simple saturday update

Oh Saturdays...I love Saturdays.

I especially love Saturdays when I don't have homework assignments to complete hanging over my head, which is currently the case. Instead of bursting out with exuberant, Superpower energy to clean the messy house, weed the messy garden, get some good long runs in, and read a big stack of library books, however...

I feel gentle, slow, sleepy, and vague. It is nice to really have down time. I've been reading a little here and there, walking the dogs, making waffles, and sitting around with p'tit minou un, talking about our pets. It's a rare pleasure to spend some time with him alone. I am feeling very antisocial, which Minou assured me is normal when one works full-time and interacts with a lot of people on a daily basis (is this true?)

What else to report? Two garden beds weeded and snap peas, chard, kale, and lettuce planted.
I'm starting basil (for pesto) and Principe Borghese tomato seeds (for drying) in the indoor greenhouse.

Three successful blood draws last week on generous coworkers. If you know anyone trying to master venipuncture skills and you don't pass out at the sight of a needle, it is an incredibly appreciated gesture to allow them to practice on you.

The boys began their spring break, and the pressure of time feels temporarily lifted from our household. Even though I am not technically on vacation with them, since I will still be going to work, I don't have to do any evening coursework (for another week). I can't describe the pleasure I have been getting from going to bed early this last week. Reading to p'tit minou deux and then turning out the lights at 9 p.m.

We still have about 1/4 of the original tank of gas from the beginning of this month. Whoo-hoo! My goal is to leave the car in the driveway and walk or bike until April 1st when the kids go back to school.

And on the financial front...A fantastic error in calculations meant that instead of being $500 short of tuition this month, I was actually 2K in the black! How do I create so much stress for myself?! (answer: by not checking the number of credits I will be registering for in advance). I directed it all to the mortgage. I have been going back in forth in my mind about whether it's better to keep paying down the mortgage principal more quickly or find some other investment opportunity (index funds?). I've decided to stay the course and stick with the safer path for now.

How about you? What have your last weeks been like?

simple sunday

Today, I was the first one up (I was also the first one in bed last night).
I headed out into the foggy, chilly morning to walk the dog, clean the chicken coop, and feed the cats.
Then I made a strong pot of French press coffee and sat down with some schoolwork.

I am struggling with procrastination these days. To admit to it somehow makes it better.
I know how lucky I am to study, I love to learn, I want to complete this degree.
But I do not feel like doing homework! So many years of studying...

Minou is up now too. Laundry is going, the steady hum. The boys are still sleeping.
It's a nice day to be at home for a simple, cozy Sunday. I'm still in PJs with a wool sweater, wool socks, and a wool scarf (it's cold!). I'm thankful for another day at home tomorrow.

I am feeling like I want my "space" these past few days. I am so happy to have my family near, but I want to be a little bit separate from them. It's the ongoing dynamic of the only child, perhaps--growing up comfortable with, and enjoying, alone time. It's much easier to find as a parent of teens than as a parent of preschoolers.

Later today I plan a long dog walk, some more homework, and maybe a trip to the public library. It's a no-car day, as I hope tomorrow will be too. I've started riding my bike to work again, and it feels so good. We still have a Burley bike trailer in the garage that the boys rode in when younger (and more recently towed the dog in). If I really get motivated, I can do my big grocery shoppings using the trailer!

What's on your Sunday agenda?

this & that

sitting
It is so interesting how what we are doing and focusing on reframes our perspective.
What I'm trying to say is, I keep meeting people who meditate.
A colleague in my building, a fellow bike commuter, mentioned that he has practiced for 20 years.
And today, Minou and I were riding behind a vehicle with a bumper sticker that said "Sit and ye shall find".
"What in the world does that mean?" Minou wondered. I knew.

not sitting
If you don't sit, but just think about sitting, will you still find?
That is what I am doing and wondering.
These days have been so long and full. Flu season is upon us and nurses are busy.
By the end of the day I am ready for a glass of wine, a hot bath, and a book.
I attempt homework but am not finding it easy. (Why is blog writing so much more fun than academic writing?) When morning comes, I say "I'll sit tonight." When evening comes, I say "I'll go to bed and sit tomorrow."
I will not scold myself about it. When I sit down to sit, I will be there.

