One brick at a time.....

One look at the inside of my house, and you know....you know there is a problem! In fact, you may not even have to get to the front door to know!  A hoarder lives here!  I didn't plan it that way, I do not want to be a hoarder, but a hoarder is part of who I am today!  I am trying to change my ways, I beat myself up, others beat me up, I try, I fail, I try again and I fail again!  I don't know if this time will be different, but I am trying....AGAIN!  One thing you have to admit, is I am persistent!  And while I am sure its different this time, only time will really tell!

My progress has been slow, I joined some online groups on FB, that address organization, hoarding and other emotional garbage!  I say that, because I know it is more than organization!  I can organize!  Stacks of boxes, mail, piles of papers, things all carefully placed atop an ever growing hoard!  Occasionally I swing too wide with a fat hip and things go flying!  Sort of like an elephant in a tutu, you just know something is going to happen here!

I've watched the shows on hoarding, thinking to myself, I am one step from being the crazy lady with mice in her house!  And while that has been my mantra for a bit....well that I am not "that" bad!  The fact is, inside I am just as crazy as a box of schizophrenic squirrels.  No one can help me!  I am my own worst enemy!  I hear people say things like it will do magic!  "Just chuck it!"  Uh, I don't think you understand my problem!  I can't "just chuck it!"  That's the problem!  I am trapped by it, I am attached in very unnatural ways to it, and I am tired of it!

So now, what is different this time?  I think its that I have stopped hiding it!  I don't care any more!  Actually that is not true, I still care plenty, but I have stopped acting like it isn't a problem any more!  Not that anyone hasn't tried to tell me that (like I am deaf, dumb and blind!).  Its like saying to a fat person "Just stop eating so much!".  Yes, BUT......and there you have it!  Yes, but I am ill!  Yes, but you can't touch it!  Yes, but you can't help me!  Its a long list, best to just know, I have to do it myself!  If I could get someone to help me, I would, few people can help because most of them, sensing the trouble, say just chuck it!  Because that's what they would do!

So anyways, back to the brick.....I made my office GROUND ZERO!  It is my last stand, my Alamo if you will!  It is the epicenter of my problem of disorganization and in some ways, more devoid of emotional triggers, except if I come across a card from the kids, or my nieces and nephews, or my now passed Grammas.  Or pictures!  Or journals!  Ok, so there are a few bombs in here to detonate!  The good thing is, they take up little room in the scheme of things and if that was all I need to keep, I am fine with that (I have gathered them all up in small boxes!).  I have shredded, tossed, filed and organized my papers, trash, files, bills, etc.  I am in the home stretch!

I am literally down to less than 10 boxes.  It has gotten a little more challenging as the pile has dwindled downwards,  Some of the boxes have been thinned more than once!  I know all the rules say touch it once and do one of the following:  Toss, shred, file-but I am a little more crazy than some of the other hoarder squirrels!  I try to touch it once, but occasionally, I have to touch it a few times before tossing it!  Thats okay, as long as I am making progress!  And that's the thing, I am making progress!

It might be on the slow side, but my tossing muscle has gotten stronger and my attachment to "things" is getting less!  The pull on me to keep it all, is no longer a death grip!  Will I make it?  Time will tell!  For now, each box is a brick in my future self, building up my strength, my resolve and my ability to let go!  Its also a brick off my chest!  No longer does the idea of someone coming over make me crazy!  I have a spot for them to sit in my office!  I can find my bills so I can pay them!  Well, if there is enough money to, I can!

This is a photo of my expanding space, my new company spot, my one spot in the house that is comfy, warm and bright!  It isn't covered in boxes of paper, it isn't hoarded up with pens, paper clips and staplers!  I am inspired to continue and keep going!  I feel lighter, mentally more stable!  Even if you look inside and see the crazy squirrels in me, there are less of them now!

Getting help and staying motivated..........

I have joined a few groups to help me stay on track, to share my progress, or lack thereof, and to do some of the challenges posted.  Some were a bit too strenuous for me just getting started, and I have devoted myself to completing the office, before moving onto another room!

