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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
 |  Posted: 2/1/2013 6:15:51 AM
Since the other post is long and we are starting a new month, I wanted to do a new thread.
Post your goals for February and update as you can:
1. Purge and Organize the spare bedroom closet (since my Niece is staying with me I need to make room for her stuff) DONE
2. Change out the furniture - take desk into my room, add computer table and make room for crib and changing table - (Niece is pregnant and due in May)DONE
3. Clean, purge and organize the garage, I am still going through my mom and Niece (that passed away) and my stuff and getting it organized. I have a full size mattress and box springs that a single mom that works with my DD is getting soon I hope. ON-GOING
4. Trim the bushes out from and get the yard ready for the summer. WAITING TO GET DONE
These are projects that I want to get done besides the normal day to day cleaning and PUPA (pick up and put away) stuff like dishes, laundry etc.
What are you goals for February.
Link to January and Original Post
Thanks for the suggestion to add it - Denise |
My Blog - http://daysez.blogspot.com
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maryannscraps
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 75,215
March 2003
Posts: 6,451
Layouts: 2
Loc: massachusetts
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 6:25:01 AM
This thread has really helped me -- along with the facebook organizing page.
For February, I'd like to finish up some things in my kitchen: go through two more cabinets and sort. I have a gazillion coffee mugs and I need to cull them.
Then it's on to paperwork. I keep paperwork in three places (at least it's somewhat corralled!) Over the last year I've shredded boxes and boxes of old files. I even burned out one shredder and had to replace it! Now I need to get everything in some sense of order. I'm thinking about going paperless, so I need to work on how that might fit in.
This is really getting doable. A year ago, I was overwhelmed and a mess. My husband had been really ill for years (he's now better) -- I hadn't been able to keep up with anything but basic cleaning in the house for about 5 years. So I had a lot to go through. I've made it around the entire house once. Now I'm making the second pass and it's much easier. | |
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,299
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 8:20:19 AM
My main goal is to continue clearing my loft, ahead of getting quotes for the roof to be replaced.
I also want to sort through all my linen and towels, as I will be losing my linen cupboard when the bathroom is redone. I have far too much stuff. I am thinking of keeping just 2 sets of bedding for each bed, with each person keeping the spare in their own wardrobe rather than in the bathroom like I do at the moment . I think I will probably want new towels for the bathroom, so will be just keeping the beach/swimming ones and maybe a few to keep somewhere ( so many times I have needed an old towel for something, whether it's lining the cat basket for vet trips, covering chairs or beds when someone has a sickness virus or whatever.)
I also want to clear out the cupboard under my stairs. Once all that unused stuff is gone maybe I can finally keep my vacuum cleaner in there! I am also trying to find a way of adding hooks for coats and a rail for shoes.
I am dreading the upheaval of all the work I am having done, but at the same time it is such a wonderful oppurtunity to get the house straight! |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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jen1021
BucketHead
PeaNut 327,283
July 2007
Posts: 813
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 8:24:27 AM
I hope you don't mind me jumping in! This month I am focusing on my kitchen. I have some spots that are not working well so I want to rework them.
1. Reorganize baking stuff so it is all in one spot DONE
2. Clean out under my sink and get a better organizer
3. Cull my cleaning supplies
4. Organize my recipes and binders
5. Better organize my cabinets so I can see everything more easily DONE
I have the house to myself for a good part of the day tomorrow so I am hoping to get a jump-start on my list. Good luck to all of us!
UPDATE: I have the day to myself tomorrow so I am hoping to finish a few things. I want to clean up under my sink and go through my cleaning supplies. I also want to get a new behind the door organizer for them so I can see everything better. I have come to realize that organizing my recipes is going to be a continual process. YIKES! |
Jen
OLW: Better
Jan: 6 (and counting!) | |
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writermom1
Thrift Whisperer
PeaNut 114,407
November 2003
Posts: 22,401
Layouts: 66
Loc: At the intersection of Hooterville and Stars Hollow
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 8:57:09 AM
OP could I bother you to organize the OP here with a link to the previous post. For those who want more inspiration? 
I've slowed down this week with other projects but have to share that it has been SO much easier/nicer to keep the house clean with so much LESS clutter.
I would have sworn we were clutter free but my closets and drawers told a different story. My 13 yo daughter has mentioned how nice it looks.
My long-term goal is to clean/organize the winter storage in our camper. |
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mom22reds
PeaAddict
PeaNut 191,815
February 2005
Posts: 1,978
Layouts: 4
Loc: Moorpark, CA
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 8:57:17 AM
It's funny. Since starting this process last month of getting our house in order, it has snowballed into getting my cooking/menu planning in order.
I eat super healthy, and cook that way when I cook. But because I have such a crazy-hectic life (full-time job, plus I bring work home, on staff at our church, kids' activities, etc.), we do take out a lot. While looking on Pinterest for organizing ideas, I have stumbled upon a lot of great sites that include clean eating recipe ideas (I'm a clean eater), menu planning ideas and helpers and the like. So now, in addition to getting the house organized and in order, I have been able to start putting a system in place for our family (me) that is doable in terms of planning our meals in advance and having home-cooked meals 6-7 days a week. I'm stoked! I'm enjoying cooking in a way I don't think I ever have before, and it is so much fun! This has sidelined me a bit from my organization activities, but that's okay because it's really important. I am on the right track today, February 1st, and that is a very good thing!
