Friday, November 6, 2009
Excuses
Too many excuses, no decluttering. Tonight's excuse - the varied ailments plaguing all the members of the family.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Another project
There are several areas of this house/our life that drive me crazy. My white whales, as it were. I hate that wardrobe thing, too.
Right now I am fixated on the car. Elizabeth cannot leave the house without something, or several somethings, in her hands. And then it ends up in the car, littering the floor and back seat. The stuffed animals she won at the Portuguese fest in Massachusetts. In early August. A random assortment of pens, pencils, and crayons - from restaurants with kid menus. Wrappers from snacks. Random toys. Books. Crap. The DVD player carrier is on the back seat floor, but the DVD player is under the front passenger seat. The other day I noticed there were still crab lines in the trunk! (last weekend in July trip to Pocomoke). We leave for our long trip in just 2 weeks. And that car has to be cleaned out. Every day I think I need to just go out there and collect it all, but work has been heavy lately. And when I do drive, I'm usually loaded down with too much stuff to bring in more than one or two things. I do bring in stuff and throw stuff out. I swear it's multiplying. (and where in the world are we going to store the crab lines, anyway? In the Pocomoke house, there was a corner of the basement where all that stuff went, but not like we're going crabbin' all summer long and need to grab it regularly, but then again they're nice crab lines so I hate to jsut dump them, so we need someplace where we can find them the next time we go crabbing in a couple of years! Actually I hope it is not that long, though this year's haul was disappointing, to say the least.)
Anyway. Rich took the car to work today so he could do school drop off and head into work directly (usually he walks E to school, then drives the Mini - we only have carseats in the Subaru). And imagine my surprise when he walked in at the end of the day carrying a plastic bag full of trash - a quick collection. One small bag of trash down. We probably need a couple of Hefty bags to clear out the rest of it.
Right now I am fixated on the car. Elizabeth cannot leave the house without something, or several somethings, in her hands. And then it ends up in the car, littering the floor and back seat. The stuffed animals she won at the Portuguese fest in Massachusetts. In early August. A random assortment of pens, pencils, and crayons - from restaurants with kid menus. Wrappers from snacks. Random toys. Books. Crap. The DVD player carrier is on the back seat floor, but the DVD player is under the front passenger seat. The other day I noticed there were still crab lines in the trunk! (last weekend in July trip to Pocomoke). We leave for our long trip in just 2 weeks. And that car has to be cleaned out. Every day I think I need to just go out there and collect it all, but work has been heavy lately. And when I do drive, I'm usually loaded down with too much stuff to bring in more than one or two things. I do bring in stuff and throw stuff out. I swear it's multiplying. (and where in the world are we going to store the crab lines, anyway? In the Pocomoke house, there was a corner of the basement where all that stuff went, but not like we're going crabbin' all summer long and need to grab it regularly, but then again they're nice crab lines so I hate to jsut dump them, so we need someplace where we can find them the next time we go crabbing in a couple of years! Actually I hope it is not that long, though this year's haul was disappointing, to say the least.)
Anyway. Rich took the car to work today so he could do school drop off and head into work directly (usually he walks E to school, then drives the Mini - we only have carseats in the Subaru). And imagine my surprise when he walked in at the end of the day carrying a plastic bag full of trash - a quick collection. One small bag of trash down. We probably need a couple of Hefty bags to clear out the rest of it.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My Pet Project
This is my first post here. I figure since it is NaBloPoMo, why should Susan have all the fun?
As I'm usually the brawn behind the brains in decluttering our house, I thought I would contribute what I consider to be my pet project. That's actually a misnomer. This is something that is not mine - it's just what I would like to see go. It sits up in our 2nd floor hallway mostly because there's really no other place for it. Inside is a menagerie of women's clothes, many of which hold some sentimental value to Susan. So it's not about just getting rid of everything. That would be cruel. It's about getting this monstrosity out of the hall and finding other places for the clothes. Sounds easy. Far from it!
- Rich
As I'm usually the brawn behind the brains in decluttering our house, I thought I would contribute what I consider to be my pet project. That's actually a misnomer. This is something that is not mine - it's just what I would like to see go. It sits up in our 2nd floor hallway mostly because there's really no other place for it. Inside is a menagerie of women's clothes, many of which hold some sentimental value to Susan. So it's not about just getting rid of everything. That would be cruel. It's about getting this monstrosity out of the hall and finding other places for the clothes. Sounds easy. Far from it!
- Rich
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
headed down the wrong path
So, in the Sunday ads we got the big toy catalog from Toys 'R Us. Elizabeth decided to look through it and point out good ideas for Christmas. And her attention was completely taken by the dollhouses. Great, I thought, a giant piece of plastic that costs over $100. Can't wait.
