Random question for the group

This is probably going to sound rather personal and perhaps bizarre, but I'm curious if others have this same...issue?  I don't know how to categorize it.  You'll hopefully understand after I explain.

When I PMS, one of the things that suddenly irritates me more than usual is clutter.  Inevitably, one day during that lovely time of month, I feel completely overwhelmed, thinking my house is a complete disaster zone, I can't get a handle on keeping it clean and organized, and I either start trying to clean with a vengeance, or else I grump around and have to leave the house because I just can't stand to look at the mess any more (and most often, I don't clean - I grump, be super duper cranky, and leave).  And the thing that sets me off could be the toys G has scattered (again) all over the living room floor (that will only take a few minutes to pick up); the dishes piling up in and around the sink (that Rich is going to do); the clean bins of laundry that need to be sorted, folded, and ironed; the overflowing "inbox" of clutter that has spilled out all over the counter (that I haven't been bothered by the rest of the month); the pile of recycling in the latest box from Costco sitting next to our recycling bin (that's getting taken out next recycling day); the garage (that doesn't bug me as much usually); a few toys that have wandered into our bedroom (that I otherwise don't care about); my ever-tumultuous piles of fabric and associated quilting and sewing projects (that seem to be simultaneously eluding and taunting me, saying, "You'll NEVER have time to finish!"); the hanger on our dresser that has been sitting there for a month and I have yet to pick up and stick in the closet...

You get the picture?  Any spot of mess suddenly becomes this enormous thing that makes me feel like a failure at being a housekeeper.  It's the thing that I get super cranky about when PMS hits (okay, in addition to other things, but it seems like one day, I just cannot take any bit of mess in my house any more and want to throw everything away so I never have to deal with it ever again).

Thankfully, once the PMS crescendo has passed, I'm not so overwhelmed.  Things may bug me, but they won't completely set me off.  Anyone else?

A Reply to Angela: Style

I've been writing this as a comment to Angela's original post on style and realized it was getting long, so I thought I'd make it its own post.

I'm pretty horrible at interior decoration - that's more Rich's territory.  I get these ideas, and I try to implement them, but, more often than not, it ends up looking....well....like I didn't quite complete a train of thought.  Example:  last year, I thought making a bright summer quilt and matching throw pillow would help lighten the living room full of black shelves full of games and the super old futon with the blue mattress cover.  Result:  awesome looking orange-color-themed quilt and throw pillow that just kind of looks randomly tossed onto the blue futon.  I don't know why I seemed to think if the quilt and pillow were bright orange, the blue would naturally look orange, and the room would magically look open and airy like those photos in the Ikea or Room & Board catalogs?

When it comes to home atmosphere, though, that's where I spend a lot of thought and worry.  I want my home to feel welcoming.  To me, that means having things that can get scratched a bit, maybe dinged up a bit, without worrying too much about them.  I actually traded in my first car (a shiny, bells and whistle-loaded 2-door Honda Accord) after owning it only about 6 months in part because I was so worried driving it every day that I was going to get a scratch or a dent somewhere on the inside or outside.  I got my XTerra because I felt like if it got scratched or dinged, I wouldn't feel so badly about it.  I guess I care less about form than I do about function.  Here's kind of my personal scale of things (the "<" meaning less than):

Form < Function
Trendy < Useful
Pretty < Comfortable
Cluttered < Uncluttered/Organized
Design < Atmosphere

In my dream home, there are 0 vertical surfaces to let things accumulate; that's probably impossible, but I try to have a place for everything and everything in its place.  Some days, I try harder than others.

My hope is that when our family is older, with teens especially, that our children will like inviting their friends over, and that their friends will enjoy being in our home.  I want people to feel welcome, at ease, able to relax and kick back, and to not worry about keeping everything "just so."  I think that's in part because my parents' house was very formal: white couch, white walls, white carpet, white upholstered dining chairs, gorgeous cherry formal dining table...covered with a white plastic table protector that was removed maybe twice that I can remember, and cherry furniture.  Even visiting now, I am so careful not to make a mess anywhere!  My parents also have a very dysfunctional relationship, which adds to the tense atmosphere.  Whenever I imagined my future home's atmosphere as a youth, I dreamt of it being comfy and cozy, open and inviting, welcoming and homey.