Now, as far as my goals for the month are concerned, they are as follow:
1. Finish organizing the office.
I started this last weekend and hope to get the majority of it finished this weekend. I have a lot of old papers to go through and designate for trash, shredding, recycling and filing, so I can just sit in front of the TV to do that. I already have a huge pile of books for donation and trash, so I'll take care of those things as well. During the week I'll pick up any containers/baskets/whatever I may need for storage and such, but that should be it. Yay! ALMOST DONE
2. Continue working on master closet.
I was hoping to get my closet done a couple of weeks ago, but I got busy with other things. I still need to drag everything out that is on the floor and on the shelves and go through those things. After that I'll sort through the clothes that are hanging. None of that should really take too long. I've already eyed the new hangers at Costco that I want to purchase, and I've been pricing clear storage boxes for my shoes. I don't want to do anything fancy or spend a lot of money. Just getting all the stuff off the floor, clothing on coordinated hangers and putting my shoes in clear, storage boxes will give it a major facelift. I can always add other touches later. IN PROGRESS, BUT WILL PROBABLY SPILL OVER INTO MARCH
3. Getting DD's room ready for redecorating.
We organized DD's room last month, so now she gets her long desired "remodel." I'm ordering her new bedding this weekend, and will start collecting the other items needed for her room this month. I was hoping that DH could paint over the President's Day weekend, but he'll be unable to. That's fine, as it will give me more time to purchase the key things needed to redecorate her room. DH will paint, hang her new window treatments and hang her new ceiling fan the first weekend of March. I should have the key pieces needed for her room by then. IN PROGRESS
Although I'd love to get more done this month, I think that's about all I can commit to/handle. I tend to get overly aggressive in my planning, and then get disappointed when it doesn't happen. So, I think I'll keep my goals modest and try to sneak a few other things in here or there. I imagine when I need to take a break from some of the larger projects I can accomplish something small. For example, I'd love to organize my spices in the kitchen. I may go ahead and purchase a rack to install inside the cabinet door (I've been eyeing those!), and see how that works for me.
Happy organizing, everyone!
Sonia |
2013 Goal:
Organize my entire house one drawer, cabinet, nook and cranny at a time!
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fredfreddy
Alex told me to change it
PeaNut 120,522
December 2003
Posts: 19,106
Layouts: 543
Loc: never in one place very long (...in San Jose, CA)
| Posted: 2/1/2013 10:07:41 AM
My sons and I will clean out their rooms during the Feb break. My older son will completely clean out his desk. I will continue to work on the yard. |
Alana
it rhymes with banana
mom to a 20 yo dd, 13 yo ds, and 10 yo ds and a scrapper for 12 years | |
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PEArfect
AncestralPea
PeaNut 452,048
January 2010
Posts: 4,642
Layouts: 0
Loc: Indiana
| Posted: 2/1/2013 10:11:27 AM
My list is getting smaller and smaller. What would I like to accomplish this month?
. purge and organize the coat closet
. purge and organize the kitchen cabinets and drawers
. organize recipes
. purge and organize the master bedroom closet
. purge and organize vanity and linen closet in master bathroom
Other then the garage, which will have to wait until spring because of the temperature, the rest of the house is organized. I went through the computer closet, game closet, dd's closets, and all of the other linen closets.
After I'm done purging and organizing I'll have to start working on our DIY projects. |
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Peal
Hello, is this thing on?
PeaNut 60,761
January 2003
Posts: 8,529
Layouts: 28
Loc: Who's asking?
| Posted: 2/1/2013 10:14:26 AM
Get house ready to put on market by March 1.
That should be easy.
Seriously. I need help. |
Christina
You can't argue with popularity. Well, you could, but you'd be wrong.
My Blog
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Mary_K
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 85,710
May 2003
Posts: 2,199
Layouts: 0
Loc: NW Washington
| Posted: 2/1/2013 11:40:56 AM
For February:
1. Linen Closets
2. Cleaning Supply Cabinets
3. Book Shelf In Study
4. Kitchen Cupboards (ugh! LOTS of purging to be done there!)
I can do it! | |
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peggyd
PeaAddict
PeaNut 30,589
February 2002
Posts: 1,264
Layouts: 147
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 1:10:09 PM
I did finish half of kitchen cabinets and spring cleaned the living room .I did the carpet and wiped down the walls and cleaned all the pictures .I moved all the furniture around .I still need to clean out a end table in there .I will finish the other half of the kitchen and hope to start the spare bedroom closet this month .That will be a biggie for me . |
| Since there is no spell check, there will be spelling errors! | |
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scrapper100
Budletsmom
PeaNut 65,877
January 2003
Posts: 12,592
Layouts: 30
Loc: So CA
| Posted: 2/1/2013 1:23:38 PM
I really need to get involved with this this month. I remember seeing a link or the name of the facebook group and I thought I joined - well I intended to - could someone post info on it.
