Getting Organized -- Playroom, Final Update

 We started here:

 And now we're here!

 I'm happy. 

Understand me, the room is by no means "done."  But my goal was to have a usable room that was lived in, as opposed to a total disaster by July1. I think I got that far. In fact, my husband is doing a project up there as I write. 

My son now has a surface for lego-building and he and his friends can play games or have sleep-overs in there. 

It was thoroughly dusted and vacuumed for the first time in a while as well. 

Next goal? Make it a public room, with the rest of the boxes cleared out and it being consistently tidy. That way we can take adults up there for board games or hold club meetings up there. An we need to make that sustainability plan I mentioned before. 


 But I'd say I made my goal.

 I remember that I attended a homeschool support group meeting on getting organized once. There was a quote: "Unmade decisions are one of the greatest sappers of energy." I am glad over this past month to have made many decisions regarding things. Some are now displayed. Others have been put away, returned to their owner, given away, donated, recycled or trashed. I think the quote is true. 

I also think that being publicly accountable by posting here helped greatly. Thanks to those who have been part of this!

So, how are your projects coming along? 



Getting Organized -- Playroom Update 1 Update 2
Update 3 




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On of the places I learned to stick to commitments was CYC. It's a great place for teens to learn about God and leadership while making friends and having fun. Two weeks every August in Maine. Check out our website!

Getting Organized -- Playroom, Update 3

 With a week to go, we're getting there. We've donated stuff, put stuff away, sorted stuff, trashed stuff, hung stuff.

We are on track with the minimalist game and are feeling like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Still not a usable room, but it feels like it might get to be one.


 Just need to keep the energy up and not get distracted. That's happened before. Then we'll need a sustainability plan for the organization of the room so it doesn't go back to the way it was. That's probably going to be a real challenge. Ideas welcome!!

                             

What organization projects have you been working on?

Previous posts on this:


Getting Organized -- Playroom
Update 1
Update 2

Getting Organized --Playroom, Update 2

Well, getting there. This second weekly update brings visible progress. Some, anyway.

Still need encouragement and prayers though. I've still got the target date of July 1.

For those following along. here's photos:


Beginning:

Current:

The fact that this is visible progress is testimony to how bad it was when I started. *sigh*

Well, on we go.....


Thanks to my biggest encouragers-- and competitors in "The Minimalist Game" -- who are fellow members of the Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park (CYC) community. Three of us were students together. The other started attending a few years later. Not all of us are active in CYC anymore and there is some geographic distance, but CYC cements friendships. Encouragement is part of that.

If you know a teenager who would like to make lifelong friends while enjoying two weeks of God, learning and fun a quarter mile from the beach this August, check out this link.

We're also on Facebook.

Previous posts:

Getting Organized -- Playroom
Getting Organized -- Playroom, Update 1


Blessings on your housework this week!

Getting Organized -- Playroom. Update 1

Last week's post about my disorganized playroom is the most popular of my recent posts. Go figure.

I said, in Getting Organized--Playroom that I would post weekly updates on this project, to keep myself on track. So here goes.

Here are some photos from last week.

Now this week's photos:

 

There has been some progress. A week's worth? Maybe not, but in my defenses I was away a few days. 

Several bags that had been near the door have been removed and sorted through with stuff being thrown out or put away. Several books have been donated. Paper has been filed or recycled. Things have been stored.  I am not quite where I want to be, but I am on my way.  

As part of this process a friend suggested that we play the minimalist game. Start on the first of the month and get rid of one thing (donate, return, recycle, or trash as appropriate). On the second day get rid of two things, on the third, three and so on. If I count every piece of paper, I am way ahead. Going by stacks and handfuls, I have kept up.  

Keep up the prayers and encouragement!  

God bless you and many thanks!!

Getting Organized --Playroom

Every once in a while I've posted "Getting Organized" articles. They've been my "success stories:"

Getting Organized -- Pantry

Something Accomplished (Garage)
Getting Organized -- Kitchen!
Getting Organized -- Kitchen, Part 2



  Today I am writing about one of my trouble spots. Our "play room".(HELP!!)

It's been in this state for years. Since we moved in, except for an occasional brief period of usability. 

Five years is too long. It's time to stop this "yo-yo diet" style 

of organization and get down to business. 

