A New Leaf Club 2011/2012

[Bucky]

You know that pile of stuff on the kitchen counter I just sorted through yesterday?  Well, I DID find a bill that is due on 11-11-11.  There is no way it would arrive "on time" if I mailed it today - plus, there is no mail delivery tomorrow in the U.S. 

So, I called an 800 number I found on the back of a bill from 2007 (this is a yearly bill) to make a payment over the phone.

Imagine my shock when I dial the number and it's a porn sight!!         

I guess they no longer use that 800 number for Gerber Life Insurance Co.!!!   

Bucky

[Meld256]

Bucky,

As my husband's granny used to say when she had no other good response...wellll...

 They change those 800 numbers fairly often, I think.  I can't tell you the times I worked in customer service with toll-free numbers and someone would call and ask what we were wearing, etc. (!)     We'd tell them quickly this was a line for Proctor and Gamble, or Lexis or whoever the client was at the time. 

Hope you found Gerber Life Ins. another way!

[irish]

Bucky, You have a good idea with this thread. I didn't join the one last year. I have just now started to be more serious about getting my house in order. My hubby made the remark that "maybe we should move to town" and that scared the bejibbers out of me.

I know nothing will happen in a hurry, if at all, but I looked around and figured now was the time to clean out. Started the boxes: one to the dump, one to the thrift shop, one for little things grandaughter might want and one for things to store and reassess later down the road.

SITH,  I know just what you mean about the house falling apart. We worked like a dog to remodel this house--gutted, rewired, replumbed, sheetrock, insulation, the whole nine yards. Some of the little nit picky stuff did not get done due to kids graduating, etc. Then we had an unexpected move out of state for a year. When we came back both of us were well on the road to more autoimmune issues. Another parent dies, etc. Stuff just comes up and our energy level, muscle strength and ability to cope goes down hill.

Well, some of this stuff ain't gonna get done and it really bothers me.  I feel like there is something in life that isn't complete. Soooo, I will clean up what is complete and worry about the other stuff down the road.

I did my kitchen last week and it was so bad. The top of the refrig was the dirtiest it has ever been. I know I cleaned it in the last year, I think!! I even got the kitchen walls washed. I cleaned out the built in china cupboard in the living room also and rearranged and threw some stuff. You know, all that darn stuff that you think you will use down the road--ain't gonna happen. This thread should keep us busy this winter. Irish

[Carebear]

I am happy to say that I finally finished  patching, sanding and painting the ceiling.  Hard work looking up and holding my arms up that long, but I did it.  Thank goodness for my new Onion Goggles!

And I have sold two items on Kijiji.

 

 

[Bucky]

I know nothing will happen in a hurry, if at all, but I looked around and figured now was the time to clean out. Started the boxes: one to the dump, one to the thrift shop, one for little things grandaughter might want and one for things to store and reassess later down the road.

Irish - good for you!!  You sound like you've been a busy beaver lately.   

Carebear - good job finishing the ceiling.  Now you can admire your hard work!     Plus, making some money off items on Kijiji . . .woohoo!!

Last night I went through 1/4 of my closet and made two piles of things -- one to bring to one of the skinny girls here, and the other to donate to Goodwill.

Yay - you're on your way to tackling that closet.  When you can actually see the improvement in your closet is when you will know it's worth all your time and effort to tackle this project.   

Sooooo, more exercise, continue to honestly chart my food on Lose It.com, and be nicer, period.

Is that enough?

Yep - that's enough!!   

Today, I did my "good deed" and stopped in work and checked to see if they needed any change from the bank (since the banks were closed yesterday). (I work at a clubhouse and it has a restaurant and banquet room.)  There's a wedding reception tonight, plus they served lunch and dinner today and there's Sunday brunch tomorrow, so it's always best to have some smaller denominations of bills since we get a lot of 100's, 50's and 20's.  So, I ran to the bank for them.  I was in town anyways and it only took 15 minutes of my time.

When I got home, the sun was shining on the living room window and I noticed how dirty the windows looked.  So, I got out the long handled squeegee, pail of water and went out and cleaned all the outside windows.  They look so much better now.   

Bucky

[Bucky]

This is a post from my "original" New Leaf Club back in 2009 that has some information that might inspire us in our 2011-2012 New Leaf Club.
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Be careful what you watch on tv or read before going to bed . . . . I picked up my book, For Packrats Only by Don Aslett and was thumbing thru it.  Don has a lot of good books on cleaning, sorting, and dejunking your life.  I couldn't get to sleep for over TWO HOURS -instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, cleaning and projects kept going thru my head.    I just couldn't turn it off to sleep.

Anyhow, you know how some times when you read something it's as if it was written just to you?  Well, the following is true for me and I thought I would share with you all.  (sorry, this might be a little long, but worth it)

Dig to Display!
The process of dejunking isn't done until the useful is used!

"We too often think of dejunking only in terms of tossing it, giving it away, selling it, or repacking it for another decade.  There's some good stuff stuffed away here and there, and at the time you buried it in that chest or closet you had a reason, maybe a vision of it playing a very special part in your life someday.  So when you come across it during an uncluttering surge, act on it -- get it out of the closet and into use, out of mothballs and onto the hall wall.  Frame it, mount it, display it, enjoy it.  "I'm saving it for later" is about the saddest excuse going.

Why hobble through a second-rate life with your first-rate stuff in storage?  It won't mean much to others when you go, so why not activate it now?  Breathe life (or new life) into it -- don't commit an unintentional mercy killing by smothering it under or in a corner of one of your cobwebbed cabinets!

If those are the good dishes, what does that make these?  Get out your good tablecloth, your good silver, your good jewelry, and the good crystal.  Do you honestly think your great-granddaughter (yet to be born) is going to appreciate those things more than you do?  Appreciate them and enjoy them now -- in this lifetime.  Don't just be a dusty storehouse for all the good stuff."