I really want to purge the nooks and crannies of our house. One the surface things look good but we have too much stuff. I am going through drawers and cabinets and just getting rid of stuff that we should have gotten rid of years ago. I love opening and drawer or cabinet that I have just purged it actually puts a smile on my face - such a simple thing to most of the time. I would also love to clean out the garage - now that is a mess. I also need to work on my scraproom way too much stuff that needs to be organized and purged. |
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peggyd
PeaAddict
PeaNut 30,589
February 2002
Posts: 1,264
Layouts: 147
| Posted: 2/1/2013 3:18:28 PM
I did finish half of kitchen cabinets and spring cleaned the living room .I did the carpet and wiped down the walls and cleaned all the pictures .I moved all the furniture around .I still need to clean out a end table in there .I will finish the other half of the kitchen and hope to start the spare bedroom closet this month .That will be a biggie for me . |
| Since there is no spell check, there will be spelling errors! | |
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jenjie
PEAsed to be here
PeaNut 88,667
May 2003
Posts: 22,888
Layouts: 283
Loc: NJ
| Posted: 2/1/2013 5:24:18 PM
I don't have much to report organizationally. But I mentioned last month about clearing off my kitchen desk and hoping to keep it that way. I am pleased to report that it has become my headquarters the past few weeks as i have spent many hours on the phone. Our portable phone battery died so we pulled out the relic corded phone. It's so nice to have a neat place to work. Just in time. |
~Jen
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,299
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
| Posted: 2/1/2013 6:48:14 PM
Here is the facebook link
Organising peas |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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PEArfect
AncestralPea
PeaNut 452,048
January 2010
Posts: 4,642
Layouts: 0
Loc: Indiana
| Posted: 2/1/2013 6:53:39 PM
I purged and organized three kitchen drawers and one cabinet today. Then I cleaned the master bedroom, master bathroom, guest bathroom, and swept and swiffered three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I'll do more tomorrow. |
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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amythyst
someone pass the crayons!
PeaNut 169,054
September 2004
Posts: 8,611
Layouts: 176
Loc: in my own little world - but it's ok -everyone knows me here
| Posted: 2/2/2013 9:22:23 AM
Lets see if I can join in a bit...
1-I want to work through all my kitchen cabinets and really pare down and rethink what I have stored where and what I really need.
(I just did 2 cabinets this morning. Stored the mason jars I'll use in the fall in my basement on the shelf and made room to keep my coffee pot out of sight. I haven't been drinking coffee lately so it can be put away. Also made room to keep extra napkins and paper towels under the sink) |
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FREEDOM OF SPEECH SHOULD REQUIRE INTELLIGENCE
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/2/2013 10:19:51 AM
Christina--me too. I talked to a mortgage lady the other day and she said I needed to move the 3/1/2013 date up to 2/1/2013, but as it was 1/31/2013 and I still have walls with spackle patches and general carnage in a few of the rooms, I passed on that directive. Anyway, she said the market is white hot and to get on with it, so that is the plan.
We need to accomplish a lot this weekend. There is some painting that needs to be finished, and I believe my husband may be doing that this time around, or at least helping with it. I have some things on my cleaning/organizing punch list that I really have to work on first.
Right now I have the washer going, as I wash some blankets before we pack them up to store them. I have prettily wrapped up as many as is practical in kraft paper and stored on a shelf in the laundry room closet with baker's twine and a label in case we need a blanket in the next few months. The rest just need to get packed and stored. We seem to have an excess of blankets and comforters, despite me throwing a bunch out several years ago. I guess the fact that I bought about five new plain white down comforters a few years ago might help explain that. Those are on beds. What was on the beds prior to that--I guess that's the problem. But I hate throwing away blankets. It seems like a bad idea and an invitation to misery in dystopia. Also, I read too much. For now, I am going to pack them and store them out where they are accessible, in case we need to go get them to help us move stuff. Old ones do make excellent floor protectors when moving furniture.
My bedroom needs to have its carpet cleaned, and then I need to rearrange the furniture and hang a picture. It seems sort of counter-intuitive to hang a picture now, when we are planning to leave, but I have it, it looks great in there, and I think it will be too stark in there without it. So, in and up it goes. It's a fairly innocuous print that I was and still am in love with that is custom framed.
I also need to get the lighting set up in there. I have one lamp, one overhead light, and a light over this little alcove thing. It had a pink glass shade on it that I removed and replaced with a white one, only the white one is too heavy and I couldn't get it on there, so I need to go get a lighter one. I also have an ikea light that I can put somewhere for ambiance. Then it's just clearing out the crap in there (mostly aforementioned blankets but also some framed photos and still some clothes that probably need to go--either tossed or packed), dusting, and some paint touch-up and we should be set. We moved this big huge and heavy armoire out of there late last summer and just a few weeks ago freecycled the older TV that it held, so it's just a matter of finishing up the random bits, as I mentioned above. I am a champion of completing a project 90% and then letting it sit. It's one of my most awesome qualities.
After that, I need to come into the upstairs bathroom and clean out the vanity and shelving unit. We have a doctor's scale that needs to be relocated downstairs in the downstairs bathroom closet. I also need to clean out a few shelves in the upstairs bathroom closet. Once I do that and give it a good cleaning, it will just be paint touchup and then waiting until we can get the guys out here to replace my gorgeous blue 1977 toilet and vanity top and that room is good to go. It got an interim update a few years ago, thank goodness. It used to have blue and white wallpaper and awful, weird vanity hardware, and terrible terrible lights. My husband updated the hardware, painted the vanity white, and replaced the light globes. He also painted the bathroom but he uhhhhhh left some spots. Probably less than 20 minutes of touch-up total, though. Could be worse. And it was, from 1977 until about two years ago.
I also need to finish clearing out what is here in the TV cave (where I am currently sitting). There are still some random shelves and boxes, not a lot but we need to get on with it. Then it needs to have its carpet shampooed along with the carpet in the laundry room. The laundry room also needs its closets cleaned out and the folding table cleared off. I have cleaned out the LR closets in the recent past but lo and behold--needs a final cleanout.
