2024 Organize & Declutter

[Iggy aka IG]

busymom re: bras I don't usually have an issue because I wait until they're quite old before letting them go.  Back when with underwires, it was easy because the second the wire popped through the fabric, out they went.  Although, when I was young and broke, I'd try to mend them.  Wires hurt!     I have a few comfy at home bras, and one more supportive for the office.  Oh, and a sports bra.  Fancy clothes:  Yes, one of the things I donated last year was a skirt I bought on sale for $100.  That one hurt.  I donated it because I wore it a few times, and each time was kind of a what was I thinking moment.

TheOtherMe what a great feeling about the cleared-out basement!

Good job, Knee Deep in Water Chloe and moneysquirrel !

You've gotten a lot done startsmart !  

Friday evening and Saturday were mostly full of socializing, which was overwhelming by Saturday evening.  DH and I slipped out of my own co-birthday party by 7:15.  

Completed:
-4 loads laundry (still need to wash the sheets this evening).
-Unloaded, reloaded, and started the dishwasher last night which I'll empty this evening.
-Washed a bunch of handwashing mugs, knives, etc.
-Processed produce and boiled eggs for the week.  A bag of vegetable peels, etc. were given to the neighbor for their goats and chickens.  The same neighbor will bring the box of beach decor I mentioned last week (?) to her coworker for her bathroom.
-Made toads in the hole for Saturday's brunch, and a pan of spaghetti for the freezer for the next virus go-around.
-Scrubbed one toilet.
-Cleared off the main kitchen counter.
-Moved a plant over to the window where it seems to be happier
-Planned this week's supper menu

This week:
-Getting my do done
-Concert in the big city
-Eye appointment
-Oil change
-Goodwill drop off if more items are added.  If not, it can wait.
-Ink cartridge recycle drop off
-Michaels for a shadow box to house last month's Raiders memorabilia
-Lunch with a friend to celebrate the Chinese New Year
-Saturday I'm going to enjoy an early birthday which will include brunch, 4 wheeling, a movie if anything is worth seeing, followed up with dinner.

ETA:  Sorry about the long post!

[TheOtherMe]

Rukh O'Rorke  The second cat I ever owned had FeLv.  That was before testing or vaccines or anything like that.  By the time I got her to a vet, the vet said she wouldn't make it until morning.  I couldn't let her suffer so I had her euthanized.  

That was in 1980.  Since I had another cat, I was advised to toss everything and bleach the house.  My other cat got UTI's for all of his entire life.  The vet thought he was a carrier but he never tested positive and none of my other cats that lived with him ever tested positive.

I'm so sorry the kitty is gone.  

[soupandstew]

Feb 5, 2024 13:17:19 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Thing have tough in rukh-land.....took my critical cat into the ER vet again last night. He was admitted, needing oxygen, IV fluids and antibiotics. Did not stablize much over night, and tests revealed both FIV and FelV, and so even if he rallied after a few days in intensive care, his life expectancy was very short with high susceptibility to infection and eventual cancer. As is, they said he could arrest at any moment due to his respiratory condition. So I drove back and stayed with him while he was put down. He was distressed and struggling at the end, which broke my heart. He got a bit lively with the pain meds and all the oxygen.

Internet says the FelV does not live long even on fabric, so just going to let the secured room rest for a few days, then start cleaning up. The secure ward and the rest of the house is kind of a with visiting my mother evey other day and spending 3 or so hours/day with the sick kitty.

I struggle to know if what I did at any stage of this was the right thing to do. I just have to greive him and move on. And pay off the hefty credit card bill.

Glad I was super cautious and kept up universal precautions.

So my attic is an infectious disaster, but leaving that for a bit and will get on with my usual household chores.

For today:
Wash throws
vacuum couch and pillow
Do dishes/clean kitchen just a big tidy/quick wiping

That is about all I can manage for today.

I'm so very sorry, but thank you for caring and trying hard to the end.  

[debthaven]

I'm sorry about the kitty Rukh O'Rorke . 

Sounds like a busy week Iggy aka IG !

Back to Job 1 tomorrow. The atmosphere is toxic this semester and I dread going in, even though it's just one day/week. Early April can't come soon enough.  

Everything is relatively caught up, I just need to do a load of laundry tomorrow.

DS1 1 Co arrive on Thurs evening for 24 hours on their way to their winter break. 

[TheOtherMe]

It's trash night.  The recycle bin is once again full, so that's a lot of stuff gone.  Certainly isn't enough, but it's something.

Debt, is your family going skiing?

DN1 and family are going to Snowmass at the end of ski season.  They didn't like the snow issues they ran into last year with a kid.  Didn't bother them when it was just them.  

He said they might go visit their friends in Buffalo for spring break, but that depends on the weather (it's in two weeks).  It's easy to call off a trip when you are driving for 4 hours and staying with friends.  

On my trip to Toronto, I have to give 48 hours notice to hotels so I will be watching the weather,  I was hoping to surprise the Toddler, but DN1 told him last night.

