2024 Organize & Declutter

[TheOtherMe]

I'm going to get my trash out to the end of the drive.  It's -2 now and is to be -16 in the morning 14 degrees matters.

[debthaven]

We were supposed to get more snow, but thankfully we didn't. DH is in the process of returning the van he rented for theater. He'll come back by motorcycle, so I'm glad there's no snow (yet?)

He has promised to clear off the desk by tomorrow night when he is hosting a meeting here. There are various props in DS2's room that will leave after tomorrow's meeting. 

The cleaner comes today, so I'm catching up on laundry. 

[Sharon]

<div>Yesterday I ended up taking a half day off from work to catch up on life.  My hot water condensate line was finally thawed late Monday afternoon so I was able to freely use hot water again.  Yesterday I caught up on the laundry and ran the dishwasher.  It was also a lull between storms so I ventured out for the first time in a week and got a few groceries.</div><div><br></div><div>We are also starting to slowly warm up.  Yesterday morning was -5 degrees when I got up, this morning it is 12 degrees.  We won't be above freezing until sometime this weekend.  <br></div>

[debthaven]

We have two sets of duvet covers + pillowcases for our room. One of them tore last week (it's from 2016!). So I went to the mall and found another duvet set, 30% off.   

(One in ... one out ...)

[nikiz628]

Everyone has been busy, kudos to you all! 

Sending warm vibes to those of you freezing- its been super cold here as well. They cancelled school Monday and Tuesday because it felt like -27 and -30. Our heat briefly went out. I woke up Monday and the house was 50 degrees. I called H and he came home to investigate. Thankfully, our exterior vent had just frozen up so it killed the airflow to the ignitor. A couple minutes with a hammer and chisel and he had that baby opened back up and the heat kicked right on. THANK GOODNESS. I kept seeing dollar signs flashing in my brain. 

I did manage to get all the interior Christmas decor down last week. Our prelit tree has been dead for years and I have just been stringing lights over it. This year, I apparently got a hair up my butt and decided I was going to cut the dead prelits off. It was an easy job, just time consuming. I turned on a movie and watched it while I did my surgery. By the time I was finished, I had burns on my hands- I can only assume its from whatever chemical treatment they put on artificial trees. But the tree is officially just an artificial tree now. 

I deep cleaned the living room the same day. I shampoo'd the area rug and the furniture, washed the walls and ceiling fan blades, took down and washed all the curtains, and then organized/decluttered the tv stand, coffee table, and cabinet. It was WONDERFUL when it was all finished. I lit a candle and curled up on the couch with my book, so that I could thoroughly enjoy my work. 

[startsmart]

It’s still chilly here but we are back to the positive temps! I am hopeful that my hot water will be back so I can take a shower and wash my hair. There’s a sink full of dishes to catch up on and laundry to do.

I finally set up my dining room table with a cheap tablecloth and the doors to paint so I could reclaim my kitchen counters.

Dentist yesterday and nothing the rest of the week so I’m home and trying to stay warm and productive. Oh and I need to go buy stamps because I am nearly out of my Forever stamps and the price goes up on Sunday.

[debthaven]

Great job Sharon and nikiz628 ! You must have felt a huge sense of accomplishment nikiz628 ! Good idea about working on the DR table startsmart !

They postponed the ice/snow warnings to tonight. Thankfully DH returned the van this afternoon and got home safely on the motorcycle, in the pouring rain. Since he had the van, he stocked up on firewood. DH also cleared off the desk!!! It's not perfect, but it's much better.

Boiler Guy came yesterday. A part needs replacing. He was going to order a bigger, more expensive part, but after reminding him that our boiler is 15YO, he agreed it's not worth it. I'll call tomorrow for an update. We'll probably need a new boiler sooner rather than later. 

I have a 1h Zoom class tomorrow. I'm trying to schedule my classes on Mondays (Zoom) or Tuesdays (school). There will be overflow, but I'm trying to limit it to one additional half day. 
 
I'm still on a reduced schedule until mid/late Feb when my Staff classes start. I don't want more than 4 Staff, plus my 6 Professors. I had 11 people last semester, it was too many people/too much paperwork. I will limit it to 10 going forward.

