Day 2: The Master Bathroom

My house did not get where it is today due solely to my issues.  I live with others after all.  But it would be wholly unfair of me to point fingers and start assessing blame ... I live here, too, right?  So, my first day of cleaning and organizing is about me.  Only right to pull the plank from my own eye before I start picking at the splinter in someone else's.

Today I'm starting with my master bathroom (in case you didn't read the post title).  I'm planning for this to take 2-3 days, not because it's an especially large room (it's not) but because (A) I'm going to be doing the work after returning home from an 8-hour shift (plus overtime) at the job that's paying my bills, and (B) the last time I cleaned my bathroom, I never laid a finger on what's lurking in the under-the-sink cabinets or the linen closet.  So, today's post will be "part one."

Having mentioned the portions of the room that have been previously ignored, I may have given the impression that I might start there this time around. If that is the case, I apologize. I find it easier to spend extended periods of time in a room only if there is already some semblance of order. With that in mind, today I focused on what can be seen: cleaning the counter, sink, shower, toilet, mirror, and floor. Other than the floor, the sink is always my last item, because it gives me access to clean water for use in cleaning the rest of the room. I always feel like cleaning the sink earlier in my list would make more work for me, because I'd just end up messing it up while working on the rest.  For that same reason, I clean the mirror before I clean the counter ... Otherwise I would have to clean window cleaner off the already-cleaned counter.

So, not a giant leap forward, but the clutter is cleaned up, and everything has been scrubbed and wiped down. Tomorrow, I'll tackle the under-the-sink cabinets. If that goes quickly, I'll get a jump on the linen closet ... Until then, why not choose a small project of your own to complete?  Feel free to share your accomplishments in the comments. (=

Day 1: Why?

I have no idea when it was that I first began my torrid love affair with Stuff.  I honestly cannot recall.  All I know is that, whenever I have felt lonely or insignificant or even just a little bit sad, Stuff has been there to make me feel better.  Stuff's been there to help me celebrate the good times, too.  The problem with our relationship is that it's inherently unhealthy.  The whole time, it's just been an illusion.  Stuff doesn't love or need me in any way.  In fact, Stuff has actually been slowly suffocating me, turning the joy we once shared into sometimes overwhelming depression.  And the worse part about it is that Stuff doesn't even care.

I'm tired of feeling claustrophobic in my own home, and I'm tired of fearing the possibility of  unexpected visitors, because Stuff is always lazing about, flopping wherever might be most comfortable.  Stuff is the elephant in the room that I've avoided discussing for far too long.  So, I've decided it's time to end our relationship and kick Stuff to the curb.

In all seriousness, my OCD can sometimes be debilitating.  Instead of turning me into some super-powered, psycho clean freak, it overwhelms me with all the minute details involved in decluttering my home.  Rather than seeing a small task to be done, I see all the smaller tasks that are involved in that task ALL AT ONCE and how those tasks relate to ALL THE OTHER tasks that are as of yet unfinished in my home, until just considering starting something becomes all too bewildering.  Then I end up curled up with a book, or the TV, or the computer with my invisible blinders on trying to ignore all the chaos that pushed me to near-hyperventilation in the first place.

So, what's different this time?  In the past, I've always looked specifically at what needs to be done in my home and have always come up with a mile-long list that's more than I can bear.  Recently, however, I was surfing the web (possibly while avoiding housework), and I came across 31 days to an organized home, which led me to other sites with similar goals.  All of these sites had one thing in common, they'd broken down the elephant that was their major cleaning and organizing project into bite-sized tasks, something I had been unable to do myself.  So, I used their lists to get me started, to give me a recipe for my elephant, if you will.  Then I just tweaked the ingredients to suit my tastes.  When I'd finished tweaking, I had my very own recipe for elephant, unique to my needs.  Apparently, that small shift in perspective, taking someone else's bite-by-bite plan and working it to fit my task instead of trying to take my task and figure out how to make it bite-sized, was all I needed to put together a workable plan without needing to reach for a paper bag for breathing.  Who knew?

So, if you've had difficulty taking that first step, because you see a whole elephant when you should just be dealing with the toe, I hope this 31-day challenge can help you ... just as others' journeys have helped me.  Bon appetit!