However, I have managed to do a couple of mini challenges and found these are quite easy to do, usually take 5-15 minutes to do and then you are done!  Progress without pain!  I'm in!  I find that even if I am not able to do the big ones (de-cluttering your kitchen from top to bottom was way too challenging for me right now!),  But I was able to do a plastic bag challenge and a condiment and take-out challenge.  Both took about 5 minutes to gather up and toss, donate or keep.  On the plastic bag one, I bundled up ones to drop at the recycling bin at my local store for plastic bags, I kept a few for lining my small baskets and can run through the house and pull them daily if needed!  The condiments, I tossed!

Condiments I tossed!

Plastic bags and trash cans!

It has cleared small but troublesome items and allowed me to keep what I need and pass on the stuff I do not!  Believe it or not, this is a help to me, to allow me to continue in my baby steps, still making progress, maybe not at the speed of light, but still....it is progress!

Do you have any thing that helps you?  Please feel free to share!

A Dirty Little Secret

I know most of us have a dirty little secret room, closet, drawer or shelf that we just try and keep closed off from our minds and company.  But sometimes, (usually when company is coming to stay), we make the mad dash to clean up our act and make ourselves whole in one afternoon.  Forgetting, oh yeah, we put the ironing board in there, ok, and maybe a few baskets of the babies clothes (he's now 17) that we were going to donate, a broken lamp, bits and pieces of old computers, linens to beds we do not have any more, etc.

Why oh why did we let this problem grow unchecked like this?  Why are we such pigs?  Why didn't the kids pick up that dirty dish and put it in the dishwasher?  Of course so and sos Mom just HAS to stay here!  Why can't she just stay at a hotel?  I'm willing to pay for it?!  Oh who am I kidding?!  That woman just is dying to see what a mess I am!

So, now that we have calmed down from our anxiety attack, we have to get down to the nitty gritty of it!  We could just slop everything into garbage bags and hide it in the garage till she leaves, and tell her something died in the garage, so she doesn't look out there!  Wait, that will not work, that's how the garage got where we can't even park any of our cars in there.

Let's start with the simple stuff, the ironing board!  Put it where it belongs, don't have a place for it?  Find a closet door, hang 2 hooks and put that puppy on the hooks and close the door!  Next!  That broken lamp.....yes you paid way too much for it and now it is broken.  Sit down and fix it right now!  Oh no?  Then toss it, if you won't fix it now and haven't fixed it since it made its way in there 2 years ago, its not going to happen!  LET IT GO!

Ok, the baskets of baby clothes?  If they truly are good, pack them in a bag and put them in your car to drop off for donation, do it now!  If not, give it up, toss them!  So far, so good!  You can see floor, you can see bed and oh boy, you can see dust!  Strip the bed, damp cloth, wipe all flat surfaces, edges, furniture and what nots.  Get the vacuum out and vacuum everything, floor, ceiling, drapes, tops of doorways and windows, and baseboards.  Maybe take those dusty drapes down and wash them too?!

Now onto laundry!  Sort and wash, dry and return to the room.  Redress the bed and curtains.  Room should be presentable enough for company now!  A little spritz of Febreeze, or Linen Spray to freshen the room.  Now, for the rest of the house.......just burn it!  LOL!

Maketh my bed to lie down in......

In the effort to make my 'dream house' into the vision I have, a number of issues (money, budget, time, materials, etc) have come up, impeding the work.  At this point, I do have a number of things accomplished (new cabinets, window seat, flat screen tv mounted, electric, etc) for my future bedroom.

One of the projects that helped immensely, was taking a portion of the front L-shaped porch and turning it into a walk-in closet!  Between the electric, the insulation and the building, it took approximately 1 month from start to finish!  I snagged a red plush carpet left over from someone else's project to cover the concrete floor for a mere $5!  Instantly, it became a major attraction for the baby to play in and the dogs to lay in.  Much unpacking of the bedroom and moving the items into the closet was a major help on the clutter taking up valuable real estate in my bedroom.

