Not quite a horder - decluttering
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I can't do ceilings any more because my neck can't bend back. Looking up really makes my arthritis flare. We can't decide whether to paint our cabinets or get new ones from Ikea. They are plywood, so would look better painted. My hesitation is that they don't even have adjustable shelves. I would love to have drawers on the bottom to hold the pots and pans. I hate crawling back or removing tons of stuff in front to get something from the rear. I have old Fiesta dishes which would just love a glass front cabinet.
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I once read that if you are spending a lot of time painting a ceiling, a good tip is to use one of those padded cervical collars/neck braces like you get after a whiplash. It prevents too much stress on your neck.
I got one after my head injury, but what I realized was that if I ever needed to paint a ceiling, I now had a brace!
Oh, for pull-out drawers in my cabinets under the stove where my pots and pans are stacked! There, and where the Corning Ware is stacked. Total PITA to try to get one item out!
Maybe some day...
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They sell those pull out drawers which you can put into existing cabinets at the home improvement stores. They aren't cheap, but cheaper than all new cabinets.
Some of my cabinets have them, and the layout is bad, so they won't solve my kitchen issues, but if that is your main complaint with your kitchen, they might be worth checking out. We are getting a stainless work table on wheels today which might help with the lack of workspace in my beautiful but not workable kitchen.
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PatMom, I know what you mean. One of my bottom cabinets can't be opened fully because the door runs into the stove. When I worked in an office and paper boxes were readily available, I made pull-outs from the boxes and lids, using strapping tape for the handles. They are on the bottom shelf so I can pull it out enough to reach the back. DH is a cook who never saw a pan or utensil he didn't need, so the main problem is overcrowding. We don't do the big Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners any more, so we don't need all that stuff in the kitchen. I've talked him into putting some of the things in the basement in boxes and I don't think he's ever needed any of that stuff. I don't see why vegetarians need steak knives, but they're still upstairs in the knife drawer.
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How sad is this? DH and I got back from a week's vacation last Friday. Every single time I've actually needed to get dressed to go somewhere, I've had to dig through my suitcases (that I haven't yet unpacked) to find something clean to wear.
DH? His suitcases are emptied, clothes washed and dried, and all toiletries put away within like 30 minutes of our driving in the driveway.
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I feel so guilty that I've done no more clearing. My son was here in August and I left all the files & folders spread all over the living room that I was reviewing when he was here - his school records & things saved for him from age 3-18. Also pictures to be hung or re-framed were still propped up. Well my son came again last week. I did hang most of the pictures before he got here, even though I was waiting to paint first. Painting apparently not happening. Embarrassed to say I put all the files back a box and stuck in a closet. While he was here we took a handful of copper tubing that was used for an A/C project years ago to be recycled. He we really put out about the wasted drive until the scrap center gave me $40.00.
I had given my movie projector to Salvation Army the week before I found a whole box of movie reels. I finally took them to Costco & had them put on DVDs. It wasn't particularly cheap but how else was I to determine what the pictures were? And I did wait until I had a coupon for $5.00 off each DVD. Out of 10 or 12 DVDs, there were three that I'll keep. My son was only partially interested in two of the three. But what fun my BFF's son, my niece & nephew and an old pal will have receiving DVD's of their childhood or their grown children's toddler parties. Those will be my Christmas presents this year.
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Blessings, Does that mean he does his own laundry? DH unpacks right away and puts everything in the dirty clothes basket.
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OK I am back. Checking in. Cleaned the hall closet today. Old swede coats I never wore amd I must have 30 posters in there. I wondered where that stuff went. Goin g to shift the posters down stairs in the basenment so I can sort them.
Question....Should i get a small storage unit and put all I am keeping from the basement away so it can be clear when we paint and fix it in the spring. Have to remove some mold/mildew and paint the walls with that basement paint. Redo the bathroom cheap that has not been used in 20 years...that should be fun and pull up old tiles in the floor and possible ceiling. I will send a sample of both to get tested for asbestos first. It will never be a showplace basement and not worth a full remodel. I do think it will sell better if it is mold free and painted with a small bathroom. Any ideas?
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Bunkie - I'd be afraid to get a storage unit. It would be too easy to put it all out of my mind. Anything I put there would probably still be there when I die. Up in my attic is bad enough. On the other hand, I have a friend who got a storage unit. After a year she told her children they had two weeks to show up & get what was theirs - then she took most everything directly to Good Will. She reasoned if she hadn't missed it in a year, it must not be critical to her continued existence.
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Yep, Wren - he is trained very well. When he was previously married, he worked three jobs to support his family, yet still took the time to raise three boys (two stepsons and one biological son).
He made sure each boy knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, iron a shirt, and sew a button on.
Because he grew up in a family of women (he and his dad, plus Mom and three sisters) he also learned how to use a sewing machine.
I got a good one!!!
Bunkie - one one hand, I agree with Minus Two. Out of sight, out of mind!!!!
But I am also thinking that if you have items that have been kept in moldy, mildewy places, they are going to retain mold spores and mildew smell. Are these really, REALLY things you want to keep?
(Hint: Soaking fabric items in the laundry additive BIZ does a pretty good job of eliminating odor. I usually leave them in the tub for 24 hours.)
The other issue is how much mess is the re-do going to make? Perhaps it WOULD be better to move things out to have a clean slate.
You're putting your house up for sale, right? Those home-selling shows always advise you to rid each room of clutter and make it look generic, and if you have too many personal items, a short-term storage might be a good way to go.
Not sure if I posted this before or not, but I always wanted to be a house flipper. Forget the fact that I have no money or expertise, I always thought I could learn. Bwahahahaha! But in the future when FIL passes, we will be selling the rental property he owns. Hasn't been updated in AGES. DH has given me free reign on doing a CHEAP cosmetic flip, just to increase our asking price.
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I am constantly going between two locations--where my hubby works (just started a job) and our old home which we want to keep for retirement in a city where my kids and friends live. . Of course all of the mail goes to our old home and the pile up of papers on my kitchen counters and table has become overwhelming. So I am here for a week and just sorting and shredding everything. It is one of those not exciting jobs but it needs to be done. I am happy to say that the kitchen counters are finally visible again. I think I can get the table cleared off today and the kitchen may once again become a kitchen! This is just the tip of the ice berg. I have zillions of other things to do---one I have arranged--new roof--and some still need to be arranged. But at least this is a beginning and it is wonderful to walk into the kitchen and see the counters cleared!!! :-)
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Mandy, I'm sure that's a huge morale boost! Congrats!
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Thanks Wren and Onco Warrior.I needed that support. :-)
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Message to my family: if it needs dusting I don't want it.
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Way to go, Wren!
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I'm wondering how I can snag the Barrister's Bookcases at FIL's house. They are made of oak, with the sliding glass covers that lift up and over to access the books. I don't think they are antiques.
But our house is light and beachy. How do you think these would look if I stripped off the dark oak and either whitewashed them or painted them cream to match our beachy bedroom furniture?
The master bedroom is pale blue, with a large sitting area with chairs and bookcases. The furniture is white cottage style.
The reason I ask is because books are one of the worst things you can have in a bedroom (besides carpeting and drapes) if you have asthma. They collect tons of dust. I love my books, and I have a gazillion of them, but don't want them out on open shelves.
How do you think the Barristers bookcases would look whitewashed or painted?
Here's what they look like now...
Here's what they would look like finished...
What do you think?
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I would probably use them as is. But my father thought it was a mortal sin to paint wood, so that is probably influencing my choice. I think painting makes it look more IKEA. But it's your bedroom, so if you want it light, so be it.
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