Day 1.1--Blast and Varnish

This is my stairwell. As you can see there's no lovely baluster and railing combo. Just a nasty railing atteched to the wall. Around the corner at the top is the landing. It looks like this:


(This is not really the photo I wanted to show you, but of course I can't find it.)

Why am I showing you this? Well, today, I decided to wash the floor after this painting job. Armed with a hot bucket of water and TSP, rubber gloves, a cloth and a scraper, I tackled it with lots of elbow grease. Too much elbow grease, as it happens. I managed to scrape up about 1/4 of the varnish on the landing.

The problem is this: the landing (which you can't see) now needs to be sanded and re-varnished. The question is: should we stain this awful old orangey-red wood a different colour? Or--just go over whatever it turns out to be after we sand it? As you can see from the photos, the stair treads, the window trim, and balusters are all the same nasty stuff. We will not tackle all of those--just the treads and the landing. The floor at the bottom of the stairs is "golden oak." Above stairs--I have no idea. I think it was oiled once upon a time.
Advice?

Day 0--We Start Tomorrow!

This is the cleaning closet. It needs to be cleaned! Actually, it is more than the cleaning closet--it holds napkins and candles, towels for the bathroom (as there's no closet in there), emergency flashlights, the tool box, and, yes, a few cleaning supplies.

I'm so excited to begin the actual cure tomorrow--it's silly. First up: getting this space functional for the next eight weeks. I think I just may get that ironing board and iron off of the door and hang the mop and broom and dusters and dustpan and brush instead. Currently they nestle with our coats. (yuck.)

Do you know where your rubber gloves are?

Boom Dada Boom

There comes a point during the Cure when you are completely overwhelmed with everything that still needs to be done. You forget how much you've accomplished and how great you really are doing.

So, the boom dada boom post.
Everytime I finish a project (or a series of steps in a project) I will post it.
Look, Ma--I'm done!
boom dada boom.

--two coats of paint on wall in stairwell behind the bookshelves. (09/08)
--sanded down and applied two coats of stain on little round table. (09/08)
--books schlepped (and retrieved) from local 2nd hand bookstore.

Analyses and Confession.

Spiffing up the faux fireplace. This is one project I'm going to finish during the cure.

That was awful. Truly. We are homeowners, for heaven's sake. We wait on no one but ourselves to look after things.

I have to change my focus. I can't wail and moan about what's wrong: instead I need to ask myself whatever I used to ask myself when I was in school and didn't score as well as I'd wanted. That's it. What do I need to do to increase my score?

What was my score?
oh yeah. 4.5/16.

Maxwell considers an A- to be about a 12.
So, how do I "get" 8 points?


A. Let's see. If I make it as easy to clean as possible, that would be 2 points right there. #12 and #16.

What do I need to do to accomplish that?
1. declutter (duh)
2. Set up routines. That's the key for me. I'm really, really bad at sticking to a routine that involves housekeeping. Nasty word, that. "Housekeeping." But I've been down this road before and I really can do it again. For anyone else struggling with this, there's a great list of "Daily Minimums" over at organized home. (see link on right).


But hey, a clean home can be a beautiful home, too. Sure I'd like better quality furniture, etc., but when this place sparkles, it is actually quite a pleasant place to be. So, it would improve my score on #5 and #9 too. Four whopping points just from cleaning. Wow. No wonder Maxwell focuses so much on it in the Deep Treatment. (But then, he wrote the quiz too, didn't he?)


B. Set up a small sewing area in the basement. Put the machine up. Sew a cover for it. Put the sewing supplies in a handy spot. I CAN do this. Lighting is a problem, but that's why they invented extension cords, isn't it?
That'd be 1 point. (#4)


C. Establish rules and limits for TV and computer time for the kids. That would greatly cut down on the noise. That helps address #1. It would also contribute to our overall comfort. 1 point. (#9)


Hey, we're up to 6 points. Not bad.


D. Figure out my style. Express it in my home and start wearing it. Hmm. That's 3 points! (#s 6, 7, 8)


E. And, of course, what REALLY needs to be done, I've been too embarrassed to say. But here goes.


Upstairs bath:
1. Replace forty? fifty? -year old toilet in upstairs powder room. (It works fine--as long as you hold down the handle for longer than a second. It's just nasty.)
2. Replace the flooring.


Downstairs bath:
3. Replace the flooring.
4. Fix the hole in the wall.
5. Re-grout the bath tub and the toilet.
6. Replace tub and shower surround with something decent.


Kitchen:
7. Replace the floor tiles.
8. Repaint cabinets and walls.
9. Wash oven and stove.
10. Wash fridge.
11. Wash ceiling, doors and door trim.
12. Replace chipping, rusting faucet.


Dining Room:
13. I want to re-do the whole room. Does it need to be done? Not really. I have been finding the colour in here very dark, lately. It's been bugging me. It's just more fun than everything else!


Living Room:
14. Finish Fireplace Project
15. Hang brown drapes.
16. Hem brown drapes.
17. Sew curtains from fabric purchased a year ago.
18. Clean the sofa. (Oh, the sofa. That's a whole other post).
19. Take out the bench and put in the small round table so we can play games, do puzzles, etc. Find chairs for it?
20. Get new lampshades or do something with the ones we have.
21. What on eath can we do about the HUGE crack in the wall? We've already patched it with an expandable compound. It opens and closes of its own accord, depending on the weather. I'm not sure there's really anything we can do about it without somehow involving the roof--or the foundation--it's a "serious injury" as Maxwell terms these things, but we truly feel helpless before it.

