90 Minutes Friday March 10

Before

After

I intended to use the table for unpacking boxes. But I decided I really want the open space. I love this house and the big rooms and I can unpack boxes in the garage now that it isn't so cold outside. So it was time to clean it up!

Porch Pick Up Wednesday March 8

After the Pick Up!

I ended up with NINE bags of stuff on the front porch that got whisked away today! YAY! I missed the before photo, but here's the empty porch! Now to keep going...more bags for next Wednesday!

Two Hours Tuesday March 7

Before

After

I finished what I needed to do in Fred today! YAY! I moved the sewing machine and got rid of a collection of empty pretzel containers from Costco! I was saving them because they are transparent, and would have made great holders for stuff. It was time to move on!

Two Hours Monday March 6

Porch pick up is Wednesday!

I have two hours per day scheduled on my wall calendar. Yes, I use a paper calendar and love it.

Today I spent two hours in Fred going through juuunnkkkk! YAY! Can't wait to do it again tomorrow. The plan includes putting the sewing machine in a better spot, making more room for my husband to go through his stuff.

Wondering if I can get Fred done tomorrow...can't wait to see!

The Garage

After a few hours, things to save under the shelf
and empty boxes on top. A good start!

I want to be done with boxes. Done done.

I have scheduled two hours per day to do the thing. So far, I've put in about three hours. It will be rewarding for me to post a few pics on my old blog here.

Film Intensive

2017 pre-snowpocalypse

Crazy weather! We've had SO MUCH SNOW! What a week! Here's a shot before it got going!

Porch Primroses

The extent of my gardening these days, the pot on the front porch

Primroses are my favorite! I look forward to them coming out after Christmas, they make me excited for spring!

The Missing Piece

Cold frosty winter morning driving near our house

Last weekend, the kids put the Christmas decorations away. Big sigh, that feels awesome! Christmas is fun but by January 1st, I'm ready for something new!

Lately, I've been thinking about goal setting for 2016. In fact, I've joined an online goal setting course with my husband that starts next week. What do I want? What I REALLY want this year is to FINISH CLEANING MY HOUSE. Even though we moved recently and my stuff is more in control, I need to continue purging and tidying and get over this! I want to truly OVERCOME and be FREE of the BURDEN OF EXCESS that has held my life back. I need to know what I have and where it is. Right now, most of it is still in the garage.

As I was sitting at my computer today, I felt an urge to clear away a pile of papers. In this pile of mostly papery garbage, I found something that had been thumb tacked to the wall at the old house. I posted it on the wall to remind me to think about it and try to figure it out because it seemed important.

When I read it today, I was immediately and deeply convicted. It was as if I had NEVER read it before and in fact, when I did read it before, I didn't have understanding. Today brought complete clairty! Ironically, I posted that on my wall last January. It took an entire year for it to make sense!

I won't go into the mechanics of how and why I was convicted, but the result was a sense of being put up in a higher place, being disconnected from the past and being prepared to move forward. What I really experienced was the Lord's forgiveness when I repented and I'm so grateful!

So I have a new mindset and I'm inspired to obey my conscience and put down my selfish ways. THIS is the missing piece. I feel empowered like never before and know how bittersweet surrender can be, but it's time.

BEFORE: shoe shelf

AFTER: shoe shelf

The stuff in front of the shoe shelf has been there since we moved in October. Sitting there blocking the entire laundry area! One of my tasks today was to put that area in order.

It took

-wait for it-

NINE MINUTES.

I actually worked for an hour total, wiping down the frig and washer and dryer and cleaning the sink, and organizing the bookcase. Oh sweet relief now that it's tidied up and gone AND my appliances are clean!

Love this little spot for my sun visor,
I'll always know where it is when I need it!

I am in LOVE with Command hooks and a new one got hung to hold my sun visor. I wear the visor when I walk outside and having it on this hook is so handy!

My little notepad, perfect size for tiny notes,
I get these from Planet Whizbang in packs of 10

The Lord showed me many more things I can do-most likely on Monday-and I have a tiny notepad to keep notes so I don't forget. I've also posted that something on the wall in the kitchen so I can remember what the Lord is doing to help me. The realization I experienced today empowered me to do something I couldn't bring myself to do for months...this IS the missing piece!

New House

We moved on October 22nd to our new house!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...we loved living on an acre of rural property. So many things we'll miss and many we won't!

We are adjusting very well to our new place. We spent the month before moving in, diligently painting the interior and it turned out great!