[startsmart]

Rukh - I’m so sorry about the kitty, take care of yourself and don’t push yourself to do too much.

[finnime]

Rukh O'Rorke, I'm sorry for your loss. You gave the kitty a great gift.

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe yes they're going skiing. I'm glad you decided to go to Toronto. 

I got home at 3, so I finished the laundry before/after my Zoom class, and then got a haircut.

[snapdragon]

I am sorry Rukh O'Rorke.

You did the best and most compassionate thing you could do on behalf of your sick cat. 

[startsmart]

I remember now why people get the “puppy blues” lol

Lincoln has a lot of energy and then crashes hard. He’s good at night but super needy during the day. If I am eating he’s on the floor scratching at me and tends to scratch at my neck sit his tiny, sharp nails. He’s currently in the crate (aka jail) for a few minutes. 

I’m trying to remove all the kitchen cabinet upper doors for paint and he is really bad about being underfoot. the cabinets are really coming along and I can’t wait to get them all painted. I still need to buy handles or the 6 drawers I have but that’ll happen soon enough. This month is expensive with car insurance for 6 mo, car registration and a high energy bill. I’m using the old handles for now. 

I decluttered 3 cabinets last night without really getting rid of any thing and moving on to the pots and pans tonight. then I’ll work my way through the upper cabinets which tend to get stuff shoved in the very back. 

[debthaven]

The gardener was supposed to come in late Feb. He hasn't been here since before Covid. He called asking to come tomorrow, because his current job is on hold waiting for a delivery. It was a surprise but we said yes. 

[TheOtherMe]

Feb 6, 2024 9:11:46 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe yes they're going skiing. I'm glad you decided to go to Toronto. 

So am I, even if the Toddler told me I am not invited to his friends birthday party.  

[debthaven]

Haha TheOtherMe ! I bet he changes his mind. 

[TheOtherMe]

I had told his parents that I wasn't going to the friends birthday party.  He's been to two of those now.  They invited the entire Pre-K class and it's kids running around and acting totally crazy.  His parents don't even like going to those.  

We will have our party at their apartment.

[nikiz628]

Sorry to hear about the kitty Rukh O'Rorke

I managed to deep clean BOTH of our bathrooms Sunday. It was so nice when I was finished! I reorganized some of the drawers and added some storage (that I already owned and wasn't using) to our bath/laundry room. I can officially check both of those rooms off my 2024 deep clean to do list. 

[snapdragon]

I dealt with the financial check in today. I have a meeting for next week for a hour to go over specifics that we weren't able to today. I have thoughts about different stocks rolling around in my head and I am looking forward to the conversations coming up. 

I need to start gathering paperwork for the CPA tax slog next month. I still have to set up the damn printer but the mind body is not happening to do that. I still have boxes to unpack and clothing to fold and put away. This is starting to be annoying for sure. 

[debthaven]

There are three people here today cleaning up the garden for the first time since before Covid! 

The contractor is coming to give us an estimate to replace the front door and one side window, and to add a vent to the back door.

ETA: The contractor gave us a ballpark figure for the front door. Yikes. We may do it, but we won't do the side window. The vent is nothing. We'll get the estimate next week.

[debthaven]

They did an amazing job on the garden! It hadn't been done in five years. Sadly, we lost a lovely tree that we want to replace. There's also a small area that's always been messy, we want to fix it up. We're waiting for an estimate for that too.

The gardener obviously costs money, but we've neglected the garden for a while. It's a fraction of what we spent last year on windows/shutters/repainting the outside of the house. I should get 2/3 more hours a week soon when the Staff classes start up again.

I'm so glad we took the cheap option for the couches! 

[startsmart]

The doors I need to paint are out and I have 10 of them to degloss, prime and paint so this is my official countdown! The cabinets are primed and I brushed on the first coat (on most) this morning. I’m fairly confident that I can finish the shells by Monday and then keep working through the doors this month.

I do need to do the new cabinet of 3 drawers but it has some issues to fix first.

Puppy is sleeping on my lap and I’m going to negotiate a reshuffle so I can get some work done.

[TheOtherMe]

The house is clean!  It always feels so good when it is done.  The cleaners would never see the cats because they would go to the basement.  This time, one followed them around and the other got on top of the kitchen cabinets.  

They really miss "their" furniture.

[Iggy aka IG]

Feb 5, 2024 14:28:32 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

[snip]

This week:
-Getting my do done - the appointment ran over so I didn't get the sheets washed Monday.
-Concert in the big city - this was a blast.
-Eye appointment - I cancelled due to having so much fun at the former. 
-Oil change - done and they reminded me my truck needs a somewhat major repair which I'll schedule next month.
-Goodwill drop off if more items are added.  If not, it can wait.  I didn't have time to add to the donation box.
-Ink cartridge recycle drop off - done.  I'll put the credit toward a set of new cartridges.
-Michaels for a shadow box to house last month's Raiders memorabilia - bought, though I went to Hobby Lobby instead.  Fingers crossed the items fit nicely.
-Lunch with a friend to celebrate the Chinese New Year - she had to cancel.
-Saturday I'm going to enjoy an early birthday which will include brunch, 4 wheeling, a movie if anything is worth seeing, followed up with dinner.  We'll see how the day goes, LOL.  Weather may dictate the day.  Good ol' winter birthdays.  

