2023 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[finnime]

I need to tackle the putting the lawn to bed chores next, including killing the Japanese knotweed with vinegar. Now is the time to do it. Spring and summer won't work.

[Sharon]

We are predicted to have a dose of winter at the end of the week so I have been trying to get ready.  Today I

- Cleaned the gutters

- Covered the grill

- Put one more hose away in the shop, just one left to go and it get used every day to water the cows.  It will be put away before we hit the really low temps

- Put away two of the kids lawn chairs, for the second time.  They got them out again when they were here the past weekend.

- Tossed a hanging basket in the garbage the was looking beyond sad

- Cut down the cows fly bag and put it in the shop for the winter.  The flies are pretty much done and if we get the hard freeze at the end of the week that will do in the last of the flies.

[moneysquirrel]

I have been getting things in odrer.  Surgery is on the morning.  I wanted to get everything up to date.
So I have:
> completed four loads of laundry. (Bed linens were one of the loads)
> finished the last beading project and organized that area.  I am not sure when I can start that up again. I have a month between surgeries and not sure what is in store.
> set up a painting area as well one for polymer clay
>emptied the dishwasher -- will be doing them by hand for a while as I am not supposed to bend over for at least a week.
>cleaned and mopped rooms that needed it 
>moved any items that I think I will need up to a higher workable area so I don't have to pick up anything heavy, bend over and do anyelse I am not suppose to do  ( I try to keep my countertops clear of small appliances and pull them out as needed.  But not this week)
> made a quick run to the grocery to pick up the few items I thought I would need in the immediate future.
> packed an overnight bag as I will be at DS the night of the surgery as a precaution. Didn't want to be alone the first night after surgery just in case.
>all bills have been paid that have arrived that is.  Expecting a few and will try to check before I leave house in the morning in case they come in.
> Canelled my class this week

I am as ready as possible.  I hate the waiting.  I have definitely seen changes in my eyesight since even a gew weeks ago.  So this is a definite need.

Will check in when I can.

[TheOtherMe]

If memory serves, you are having cataract surgery.  You will do fine.  

Get well soon.  

[Sharon]

moneysquirrel best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[jerseygirl]

moneysquirrel good luck for tomorrow and recovery. You will be so happy to have good sight!!

[debthaven]

Thinking of you today Moneysquirrel! ❤️

[seriousthistime]

Good luck with the surgery moneysquirrel.  If it is cataract surgery, please let me know how it goes.  I am facing that surgery myself. 

startsmart, I'm doing the same, eating out of the pantry and freezer.  Kitchen remodeling starts in a few weeks. I need the pantry emptied out, and I hope they can just push the fridge (without water connection) into the dining room so I can keep things cold, but in the meantime it would be good to empty things out as much as possible.  I pulled out an unopened bag of frozen strawberries I bought last fall. The berries were in solid ice!  I looked at the "best by" date on the bag and it said April 22.  I know for a fact that I bought it at least 6 months after that date, because I lived 2,000 miles away when the "best by" date expired. 

I'm on a concerted effort to eat fruits and veggies first, before straying into pastas and meat. I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought fresh veggies to make a zucchini pie and a veggie stew.  Also bought 3 large-ish potatoes that I can bake and top with chili and cheese, both in the freezer now so good to use them up.  And just in case, I bought sour cream to put on a potato with the last of the bacon I have in the fridge. The pantry is pretty full, mostly with staples and such (flour, sugar, salt, pasta, etc.) and that isn't a concern to pack up in boxes for the duration.

I'm very glad I don't live with someone who needs me to plan out meals of meat and potatoes.   

[debthaven]

I'm WFH all day Thursday and next Monday, and I have a work lunch next Tues. Other than that I'm pretty much off till 6 Nov! Next week is school vacation, so no regular classes.

This is my busiest week of the semester. I'll be happy to do fewer hours as of next week.

I'll be reducing my hours again in January. 

[Iggy aka IG]

moneysquirrel thinking of you today.

Congratulations to those who cut your cable/satellite!  DH did that earlier this year.  While I can live without it all, he did connect us with Hulu and we now have several streaming services.

Sharon you have done so much work outside over the past several years!  I have enjoyed reading about your process.  Moving gravel is so much work.

snapdragon good for you for hiring the movers.  I've used movers over the past several decades and they are such a relief.

debthaven I also like to come home a day before having to return to work.  

I did errands in the big city last Thursday and dropped off items at Goodwill, got my teeth cleaned, stopped at the candy store and Spencer's for Halloween goodies, discovered a new Hawaiian bakery per my dental hygienist's recommendation, got new tires, bought a new belt, and recycled the printer toner.