I think that might take some public accountability. Hence, this post. I'd love it if you'd keep after me. My goal?  A lived in but functional room in one month. July 1. If it's not ready by then, I might have to higher a professional organizer. (Which isn't in my budget.)

But, honestly, this can't go on. 

 

Of course I still have my regular housekeeping and spring cleaning as well, so say a prayer for me. 

I'll post weekly updates, to keep myself on track.

What's your biggest organizing challenge?

An Old Stove and A Recipe...And a New Stove

I got  a new stove today, replacing an old one that I inherited with the house.




The old one had been a good one but had long ago ceased being self-cleaning. Knobs have been missing for a while. None of the timers worked anymore, though one would set it's alarm off at random times. I am happy to have a new one.













It's Christmas time, so I have been baking. I didn't think of it at the time, but it seems fitting that the last item baked in my mother's last oven was a recipe she was famous for in her circle. I used her recipe, my copy in her handwrtitng, to make what she always called Pecan Pie, though it is actually made with walnuts. Here it is:





Three pie shells, ready to bake
1 stick of butter
1 1/3 cup of sugar
1 16 oz bottle of dark Karo syrup
2 tsps of vanilla
Dash of salt
3 eggs
3 cups chopped walnuts.

Melt butter over low heat in a medium to large saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, Karo syrup, and salt. Mix. Beat in eggs one at a time. Set aside a handful of the walnuts. Add the rest to the mixture and stir.

Spoon mixture into prepared pie shells. Add reserved walnuts where needed.

Bake pies at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes and then at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

This pie makes a great gift.


Just to round things out: Here's my new stove. I am very excited.

Happy baking everyone!

Mouse in the House Update

I had a mouse in the house. See the beginning of the story here


So what did we do? How did it "end?"


We took those quick kill traps back to the store and got a live trap.

We set it with peanut butter using gloves to disguise the human scent. The first night the crafty critter took the peanut butter, then popped th top off of the trap to escape. The second night we used duct tape,

And we got him!!

My husband found him in the moning, drve him a distance to an open area, and let him go. He was completely unharmed.

A round of cleaning and disinfecting followed. We also reset the trap, but without result so far we'll leave it out for a few days. We'll stuffing holes with steel wool and maybe putting out mouse repellant as well.

So ..maybe a mouse free house!!

In an odd twist though, I went to a retreat center for the night. The house where I was staying with other women had... evidence of mice! Even on the kitchen counter and bathroom floor. The clean linen bin had droppings in it. Gross. But not scary because I never actually saw a mouse.



Leaves me wondering, though, why am I encountering so many mice?

What has your experience been with the creatures?




This is my 10th post for the April 2015 Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Mouse in the House

I am not afraid of mice. 

Correction. I was not afraid of mice. Actually, I used to raise them at the  Small Animal Center my 4H club ran in high school. We rescued them from closing shelters even. They were cute. The teachers used them in biology, to demonstrate animal behavior. In psychology class, we taught them to run mazes. I enjoyed the little critters.

But now there is one in my kitchen and I am terrified. Can't even walk in the room without being scared of it jumping out at me.

To be fair to myself, this is a wild mouse. Much more likely to spread disease than the domesticated kinds kept as pets.


So what to do?

First off, calm down and get some perspective. I mean, it's a mouse. Maybe a family of mice .. but still.

After that, get rid of the mice.

How to go about that?

After some internet research, I told the guy at the hardware store... local place, for sure...that I didn't mind killing the mouse, but I'd rather not have poison in my kitchen. He agreed and gave me a quick killing trap. I also picked up some steel wool for sticking in the hole I found under my sink. I want to use organic methods.

I have located the most likely spot for the nest, but I haven't looked there yet, because, for some reason, I am afraid of mice. 

*sigh* Back to step one. 

I am also rethinking killing the mouse. Maybe a live trap would be better. 'Cause even though I am afraid of him, he is kind of cute and I don't like killing any living creature. 

Then again he was bold as brass last night running about my kitchen and keeping me from my housework. My son wants to look for that nest. He also wants me to pay him for catching the mouse and getting rid of it.




What would you do?  




This is my seventh post for the April 2015 Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Song for Sunday: Trailer Hitch

First my friend over at ReInventing Silver Threads wrote a piece on the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge.

