A Day In My Life

Art room

We have discovered here at the Perkins-Fields house that my art room is simply not working out.  With my All Dressed Up business growing, I am afraid the "creative mess" has grown also...right into the dining room, livingroom and our bedroom.  YUP...I am admitting to it!  The great big mess clean up I did last spring is falling apart!

The big debate is wether we should TRY to clean out the existing art space and fit everything...including me, into it.  THIS is what it looked like on a really good day last year:

Now, once again I can not walk through it!

So back to the debate...do we leave it in the existing space, or do we take this existing space and use it as Scott's and my bedroom and make the master bedroom the Art room?

The master bedroom is larger, BUT our clothes and bureaus would have to stay in it as there isn't room in the art area.

I would be more accountable to clean up as we have to walk through the master bedroom to get to the bathroom.

The existing art room is MUCH warmer...our bedroom is the coldest room in the house and frankly it is uncomfortable in the winter.

Regardless of what we do I have to get rid of a great deal of STUFF.  I am much more focused on the All Dressed Up business, and so I need to part with the primitive craft making stuff I have.  I am still a scrapbooker, but my focus is getting pictures into scrapbooks now...rather than creating all kinds of home decor, rubberstamping and such.  I can part with alot of scrapping/rubberstamping stuff because of this!

The debate goes on, I am afraid the bedroom is not a bigger space since we would have to keep the clothing and such in there.  I am on the fence about the move.  Scott is "Let's Do It!". Nate thinks it's a dumb idea. And Lauren?  I am not sure she has weighed in as her focus is on getting ready to move out of the nest I have created for her for 20 years, and into her own nest!

What should I do?

Dancingly, Denise

The Plan

I have been living with this list for the last 14 days:

 
As you can see I have had my hands full with decluttering...BUT I feel a great deal of satisfaction for what i have done.  As you can see I crossed alot off the list and a couple of simple things will be crossed off tonight. 

My new plan is to erase this and rewrite a NEW plan of attack.  I will be ready to start back up after this weekend (I need a rest).

I will put the things back on the list that I didn't complete and I have a bunch of new things to add...oh dear...wish me luck!

My boy Nate has been gone for 14 days and will be home early tomorrow morning (maybe 3:00ish) I am so excited to see him!

Have a great rest of the week!

Dancingly, Denise

Less Blogging, More Cleaning...

I KNOW I have been gone...for quite awhile actually.  Dear blog, I have missed you:)  As I said in my last blog post, there are soooo many changes going on here, that I have a hard time sorting them out and knowing what I want to share here and what is not my story to share.

I have always tried to be authentic in my writing, but so much of what ios happening belongs to others, and directly effects me so it gets confusing.  So, I will tell you what I have been doing.

A friend of mine described her house decorating and "feeling"  as SPRING, while most of the people in her area decorate in more of a fall feeling (darker, rustier colors).  i got to thinking about that and I want to be SPRING!

Along with that, my son Nate has mentioned several times lately that the clutter in the house is "bothering" him.  He hasn't said it in a mean way, just in a way that it hit me that je is feeling closed in and frustrated.

The clutter IN out house (except in the kids rooms) is mostly mine.  Now, it is not at hoarder status, but it is gaining speed quickly.  So, with some cheering on of a couple of NON-judgemental friends...I feel like I have hit my groove.

I am flailing with the fact that Ihave no control over what some of the people in my life are doing.  And in praying and meditatiing and talking with others "Put your house in order" kept coming up.  I DO have control over that and boy does it feel good.

Many Many bags of trash so far and MANY trips to donation centers.  I have been working at it steadily, everyday now for  12 days and what a difference!  It isn't perfect, but it sure is feeling BETTER and happier!

The difference this time, than with all the other decluttering times is that I am not just RE-organizing things...I am getting rid of things...stuff.  It feel good.

Nate is away at Big Bend in Texas and will have been gone 14 days when he gets home...I hope he feels Better walking through our door.  I am sure Lauren and Scott have been equally effected, as have I...THIS change is good!

More on it...and some pictures...soon!

Have a great Tuesday,

Dancingly, Denise

Treasures

Happy Monday!

I have spent my entire day cleaning out kitchen cupboards.  I still have underneath the sink to do, but since we have had mice in the past I am going to wait until Scott can help:)

I did get in one of the cupboards where no man goes...it extands so far back that it is a waste of space, but I decided to empty it out and only use the very front of it.  I am so excited by what I found.