Later in the day we went to a party and there was a huge dollhouse in the playroom. And guess where Elizabeth spent all her time? I stood there watching her thinking about the reality of buying a dollhouse for Christmas, when someone asked me if I had ever had a dollhouse. Lightbulb! Indeed, I did once have a dollhouse. When I was around 10 or so, I got a big wooden dollhouse, that we were going to decorate and finish off. Uh, though we never did. But it is there, someplace in my parent's house. It's big, it's wooden, it's designed to be finished with paint and little wallpaper and twee little real dollhouse furniture. Hey, I think I did actually get some furniture, too, throughout the years, so there's probably someplace some furniture.
We're off to my parent's for Thanksgiving, and our plan is to pick up my old bedroom furniture and haul it back for Elizabeth's room. We'll rent a trailer. You see the issue here. I bet that trailer will have more room than the furniture needs.
Do we seek out the dollohuse? Could it possibly still be in good shape? Is it a good idea to give a 4 year old a huge unfinished wooden dollhouse? Will we ever finish it? Or even attempt to finish it?
And most importantly, can I get away with not bringing too much stuff back from my parents?
Later in the day we went to a party and there was a huge dollhouse in the playroom. And guess where Elizabeth spent all her time? I stood there watching her thinking about the reality of buying a dollhouse for Christmas, when someone asked me if I had ever had a dollhouse. Lightbulb! Indeed, I did once have a dollhouse. When I was around 10 or so, I got a big wooden dollhouse, that we were going to decorate and finish off. Uh, though we never did. But it is there, someplace in my parent's house. It's big, it's wooden, it's designed to be finished with paint and little wallpaper and twee little real dollhouse furniture. Hey, I think I did actually get some furniture, too, throughout the years, so there's probably someplace some furniture.
We're off to my parent's for Thanksgiving, and our plan is to pick up my old bedroom furniture and haul it back for Elizabeth's room. We'll rent a trailer. You see the issue here. I bet that trailer will have more room than the furniture needs.
Do we seek out the dollohuse? Could it possibly still be in good shape? Is it a good idea to give a 4 year old a huge unfinished wooden dollhouse? Will we ever finish it? Or even attempt to finish it?
And most importantly, can I get away with not bringing too much stuff back from my parents?
Monday, November 2, 2009
Where are my black boots?
Here is a classic case of why I don't throw stuff out. We went to Ren Fest last weekend with some friends who wanted to dress up. It was a last minute decision for us, and so I had no costume. Rich has an old king costume from many Halloweens ago, and Elizabeth has a princess dress, and we had a pirate bandanna and scarf for Andrew. And I felt like a tool with no costume ideas at all. Suddenly I was inspired. I had recently purchased a plain shirt with quite puffy sleeves. With black pants, a bandanna, and big gold jewelry, I figured I could at least look slightly like a pirate-y gypsy-ish person. (though you're not supposed to say gypsy anymore, right, so I don't know what the other part of my costume was supposed to be - a fortune teller? Is that sensitive to the plight of the Roma?). Plus, I have, somewhere, flat black slouch boots, so perfect to complete the costume.
Now, I bought these boots either in high school or perhaps in the first years of college, so late 80s. I loved them and wore them all the time and when my cat the famous Andre attacked them and bit a hole in the leather, I had them repaired at a cost probably more than the original boot cost. So, all I had to do was find them. I did remember that I hadn't worn them for a while - I distinctly recall wearing them in the winter of '94 (yes, 1994!) and noticing water seeped into them. But I have recently seen those boots, in the great clearout of the front bedroom, so definitely worth digging out and using for this fake costume.
When my sister was here last summer she helped me go through a ton of stuff in the front bedroom, for a very very nice tax deduction. I ran across the boots then, in a box of old shoes that hadn't been worn (or seen the light of day, truth be told) for probably at least ten years. And the boots were there. So, last Sunday morning, I searched. And searched. And searched. Not in the front bedroom closet. Not in the boot box under my bed (but did find a pair of boots that were ripped and I can throw out). Not in the cardboard box I thought they were in, in the attic. Not in any other box in the attic. Not shoved into my closet. Not in any other shoe storage area. No sign of them in the basement. Not in my trunk that contains nearly all my other 80s paraphernalia, like my prom dress. An hour of searching, and I could not find them. And because it was muddy and wet (which means the boots probably would have been a bad choice anyway since my last memory of wearing them was cold, wet feet), I ended up wearing an old pair of tassel loafers, and I have yet to meet any pirate/gypsy/fortune teller who wears tassel loafers.
I save things for one reason and one reason alone - you never know. You never know when you might need them. Sure, slouchy boots went out of style in the mid-90s, but now that style is back in! The location of these boots is driving my insane. I just went down and looked in another bag, inspired by a new thought. No dice.
But I did just find the tax receipt from the big clothing of the 80s purge of '08.
12 skirts
1 t-shirt. With shoulder pads
4 jackets (HUGE shoulder pads)
4 vests (I used to really, really like vests - my mid90s look)
3 silk blouses
1 top (? not a blouse or tshirt but a top?)