 

<a href="http://chocolate-covered-kisses.blogspot.com/2012/12/day-1-why.html"target="”_blank”"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGQNKEbAKke1Mmvwy9N3hRqoecGr2cjP8e2Pji1VT3f6CDY-7YA6pmcfSRkFTlQUYMcw3yNdf-D-KwDG4wndNn6MeAtUuJq3kvhjM8aOGVegi0tgCLLQ6gvtBI1IAeMqsIX9sMXR25Sw/s1600/31-days-harmonious-home.jpg" /></a>

December's Challenge

While I think buying less is a great way to put the focus back on what the holidays are really about, I don't think it's enough.  So, I'll also be cutting back on the stuff we've already accumulated.  There really aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I get an inkling to do, but over the years, I've still purchased supplies as if there were.  Now, I have tons of things that are taking up valuable real estate in my home, and do you know what?  They're not bringing me joy.  In fact, with so much stuff, it actually drags me down.

Visual clutter, even if it's well-ordered, bothers me.  It's somewhat debilitating.  I get overwhelmed just seeing it all, and my well-laid plans to do something about it falter, causing me to withdraw into a tiny bubble where I stare only at the pages of a book, a computer screen, or a television, effectively throwing on blinders to avoid that which plagues me.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not living inside an episode of Hoarders or anything quite so astounding as that, but there's no way anyone would ever mistake me for a minimalist either.

I mentioned a while back that I have been reading "The Year of Less" and have even shared some of what I've done as a result (Sermon on the Mount Month, for one).  Sadly, she'll be ceasing production on that blog, but she'll still post updates on her other blog (her main one), "The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking."  And on that blog, back in October of last year, she did a 31-Day Challenge:



So, just a heads up ... Inspired by the posts from 2011, I will be embarking on my own organizational journey starting on the first of December.  In preparation, I think I'll take a few before photos and get them prepped for the web, so I'll only have the after shots to deal with when its time for posting.  Now, I'm not relishing the thought of sharing my before photos with you.  I don't even want people who love me to see some of this stuff.  But if my posts in December can help even one person to overcome the depression that comes from wanting to live better but feeling almost paralyzed when it comes to figuring out what to do about it, then it's worth it.  Because that's how I feel almost every day, and I don't want to feel that way anymore.  I also know from experience how freeing it feels to have even that first small space handled.

Before the new year begins ... I want a home I can feel happy to call mine.  I want to ring in 2013 with a new resolution, to maintain my home, not to clean it.  Who wants to join me as I begin my journey toward an organized home? 

Decluttering ... Virtually

In the spirit of "less is more," I decided to do a little virtual housekeeping.  Tonight's task?  My Ravelry boards.  For those who don't know, Ravelry is an amazing site for crochet & knitting enthusiasts of all skill levels.  There are tons of patterns offered and lots of camaraderie and support.  Unfortunately, when I first joined, my zeal knew no bounds, and before I knew it, I had joined a ton of member boards ...

Yes, you read that correctly ... 37 groups.

I had terrific reasons for joining each of them.  For example, the first (12 in 2012), I joined as the New Year was approaching.  The idea on that board was to set a goal, well actually 12 goals, to accomplish in 2012.  On 05November2011, I posted:

I already have one goal for 2012. So, now to put together 11 more. Hmm …

• A granny square a day (my 365 project)
• A scrapbook layout per week (at least)
• Organize and catalog my yarn stash on Ravelry
• Wind all my loose yarns into pull-from-the-center balls
• Organize my pattern “library”
• Organize all my WIPs currently lurking in bins in the basement
• Finish the afghans I’ve started for my nephews
• Crochet Erykah
• Crochet Penny Arcade Jacket
• Walk/run a 5k at least every other month
• Walk/run at least one 10k
• Hit my goal weight

I know those aren’t all crochet-related, but that’s what I hope to accomplish in 2012. If I should happen to finish (or frog) some of my stored WIPs in the process, all the better!

I was actually on track for the 1st goal right up through the end of March.  I'm slowly getting back on course with that at this point.  There hasn't been any scrapbooking done this year to my recollection.  Most of my yarn is in my Ravelry database.  The yarn balls are much as they were.  My library is all in one place, if that counts.  My WIPs are also relocated to be all together.  My nephews' afghans were in progress until early December ... I'll get back to them; I promise.  I made Erykah!  That was an amazing adventure.  Decided against Penny Arcade, as it's basically a shorter version of Erykah.  I haven't done a single 5k this year, and we won't even discuss my weight at this point.  Still some of my goals have seen progress, so it wasn't all bad.  It's just that, once I typed up my list, I didn't actually look at it again until tonight.  Not great.  I need an accessible list, and having it lost in a message board just didn't work for me.