Then came the cabinetry and a custom window seat for my bedroom in front of two side by side windows.  It became the baby's favorite spot to 'not' take a nap while watching squirrels and birds playing outside, while he drifted off to sleep!  Soon the tv was uplifted on a swivel mount over one base cabinet and new electrical run for that and my computer and cable wires.

The work slowed for a bit, and now, I am ready (after Christmas I will resume!) to start the next phase!  For now, I have the bed (a wonderful bargain at Sam's of Queen size memory foam mattress) marked down to $300 from $600.  The bedroom had 3 door ways coming into it, one, which my bed backs up to, goes into the hallway and into the new laundry room and kitchen.  I have debated whether to remove this door all together, or leave it in place and go over it with a custom built headboard and shelving, since it could ultimately affect the resale value.  The other doors one goes to the on suite and another to my office/library, which has another door going in the hallway and to the walk-in closet.

I have doodled on paper a few ideas, but have yet to pull the trigger on any ideas, as I am still unsure as to what to do.  So here are a few pictures of the lay of the land, take a peek and let me know if you have any solutions?

As you can see the base cabinet, the windows, and the mess where the custom window seat is going.

It looks bad, but its just all the trim has been removed, a vent is being fixed to run under the seat and out the front!

Window seat is in, these are the pillows for now, am doing custom ones, and by custom, I mean I will be making them myself!

A bit of dressing up and down trying to find what looks best!

The baby, actually the kid....who claims he is not going to "sleep" but is just resting his eyes!

So what do you think of how the bed is?  What could I do to hide the door?  I'm thinking a large upholstered headboard with storage and then built in shelved instead of the matching bookcases!  I want the colors to be cobalt blue and soft white.

This is my bed as it sits now, with a bookcase on either side and a door directly at the back!  As you can see, I need to repaint, I removed all the wallpaper and have cleaned the walls, they just look bad!

Would love some feedback on this!  Thanks!

The porch spillith over.....

My porch was becoming a catchall for all the construction going on.  Piles of tile waiting to be put down, old windows for a Pinterest project, various tools, clutter, junk and mess!  It had become not only a dumping ground, but an eyesore!  My neighbors began giving me dirty looks!  What used to be a showplace, had turned into just another hoarded mess!  I decided, I have to do something.  I got one of my nieces and a friend to come and help me.

It was really hard work, carting off the wood, the windows, the junk and either tossing or putting where it belonged.  It went fast though, with all the help.  The real dirty work was still to come.  Cleaning and wiping off road grime (I live right off a main road to the local High School) and sorting.  I'm going to show you some pictures from years ago, then it clean and nice like a magazine, then a hoarded mess, then clean AGAIN!

Right after I moved in.

Front porch freshly painted!

As I began the long journey towards restoring this old gem!

Cleaned, freshly painted, looks like a magazine eh?

My pretty flowers!

A little welcome display!

As you can see, I did so well with it, but sadly, the painted porch began to come off almost immediately, as other work came and went, it fell into a sad state of affairs, and here I am 10 years later, cleaning up another mess, trying to restore order as we move through yet more renovations!

Oppsss...I did it again!

Cleaned up AGAIN!

A sweet place to sit in the summer time evenings with a glass of wine!

Only an afternoon of 90 degree heat!

And don't be stingy with that wine either!

Soft glow of candles!

So there is a continuing theme here.  But the mess from rehabbing is starting to wear thin on my nerves!  I call this place Chez Shifting Sands, as the furniture shifts from room to room, as I push into the next project, then the next!  Sometimes, it just feels as if it will never end, but each change has brought its own pleasures once done.  And, sadly, once done, I have a hard time remembering how unattractive it was before, because each change has suited it so well.  EXCEPT the junk, the dust, the mess!  LOL!

So any thoughts?  Ideas?  Horror stories?  Pictures of your journey through this process?

Bag it! Tag it! Set it to the curb!

