a small stack

Ok, went over the top of the changing table.

I found a place for hair stuff - a couple of weeks ago I bought an over door CD/DVD holder, and it's not full, so put the hair stuff in a little plastic bin on one of the bottom shelves.  So that's handled, sort of.  Still not sure where to keep the iron.  

But off the top of the changing table, I did manage to clear a bunch.  

From the left, that's a piece of cardboard, a nice ribbon, a stained yellow tank top that is not mine, a sticker, a CD that we've never listened to that was a toy inside some sort of happy meal, a stick that has been in the house for about two weeks, and under it all there is a super cute pillow cover that is stained, and the stain won't come out despite repeated treatments.  

The only bad thing is I put mod tot this in the trash, but then took it out to photograph it.  And I couldn't part with the cute ribbon.  Sigh.   So 6 things total today.  

Declutter 2013:

Day: 8

Items gone: 10!

Goal: still undecided

slowly

Aha - slowly getting things out of the blasted changing table.  

I think this used to hold baby grooming things - small scissors, nail clippers, etc.  GONE!

Declutter 2013:

Day: 8

Items gone: 4

Goal: still undecided

Ugh what do normal uncluttered people do with these?

Here's a great example of a problem - stuff you get that is perfectly fine but not needed.

Her birthday was in September.  This was a lovely balloon that accompanied presents (and actually there is a second balloon currently under the couch).  So, nearly two months later, am I supposed to kill this perfectly fine balloon and trash it?  If no, what the heck do I do with it?

This is the kind of stuff that paralyzes me.

Stacks

My house is filled with stacks.  Stacks of school papers, stacks of mail, stacks of books, stacks of shoes, stacks of STUFF.

I get a lot of catalogs and magazines in the mail.  Magazines are suffering from declining subscriptions, but I still like to hold something tangible and glossy in my hands.  So last year, when I ran across a raft of special subscriptions at $2-5 each, I snagged them.  So the magazines pile up.  And yes, I know all about stopping catalogs, but here's my dirty little non-environmental secret: I like catalogs.  I like flicking through the pages and seeing full size images of things that I may never buy, but are visually appealing.  I simply like them and I'm not apologetic.  But, I do not like discarding them - instead, I discovered that teachers of the younger grades like them for students to practice cutting and pasting (the physical version) pictures and words.  So I do big dumps every once in a while.

The stack of magazines and catalogs by the front door reached well over 2 feet - I missed dumping them off at school before the end of the school year and then they piled up more over the summer.  So this week I've done three bags to school.

Sadly I keep forgetting to take the last bag from the car into the school for the past few days, so I'm not done yet, but still it's nice to not have that stack by the door.  Though with holidays rapidly approaching they'll pile up soon enough again!

Declutter 2013:

Day: 6

Items gone: 3

Goal: still undecided

A start

Well, I've gotten one stack of papers thrown out. I am actually looking for something Elizabeth wrote to put on awwwtrouble, so started on the papers on top of the changing table. Didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find about half on there could be discarded. I guess my inch high stack only counts as one thing, though.

Declutter 2013:

Day: 5

Items gone: 2

Goal: still undecided

rookie mistake

Elizabeth and Andrew are wiley.  And they are very, very attached to anything that belongs to them.  So I've learned, when decluttering, to immediately take things out of the house, to the trash out back, or to hide them really, really well in the trash.

Rich however gets in a hurry and just throws things in the trash.  Then, his rookie mistake - today he asked Elizabeth to scrape her plate into the trash, which resulted in a "HEY!  What is this doing in here?"

I try, at all times, to maintain plausible deniability.  I have no idea, it wasn't me, ask Daddy.  Yep, throwing him under the bus.  That way, when I manage to grab things and push them to the bottom, I'm not a suspect.  So, sadly, nothing discarded.  Almost.

ONE!

I'm writing this on Monday, having had no blogging time on Sunday.  (And eventually there will be a picture but my plan of using drobox is backfiring when Dropbox won't work properly!).

Sunday night I was mulling over AwwwClutter and thinking I need some sort of theme or goal for November.  Is this about problem areas?  I could easily just wander around and take pictures of all the clutter in the house but that doesn't actually get me anything.  And then there's still shoes, do I want to touch on my shoes at all?  Should I pick an arbitrary # of things to discard by a specific time?

Im still undecided, but as I was leaving Elizabeth's room last night (one of the top problem areas, without a doubt) I spied a toy that was broken and palmed it.  She called me back into the room and I thought she had seen my grab, but she just wanted another kiss.  So I was able to bury it in the trash in my room.  It's a small solar powered plastic thing that was a flower - under light, the flower sways back and forth.  Andrew has one, too, in his window, but Elizabeth managed to break off the flower.  So it doesn't actually do anything.  And now it is in the trash, hooray!

