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ronbre

danger of reading.....

ronbre
15 years ago

Well I got a new book in the mail the other day "Kick the Clutter"..and was reading it after shovelling 8" of fresh heavy wet snow out of my walk and while waiting for a load of wash to finish up.....

Ok so I was thinking..they say if you don't use your dining room regularly (formal one) that maybe you should find another use for it and I had been thinking maybe I should move my computer hutch out of my husband's family room where it bothers him..into the small corner of the dining room..and the book got my juices flowing...soooo....

I moved the bombe chest and huge antique mirror from that corner of the dining room to another corner..went into the family room and started emptying all the stuff out of the computer hutch..and it was huge ..and full...got it all emptied out and my son came over to help me..big mistake..he is recovering from shoulder surgery and that hutch weighs a ton...even apart in two sections it was too heavy..but we managed to get the top part into the dining room before i realized he was in agony.

anyway..then husband woke up and helped to move the bottom part into the room..Joel was in too much pain to finish helping so he left..entire house is now trashed..stuff everywhere.

so..then there is this dusty dirty space where the hutch was..vacuumed that..(also had vacuumed living room and dining room to get the move going) ..ok..so we moved the love seat there..that left another open space so i asked my husband "would you like to have the library table in here?"...yes I would..so while he took a shower i took the two drawers out of the library table..tipped it on it's side and moved it into the family room..and moved the drawers in to it...ok..so that left a hole in the guest room where the library table was..so i went into the living room and moved a plant off of the round skirted table and moved that into the guest room..and of course now that room was trashed cause i had to take off everything that was on the library table and put it in a pile..ok back to the living room..now what to put where the skirted table was..so i can put the plant back..so i found a sewing chest that had been in the family room and i put that where the skirted table was..and plunked the plant back on it..too tired to do much more i sat down and went through all the paperwork that had been in the file cabinet in the bottom of the computer hutch...and left everything else until this morning.

got up this morning and had to put the comptuer hutch together..all the drawers and shelves were out..so i reassembled the computer ..and the hutch...and texted Joel to come and "check my work" and he did and said "i did good" so ..got that done and spent the rest of the day trying to go through all the mess on the counter in the dining /kitchen area..so that i could get things back into the hutch..one down..and now the rest of the now trashed house yet to go..did spend some time on the computer too..had to make sure it worked right..and installed programming for a new all in one printer scanner copier that had been in another room..

well needless to say now every single room in our house is in disarray..upset..and out of order..so this is organizing week bigtime..guess that is what happens when it snows

Comments (12)

  • sheriz6
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's the domino effect, for sure! We just did something similar, moved the exercise machine from the family room to the garage, then moved the living room hutch/desk into the family room, then moved the stereo cabinet into the living room -- with dust, books, cables, wires, DVDs, CDs, and who-knows-what-all just everywhere. Two weeks later my house is now finally back into some semblance of order.

    Congratulations on all you accomplished! Believe me, once you're done, you'll be delighted you shifted things around.

  • jannie
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The last time this happened I was looking for something in my walk-in cedar closet. Couldn't spot it easily to I shoved a few boxes around. That made it worse, I couldn't even get out of the closet. I had blocked the door, my only exit. So I pulled boxes out and laid them around my family room. There were probably 30 boxes. You can imagine the mess! And to top it off, I couldn't find the orgiginal item I was looking for. Boxes cramped my family room for about 6 months. One day my daughter shoved everything back in the closet. Bless her little heart. But yesterday I needed a bottle of wine from the closet. Took me 30 minutes to locate it, but at least I put everything back once I'd found it!

  • pammyfay
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, too funny! (With the exception of your hurtin' son--hope he's feeling better in a few days, but don't be surprised if he "milks" this for some extra pampering!)

    An extra benefit to your room-switching: You will start to "see" and appreciate some of the possessions a little bit more now that they're in different places. Sometimes we just forget a nice table or a plant or mirror is there because it's been there for a while, ya know?

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, my, been there, done that--I can feel your pain.
    One reason for procrastinating on some organizing projects is that you just know that you can't do "one drawer" but have to completely upset the applecart, and once you do..."Do not do this right before.. (a party, Christmas, busiest time at work, etc)"

    So sometimes it stimulates getting just the things you need improved, and other times it results in a hole,or similar, for months--like when I decided my ficus tree was too much trouble, was healthy but still dropped leaves, cat tried to get in it, and was too big (and can't leave outside all winter), and I gave it up for sale at the church sale, and now for a year there is a "hole" in the den where I need something--picture, corner cabinet--superficially, at least,the den decor is not improved by its absence, so at times I wish I'd waited until I had a new plan.

