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We were so productive last night! I'm really proud of us. Our Super Bowl party on Sunday is going to also be a video game party, since let's be honest, Brian isn't really a football person. So last night, Brian spent some time working on the den, which is where all his video game stuff lives, along with his pinball machine, and he made some real progress. That room has really been a place where things just get dumped, so I'm glad he got stuff cleaned out.
While he was doing that, I waslooking at Tumblr working on the upstairs. I got the dining room table (another dumping ground) completely cleaned off, and I used the hardwood floor mop on the dining room and the kitchen floors. I also dusted the chairs (cause we never use them) and cleaned the stairs going downstairs (as those are hardwood and just kind of collect kitty hair). I even hung a picture! I'd had plans to hang a better one, but issues with frames prevented that, and this was the only one I had that was light enough to use the velcro hanging strips we have. I'm not in love with the location, but damn it, there's something on our walls.
Hanging up that picture really reminded me about how bare our walls are, and I wish we could get some more stuff hung before Sunday, but I just don't think we will. I have two pictures from IKEA that I'd wanted to hang in the guest bedroom but can't now because of wall color. (But how awesome are these?) I was thinking of putting them in the dining room or somewhere similar? But I have no idea. I have no good ideas with regards to decor. Hrmpf.
Day 21: Spruce up and Surface Clean
Ah, this works well, because it's what we're already doing this week. Tonight, Brian plans to install a cable jack in the wall, which will get rid of the cords going literally across the entire living room floor, and I think I'm going to push him to replace the outlets in that room at the same time. Meanwhile, I'm going to wipe down and clean up the bathrooms and the ktichen.
It's really really nice to be preparing for a party and not feeling like we have this insurmountable task in front of us. When we were prepping for Thanksgiving, it felt like the house was just this terrible disaster area that required two weeks of cleaning to make presentable. Yes, there was a lot of unpacking that needed done for that, but it was still so much worse than it is now. I feel like we're starting to hit a state of organizational homeostasis, wherein even though we still aren't doing the dishes immediately and making the bed, things are getting cleaned up a lot faster than they were, and things are starting to have homes that didn't have homes before. And I know that Brian hasn't changed his patterns that much (because his were already alright), which means that I'm changing too, and I really like that.
----
And, to end on a serious note, I realized something really important yesterday, and I wanted to write it down. I was in the shower thinking about the house, and I was getting really down on myself about how I was behind on the Cure and how I hadn't made the bed in a week and how the kitchen was a disaster when it'd been so nice earlier in the week. Suddenly, I remembered Thanksgiving Day, 2005, sitting on my soon-to-be-former couch in my soon-to-be-former basement. I was completely broke, drowning in debt, freshly dumped, and basically was about to move in with my parents with just my clothes, computer, and one of my cats. I literally thought my life was over and would never be successful or normal or loved ever again.
It's now seven years later, and I can't even believe how far I've come. I'm now a college graduate with zero dollars in credit card debt. I'm married and own a house. I have a job in a field I love and don't feel like I'm living paycheck to paycheck anymore. These are all things I wanted for myself back on that Thanksgiving Day and didn't feel like I'd ever be able to achieve, but I have.
Thinking about this, I can take away two things: one - no matter how much I feel like I can't do something, it's obvious I can. If I feel like I'll be fat forever and will never get to a weight where I'm happy with myself, I just have to remember how I thought I'd never be out of credit card debt or never own a house, and I know I can do it if I try and have a lot of help from the wonderful people around me. Two - yes, my house is messy, but I'm accomplished damn it. Some clutter is nothing compared to my college degree, and cleaning that clutter is nothing compared to what I had to do to earn that degree. That clutter is in a house I own, and I have help cleaning it up from my husband, who makes me laugh while I do it. That clutter accumulated because I was at work doing a job that makes me happy. The clutter is okay, because I'm okay.
While he was doing that, I was
Hanging up that picture really reminded me about how bare our walls are, and I wish we could get some more stuff hung before Sunday, but I just don't think we will. I have two pictures from IKEA that I'd wanted to hang in the guest bedroom but can't now because of wall color. (But how awesome are these?) I was thinking of putting them in the dining room or somewhere similar? But I have no idea. I have no good ideas with regards to decor. Hrmpf.
Day 21: Spruce up and Surface Clean
Ah, this works well, because it's what we're already doing this week. Tonight, Brian plans to install a cable jack in the wall, which will get rid of the cords going literally across the entire living room floor, and I think I'm going to push him to replace the outlets in that room at the same time. Meanwhile, I'm going to wipe down and clean up the bathrooms and the ktichen.