Hmmmm, wonder if Don has been looking around my house??    In the hall chest I have several pretty tablecloths - never used.  I bought them on "clearance" (what else . . LOL) with the intentions of proudly displaying them on our dining room table.  They are winter scenes of snow and birds - so perfect for this time of year.  My excuse?  But they are too pretty to use  - I don't want anything spilled on them!!     No worries there - they are behind doors in darkness, never having seen the light of day.      Know what would look perfect on these tablecloths?  The pretty "winter" dishes I have squirreled away in the basement - never used.  I bought them because they too were pretty (and I had always wanted them, bought them with my Christmas bonus from work) and I had hoped to have company over and use them.  Didn't happen as it would be too much work to get the house in shipshape to entertain.  Let's see, the tablecloths are at least five years old and the dishes two years old.   Sad to want things, buy them, and then don't use them.   

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I'm embarrassed to say, that two years later and my pretty tablecloths are still in the hall chest - never been used. (I did sell one of them in my garage sale this fall.) The same for my pretty Pfaltzgraff Winterberry dishes in the basement - never been used.   

So, I am going to take Don's advice and get that pretty tablecloth out, bring my dishes up from the basement and USE them!!  I may not "entertain" anybody for the holidays, but certainly I can enjoy them!!  I bought both items because I thought they were pretty - and they are - so, I might as well just enjoy them and not "save" them for a special occasion!!

Bucky

[Carebear]

Great job cleaning the window, Bucky.  I just can't get mine right...always lots of streaks and smudges.  And getting the change for work on your own time was such a kind gesture.   What a nice girl! 

I don't know what got into me this afternoon.  I installed a new light fixture and a new set of window blinds.  They have been left undone for so long that it was really buggy me.  Thanks again for the motivation.  Now I'm going to bed. 

[engy]

Oh, I'd love my ceilings painted! They can wait another year though as we have more pressing issues that need attention but Yippee for you 

I cleaned out my medicine cupboard (again) & I'm taking a short break. My daughter & I attacking the shoe closet next! This could get scary so I'm thankful for the help!

Carie

[Meld256]

Dear friends,
Thanks for the motivation!  I've been working on closets for a month, here and there. I bought a few of those Space Bags; I found real ones (not wanna-be's) on eBay and they really are pretty awesome.  I managed to get summer clothes in them and stacked them in a small closet spot   

The ceilings being painted...ugh. We (I) have worked on getting that done for months. I must enlist my husband's help with the living room. It has a slightly vaulted ceiling; I can't reach it and climbing is hard. Once I get up there, my arms don't have the strength to do more than a swipe or two. Maybe one of these days...

I like your post, Bucky. That's all so true. I think it's good that our present home doesn't have much storage space.  No garage, no basement and a few closets.  Forces us to see what we really need and use.  If it's not used now or will be in the next year, it goes to the trash or to donation.  We used to have a huge garage, and most of the stuff in there didn't need to be.

 I've reduced the paperwork, too. That's a big one.  I've scanned important papers and pictures to the computer and put on a flashdrive I carry.
I've tossed some originals, and if something happens to the others, I've got them to print again.  I took a whole file cabinet down to one drawer.  I felt a real accomplishment!  Not that I keep it that way always.  I have to keep after it or it will multiply and take over the house. 

[Carebear]

I like the idea of scanning photos, Melinda.

Last year after my dad passed away I went through all his and my own photo albums.  I got as far as pulling all the photos out of the albums, and culling out the ones that I didn't want.  Now the remainder sit in photo boxes.  Sounds like a perfect project once winter hits us as I seldom venture outside then anyway.

[arina83]

Starting to make progress on my office today. Got binders labeled and organized for this year's babies, both desks cleared off and phase one is pretty much done. Next will be to put the rest of the herd's records in order, and then start going through boxes. Then I got hay and feed samples together and packaged to be mailed to a lab for analysis.

Moved here in 2008, and so much is still in boxes. My other project will be to repair some grout in my shower. Was on the list for today, but I didn't get to it.

Very wiped out right now, so I've quit for the night.

[Meld256]

arina,

Sounds like you're really making progress with your records. Keeping an office in order can be one of my most challenging jobs.

Carebear,
I got the scanning idea from an article somewhere; thought it was a good option. I have a few photos of my mother's family in 1920, and my dad's around the same time.  I don't want to lose them!

I also had a big drawer full of pictures and frames taking up space. I got rid of any extra frames not being used and scanned the pictures. I passed around some originals to my family. There's a few more documents that need done, so yes, the winter will be a good time to do that!

[A66eyroad]

I spent two hours taking stuff (shoes, old sweaters and t-shirts) out of the closet on Saturday morning and sorting through. Really, though, I ended up just made more of a mess because suddenly I realized I was exhausted! My arms and legs and back were sore, so I decided to leave everything "for a minute" and have a short nap.

Three hours later I woke up. It was such a wreck in my bedroom that I just shoved everything back into the closet.

 

[engy]

Awwww, A66eyroad I've done that before when I was well!

I haven't been able to do a large closet yet so I'm waiting on mine until a long weekend!

Don't be discouraged, maybe you can try again but only do a little at a time like shoes one day, etc.

Carie

[arina83]

Meld, yes it can be challenging, especially with the chaos of birthing/breeding. Better than it used to be, since we now have record keeping software. Very necessary with ~50 alpacas here.

Finished grout repair on my shower today, so hopefully I'll be able to use it in a couple days.

Introduced the 3 youngest babies to halter and lead today. Quite the adventure, and very physical with them being resistant to leading, pulling, lying down, running. Considering it was their first experience, they were quite good, but I am so tired.