Then, I saw this on my Facebook newsfeed:

  
Then I turned on the car radio, flipped through a few channels and came across this song (starting at the second verse.)

 

I picked it for today's song for Sunday for Sunday because I think Someone's trying to send me a message. So, here's my plan: for the next 30 weekdays (leaving Saturdays for catch-up and taking Sundays off) I will clean out one box from my attic. My attic should be clear of excess stuff by Easter and my unpacking from moving three years ago will be done! I plan to donate or trash much of it. Glorious freedom.

What's your decluttering plan? Or, if you don't need to declutter, your Lent plan? 

Anyway, hope you enjoy the song and that Lent is helping you grow closer to our Lord.

Have a blessed day!

Getting Organized -- Pantry!

I have a wonderful pantry. It came with the house I inherited and my brother -in-law fixed it up before we moved in.

The thing is, though, over three years it had gotten into a mess. And I mean, a mess!

Here. I'll prove it.

 

Pretty bad, eh? I'm not sure how I stood it.

So, I emptied it out, wiped it down and reorganized it. I even donated some stuff and threw out some junk. 

Here's the "after" version:

Jordan did get a pic of the "unseemly" bag of potatoes on the floor: 

 But overall, much better, I'd say:

 How are your organization projects coming along?

Photos by J. Parry

Urgency and Importance

I haven't been writing much lately, but I was inspired to write this post today.

Back in college, I was given a little booklet of an article by Charles Hummel called Tyranny of the Urgent. Honestly, I never read it but the title frequently comes back to me. I know that the idea of the article is that the "urgent" often crowds out what is important.

Today, I had plans to clean my playroom/schoolroom. This has been a project long in the making. Sometimes, the room gets to usable condition, but it has never been fully organized and it always slips back to cluttered. I have made a couple of strides recently and want to keep going, so I was going to give it some attention and had set a goal to complete two aspects of the organizing.

Then, I was asked to host a group at the last minute. I was happy to be asked and to host.

The focus of our housekeeping changed for the day. Suddenly it became "urgent" to tidy up the downstairs and deep clean the bathrooms. Plans for the playroom went out the window -- and we won't be able to reschedule until next week. Oh, well.

Did the urgent overtake the important? In terms of housekeeping, yes. I really do want that playroom ready and need to prioritze the work on it. (Then again, hosting that meeting and helping out the group was important, too. Urgent vs. important is not always that clear cut I guess.)

I do wonder how often maybe I set aside important things, spiritually, emotionally, relationally in favor of the urgent. Something to keep in mind.


How has the "urgent" "tyrannized" you?

Getting Organized-- Kitchen: Part 2

My family got invaded by tiny ants. We found them along baseboards and in one cupboard. They especially liked our honey.

This happened at the start of our stay-cation and I first felt that it, along with the rain-outs of various planned activities were going to put me over the edge into a bad mood. However, my son loved attacking the ants with the vaccuum cleaner ("Can I do that?" "Have at it, kid.") We actually had fun trying different kinds of pepper to discourage them.

And I got a project done that I had on my list but just wasn't getting to. (If you also struggle with putting things off, check out my blogging buddy Karen's new series on Preventing Procrastination.)

I had been planning to clean out and reorder that cupboard as part of a an overall reorganization of my kitchen  Now, with everything out on the kitchen table, I had a strong impetus to do it.

We removed everything, washed everything down, and vacuumed ants repeatedly. Getting rid of them took a few days. We then contact papered the shelves. I threw out outdated food and put expired medications aside to take to the collection spot. Then I put everything back in an organized fashion.

I didn't have the presence of mind to have my son take a "before" photo, but you can take my word that it was a mess. Here are a couple of  "after" photos
.

My family and I have agreed that when anything is taken out of the cabinet it will be returned to the same half shelf (unless it is used up or needs refrigeration after opening.) This is a crucial step in maintaining organization.

Anyway, I am happy to have accomplished this!

What projects have you completed recently?

Photos by J. Parry

Getting Organized -- Kitchen!

Well, I need to organize my kitchen a bit better, but I lacked both motivation and inspiration, to my mind essential ingredients in getting this sort of work accomplished.

Inspiration came from a blogging buddy's post. I highly recommend this article if you have organizing to do.  I began to take baby steps and the motivation is coming along.