It's really really nice to be preparing for a party and not feeling like we have this insurmountable task in front of us. When we were prepping for Thanksgiving, it felt like the house was just this terrible disaster area that required two weeks of cleaning to make presentable. Yes, there was a lot of unpacking that needed done for that, but it was still so much worse than it is now. I feel like we're starting to hit a state of organizational homeostasis, wherein even though we still aren't doing the dishes immediately and making the bed, things are getting cleaned up a lot faster than they were, and things are starting to have homes that didn't have homes before. And I know that Brian hasn't changed his patterns that much (because his were already alright), which means that I'm changing too, and I really like that.
----
And, to end on a serious note, I realized something really important yesterday, and I wanted to write it down. I was in the shower thinking about the house, and I was getting really down on myself about how I was behind on the Cure and how I hadn't made the bed in a week and how the kitchen was a disaster when it'd been so nice earlier in the week. Suddenly, I remembered Thanksgiving Day, 2005, sitting on my soon-to-be-former couch in my soon-to-be-former basement. I was completely broke, drowning in debt, freshly dumped, and basically was about to move in with my parents with just my clothes, computer, and one of my cats. I literally thought my life was over and would never be successful or normal or loved ever again.
It's now seven years later, and I can't even believe how far I've come. I'm now a college graduate with zero dollars in credit card debt. I'm married and own a house. I have a job in a field I love and don't feel like I'm living paycheck to paycheck anymore. These are all things I wanted for myself back on that Thanksgiving Day and didn't feel like I'd ever be able to achieve, but I have.
Thinking about this, I can take away two things: one - no matter how much I feel like I can't do something, it's obvious I can. If I feel like I'll be fat forever and will never get to a weight where I'm happy with myself, I just have to remember how I thought I'd never be out of credit card debt or never own a house, and I know I can do it if I try and have a lot of help from the wonderful people around me. Two - yes, my house is messy, but I'm accomplished damn it. Some clutter is nothing compared to my college degree, and cleaning that clutter is nothing compared to what I had to do to earn that degree. That clutter is in a house I own, and I have help cleaning it up from my husband, who makes me laugh while I do it. That clutter accumulated because I was at work doing a job that makes me happy. The clutter is okay, because I'm okay.
Okay, time to take a look at all the things I still haven't done for January Cure.
Day 16: Give your Bathroom and Medicine Cabinets a cleanout
Okay, so, I didn't really do this, but I kind of did? I was brushing my teeth and I threw away a few things. We kind of did this when we moved, so it wasn't a big thing tha needed done. What I really really need to do is go through the makeup I have in a bag under the sink and get rid of a bunch of stuff. But that's going to be another month...
Day 17: Looking at Living Room Lighting
The lighting in our living room had been bugging me for awhile, so I'm glad I did this. We had two lamps on the same side of the room as the window and the door, and there's one overhead light right in front of the door, so really all the light in the room was concentrated on this one side of the room, leaving the other side dark and sad. (We have the same problem with furniture in the room, and it's also driving me nuts.) All I did was move one of the lights from one side of the room to the other, and it's making a difference. I'm okay with that for now, though I want to rearrange a bit more to make it more cozy and livable in there.
Day 18: Weekend Chores: Flowers, Living Room, Outbox
I did none of this. Well, technically I bought flowers on Sunday. We did the Outbox last weekend, so we didn't touch it this weekend, but I didn't do anything with the living room at all. I'll probably work on that on Friday since we're having that party on Sunday.
Day 19: Catch Up and Take a Photo
Here is why we didn't do anything with the living room: We finished the closet! Picture posted. However I didn't do any catchup, which right now I believe consists of:
- Doing all the floors
- Cleaning the living room
- Framing a picture
Okay actually I thought I was way more behind than that? The first two will be done this week to prepare for the party, just leaving the framing, which I'm not gonna lie, I've been putting off. I did buy several prints, and I think one of them is the right size to fit into a frame that I have lying around, so maybe I'll just stick those two together as a temporary fix until I can get over the cost of framing. (Basically I just want to matte all the things and that's $$.)
Day 20: Hang Your Artwork
Well shit. I didn't look at this before I wrote the above thing, so I guess temporary framing is a go.
---
As I come down the final stretch of this, I do feel a lot better about our house. I haven't been perfect through this - I'm still not making my bed more than I'm making it, I still put dirty dishes in the sink, and it's like I don't even know where our washer and dryer are, but I feel like our house is at a state of Being Neater than it was, and I can't put my finger down on any one particular thing we're doing now that we weren't before. Maybe it's not actually neater or cleaner and I'm just more okay with that than I was before. I think either way, I'm okay with it.