[moneysquirrel]

Still keeping on top of things.  Classes the last rwo days have been cancelled due to weather conditions.  The deep south does not do well in freezing temps which I know is better that a lot of you have but it shuts the area down.  Things should be back to normal tomorrow.  I have my first day of classes tomorrow as well as several errands to run.  

Decided to decorate my entryway table today as I needed to dress it up a bit.  It is the one spot that I use for seasonal decor.  So it is covered in purple, green and gold and now ready for Mardi Gras.  It is about the only thing I do for the season so I am glad that is done.  It looked so empty once Christmas was picked up.  Still have to put the outdoor flag out but will do that later this week.  

Stay safe and warm all.

[debthaven]

You too moneysquirrel stay safe! 

[startsmart]

FINALLY got my hot water back so I’m going to take the longest shower and then start laundry.

Of course I did wash a sink full of dishes in cold water and then rinse then in hot because as soon as I find a work around the problem resolved itself!

[snapdragon]

I had a crystal floor lamp that was broken when moving. I finally went into the garage and finished breaking it so it would fit in the garbage, and I could get back that space. So that was a fun, chilly and invigorating 15 minutes this morning. 

The roofing company got a cover on the roof today until they are able to come out and repair it. 

Yesterday I managed to do several errands including grocery shopping before the rain. It was cold, but I dealt with that a lot better than it being cold and wet. 

[Sunnyday]

I already did a lot of superficial decluttering, and I left my ex with 90% of the household stuff, so I don't have a lot.

What I do have is the hard stuff to declutter...

pictures, old letters, "sentimental" shit.   

My mother died a long time ago, and my dad is in another country. Some of that stuff feels like it's my only connection to my old self and my childhood.

I know that it's not true, but it's the really hard stuff.  Baby steps!

Goals 2024

Goal 1 
Scan baby memorabilia for kid 2 so that I can make their baby book. They are 11 years old.  I'm a bit late.  Sorry, kid 2.  I don't love you any less than kid 1.  
Step 1:  Buy new phone so I can take better pictures.  My phone is from 2016. 
Step 2: Take/scan pictures of stuff
Step 3: Find good, quality "photo album" place
Step 4: Create baby book
Step 5: Get rid of the physical items, except for a shoebox size for kid 2.

Goal 2
Scan my "baby" pictures, don't worry, I was kid 2, so there aren't a lot of pictures. ROFL
Step 1: Scan my baby pictures and old family pictures.
Step 2: Give the physical album to my brother.

Goal 3
Declutter my underwear to only 14 pairs.  I have so many old bras, but I really should just chuck everything and buy 4 basic ones (2 nude, 1 black, 1 sexy).
They are so expensive though!!!!!

Goal 4
Scan as much paperwork as possible, organize digitally.
Find a new external storage solution as back up (don't trust cloud).
Shred the rest
Reduce actual papers to one file drawer.
Get rid of file drawer
Get a smaller file drawer (something that is fire proof, waterproof, just in case).

[TheOtherMe]

I back up to both the cloud and an external hard drive.

[debthaven]

DH is was President of our theater troupe. Tonight, after 3 years, DH passed the torch. The monthly meetings have been held on Zoom since Covid, but tonight's meeting was in person (as well as on Zoom), because that's what DH wanted. It's hard to drink Champagne on Zoom LOL. 

The President is now A, seconded by P. I adore them both. I got P a job at my school, and P and I are in the process of getting A a job there too. Knowing my DH, he'll still do PLENTY, but at least he's no longer the one solely responsible for EVERYTHING. 

There are many things I love about our troupe, but what I love most is how age doesn't matter in our friendships.  

azucena I know your older DD is very much into theater too. 

I expected DH to be down about it. NOT AT ALL! He's SO relieved!!! 

I made a split pea & ham soup and tomato/mozz brochettes for tonight's committee meeting. Y'all know how much I hate to cook, so you KNOW these people are important to me LOL. 

I also ran/emptied the dishwasher after they left. 

[TheOtherMe]

startsmart  What is the best way to hang a quilt?

