Clutter

April, 2021: Plans

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April is always a great month for renewal — flowers blooming, vegetable patch growing, dogs losing their winter coats. We have lots of fun planned in April — The first weekend is both my son’s birthday and Easter. We will also need to continue to make progress on some projects as the weather turns nice.

Here’s the list:

  1.  Celebrate Easter.

    The Chapel at The Glade

  2.  Remove one box from attic.

    Who’s next?

  3.  Refresh and relist all items on Marketplace and Craigslist.
  4.  Work on a shore house project.

    We’re making headway on the bed nook.

  5.  See a movie: An Affair to Remember 
  6.  Read a book:  The Prince and the Pauper. 

    The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

  7.  Take a day trip.
  8. Continue to get rid of clutter in Treetops room.

    We need to clear enough clutter to patch and paint the room which has developed major cracks.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: RENEWAL.
  10. Write a goal list for May, 2021.

Jo

Laundry Closet Clean-up

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Every time I go to get something from the closet in the laundry I have to fight through a mess of odd bits of hardware and a tangle of poles.

After trimming the laundry room the closet was in shambles.

A shelf of afghans still needs a new home.

Not to mention I need to move the sewing machine which sits in front of the closet because there’s no room on the floor for it to fit inside.

The tools and hardware are gone and now my sewing machine will fit in the closet.

Finally I’ve cleared away enough items to be able to see everything in the closet and store my new machine (with its homemade cover) on the floor inside.

Next item:  clear out the afghans my grandmother made.

Jo

February, 2021: Check

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February is always my favorite month since it’s my birthday.  As anyone will tell you, I begin celebrating on the first day and continue until the very end.  Due to Covid restrictions, I wasn’t sure when making plans if we would actually be able to accomplish everything on the list.  Happily it was a successful month.

  1.  Clean shower head in the master bathroom.  In the past I have cleaned it like this.  This time however I unscrewed the pipe from the ceiling joint and poured white vinegar through the unit.  Then I manipulated each and every rubber water outlet to remove any visible deposit.

    Before:  The rain shower effect crisscrosses as the calcium builds up.

    After:  More parallel streams of water after cleaning.

  2. Get 2020 tax information to our accountant.  On February 11th  I mailed a huge packet  of information including almost all of our banking and employment information to our accountant.  This year was challenging due to the finicky mail service and the fact that our bank is supplying necessary documents later than usual.  But I finally sent everything by the 20th. Woo-hoo!! Just waiting now to see who owes whom.
  3. Read a book:  The Silver Chalice.  Unlike last month’s read this was a truly interesting novel told by a talented storyteller.  It helps to know some of the characters of early Christianity who are developed as part of the plot.  I’m happy to have read an old paperback that ultimately fell apart as I was reading it.

    Glad to have read this old book.

  4. See a movie. Our movie theatres are still pretty much closed so I again decided to watch a video at home.  I chose Roman Holiday (1953) starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck — an oldie but goodie.

    While in Rome in 2005, we also visited the Mouth of Truth.

    Charlie watched it with me while we recalled our trip to Rome — very romantic.

  5. Repair wood flooring at entrance to conservatory.

    Before

    After

  6. Celebrate my birthday. We celebrated in New Orleans at the Restaurant August.  Lots of places were closed or had shortened hours but we were able to have an exquisite dinner. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
  7. Wash down comforter.  I packed this huge bear into a super large plastic bag and washed it in my friend’s oversized machine.

    I keep the comforter folded at the end of the bed.

    I let it dry for 5 cycles then returned it to a linen duvet cover which I also washed.

  8. Travel to New Orleans. Charlie and I went to New Orleans for a 5-day visit.  I think we hit all the highlights which I will enumerate soon.

    One of the best parts of the trips was a visit to the swamp.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: BALANCE.
  10. Write a goal list for March.

February, 2021: Plans

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February is the start of birthday season here at The Glade which begins with the matching birthdays of me and my niece.  Then it’s Sug, Charlie, Charlie’s mother, my son.  Although not all in February I am imagining how we might celebrate.

  1.  Clean shower head in the master bathroom.

    The rain showerhead in the master bathroom needs a good cleaning from time to time.

  2. Get 2020 tax information to our accountant.
  3. Read a book:  The Silver Chalice.

    The Antioch Chalice

  4. See a movie.
  5. Repair wood flooring at entrance to conservatory.

    Can you spot the damage?

