Organizing the Chaos

When things are crazy, and I'm trying to make sense of life, I often begin by creating order in my surroundings. Due to my perfectionist tendencies, this activity consumes me and I am able to block out the rest of the world.



This weekend, I began Fall Break by de-cluttering the kitchen. I purchased drawer organizers and got rid of items that I had too many of, that I didn't use, or that I no longer needed. If anyone would like a never-been-used cappuccino machine (a wedding gift from SuperSaver; sorry SuperSaver, the idea of it is STILL so cool, but if I haven't used it yet...) a 9x11 pyrex (I'm thinking of you, PrayingMom!), or a Betty Crocker knife-block set (a hand-me-down from SuperDuper that has served me well) - let me know!

One item you will have to dumpster-dive to get is yet another wedding gift, the deep fat fryer. I was debating about the fate of the deep fat fryer and the bread machine. While these two items have immense practical use, I must admit to myself that neither has been used for the past year or two (or three?). I went outside and asked husband. We talked about the two appliances, and somehow we got onto the topic of whether the fryer had oil in it. I clearly remember him leaving the oil in. He clearly bet me a $1 he did not.



The photo clearly shows oil that has solidified into one nasty ooze. I can't remember the last time we used the deep fryer... long enough for vegetable oil to solidify... I paid Husband $1 to get rid of the disgusting oil receptacle.

I admit, there are some things that deserved to be thrown away that weren't. For example, I have a plastic container of "purgatory" items (excess pots and pans used for holiday cooking) and a box for my fondue party (An inventory revealed I have THREE fondue sets! I am giving myself one year to throw a fondue party or I have to get ride of two sets). Another self-imposed deadline is that I must make a loaf of bread with the bread machine before the year is over, or I have to get rid of the bread machine.

The sad part is that, while I still feel some sense of accomplishment, I also feel the stress coming back. That's the problem with blocking out the world! As soon as you stop to admire your work, the world starts to creep back into your head...


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Hoarders...

Husband and I began watching Hoarders on Netflix. He fresh off of a weekend at the auction, me having made no progress on the Scary Room. We both felt a little uncomfortable by some of the themes we heard.

"Hoarders think everything has emotional attachment..."
"Hoarders get worse with time..."
"Hoarders might obsessively search for hours for small things..."

We exchanged a few nervous glances as one episode featured a wife that buys things and a husband that hoards (that would be us, reversed). We began looking at the Scary Room, and husband's counterpart, The Shop, in a new light. I didn't have much time to dedicate to the Scary Room this weekend, but I did pick up the rest of the house for the first time this month, and threw a lot of stuff in an effort to ward off a hoarder's future. I recommend watching an episode or two - if you have a scary room, or a scary basement, you might also feel motivated to address it before it gets out of hand!

The Scary Room Wins Again

Dear Scary Room,

I concede. You have won. I cannot mount a last-ditch effort to make you un-scary by the end of Tuesday night. The Teenager is leaving Wednesday, and I go back to school tomorrow, so there - you win. Now stop taking up precious space in my brain, stop stressing me out with your constant silent judgment as I pass by, and just love me for pretending I had enough time to turn you around.

I will worry about you when I am 40.

Love,

Free To Be Me in 350

Day 9: Eighteen-ager

The teenager is now a legal adult! Happy Birthday Eighteen-ager!

The birthday reminded daughter of yet another change paving the way for her big brother's move at the end of the summer. She voiced her concern with tears this evening, prompting a family meeting where daughter shared her feelings with her brother (she loved him, she will miss him). Then she prayed for him (that he graduated, that he was an old man, that he would visit her). It was a beautiful, slightly comical and very joyful family meeting that ended with a four-part rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

The two of them have been through a lot together, and I know it will be hard for her. Tonight, the teenager illustrated his maturity by the loving way he consoled his sister and prayed for her comfort. I am so blessed to be part of this family!

And the quest? I'm in the office, going through files... but I'm not sure it's possible to be done by the end of tomorrow!