From Kindergarten till about 6th grade, the kids would always get a new lunch box each year.  Scott and I would write a note to the kids on the lunchbox with a sharpie.  Towards the end they would make us write the notes inside so the other kids wouldn't notice...but they still let us do it.  A couple of years ago, I found a couple of them, took pictures of the notes and threw the lunch boxes out.  I am pretty sure I blogged about it.  WELL, I found some more today...and one very special one for Nate where Bobo and Buppie (my Dad) wrote notes on it too!

The Batman lunchbox- Kindergarten!:

 
and the notes:

 
and a close up of Buppie and Bobo's notes:)

 

 

and one of Lauren's lunch boxes...POOH:

 
 
and two more:

 
 

The lunch boxes are pretty gross so I threw them away, but now I will always have the special little notes!

By the way...a garbage bag of towels went to the local animal hospital this morning.  AND out of the cupboards 6 bags of trash and FOUR large boxes of stuff to donate OR go to OLD THINGS!  I keep opening the cupboards and looking inside! 

See you soon!

Dancingly, Denise

Random stuff

I took another load to Goowill yesterday:

 
Yikes it feels good!

Today I am getting rid of towels.  I am hoping the local  Vets will want them for the sick animals.  We have too many and it really dawned on me when 1. I was on my third load of them and 2. they all don't fit in the cupboard!

Remember these?

 
Well they are FINISHED!  This is what 146 of them  looks like:

 

Yahoo!  Now on to the next project.  More on that/those later.

Last night Lisa and I and Nate aand his band buddies all went to see Adjustment Bureau.  It was a pretty good movie...not quite as action packed as I thought it would be, but still pretty good.

I am off to work on some projects!  Have a great Sunday...

Dancingly, Denise

April Fool's

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. 

~Japanese Proverb

 

 

In Maine, we were really fooled yesterday on April Fool's day.  This is what we experienced all day long.

Now, I am not complaining ...I got alot done yesterday and that felt good. AND, my house was full, which doesn't happen very often anymore.  Both Lauren and Nate were home, and Scott was here .  It wasn't loud, everyone did their own thing, But it was nice to have everyone here.

 
Scott might not have been quite as thrilled with the day, since he did alot of this.

Did you get April Fooled?  Alas, I did, towards the end of the day.  I went to wash some dishes and Nate had taped the water hose on the sink OPEN.  I got quite a shower. And yes, I KNOW it is the oldest trick in the book and both my kids have done it to me before, but not enough that I would have even seen it coming.

Ah well...in other news...I am once again cleaning out the house.  The difference is...I am really cleaning out the house.  I am looking at everything (well except for the kids and Scott) and deciding if it really fits into my PLAN.  I got to tell you alot of stuff just doesn't fit anymore.  I have a couple of great friends who are cheering me on and not critizing or making me feel ashamed of how the house is now...and that really helps.

A few days I took a trip to Goodwill:

 
The jeep was full.  You might be saying "Good for you Denise for getting it done" BUT this is nothing compared to the amount I must get rid of.

Tuesday I tackled the hallway closet.  It is suppose to have sheets, blankets, school supplies and shipping products (for my business).  BUT it is one of those closet that when you open it you need to RUN before everything falls out on you.  Well, I really purged...felt good...only to realize that I STILL couldn't fit the blankets and quilts and sheets into it.  Soooooo yesterday I REdid it, and I am happy to say there is a huge box, smaller box and three garbage bags all going to donations this weekend. AND my quilts and such fit:)  The closet is so neat, I walk by it and open it everytime.  I think I want to spend my weekend in there!

Well, I am off to get some basic things done, and then maybe play a little with this:

 
I'll tell you more about it later...but just a little bit.  I sell Memoryworks products.  I am a consultant and yes I do home parties (not many though...approx. 3 a month) and will do lots of catalog parties.  But in the meantime look at that box...my latest orders for people:)  YUMMY!

Dancingly, Denise

Thoughts about the "Great Big Huge" mess Cleanup!

I am a week and a half into the clean-up.  Back in 2007 it took me 21 days, I am hoping I will have this done by the end of the weekend.  Here are some thoughts:

1. I have waaaaay too much stuff

2. I am overwhelmed and have to stop every few hours and clear my head.  Sometimes I just don't go back to it.

3. I don't want to do this again

4.  I feel good about cleaning out over HALF my scrapbook idea books.  I will offer them up to my scrapping buddies and them what is left will go.