Other than patching some cracks up here in the TV cave, and adding some drawer hardware for a dresser I painted a few months ago, that should complete the upstairs. Well, and I do need to replace a light fixture in the landing but I don't actually have that yet, so it can wait a bit. I have a strict(ish) $30 limit on replacing light fixtures in this house since we are leaving. I won't spend much more than $30 but it has to be a super great deal at $30, so it takes time. I may have to increase to $40 for this one because I've been looking for a while. I had great success with the other replacements, though, and they look great.
The downstairs is blessedly mostly decluttered, but I do still need to finish up my office/studio. They told me yesterday that there are a dozen more paper boxes at work and those are my favorite (yay!) so I should be able to get going on that tomorrow. Other than that room and maybe some more prepacking in the kitchen, the clutter downstairs is all handled. Progress!
I find that it is better if I try to do stuff I am in the mood for, because sometimes I actually am in the mood to paint, and sometimes I am actually in the mood to clean, and then sometimes I actually want to declutter and rearrange stuff. Today feels like a declutter/rearrange/clean day. It is snowing outside, so that feels nice and cozy.
Why do I always turn this into a stream of consciousness novel? I do not know. And yet I find myself again ready to hit "submit." |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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pheestand
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 6,487
September 2000
Posts: 5,112
Layouts: 16
Loc: Livonia, MI USA
| Posted: 2/2/2013 10:45:02 AM
My goal is to finish the taxes and meetings with the accountants for the companies I do bookkeeping for and pack away 2012 for good! I have a huge reconciliation mess with one account involving a 3rd party payroll company so I can see a headache for another week at least! UGH!
I still roll through the kitchen with evil eyes staring at the cabinets. They need emptied, cleaned, and reorganized (been here 22 years- it's TIME!) I've accomplished several major areas of the house so far (with all your help and encouragement, might I add!) so I keep trying to look for the end of the rainbow...
The bedrooms and bedroom closets and linen closet in the hallway are completely done (YEAH!) with the last trip to the Salvation Army just yesterday. The only thing left on the second floor is the undersink cabinets in our Masterbath- and I know I could run through it in less than 2 hours because there's not much to go through there- just need emptied, and maybe new shelf liner? and cleaned. Maybe Wednesday this week- trash day is Thursday so that would be my motivation!
The basement is finally done, with the exception of DH's tools/workroom. Not touching that with a 10 foot pole! LOL! | |
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mlana
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 226,155
October 2005
Posts: 2,728
Layouts: 1
 | Posted: 2/2/2013 11:10:56 AM
Hi,
I've had a busy week, so I didn't get a lot of new organizing done. This was the first time some of my new organization has been tested under stress and, for the most part, it seems to have held up well. My desktop is still cleaned off, my kitchen counters are pretty clear, and the laundry is somewhat under control.
Last weekend I went to Ikea and made some hardware purchases of organizing systems, but I didn't have time to do anything with them this week. Today I am headed to the garage to get the drill, charger, and drill bits so we can get everything put into place. I'm sure ill have to charge the drill before I use it, so I need to get moving soon.
One thing I did work on this week was getting back to doing my weekly food prep. With two fridges, one inside and one outside in the garage, food often goes missing until past it's use by date and that is just money down the drain. In 2011, a friend and I started getting together once a week to prep for our weekly menus and it was a lot of fun. We menu prepped via email, then did our own shopping, then she came over and we did all the cleaning, chopping, and mixing at one time. By the time she left, all the seasonings, veggies and meats for the week were cleaned, prepped, and neatly stored in in my Stak n Store containers. My fridge was so pretty and clean I side and I had very few things go to waste. Best of all, my family was getting fed homemade food that they helped choose and couldn't wait to eat.
Sigh. Unfortunately, that system fell to the side when my friend's family went Paleo and her husband took over the cooking. I think he decided we were having just too much fun. LOL. I slowly got further and further off the homemade meals bandwagon until I abandoned it entirely over the holidays. We have been eating take home for the past 2 months and we are just sick of it.
Last weekend we planned a week's worth of meals and shopped for them all on Sunday. On Monday I got most of the prep done, though not exactly everything was completed. Tuesday I took care of some of my long term prep work, like roasting garlic, chopping garlic to store in olive oil, and grinding ginger to freeze in thin layers that can be easily broken off into the size I need. The roasting garlic caused a bit of havoc when DD came home from school and insisted that it be pasta night because of the smell. Luckily, I had everything I needed to throw a fast Chicken Parmagian together, so we had pasta on Tues rather than Thurs. I cooked Monday thru Thurs, including some lunches, which is the most meals I've cooked in a long time. I even had time to make a loaf of sourdough bread with the new started from KAF that DH gave me for Xmas.
The downstairs stayed clean, even though we didn't pick up every day. DD has finally gotten into the habit of taking all of her stuff upstairs when she first comes in, so the living room no longer looks like a dumping ground. She and DH have both already asked what time we will be doing the family clean today. Each had something they wanted to add to the list of things to clean. Yay! I'm excited that not only have they figured out how much easier it is to clean an already clean no cluttered area, but they are starting to notice the cluttered, no clean areas. Before, they could walk right past a dustbunny convention or pyramid of discarded socks with even a twitch.
So, this weekend I hope to:
Get the shoe racks up on DD's wall
Get the pan racks installed in the kitchen cabinet below the cooktop
Reduce and relocate the carpet cleaning products from the big pantry to the garage shelves.
