Sorting Party

Sounds way more glamorous than "I spent my weekend going through papers and finding storage solutions for stuff." So my "sorting party" was a little like losing a bet. A few months back we created a new workspace in the loft for DH and quickly his paperwork began forming a moat around the area.

Compounding the paper lake was a separate sort we also completed of miscellaneous items that we had identified as needing or wanting to keep, but they had no proper home. DH had agreed to handle the paperwork, I had said when that was done I would deal with the rest.

My dislike for clutter finally made me cave. I spent several hours not only sorting through a hodge podge of college papers and portfolio materials, but also piles of DH's research. For the record the new fancy hotel workspace model the company has moved to where no one actually has an office is reeking havoc on our space. So delighted we can become the storage facility for papers that need to be kept for future projects, but can't be kept at the office because they eliminated all of the file cabinets. Brilliant.

So my Saturday/Sunday sort struck me as productive because I can see the floor again upstairs, but also made me wonder "how much of this do we really need?" There's that weird balance between not wanting to be a hoarder and also not wanting to get rid of literally every item the second you have no immediate use for it.

Are there reasonable standards for how much one should really have or hold on to? Holiday decorations are always a point of wonder for me. We currently have four boxes of Christmas decorations, one holds the tree, and the others are full of ornaments and various other decorations. It strikes me as too much, but I keep thinking that I'll use more of it. No?

Sure our china and crystal are still packed up and take up space, but that doesn't bother me. It's the seemingly random boxes of "memory" stuff that I fear could overwhelm us. We have at least three boxes of photos or mementos from the past 12 years and prior.  So do I take the time to make them all into books now? Minimize the space? How many childhood stuffed animals should we really hold onto?

I don't want to dispose for the sake of disposing, but I also don't want to be a warehouse for things of no use and no true sentimental value. How are you handling what to keep and what to not?

Resolute Desk

Amid the binge sorting and cleaning of the other week DH finally agreed that he needed a better at-home workspace. Our little grandma's bill paying desk was great, but his knees didn't fit under it. Since we're trying to make no serious furniture purchases this year, the only logical place to look was IKEA. Less than $70 later, he is now blissful over his new "work surface" in the corner of our loft space.

This has now left me with two piles upstairs to still deal with: the remains of sorting down to "OMG we have to keep that paperwork/stuff we can't live without" and now a little desk that has become an island piled high with desk stuff and Christmas decor carnage.

I've realized that we should have waited on getting the new desk because DH's interest in sorting and filing has been completely lost to his obsession with how productive he can now be at home. Sigh. Well, at least I know what I'll be doing while he's traveling. Oh that and the honey-do list he pulled out for me this morning.

Over nine years of marriage and never once has he given me a list... is this progress? Greater equality? Well, you can't fight the list.

Three Days of Organizational Bliss

You know your middle name is Martha when you lay out your plans for the next 72 hours and instead of planning a quick get-away you think, "I could clean all of the closets and go through those boxes." It may not be life changing, but it will be nice to start 2011 with some refreshing of the organization around here.

Mind you, I didn't wake up early to start this endeavor (there has to be some easing into the day, no need to rush). However, I now have what may be the cleanest fridge we've ever had and I even pulled it out and scrubbed the floor behind it. Yikes.

Off to the closets. Watch out Goodwill/Library/Recycling/Trash there's like to be something headed your way. Should you need any new reading material or miscellaneous kitchen items, just call, I am likely to have something to fit the bill.

Lacking Motivat...

Seriously, after demonstrating hyper productivity to prep and execute the holiday celebrations of the past weekend, I've hit a rut. Sure, I could lament some of the week being hijacked by actual work, work, but really let's be honest. I'm the picture of inertia at the moment. The boxes and paperwork are not going to sort themselves. I'd rather blog about a lack of productivity than say, be productive. With any luck, I will rediscover my sorting mojo and the house will enter 2011 clutter free.

More On the Floor

After the last post on the frustrations of floor cleaning peaked an interesting discussion, I've been looking for a better solution. I still don't have a good definitive answer, but I am working through the suggestions in this book.

What I appreciate about this handy reference guide is it's practical and yet slightly neurotic. They suggest using murphy's soap up to twice a year year mixed with water to keep up the condition of the floor, with a good old fashioned hand washing. Argh, I just can't escape scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees.

But, more interestingly, they propose that any mild soap (sans any bleaching agent) mixed with water is likely the best weekly cleaner for your hardwood, whether real or laminate.

So, I'm working my way through the various options I already have on hand. Right now the Seventh Generation liquid dish soap is up. I'm still using just elbow grease as I haven't found a good mop I like, but the rubbermaid remains a contender. Anyone else had any further luck?

Well Laid Plans

Last weekend I planned and shopped for a week of eating at home, getting back on track with meal planning and staying focused on budget. On Monday, I found out a beloved colleague was tragically killed and our university community was thrown into grieving and shock. Meals didn't get cooked this week, floors weren't vacuumed. The few hours not spent at the office were spent sleeping. This weekend I finally had some time to unplug and hang out with DH. Hold 'em tight. It's really all that matters.