Sunday, January 30, 2011

some advice from midlife

I have been trying to clean out my house and divest myself of some of the acquired detritus of living with mixed success. One of the things I re-purposed was my basalt hot stone massage stones.

Because it is no use owning massage stones when no one is willing to give you a hot stone massage. If you have to pay someone to do it, may as well make them use their own damn stones.

So the stones are as of this moment solidifying in cement to become garden path stones. They should work quite well in their new life.

There is no reason to own two sewing machines.

Another one of my little gems of wisdom. I must get that posted onto freecycle, where someone will want it. Another thing about freecycle (where cheap bastards WANT those digital TV converter boxes all the fucking time), why say you want something, and never come and get it?!? Okay, not everyone does that, but I got stood up once, and there are always reoffers for the same stuff because the donors get stood up, week after week.

Here's another gem: if you suspect your daughter is too young for a sleepover, you are probably right.

Mine had a meltdown last night because her sticker tore. Now I suppose, it is showing how comfortable she is in front of her friends and family that she allowed herself to act out, but really, it was just a sticker. I shouldn't have to threaten canceling a sleepover because she cannot pull herself together over a sticker.

So, the organizing is going well. Now I can access all of my scrapbook supplies, and I have a hope of completing a few projects. Before, since I couldn't find everything let alone get to it, the idea was overwhelming. The trouble I have now, is that it is so much fun to get rid of stuff, that its like a hobby in itself.

Now, just have to order those cruise photos...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

why can't I keep my dining table clean?

I know some people use the table they eat off of as a flat filing cabinet, but I am afraid that only begins to describe my dining table abuse. Honestly, I cannot figure out what my problem is! Of course I must place plates of food there. And I even manage to clear them off regularly. Also, the daughter does homework on the dining table, and this amounts to seven pages, but usually in a stack, with pencils, erasers, scissors, glue, crayons, and the list of spelling words. That should be manageable, right? THen there is the mail, and man, does it pile up. I know I should touch each piece of paper only once, but who wants to pay bills the day they come in? No, I stack them and pay them in a bunch. Then there are the coupons. Clip clip and stack on the table. The books to read pile up until I move them. Then there are the little project stacks, and the rental movies, and before you know it there is no place to put the plates. I know a desk is the proper place for most of these papers and projects, but every desk I own is already covered with papers and projects and it just never ends or all gets done, nor does it even get filed discretely away. How does one declutter their life?