My goal this weekend is to empty ALL the boxes INSIDE the house. Then we can start tackling the boxes stacked in the garage.

I've come to realize that my brain was stuck in a repeating loop of negativity before we moved, that went something like this: "I've tried to clean up so many times and it never works, why bother"(!) I didn't realize I was sabotaging my good intentions with fatalistic self-talk!

Yesterday and today, I'm embracing possibility! Going through our stuff is actually FUN knowing that this is our place and I can put things anywhere I like! I've sent out a few bags of giveaway and trying to only keep what we need and that which "sparks joy".

Shortly after we got here, we emptied the cleaning supplies onto the bar. We took what we needed to each bathroom and there was a lot remaining! After dealing with it all, I can actually SEE into the living room! My view of the sofa is no longer blocked!

BEFORE: bar area

AFTER: bar area

Every item was properly evaluated (keep, throw away, give away) and then delivered to its new home. Can't believe how OPEN the sink feels now!

New Kitchen Here I Come

The listing photo for my new kitchen

Way back in March, we put an offer in on a new house! It's eerily similar to the one we are renting right now-and we all love it!

Sadly, eight days before closing (in MAY!), escrow let us know they couldn't meet the closing date and didn't know when they could. Long story short, we've been in limbo land for months since the seller didn't have the title recorded and it is a long sordid tale of misspelling mishaps.

Finally on September 1st, the title was finally recorded properly (after FOUR attempts!) and we are moving ahead to close this week (yay!!!)

I've been living in boxes for m.o.n.t.h.s. and in the dark about when we could actually move. I've been thinking more of the new house than the old and haven't had much inspiration towards tidying up here.

As we approach closing on the new house (FINALLY!), I've realized that I don't have a system for keeping my kitchen clean...and I want to! The kitchen today looks pathetically disheveled, messy and dirty and I want to keep a clean kitchen in the new house (and here, too)!

I've decided to challenge myself to a clean kitchen routine before we move (like I don't already have enough to do). I want my new kitchen to stay clean, so I better figure this out once and for all! On a different note, I've completely mastered my morning routine, which I've been working on for the past...well, really for my whole life! So I have a lot of hope I can master the kitchen too.

Starting with WDIS (What Do I See?),

(aside...WDIS has become this magical motivational catch phrase for me. Once I start with WDIS, I'm totally on my way!)

I start to identify problems. Once I see the problems I can start brainstorming solutions.

Here we go:

Left of Sink: WDIS? milk jugs full of water, kleenex box, stand with scissors and handwash, towel, groceries not put away where they belong, clean salad bowl, empty container, mailing envelopes

***I see a lot of stuff that hasn't been put away. Go put it away and then re-evaluate. Start putting stuff away. :) I'm my best cheerleader, ha!

Sink: WDIS? some dirty dishes, a sink that could use a little cleaning and polishing

***the current system isn't working, I'd like to NEVER have dirty dishes in the sink, need to think on that

Right of Sink: WDIS? dirty dishes, grocs not put away, blender, apples, house paperwork, crumbs!, garbage

***can we find a larger spot for the hot dog buns and bread!??! they need a bigger home so when we buy new stuff it can all fit and not overflow onto the counter until we eat half of it. This isn't rocket science people (I'm talking to myself here)!

Oven: WDIS? Why is there ANYTHING on the oven!? Oh, that's right, because the counters are covered with junk! I see dirty pans, garbage and a dirty cooktop! Eeegads!

***I like the idea of having a glass dish to use as a garbage can during the day. I toss in egg shells, cheese wrappers, etc and then at the end of the day it can be emptied and run through the dishwasher. I'm going to give it a try, since I cannot seem to use the trash can like a normal person!

Right of Oven: WDIS? Good grief. There's a pair of scissors on a used plate(!), condiments that can go into the cupboard at the new house and off the counter, spatulas, used utensils, oatmeal not put away, goldfish crackers not put away, plastic lid, cheese papers, garbage

***I am no longer willing to live like this. A while ago I think I "gave up" on the kitchen, on myself. No more. I am doing WDIS with the intent to identify and solve problem areas and come up with some reminders for myself in hopes of developing a repeatable daily routine. I know I can do this!!!

Bar: this is my main workspace and it seems to collect items that are parts of projects or things that don't have a home or I'm too lazy to put away. My goal will be to keep this CLEAN every single day. I guess that means dealing with it every night before bed, perhaps.