I'm also considering redoing the Cure again next month, obviously skipping the things that were one day only (which should work out pretty perfectly because February has fewer days than January). This will encourage us to do another big project, keeping us improving the house and getting me into a place where these things become a habit instead of falling by the wayside again.
Day 16: Give your Bathroom and Medicine Cabinets a cleanout
Okay, so, I didn't really do this, but I kind of did? I was brushing my teeth and I threw away a few things. We kind of did this when we moved, so it wasn't a big thing tha needed done. What I really really need to do is go through the makeup I have in a bag under the sink and get rid of a bunch of stuff. But that's going to be another month...
Day 17: Looking at Living Room Lighting
The lighting in our living room had been bugging me for awhile, so I'm glad I did this. We had two lamps on the same side of the room as the window and the door, and there's one overhead light right in front of the door, so really all the light in the room was concentrated on this one side of the room, leaving the other side dark and sad. (We have the same problem with furniture in the room, and it's also driving me nuts.) All I did was move one of the lights from one side of the room to the other, and it's making a difference. I'm okay with that for now, though I want to rearrange a bit more to make it more cozy and livable in there.
Day 18: Weekend Chores: Flowers, Living Room, Outbox
I did none of this. Well, technically I bought flowers on Sunday. We did the Outbox last weekend, so we didn't touch it this weekend, but I didn't do anything with the living room at all. I'll probably work on that on Friday since we're having that party on Sunday.
Day 19: Catch Up and Take a Photo
Here is why we didn't do anything with the living room: We finished the closet! Picture posted. However I didn't do any catchup, which right now I believe consists of:
- Doing all the floors
- Cleaning the living room
- Framing a picture
Okay actually I thought I was way more behind than that? The first two will be done this week to prepare for the party, just leaving the framing, which I'm not gonna lie, I've been putting off. I did buy several prints, and I think one of them is the right size to fit into a frame that I have lying around, so maybe I'll just stick those two together as a temporary fix until I can get over the cost of framing. (Basically I just want to matte all the things and that's $$.)
Day 20: Hang Your Artwork
Well shit. I didn't look at this before I wrote the above thing, so I guess temporary framing is a go.
---
As I come down the final stretch of this, I do feel a lot better about our house. I haven't been perfect through this - I'm still not making my bed more than I'm making it, I still put dirty dishes in the sink, and it's like I don't even know where our washer and dryer are, but I feel like our house is at a state of Being Neater than it was, and I can't put my finger down on any one particular thing we're doing now that we weren't before. Maybe it's not actually neater or cleaner and I'm just more okay with that than I was before. I think either way, I'm okay with it.
I'm also considering redoing the Cure again next month, obviously skipping the things that were one day only (which should work out pretty perfectly because February has fewer days than January). This will encourage us to do another big project, keeping us improving the house and getting me into a place where these things become a habit instead of falling by the wayside again.
Ugh, I haven't written an update in several days, mostly because I haven't been doing what I'm supposed to, either because I'm too busy dealing with the closet disaster or because I'm too exhausted from dealing with the closet disaster. But I'll get back on track!
Day 14: Getting your papers and files in order
This one worked out well, because we actually did it the night before. This is what started my current state of Not Doing Much, because I essentially got a day off. (We still have some papers outstanding in a box somewhere, but we'll worry about those when we find them.)
I used the evening to sand the drywall to get it ready to paint, but didn't actually paint. The next day, Brian put a thin coat on and did a way better job of sanding, and while there's a visible horizontal seam, it's really about as good as it could be for our first major drywall project. I'll try to post a picture of it when I get home.
Day 15: Exercise a little cord control
Ugh, this one is killing me. We have cords everywhere, always, and it drives me nuts because while I have selective blindness when it comes to clutter, I am excellent at tripping over any cable in a 10 foot radius, which means I'll always notice them. (I'm assuming this is some kind of protective measure I've developed over the years, which clearly doesn't work well because I still trip at least like once a week.) This is a roundabout way of saying that it drives me nuts when I see cords laying around.
The biggest reason we have cords stretching across floors everywhere is that our house contains almost exclusively two-prong outlets, and we definitely live in a three-prong world. We've started the process of replacing outlets here and there, but haven't made nearly enough progress. I think we also have problems where we either don't have enough outlets or poorly situated outlets (for our purposes at least), leading to computers being plugged in wherever they fit, leading to a power strip in the middle of the living room with cables going in every direction.