The long and the short is that there are several that I joined out of good intentions, some that I was just interested in a technique or particular pattern, and others that were strictly research based.  Once I went through them and thought about my actual activity within them, I culled the list to:

I actually participated in the 2011 Crochet Block-a-Month CAL, toward the end of the year, and I've been steady in the 2012 version of the group this year.

2012 Blockheads is a group I started myself, as I hadn't found any other group aimed at those who were endeavoring to craft a square (or other motif) per day for the year.  Mine is not a CAL, so much as it is a sort of show-and-tell arena, a place for support and kudos.

The 365 group is for those who were inspired to create something every day for a year, as I was.

The next 2 groups are for those who are using the books depicted on their banners.  I find that, though I'm not following along to the letter, those groups are invaluable resources for information on blocks with which people had difficulty.  I can read about their trials and errors and avoid them myself.

Afghans & Blankets and Baby Block-of-the-Month CAL are both groups in which I routinely participate. 

I could go on, but I've mostly cut it down to those boards in which I actually participate and those that I at least semi-regularly use for research.  Of course, there are still the random, just because boards.

Wooly Thoughts has math-inspired crochet projects. Math and crochet?  I mean, how could I not join?  Mr. Yarn is a group for a yarn store that I joined because of a giveaway.  I'm still a member, because seeing that smiling little yarn ball makes me smile, too.  And even if I never actually participate in the group again, it's enough for me that it makes me smile.

So, I challenge you.  Find an area in your life (a small one that will give you semi-instant gratification) where you can cut back, clear out the cobwebs, and find something left over that makes you smile.

Late to the Party

This morning, while I was perusing one of the many blogs I read, I ended up hopping over to The Year of Less by Kelly in Ontario, Canada and started backtracking through the posts there. Reading her posts, I saw confirmed in print some of the stuff that has been gnawing at the back of my brain of late:

• I have too much stuff.
• I need to cut back.
• I need to live smarter.
• I need to spend more time with God. 

So, I'm joining her "Sermon on the Mount" challenge for the month of October. Granted, I'm starting late, but better late than never, right? If you'd like to join with me, just click the link below.

Be blessed!

Cassidy at Age 2 Years & 2 Weeks

This is one of my favorite pictures of my daughter from her early childhood. There's a second that was taken the same day that ranks second. I'll have to eventually put a page together with it, too, but for now, I've just done this one in response to a template challenge.

I really love the simplicity of the page, and I love I was able to showcase this picture in this way.

Austin's Haircut

Every year, Austin has requested to have his head shaved for summer, because he gets so hot. Last year was the only exception. This summer, after 2 years of wearing his hair long and being mistaken for a third daughter on family outings, he's decided to go back to his old ways.



I used Erica Hite's "Up At The Villa" kit to put this together.

My Drive Home

I decided I couldn't be happy with myself unless I figured out a way to use the template in its original orientation. So, I decided to do a new page with the photos I took on my way home from work one night (12July2007) after it had rained. All the colors are taken directly from the photos with the eyedropper tool.

2007-2008 School Pictures

I decided it was about time I did something with the kids' school pictures from this year, you know, since they were taken back in October. This template challenge was perfect ... three photo spots ... three kids. I just had to turn the template a quarter-turn to make it work.

Ping Pong Princess

Cassidy went with me to my most recent scrapbooking retreat. This one was in Tustin at Center Lake Bible Camp. One of the gals in one of the Yahoo! groups I'm in does a fabulous job putting this thing together TWICE every year (love you, Annie!).

As it turns out, there's a game room downstairs from where we were cropping. Cassidy and my friend Theresa's daughter Meagan found it and pried Theresa and I away from scrapbooking to go downstairs for some friendly mother-daughter competition. We watched the girls play air hockey, then played pool, and then played no-holds-barred EXTREME ping-pong.

When we were wrapping it up, Cassidy was bouncing the ball on her paddles, and it landed in the crook of the ping-pong table. Photo finish.



I submitted this layout in the Template Challenge on retrodiva's site.
Used: "Bohemian Love Affair Bonus" & "Another Boho Love Affair"