Next step: CLEAN THE KITCHEN 

ADD

Apple tree in backyard that litters the grass with pithy fruit

Over the past few months, I've been (re)exploring A.D.D. This is sorta funny, but many years ago I knew I had ADD, but I forgot! Recently, it's reintroduced itself and I'm so grateful! I'm finding some relief from many frustrations as I am more self aware (and older) now!

I've been making some observations about myself...but what I really want to post here on Tidy-House is that one thing that REALLY HELPS ME is to identify the ONE THING I can do to get started. This post is a reminder to myself of that concept, because it is possible likely I will forget about it!

For example, let's say I write "cancel appointment" on my daily to-do list. Instead of thinking "cancel appointment", I need to think "find Joe's phone number".

If I want to "clean the kitchen", I need to think "pick up trash off counters".

It seems once I engage in that ONE SMALL THING, I'm off and running. And remembering that gives me a lot of HOPE!

New House

Back inside to remind us what it looks like!

We saw inside our new house for the first time on January 17th. We then saw inside it when we did an inspection on April 10th. We haven't been inside since then...until today!

We had no intention of buying a new house, in fact, we didn't think we would ever own our own home again. The doors have been open to buy this house and closed to find a rental in the area we want. We are so grateful!!!

Look how tidy it is inside! It's EMPTY! :) I want to keep it tidy when we move in, so I've been thinking about what's untidy here at the old house.

One thing I really love is that this house isn't too big and the lot seems maintainable. It's really like a whole new fresh start for us. What a blessing.

I've been thinking about what furniture needs to go where and really am visualizing what it will be like to get rid of lots of things so I can have a life focused on meeting the needs of others, instead of hiding out in my junk.

This (long) house buying process has been a huge life metaphor for me that I need to get on paper. I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead for our family here.

Breakthrough to Surrender

Everything is blooming really early this year!

A few weeks ago, my friends talked to me about my tendency for excess. It was very hard to hear the truth, but I'm so grateful for them helping me to see and this has precipitated a breakthrough. That is a short and concise way of telling a really long story-be glad!

In a nutshell, I've always thought I was afraid of the future, even afraid of the unknown and even the freedom I so desire. But my friend told me it wasn't about those things, it was really about surrendering my whole life to the Lord. Immediately, I knew she was right!

The Lord gave me a metaphor about a wild horse, which I'll have to post sometime, but for now, I want to update my blog.

I'm becoming so disgusted with my situation and I can feel my attitudes shifting. I don't want this anymore!

Ironically, this breakthrough has proceeded us moving again.

We should be moving around May 30th, which means packing. But in order to pack, we have to clean the living room, so we have a place for the boxes. If we had a garage, we of course would use that, but since we don't, we need to clear out a room.

I realized the other day that the living room is full of things that are not mine. That means I need to help those to whom these items belong! I think in the back of my mind, I've been making the excuse "it's not mine and I don't know where to put it". No longer.

I'm eager to document finally gaining freedom. The Lord has been empowering me in new ways as I relinquish control of this area and continually repent as I go through stuff. I have a lot of hope for living normally in our new place, I'm getting so excited as it becomes more real!

Note: Looking back through these photos, I realize what a process this has been to overcome. Recently, I've had some insight into my attitudes, and I have more hope of overcoming completely, to live above the "need" for more. Right now I feel pretty clear about my weight loss journey (which started six months after this blog was born). I would like to have a similar clarity about tidy house. I'll be asking the Lord more about this in the days to come.

Renewed Vision

We are wanting to move again, so for the month of February, I want to get tidy so packing will go more smoothly! Still some areas haven't been mastered, but I have come such a long way! I actually was able to help a friend brainstorm about some of her tough items and feel inspired with a March 1st deadline.

I want to focus on a new vision which includes:
-being able to have friends and family over at a moment's notice
-all rooms being functional, not used as storage
-having the kitchen be as manageable as when we go to our favorite cabin (I always keep the kitchen tidy when we're away!)

Going back to June 2013, defining freedom:
Freedom is:
-knowing what I have and where it is (I feel really good about this one!)
-when this is true, daily maintenance will be simple with a pick-up and quick tidy (this has been very true except for the living room, which has been storage since we moved in)
-embracing "what's next" for my own self-education (I would like to overcome and BE tidy)
-being completely free to assist my kids with moving their education forward (this needs to happen at a new depth)
-completing long term dangling projects (I completed all of these)

I know what to do. I'm going to schedule 2pm everyday to meet with my professional organizer (ME!) and make headway in February, that's my new goal!