missing
Mamie leaves tomorrow, and I will miss her. We had a good visit. I'm planning her next flight already.

not missing
Animal, animals. I'm not sure how we ended up with so many of them. Actually, I was instrumental in bringing every single one of them into our home or yard. Our first cat Rougette came home from a birthday party in a wicker basket just before P'tit Minou Un started kindergarten (with her brother, actually, who later ran away). Our sibling cats James and Mowsie came to the P'tit Minous as Christmas presents one year with my blessing and instigation. Sawyer the Big Brown Dog joined our family the spring I graduated from nursing school, when Minou was camping at the coast with p'tit minou deux, and p'tit minou un and I went to the Humane Society "just to look". The chickens were a somewhat misguided attempt at locavore eating, since they either give us no eggs or so many we can't give them away fast enough. I love them all, except maybe the chickens.But I would really not miss caring for them.
I thought about this when I came home to a big pile of poop in the entryway tonight.
And then tracked in more when I went to put the chickens to bed. Ick.

tree
Does anyone else still have a tree up? Ours is so beautiful that I don't want it to leave. I think I will just take the ornaments down, leave the lights up, and keep it. And our neighbor asked for it when we finally take it down! I'm not kidding. I'm also not ready to take it down.

and you?
What are you thinking about and up to? I would love to hear from you!

simple saturday

There is little I love more these days than a day at home.
I wasn't always such a homebody.

My sister-in-law noticed, not long after Minou and I met, that we seemed most lighthearted when we were "out and about". I also remember those days as a home-centered mama of two little ones when every day had to have at least one outing, and more were better.
A few hours alone at a coffee shop with a book and a journal back then--bliss.

Time has passed. Life has changed. I am very happy with my work now, but I'm away from home for many hours a day (nine and a half, counting the  bike commute). I love my sweet & simple home. I miss it and those in it.

Even if the p'tit minous are occupied with homework or reading or other diversions, even if Minou is tied up with the taxes, I feel their presence and I am happy to all be home together. At this moment, I'm sitting on the couch with the sun shining in the big double doors. There are two sleeping cats next to me, and a sleeping dog at my feet. I wore out Sawyer (and myself, in a good-tired way) with our long hilly jog this morning.

I made a Thai vegetable curry with tofu, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes over rice for lunch. Spicy and good.
I'm looking forward to an afternoon coffee to go with the pastries we will select (with an X-mas gift card) at a bakery in honor of Minou's upcoming birthday. We decided together to choose then & bring them home, rather than eating out. Crean puffs are sounding pretty delicious.

I have a little homework for later, but I'm holding out hope for an early evening movie and snuggle on the couch. I have also been mulling over a post on how the Sitting is going. Still hard, but good. Tuesday will be the two-week mark. I think I have missed two days. I've also switched to mornings, first thing.

How is your Saturday going? What are you doing today?

domestic bliss

The little pleasures.
I left work early today and was picked up by several members of the Minou family with two wet and muddy dogs.
I felt extraordinarily happy to be home early on a chilly, sunny Friday afternoon.
I made lemon zest biscotti to go with tea, and orzo pasta with roasted vegetables for dinner.
The kitchen is clean and minimalist-ish. Tree lights reflecting  in the window.

A 1000-piece puzzle on the card table, and dog eyes reflecting in the camera's flash like headlights.

This dog and I are going for a night walk, and then we (meaning the Minous, not the dog) will hopefully snuggle up to watch a film together (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) and then turn in early.

lucky

How do you feel about housework?
Sometimes I wish I were a person who loves to clean.
Or who cleans while stressed (instead of lying around eating cookies, for example).
I appreciate and enjoy cleanliness.
I just would usually much rather read a good book or take a walk than actually cleaning.
This is neither good nor bad, it's how things are....
and while we do have a lot of animal hair around (due to a lot of animals), a hygienic standard is met.
Perhaps this standard would be a little low for some. But high for others! Everything is relative.