Another week has passed with not a lot of progress on the office/library, but then, my life has been a whirlwind!  One of my former fosters Granny came to the house late Monday night to tell me that Renee was in the hospital with a stroke after being released earlier that day.  She had been in and out of the hospital since giving birth October 23 to her 4th child and first girl, Gwendolyn.  Her heart was only working at 15% capacity and now her brain was working at 1/3 capacity.  It was heartbreaking!

I was in limbo, unable to think, I tried to work.  But the calls kept coming and the news kept getting worse.  My niece and her had been BFF's since both of them lived in my home at about the same time.  They had confided in each other about boyfriends, drama, stuff they hide from the old lady (me!).  It was a rough ride, as my niece was a bit buck wild and bound and determined to not follow the rules, and Renee was a willing follower.  But that was years ago, they had remained friends through boyfriends, trouble, kids, marriage and so on.  Now both married and pregnant, only 2 months apart and both expecting girls and an outcome no one saw coming!

All that aside for now, trying to get back into the groove, trying to push through, so trying to make up for lost time and trudging through to get back on track.  Slow as it has been, I did make a little progress, but in small baby steps.  This weekend, I have made a super effort to try and get through the last of the boxes.  Its getting much harder I think, because now less paper work is being shredded and more is being saved.  And I have also started to go through some of the files I made and shredding a few more things too, that really are not needed!

But today, I got through 4 bags of trash, although, by the looks of the remaining pile, it seems like only 2 small boxes went away!  How could that be?  It seems there is more room, but this pile doesn't seem to be diminishing at any great rate of speed!  Granted, this week was full of drama, tragedy and triumph, but not so different than other weeks, minus the life and death situation.  Sill, it is progress, even at my turtle speed!  I am ready for trash day and its only Sunday!

So here's my pictures for the week, and I guess I can include the befores, it seems to remind me that there has been more progress than I might have appreciated otherwise!

Bagged and tagged!

The little rattan ottoman also has storage, I keep a throw in there.  The rug got 'piddled' on my my Italian Greyhound Echo, and once washed, would not sit flat, so I replaced it with another in the same color scheme that's a rectangle.  Looks better actually, I think!

I have started filling the drawers with office supplies like notepads, note cards, glue, pens, pencils, etc.  Very convenient and stylish I think.

And this is the Hell it sprouted from below, tell me what you think!

The chaotic, hot mess!

Backed into a corner

My binder trouble seems to have me in a pickle here.  I have been trying for several days to conquer it, and some how the project has turned into an enormous under taking.  I tried breaking it down into smaller steps, but the steps keep getting bigger too!  Not to be undone, I have persisted and managed to get a large cedar chest removed, along with several smaller drawer cases and another ton of paper filled boxes.  Just when I thought I was winding down from the enormous paper purge, I have another bundle that awaits shredding, sorting and filing.  This is also, in addition to the pile waiting in the dining room (my last attempt was trying to do this in the dining room, so there is still more boxes in there!).

I have yet to truly tackle the binder bind I have gotten into.  Now normally, this is about the spot where I would say this is too much, I can't do it, it's not going to happen, I have failed, AGAIN!  But I am bound and determined that I shall push through and I feel it is important to continue on, even if reduced to less than baby steps.  Am I going to have to go HALF-SISES on you?  I think I may, in order to continue on, break this bad boy down.  The thoughts that are flooding in are really my old tapes playing, previous failures trying to make another one for me!

So I need to give myself a pep talk, I can do this, just smaller bites of the elephant to 'git 'er done!  After all, this did not happen overnight, it was done one layer at a time and will just require more time to excavate out from under this.  For some reason, I keep coming back to chastising myself and feeling out of control.  But that is not reality, its a feeling.  I believe I am doing what I would say to the kids when ever they started to have success, they would self sabotage!  Because they knew what failure looked like, felt like, but they did not know what success was.  So when it would happen, they would get so uncomfortable, they would sabotage themselves!  We would have lots of talks, prop them up, encourage, praise, celebrate every little step till they made it.

