Saturday, December 6, 2008

My Room the Landfill

It's really embarrassing, the things we allow to let go. Unfortunately, when you're trying to both work on and live in a house, it happens. My fellow DIY-ers know what I mean.

And it's just incredibly hard to work full-time and then some, plus find time for DIY projects, and all the while try to keep up with the requirements of daily life.

While there is always something getting cleaned, scoured or sanitized in this house everyday (sometimes multiple times a day) I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember the last time I cleaned my room. Oh, the sweeper has been run and a duster has been pushed past the bare spots on any piece of furniture, and the sheets get changed regularly, but that's been about it.

For the past few weeks, I've had a bag of clean summer clothes sitting in the middle of the floor. To say that's inconvenient in a room the size of a postage stamp is a gross understatment. Shoes are lying around everywhere. While I'm usually good about laundry, not so for the past week or so. It's scattered around on the floor because I never got a bag out for it. And for months -- yes months -- a pile of coupons, receipts, tags, and God only knows what have been accumulating atop my vanity. So much so, that there was almost no wood visible.

Believe me, I'm appropriately ashamed. But, I started doing something about it earlier. I went through all the receipts, coupons and other assorted debris and rid myself of whatever wasn't useful. Then, I tackled clothes. I started by getting out the summer clothes and selecting those clothes to keep in a bottom drawer for those "unseasonable" days that are likely to occur between now and April when I'll trade my winter wardrobe for cooler clothing.

Then, I sorted and bagged up my laundry since wash is on tomorrow's to-do list. Next, I'll strip my bed, give the furniture a good dusting and then run the sweeper and mop the floor.

So now we come to the point where I swear that I will never let it get this out of control again.

8 comments:

Nate and Jen said...

Good luck! I've been to that point several times, but often still end up where I was. It's tough, for sure. Full time work, DIY, housekeeping and life maintenance, as well as any fun time is hard to fit all in. Add in 2 hours of commuting and a business to run on the side as well for me, and I suppose it's no surprise our house is often in an embarrassing state.

Jayne said...

I'm glad I'm not alone in this! I have clean laundry stacked up on the cedar chest at the end of my bed. It's mostly summer clothes that need to be put away in the spare bedroom. The top of my chest of drawers is barely visible. The only reason I don't have shoes everywhere is because Little Dog will chew them up if I leave them out. I always do it, and when I clean it up I always swear never again...sigh.

sewwhat? said...

One good thing about having your flat surfaces cluttered it you don't have to dust, the dust has no place to settle! Funny, how I'm finding dust on the edges, and that gives testament to how long it has been since the tope of my dressers have been cleaned! A very long time!

MonkeyGirl said...

I feel your pain! I cleaned out my "summer" shoes only to stack them at the end of the bed. With puppy on the loose, they got stacked back in the closet. Now I can't reach the drawer. Sigh...someday I will get organized

NV said...

Thanks, everyone! Looks like I'm in some very good company. Appreciate the admissions as they make me feel a little more normal in being so behind! :-)

Vicki said...

Been there! You don't have any old cups of tea that are molding do you? I used to do that. Gross. And, welcome to the life with a kid--too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it. Do you refer to your house as the baby?

American Mamacita said...

I chuckled as I read this because I currently have one 5-gal paint bucket and two single-gallons sitting in the middle of the kitchen counter. 'Cause I'm "painting" that room... more like "occasionally getting an hour or so to work." It's about 1/2 done, after 3 weeks. Oops.

Way to keep at it though!

NV said...

V -- No, those cups usually are back at the office. :-) And I guess if the house is my baby, it's a problem child!

Kim -- It all takes time -- and money. Blessed is the DIYer who finds himself/herself with both simultaneously!