Where I'm going with this is that I am very, very lucky to have a mother-in-law who loves to clean.
Seriously. She really, really enjoys it. And she is very good at it.
She thinks of lovely touches that give new meaning to the term "domestic arts".
And our house is free of dust bunnies, the stovetop and sink are sparkling, the dish towels are ironed (!!).

I feel a little guilty. My mother-in-law is 82. I haven't washed a dish since she arrived.
In fact, there hasn't been a dish sitting out since she arrived, since not only does she wash them, but dries them and puts them away...immediately.

This just doesn't feel proper. She is our guest.Yet she would be extremely unhappy if she couldn't help, couldn't keep busy. She doesn't enjoy reading (and her eyes don't allow it). She is a talented artist, but the mood has to be just right. Cleaning and organizing are among her many gifts and one of her favorite hobbies. At home, she is so efficient that there is little to do. Thankfully, we have quite a bit to keep her occupied.

I long ago gave her free reign to rearrange, sort, organize whatever she wishes on visits.
And I benefit tremendously from it. Time to read (for myself and to P'tit Minou Deux--we are continuing our Mark Twain kick with A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court). Time to jog. Time to blog.

I am lucky.

Sapin de Noel

We got our Christmas tree!
On a dark and rainy, gusting night, the four of us walked down the street to a lot on a nearby corner.
We were drenched by the time we arrived, 10 minutes before closing, to find...nobody there.
The family running the lot had gone home early, with most customers staying out of the storm.
Sadly, we made our way home, treeless.

But it was worth the wait. The next day, Minou, Mamie and P'tit Minou Deux returned after school.
Minou asked for a "Tree from the Island of Misfits" and explained we only had $20 to spend.

From back behind a dumpster, the lady dragged a magnificent 6-foot noble fir. Look how lovely it is.

 It was a misfit only because it had two "tops". Would you even notice the second?
We certainly don't mind. I have always loved noble firs, the space between the branches, but we have never chosen one before since they are more expensive. Usually we get the bushier douglas firs.

It's the most beautiful tree we've ever had, and from the Island of Misfits.
Maybe because of it?
Maybe we are beautiful misfits, too...
The cats love the coziness of home.

And one more note: Minou just came up to tell me that he found his wedding ring, which he noticed Wednesday he had lost. Our neighbor's son-in-law just found it at the back of a closet where our friend keeps bedding and said "whose ring is this?!". Minou had borrowed some foam mattresses for P'tit Minou Deux to sleep on, since he gave his bed to Mamie. Now we have each lost and found our rings once! I lost mine on the streets of Montpellier in winter. Minou found it 3 days later lying on the curb at our busy corner. I wasn't worried, I was sure he would find it...

fresh slate

before

This weekend we had a painting party.
It wasn't spontaneous, but I didn't anticipate that I would get as much help as I did, or that we would paint the kitchen, living room, half the entry, and both boys' rooms.
We are tired.

we're having fun

But it was fun. What was good was that we worked together. There was very little losing tempers or harsh words. There was a lot of patient helping. Also chocolate chip cookies, and brotherly teamwork. I am so thankful.

painting party

I had been going back and forth on colors for a while. After several years of the warm, bright colors you see above, I wanted a change. And so did P'tit Minou Un, who strongly lobbied for white. Not sand, not taupe, not greige, but a clean, bright, white. 

So we went with it. I remembered a post from Miss Minimalist about white walls, in which she said that in every house she'd ever lived in, she painted everything white right off the shelf at the home improvement store. That's what we did. We got the big cans of Ultra White. No color mixing required. No agonizing between cloud, marshmallow, or palest wheat, but WHITE. I wasn't sure if I would like it.

after

But I do! It really opens the space and makes it look bigger. I love it, in fact.
P'tit Minou Deux was not sure how he felt about losing the colors, but he said afterward, "It's like we live in Italy!" I'm not sure why that association came to mind, but I'm happy that he likes it too. And his room is now a lovely deep spring green, accented with the wood window trim. He was going for a forest effect.