We also have a problem where the cords for whatever it is we've plugged in don't reach all the way to the outlet, causing issues with power strips hanging in the air. For example, we have three items that need plugged into the outlet that's behind our bed. We have a power strip plugged in, but the cords aren't quite long enough to reach from the nightstands to the strip if it's on the floor, so the strip is basically suspended in the air, with the clocks on the very edge of the stands, usually turned away from us (or in my case, continually coming unplugged). We have the same problem with our TV, which is on top of one of these. The cord doesn't reach to the outlet, so we have a power strip plugged in, which is stretched to its max, with the TV and Roku box plugged into that. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Here's the crux of the issue: I don't know how to fix it. I worry if we do extension cords for the hanging things, we'll just have too much extra cord and it'll look just as bad. Do we install extra outlets, leading to having too many and looking like crazy people? What do normal people do with laptop cords when they use their computers on the couch?
I think if we get a new entertainment center/TV stand, that will help with some of the cord issues in that room, but I just don't know what to do about the rest.
I think I'll go home and take some pictures. That might help me puzzle this mess out.
Day 14: Getting your papers and files in order
This one worked out well, because we actually did it the night before. This is what started my current state of Not Doing Much, because I essentially got a day off. (We still have some papers outstanding in a box somewhere, but we'll worry about those when we find them.)
I used the evening to sand the drywall to get it ready to paint, but didn't actually paint. The next day, Brian put a thin coat on and did a way better job of sanding, and while there's a visible horizontal seam, it's really about as good as it could be for our first major drywall project. I'll try to post a picture of it when I get home.
Day 15: Exercise a little cord control
Ugh, this one is killing me. We have cords everywhere, always, and it drives me nuts because while I have selective blindness when it comes to clutter, I am excellent at tripping over any cable in a 10 foot radius, which means I'll always notice them. (I'm assuming this is some kind of protective measure I've developed over the years, which clearly doesn't work well because I still trip at least like once a week.) This is a roundabout way of saying that it drives me nuts when I see cords laying around.
The biggest reason we have cords stretching across floors everywhere is that our house contains almost exclusively two-prong outlets, and we definitely live in a three-prong world. We've started the process of replacing outlets here and there, but haven't made nearly enough progress. I think we also have problems where we either don't have enough outlets or poorly situated outlets (for our purposes at least), leading to computers being plugged in wherever they fit, leading to a power strip in the middle of the living room with cables going in every direction.
We also have a problem where the cords for whatever it is we've plugged in don't reach all the way to the outlet, causing issues with power strips hanging in the air. For example, we have three items that need plugged into the outlet that's behind our bed. We have a power strip plugged in, but the cords aren't quite long enough to reach from the nightstands to the strip if it's on the floor, so the strip is basically suspended in the air, with the clocks on the very edge of the stands, usually turned away from us (or in my case, continually coming unplugged). We have the same problem with our TV, which is on top of one of these. The cord doesn't reach to the outlet, so we have a power strip plugged in, which is stretched to its max, with the TV and Roku box plugged into that. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Here's the crux of the issue: I don't know how to fix it. I worry if we do extension cords for the hanging things, we'll just have too much extra cord and it'll look just as bad. Do we install extra outlets, leading to having too many and looking like crazy people? What do normal people do with laptop cords when they use their computers on the couch?
I think if we get a new entertainment center/TV stand, that will help with some of the cord issues in that room, but I just don't know what to do about the rest.
I think I'll go home and take some pictures. That might help me puzzle this mess out.
Ugh, so, this weekend I have not done so well with Cure stuff. Yesterday morning I did manage to go through my books and weed out about a boxes worth, which we took to Goodwill with a bunch of old clothes, dishes, and never-worn shoes. So that's Thursday's task done at least.
Day 13: Weekly Flowers and Bedroom Cleaning
This one is the first task that I straight up can't do this week, not because I don't want to, but because I just can't. We're still in the midst of fixing the closet, which is in the bedroom, and the whole place is just a disaster. I'd really really hoped that we'd be able to get this done faster, but it's just not happening. Right now, we've got the drywall up, which is a HUGE step, but we still have to sand it down. Unfortunately, that's going to be a huge pain the ass, and we can't start it until tomorrow. We sanded the first coat this morning and basically nearly died. The masks you have to wear so the dust isn't fatal also limits the amount of air available to a point that's nearly detrimental. So it's completely miserable.
So, the schedule now is that we're hoping to paint next week, hopefully having it done by Thursday? If we can get the sanding all done tomorrow that'd work out well. Once the walls are painted, we'll still have to do the trim, and then we'll FINALLY be able to install the closet system. At this point I'm just hoping to finish before the end of the month. Blerg.