[azucena]

Jan 18, 2024 18:27:49 GMT -5 debthaven said:

DH is was President of our theater troupe. Tonight, after 3 years, DH passed the torch. The monthly meetings have been held on Zoom since Covid, but tonight's meeting was in person (as well as on Zoom), because that's what DH wanted. It's hard to drink Champagne on Zoom LOL. 

The President is now A, seconded by P. I adore them both. I got P a job at my school, and P and I are in the process of getting A a job there too. Knowing my DH, he'll still do PLENTY, but at least he's no longer the one solely responsible for EVERYTHING. 

There are many things I love about our troupe, but what I love most is how age doesn't matter in our friendships.  

azucena I know your older DD is very much into theater too. 

I expected DH to be down about it. NOT AT ALL! He's SO relieved!!! 

I made a split pea & ham soup and tomato/mozz brochettes for tonight's committee meeting. Y'all know how much I hate to cook, so you KNOW these people are important to me LOL. 

I also ran/emptied the dishwasher after they left. 

Our private school will not be putting on a play or musical this year as we begin construction on a new gym/theater/fellowship space, etc. DD11 has very much been waiting for 5th grade when she could join the older kid show. So I went off in search of performing opportunities for her. She has an audition for Matilda 2/24 which happens to be her fav show at the moment. Trying to talk thru realistic expectations bc tons are auditioning. As a fall back option, I signed her up for a two week summer camp doing Finding Nemo Jr with a highly rated group. Everyone auditions and gets some kind of role. She's not keen on that show but the parent group rated this as a the place to send interested kids.

So, seems like I may have a second kiddo dive into the theater world which is fine by me.

[startsmart]

Jan 19, 2024 9:33:28 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

startsmart  What is the best way to hang a quilt?

Oooh good question! If you want it displayed on a wall then you can use a metal hanger called PALS depending on the size. There are also wood hangers which pinch the top of the quilt. If the quilt has a sleeve on the back you can use any type of curtain rod or dowel.

There are a bunch of ways to display without hanging - on a bed or chair, quilt rack, in a china cabinet or wardrobe or stacked in a closet.

Link for PALS: this is the larger size but they have smaller ones if the quilt is smaller www.sewin2quilts.com/shop/c/p/Pals-54-Silver-Hanger-x65793132.htm

I bought 2 and the connector and it works for my larger quilts.

[snapdragon]

My good deeds for the day - 

1 - set up dental appt with old dentist for next month and 1 with new dentist for August.
2 - set up vision appt with new Dr in Costco that is only 1.5 hours away. 
3 - got appt for my taxes with a 2 hour window due to ALL THE THINGS last year. 
4 - phoned and left message for my finance guy so we can schedule a appt next month.

That is enough adulting for me. 

[Sharon]

Today I got outside for an extended period of time, longer anyway than to walk back and feed the cows.  We have somewhere around 7" of snow on the ground so I dug out a bird feeder and filled it, then cleaned the litter box.  After that I shoveled the front steps and walkway then started on the driveway.  My driveway is way too long to completely shovel, at least from way of thinking.  I did get a path done to the garbage can and then started a big rectangle so I can pull the car out of the garage and get in and out of the car without floundering around in the snow, or having to wear my boots to go somewhere.  Hopefully tomorrow I can finish up my patch of driveway.

The temps are still below freezing but today we did hit 29 degrees.  By Sunday we are supposed to have a high of 35.

[TheOtherMe]

Jan 19, 2024 15:34:06 GMT -5 startsmart said:

Jan 19, 2024 9:33:28 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

startsmart   What is the best way to hang a quilt?

Oooh good question! If you want it displayed on a wall then you can use a metal hanger called PALS depending on the size. There are also wood hangers which pinch the top of the quilt. If the quilt has a sleeve on the back you can use any type of curtain rod or dowel.

There are a bunch of ways to display without hanging - on a bed or chair, quilt rack, in a china cabinet or wardrobe or stacked in a closet.

Link for PALS: this is the larger size but they have smaller ones if the quilt is smaller www.sewin2quilts.com/shop/c/p/Pals-54-Silver-Hanger-x65793132.htm

I bought 2 and the connector and it works for my larger quilts.

It needs to be displayed on the wall because of Maddow and Amelia.  I don't trust them not to tear something.  So it has  to be on a wall.  It doesn't have a sleeve on the back.  I took it out of the box today and held it it.  It's a smaller quilt.  I need to measure it.  I have a couple of more that are smaller and just sitting in my closet.  