We will create our color downstairs with art and fabric, but right now I'd really like to leave the walls bare.
I'm looking forward to getting a tree and decorating it for the Christmas season.
The only issue now is the books. What to do with the books?

The P'tit Minous voted not to have the massive bookshelves in the living room now (they were made of recycled gym bleachers, sanded down)...and again, it feels much more spacious.
While Minou and I made a run to the home improvement store, they began cataloguing our collection.
We will have to see where they can be stored. I have always dreamed about having a home library...

I can't believe the weekend is over! What did you do, the last two days?

minimizing monday

When do things get to a point that is  recognizably "less"?
I'm wondering about this now, waiting to dip below that critical mass (can you say reach critical mass if you are trying to diminish the mass?)

Despite the items moved out last week...lots and lots of ladybugs items...my home feels quite, quite cluttered.
It's the small things more than the big things--though it's everything. Papers, mail, magazines, books, and shoes seem to be the things that are permanently strewn around creating the feeling of lots and lots of red ants biting rather than lots and lots of ladybugs. I know I need systems to deal with these items. I have been putting off this process until our lovely Attic Addition is habitable, because at that point the bags of tools and pieces of insulation, wood, and Hardiboard lying around (hmm, could be contributing to the red ants biting sensation) will be gone. Then I will have a better idea of the space that is actually here to work with.

However, as the wise Vappu from Life Should Be the Cat's Meow stated, organizing doesn't work if you have too many things. It just doesn't. It takes a tremendous amount of energy with little return. Better to minimize first, and then organize.

I am moving along, moving slowly. This morning I took two coats back to my neighbor, who had given them to us for me and p'tit minou deux but weren't being worn ( I also took her a miniature plum berry pie).
I have three bags of books set aside to sell or donate. One bag of random donations to go out, and another bag of clothing to try and sell (this is so much harder for me, somehow). I also have a stack of maps to go to an artists' materials recycling cooperative that came from the big cabinet. And P'tit Minou Deux and I have a date to make our traditional holiday snowflakes today--we will cut up a map to do it!

It's progress. I wish it was moving more quickly, but it's progress.

happy at home

It is so nice to have some time to be home.

This last week I have been struggling with a cold that just won't go away.
In an effort to heal and boost my health, I have been trying to sleep lot and lots
(propped up on pillows to breathe), have been swilling green tea by the gallon (& little coffee),
and drinking green smoothies for breakfast every day.
Fresh pressed apple juice, frozen blueberries, bananas and peaches, and big handfuls of chard or kale.
Delicious. So nutritious. I love to start the day with something green.

Now: the start to the weekend. A Friday evening grocery trip with Minou to replenish the bare cupboards, and a plan for cozy cooking tomorrow: leek and potato soup, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, homemade pizza, and blueberry pie. I love to bake, and like to bake several things together when the oven is hot.

Keeping these p'tit minous fed is a constant job. P'tit minou deux has been requesting a second supper every evening, usually at lights-out time. Unless I'm on my own way to bed, I don't argue; we go back downstairs and it gives me a chance to get a vitamin and another fruit and veggie into him as well as another serving of dinner or a pbj. We have worried a bit over this one and his light appetite over the years, so I enjoy watching him eat. He is 13 now. I'm expecting to look up and find him as tall as me any day now.

This weekend I will also be making a trip to the home-improvement superstore with Minou when he goes to buy supplies for the attic. Drywall is next. We'll be sleeping there soon. I'm planning to buy painter's tape and get our downstairs ready to paint before my mother-in-law arrives for a visit in three weeks. We have had had warm, bright colors in our living space for several years now. It was my choice, an antidote to the winter gray here. The living room has a long red wall (dark brick red) and bright sunflower yellow walls. I'm tired of it now. I want a look that is more serene, peaceful. Our ceilings will stay white, and the floor downstairs is an off-white tile. For the walls, I have been going back and forth between a true white, off-white, and a pale tan/taupe.

