My plans so far.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Okay, on Saturday, I did lots and lots of laundry - dead dust mites and fluffy pillows.

On Sunday, instead of tackling the kitchen, I scrubbed the bathroom to within an inch of its life - if the toilet was living it’d either sigh with pleasure or scream in agony at the scrubbing I gave it…

Yesterday, as a break fro cleaning the bedroom, I put a harness on the cat - she’s adjusting to it pretty well, and today, we’ll go for walkies. At least we will if I can find the leash to hook up to the harness. Kinda pointless having a harness without the leash to restrain her.

Today…

The living room/dining room.

Eek.

Papers. Papers. And more papers. I have lots of papers. Stuff I’ve printed out. Recipes that mom sent me. Instruction booklets. Articles that mom sent me. Instruction booklets. Warrantees. Cartoons I’ve printed out. Blank stationery. E-mail addresses. Passwords. Cartoons that mom sent me. Ad more papers.

And the books. Lots of books. I’ve already packed up three boxes of books from the bedroom yesterday (I’ve taken a break from the bedroom - it was getting a little overwhelming, with all the clothes I was trying on to see what fit and what could be given away).

Rule: If I haven’t read it in the last six months, or if it’s not a signed edition, IT’S OUTTA HERE!!!

I just don’t want to fall into the Cathy (the cartoon) trap - you know, where you get partway through a project (or even before you start), where you decide you just have to have brand new matching storage boxes to organize everything, plus a cute labelmaker so you know what is in each storage box, plus some special magic markers to label the photos (that’s for NEXT month - I am not going to tackle that right now, for sure - far too overwhelming, although I have combined all my old ‘fat owl’ pictures into one very nice photo album my parents bought me for my birthday last year [see how far behind I am?!?]) that have been sitting around and I have no idea who some of these people are, and come to find out, when you go to get more of the matching accessories, it’s been discontinued and there you are stuck with mismatched accessories.

Anyway, I don’t want to fall into that trap.

I do however, want to get everything nice and organized so I can treat myself to a new tablecloth, and maybe a nice vase for the center of the table - a very sturdy one, so that Mud won’t knock it over like she did with my nice little terra cotta incense burner. Something about a neat and well-set dining room table just brings out the shivers in me. It looks so, what’s the word? Grown-up? And I do have to run out to the Oneida outlet store to get one more fork to replace the one that was accidentally sacrificed to the gods of the garbage disposal. It’s now a uni-tine – all the tines come to a single point. Great for dieting, but doesn’t look to good on the table. And I will have to get a new set of dishes eventually. For some reason, within a week of buying new dishes, I always manage to break the handle off ONE coffee cup. And of course, I’d have to buy a whole 'nuther set of dishes, to replace the one, but then I’d have table setting for eight, and coffee/tea for seven. Unless I invite one person who doesn’t drink coffee. But right now I only have wine glasses for three, thanks to Mud. So I also need to buy more wineglasses, and have dinner for 8, coffee/tea for 7, and wine for 7. So someone will be awfully thirsty if everyone drinks coffee/tea and wine. Then again, if I have dinner for 8, I’d have to buy a new dining room table - mine only seats 4, and it has a glass top, so I can’t add in mahogany table leafs. Damn, cleaning the house is getting to be expensive. I’ll just stick to getting myself a tablecloth and worry about the dinner for 7/8 later on.

But that will be my treat to myself AFTER the house is completely cleaned.

I’m starting to feel domesticated. And it’s not a bad feeling after all. I’ve said it before. A clean house, clean sheets, and the scent of Murphy’s Oil Soap is the best aphrodesiac.

Anyone else feeling inspired to do a deep cleaning?

2

um, no.

But I do have to anyway. Our house is going on the market after the first of the year and I need to start now de-cluttering, yard-sale-ing, and generally making the place presentable. And I know what you mean about papers - I’ve got a stack about a foot high of bill stubs and bank statements and insurance papers and who knows what-all. I’ve been going to file them for months.

Well, today, I fly back to Jax, leaving the kid in Baltimore for the summer. I’ll have the house to myself till August. In theory, I could get a lot of cleaning done. In theory. Apart from the pile of papers, I’ve got a disaster of a garage and a wreck in the basement. I figure those are good for 3 or 4 weekends at least. And I have to install a 16-foot section of fence - that’s a good day’s work if I can find a capable assistant. And this is on top of the usual household chores…

Geez, I’m tired just writing that out! I need a maid!

3

Try Ebay. Easiest and cheapest way I have found to replace that one fork or one plate I lost or broke.

4

Damned CD player broke. And my Cirque de Soleil La Nouba disc is stuck inside it. There goes my inspirational cleaning music. Can someone hum something for me?

IC - Ebay, eh? These are just the cheapo “Made in some Asian country” Wal*Mart quality dishware (until I can save up enough to get some good stuff with open stock where I can replace them easily). Only thing I won’t skimp on is the Oneida-ware. It’s a “made near my hometown” thing I have.

5

I had plans remarkably similar to screech-owl’s for this past weekend. It’s of utmost importance that I do clean my house, because I’m moving this Friday for the summer, and I need to leave my house in order. Here is what I did:

  • emptied my clothes dryer of the laundry that’s been sitting in there for a week
  • put three pairs of shoes back in their rightful place in my closet
  • moved the dirty dishes from the sink to the dishwasher (and oh yes, I most certainly pre-rinsed)
  • groaned over the new ring in the coffee table, left by some friend that still does not grasp the concept of coasters
  • squished a spider in my bathroom

It’s because I didn’t have that La Nouba music you speak of, surely. Umm. Yes.

6

Just got a call from Workman’s Comp (had been hurt at work a couple of weeks ago). Seems I have to meet the rep TODAY! at the doctor’s office to pick up a home therapy machine (at least it was approved) for my shoulder. Nope, couldn’t have been yesterday, and tomorrow I am back at work and would have to take 1/2 day off (upon which they frown). Criminey.

I just hate when I am so revved up for a project that I am so close to completing, and crap happens. Oh well. It was a nice thought: eventually, I’ll get my new tablecloth I promised myself.

And I still can’t get my CD out of the player. Crud.

7

Screech-owl –

Didn’t see your post until I was already done with a 1-week project to spackle, sand, prime, paint and clean the garage. It’s reorganized, there’s space to move around, and I got the cans of solvents down off the wire-rack shelves (which once every couple of years would collapse from the weight).

Check to see if your CD player has a manual release – it’s usually just a hole on the right-hand side of the CD tray. Use a paper
clip to push the release catch and your CD tray should open.

We have such a release on numerous CD players in the house though there’s none on the DVD player.

Best regards,

Mooney252