Newest Art!

Finally got the newest addition to our art collection hung.

Carl bought me this cute little painting for my birthday last month.

Meg's room

Some shots of the so-called progress in Meg's room.




This was the *progress* on Friday evening.















Around 1:30pm Saturday. Being Scooby Doo apparently helps the process.


And at 3:00pm Saturday. Sidetracked by playing with the toys is a recurring theme.


Meg is proud of her hard work!




More progress 4:30pm. Getting sidetracked to chat with your sister can be fun. Why be a slavedriver? I'm letting them hang out for a bit.



And they stopped at 5:30pm for the night. Ack, Meg still has to move the junk off the bed, or she'll have to sleep on her sister's upper bunk tonight.


Sunday afternoon. Still have to clean under the bed, where they hid a lot of stuff yesterday. Gotta love the overhanging quilt, it hides a multitude of sins.
And we're DONE!!!

I even pulled the bed out, vacuumed under it and febreezed the whole carpet. Some of the ink stains are just never gonna come out of that carpet. Not all were her fault, of course... it used to be hubby's office, when he was doing graphic design, more than one ink spill happened during the wee hours.

Tackling the Guest Room!

Okay, so it's Saturday, t minus 56 hours.

I'm about to dive into the guest room. I start the clock at noon. Will work in 30 minute increments, taking 5-10 minutes to hang with the kids, and to play online as motivation.

Guest room at 11:45am Saturday. Next update scheduled for 12:30pm.


Guest room in progress at 12:30pm Saturday. Quick break, find timer, refresh soda. Next break, feed self and children.



Guest room stuff transitioned on its way to final destination.

Argh, the break ran on a bit longer, because, well, it's just so much fun to play with my girls. At 1:55, headed to take a progress shot of Meg's room, both girls are going to work on it for an hour. I'm headed back into the guest room.

The upside to this process is that I'm finding some stuff to sell on eBay. Pink Polka Dot Poodle Project Purge!



Here is the other side of the room, at around 1:30pm.


And at 2:30!



Now, to tackle this section... starting at 3:15 ish. I need a bit of a break, just to regroup.



4:30 pm Saturday...

This side of the room is DONE. Okay, still need to vacuum, but I dusted all the stuff, and organized the bookcase a bit. Moved photos around also, to make a nicer arrangement.



You can see my cat's white belly under the chair. She loves this room, but it has been closed for several months, since the reorg started. Tux is the fattest cat I've ever seen.



This is the other side before shot...


And after.

Okay... 4:30 has rolled around. Note to self... need to adjust guest room clocks to reflect daylight savings time change...

Some humor for those of you who have been following the Pink Polka Dot Poodle Purge Purgatory Performance Art.



Errrr... and the reality of the situation. As good as the room looks, the stuff is only in transition... I still have miles to go before I sleep.

Front page Dad and Granddads gift ideas posters

I always miss the best treasuries.

So, I thought I'd do my PIF for the weekend. I will be taking screenshots of the front page, as often as I catch them changing, throughout the weekend.

If you made it, congratulations. I hope if you make it, you don't miss it. If you did, I hope I caught it, so that you could see





Here's the first, by knots.








Captured at 10:30 am Saturday ... A lovely selection, done by yaelfran





Captured at 11:30am Saturday ... Really beautiful picks by girlsavage.

Family room

Starting the clock at 5:10pm.

My goal is to finish in less than one hour!

On my mark, get set, GO!


6:05pm Done! I knew I could do it.

Family room clutter picked up. Not all put where it belongs yet, but I'll do it before bedtime.

Dusted surfaces, vacuumed surfaces, picture frames, top of armoire, stereo equipment, vacuumed floor, vacuumed sofas.

Looks like it usually does, when I'm not stressed out. :-)



Weird, the paintings pop way more in photographs than they do IRL. I may have to reshoot this one. One of my favorite watercolor artists. She does amazing work, IMHO.

Kitchen before and after

Progress report.

Kitchen cleaned.

Counters decluttered, items put in proper places, not just into a pile in a different room.

Four loads of laundry done.

Meg is about halfway done with her room.

I appreciate all the amazing suggestions, even from those who don't sound quite as positive, to my ear. :-)

I do feel the need to reiterate that my home is, for the most part, lovely. We have an ongoing struggle with clutter. We have a habit of using the guest room as a catch-all. I'm fairly certain this doesn't constitute bad parenting. :-) I deputized you to keep me accountable, and I do appreciate it. Keep it coming. Your support is making me feel much more able to get it done in a timely manner.

And yes, five minute breaks to post and look at the fora are part of the motivation, so I think I will continue to do so.

Photographic evidence takes me seconds, and is helping me to stay motivated.

Different people respond to different methods, I know how much I need positive reinforcement and well, nagging, which is why I asked for it.

Kitchen at 12:30pm.

Kitchen at 2:30pm.



Kitchen counters before.



And after.

I think I may take all the stuff off the fridge, to really clean up the look of the room. But, I have to figure out a way to organize the stuff on the clips. All the paperwork has separate clips, one for me, for hubby, and one for each daughter.

Perhaps folders in the cabinet?

Procrastination and Accountability

So, my mother is coming for a visit, YAY. She'll be here for Meg's birthday. Meg is excited.

I am a procrastinator. I had a week and a half to clean. I haven't.

I'm posting before photos, and will post again as progress ensues. If you wish to aid in motivating me, check back, feel free to comment, to tell me to stop posting in the fora, and get back to work, UNLESS I can post evidence that the room is done.

I may post more before shots.

Help me be accountable?

Enjoy.





The guest room at noon Friday.






Meg's room at noon Friday. She comes by it honestly, as you can see.


My bathroom at noon Friday. Not the highest priority, because I can close my bedroom door.

Daddy Xmas take two

What I might buy for Dad at Christmas

etsy shop idea

Please pardon my inept photoshopping, I did this in about a minute and a half, just to demonstrate what I have in mind.

Hope someone finds this useful, or if not, at least... interesting or amusing.