Overcoming the Stronghold

Truthfully, I've been completely discouraged the past few months. I've tried to blog a few times, but lacked the motivation to say anything worthwhile at all. My husband has helped me with a few tasks and projects, but I'm not making the headway needed. I need to OVERCOME.


It's pretty easy to see other people's strongholds, but not my own, so I've been thinking about that. My stuff and lack of action seem to be the areas where I'm not growing. I've been giving my weight loss journey a lot of attention the past three months and I'm good and strong in a losing pattern. As I continue that focus, I want to have victory in the tidy house area of my life.


I spent some time this afternoon evaluating what's not working (um, I'M not working)! So simple enough-lack of action! WHY? My pattern is to do my morning routine (sometimes into the afternoon) and then reward myself by sitting at the computer...and I often stay there all day accomplishing little to nothing.


I'm wasting time. I don't want to do that any more.


It helped me today to write down (I'm very visual) each and every tiny step for my morning routine and other systems so I could SEE them. My plan is to change my "stuck to my computer chair" habit over the next month. Tomorrow is day one and what I need to do is take my afternoon and NOT sit at the computer. I can do it with the Lord's help!


This is my focus...everything needs a place and when it has a place, it will be easy to put away. I'm excited for THAT!

Once I Start to Slow Down-I Stop

This seems to happen whenever I take a break from the normal routine...I just STOP. Here we are, post-Christmas, looking at the New Year, and I don't even know what day it is. My routine and tidy house are in dismal shape. My husband is off again tomorrow and I'm eager that we don't have anything planned but some family time.

One of the reasons I started this blog, was so I wouldn't FORGET what I was supposed to be doing. Visiting here today is a big reminder!

The house is in complete disarray, every room seems to suffer from lack of anyone actually picking anything up off the floor! Yesterday, I thought, "I ought to pick up some things off the floor", yet I totally lacked the desire or discipline to do so. My motivation to do anything remotely related to normal life has momentarily vanished. I'm wading through empty boxes and the cats toppled all the delicates off the mantel at 2am this morning, creating the loudest crash I've ever heard! I thought it was a million Legos breaking on a tile floor.

All I want to do is take a nap.

And so for the 64th day, I have failed. Since failure is unacceptable, I'm failing FORWARD. It's OK to continue pressing on toward my goal even if it's oozing into 2014, because that's the only option I have at this late hour. I'm trying (sorta) to get a grip on how things should go as we crossover into 2014. There's today, tomorrow (we're putting away the Christmas decorations tomorrow, I can't wait!) and then Thursday and Friday. I'm seriously considering taking Thursday and Friday OFF and doing something fun. What would a day OFF look like, exactly? That's an interesting thought. That would then bring the weekend and then Monday plans and my Mom has surgery on Tuesday. Then possibly the next Monday, we could get back to routine, even though it will already be January 13th.

We did install Sarah's plushy shelves this past weekend and put up the shower caddy, both long term residents of the "to-do" list.  This is good, for Sarah's room, providing a place to put the plushies! That in itself could be inspirational!

So as I consider the next few days and weeks, I think it is going to be OK to pace myself and focus on what I can do to find my way back to my normal routine and my tidying schedule. I also feel anticipation that 2014 is going to be a wonderful year for us, full of love and purpose.

Freedom is...starting again to complete the tidying process in 2014.

These Dark Gray Days

The last sunshine I saw was on December 23rd (see above)...it is now December 30th. I'm sooooooooo happy we're on this side of winter solstice! Though the days are getting longer, I won't really start to notice until the first of February...and these dark, gray days grate on my soul through the new year. Sun, sun, come out and play today...

My New Disciple

Now that the master bedroom is blissfully finished along with the office, attic, back patio, barn and shed, I'm moving on to the last of the last.

This afternoon I finished what I do believe is MY LAST BOX. (deafening applause) !!!

I.AM.SO.GOOD.AT.THIS.NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I rocked that box...and it was a toughie! Lots of paper and random stuff. Just started sorting and delivering the sorted stuff to where it belongs. I only had two items that went to giveaway, the rest was relocate and trash. Whooooh!

It is now time to put my education to the test...I've gone through all the steps in my learning process except for the last step...training someone else. But alas, I don't have to wait long for a new disciple! My daughter needs my help and now that I am a PRO, I truly can be of help to her.