So, I guess I care more about the way the place feels than I do about how it looks design-wise.  I guess that's good, since design-wise, I struggle!  Thank goodness I married a man with a better sense for design than I have!

Style

Ok so this isn't really "cleaning" related, more like home related, but I've been thinking a ton about what kind of home I want, you know the look and feel of my home. It happens 1-2 times a year that I get this interior design bug and want to throw out everything we have and start over or drag all the furniture out and figure out how to refinish it or sew all new curtains and pillows, and so on. Anyone else?

Last summer during a similar phase I took an online quiz to find out "my style" and it came up with "country french" with some "shabby chic." I'm such a language nerd, but it was so fun to have a label for my  supposed style. Of course, my home doesn't look anything like a french cottage, but I hope someday it will. I guess I just love antiques but ones that are still functional. I also love open space but I'm not really a minimalist. I like books, and tea cups, and blankets too much.

So that's the theory. Now what? I don't really have a good interior design intuition. I guess it'll eventually grow right? And with this next move we're going to get rid of lots of our old, worn-out furniture to upgrade. Yay! We count ourselves very lucky that the only things we've purchased (furniture-wise) is our floor lamp and that super comfortable (but fairly ugly) rocking chair (from craigslist). We've been so blessed. When we got married we lucked out because my grandparents were switching up their bedroom set and gave us a super new and nice bed. We inherited the couch my parents bought when I was 4 and I have that desk and dresser from my great-grandma. And the list goes on. Since we've moved a bunch and been in school this whole time, we've loved our free stuff. And I'll be keeping the antique stuff and hopefully fix them up this summer and fall. There's this old WWI trunk from my great-grandpa that I can't wait to do something with.

But I'm rambling. So what about you guys? Have you put together your homes with an overall vision in mind? Do you have a set "style"? What's important to you about your home?

And then how much does it all mater anyway? In my mind here's my priority list to a home that people (esp my own family) want to be in:

1. Be a welcoming person/family
2. Have good food around
3. Be decently clean
4. Be well put together (the interior design part)

Thoughts????

Progress!

I'm feeling good about this challenge, so far!  Interestingly, some of the events that have been taking place around our home have lent themselves quite nicely to getting things crossed off my list.  There have been other things that, as I wrote them down, seemed so ridiculously silly to be including that I thought, "Hm, it REALLY won't be that hard, why do I keep putting it off?" 

For example, G was playing in his room the other day, and I looked at the game of Risk that we picked up at a thrift store two years ago that somehow ended up in one of his shelves in his room and that I have continually examined, thinking, "You know, that really should go with the rest of the games downstairs."  But to actually PICK IT UP (note: nothing of consequence has been on TOP of the game, so as to make it even remotely strenuous of a chore to TAKE IT OUT OF THE SHELF) has eluded me for some reason.  So, as I was rocking in the chair in his room (or gliding; it IS a glider, after all), I suddenly got angry at myself for staring at the game again, doing nothing, and decided to just move it once and for all.

5 seconds later, the game was in its rightful place.

Two years, and 5 seconds later.

Honestly.

Then I went back up, and with all of his toys already out of bins (and getting thrown out of bins), I started reorganizing them.  I consolidated his Tinker Toys from two tins to just one, found places for the other miscellaneous items floating around the shelves, and have TWO cubes in his shelf that are open.  TWO.  I just need to take the basket o' books, tuck them in one cube, get his chair from the living room to his room, and, voila, reading corner is done.

I just hope I don't take another 20 days to move that chair.