Master Bedroom:
22. Re-paint.
23. Create headboard and "feature" wall.
24. Finish painting the dressers.
25. Figure out the "look" I want to create in there.


Actually, take #25 and multiply it by every room. So, figuring out "my style" is even more important than I'd thought.


Obviously, our budget (which is non-existent) and my time (severely limited this go round) prohibit doing most of this list.


But it will be good to use it to focus my attention over the next eight weeks and not get side-tracked into doing fun, but non-essential things, like styling my bookshelves.
I think I'll be "doing the cure" for a long time.

Next post: doable (low cost) project list, with (a few) "before" pics.

A Quiz.

(image from members.aol.com/djadamson4/quiz.jpg)

Ok, kids. It's time to take out your pencils and take the quiz. Don't they look like they're having fun. Maybe we will too!

Have you noticed? Quizzes and questionnaires are ubiquitous in cleaning, decluttering, and Organize Your Life! books. One can't just read and think. No. One must confess! Maxwell does not disappoint. He includes two. Both such fun.

The first is a style "interview" which is pretty hopeless. Dr. Wende did it here and an excellent job she did of it too. I've done mine, but the meaning of the answers is as clear to me as three coats of black paint.

More useful is the second quiz. The whole Head, Heart, Bones, Breath thing. (Class, turn your book to page 48.)

So, let's sharpen those pencils and away we go!

Head

1. Does your home support everything you want to do?

Well, I don't have a swimming pool. I'd love to do laps every morning from home. And I hate hollering. Maybe we could install an intercom system throughout the house. Nah. That would wreck the walls. OK. Beepers for everyone, then. But that's nuts. The ringing would drive me crazy. (And of course they'd have to be on ringers, no one would find his otherwise!)

It's crowded in here. Noisy. I'd like to be able to listen to music more. I'd like my sewing machine set up. A laundry chute. More quiet.

2. Do you use your home often?
This is one of THOSE New Yorky type questions. Or San Fransisco type where there's decent street life and wonderful food around every corner. Of course I use my home often. Where else would we go? At least I get to score on this one!
3. Is there room for everything you want to do in your home?
This looks suspiciously similar to #1. No. There's no room for a lap pool. Heck, there isn't even room to plug in a lamp where I want to.
4. Is there a good space for what is most important to you?
Oh dear. What's most important to me?
I love to read. I have exactly two places to do that in comfort. Of course, I can't do it in the living room while the kids watch TV and the bedroom is pretty far away.
I teach the kids at home. We do it in the kitchen. And it works in there if I bring in only one subject at a time. It's inconvenient--but there is space for it. (Barely.)
I wonder what my ("I don't have any hobbies" ) husband would say to this one?
Is this a yes or no? I'll give myself 1/2 a point.
Heart
5. Do you consider your home beautiful?
No. I'm glad Maxwell made this subjective. I could change this answer and not do a thing to the house. All I need to do is change what it is I consider beautiful. (Or marry a really, really rich guy. I don't think Maxwell had that in mind.)

6. Do you feel you have a sense of style?

Good grief, what kind of question is this? Can I recognize style when I see it? Yes. Do I appreciate it? Oh yes. Do I express it? Am I stylish? Um. No. (Sorry, you can click away now.)
7. Does your clothing express your style?
I have a complete wardrobe suitable for painting in all weather. Does that count?
8. Does your home express your style?
I'm thumping my head on my desk. Does that answer your question?
Moving on.
Breath
9. Do you consider your home comfortable?
Did I mention I have two comfy spots to read? Yes. I did. Did I mention that I hardly sit in either spot? You figured that out, didn't you? The bathroom has no heat. But that's OK, it's too small to get dressed in, anyway. Um, OK, this is depressing. Short answer: No.
10. Do you sleep well at night?
Would you sleep well with a seven year old thrasher between you and your husband/partner/significant other/whatever you want to call him or her?

11. Is your apartment organized?

Actually, yes. The house is organized. Now, if folks would just put things back after they use them, it would stay organized!
12. Is it easy to clean and declutter?
It's never easy to clean. I hate cleaning. Always easy to declutter. (I know where the trash bags are. I think.) I have trouble letting go of stuff.
Bones.
13. Do you consider your home to be in good shape?
I'm thumping my head on the desk. I think I'd rather go wash the tiles peeling off the kitchen floor now.
14. Is everything in good working order?
As a matter of fact, as long as we remember to snake the bathroom sink drain once a month, we're good to go.
15. Do you take care of repairs quickly?
What's quickly?
16. Do you clean your home often?
Everyday. Does it stay clean? (See above). Is it all clean, all at once? I think it was, for about two whole days, back in 2000. That was when my grandmother and my aunt came to visit. Oh, and I guess last year too, when the m-i-l descended upon us for four days. Hmm.
Good grief, it's time for chocolate. Now.

This is our castle as it looked last fall and as it will look again in a few weeks. The front door faces North. So, even though the house needs a shave, the shag does protect the big windows underneath. Keeps us warm too. That's important when it gets to 20 degrees (C) below zero.

Day -3. To Begin at the Beginning.

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan has done a wonderful thing. A few wonderful things, actually. He wrote a book, created web sites all over the U.S. and initiated the Online cure. It's a curious thing, the Cure. Folks from all over post nasty pictures of messy rooms or bland, boring boxes. They share frustrations with leaky faucets, capricious computer cords and whatever else ails their homes. And it is wonderful because it brings us all together to cure our sick and dying homes.

The cure launches in four cities this Monday.

This is my second attempt at The Cure. My first at a Blog. I tend to think about things a lot. I write to work out what I think. So, this blog is my journal for The Fall Cure 2007.