Of course I did spend a minute wondering if I should get a replacement but nope.  It's gone and she will never know.

So that's one thing gone.  Maybe that is the best goal - decluttering at its most basic.  Just counting things out of the house.  I need a target goal - any ideas?  50?  More?  One a day, so 30?  Any ideas?

Declutter 2013
Day: 3
Items gone: 1
Goal:  ?? 

My problem area

This changing table is going to be a pain. Hence why it's been sitting in the dining room unused except as collecting area for the past two years. Before I even photograph it to sell online I have to clean it off, finding new living spaces fora bunch of random things. 

It's the resting place for Elizabeth's hair stuff. Not sure where on the main level we can keep it for the morning brushing. Hmm.  Maybe in the wine bar?  That way it's behind a closed door. There's also the Christmas cards from last year I didn't send out. Sigh. Also on top is a stack of papers from camps this summer, waiting to be sorted and a few key ones saved. 

Then there's four drawers on the left. Half are filled with stuff that we needed a place to stash - CDs, papers, random bits of this and that. The bottom drawers have some baby blankets and other random baby gear. 

And behind the door?  Our ironing equipment - where will that go? Plus more random baby stuff, plus two diaper bags. Tired to sell the diaper bags at the last co-op sale, but they didn't sell, so I can stash them with other to-be-sold stuff (overflowing in its own right) and try to sell in the spring. 

Ugh.  This is a project and a half, because after cleaning it out I need to photograph it and put online and deal with selling it. But the (I hope) $100 we'll get will make it worthwhile, right?

We bought a piano

And all anyone wants to know is where is it going to go?  Frankly, I want to know where it's going to go, too.  But I bought it. And scheduled lessons. So it's here to stay.  Just not in the middle of the dining room.  I hope.

Although it's a nice sized digital, It's still too big to go where I first thought it might, where the changing table is in the dining room. The changing table that we last used well over two years ago.  The changing table has to go.  Because possibly if I can move the secretary out of the hallway it will fit where the changing table was, and the piano can fit (with luck - the measurement is tight) in the hallway. 

Essentially we're at max capacity right now. There is no space to spare in the house. Time to seriously declutter, before Christmas.  And just in time for NaBloPoMo.  

So first, the stuff ON and IN the changing table has to go. And then the table. Then some rearranging, then the piano will be in place. Can this happen before the first lesson on Thursday?  Doubtful, but stay tuned!  (Har har)

bronze flip flops, take 2

What:  size 8 bronze flip flops with rope detail
From:  Talbots (clearance center)
Purchased:  September 2011
Cost:  $14

So, um, yeah.  In August at a regular Talbots I bought a pair of bronze flip flops and put them away for next summer's use.  And then in early September I was at the clearance store and snatched these off the racks and totally loved the rope-y, espadrille-y trim around the shoe and bough them without a second thought because I needed new flip flops.  And I put them away for next summer's use. 

And now I have two pairs of bronze flip flops.  And a no returns policy.  Oh well.  I love bronze.  I could wear one pair out and save the second pair for the summer of 2013?

Bottom line:  keeper

bronze flip flops

What:  Size 8 bronze flip flops with little bow
From:  Talbots
Purchased:  August 2011
Cost:  $16

All summer I wore my orange and yellow flip flops.  They were already on their last legs, but I couldn't part with them. 

So, when I went to Talbots close to my birthday, which meant I had an extra 15% off coupon, and the summer sale was still in full swing, and I saw these, I had to snatch them up.  As we all know, I love me some metallics! 

Two questions:
- how can a pair of flip flops cost the same as the shoes from yesterday? 
- uh, what is that other pair of bronze flip flops in the background?  stay tuned! 

Bottom line:  keeper

golden

What:  size 8 glitter and sequin gold peep toe pumps with 2.5 inch heel
From:  Talbots (clearance store)
Purchased:  April 2011
Cost:  $16

They made it to 80% off!  So I could not pass them up.  These are totally impractical.  Seriously, how many times in your life will you wear gold glitter pumps?  I know a lot of people that will never wear glitter shoes once in their life, and I think they're perfectly fine with that.  But these are comfy.  And, well, tasteful.  For a gold glitter pump, that is. 

Right after I got them I wore them out to dinner with rolled jeans and an olive green jacket.  Sort of the juxtaposition of hard edge and fancy.  I guess it worked, and I could probably wear something like that a couple of times a year. 