Put together the wire cart to hold my spice rack and baking pans. Attach the spice rack to it, put the baking items in place, and store cart I the big pantry.
Clear out the bottom of the master closet.
Replace the freestanding drawer system in the closet with the newly purchased system from Ikea. Organize our undies and such in the new system.
That ought to keep me busy, eh?!
Marcy |
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mlana
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 226,155
October 2005
Posts: 2,728
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 2/2/2013 11:13:25 AM
Seanna,
Our local shelters and vets' offices BEG for used blankets, sheets and towels. You might check to see if yours accept donations, too. I find it easier to let go of items when I know they are going to be used for something good.
Marcy |
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,299
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
| Posted: 2/2/2013 11:30:47 AM
All I've done today is deep clean my cooker and clear off the kitchen work tops, which looked like dumping grounds. So tired today! Just reading what some of you other ladies have accomplished today has made me feel like diving under the duvet! |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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mom2c&l
BucketHead
PeaNut 389,544
August 2008
Posts: 542
Layouts: 0
Loc: Canada
 | Posted: 2/2/2013 1:24:14 PM
My Feb. plans are to:
1. Clean and organize the bathroom cupboards/get any storage that is needed
2. Finish my room - all I have left is a desk top and dresser top - It seems that any flat surface finds itself covered in papers
3. Go through the kitchen cupboards and organize - I am dreading the tupperware cupboard in particular
I also have a major assignment for school due and my DS's birthday party to plan and all the stuff that goes along with that!
So I think that is good and also manageable for the month! |
Scrapping goal for 2010:
DS Album - Finish 2006
- Finish 2007
DD Album - Finish 2006
- June 2007
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/2/2013 2:37:24 PM
Oooh, thanks Marcy! I probably have 3 or 4 easy that I don't really need anymore, not even for the apocalypse. That's a great idea. We've really been trying to pass stuff along unless it's just trash or too worn out etc. |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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jenjie
PEAsed to be here
PeaNut 88,667
May 2003
Posts: 22,888
Layouts: 283
Loc: NJ
| Posted: 2/3/2013 7:12:50 AM
Halebop you told me to try the plastic bag roll in the cleaning wipes container. It worked great and they take up so much less space! |
~Jen
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/3/2013 10:32:29 AM
Denise, that is ADORABLE about your mom. How cute!
OK so apparently painting is probably not going to happen today because my husband needs to finish some wall repairs. But that is okay. I think I am on a roll up here anyway, and it all needs to be done. We cleaned up here in the TV cave and I am ready to pull out the four bookshelves that are hiding behind the sectional. There is not a lot left on them, but I need to pull it all off and pack 75% of it. I bought some contact paper to put behind the bookshelves to help them coordinate better in here, so hopefully I can get to that today. Last night, we went through and picked out books with good spine colors to coordinate with the colors of the room. We ended up with two small stacks. I have some more books I can plumb if we need to, and then the rest are getting packed. We've already been through the books once and sold/donated a bunch, so we are down to the keep pile. It's not at all bad (thank you, Nook!). I have been saving out some accessories to foof up the bookshelves, and then they will be placed in the two far corners of the room. The room is mostly blues and sand sorts of colors, with some white and gray here and there. I was originally going for the sand/sea/sky look so it's stayed fairly true to that. It's a big space, probably 14 x 30 or so, with sloping walls/knee walls. Right now it has a TV, a dresser that I painted that now serves as more of a living room piece, a sectional, foof chair and the bookshelves. It's one of my favorite rooms in the house, but I need to give it the final touches so other people appreciate it like I do!
I bought this stuff yesterday, Pledge multisurface cleaner. I really like it. You can use it for electronics, windows, wood, metal, whatever. It smells really good, too.
We did go through and clear up all the stuff in the laundry room. I'm ready to pack/give away some blankets and towels--we did pack a few boxes of them yesterday. Yay!
OK, I am off to get serious. I may confine my efforts to upstairs again today, but I do need to get my studio packed and we picked up the boxes to do that yesterday, so maybe I can get both done. There are three of us working on stuff. |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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peggyd
PeaAddict
PeaNut 30,589
February 2002
Posts: 1,264
Layouts: 147
| Posted: 2/3/2013 11:21:17 AM
I worked on the guest bathroom cleaned it and organized under the sink .I also did some organizing in the scraproom . |
| Since there is no spell check, there will be spelling errors! | |
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/3/2013 6:40:06 PM
I am worn out and DONE for the day, that's for sure.
We completely cleared out the TV cave except for the largest pieces of furniture and my daughter shampooed the carpet. Looks great. We'll just be putting a few things back in here to stage and then it's good to go other than paint touchup and repairing a few cosmetic cracks. It looks great.
Then we went into the two big closets in the laundry room and completely cleared them. The rest of the laundry room/current laundry, we did last night, so this was stuff that's just been hanging in there that needed to be gone through. We must have 12 kitchen trash bags for Goodwill. Holy crap. I cannot tell you how awesome it feels to have that stuff gone. It was probably mostly my husband's stuff (80% ) and maybe 20% mine, then about 10% stuff the children had in there. We also went through and collected all the plastic hangers and put them in three kitchen trash bags for Goodwill. Hopefully they will take them. I am never going to have that many clothes hanging around not being worn again, so I know I won't need them. I put what is staying on wooden hangers and it looks great.