Then there was going through his clothes.  We were packing for a quick trip to the grandparents', and we actually started packing the night before instead of the morning of, so I pulled out the bins with clothes and went through them.  Voila!  Clothes have now been sorted, and all that's left are things that fit (or will once I get his two little belts made, since my child has no waistline or bum to help hold his pants up).

Sadly, I can't cross either of those things completely off my list, since I now need to put the too-small clothes in a bin in the attic, but at least I'm feeling like I'm making progress!  And the play kitchen is fixed, and all the little dishes are getting through the dishwasher in segments (as a new load is put in, I take some dishes and add them to the load).  Again, not something I can cross off, but it's getting there!

It feels so good to be getting things accomplished instead of having things sit there on lists in my mind.  So, I guess if I use the cross-off feature Diana used, my items would look like this:

* Clean the toys and dishes for the play kitchen and put in a basket/bin for better containment and access. Reattach back leg and front door to the kitchen.
*Clean out the sippy cup drawer and take defunct ones to DI (or just toss them if they're missing
parts)
*Create G's reading corner in his room (move chair, organize books).Reorganize the toy/diaper/book shelving in G's room (find a place for the one Risk game taking
space). If needed, get extra drawers to use in the shelf.
*Organize G's clothes; put all smaller clothes in storage.
*Reorganize music corner and take music back to rightful owner. Includes sleeving all printed
music and putting in binders.
*Reorganize the bins of fabric and projects. Finish any projects that don't require much effort (like fixing a seam, etc.).  [Addendum: start projects that are smallish in scale. {Lame addendum, since it doesn't necessarily lend itself to cleaning, per se, but at least I'm feeling like I just need to get projects going instead of having this lovely fabric sit there staring at me!}][Also, the sentence about finishing projects is purposefully not all cross out because I've started with them all, but still have a few left.]

Hurray for progress!

Feel good cleaning

So I just rediscovered something that makes my heart happy: rubbed down stainless steel. It's been a long while since I've actually dried and rubbed my faucet after washing it. Now it shines and makes me happy. Like wiping out the bottom shelf in the fridge. Anyone else? What are other feel-good mini-cleaning projects?

Also, I wanted to request "cleaning philosophy" posts from those who didn't do this last year, or even if you've changed a bit over the last year. It's always loads of fun to see inside others' cleaning heads. So Cody? Amy? Sonya? Lora? What's your approach to housekeeping?

Getting started

Starting is not so difficult for me, it's the finishing I am forever having trouble with. Keeping that in mind I have decided to start as many of my projects as possible and see if it feels like a little less of a chore if I tackle it for just the amount of time I am excited about it. I have half my windows cleaned, and I have narrowed down the items from the freezer I would like to dump in the yard Waste bin next trash day.  I greatly fear projects like tackling the mess in my room so if anyone would like to keep me company while I embark on that nightmare of a journey I would be ever so greatful. So I guess it's not going that great...

Fabric and Grumpy Rain

Does the rain suck the life out of anyone else's cleaning mojo? You'd think being stuck inside makes me want to clean it, but no, I just get grumpy. And the garbage stays at the back door. I love being able to take the garbage and dirty diapers out to the bins, when it's dry and I can do so in bare feet. Anyone else?

Ok, done complaining. I keep thinking: Soon I'm going to live in a desert and never get to enjoy the moist air, green everything, and rain.

But I really came to post a link for all those of us who have fabric isssues. My sister-in-law on the paulsen side is a fabulous seamstress and has a blog--she's not a hard core blogger, but has some good stuff. Anyway, it just so happens that she's doing a "stash busting" series with ideas to use up all those fabric scraps. I've learned two things from it: 1) I should do the project notebook idea for all those projects I've in my mind associated with scraps and 2) I feel much better about my amount of fabric when looking at how much some of these ladies have. That said, most of my stuff is junk. I may need to re-do what I've done.

Well, happy rainy thursday to you all.

Crossing off my list!