Day 8: Running & Cupcake Suckers

Today I literally ran out of the office at 5:45. The last bus left at 5:58. I ran two blocks, briskly walked the third, huffed as I waited for the walk sign, ran the last block, saw my bus pull up to the stop down the street, so ran up the street the final block and collapsed on the bus.

Only to sit in the bus in cabin and Grandma's Marathon traffic (interpretation - we inched along the freeway). I didn't get to the lot until seven p.m. I was hungry. I was tired. I was frustrated with traffic. I didn't think it was possible to emotionally recover and enjoy my family. Especially after perhaps irrationally yelling at husband for a series of things he can't control.

Despite being slightly afraid, my family pursued me in love and we had a great family dinner. The teenager turns 18 tomorrow! Like any good mom, I baked (purchased) gourmet cupcakes and the greatest invention ever - cupcake suckers!

And the quest... ugh I don't know if I can finish it...


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Day 7: Rough Day

The day started off with a ticket. A $108 ticket for not displaying my tabs. As you can see, the officer HAD to see my tabs through my windshield when he gave me a ticket! I took this picture as proof.

I'm a lawyer-in-training. I was not about to let this stand. I went to the court house, took my number, and sat down to wait. This is not the first time I've done this; once, in undergrad, I got two parking tickets in the same day. The short story is that I was too close to a fire hydrant, and I had a miscommunication with the property office about which lot we could park in for free. It happened the first month in my first apartment the summer after Freshman year. I had about $70 to my name. I was in tears as I explained to the officer that I had no money, this was my first summer in the big city, etc. etc. I still remember that poor man, watching me cry. With a big sigh he said, "How much can you pay?" I think I paid $40.

This time around, I am blessed to have more than $70 to my name. Just like the first time, I told the truth with passion.

Me: "Sir, I'm here because I got a ticket for not displaying my tabs, but they were clearly displayed through my windshield."

Hearing Officer: "Is there a good reason why you don't have the tabs on your plates?"

Me: "No. None that are directly relevant."

HO: "I can appreciate that."

Now, in case you think I'm above playing the "kid" card, I did manage to throw that in as I was explaining that things have been really busy... you know, since purchasing them on April 13... because they expired the last day of February...

He cut it down to to $54. Procrastination cost me $3.60 each week. About $.50 per day. For less then a cup of coffee each day, you too can procrastinate like a pro...

And related to the quest, my family did run down to the basement for a few minutes while the worst of the storms went through (tornado sighted southeast of town). My thought? How furious I would be if all the crap in the dumpster got mixed back in with all my stuff in the SCARY ROOM if a tornado went through...

Day 6: Twins Game!

Twinsfan and I went to Target field on this lovely evening to watch the Twins beat the Rockies 2-1. The highlight of the evening included eating a Twins Big Dog (nothing like the Dome Dog, sad!), a heaping bowl of nachos, and the 3.5 mile back to Twinsfan's home (had to walk off all the food I ate!). Yes Dad, I am a believer - outdoor baseball does have some magical abiance that the Dome cannot match (at least, on a perfect Minnesota evening such as tonight

What quest?

Day 5: Falling off the wagon

My work today consisted of picking up a new three-drawer organizer that Coach picked up for me at Office Max. I fear I am falling off the wagon. And yet, I am consoled by the thought that my best home work is done over the weekend.

I need to be inspired. I am going to read one of my organizing books to get myself back into the mood. I have a lot of work left to do! And very little energy...

Day 4: Relapse

Don't tell Coach... but today I had a slight relapse. See, I was reading Amanda's comment to Day 3, and I wanted to take a picture of all the plastic sheet protectors for perspective, right? So I got out my stash, and then made the fatal error...

See, I haven't taken out the last bag of trash yet. So I dug into the bag and pulled out my discarded sheets... you know, just for the picture.

So then I took the picture... and I was putting my stash away... but I realized if I smooshed them all together, I wouldn't have to throw ANY of them away!!!