3 dresses
2 exercise shorts
1 formal dress
4 pairs of shoes
2 purses
1 earwarmer
1 hat
2 pairs mittens
Daggone, that was a lot. 42 items. Wohoo. Hmm, though - I had been wondering if I had donated those boots, and thought the receipt would tell me. 4 pairs of shoes. I would have written down boots if they were there. So that means those boots are in this house somewhere, taunting me.
These next 20 days of decluttering now have a purpose. Find the d**m boots. And then put them in the boot box under my bed (with another pair of brown boots I had totally forgotten I had, no, not these, a pair of high heeled stretch faux suede), so that the next time I want to be a pirate/fortune teller/gypsy I am prepared!!
Now, I bought these boots either in high school or perhaps in the first years of college, so late 80s. I loved them and wore them all the time and when my cat the famous Andre attacked them and bit a hole in the leather, I had them repaired at a cost probably more than the original boot cost. So, all I had to do was find them. I did remember that I hadn't worn them for a while - I distinctly recall wearing them in the winter of '94 (yes, 1994!) and noticing water seeped into them. But I have recently seen those boots, in the great clearout of the front bedroom, so definitely worth digging out and using for this fake costume.
When my sister was here last summer she helped me go through a ton of stuff in the front bedroom, for a very very nice tax deduction. I ran across the boots then, in a box of old shoes that hadn't been worn (or seen the light of day, truth be told) for probably at least ten years. And the boots were there. So, last Sunday morning, I searched. And searched. And searched. Not in the front bedroom closet. Not in the boot box under my bed (but did find a pair of boots that were ripped and I can throw out). Not in the cardboard box I thought they were in, in the attic. Not in any other box in the attic. Not shoved into my closet. Not in any other shoe storage area. No sign of them in the basement. Not in my trunk that contains nearly all my other 80s paraphernalia, like my prom dress. An hour of searching, and I could not find them. And because it was muddy and wet (which means the boots probably would have been a bad choice anyway since my last memory of wearing them was cold, wet feet), I ended up wearing an old pair of tassel loafers, and I have yet to meet any pirate/gypsy/fortune teller who wears tassel loafers.
I save things for one reason and one reason alone - you never know. You never know when you might need them. Sure, slouchy boots went out of style in the mid-90s, but now that style is back in! The location of these boots is driving my insane. I just went down and looked in another bag, inspired by a new thought. No dice.
But I did just find the tax receipt from the big clothing of the 80s purge of '08.
12 skirts
1 t-shirt. With shoulder pads
4 jackets (HUGE shoulder pads)
4 vests (I used to really, really like vests - my mid90s look)
3 silk blouses
1 top (? not a blouse or tshirt but a top?)
3 dresses
2 exercise shorts
1 formal dress
4 pairs of shoes
2 purses
1 earwarmer
1 hat
2 pairs mittens
Daggone, that was a lot. 42 items. Wohoo. Hmm, though - I had been wondering if I had donated those boots, and thought the receipt would tell me. 4 pairs of shoes. I would have written down boots if they were there. So that means those boots are in this house somewhere, taunting me.
These next 20 days of decluttering now have a purpose. Find the d**m boots. And then put them in the boot box under my bed (with another pair of brown boots I had totally forgotten I had, no, not these, a pair of high heeled stretch faux suede), so that the next time I want to be a pirate/fortune teller/gypsy I am prepared!!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Back to it
Wow, I really abandoned this blog, huh? And I am sad to say, I abandoned the effort, too.
Once again we are drowning in too much stuff. Kid stuff crammed in the living room. Junk piled in the front hall, on top of the three strollers. Basement play area a wreck of toy detritus. Our car....oh, our car full of crap, not ever cleaned out after a handful of trips this summer. I think the DVD player is shoved under the front seat.
So, tomorrow, it's on. Haven't decided yet how exactly, back to tallying things out per day, or organizing area by area, room by room. But NaBloPoMo provides a level of motivation to start back up. Even if we are headed to my parents for the last ten days of the month, trying hard to make sure we don't bring too much stuff home!
Once again we are drowning in too much stuff. Kid stuff crammed in the living room. Junk piled in the front hall, on top of the three strollers. Basement play area a wreck of toy detritus. Our car....oh, our car full of crap, not ever cleaned out after a handful of trips this summer. I think the DVD player is shoved under the front seat.
So, tomorrow, it's on. Haven't decided yet how exactly, back to tallying things out per day, or organizing area by area, room by room. But NaBloPoMo provides a level of motivation to start back up. Even if we are headed to my parents for the last ten days of the month, trying hard to make sure we don't bring too much stuff home!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
a thought
Perhaps, if you choose to live in a small, older house, you simply cannot own as much stuff as someone who lives in a large, spacious, newer house.
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