The Halloween party was a success!  We had a dozen people attend and the food, games, and laughter was just what the doctor ordered.  Since then, I:

-Did 4 loads of laundry, including the sheets and a blanket from the guest room bed
-Scrubbed two toilets
-Emptied, refilled and ran the dishwasher twice, and did a ton of handwashing
-Incorporated some unopened snack items to the back pantry and put away all of the bottles of alcohol
-Sent DH to the shop with a box of cookies someone brought, and a few other sweets
-Picked up the rec room
-Emptied three garbage cans and took out the trash this morning
-Put away some Halloween drinkware and small items
-Started clearing out the guest room and it sounds like DH is going to break down the bed this Thursday.  We'll clear it out and arrange the three pieces of exercise equipment into the room.
-I made Frito pie with ground beef I thawed for the party and didn't fit into the Crock Pot and leftover Fritos.  It was delicious!
-You know there has been a lot of sweets around when DH bought a bunch of veggies and said he needs some greens.   I'll make salads tonight for supper.

Because of where we live, a group of moms are going to bring their kiddos around trick o' treating this Saturday.  If I'm in town, I'll bake some devil's food cupcakes and load them up with chocolate frosting and Halloween sprinkles.  

Halloween is our "Christmas," so I'm taking it off.  I plan on making Hallowmas cookies.

Hugs to those who need one.  

[debthaven]

You got so much done Iggy aka IG ! So glad the party went well. 

And thank you for reminding me that I need to get some Halloween candy for once! Trick-or-treaters are rare here, but we get the occasional one or two. We're usually in London over Halloween, but we'll be home this year. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Sorry, a few more things!  My police officer friend told me first responders do appreciate stuffed animals.  And my friend to whom I gave the leather-bound Louis L'Amour books to last Wednesday was so thrilled!  I told them both I love giving my belongings to people while I'm still on this earth.  

Also, L told me she is going to start working for the neighbor whom I connected her with.  Because of the referral, L said she offers a free hour of cleaning or organizing, or lunch.  I am going to ask her to help with my office floors.  

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you, debthaven.  Have a wonderful time off!

[snapdragon]

I'm here still in my PJ's having done 1 box and just not dealing. I AM doing a few loads down to the shore house, but I am just tired. Picturing myself attempting to do this cross country boggles my mind now. 

Notified the post office on the move.
Notified xfinity about the cancellation of service. Where my house is at they don't out that far. If I was in downtown I could have it but not on the canals. Internet will be gone at the condo 10-31-23.

Pulled out all my alcohol to take down on the next trip. Need to work on more breakables, also taking some kitchen stuff and the propane tank for the grill. Along with some outside things that need to go to the garage. Also need to work on clothing etc. 

[seriousthistime]

I moved long distance, and in my experience it is no worse, and it may be better.  You need to be prepared for the day the movers show up and pack everything in the truck, and when they pull down that door, that's it.  What's left goes in your car, or gets donated or trashed. Moving locally, or even somewhat locally as you are, can be an   e n d l e s s   chore with all the back and forth trips prior to and even after the move.  

I've said that moving is like someone has picked up your house by the corner, shaken it, and dumped all your belongings in a new place. It's chaos for a while.  No way around that.  Have you EVER encountered anyone who said they love the process of moving? I haven't.  But it's worth it. 

[TheOtherMe]

When I moved here, I did hire movers, which was difficult because no one wanted such a small job.  

I had about 6 weeks to pack before closing on my house here.  I did not have air conditioning.  I made myself get up at 6 AM and go through stuff and pack until 9 AM each morning.  Then I took my shower and went about my day.  I got rid of so much stuff

It doesn't take them long to load and yes, I had my car fully packed and was a bit nervous at the overnight hotel.  I brought some things in to the room.

The mover wanted to unpack early in the day.  I could not get an earlier closing than 4 PM.  He kept calling and, no, I don't have a key and you can't get in.  He unloaded everything and put it in front of the garage.  Thankfully, my niece and nephews were coming over to help with the unpacking.  As soon as one of them arrived, he took off.  

Definitely chaos for some time in my case.

[megaptera]

Our move last year was definitely chaotic with a lot of uncertainty mixed in. We were in Seattle and knew we wanted to be in the Dallas area, so we boxed up all our stuff into those U-Haul boxes, sent them to a U-Haul storage place in the Dallas area, then rented an Airbnb for a month while looking for a house. (We ended up renting.) I looked at it as an adventure and definitely handled it better than DH and the kids. Next year's move will hopefully be better organized and planned.

Been keeping up with day-to-day chores, but still want to get rid of more items. Need to set another Goodwill box by the garage door so I (and the kiddos) can just add to it as we come across items to donate.

[finnime]

That's just like our move last year, chaotic with a lot of uncertainty.

We sold our home in Maryland and put a lot of Stuff in storage with the Pod, then moved to our friend B's until we knew better about where, exactly, we'd be going. We bought the house in Massachusetts and proceeded to outfit it, then move our Stuff in later. Chaos reigned for some time. But it was worth it, definitely.