What do you think? What would look more serene?

we've got windows

Look! Up in the sky! It's so exciting....

The windows are here!

We are going to feel like birds in the trees from our attic perch.

And now...

The first one is in!

(Minou had to look away as our friend W. gesticulated and leaned way up there...I'm thankful that he isn't the one climbing that high ladder. Our friend's wife came to lunch mid-day and even she didn't like to see W. up there, comfortable as he is 30 feet in the air).

Do you have any home projects going on these days?

dog days

While Grammy Minou is gone, the basset stays to play.

She's pining for her human Mama, but her BFF Sawyer provides some comfort.

Attic Addition

Here are those photos of our future retreat under the eaves...

before:

Notice the luggage, the sentinel Nutcracker, and the piecemeal fiberboard flooring.

 

after:

Notice the framed-in window, new light boxes, insulation batting, and the beautiful pine decking.

Doesn't it look more spacious now? I am so grateful for the help we have had to create this space, from friends who are generous with their times, skills, tools, and support.

Here's the next step:

A truck full of rigid insulation waiting to be cut (yucky job) then fitted into the ceiling.

I will have to be patient this week, as Minou is busy with other projects.

 

It's moving forward. At least once a day, I pull down the ladder and poke my head up into the Attic Addition to breathe in the pine smell and dream about a peaceful space of our own up there.

 

 

 

november, and home projects

Is anyone else having trouble believing that it is already November?
The season has changed here. Chilly rains have set in, and most of the yellow leaves have fallen.
This leaves our predominant Pacific Northwest winter colors of green and grey.

Tonight we set the clocks back--Fall Back.
I am looking forward to that extra hour of cozy, restorative sleep under the patchwork quilt.

Amazing, since I last wrote here, the progress toward the Attic Addition.
I always forget to document projects in progress, but I will keep you updated.

As we move along, a few more parts have been added: another window at the opposite side for views and cross-ventilation, and a decision to move the access to the space so that it is not directly in front of the boys' bedroom doors.

A friend asked Minou, "Does she want the project not to be finished?" No. I do not want it not to be finished.

What I mean is, I cannot wait for this project to be finished. It has been a lot of work, almost all of it done by Minou. With the help of some good friends, generous with their time and skills. P'tit Minou Un has also used his brawn to lift down many, many boards and planks. It was good that we started this now--we discovered, among other things, a carpenter ant infestation up there! They were hidden under the former insulation.

It is going to be beautiful, and simple. Spare and serene. All white. A bed, a place for our clothes, and a little altar/meditation cushion. A little treehouse loft with a sloping roof. I will be able to just stand up in the very center. Minou will have to bow his head. That's OK.

This process has got us excited about other changes that will make it more comfortable to live in our  little house. Late nights in bed there are a lot of whispers about "What if we...". The thing is, these are not expensive changes. Well, the materials of course do have a cost, and our time is valuable. But what I mean is that starting projects, especially with so mch else going on in life, is daunting and can feel overwhelming. Yet fairly small changes (like adding a little storage) can make a big difference in daily life. I think overcoming our resistance to starting and seeing how fantastic it will be to have the Attic Addition has given us a new sense of what's possible.

(Of course, this is all very easy for me to say... I am not the one who has been making all the trips to the home improvement superstore and dealing with the ants and insulation upstairs.)

Did I mention that Minou and I sleep on a futon couch in the living room? It's actually very cozy--there's always a cat at our feet. But tricky when someone (me) needs to stay up late working at the kitchen table.

Anyway. I look forward to a day when there are not so many competing responsibilities. Just eight more months to go to complete my BSN degree. I hope to have our home renovations all finished this winter (the next steps will be painting,dealing with water damage in the upstairs bathroom flooring, and creating a storage closet under the stairs). And of course, more decluttering, so that what is in our little home is only what we love and use.

This is a busy season of life, but it is not forever.

holding down the fort

I have been on my own with my boys for a few days a Minou is off in the wilds, somewhere near Seattle, hob-knobbing and cavorting with a bunch of eco-builders and designers.