But I never have fancy things to attend where these would work.  No fancy holiday parties, no super fabulous dress up dinners out, no fancy theater or orchestras......once again, my shoe mantra - I need a more fabulous life to match my shoes!  Sigh. 

bottom line:  keeper

cheap espadrilles

what:  size 8 lilac espadrilles with flowers
From:  New York and Co
Purchased:  mid summer 2011
Cost:  $10

Bought these at the same time as these.  What can I say, they were cheap.  I don't know how much wear they will get, but at $10 I couldn't pass them up.  I was kinda looking at a dress there the same color, but never got it.  I can get a wear or two out of them next year.  I hope.

Bottom line:  keeper

fierce espadrilles

What:  size 8.5 lace up platform espadrilles
From:  Joan&David (Macy's)
Purchased:  August 2011
Cost:  $50

I saw these in some ad over the summer and cyberstalked them for two months, but never saw them cheaper than $100.  I tried them on at one point in July on a random trip to Macy's, but there was no way I was paying that much for them.  So late in the summer I decided what the heck and did another random Macy's trip and lo and behold found them on the super sale rack!

The sad thing is usually I am very prepared, and that day there had been a 20% off coupon in the paper, but I didn't grab it and the woman behind the counter wasn't going to help me out.  I bought them anyway.  They are fierce.  I get a ton of compliments on them when I wear them.  Just hope they won't appear too "last season" next summer, because I plan on getting more wear out of them!

Bottom line: Keeper

and so it goes

While my sister did an amazing job motivating Elizabeth to make her room less of a disaster area, they didn't really tackle the root of the problem, which is stuff crammed everywhere.

I've started to notice that if Andrew is enjoying a particular toy a lot, it winds up squirreled away in Elizabeth's room.  This is annoying, to say the least.  

When he pulled out a little car set, and one car was missing, Elizabeth casually said it was in her room, in her nightstand.  I went to find it, but her nightstand was mysteriously empty.  So I went on a small rampage, rooting around in all her stashes.  

Never found the car.  But in 5 minutes of rummaging, I did find:  

1. A used teaspoon
2. a yellow cherry from the Hi Ho Cheerio game
3. a red butterfly from the Elefun game

That girl!  I am in a total funk right now over the toys, and specifically the games, and are really feeling a lot of annoyance directed at the nanny.  Games get hauled out and then pieces distributed everywhere.  It makes me crazy.  None of the games we have can be played right now.  None.  The pieces have been dispersed to the far corners of our house, never to be reunited again.  CRAZY.  ANNOYED.  

And we're heading toward Christmas, and more toys will make their way into our house, and the whole thing makes me think my head is about to explode.  

I'm gearing up for a huge toy sort, and it has to be done before Christmas.  And I have to comprehensively sort the main level, the basement, and her room, or the whole effort is fairly useless.  Why didn't we choose a nanny who was more organized than us?  Or at least even slightly organized?  Or who at least understood why toys should sort of go together.  I'm perpetuating my disorganization on another generation and it is making me grumpy and crazy.  

grey booties

What:  Size 8 grey ankle booties
From:  Aerosoles
Purchased:  October 21, 2011
Cost:  $26

I spent all last winter coveting grey shooties/ankle booties, particularly an expensive pair.  I ended up buying these for $20, and while I like them, they're kinda cheap-y and I don't think will last.  Suede is already rubbing off.  Also ever-so-slightly pinchy in the toes.

Anyway, when shopping with KG recently, we hit the Aerosoles outlet store and these were marked to $26.  KG got both the grey AND the black (marked down to $35, I think), but I stuck with just the grey. After seeing KG rock the black ones with black tights and skirt, I was thinking I should have gotten black, even if they were $10 more, but I had purchased the odd black Naturalizer shoes earlier that day, so grey it was.

So, the other day I decided to step out a little bit and actually wear some of the crap I buy on the clearance racks, and pulled on these funky patterned tights, with a grey skirt and black sweater.  It was a little out there for me, but I think worked.  At least it was a little different.

Bottom line:  keeper.  They are more comfy that the other ones I own.  Probably better with jeans.  Still feeling like I should have gotten the black ones, maybe?  Or, really, neither.  The real bottom line is I've gotten two grey booties for $46, which is still cheaper than the shooties I really wanted last year.

black peep toes

What: size 8 black platform peep toe slingbacks with patent accents and flower bow on front
From:  AK Anne Klein (Lord&Taylor)
Purchased:  May 2011
Cost:  $32

Shoe-mageddon, which I still haven't covered, wiped out my black shoe collection.  Really, I had a number of black shoes that were staples in my wardrobe that just had too much wear, and TSM did a great job encouraging me to discard them.  