So why can't I cheer lead myself?  I am good at doing this for others, but lousy for myself!  I feel like that character from Saturday Night Live Stuart Smalley's Daily Affirmations.  "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gosh darn it, people like me!"  It used to make me howl, it was hilarious!  So I guess I will have to do a little propping, a little praising, a little celebrating and just try and get comfortable with letting go of things and getting on top of this!  But this part is not emotional clutter, this is different!  But this should be easier, but its the low level of progress that I keep hounding myself about, so I am going to stop that!

Sometimes, there are pauses, it may seem like nothing is happening, but it is.  Just not like fireworks noticeable, but subtle!  And I have to be content with that.  So I am going to regroup and carry on!  Because the bottom line is, I really do like walking through my office with the stacks being knocked over,  I really like being able to find thing quickly!  I really like sitting at my desk and paying a bill and filing it!  I like that I am not wasting 2 hours trying to find the bill I set down some where so I could pay it, or worse, forgetting about it, because it wasn't on my radar any more!  It is definitely getting better as I go!  And for that, I am grateful!

So even though it seems I have backed myself into the corner, it is just one more of many corners I have to turn in the days ahead, but lets just keep focused on this one and not worry about all the others!  I don't need to worry about those corners, just this one!  And one corner that is done, is ever so pretty and functional.  I have my little fireplace, my lamp, a little Christmas tree and a chair to read, think and drink my cappuccino.  That is huge!  And I do not have to worry about stacks of boxes falling on me, or boxes of paper going up in flames, no, its very sweet and cozy and safe!  That is what one corner did for me!

Now with that said, has anybody else attempted this?  Have you run into problems trying to clear the hoard?  Trying to get on top of your clutter?  Have you pushed through any setbacks?  If so, how did you handle it?  I would love to hear from anybody reading this, just any words you may have that would help, advice, warnings, etc.  Anybody?  Is this thing on?  So take a look with me at how far I have come!  I have made progress, haven't I?

Before fireplace corner

After fireplace corner

Before messy desk

Cleaner desk

Cluttered corner

Corner cleared

Its out, then thin the herd, back in.....

Yesterday was a long working day, and there was no energy to clean anything or do anything more than straighten my space.  I have the weekend to make up for my lapse!  So the dreaded task of the binders is on my kill list!  But since my niece and her boyfriend are coming over, I shall wait until the visit is concluded to rip all the stuff out of the cabinet and go through it.  Luckily, earlier in my process, I started assembling the information and documents to go in my binders and even sleeved a few with the plastic pouches from other stuff being trashed!

The thing that I realized is, this is going to be one that will make my now some what ordered office, into chaos and mayhem!  So once I start, I will have to finish!  I have made a check list of items to looks for, assemble and a list of binders that should contain the majority of it!  My hutch is to become the information hub of my office, with info literally, at my finger tips!  So this run of things will hopefully go smoothly and with little stress!

My plan is to not go to bed with a mess on my hands!  Nothing seems to put me off as much as starting with a mess.  I like getting up, making my bed, making some cappuccino, emptying the dishwasher, letting the dogs out and feeding them, making a little gnosh, putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and having a moment at my computer or the fireplace.  Its a habit I am developing and liking very much!  I am slowly getting into this groove.  Starting behind the eight-ball makes me feel over whelmed.  But even if it happens, I try not to stress, just move on through and do SOMETHING!  

So does anyone ever done this before?  Have you ever assembled needed medical, job/work history, documents, etc for needed retrieval?  Anything that made it easier?  Harder?  I have done this before, but not so much for me, as for the foster kids.  It seemed we had so much to do, I was forced to be more organized and to have these systems in place.  I never noticed any of the other foster parents having these, but then, perhaps, they weren't as disorganized as myself!

I may have even gone a little over board, as I had an intake sheet, with what ever information I would get initially, habits, no contacts, contacts, court appearances, runaway, ward of court, etc.  Then I would start to assembled a folder for them.  It contained a calendar for all their appointments which would then be transferred to the ones in the hallway, so we could all be on the same page.  The kids all knew their schedules, my schedule, and the other kids schedules.  My workers said the kids liked knowing upcoming events and when one of us might be stressing a little more or less.  It gave them hope, and it also helped them ramp up for possible draining days.