  6. Celebrate my birthday.
  7. Wash down comforter.

    Our king sized down comforter is needs a good cleaning from time to time.

  8. Travel to New Orleans.

    We have reservations at a boutique hotel in the Central Business District.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: BALANCE.
  10. Write a goal list for March.

January, 2021: Check

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January plans are always ambitious.  I was careful to rein in my enthusiasm so I could start the year with a win.

  1. Get my watch fixed and start wearing it. My old band was broken — I remember getting it in Florence, Italy in 2005.  It was lovely. The battery was easy and cost under $10 to have replaced.  Replacing the old band was a bigger deal than I thought it would be.  The watchband is a very particular size, 11mm,  and I couldn’t find one I liked at the store that changed the battery so 2 more trips to local jewelry stores convinced me to order online. 

    My watch runs and has a new strap.

    I have been wearing it every day.

  2. Organize and remove 2 blue bins from back bedroom. I organized and moved 3 bins from the bedroom to the attic.

    Only one more partially filled bin in the back bedroom.

  3. Contact friend or family each week. 5 contacts made and enjoyed. 
  4. Read a book:  Pirates on the Chesapeake by Donald G. Shomette.  To quote another reviewer: “Fascinating story unartfully told.”  Frankly, I thought I’d never get through this book.  While the subject should be engaging the text was difficult to navigate.  

    The notorious Blackbeard — Captain Teach.

  5. Take down, organize, and store Christmas decorations. 

    Ready for next year.

  6. Remove 5 items from clothing closet. I made a small dent with 6 items I haven’t worn in years.  I also decided to remove the rolling hanging rack that I kept on my side of the closet for added space.

    Before

    After

    That decision alone was a big improvement.

  7. Make a cover for my sewing machine.  I made a padded cover entirely with fabric and supplies I had on hand.

    Sewing machine cover for my new machine.

  8. See a movie. Since our theatres are still closed I decided to watch a movie on video I had never seen: Amelie.  It is a quirky little film that takes place in Paris.  The language of the film is French so it has English subtitles.  The front of the DVD jacket said it is a feel-good movie so I’m not giving anything away by saying it has a happy ending. I enjoyed it; Charlie would not have.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: SIMPLIFY.
  10. Write a goal list for February.

Jo

Bins and Boxes

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My task list for January includes lots of clutter control items.

Before Christmas the decorations in the attic were jumbled.

  • Put away Christmas decorations
  • Clear 2 bins from back bedroom
  • Remove  items from clothing closet

Most items are carefully stored.

I have carefully packed our Christmas ornaments for another year.  In the process I was able to downsize the number of boxes by two.

A big area of the attic was cleared and cleaned in December.

All Christmas décor is together in one area of the attic.

Charlie hauled them up to the attic where they are stored, out of the way, for 10 months.

My bin collection had been cluttering the back bedroom.

I have 6 blue bins with a variety of contents, some have paper files — genealogy, renovation — others have specific items like first aid/health related items.

Only one more partially filled bin in the back bedroom.

I have finally collected like items and binned them and sent 3 bins to the attic. (Overachiever!)

Six items have been removed from my closet.

My last task was to remove 5 pieces of clothing from my closet.  I have an almost full donation box in the mud room awaiting contribution to my favorite rummage sale.

The next area to clear in the back bedroom is the top of the dresser which has become a collection of disparate items. dresser

Seeing empty space in the bedrooms is freeing.

Jo

January, 2021: Plans

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January 2021 Plans

One of the strategic changes I’m making to my monthly goal lists is to go from a dozen items to 10 each month.  Every month last year I fulfilled the list set out before me.  In 2021 my lists will be shorter and perhaps have a new perspective.  I still plan to make progress on projects and plans.

  1. Get my watch fixed and start wearing it. 

    My gold watch needs a battery and a new band.

  2. Organize and remove 2 blue bins from back bedroom. 

    My bin collection needs to be sorted then stored.

  3. Contact friend or family each week.
  4. Read a book:  Pirates on the Chesapeake. 

    The notorious Blackbeard

  5. Take down, organize, and store Christmas decorations.
  6. Remove 5 items from clothing closet. 

    Surely I don’t need all these clothes.

  7. Make a cover for my sewing machine. 

    My new sewing machine needs a better cover than the paper one it came with.

  8. See a movie.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: SIMPLIFY.
  10. Write a goal list for February.

Jo

Top Home Projects of 2020

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The highlight  project of the year was the bathroom at the shore house mostly accomplished by my son with some input from Sug and me.