I cringe as I imagine Coach's face as she reads this, her jaw dropped to the floor with a strangled, high-pitched scream emitting from her throat...

Day 3: Can you believe it's Day 3?

I am an amazing pack rat. But it comes in handy. For example, I opened up an anniversary card from my parents, where my mom had written "Can you believe it's been two years?" I then opened up another anniversary card, where my mom wrote "Can you believe it's been four years?"

I'm still laughing. Now, had I thrown them away I would never have known my mom had pre-written all my anniversary cards and simply changed the number...

The idea behind a Coach is that she makes you do what you don't want to do, but you need to do in order to reach your goals. Coach has all sorts of crazy ideas: for example, instead of filling up space with crap, think about what you actually really want/use and throw the rest. Example: Coach asks, why are you keeping all these old textbooks? I respond, because I bought them and they look nice. I realize I never use them, and since I am now in law school, I really have no need to reference "Educational Psychology." So now my bookshelves look like this:



I am also very happy that we moved the computers all to one desk.



And that we threw away an obscene number of writing utensils, binders and plastic sheet protectors. If you would like a box of binders and hundreds of plastic sheet protectors, let me know ASAP on the blog; I threw away at least two dozen binders and am donating another dozen to the thrift store, while keeping a dozen of my favorites. As far as sheet protectors, I am keeping about two inches worth and threw away the remaining inch. I pared down my writing utensils by 90% - at least a few hundred ended up in the garbage bag. Like children who hoard food, I apparently hoard select office supplies for fear I will run out.

As you can see, I still have some sorting work to do. Coach and I went to Walmart and purchased these beautiful clear, see-through "archive" boxes: one for each member of the family.




Until next time!

Day 2: The Depression

"Husband, I am going to throw away these Christmas cards."
"Have they ever been used?
"No..."
"Can't you just use them this year?"
"Husband, this is why we have so much stuff! I need you to be supportive of me and affirm me since I am trying to get rid of some of our crap!"
Honey, you married a much older man. Its like I lived through the Depression. Those cards still have use."

Sigh! A call to ChoirFriend, who will be called CleanSweepCoach for the next few days, produced the advice that, if I think I will use them this Christmas, store the card with my Christmas stuff. So I went through the pile and threw away some silver foil stuff I was into a few years ago, kept the cute reindeer ones, and continued on my quest.

CleanSweepCoach came over and helped me see some of the errors in my ways. I had always thought I was a relatively organized person, and when I read in organizing books about people who kept re-buying things because they couldn't find the initial product, I assumed that was someone else.

But the look in Coach's eyes as she took in my ice cream pail, shoe box and two cups filled with writing utensils, or my dozens of three ring binders (I'm afraid to tell her of the boxes of binders in the garage... I'm also afraid to show her the large box of office supplies hidden under the guest bed that was born in a U of M dorm room back in '99) -- well, let's just say I realized I wasn't nearly as organized as I thought.

On another depressing note, I am throwing myself into my project here in an effort to relieve some of my emotion related to my Grandma's current state of poor physical health. I found some notecards she gave me and yeah, I shed a few tears. As a reward for my hard work today, and because I eat my feelings, Coach and I made a DQ stop :-) Somehow, tears always taste better with DQ soft serve...

Day 1: Mental Preparation

Yeah... I didn't do anything on the room today... instead, after getting home from work the family went out to eat, then played Bocci Ball in the yard, then finished off the teenager's two-layered sponge cake with chocolate frosting and raspberry filling that he made last night after watching Cake Boss.

Maybe tomorrow...

Quest #5: Clean Sweep

The next 10 days will be spent decluttering and organizing THE SCARY ROOM. As ChoirFriend will tell you, it is really hard for me to throw things away... THE SCARY ROOM never had a chance, from day 1 it was the room where we stored all the boxes we hadn't unpacked when we moved... our poor guests have to somehow go to sleep despite the general chaos looming overhead... it is time to take a stand against my stuff!

P.S. I found a pretty awesome "Clean Sweep Assessment" that will be helpful for future Quests!