I am so glad at this age I've learned I cannot control everything and to just "roll with it" when it comes to most things.  Hope everyone is doing well.

[debthaven]

Happy early birthday Iggy aka IG !

[moneysquirrel]

Iggy aka IG -- Happy Birthday.

TheOtherMe, nikiz628 and debthaven -- Doesn't it feel great to have a job completed

startsmart -- Those cabinets will be done in no time even with the help of your puppy and the cats.

Rukh O'Rorke -- Sorry about the kitty.

[moneysquirrel]

Update:
*Currently working on laundry load 2 of 3.  Load 2 is in the washer.
*Dishes are up to date
*Classes are done for the week.  No classes next week due do Mardi Gras holidays.  I don't like crowds so I will be home avoiding all of the madness.
*Scheduled blood work for next week. Thursday
*Started a new project and need to get back to it.
*Paid the Flood insurance.  Need to rebuild the insurance sinking funds as it took a hit the last few months.
*Made it to the grocery and stocked up on things.

Have a zoom meeting in a few so I will get back when I can.

Take care all.

[debthaven]

Kids left at 3.15 for their train. After they left, DH and I put the high-density foam in the coaches. Getting the foam into the cushions was a struggle; it took us nearly 2 hours. We're very happy with the result!

Enjoy your slower schedule next week moneysquirrel ! 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Feb 9, 2024 11:56:51 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Kids left at 3.15 for their train. After they left, DH and I put the high-density foam in the coaches. Getting the foam into the cushions was a struggle; it took us nearly 2 hours. We're very happy with the result!

Enjoy your slower schedule next week moneysquirrel ! 

Nice! I may need to look into this for my couch.....

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you, debthaven and moneysquirrel.

It's been snowing and the road on our hill is a mess.  After reading this morning at least 3 vehicles were in the ditch, I declared it's a work from home day, which is fine with me.     It's my first WFH session with the treadmill here in my office and the creativity juices have been flowing.  I look forward to sharing future progress with everyone.

Happy weekend, friends.

[debthaven]

I'm so glad you created a home office for days like this Iggy aka IG .

We had dinner at our friends' house tonight. NOTHING ELSE scheduled all weekend!!!   

finnime and Rukh O'Rorke and anyone else who is considering adding plywood and/or foam to improve their couch, here are some helpful hints. (I spent a LOT of time researching this on YouTube and elsewhere.) 

Mini foam tutorial, feel free to skip!
Some couch cushions have a zipper that goes around the top. Unfortunately, our couch doesn't. If yours doesn't either, ie if it just has a straight zipper:

- it's VERY hard to remove and replace the entire block of foam 
- it's easier to add a thinner layer of higher-density foam
- some couch cushions also have a layer of down on top (ours does)
- if yours does, and you're not replacing the entire block of foam, add the thin layer of foam to the bottom of the cushion. 
- if yours doesn't have a layer of down on top, you can add the foam to the top

It took us about 30 min to do the first two cushions (so total 1h). Then DH had the brilliant idea of inserting the foam flat in a giant garbage bag. It slid in more easily, so the last two cushions took 15 min each. 

We chose the quicker/cheaper solution. It is obviously better to replace the entire foam block, but then you also need to buy a new dacron cover to cover the block before you insert it. Getting the old block out and the new block in is really hard! 

ETA: I forgot to add the 45m it took us to cut up the foam ... the whole thing actually took us about 2.5h for two couches. Definitely time and money well spent!

ETA2: If you want to replace the entire block of foam, you can google how to wrap it in plastic, shrink it with a vacuum cleaner, insert it, and remove the plastic so it expands. Personally I felt that was way beyond my abilities without tearing the leather and/or breaking the zipper, but many of you are much handier than me!

[jerseygirl]

Last year I sold YDSon’s left behind vinyl records on eBay. Successfully cleared out bottom of closet. I was sent a 1099K by eBay saying I sold $1300. But that’s not deleting costs of postage.
I use TurboTax and have used for my consulting business and personal for maybe 10 years with no problems. Closed consulting business so this year didn’t buy TT with the business application.
Wondering how or where I report 1099K and how costs of postage are subtracted. If I had personal plus business for 2023 think no problem
I might need to buy the personal plus business . I already bought and started the only personal program for 2023 taxes

[finnime]

jerseygirl you can enter a separate schedule (use the forms feature in TT) to deal with the income from eBay. Subtract expenses on the schedule; it will be included in your income.

debthaven, thanks for the information! It will come in handy, definitely. My couch is interestingly one made with a slip cover that's removeable and washable, nice since it's ivory color. I'm going to check out the augementing with high-density foam. Great tip on using plastic to ease into the existing stuffing.