Here's what we're up against:
Like me, my daughter has too much stuff. As I've been purging stuff and growing my soul, she has stayed pretty much the same. Now I can help her purge and grow! She LOVES to sort and organize and I am so full of hope for her...I know with a little bit of help, she'll be off and running with the tools she needs to limit her stuff and keep it organized. We'll all have a new life of freedom in this area of tidiness!

Her bedroom needs to be emptied. We intend to use her room for "storage" and the playroom (which is really the living room), for her "play" space. There is an "extra" room, which we call "Fred". It contains my husband's books (aka-library). Unfortunately, Fred has been overrun with bags of Sarah's stuff. So we have three rooms that need attention...Sarah's room, Fred and the playroom.

When this project is finished, the only areas remaining to clean will be: all the bookshelf cubbies (I've made great headway!) and the pantry. I think I'll do some fine tuning before I close out this blog, identifying any areas where I don't feel freedom, making sure that I am indeed free-and finished with this project (not including maintenance).

So, tonight I stepped into her room...when we moved in March, we got rid of her dresser. We need to first get really solid on where her clothes go. Then I think we need to actually remove everything from her room and sort through her books and what she wants to keep on her shelves.

We looked online for some ideas on organizing stuffed animals. I had a new thought while standing in her room tonight...why not use clear bins that can be stacked and stored in her closet? Then she'd be able to see what she has, the boxes help us put "like" things together and maximizes space. Hmmmm.

The goal is for the playroom to be EMPTY. That means dealing with the Lego collection and clearing the rug and eventually making sure the cubbies are purged and pretty.

We are so close! Yet we still have a lot to accomplish.

Next steps:

1-decide where her clothes go
2-remove everything from her room (except her clothes)
3-decide on some things that go back in her room and place them conveniently

She wants a bean bag for her room so she can have a "reading nook". If the bean bag comes as a Christmas gift, we'll have to make sure that the space on the rug stays clear so she can actually enjoy her nook. Since she uses the Kindle a lot, I don't know that we'll even have to put up a light. I'm starting to get vision for what things are going to look like in there and I've been preparing her for months for the reality of having to get rid of a lot of stuff. She'll be so relieved and happy to know what SHE has and where it is!

We're also planning to put shelves up around her ceiling for her plushies...can't wait, I think that will be awesome storage! She doesn't like the idea of her plushies being squished in a box...they can't breathe in there, you know.

GOAL:
-empty playroom, no boxes hanging around, all storage in kids' rooms
-tidy bedroom with ALL her stuff stored in her room
-Fred will contain only books

HOW TO GET TO GOAL:
-rearrange and relocate the Legos
-clean mantel
-purge and organize all the plushies and various accessories strewn all over rug in playroom
-empty bottom cubbies (10) so they are ready for plushy play
-sort through bags in Fred and relocate
-empty Sarah's room
-put all of her stuff in her room (no storage allowed in Fred nor playroom, must all fit in her room)

AH. I can see it and taste it. Here we go!!!

FINAL TIDY Master Bedroom

WOW! I did it! I thought it was going to be really hard finishing up the master bedroom! I know what I have and where it is! Fantastic! We are loving all the FLOOR SPACE now that totes and tubs have been gone through and removed. I never took before nor after photos of the master, oh well, sure wish I had photos!

Two Step Process Day 4 of 64

I'm doing what I don't want to do and it is exhilarating!

Today I worked in my bedroom...so surprising, there's still a bunch of stuff to deal with! I got together a trash bag, giveaway bag and a relocate box. My goal is to have it tidy enough to vacuum all the carpet at any time!

I had a revelation...once the box was gone through, only HALF the job was done. The relocate box needs to be "relocated", taking all those things out of the bedroom and taking them to where they really belong. Funny how I never realized this is a TWO part process! I think I've been going through stuff for a long time but I've been sorting through and then NOT putting some of the sorted stuff AWAY!

I wanted to stop after about an hour. My endurance is low. So I'm pressing on to do MORE HOURS. I've been disciplining myself and now is time to strengthen myself and go deeper, taking on much more so I can get to freedom with this tidy business.

I kept going and going and did way more than I planned and was also surprised that it took so long to do so "little"!

Of course, somehow, things get MESSY while CLEANING UP!

The pantry is right outside our bedroom, and some groceries got dumped in our bedroom since the pantry isn't organized! We have canned food on the floor! I took on too much, because when John came home, we worked on the pantry together (and now there's a bunch of stuff all over).  I needed help and he got a little "possessive" of "his" pantry!!! We accomplished a lot working together, though!