I've tried to make up for my lack of Cure progress in other ways - we organized our paperwork tonight and got it put into the filing cabinet we bought, I started on our taxes, we've done some laundry, and Brian's brother came over and installed a hard-wired smoke detector upstairs. These are all good things to have completed, and improve our lives, so therefore they count.
Day 13: Weekly Flowers and Bedroom Cleaning
This one is the first task that I straight up can't do this week, not because I don't want to, but because I just can't. We're still in the midst of fixing the closet, which is in the bedroom, and the whole place is just a disaster. I'd really really hoped that we'd be able to get this done faster, but it's just not happening. Right now, we've got the drywall up, which is a HUGE step, but we still have to sand it down. Unfortunately, that's going to be a huge pain the ass, and we can't start it until tomorrow. We sanded the first coat this morning and basically nearly died. The masks you have to wear so the dust isn't fatal also limits the amount of air available to a point that's nearly detrimental. So it's completely miserable.
So, the schedule now is that we're hoping to paint next week, hopefully having it done by Thursday? If we can get the sanding all done tomorrow that'd work out well. Once the walls are painted, we'll still have to do the trim, and then we'll FINALLY be able to install the closet system. At this point I'm just hoping to finish before the end of the month. Blerg.
I've tried to make up for my lack of Cure progress in other ways - we organized our paperwork tonight and got it put into the filing cabinet we bought, I started on our taxes, we've done some laundry, and Brian's brother came over and installed a hard-wired smoke detector upstairs. These are all good things to have completed, and improve our lives, so therefore they count.
Holy crap, we did stuff yesterday. I borrowed my dad's truck and we went to Home Depot and got just about everything we need in order to do the closet. (We still haven't decided on a final closet system.)
Last night, we went over the cliff and tore out some drywall. It was kind of fun actually? And it was funny to see how dumb we were when we started and how much better we got as we tore out pieces. And we only nicked one electrical wire! It looks quite nice now...well, as nice as a wall without a wall on it can look. But the cut is even and clean, even though it was on a stud and therefore incredibly hard to saw through.
Tonight, our plan is to get the new piece of drywall up and hopefully taped, mudded, sanded, and suchas. Then tomorrow we can sand the rest of the closet and paint by the weekend. Once that's done, we can clean the bedroom properly again. It was really nice those two days where we could walk around without tripping on stuff.
I'm really proud of us in doing this project. This is way out of our comfort zone with regards to repair and it seems like we're doing a good job so far. It has the potential to look really nice in the closet once we're done and our bedroom will be a lovely place that we're happy to fall asleep in.
Day 12: Declutter Books & Media
I'm not sure if I'll get to this tonight, what with the drywall and all, but assuming I get home before Brian, I'll try to start in on it. Most of our books and CDs are packed up in boxes in the office still, so perhaps I'll try unpacking them and can cull at the same time. I'm terrible at getting rid of books but also recognize the need to do so, as my IKEA desk tends to get books double-shelved, and I end up not reading the ones in the back row ever. I also have a small shelf of CDs that I absolutely never listen to and really should just be thrown away. The one exception to this is my Babysitter's Club Movie soundtrack. WILL KEEP FOREVER THANKS.
Last night, we went over the cliff and tore out some drywall. It was kind of fun actually? And it was funny to see how dumb we were when we started and how much better we got as we tore out pieces. And we only nicked one electrical wire! It looks quite nice now...well, as nice as a wall without a wall on it can look. But the cut is even and clean, even though it was on a stud and therefore incredibly hard to saw through.
Tonight, our plan is to get the new piece of drywall up and hopefully taped, mudded, sanded, and suchas. Then tomorrow we can sand the rest of the closet and paint by the weekend. Once that's done, we can clean the bedroom properly again. It was really nice those two days where we could walk around without tripping on stuff.
I'm really proud of us in doing this project. This is way out of our comfort zone with regards to repair and it seems like we're doing a good job so far. It has the potential to look really nice in the closet once we're done and our bedroom will be a lovely place that we're happy to fall asleep in.
Day 12: Declutter Books & Media
I'm not sure if I'll get to this tonight, what with the drywall and all, but assuming I get home before Brian, I'll try to start in on it. Most of our books and CDs are packed up in boxes in the office still, so perhaps I'll try unpacking them and can cull at the same time. I'm terrible at getting rid of books but also recognize the need to do so, as my IKEA desk tends to get books double-shelved, and I end up not reading the ones in the back row ever. I also have a small shelf of CDs that I absolutely never listen to and really should just be thrown away. The one exception to this is my Babysitter's Club Movie soundtrack. WILL KEEP FOREVER THANKS.