So far, I cleaned out a few drawers and started using one of them as a new home for oven mits and hot pads which used to clutter a section of the counter.

I moved the blender to a more convenient spot.

I cleaned the top of the bookcase and then the underside of the shelf above it and hung up some herbs to dry.

I also started to use more canisters. I had three full ones -- holding whole wheat flour, white flour and sugar -- and five empty ones. I have now filled two canisters with tea bags. One of those canisters is actually labeled "Tea;" the other says "Coffee." Well, we don't drink coffee at my house, but I figure this canister won't mind being "re-purposed." Another canister I filled with rice and I plan to use one for lentils. The fifth, a tiny one, will remain empty for the moment.

I have a lot more to do, especially rearranging pots and pans. Things are going in fits and starts, but I feel like I have accomplished something. Onward and upward!


How about you? How are your projects coming along? Do you have any organizing tips to share?

Spring Cleaning

I guess I am Spring cleaning.

I hadn't planned to do it yet. It's not exactly something I consider a great joy.

But yesterday I found myself dusting and vacuuming the downstairs hall, the stairs and the upstairs hall. I took a few rugs out yesterday and beat them. This morning I took more rugs out and beat them.

That's right, I beat rugs. Old-fashioned, I know, but the vacuum cleaner just didn't cut it. There was dust flying off these things out in the back yard.

I don't know where I got this cleaning energy from. Maybe it's just that I had about 8 weeks of forced vacation from heavy cleaning and when I got a good look at the resulting dust I went into overdrive. Or maybe I'm just in ADHD mode.

Either way, I hope it lasts til my whole house is clean because, for once, I am actually not minding the process. I do really love a clean house. Cleanliness makes for a much nicer environment.


Have you started your Spring cleaning yet? How's it going?

Something Accomplished

Today we turned our garage into usable space.

Well, I say garage, but really I mean garage-sized shed. It's old and I don't think we could put a car in it.

Until this morning, it was full of stuff. A lot of stuff in a jumble. My son wanted a clubhouse and I wanted things to be more accessible. So out everything came. We roughly sorted it as it went on the driveway and grass.

The worst part of the job came next. Sweeping out. I wore a respitator it was so bad. The fact that I never remember my parents sweeping out the garage when I was a kid doesn't mean it didn't happen. Children have a way of being oblivious to chores. But I know it wasn't cleaned in a long time. Found peanut shells, a million leaves, even a dead mouse. The job took an hour.

Then...

We threw a bunch of stuff out.

We are storing stuff for someone, so that got neatly piled in the back.

We took our own stuff and organized it.

Finally, we let the boy arrange a table and chairs, a book case, an easel and some boyish stuff for his own use.

He's happy. We have a clean, usable shed. It took three hours and we didn't spend a penny.

Everyone's happy.


What's been your favorite project lately?






This is my third entry in the July Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 30 posts in 30 days!

Lead in Garden Hoses, Who Knew?

This is a re-post. I am working on my garden, turning on the hose today, and thought of this. So here it is again.


I have been working on my yard and garden. As I was looking into things, I read that typical garden hoses leach lead and are, therefor unsafe to drink from. Or water vegetables with.



Well, I've never planned on drinking from my garden hose, though I suppose my son and his friends might. But I don't want to be adding lead to my garden. I had simply never thought of this.



I checked out some hoses. Most warned people not to drink from them because "all hoses are likely to have come in contact with pesticides" and "germs may have grown in the hose." OK.



None of the packages said that the hoses contained lead. But look a little closer. Several packages said "Not labeled for sale in California." Really? Why not? California has stricter rules about the disclosure of lead and other toxins than most states.



There were two hoses -- one for organic gardening and one for marine used -- marked "lead-free" and "drinking water safe". I bought one of those. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.



I wonder, though, why hoses don't have to be marked that they contain lead. It would seem a no-brainer to keep extra lead away from plants being grown for food.





For more information, try these links.

http://www.leadprevention.org/web/uploads//ConsumerReports.org%20-%20Get%20the%20lead%20out%20of%20the%20garden%20hose%205_03.pdf

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/05/garden-hose-phthalates-lead.html

Honesty

An encounter with a contractor got me thinking.