I finally emailed my list to Angela--well, I actually did a long time ago but I don't think she realized she spelled her own name wrong in her email address (nah, I'm sure you were being creatively original). But now, some other AngelaAllen in the world knows my to do list this month. ;)

My list didn't turn out to be a compilation of cleaning so much as a list of things I've been putting off for far too long. I have coupons in my binder that expired 2 months ago. I have been meaning to get my 72 hour kit put back together again for months! And, those books I borrowed a year ago--yes, it's time to return them to my friends.

But for now I'll celebrate by using bloggers awesome cross-it-out feature  on the things I've already done!

File taxes 

Wash/Bleach whites 

Purchase wood for shelf 

Sweep garage 

Ooops

Well that was one way to go about it:

 The first item on my list was the toaster, you know to clean it. Instead I was clumsy and spilled wax in it. After two days of trying to clean and burn of the wax (and eating vanilla smoked flavored toast) I gave in and trashed it. Lucky we have a spare toaster saved from our wedding gift stash. I knew there was a reason to move that little box around with us for the last 5 years :)

Two things:

1) If you'd like email notification of comments and posts email me. There's only room to add 10 on that, so first ten to reply get it.

2) If your picture isn't up on the sidebar, will you email me one so we can see your lovely face?

Thanks!

Hooray for another round!

I'm so glad all y'all want to do this again. Like Z said, last's years challenge has actually had long-lasting effects and I still find myself thinking about funny or useful things mentioned last year. I laugh when I look at that small pile of clothes by my bed and remember Kathryn's suggestion to cut off the front two legs of a chair and then attach the back of the chair to the wall, you know as a place for those clothes that's built into the design of your room.

I must say though I'm in a much better place this year, house-keeping wise. I don't know if it's that I'm better it, have more sleep in my reserve bank, or just think I'm awesome, but I feel pretty good about our home these days. Not that it's extremely clean or tidy, but just better. Anyone else there? Or maybe this is an off-year instead?

One of the best things that's developed this year is this:

We now actually do Saturday chores every week right after breakfast. The kids expect it and usually are enthusiastic (Wally likes to cross-off the boxes; he's his mother's son). Mostly this means Justin and I clean and the kids play around us, but they're getting better at picking up under and behind their bed so we can sweep and vacuum. They love the spray bottles for mopping (an idea stolen from someone last year!) and are ok at wiping things down. 

That said, I desperately need this challenge and the chit-chat around it. So here's to round 2!

The Lists

I remember Diana reading through everyone's lists last year and then posting about them and what she'd learned.  I felt like I was channeling my inner Diana while I read through this year's lists.

I've learned I'm not alone in my need to clean up my fabric/crafting corner.  I should maybe employ Rich in insisting I use at least 75% of my current fabric collection before buying anything more.  At least the yarn organization from last year is still intact (and came in handy when I needed to find exact colors of yarn to match the rainbow colors used in a quilt this year!).  Hurray for long-term organization impact!

I remember having "make the bed daily" on my list last year.  Thanks to a full month of making the bed daily because of this challenge, I have missed only a handful of days of not making the bed since then!  Sadly, today was one of those days, but it's been SO nice having the bed made mostly every day.

We should have a dedicated "cleaning the fridge" day for the number of us with that on our lists this year!  Anyone else planning a major leftovers night/week around that?

I'm so glad to be in the challenge again!  I LOVED this challenge last year, and it had some lasting effects.  I'm excited to learn from you all, and learn more about you, too!

The continual journey of "stuff" around my home

Does anybody else feel that as they clean one specified area that was cluttered, most of the stuff is moved to other areas that are also cluttered, waiting to be organized? I've been feeling like I'm just moving stuff around, until it will all be in that one last spot that's overwhelmingly stacked high with miscellaneous things that just seems too daunting to even try to attempt to clean. Anyone else get that feeling? On that note, who wants free stuff?!?! I have bibs, tons of bibs that are going to goodwill soon, and a maroon tablecloth that's oblong in shape 52" x 70". Yours if you'd use them!