I used that to also see when one of my kids might need some extra time in my office, just talking, hanging out and I always tried to prep them a bit and ask open ended questions to see where they were at mentally and physically.  It helped them learn how to express them selves, and also that we all needed regular care.  One time one of them asked why my stuff was on the boards, and I used it as a living skills opportunity.

I said, "You know how I am always saying you need to care for yourself first....you know like when you go on a plane and the stewards tell you if the masks drop out, that Mothers need to FIRST put theirs on, before their children!  Do you know why that is?"  no...."Because the Mother is the caretaker of the child!  If she doesn't take care for herself, she is of no use to the child and the child may not survive if the Mother doesn't!  If she puts it on the child first, she may not have enough time to now take care of herself, and the child will not be able to save the Mother, BUT the Mother can save the child if she has put her mask on first!"  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......OHHHHHHHH.....

So this would click with them.  They got it.  We needed to care for ourselves FIRST, so we could be in a better position to care for others!  If we neglect ourselves, then we fall into disrepair, disorder, chaos and risk our safety, health and well being for others in our care.  So in essence, this is really a self care process!  This whole thing of having order in my life, my surroundings and my 'families'.  Its for my benefit as well as others.  I can barely help myself, with so much mess surrounding me, so I must 'help myself' in order to get back to helping others!

So, as I was saying, I needed help with get some things out of here, so I could get to the next steps.  Here it is, in all its glory, before, during and afters for one much needed space!

The worst of the worst!

Have to dig out from the piles!

I see a clear surface!

I had help getting the cedar chest removed and placed where it will do the most good, my guest bedroom!  As you can see, the binders, some from the kids, some from ones I had already started and also some that will need to go!

This took most of my afternoon, just emptying the cedar chest, getting it out of the office and up the stairs, and then moving all the linens upstairs for a major sorting (later of course!).  But now I can see the job ahead of me, is perhaps greater than I first planned.  But that is okay!  There are going to be little hiccups along the way  If you are really careful, you can see my binder for the HTCI (The House That Cleans Itself).  Yes, I even hoard cleaning and organizing books!

To be honest, each one has taught me a little something about getting out from under it, but there has always been that spot of getting through things, once overwhelmed.  What is different this time?  I am not sure anything is really different, I just am not giving up.  Just doing baby steps and when I am writing here, I can look with a less jaded eye at what it really looks like.  When I look at the pictures, I am even more shocked at how much junk there is, how much disorder there is, how much is too much stuff?  It's an awareness of how much I have gotten myself in this pickle, but better than that self loathing, there is also a visual plus of seeing the changes!  This is a big help to me!  It really is, because I can see where I have come from and also how much I am accomplishing.  

Its important to see that, too!  I do tend to try and not see it as I walk through the house, I try and pretend it's all done, or 'one day' syndrome!  And now I can look and see, 'that was last week' 'this is today'.  More baby steps!

So any comments?  Ideas?  Progress of yours?  Have you been down this road too?  I really would love to talk to others either going through this, thinking of doing it, or that have done it already!  I think we can draw from each others strengths and help each other with encouragement when needed!  What do you think?

Time for a little tweaking and some fun!

Today was another gray day, feeling spent from the excitement of yesterday, and glad my brother is going to be okay!  Also, have been struggling with continuing on and finishing the paperwork portion of this excavation!  I decided to tweak my space a bit and try and get a little holiday cheer in here, since it is not likely I will get the living cleared before New Years (there is still hope, but probably not realistic!).  So to ward off the blues and get re-energized, I decided I needed to mix it up a bit.

I went upstairs and dragged the little Tippy/Charlie Brown tree from years ago, laying unloved in the craft room after removing all the Tippy treats from it, like 4 years ago.  I went outside to the patio and retrieved a metal container to shabby chic it up, cleaned it and brought it inside along with a slab of marble left over from the Butlers Pantry Project.  I had two small stacked drawers that were taking up space, and in line to inherit some of the office supplies that I laid the marble on, after a good cleaning.