Then I went into my bedroom and did the same thing in there. I had done it once already, but I went back through and got rid of a couple more bags of stuff. I cleaned all the furniture and went through the stack of books that was in there. I ended up with two paper-size boxes of stuff to pack, but there is probably more because I am going to pack more of my clothes. I sat my husband down and went through every article of clothing with him--everything in his dresser, everything that was on the chair he keeps in there, all of it. That made 3 more kitchen trash bags for Goodwill. Yay! Then I took all of the stuff he wants to keep and put it all away in the closet and in his dresser. It's all totally under control now.
My daughter also shampooed the carpet in the laundry room and in our bedroom, so that is done. We can put the carpet cleaner back downstairs now--shouldn't be needing it again. Another yay!
While we were cleaning out the closets (we cleaned out FOUR closets today--although two were not bad, but still!) my daughter found the original plans for the renovation up here, which was a three-step plan. We did steps one and two but step three was not completed, so we are going to put them out for people to see when they come to look at the house. It actually never needs to be completed unless people want to, so it's not like an unfinished project or anything. Each phase was a complete and separate phase, and we weren't ready to do the last phase because we still have kids living at home. Anyway, it was great to find them.
I am worn out. I knew we had to get a lot done this weekend, and we did, but now I'm done for today.
The house is looking more and more like a vacation house that only has essentials, with no clutter. My children think it is starting to look empty, which I figure is a good sign, right?
Tomorrow, we can make at least one more trip to the dump and at least one (probably 2) to Goodwill.
The longer we have the house all cleared out like this, the better I like it. It's pretty relaxing. An interesting process. |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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pheestand
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 6,487
September 2000
Posts: 5,112
Layouts: 16
Loc: Livonia, MI USA
| Posted: 2/4/2013 1:13:37 PM
I keep reading through these organization threads and admire all the hard work everyone has been doing.
I know I'm through the big stuff, and working on more smaller stuff/project based organization. It should go quickly but it seems that I can get easily distracted when working on the smaller projects.
Keep up the good work; I need the motivation!
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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mlana
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 226,155
October 2005
Posts: 2,728
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 2/11/2013 12:03:55 AM
Most of last week was pretty much devoted to business stuff. I tried to pick up as I went thru rooms and I managed to keep the paths clear. LOL. As I worked in my office, I took a few minutes here and there to put stuff back where it belonged and to dust as I did so. I emptied my small office trash I to a large trash bag, then set that bag where I could easily access it. As the day went on, I took time to dump miscellaneous trash in the bag. Little by little, I got rid of a lot of junk.
The next 3 days were not very productive. I wasn't able to bend over a lot and sitting at my desk for any length of time was painful. Still, I got my arm extender and used it to pick up trash that fell to the floor or other items that I couldn't easily reach.
Friday I started working on our retirement investment paperwork. The organizing I did earlier this year made it really easy to find what I needed fast. On Monday I hope to finish up the last of the paperwork and get it mailed off. DH is so excited we are finally getting going on our savings again.
A friend came by on Thursday and asked me what was missing from my office. She said it looked so much bigger, I had to have taken so etching big out, like maybe a chair? Nope, just a lot of no longer needed school supplies, old school records and work, and some reorganizing. She was really impressed by everything I had accomplished. She is very tall so she offered to come over this week and pull down the remaining school posters since I can't reach them and I'm not supposed to climb on step ladders. I gladly accepted her offer, so we are going to try to get together this week.
Marcy |
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pjynx
This space for rent
PeaNut 69,453
February 2003
Posts: 5,104
Layouts: 4
Loc: Wherever my mind wanders
| Posted: 2/11/2013 7:48:20 AM
My goals for February:
1) Get the taxes done. Every year I seem to wait until the last minute and dh hates it (not that he ever volunteers to do them...I'm an accountant so doing taxes is just my nature).
2) Clean out the dreaded pile of papers that stacks up on the counter. Junk mail has already been purged from it. These are papers that need to be kept for one reason or another. I need to DO something with them.
3) Finish the bathroom de-clutter & deep-clean. I got one bathroom done in January and never got around to the other two. At least the one I got done was the biggest and dirtiest.
4) Clean out one of my entry closets. I'd like to say both of them, but I'm going to be realistic with my goals, LOL!
5) Spend at least two full evenings or weekend afternoons preparing page layout packets for a weekend crop I'm going to in April. Too many times, I get to these weekend crops and I'm un-prepared because I haven't touched my stuff since the last one, 6 months ago.
6) Make a drop-off at Goodwill. No idea on the number of bags, but this will be a monthly goal for me, in hopes of de-cluttering all year long. At least one drop-off a month.
Pam |
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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mom22reds
PeaAddict
PeaNut 191,815
February 2005
Posts: 1,978
Layouts: 4
Loc: Moorpark, CA
| Posted: 2/14/2013 5:48:07 PM
Although I like the concept of the home management binder (and the other organization-related binders), I don't like the idea of all that paper. I would much prefer my systems to be computer/web/cloud-based and to print out the bare minimum. I recognize that in an emergency, you need to have certain things on hand, but I also think that a lot of binders that people use that are non-emergent in nature (recipes, calendars, schedules, etc.) could be paperless. I've been researching those options as that is the route I would like to go.
Sonia |
2013 Goal:
Organize my entire house one drawer, cabinet, nook and cranny at a time!
