  Also chopped up some of the leftover meat to freezer so that I can use it later for soup.  Still have lots of leftovers to finish up this weekend not counting those items that hit the freezer earlier this week.  I don't mind doing the cooking for the holiday as it provides me with lots of things for future meals.  

Managed to get all of the indoor fall decorations picked up but have not started with the Christmas items.  I may pull them out tomorrow since the car will be out of the garage anyway as I need to pick up a few items after church.  While it is out I will get the tree out, add some of the leftovers to the freezer in the garage, and get a few other items placed back in order.  The weather is so gloomy today that I don't want to do any of that today. 


debthaven -- Glad that you are getting closer to your "retirement". I think the easier hours will make you happy.  Also congrats to your DD for closing on her new home.

TheOtherMe -- Glad that you located a way to eliminate the cardboard faster.  It will make you happy to get rid of all of that. Have the cats returned to normal now that the workmen are no longer around?

finnime -- Glad that you were able to host this year.  Anything that sparks joy in spite of the work.

[TheOtherMe]

moneysquirrel  The cats are back to smothering me most of the time.  They have one more day of construction when the shower door goes in.  They aren't fond of the cleaners either but they aren't here very long.

[startsmart]

Yesterday I made the trek to Kansas City to pick up a few things I needed at Ikea (plug holes for my closet system and new roller shades for the kitchen windows) and also got some fabric and clothes on sale.

Today I did the grocery run and also picked up the paint for my bedroom. The half gallon I had leftover from the walls was 18 mo old and separated quite badly so that’s got to be recycled. I’ve painted the bedroom ceiling and it needs one more coat tonight and then it can dry.

I’m very excited about how I plan to rearrange the room when all the furniture comes back in tomorrow. The goal is to have it all set up by Monday meetings.

We are also getting so lovely rain so I will resume planting bulbs Sunday or Monday.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 26, 2022 11:04:47 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I have made my grocery pick up run this morning and everything has been put away.  I should be good for a couple of weeks.

The cleaners are coming on Monday so I got cash for them.  I also realized that next month I need to pay them for a Christmas gift.

I hope to get my Christmas decorations up today.  The red, white and blue tree is going in to the trash can.

I did find the list of drop off spots for cardboard for my county.  There is one around the corner from me.  Stopped this morning but it was full.  I can watch for when it gets emptied and take a bunch of boxes over there to speed up the process of getting all of the boxes out of my garage.  

Between my regular recycling and the boxes I put in immediately after  the last recycling day, the bin is near full.  There isn't room for more big boxes.  

Not in the mood for Christmas.  Totes are going back to the garage.