A little decorating did my little heart good!  I am feeling better about my little all purpose room becoming magical and inspiring as a home office/sitting room/library!  I find myself enjoying each step a little more now!

Tonight, I plan on going through the binders in my hutch and seeing what order I may be able to bring before bedtime, along with those I put on a book shelf.  The binders I am keeping will be the one of important documents (SS card, Birth certificates, marriage licence, etc) medical binder for the two Italian Greyhounds, a medical binder for me, and so on!).  Anything that might be needed at a moments notice, and also close at hand in the hutch on my desk!

A little Christmas cheer!

Pine Cone Christmas tree, perfect for by the fireplace!

The mess-My sad beginnings.

Another day, more progress.

Much more functional-still a work in progress!  But much, much better!

Anybody else struggling with this?  Any tips, tricks or ideas?  It seems so hard to be in this all alone, I know I am not, but I have found a few boards and fellow strugglers online.  We don't call ourselves hoarders, but we do post our before and afters of our accomplishments.  A very encouraging way to move through the mess!  One thing I am glad for, if that's possible to be glad for in this, is that, for all the mess, the true filth seems to be limited to dust, dirt and grime.  Although, in my kitchen, I have to admit, something is fouling the air, but I cannot locate it.  I believe its an onion that escaped.  But usually, anything that's edible, the dogs get.  Still have to sweep, but rarely is anything but dust and fur swept up!  Still, I'm thinking THEY ARE NOT GOING TO EAT A LOOSE ONION!  Lol!

Desk Mess

My messy desk!

My messy office/desk area!

First, I clean off the top of all its clutter, dusted, wiped and put only items I want there!

The fronts are now stripped of their graffiti and paper clutter!  Sadly, I have not got to the insides, YET!

My much better looking and functioning desk area!

So now you see the area I call home when surfing the net, paying bills, filing and so on.  Can you see how I have come to such a state I could not function efficiently anymore?  Yeah, me too!  I still have the insides of the cabinet to do and the insides of my desk, but progress continues!  Baby steps!

So now begins the phase of rebuilding from the chaos here.  I have assembled binders for my important documents, my Master Gardeners Programs, my Medical Coding binders, etc.  Now I need probably about 2 hours to clean out the inside and restore order, so that all my needed info is at my finger tips and easily accessible!

If you look closely, you will also see 3 drawers on the hutch and they are full of various junk too!  So my plan is to give this valuable real estate good use.  That is still a work in progress.  I am thinking my small note pads (always looking for one!), pens and pencils maybe?  They are nice sized drawers, but shallow, so they do not hold a ton, but for making my life easier, I'm thinking that would work!

I shall ponder that for a bit and come up with a working solution for my problem area!

But for now, it is giving me a break from the last piles of papers and junk I have been going through.  For some reason, I have stalled and become resistant to continuing, except on a very limited basis.  I think I pushed through a little too hard, and too long and have just burned out to it!  Plus, we have had some serious medical things happening with some family members and I have devoted only 15 minutes each day and no more!

One of my foster children delivered her second child, a bouncing baby 9lbs 10 oz 21 inch boy!  And my brother was in the hospital ER with what he suspected was a stroke, but turned out to be Bells Palsy.  Just my lame excuses, but hey!  I'm still doing my 15 minutes!  All are doing fine, thank goodness! 

So anybody have any ideas to help me here?  Any thoughts?  Ideas?  Strategies?

Top shelf

The progress has slowed to a bit of a crawl, but that's okay.  As you can see from the photos below, my desk is a mess!  Tonight I decided to clear the top the very cluttered hutch.  Yup!  My goals are getting smaller now!  Anyways, I cleared off all the junk piled up there!  Records of the dogs, medication, a halogen light, boxes of pure junk and a vintage Rolodex.  I got out my ladder and dust began to rain down on me!  I got a damp rag and wiped to top, enough dust to make a whole grown bunny out of!  I wiped down the lamp, used the vacuum cleaner to get all the cobwebs off the walls.  Then I placed a locked little antique chest, the now cleaned vintage Rolodex, and a sewing box my Father (now passed) made for me as a child.  Much nicer!