I paid off the contract with a perfectly good check and the contractor had accepted a previous check which did not bounce. But the worker who did the work at my house called to say that the boss would prefer cash. Why? I asked. "Between you and me, I think it's because of taxes"

Ahh.

Well we haven't decided whether to go along with that or not. There are some protections to paying by check. At a minimum we would need the check returned and a receipt.

But it got me thinking.

What about honesty? There may be a perfectly legitimate reason for asking for cash so I am not really going to speculate on this particular contractor. But the following story came to mind.

'Gibbo' who shared an office with his boss Gordon Selfridge owner of the world famous store Selfridges.

The phone rang and the Gibbo answered. The caller wanted to speak to Gordon Selfridge. Gibbo asked the caller to hold on and told Gordon who was calling. Gordon said ‘Tell him I’m not here'

Gibbo handed the phone to Gordon and said ‘You tell him you are not here’

Gordon was furious and Gibbo said to his boss ‘I refused because if I can lie FOR you I can lie TO you and I will NEVER lie to you’

From that moment Gibbo was taken into the confidence of the boss and considered a trusted source.

Some other thoughts:

If your boss pays you under the table would you want to be his/her customer or would you worry about being cheated?

If your boss lies to his/her boss can you trust them to be honest with you?


Would love to hear your thoughts!

Native Plant Garden

I am considering turning the rock garden alongside the house into a native plant garden.

Yes, I know that most "native plants" as understood in this context are usually considerd weeds. There are quite a lot of these growing between the rocks. A few are ugly and need to be pulled. But most of them are quite pretty. I think if I rake out the dead leaves from the area, pull the ugly plants and tend things so it doesn't get unruly I could make it into an attractive space. The college I attended has a native plant garden started by a biology professor (someone I went to school with) and it looks nice.

I have heard that such an area can attract butterflies and beneficial bugs. I might add a couple of "butterfly weeds" next spring. It could be fun to observe the butterflies, moths, etc. When, I get my vegetable garden growing next year, these insects could help pollinate it.

Has anyone tried such a project? What were the results? Any recommendations?

Ants Be Gone

I had an ant problem. Briefly.


Ants seemed to like one of my windows. Just one. There is a bush near that window, and likely that had something to do with it.


I am an organic-solutions sort of person so I decided to try that first. So… I cut back the bush so it doesn’t touch the house. I washed the sill and stool cap of the window to get rid of any scent markings left by ants. Then, I sprinkled cayenne pepper on the sill and the bottom of the sash. No more ants!

Just thought I would pass that along in case anyone else wants to get rid of ants without resorting to poisons. I have no idea if it will be consistently effective or if it works with all types of ants. But it could be worth a shot.


Have a great day!

Someone rejected this color...

I like the new color of my living room. Really like it. Of course, it was expertly applied by my brother-in-law over brand new plaster walls supplied as housewarming gift from my siblings. So it looks good.

I was thinking today, that somebody rejected that color. It’s true. We found it on the mistint rack. Which means we got to pick it up cheap – really cheap. And it’s beautiful. A gorgeous blue in a good brand. I feel so blessed that we got it!

But somebody else rejected it. That makes me think of a few things.

First of all, Christ is described in scripture as “the stone the builders rejected [that] has become the chief cornerstone.” Christ was despised by men, particularly many of the chief priests and Pharisees. He’s still despised by many. Or ignored. But He is the Chief Cornerstone. The most important thing.

Another thing I think of is the stuff we reject in ourselves. One of the counselors at CYC does a devotion which involves her cabin making cement art with broken glass. She talks to them about how God can turn the trash of our lives into something beautiful. All we have to do is surrender.

What about the rejected people of society? God seems them differently than we do. While he lived on earth, Christ spent a lot of time with “tax collectors and sinners.” Can the church take these rejects and find them beautiful? I think so.


Anyway, those are my musings because of my new walls….. your thoughts?


Have a great day!


CYC (Christian Youth Conference) at Ocean Park is an ecumenical conference in southern Maine that meets for two weeks beginning August 7, 2011. All teens who have completed eighth grade and are 14+ are welcome. It’s a truly life-changing experience. Check out www.cycop.org for more info.


I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge in July and am trying to keep up. I am writing this on Sunday but will have to post on Monday.