So, I definitely made progress last night on the big goal. The terrible closet system is gone! What's left is really terrible though. I mean, it's fixable, but it's not going to be fun or easy. There's a weird texture on the walls of unknown origin, like they painted over sand or something, there's large chunks of drywall that are just kind of nailed back in (presumably from where they installed the terrible shower), and there's at least four different colors of paint floating around.
We took down the closet system last night thinking that it wouldn't be too bad to just sort of paint over and stick a new system in. Once we got it apart though, we realized it's definitely a multi-day project, and that we no longer had a plan on how to do tackle it. We had a discussion about using beadboard, and just covering the terrible spots, but when we got to Home Depot and actually looked at it, we decided that there wasn't any way we could do a full-wall beadboard and not have it look like complete crap, so it was back to the drawing board. That's probably a good thing, because the beadboard discussion came along with talk of using a garment rack and a dresser inside the closet instead of installing hardware, which now seems entirely ridiculous.
We then contemplated just patching the drywall (or rather, redoing the current patches), but I think we've decided just to cut out that whole chunk of wall where all the patches are and replace that. From there, we can sand, paint, and hang the original closet system that we'd planned on buying. So that's where we are with that.
Day 11: Try a Media Fast
So, no computer, no TV, and no phone tonight when I get home. This will be hard, because I hate feeling like I can't use something if I don't want to. But maybe it'll give me the time and energy I need to clean up some of the clutter that's been accumulating in the living room, vacuum a bit, or work on the closet some more. It's just one night, I'll be fine. I recognize that this Cure isn't just about organization, it's also about therapy and feeling happy and welcome in your home, but I can't help but wish today's task was a little more action-oriented. I feel so much better when I feel like I've accomplished a goal.
Speaking of the therapeutic part of the Cure, I was staring at that spot above the bookshelf this morning while putting on my shoes, and I realized something small but new about myself: I like clutter, I like a full home, and I like all the busyness that goes with it. I want a bunch of pictures and art on the walls to make the house feel cozy and lived-in. I am simply just not a minimalist. I'm a collector. I want color, bright color, and lots of it (mostly blue though).
It's a small revelation, and rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but knowing this about myself will help me feel less guilty when I can't see the coffee table because I've got a bunch of things on it.
We took down the closet system last night thinking that it wouldn't be too bad to just sort of paint over and stick a new system in. Once we got it apart though, we realized it's definitely a multi-day project, and that we no longer had a plan on how to do tackle it. We had a discussion about using beadboard, and just covering the terrible spots, but when we got to Home Depot and actually looked at it, we decided that there wasn't any way we could do a full-wall beadboard and not have it look like complete crap, so it was back to the drawing board. That's probably a good thing, because the beadboard discussion came along with talk of using a garment rack and a dresser inside the closet instead of installing hardware, which now seems entirely ridiculous.
We then contemplated just patching the drywall (or rather, redoing the current patches), but I think we've decided just to cut out that whole chunk of wall where all the patches are and replace that. From there, we can sand, paint, and hang the original closet system that we'd planned on buying. So that's where we are with that.
Day 11: Try a Media Fast
So, no computer, no TV, and no phone tonight when I get home. This will be hard, because I hate feeling like I can't use something if I don't want to. But maybe it'll give me the time and energy I need to clean up some of the clutter that's been accumulating in the living room, vacuum a bit, or work on the closet some more. It's just one night, I'll be fine. I recognize that this Cure isn't just about organization, it's also about therapy and feeling happy and welcome in your home, but I can't help but wish today's task was a little more action-oriented. I feel so much better when I feel like I've accomplished a goal.
Speaking of the therapeutic part of the Cure, I was staring at that spot above the bookshelf this morning while putting on my shoes, and I realized something small but new about myself: I like clutter, I like a full home, and I like all the busyness that goes with it. I want a bunch of pictures and art on the walls to make the house feel cozy and lived-in. I am simply just not a minimalist. I'm a collector. I want color, bright color, and lots of it (mostly blue though).
It's a small revelation, and rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but knowing this about myself will help me feel less guilty when I can't see the coffee table because I've got a bunch of things on it.
Yesterday it was a super relief to actually finish an item on the day it was assigned. I got the bookcase moved and it looks really nice, I think. However, those bare walls are stressing me out. I really need to find some nice prints or something to hang up. I want to do a small cluster, I think. Some wedding photos and some funny or quirky prints in frames. I'm going to have to be pondering this one some more.