He left us hidden chocolate. That man is so sweet.

As are my boys: I loved watching them be playful, gentle, and encouraging with a little one we know. P'tit Minou Un used his Big Boy influence to encourage Finishing Dinner, while P'tit Minou Deux spent time building Mr. Potato Head and roughhousing on the floor despite being tired. I am so, so proud of them, watching the young men they have become.

Anyway, we are holding down the fort. We bought massive amounts of groceries (two teen boys in the home), we bought chicken feed, we bought cat food and dog food. Our entire household will be well fed (me perhaps a little too much so: see hidden chocolate above, plus some amazing chocolates sent by a dear friend in a surprise package). I'm also hearing a buying theme here. Let's hope (for Minou's sake) that we don't buy a house too.

We're going to an open house today, just to look.
P'tit Minou Un reminded me that this was how our big brown dog Sawyer joined the family--a weekend that Minou was out of town, and the guilty parties went to the Humane Society just to look. Ahem.

In other news, I have discovered some affordable non-code (oops) tiny spiral staircase options that could solve our attic loft access problem. And I have a big week coming up at work, with two events I am excited about. Sometimes I don't recognize outright that I am feeling a little nervous about something--until the behaviors I am employing to cope with the feeling undercurrent trigger me to notice.

Such as: why am I eating too much chocolate? Why am I spending so much time on real-estate websites and driving around town to look at houses, when we are planning to fix up our little urban farmette homestead and make it work for us? And why can't I be motivated to scrub and clean, and go on long-distance runs, instead of these other behaviors?

Oh well. Related to news, I also have several academic deadlines coming up. I had promised myself that this would be the year of No Procrastination--I am tired of the disruption this bad habit can create, as I work feverishly last minute to gallop in and deliver the goods in time for a deadline. As interesting as my online coursework is, I am really, really ready to no longer be a student. So many years of this. And here I am, procrastinating again. It's challenging, with this tendency, to study online, since there are so many built-in distractions--such as blogging and real-estate websites!

Therefore, I'm going to take a little blogging break. I'll plan to check in and post weekly on the weekends as a self-reward for getting my coursework done. I'll fill you in with my decluttering progress, which is proceeding at a slow and steady pace. Thanks to a suggestion from a reader (thanks Sue!) I have been sticking with a set amount of time per day--15 or 20 minutes. When that is done, that's progress.

Have a lovely week...please leave me anote and let me know what you're up to!

woke up

What a rollercoaster ride of emotions this last week has been.
Thankfully, I woke up from a dream of a Japanese house to realize that, although I long for space and beauty,
there are many, many, ways to create them in my life...
and that I do not want to be saddled, weighed down, leashed, or chained,
to an enormous mortgage or any other debt.

Whew! Am I the only one who has these fade in/fade out moments?
Seized with a new passion for something, swept by emotions that temporarily overcome the rational parts of my brain.
I  live in both the rational and emotional parts.
I have discovered, though, that the "middle way" of living is more sustainable.
Slow and steady. I keep coming back to that theme, because I have found such stability and comfort in it.
Not to mention progress.

 I'm back to the "ten a day out" decluttering system. This sounds like it would move quickly, but many of the things are too tiny to be noticable. Still, it keeps me moving forward.

So, no grand sweep of the house (the attic avalanche is sadly still piled on the couch). I'm having the hardest time making progress with the baby clothes and little-kid toys. My preference would be to keep a few of the classic, favored toy sets, like the wooden train and Playmobils (I'm hoping for grandchildren some day far in the future, and we do have younger kids over to play occasionally). Also to keep just a few of the cutest, most memorable outfits...and pass the rest on to some other adorable baby or toddler to wear and make their own memories in. Most of these clothes were passed on to us from little Bastien, Tasman, and Zane. However, here is where I must defer to the P'tit Minous, who are inexplicably attached to their three-month old outfits and two-year old coats. Sigh.

