Flowers and Floors

I did not finish.

Friday night, I decided to tackle our bedroom. I started strong.

I started with the closet.

I moved everything out. Dusted the shoe shelf and got rid of two pairs of shoes. Vacuumed the floor. Mopped the floor.

Nice!

I moved everything to one side of the room.


Vacuumed the dust rhinos.

Mopped.

I did this three different times to reach the whole floor--oh! Except, I didn't move the dressers.

As I was vacuuming and mopping I thought about how much I love getting this beastly chore done. I try to do this in the bedroom at least twice a year--but I think the last time I did this it was actually during the cure one whole year ago!

But disaster struck. While I was cleaning baseboards in the first section, I twisted my ankle. I limped through to the finish line but I could barely walk by the end of it.

Saturday morning, I begged off going to my mothers so I could finish my floors.
Ha!

I got the hallway upstairs done. Just in the nick of time, my husband finally finished painting the bathroom--so I could put all the stuff away.

I really like it without the bookshelf. I thought it would look weird without it but it's OK.

Then, I tackled the stairs. That was a much bigger job than I'd anticipated for some reason. I mean, I swept. But then I hand washed each step and riser with a bucket or water and a micro fibre cloth.

When I was done, I was done in. It didn't help matters that my ankle was throbbing badly.

I didn't do any more, even though I had my husband pick up my Mom's carpet cleaner so I can try and resuscitate our living room rug.

But it will have to wait.

Day 25: Finish up an Unfinished Project

Read the previous entry in this series:  Day 24: Craft Supplies or Tools, Your Choice or start at the beginning with the Introduction: 5 Ways Clutter Costs.


I remember the first time I realised that unfinished projects counted as clutter. All of a sudden, it felt like I had permission to do them. They no longer had to wait for that mythical day when everything was done and I just had all this time on my hands. Almost immediately, I embarked on an extravaganza I called the anti-procrastination project. In 2013, every day for the month of May, I did one thing I'd been putting off. I felt pretty good by the end of the month.

Sort of how I felt when I finished this project.

from 2010 to 2015

This is the upstairs hallway. This bit of wall and the linen closet sit between the two bedrooms. (If you're interested in the evolution of this space and my other hallways, check out A Retrospective 2: Passageways: Entry ways, Hallways and The Stairs.) I took down our family pictures this summer so we could paint.

While that project dragged on and on, Jenny Komenda posted something about picture ledges and vintage Martha Stewart.

Hey, I have picture ledges, I thought. At least, I hoped I did. Who knows, I may have decluttered them by now: I'd last used them in 2007 in the dining room.

But, I found them and dumped them in my bedroom.

Those are the pictures sitting on the chair just inside our bedroom.

Then, someone else mentioned that picture ledges were the "new" gallery walls--and I was sold. Plus, it's a great way to handle pictures especially for old walls like ours.

It took me about a half hour--most of the time was spent trying to find the right sized drill bit. It took an extra set of hands to help me, though. My husband helped me with the first shelf and my son with the second.

Ta da!

I pulled out about a dozen books or so I knew we didn't want anymore. I can't help it.

I know the whole thing isn't centered on that wall--but that's OK: put that bookshelf any closer to the right doorway and I start to feel constricted getting out that door.

I'm not sure how I feel about the mix of black ledges up top and white bookcase below. What do you think?

Read the next entry in this series Day 27: The Laundry Room. (Oh dear). Oops, that should have been Day 26: Declutter Magazines/Books/Bookshelves

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Day 16: Your Choice. My Choice: The Painting Things

Read the previous entry in this series:  Day 15: Simplify you Make-Up, Simplify your Life or start at the beginning with the Introduction: 5 Ways Clutter Costs.


Regular reader of the blog will remember that I started working on my back hallway and stairwell back in July.

The end of July, to be sure, but still.

This weekend, yes, on Thanksgiving Monday, we finally finished painting the risers and trim on the stairs.

We still had one tiny detail to take care of--the second coat on the attic hatch.

This attic hatch.

It had never been painted before so it took a coat of primer and two of paint.

What I really, really wanted to do was clean up these paint supplies outside the bathroom door. I'd tripped on them a couple of times. (Not a fun place to trip, really).

But of course, I couldn't remove them without finishing the job, now could I?

So. There. Done.

We have to remove the tape from everything, wash everything and do touch ups. Just a couple of small projects yet--and then I'm done with the back hallway and stairwell.

Wait 'til you see.
It's awesome.

Read the next entry in this series Day 17: Clear Out the Coats.

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A Retrospective: 2. Passageways: Entry ways, Hallways and The Stairs

This is the second in a series of looking back at the changes I've made to the house since this blog began --over eight years ago.