Day 10: Work on Your Goal Project
My goal project is our bedroom closet, which we were planning on doing this past weekend, but got sidelined by painting instead. Our problem with this is that we want to do some kind of closet system that's functional for us and also not too expensive. We've basically settled on some kind of ClosetMaid system from Home Depot, but can't pick the bits and pieces.
Our problem with the closet is this: It's two feet deep, eight feet high, and 104 inches long, which is a weird length. On top of that, the doorspace is only 60 inches wide, leaving 19 inches on one side and 25 inches on the other hidden behind wall, making getting in there awkward. This is the problem we have with the system installed currently - we can't get to the sides because of the intrusive shelf system. I should put some pictures here to clarify.
( Read more...Collapse )
These are our official "before" pictures, so I didn't neaten up or anything, hence the mess. The pictures still don't do justice to the annoyance that is that shelving system.
So back to my point - I have no idea how to pick an arrangement that will work for us for this. I'd love a comination of drawers, shelves, and hanging, but I just can't pick one, and the ClosetMaid tool on the Home Depot site seems to assume that all closets are exactly as wide as their doors. So I guess today I'll be spending time playing with that until I get something that I think we can use. Stupid annoying closet.
Day 10: Work on Your Goal Project
My goal project is our bedroom closet, which we were planning on doing this past weekend, but got sidelined by painting instead. Our problem with this is that we want to do some kind of closet system that's functional for us and also not too expensive. We've basically settled on some kind of ClosetMaid system from Home Depot, but can't pick the bits and pieces.
Our problem with the closet is this: It's two feet deep, eight feet high, and 104 inches long, which is a weird length. On top of that, the doorspace is only 60 inches wide, leaving 19 inches on one side and 25 inches on the other hidden behind wall, making getting in there awkward. This is the problem we have with the system installed currently - we can't get to the sides because of the intrusive shelf system. I should put some pictures here to clarify.
( Read more...Collapse )
These are our official "before" pictures, so I didn't neaten up or anything, hence the mess. The pictures still don't do justice to the annoyance that is that shelving system.
So back to my point - I have no idea how to pick an arrangement that will work for us for this. I'd love a comination of drawers, shelves, and hanging, but I just can't pick one, and the ClosetMaid tool on the Home Depot site seems to assume that all closets are exactly as wide as their doors. So I guess today I'll be spending time playing with that until I get something that I think we can use. Stupid annoying closet.
Day 9: Create a Landing Strip and Start Using it
I admit, I giggle every time I read the phrase "landing strip". This one annoys me a little, because I've been wanting to do this but haven't found a good credenza to put by the front door. I had great plans to do a fauxdenza out of cabinets, until today when I was reminded by Brian that we have a chair rail right where I'd want to hang them. So yeah, that's out.
So until I can find my way to IKEA or the thrift store to get a proper piece, I'm going to move the bookcase that we have on another wall in the living room to that space. I'll put a bowl on it for Brian's pocket items, and the shoe rack will be next to it, and the closet will be next to that. The mail will still have to go to the kitchen though, because that's where the recycling bin and the mail sorter are. I'm okay with that though, because we don't come in our front door ever, and this setup is really for Brian's sake anyway. (I never have things in my pockets, I hang my coat downstairs by the back door, and Brian's suits go in the front closet.) He can never find his things and tends to empty his pockets and leave tiny binder clips EVERYWHERE. I swear if he uses this system, we'll have a whole bowl of binder clips by the end of the month.
I admit, I giggle every time I read the phrase "landing strip". This one annoys me a little, because I've been wanting to do this but haven't found a good credenza to put by the front door. I had great plans to do a fauxdenza out of cabinets, until today when I was reminded by Brian that we have a chair rail right where I'd want to hang them. So yeah, that's out.
So until I can find my way to IKEA or the thrift store to get a proper piece, I'm going to move the bookcase that we have on another wall in the living room to that space. I'll put a bowl on it for Brian's pocket items, and the shoe rack will be next to it, and the closet will be next to that. The mail will still have to go to the kitchen though, because that's where the recycling bin and the mail sorter are. I'm okay with that though, because we don't come in our front door ever, and this setup is really for Brian's sake anyway. (I never have things in my pockets, I hang my coat downstairs by the back door, and Brian's suits go in the front closet.) He can never find his things and tends to empty his pockets and leave tiny binder clips EVERYWHERE. I swear if he uses this system, we'll have a whole bowl of binder clips by the end of the month.