Tomorrow, I am going to try and reduce all the visual clutter tucked into the edges between the glass and the doors that has become the equivalent of the kitchen fridge!  I am also making a new habit, each evening, before calling it quits for the night, I straighten up whatever new mess I have made, in what I have already finished, so that it stays clean.  So not only am I maintaining the spaces already claimed from the brink, I find a new one, however small, to work on next!

Messy, messy desk!

The now cleaned top of the hutch on my desk!

I feel much better, even though it is going slower, I am not getting over whelmed and I am not feeling like I am failing!  Just another baby step!  And I am enjoying my little fire place IMMENSELY!  It's such a sweet spot to sit, read, have my cappuccino and have company,  I am making notes of what needs to go, and hoping, maybe this weekend I can get some help with getting the massive cedar chest out of here!  But that's for another day!

Taming the paper clutter

The paper clutter seems to just keep coming.  Even though I have shredded literally boxes of paper into bags of trash, I still have plenty more to go through, but I have reached a stage of exhaustion with it!  So I am working on some other, more interesting things, like cleaning the floors.  I have tried various products to remove stains, scuffs, rust and just stuff I do not even know what it is.  Along the way, I have scrubbed baseboards, the walls, and even put up a curtain rod and curtain last night, just to give it a fresher look and feel on the windows.
I have also focused on removing as many pieces of furniture and items as I can (the living room is a problem right now, until some items are sold and picked up!).  But still, it is progress!  Also, I have started to think about items of furniture best put in the office to hold supplies, and that offer plenty of storage.
This has led to a freeing of space and spirit, and brought some more, much needed calm to the chaos!  Still, today, I find myself a bit discouraged and pissy, because it seems to be taking so long to transform, even this small space.  I think I need to work on some fun things today, and maybe just try and be patient!  This is where it is easy to get derailed, and I really do not want to give up!  It feels good to have some reclaimed space!
Now for a little insight into what I have been doing and using to help with the paper clutter!  I have a rolling filing cart that I purchased years ago.  It glides easily, holds legal and regular file folders.  Right now, I have a makeshift shelf on the bottom of it to hold things, as they collect.  I plan on having one made to fit by my helper friend Rick, along with additional shelves for some of my bookcases.  But for now, it works perfectly as I sort, shred and file.  Its easy glide wheels make it easy to pull where ever I need it and tucks in under the window and to the back, so I can swivel in my chair and immediately file papers from my desk when I am done with them!

As you can see, it holds letter and legal size folders, and the makeshift shelf on the bottom is a holding area, for now.

If you take a look, you can see the floor mat for my chair and the now cleaned floor tiles and baseboards.  Once I get them all as clean as I can, I will wax them and that should help make it look as good as it can, until I can dig up another boatload of money!  These tiles are in better shape than the ones in my bedroom, which are the same, but lots of broken and missing tiles!  Not pretty!  But will have to do for now!

The window with a beautiful blue and white flower pattern that matches one of the vases.  Not perfection, but getting there!  The curtain was $1.99 at Salvation Army and I washed it and dried it and hung it on brackets I got from there also for $1.99 and the curtain Rod came from Ollies and was $4.99.  I am well under $50 for my redo!

So progress is being made, and just to prove it, I will show another before and after section, so you can play along with me!

Before

After

Want to see another section?  Might not be quite as glamorous, but it shows movement!

Piles and piles of paper!

Not complete, but still, a better feeling than when I started!

I could use a little inspiration.  Any body else struggling with this?  Any tips?  Ideas?  Transformations?  I would love to talk to others going through this, or have been through this, or those trying to dig out.  I think maybe we can help one another and have a little support and encouragement from one another.  After all, this can be a very lonely and isolating problem!
Hope every one is having a wonderful day!