I want to see it so I think of Jerry when I see it.  

I was hoping it had the sleeve but none of my quilts have the sleeve.  Thank you for the link.  I will get it measured and ordered.  

DN3 can't come to get his stuff due to lack of help for 2 weeks.  Hopefully I can get it here and have him and DN2 put it on the wall because I don't go on ladders.  

I've been wanting the McCartney stuff off my walls and will replace with quilts. 

This is a pink flowers on white and the backing is a rose color.  I need to see it.

[laterbloomer]

Hi All   Great to see what everyone is getting accomplished. I got a huge project done this week that wasn't even on my list. My cousin passed away, and seeing the difficulties his family are having because he did not have his affairs in order motivated me to get my butt in gear and finish that stuff up. I used this site called lawdepot.ca and I now have a will, a POA and a living will. I have a file now will all those things and a list of all my accounts. The site also gives me the option to share the file with uploaded copies of everything. That is only available if I have a subscription but I think I might pay the $7.99/month to have the service. I'm not selling the site, I'm just so excited I found it.

[TheOtherMe]

Everyone needs a will if you have minor children, property or money.  Otherwise, you leave a huge mess behind.  It's hard enough getting the will through probate.  It takes forever if you die without a will.  

My cousin died without a will.  Her dad inherited everything by state law.  It cost him his low income senior housing and a lot of other things.  He and his lady friend are now living in the house, with steps, which is a problem.  He has grandkids who come to deal with snow and lawn care.  

They moved to senior housing because of no responsibilities for outside of the house and no steps.  

[startsmart]

I have not done much today except attend a birthday party for a very hyper 3 yo I went over to my friends house last night to help them set up too. This kid loves play food and has a kitchen and someone got him a Walmart branded cart, register and plastic food. While playing with it he would buy groceries and give his babysitter the money and then run around with the cart before coming back to do it again. But third time shopping he said she had too much money, gave her a dollar and took all the money out of the register 😂

ETA: added some pics of the kitchen cabinet process if you’re interested! I got the new knobs in and had to use them to see how well they work! imgur.com/gallery/EhiT4BO

[debthaven]

What a transformation startsmart ! They look fabulous!

They've ordered the part for the boiler, they'll install it early next week. Not happy about the money but it's good to have heat and hot water! 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

startsmart, so lovely! But, I'm biased as I have a similar color in my kitchen and living room. 

[TheOtherMe]

The cabinets are gorgeous.  

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I filed the pile today. It was excessive! I was able to purge probably as much as I filed, so that part was nice. 
I also consolidated my desk pen cups from three to two. I've cleaned up our home office. It still needs dusting and vacuuming, but it's in significantly better shape than it was this morning. 

[Sharon]

I didn't do a whole lot yesterday because the kids ended up being here most of the day.  I did get the bed changed and two loads of laundry done.  Today I painted the office and the hallway from the office to the front door.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  Slowly this house is starting to look more like me and my tastes.

[startsmart]

Thanks for the encouragement on the kitchen cabinets! I am moving right along and trying to get the doors done faster. Should have 2 more to install on Tuesday.

The hot water is out again but we warm up to the 30s/40s this week so I am hopeful it’ll come back tomorrow.

[nikiz628]

Sunnyday- One of my goals this year is to get my kiddo's pictures printed for them. I've diligently stored them in organized files on shutterfly for years (DS1 is 13, DS2 is 8). The only album I ever got completed is DS1s first year, so I am way behind. I ordered two of these photo boxes, 1 for each of them. I love that it has 18 containers inside- perfect for 18 years!


So my plan is to print my absolute favorite pics from each year of their life to put in each of the boxes. I want to figure out some way to label the pics on the back so they know what they are from (will probably just print labels to stick on) Then they will each have just a case of photos when they move out vs. several photo albums to have to deal with. For their little newspaper clippings, awards, non photo items, etc. I have 1 tote each for them to take when they move out. What they choose to do with it after that will be on them. It's way better than the 20+ totes my mom dropped at my house when I moved out, full of albums, old schoolwork, toys, clothing, etc.