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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fredfreddy
Alex told me to change it
PeaNut 120,522
December 2003
Posts: 19,106
Layouts: 543
Loc: never in one place very long (...in San Jose, CA)
| Posted: 2/15/2013 9:41:39 AM
Does cleaning up the backyard count as organizing? We have the biggest tree on the block and it takes weeks to clean up all the leaves. I've cleaned up the flower beds but now need to go through the pots and throw some of them out. All the plants need the brown parts cut off as well. It looks pretty dismal out there.
The boys break is next week. We need to tackle their rooms. Sigh. |
Alana
it rhymes with banana
mom to a 20 yo dd, 13 yo ds, and 10 yo ds and a scrapper for 12 years | |
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Luv2Pea
PeaNut
PeaNut 287,845
December 2006
Posts: 223
Layouts: 4
Loc: Florida (originally from VA)
 | Posted: 2/15/2013 10:55:23 AM
I'm marking my spot so I can join in next week.
My house seems like organized chaos most days and I really need to come up with a plan to tackle it.
This month my goals are:
1. Clean out kitchen cabinets and re-organize.
2. Go thru all items in my closet and purge what I no longer wear/use.
3. Work on creating a meal plan. | |
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halebop
AncestralPea
PeaNut 5,566
July 2000
Posts: 4,941
Layouts: 95
Loc: Central Florida
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mom22reds
PeaAddict
PeaNut 191,815
February 2005
Posts: 1,978
Layouts: 4
Loc: Moorpark, CA
| Posted: 2/18/2013 9:16:57 AM
This past week I didn't get a ton done (work has been SUPER busy), but I have maintained all systems/processes that I put in place thus far, which is a really good thing. What this means is the house is staying clutter-free (mail/papers on the island), the rooms are staying picked up, I wash and put the dishes away after every meal, I'm consistent on my weekly meal planning, etc. One of the things that took up a lot of time for me is I had some final info due to my accountant for my taxes, so I needed to research, gather and submit those things.
One thing I did get done is I purchased a spice organizer for the spice cabinet and set it up. I purchased 2 actually, since I didn't know which one I would like best, and am using one of them. I want to try it out for a week or two just to be sure it's the right one for me. So far so good! THIS is the one I'm currently using, and THIS is the other one that I bought. I also did a mini-reorg of the huge cabinet above my double oven. This is where I keep paper goods (paper plates, plastic cups, plastic cutlery, extra zip lock bags, etc.) It will be awhile before I'll be able to get to all the spaces in my kitchen, but I figure that one cabinet or drawer at a time is better than nothing!
This week I plan to finish purchasing the bulk of what is needed for my DD's room redo, and then purchase paint this weekend. I would also love to finish up the office. It's looking really good, but I just need to file the papers that have been sorted, go through a few more sets of papers and such, and then determine what storage/organizing items (if any) I need to purchase. I'm in the home stretch- yay!!!
Happy organizing, everyone!
Sonia
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2013 Goal:
Organize my entire house one drawer, cabinet, nook and cranny at a time!
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jodcold
PeaAddict
PeaNut 2,710
February 2000
Posts: 1,296
Layouts: 24
 | Posted: 2/18/2013 10:57:55 AM
I have been on an organizing and purging spree this year. Finally decided it was time to stop hoarding.
Went through my closets and donated at least 6 huge garbage bags of my clothes; also donated stuffed toys and bedding (sheets, comforters) that we haven't looked at in years.
For the next few weeks I will be sorting through the house for things I never use any more or don't want. I will take them to a local auction house that does consignments. I was just going to donate them; so if they don't bring much money I won't care, but if I can get a few bucks it will be great.
It is hard to let go of stuff, but when it is gone it feels so good.
The house is still way overcrowded; but I am a crafter, so I don't think that will change.
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/18/2013 2:54:39 PM
I have been busy since I posted last. We finally finished all the painting. YAY.
My office has just a few more boxes that need to be packed, plus what is in the closet (shouldn't be too bad--I've been into it here and there).
I need to empty out the cabinet in the sun room and trash most of it/pack the stuff I want to keep. I would say it will be two kitchen bags of trash and one paper box of keep. We shall see.
Then I need to go through all of the bathroom drawers and cupboards and trash probably 80% of what is in them. I'm looking forward to that. It's something I have done once a year or so, so it shouldn't be too bad, but this one will be the final "no deferred decisions, out it goes" go-through, so I expect a couple of bags of trash from that.
After that, it's time to go through the kitchen cabinets I've not already gone through and pack/donate/trash most of what is in them. I would say I have already been through all but four or five. Probably a couple of bags of trash, a donate box, and about 3-4 packed boxes.
We are really down to the last bits now. It's just about time to call and schedule the floor guy, plus the roof/general guys to clean the roof and re-caulk a couple of dormers we have that need periodic caulking. They will also be replacing the upstairs toilet, the vanity top (both 1977 blue) and installing a new light fixture for the landing. I FINALLY found one that will work and was a tremendous deal. I think it retails for about $300 and I got it for $49.95, which is $19.95 over my max for light fixtures for this house prep/staging deal, but I have been looking for over six months so I finally realized that I needed to increase my budget for this one. While I was at it, I also got a cool Pottery Barn-ish chandelier for the next place. It was only $69.95 and was originally about $400, I think. Couldn't resist.