  • claire_de_luna
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One thing begets another. (and another, and another...)

    I'm only sorry for your son, and hope that didn't set him back too far. It may take him a few months longer to recover from pushing (quite literally) his shoulder recovery.

    So, after all that...how is the computer working in the dining room for you and your husband? I want to hear about what's right about making changes when inspiration strikes!

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had a similar experience today to the closet problem..i've been looking for the booklets that came with our frig, and range, since Jan 1..when we installed them..as i had to order filters..and i couldn't find them..well when i was reading in my book about redoing your closets..i thought..yeah..i could put the jeans on the bottom rod rather than my jackets..so i was moving them..there were a few pair of jeans folded on a stool in the closet..and i thought..ok girl you can hang those up..walllahhhhh ..under the jeans were the long lost instr books..just in the nick of time (of course when i ordered the filters i was shocked at the price)

    Then i also spent most of the rest of the rainy day cleaning my desk and paying my bills, in between reading the rest of the "Kick the clutter book" I'm on yard now and can't do that ..it's raining..snow melting..windy..nasty..

    OH OK for an update..i love the computer here where it is..i can look out the window at the garden and I'm out of ron's way..i can hear the news beind me on the t v or listen to music..and i'm near the front door if guests come..Ron seems to like his library table and the placement of the love seat in HIS room, and the other tables seem to be working OK where they are..but the living room ones are temporary fix until i get something better for there.

    Joel saw dr on Monday for his shoulder (his scheduled post surgery appt) and dr increased his weight restrictions ..took xrays..and said he was doing good..so no milking it..i know better.

    he is a tough cookie..he works in a job where he gets burned, cut or hurt on a regular basis..maintains HOT rubber and plastic moulding presses..

    a quick story about Joel..when he was 12, he went to work trimming christmas trees, came home with hands all blistered and bloody..and went right back the next day..most people would have quit..he worked that job until an early high school graduation at 17..he is a blessing

  • talley_sue_nyc
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Remember those sliding-tile puzzles? Your adventure sounds exactly like that!

    I used to be able to do one of those puzzles in 11 seconds. (I can't find that puzzle anymore, and it's hard to find ones that slide smoothly; even the fancy metal one doesn't slide smoothly.)

    But the secret is to completely mess it up; if it's a little bit right, you have to make it a lot wrong in order to get all the tiles lined up in an order that will let you put them back in the right spot.

    Ditto the Rubik's cube. Once you've got two layers done, you look "nearly there." But you have to do a compliated set of steps to get the last ones in place, and if you stop halfway through--it looks completely screwed up.

    Congratulations!

  • maryliz
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sometimes, one of my organization projects experiences "scope creep" and ends up being a bigger job than I had intended. I have referred to the domino effect in other rooms as "musical chairs," but I think the sliding tiles or Rubik's cube are much better analogies. I have never had an organization project involve SO much of the house all at once, Ronbre. I am glad that you made it through to the other side on your latest re-organization.

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I actually think i have a vintage one of those tile puzzles somewhere in the house..maybe when i'm done organizing i'll find it?

  • Maura63
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congrats.

    Reminds me of the book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". Basically one thing leads to another until you come full-circle back to where you started.

    I am sure you feel renewed in your rearrangement :-)

  • mommabird
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm LOl reading this. Flylady says "don't bite off more than you can chew." Sounds like you took on an overflowing mouthful! but doesn't it feel good to get all that done!

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    yes it does..i have continued down the road since the day i posted that and have sold a few more things on craigslist and moved in and out some things..my sister gave me some antique boxes that were my mom's and i gave her a lead crystal basket candy dish (for easter)..

    I rearranged all of my "collections" to move all my collectable antique boxes together onto my bookshelves/entertainment center/library in my living room/library..and so now "MOST" of my garden books and "MOST" of my antique boxes are together in here now..

    I am in an organizing delimna with the boxes thought..although i do collect antique boxes..most of them are empty..some are small some are large some have drawers or whatever..but MOST are totally empty.

    My problem is deciding what things to KEEP..and not give away..that are worth storing and keeping ..not just storing to store....and then find out what things I really want in my living room/library area..(store near point of use)...as i have my boxes in here..i do have art kit in one and paintbrushes in another..but other than that..pretty myuch all my boxes are nearly empty..which is wasting all that hidden potential..

    any suggestions??? I already have cabinets and drawers holding things like remotes, games, notebooks, pens, pencils..etc.

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