Well, things haven't gone exactly as planned this weekend...
- STILL haven't mopped or vacuumed. In my defense, today I finally bought a hardwood mop....off Amazon so I won't have it till Tuesday. >_> BUT I WILL DO IT EVENTUALLY.
- We didn't go to IKEA because we discovered some stuff we were pretty sure might work at Home Depot. So yesterday off we trundled to the Depot, looked at closet systems for awhile, aaaaand left with paint for the bedroom instead. The bedroom is now painted and looks alright...I'm not sure how I feel about the color but we'll see how I feel in a few days. We still need to paint the baseboards so they look as nice, but that's a project for another day.
- I dug out my frame that I'd wanted to use for the framing task, and discovered that the plastic cover (because it's from IKEA and glass is for rich people) has a crack in it. It's not super big, so I'm still going to try and use it, but it's enough to give me pause. The other problem with it is that it's 11 3/4" by 15 3/4", and I"m not sure what size picture to get. Is it 11x14? Help!
- I had written off the possibility of doing any cleaning in the kitchen this weekend like I was supposed to, as I thought we were going to paint the baseboards today, but Brian went to work so I decided to see what I could do. I've been working for about an hour and a half, and I've:
* Cleaned off and wiped down the counters
* Cleaned out the leftovers in the fridge
* Ran the dishwasher
* Cleaned out, wiped down, and reorganized seven cabinets (out of seventeen, so a ways to go there)
* Cleaned the microwave
* Cleaned the stovetop and the outside of the stove
* Cleaned extra stuff off the front of the fridge (deposited some checks, filed appliance receipts, attempted to get Brian to put his new insurance cards in his wallet and failed, etc.)
* Wiped down and rearranged the countertop appliances
This is a pretty major accomplishment on my part so far. I am the absolute WORST at cleaning, and normally get really lazy and give up really fast. I'm thinking these cabinets might be the things that get me giving up, but fingers crossed that I can pull it off. I'm getting rid of old glasses, plates, pots, pans, and other assorted stuff that's taking up space in our cabinets even though we don't really need them. I'm hoping that the shedding of stuff will make our cabinets less frustrating and maybe we'll start using the stuff inside them.
Haha that's ridiculous.
- STILL haven't mopped or vacuumed. In my defense, today I finally bought a hardwood mop....off Amazon so I won't have it till Tuesday. >_> BUT I WILL DO IT EVENTUALLY.
- We didn't go to IKEA because we discovered some stuff we were pretty sure might work at Home Depot. So yesterday off we trundled to the Depot, looked at closet systems for awhile, aaaaand left with paint for the bedroom instead. The bedroom is now painted and looks alright...I'm not sure how I feel about the color but we'll see how I feel in a few days. We still need to paint the baseboards so they look as nice, but that's a project for another day.
- I dug out my frame that I'd wanted to use for the framing task, and discovered that the plastic cover (because it's from IKEA and glass is for rich people) has a crack in it. It's not super big, so I'm still going to try and use it, but it's enough to give me pause. The other problem with it is that it's 11 3/4" by 15 3/4", and I"m not sure what size picture to get. Is it 11x14? Help!
- I had written off the possibility of doing any cleaning in the kitchen this weekend like I was supposed to, as I thought we were going to paint the baseboards today, but Brian went to work so I decided to see what I could do. I've been working for about an hour and a half, and I've:
* Cleaned off and wiped down the counters
* Cleaned out the leftovers in the fridge
* Ran the dishwasher
* Cleaned out, wiped down, and reorganized seven cabinets (out of seventeen, so a ways to go there)
* Cleaned the microwave
* Cleaned the stovetop and the outside of the stove
* Cleaned extra stuff off the front of the fridge (deposited some checks, filed appliance receipts, attempted to get Brian to put his new insurance cards in his wallet and failed, etc.)
* Wiped down and rearranged the countertop appliances
This is a pretty major accomplishment on my part so far. I am the absolute WORST at cleaning, and normally get really lazy and give up really fast. I'm thinking these cabinets might be the things that get me giving up, but fingers crossed that I can pull it off. I'm getting rid of old glasses, plates, pots, pans, and other assorted stuff that's taking up space in our cabinets even though we don't really need them. I'm hoping that the shedding of stuff will make our cabinets less frustrating and maybe we'll start using the stuff inside them.
Haha that's ridiculous.
Comments
ps let's hang out sometime soon, yes??
francine
:)
AT
Ask your hardware peeps!
Also, is it me, or are there not enough challenges for the days so far in January?
AT