Then I'll need to move outside and pull some weeds and add some mulch plus some flowers in baskets to the porch and find something for the iron planters I got for the other porch. After that, I think we'll be ready for the final clean and stage, and it will be time to list the house. I have checked out the competition in my area and from what I can see, none of the other houses are even remotely as well prepped for the market as mine should be, so yay. Now watch it sit for a year. Oh well, I'll just enjoy the results of all our hard work that much longer, right? |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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mlana
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 226,155
October 2005
Posts: 2,728
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 2/19/2013 12:33:11 AM
Last week was a fairly productive week, e en though I didn't actually accomplish any of my set goals. LOL. I did get DH's retirement accounts selected and sent off. YAY! This has been hanging over my head for a couple of years, but I finally corralled him and got what I needed from him, then I finished my part.
I continued my office cleanup, getting rid of two large bags of trash. My desk has been neatly organized for over a month now, something that amazes DH and DD every time they go in there. I have another box of books set aside for my friend who has the weekly charity pick up. I think this might be the final box of books, which both thrills me and saddens me. Each box gone takes just a bit further from the days of homeschooling my kids.
I gave up on finding the drill and bits to hang shelves and such. I finally bought a new electric screwdriver, something I had planned to do even if I found the drill. I'm pretty sure the drill will show up when I dive into the garage storage room.
I hope to get back on track with deploying my recent purchases from Ikea this week. DD is excited about getting the new shoe racks in her room. She raided my stash of Amazon boxes this weekend to use in her room.
Marcy |
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Seanna.
PeaFixture
PeaNut 142,904
April 2004
Posts: 3,549
Layouts: 20
Loc: TN
| Posted: 2/19/2013 5:13:11 AM
Update: I went through the sunroom cabinet yesterday after I posted. It was about one bag of trash and about a paper-box of keep. Not bad.
But the best part was that I was going through this weird old paper mache box my daughter made me and I found a very important piece of heirloom jewelry I thought was gone forever. Yay! I put that up in my jewelry box immediately. I do not have much "good" jewelry and that's fine with me, but it would be nice to keep what I do have. |
| When I went to edit my signature, the "Edit Signature" title was spelled wrong. So that was distracting and I forgot what I wanted my new signature to be. | |
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WingNut
Best Cat Evahhh!
PeaNut 18,741
July 2001
Posts: 13,241
Layouts: 200
Loc: Maryland
| Posted: 2/19/2013 9:19:11 AM
I've always wanted to join in on one of these threads. Being organized is a huge challenge for me. This month though, I've made some great strides!
In December, I came up with some ideas. These included finding a nice cabinet or the like to move our canned goods from the one lazy susan cabinet. We found a nice single door "jelly cupboard" that worked perfectly.
I also found a nice but inexpensive, very simple black desk for the computer in the dining room. After moving our computer desk/hutch to the bedroom (where my office is setup), we were having to leave the laptop on the dining room table. This mean always having to move it around (along with the extnernal monitor we use) if we wanted to use the table. The for the holidays, we like to open the table so it's a full round in the middle of the room instead of half and against the wall. This meant having to stretch extension cords across the floor. This new desk is the perfect size and is working just as I hoped.
The next idea I had was regarding adding shelving to the cabinet we've always used as a trash closet. I realized after *23* years that there were holes drilled in there for shelving. I asked my husband to make 3 shelves for me. He did that in late January.
I bided my time and gave it a lot of thought how I wanted to rearrange the WHOLE kitchen now that I had this additional storage space. I didn't want to do it in a haphazard fashion and lose any benefit I might have gained. After asking some questions here and looking around other sites on the web, I came up with a plan.
Besides the additional storage, my pots and pans are now occupying the OTHER lazy susan cabinet, as suggested by several Peas. This could not have been better advice! The cabinet is right next to the stove and allows me to store my pots/pans neatly and within quick reach.
Other Peas mentioned setting one cabinet or lazy susan up as a "baking storage" area. I took that one step further and made it my "cooking storage". In addition to things like flour, sugar, oils and the like, I put things there like cooking wines, vinegars etc. I was able to separate my frequently used spices from those we only occasionally use. No more fighting there dozens of containers trying to find that ONE I'm looking for.
One cabinet has been devoted soley to medications. Prescription meds and things we take daily (like vitamins) are located in here. I also used baskets to separate pain meds, cold meds, allergy/decongestants, stomach remedies and then finally "the rest". The same cabinet is above the counter where we make sandwhiches and the toaster is located. Two shelves behind one door have our paper plates/holders along with bread products.
I ditched the junk drawer and moved our plastic bags there. We only have two drawers in the whole kitchen. The cabinet below the drawers (which was where the pots and pans used to be) now holds the things like aluminum foil, plastic wrap, parchment paper, etc.
The success of this room has really aparked my juices for doing similar work in the rest of the house. I'm amazed at how happy these very minor changes (and also at little cost) are making me.
Off to read what others have accomplished in February. |
Joy
"And a Christian who constantly complains, fails to be a good Christian: they become Mr. or Mrs. Whiner, no?" - Pope Francis"
Into the Thicklebit- My new favorite blog/webcomic!
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SinCity2003
PeaNut
PeaNut 519,832
September 2011
Posts: 271
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 2/19/2013 12:45:48 PM
I've enjoyed this thread so far
Quick question that might seem dumb: I have a closet and some kitchen cupboards to go through that are jam packed full of stuff. The cupboard is going to be easy, but that closet scares me LOL. Do you all just pull everything out of it at one time or do you go shelf by shelf? What are your best tips? It has unfortunately become the catch all closet so there's a large variety of stuff in it.
Any advice appreciated! | |
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