5. SEVERAL bags of trash have gone out of the room.

6. I have saved EVERYTHING that the kids have ever brought home.  These containers will sit in the diningroom and after the clean up is done I will go through them.  I am hoping to pare it down to half.

7. I should never have to buy another 6x6, or 8x8 album.  Nor, should I have to buy paper to go into them.

8. My creativity is growing again and I keep coming up with ideas to DO with all this stuff.

9. I have 5 boxes  (so far) chalk full of stuff to put on Etsy, take to Goodwill and give away.

10. I got rid of over HALF of my unfinished projects (most will go up on Etsy)

11. I need a studio that is FUNCTIONAL and less CUTESY

12. I need a whiteboard

13. I have waaaaaaay too much stuff...did I mention that?

Here is a picture from two days ago: (it actually looks better today, but I haven't taken a pictures yet today)

 

 
 
 and I thought I would leave you with a picture of the snow from my deck:(

 
 and of one of the only TWO inhabitants of the Field's household that appreciates this snow:

 

Dancingly, Denise

The "Great Big Huge" Mess Clean up Continued!

Are you waiting for the next installment of my clean up?  Sorry...Life got away from me the last two days and so I haven't had time to post.

I will be back later today or tomorrow to show some more pictures of the progress. I simply wanted you to know that I had fallen under the mess never to be found again!

See you soon!

Dancingly, Denise

Day One of the "great big huge" Clean Up

Many of you followed me back in 2007 when I created an ARTstudio for myself from a huge mess!    Frankly, I am not the most organized person and slowly that room became a big heap of a mess again.  Last March when I had my appendix out came the true downfall of it...everything got thrown in there...and although I TALKED about cleaning it up...well it never happened. 

Hence the pictures you are about to see are graphic and rather HOARDER like.  I am only showing these pictures to help make myself accountable...so in two weeks when you still haven't seen the AFTER pictures, you might either 1. ASK me what happened...or 2. send a rescue team out because I have probably fallen and can't get up!

here is the BEFORE when I opened the door this past Monday:

 

At this point you may be saying "Why the heck is she ADMITTING to this?"  I have to...or folks it will never get done.  Am I embarrassed?  YUP...but I know this will work for me...so look on...

 
 

So, I started digging my way out on Monday.  I worked pretty steady that day and this is what happened:

 

 

 

 

So, as you can see I am making some headway:)  ofcourse THIS is what the dining room table looked like at the end of that day:

 

And basically STILL does today!  Tuesday I didn't work on it at all as I had outside traveling I needed to do.  Yesterday (Wednesday) i worked on it off and on, but found I had little tolerance for all the STUFF.  I now have four boxes of stuff to get rid of, some will go on Etsy under de-stashing and much of it will go to Old Things and Goodwill.  I didn't take any pictures yesterday cuz I was at the stage of making MORE messes than clean spots and just didn't get the camera for that!

TODAY...I have worked in it for two hours.  What I am discovering is I am choosing to work IMPERFECTLY on this.  Since 2007 I have added much more than scrapbooking to what I am doing and so I need to be able to store a great deal more stuff.  So, at this point I am just trying to make things accessible...and find spaces to actually work.  Stay tuned for more picture tomorrow as I progress!

Thanks for looking...and trust me, there is hope!

Don't forget to sign up for the Giveaway at A Day In My Life: GIVEAWAY!

Dancingly, Denise

HEALTHY

January was a great start to using and being my word of the year HEALTHY!  At the risk of sharing to much info...

I had a

yearly physical

rectal examine

mammogram

teeth cleaning

and I have lost 6 pounds!

So, I am now onto FEBRUARY and need to have an eye exam this month...a cavity filled...and a cholesterol check.  I wasn't kidding when I said HEALTHY is where I am headed this year!

Don't forget to sign up for my give away of a MICE WITH A MESSAGE.  Just comment on this:

 A Day In My Life: GIVEAWAY!  Tell us a goal you have for the year...or a word you have chosen to stick with you throughout the year.

I am laying low right now, not much computer time as I am working in my BLack Hole...uhm I mean ARTstudio.  I am taking before and after pictures so stay tuned!  I need to get it done as I have several rather large orders to fill and I need space to do it.

For now, I am off to take my Mother In Law to the Drs...and hoping to beat the snow home.  Yup, MORE snow coming our way here in Maine:(

Take good care

Dancingly, Denise