The Shore House Bathroom

Before

After

I have listed some of the projects we worked on this past year from most recent to oldest. (The titles are links.)

Recovering My Little Bench

Before

Vanity Bench

Framing Up a Storm

Newly framed paintings

Updated, Painted, and Reassembled

Before

We painted the cabinets in the shore house kitchen.

Installing an Indoor Threshold

Charlie and I installed a new threshold in the laundry room.

Hang a Mural

Before

Sug’s new headboard mural in Glade Cottage.

A Small Souvenir

A vacation souvenir turned into a pendant.

Dying the Hall Runner

Before

I dyed my hall runner.

Finishing Up the Dining Room Table Makeover

Before

I stripped and refinished our dining room table.

Wheelbarrow Repair

New handles on the old wheelbarrow.

Framing the Attic Trap

Before

The attic trap door.

Staining the Shed

The shed at The Glade

My Bedroom Chair

Before

My refurbished cane chair.

My Weekend Trim Fest

The laundry trim has custom details.

Reworking the Garden

New raised garden beds.

Final Shelves in the Master Closet

Shelves were added to empty openings.

Bump-Out: Painted

Before

The bump out was painted to match the shutters.

Ceiling Light in the Closet

Before

A brighter light illuminates the master closet.

I’m working on my project list for 2021.  We have some exciting things planned.

Jo

November 2020: Accomplished Goals

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In the month of November I kept busy with various projects and tasks and at the same time happy to have time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Keeping moderation (the word of the month) in mind I stayed relaxed about progressing at a leisurely pace, yet everything on the list has been completed.

  1. Bring Christmas decorations out of attic.

    Simple lights on a dark stretch of country road.

    My son got a head start by lighting up the shore house for the first time.

  2. Read a book:  Papa’s Table d’Hote.  An interesting read about an Italian immigrant family in New York City at the turn of the last century.

    My November reading project.

    Their celebrations through limitations and obstacles were encouraging.  It’s clear that a generous and gregarious spirit can change people’s lives.

  3. Celebrate Thanksgiving .

    I stuffed a large bunch of flowers into a small basket for the dining room table.

    This year was a small but grateful celebration.

    We ate and ate.

  4.  Work on sewing projects.  Unfortunately my sewing machine broke beyond repair before I was completely finished.

    My sewing project will be revealed next month after I give it as a gift.

    I’m hoping for a replacement machine very soon.

  5. Organize office supplies.

    The first batch of office supplies we no longer need.

    This was a much bigger project than I had imagined but the office supplies are listed for sale with a few key items ready for use in our home office.

  6.  Empty 5 items from conservatory closet. We keep entertaining supplies like tablecloths, card, tables, TV trays, and extra chairs in this closet.  I pulled some unnecessary items from the closet: board game, lace tablecloth, plug strips, scrapbook, flat tire sealant.
  7.  Sell or give away musical instruments:  recorders, drumsticks, lute. All listed on Facebook Marketplace.

    Siamese recorder with a carved dragon motif

    Unfortunately FB would not allow me to list this Thai flute.  They insist it is a weapon!!

  8.  Get rid of 11 books. I sorted through my books again and reached my goal of 11 this month and 50 in 1001 days. All have been donated to worthy causes.
  9. Choose kitchen lighting for shore house.  I ordered 2 pewter-finish flush ceiling lights for the shore house kitchen.

    A sleek new 14-inch diameter light with a retro vibe for the 1930s shore house.

  10. Wash kitchen windows.  The last windows on my list.  Now the whole house is done.
  11. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: MODERATION.
  12. Write a goal list for December.

Jo

Chronic Office Clutter

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I have made a few recent posts boasting of “curing” certain kinds of clutter.

All this paper cannot be necessary.

Alas when it comes to office supplies it’s just not that easy because Charlie really likes office supplies.  It’s more of a chronic condition than a curable one.

These are listed to sell on Facebook.

When I cleaned out the desk in the diva bedroom I discovered we have no fewer than 6 full size staplers and 4 three-hole punches.  We also have a big pile (over 50) of legal-size hanging file folders but no actual file cabinet.

I’m chipping away at the paper piles in the pink bedroom.

I also sorted all the music that was on the bed and listed a few more items for sale on Facebook Marketplace.  I can truly say the pile is dwindling.

Jo