[Iggy aka IG]

Agreed.  All I recall from the last time, which was our second local, and hopefully final, move is saying, "Moving sucks."  And that's with hiring two "young bucks" via the temp agency.  Nice guys, and I tipped them afterward, but a few of our belongings got knicked.

Random thoughts from cross-country moves:  Yes, be prepared when the movers arrive.  When I relocated to Chicago, my car ran out of room, and I had to leave behind things like a vacuum cleaner.  Moving *from* Chicago, I ran out of boxes, and had to put my final items into a clean kitchen garbage bag.  Classy.  

I lined L out this morning.  She didn't bring up the free hour due to the referral, nor did I.  It can wait.

[debthaven]

We went to the garden center for a pumpkin today. DH will carve it this weekend.

I'm WFH tomorrow, then getting a haircut. 

[snapdragon]

I managed to load the car yesterday afternoon and took a drive coming back about 10:30 last night. Weather and traffic added almost a hour to the drive.

I am paying movers to pack about 70% of my stuff at the condo. Breakables, jewelry, clothing, small appliances, paperwork is all on me. I have a small list of things for donation already just holding off until Sunday and I will drop them off.

Slowly but surely I am getting there.


 

[debthaven]

I think you were wise to hire movers snapdragon

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 25, 2023 14:47:15 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I think you were wise to hire movers snapdragon

[seriousthistime]

Yeah, I think many of us are past the days of getting friends to do the heavy-duty moving and paying them with pizza and beer. 

My life is going to get super chaotic in a week or two.  Kitchen demo and remodeling will begin.  I just accepted a bid from the flooring people, I'm doing all but the bathrooms in luxury vinyl plank.   

www.build.com/product/summary/1713962?uid=4050051&jmtest=gg-gbav2_4050051&inv=1&&&&&&source=gg-gba-pla_4050051!c6812010882!a83395606247!dc!ng&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMSBmpaSggMViw2tBh19xArEEAQYAiABEgLjP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Very soon I'll need to pack up my kitchen and set up a small temporary kitchen area in the laundry room. 

[debthaven]

I love the flooring seriousthistime ! It will be a royal pain, but you'll be so happy when it's all done. 

How long is it everything supposed to take? 

I don't think I mentioned this ... they finally installed the last shutter last weekend! The others were installed in July. The first time, they measured it badly. The second time, they switched the height and width. The third time, it was damaged in transport.

The fourth time worked! Six months later, the windows and shutters are finally done!    

[TheOtherMe]

I am hoping to do my bedroom in the LVP this winter.  Time will tell.

My furnace has now been serviced for the winter and water softener salt delivered.

[seriousthistime]

Oct 25, 2023 17:37:21 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I love the flooring seriousthistime ! It will be a royal pain, but you'll be so happy when it's all done. 

How long is it everything supposed to take? 

I don't think I mentioned this ... they finally installed the last shutter last weekend! The others were installed in July. The first time, they measured it badly. The second time, they switched the height and width. The third time, it was damaged in transport.

The fourth time worked! Six months later, the windows and shutters are finally done!    

Once they start (in the next few weeks) it should be done by the end of the year. 

[moneysquirrel]

I am home.  No problem with the surgery.  Have a contact lense for the other eye and "cheaters" for near work.  Have a few weeks before the next surgery.  Will check in when I can.

Thanks for all the well wishes.  They are appreciated.

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 25, 2023 16:49:36 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Yeah, I think many of us are past the days of getting friends to do the heavy-duty moving and paying them with pizza and beer. 

When I moved from mountains back to Boulder in 2004, the guys said they would pay for the heavy stuff rather than pizza and beer.  I didn't let them pay but I got the message loud and clear.  

Several times I have been told by friends and family that something always gets knicked or broken during a move whether it be free or professional.  I have found that to be true.

In my experience, nothing was ever destroyed.  I broke a few things that I hauled myself.

[Sharon]

Today I did a few more winter prep type things.  I bought another propane tank, this way I will have three if I need to heat or cook via propane.  Then I picked up some straw for the cows to put into their shed so they will have a warm dry place when it is so cold.  I got the straw into the shed and most of it cleaned out of the car this afternoon.  I also hooked up the stock tank warmer.  That was a life saver last year to keep the water from freezing.  I only had issues when the temps fell below 10 degrees.

When I moved in I was never able to find a key that fit the padlock on the pump house.  My pump house is mostly underground and just has a lean to type thing above ground for access.  Anytime anyone wants to access that area they takes the screws out of the hasp do what needs to happen and then screw it back on.  Today I splurged and spent $4.99 on a new hasp.  One of those dumb projects that doesn't cost much, won't take much time, yet never seems to get done.