Passageways are all those spaces we pass through--like hallways and entry ways and the stairs. I like them to be functional--and most especially plesant. They are scattered all over the house, though, so I made up floor plans in order to help orient ourselves.

Project 1: The Horses

Back in the summer of 2010, our family took a vacation to the southern end of our province. It was a marvelous trip.

Throughout, my daughter kept asking me whether she should buy this or that for a souvenir. In a gift shop, somewhere, she came across a napkin that had been beautifully printed with four separate images of horses. She wanted it--and I told her we could frame each of the pictures to preserve it. Horses are a ubiquitous part of the southern end of our province and my daughter was ten--that perfectly horse-mad age for girls.

My daughter asked how much it was and as a lone napkin she got it for free.

I am not at all proud to tell you how long it has taken me to put together this project for her. I found the frames and the napkin in my dresser drawer last month and I took 20 minutes, just 20 minutes to put them together.

I left them on her bed--and when she saw them she asked me, "What are these?"

When I told her, she was thrilled--and then she asked me to hang them up outside her room for her. (The eaves slope in our upstairs bedrooms. Neither of us has much wall space.)

There were nails in the wall there already, but this isn't quite what I'd had in mind.

 

I am not about to let this particular part of the project languish for another three years, so I got out my tape measure, pencil and ruler, hammer and nails.

 

There. All better!

I thought it was a great way to begin this month's Project Anti-Procrastination!

Since this madness is all Tsh's fault, I am linking this first project to that last project, in her series, the "put off project."

 

That was sriously energising! I challenge anyone who has a project languishing in the dark corners of the house somewhere, to just go and get her done.

 

 



Nagging Task #2 (and)

Ever notice how once you pay attention to one nagging task all the others get jealous and start to yell at you: "Do me, do me!" They all start clamouring for attention--even ones you hadn't known existed--and the noise is so loud you lose your hastily scribbled list and begin spinning in circles.

That's what happened yesterday.

Here was the task: empty the basket.



But, then, I turned around and noticed these towels:

(Our full bathroom is on the main floor. My daughter wraps herself up after her bath, mounts the stairs to her room, changes into pj's and then dumps these over the railings. I am grateful they are not on the floor.)


So, of course, I had to do the "towel" laundry.

That was satisfying to get out of the way. We needed them done, too. I keep a fairly lean house. Put the towels we need in the bathrooms and this is pretty much all we have to store.)

(I agree there's a bit of weeding of the hand towels needed.)

Once I had the stairwell decluttered, I noticed how I wasn't holding my breath passing through the space anymore. Really? I had been holding my breath? Wow. Talk about making yourself tense.

(I think I might switch out that art-work, too. It feels like there needs to be nothing in that space below the railing.)

But the bookcase needed straightening up. I had removed a number of books as part of AT's Fall 2010 Home Cure and I thought, why don't I style these up a bit.

Well.

I stumbled upon this fabulous organizing designer's site simplified bee and I eagerly clicked on the post: Tips on styling a bookcase. I confess she lost me at the instruction to

Store or donate unsightly paperback books.

They are all unsightly paperback books. Each and every one.

So I did what I could with what I had.

I have no totchhkes. No pretty vases, no interesting bits of pottery, no quirky objects, no hands, Buddhas or Eiffel towers. No starfish, no rusted things, no balls of twine, no balls of any kind. I did have letters left over from Christmas, though.

Argh. I really should paint the wall down to the shelf proper and get rid of that annoying unecessary, second horizontal. And the baseboards, should I do something about them under the shelves?
Oh Hush.

Today's? I'm not entirely sure.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll get the shelves up over the toilet.



We'll see.

AT Fall Cure: Day 13

Day 13: Declutter Books and Media

I once asked, how much should I declutter? How much room should I make in my drawers? in my closets? on my shelves? The answer came back: clear as much room as you think you will need for the items coming into your home in the future. Of course, the next question is, how far into the future?

So, here we are. Books. How much room should I make on my shelves for them?

Maxwell said 10% --but then he urged us to get rid of 25%. That's a lot. For me, anyway. The more books you have, the larger the number of books 25% actually represents. It is more than I am likely to fill back up in 5 years. We just haven't bought that many books in the last few years (homeschool curriculum doesn't count!) nor is that likely to change.

But, I suppose I could do with a good weeding out. I could aim for 10% of every shelf--at least. Maybe. It will depend on the shelf!

Here are the bookshelves under attack, by room.

Living room: They flank the fireplace.

On the left:


On the right:



(These shelves need a complete overhaul, as usual.)

The Dining room/Office.

Above the desk:



The Expedit:



and the bookshelf:


The stair landing has two shallow bookcases. My husband and I made them.


When you turn on the landing to continue up the stairs, this is what greets you:



There are bookshelves in our bedroom:



and in the kitchen:




It is a little overwhelming.