These hurt the most to discard - loved those sandals, but it was time.  When I wrote about them, I said I needed a slightly dressier, lady-like pair to replace them, and in the late spring, I started seeing some candidates in Lord&Taylor ads.  And so when a huge coupon coincided with a big shoe sale, plus an already planned trip to Friendship Heights, I was on a mission.  Tried on 4 pairs of black peep toe slingbacks and settled on the ones pictured above.  They're definitely dressier then the ones I discarded, which filled a niche of sandals-that-could-aspire-higher, but that niche is difficult and I needed the dressier shoe, since shoe-maggeddon also resulted in these going away, too.  OK, yes, I still have these, but I feel like they're not quite the same - I bought leather (with patent accents), and that last link is all patent, plus I think not quite as, well, for want of a better descriptor, lady-like for full skirts.

I'm still on the hunt for a low-heel almost-sandal (kitten heel, maybe?) that can be worn with skirts, but I was, and am, super satisfied with this pair, especially at the bargain price I got.

Bottom line:  keeper

back to shoes - brown boots

What: size 8 light brown wedge heel mid-calf boots with studs and turndown
From:  Naughty Monkey (Endless.com)
Purchased:  October 2011
Cost:  $40

I've had my eye on these boots since last March, when they were $30 - half price end of season.  I also liked the darker brown color, but with no job at the time, I could only watch as the dark brown ones sold out and the 50% off marked down price ended.  I also just wasn't sure about them.

And then the job came along, and I had a $10 credit on Amazon, so finally snagged them.

I like them, and wore them my long tiring Sunday with no problems, but I am just not sure I can really pull off the tucked in jeans look.  Maybe my jean legs were not quite skinny enough.  I felt like I had an unfortunate star trek-like quality to the jeans, puffing out at the top of the boots.  Or maybe I'm just not used to this look and need to keep trying, or need to peg my jeans so they are tighter and don't ride up, or need a different pair of pants.  Undecided.  But these are cute boots, with a slight kick as feel to them (studs!), and they were comfortable, so overall worthwhile.

Bottom line:  keeper

small steps

Ok, well, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a small step.

Today I explored trash regulations in DC and discovered that you can discard TVs at the transfer station on the first Sat of the month.  So, the giant TV in the basement, along with other hazardous waste like mercury filled burnt out light bulbs, will go away December 3rd.

Small steps.

discouraged

I'm writing this blog post 11/26, but backdating to 11/14.  Maybe I can catch up with NaBloPoMo, maybe not, but we'll see how it goes. 

So, after a frenzied weekend and exhausting Sunday, I"m mostly just waiting for Rich to get home.  Although some decluttering progress was made over the weekend, I'm feeling discouraged.  Everything that is on my todo list is overwhelming.  There is so much to do, and most of it is linked, or requires purchasing new items to properly organize or replace old items, or is just such a huge, tedious job there's no motivation.

Although I made a lot of organizing progress in the play area of the basement on Friday, it was also a depressing exercise.  There is soooo much stuff down there. It just feels claustrophobic.  Everywhere you turn, there's a stack or pile or jumble.  Attacking it requires so much energy and effort and quite honestly, it's just easier to not think about it.

Here's an example:  I have a GIGANTIC desk in the basement.  I bought it for $10 when I was in grad school.  It is huge, and heavy, and I've hauled it more places than I care to imagine.  It's an old metal school desk with a gigantic, smooth desk top surface that would be awesome for projects - if I could get at the desk and actually work at it.  Right now it's inaccessible in a corner of the basement, and on the top is a giant old TV and a stash of boxes of Cats Meow pieces (more than 80) that my parents bought at at auction for something ridiculous like $2.  Rich hates this desk (see the aforementioned heavy + moved many places).  I like it because surface area.  It would be a nice craft desk/area.  It's surrounded by so much stuff I can't even take a picture of it.

I've finally decided it needs to go.  I'd much rather have a large craft desk in the attic, with a storage cabinet.  The desk is too big and ugly to go in the attic.  So, I need $$ to buy a project table and storage cabinet.  I need to clean off the desk in the basement to photograph it and sell on Craig's List, or freecycle.  I need to clean OUT the desk if it's leaving - there's random stuff in drawers and some files.  It's just a huge, depressing project overall and so it just sits, hulking, taking up a lot of square footage.

You might feel better after decluttering.  I do feel better with decluttered area.  But it's a long journey to get there.