We are (I'm claiming some credit, but really I should say Minou is) making progress on the attic remodel too. He pulled out all the rough flooring over the weekend and installed a new ventilation system to deal with moisture from the shower upstairs. I'm so excited to imagine this as our cozy little sleeping loft space (shhh...I mean, "storage space", since we aren't installing a legal staircase at this time. The City does not like lofts with ladders, since the fire marshal couldn't get up there). We live in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and I can just imagine falling asleep to the lullaby of rain on the metal roof just over our heads.

And in other news, I'm back to jogging, tonic for my soul and mood (there's nothing like a good run in the pouring rain), and I love my new job and co-workers. Life is good.

moody

I'm in a mood.

I shed a few tears over the Japanese house last night, then let it go.
Its sale is pending. It was snapped up once the price dropped--so low, but too high.
(I stopped tears quickly as P'tit Minou Deux said "Mama you're making me sad...")
The open, empty space. The Shinto temple aesthetic. It was lovely and unique.
I hope that whoever bought it will love it and live in it, not leave it as a university rental.

Here we are. Dreams aside. This is my home... la Maison des Minous.
And it is a sweet one. Well-insulated, wood-framed windows, trees all around, and the garden.
Also lovely and unique, in a warm, friendly, simple, crowded, cluttery way.
We built it from the ground up. (not really, but designed and watched it built)

Warm and friendly and simple is good. Crowded and cluttery, no.
I'm ready to part ways with Things. I want less of them. I crave open space.
I need fewer posessions than I own. I desire to break the emotional ties to them.
Expect to see progress on that Attic Avalance within the next week.
Tonight, I want everything to go.

maintenance

Home clutter maintenance takes time.
Not a lot of time, but regular time.
I find it amazing and overwhelming how quickly everything can pile up
with just a few days of being-too-busy.
Too busy to do that regular evening sweep,
tidying up, recycling, returning books to their shelves,
coats to the closet, shoes to the Shoe Box, and above all,
papers to wherever they need to go.

I recognize that it is all about building habits.
My lovely mother-in-law, Mamie, is a home organizing genius.
She loves to clean, move furniture around, and rearrange drawers.
You could eat off the floor in her home (though she wouldn't let you).
It would not be recommended to do that in our home
unless you were trying to really prime your immune system.
Years ago, as I quizzed her on How She Did It,
I remember she said, "If you just take the time
to put each thing back in it's place after you use it...it makes all the difference."

Of course, I scoffed: too simple! How could that solve our clutter problem?
Well, part of the problem back then, with limited storage,
was that not everything had a place to live.
 But now, many Goodwill bags out the door later, it does.
And it really does make the difference.

After just one week of attention spread in many other places,
when I forgot that the thirty seconds it takes to return something to its home is worth it in the end, our downstairs looks like a whirlwind hit it. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but it feels overwhelming to me. Paper piles. Magazine piles. Shoe piles. Homework binder piles. Things headed-out-the-door-but-not-there-yet piles.
And with all these piles, it's harder to find the floor to keep it clean.

So just like a monk sits down to meditate and takes the first breath, a runner heads out the door and takes the first step, a cook picks up the kitchen knife and prepares to cut the first vegetable, I have to learn to start from the beginning again every day. Pick up my first item, and return it to its home.
The simplest tasks performed again and again.
Back to basics. Building the habits. Home maintenance.

house hunger, again

Oh, as if there is not enough going on right now...
I went and fell in love with a house.

And I didn't pine in silence and privacy, either--
I dragged each of my family members to see it, one by one.
It is sitting empty, a little Japanese-styled jewelbox
half a mile from my boys' schools.
Full of windows, soaring ceilings, tatami mat room, an office studio for Minou
and yes, three bedrooms.

No yard to speak of--but between full time work (at a new & wonderful job), finishing my BSN nursing degree, and helping P'tit Minou Deux with homework, I am not finding much time for farming these days.

And it just dropped $50,000 in price.
To be what we could just ever so barely afford.
With a personal loan for the down payment offered by a dear family friend.

What to do.
Stretching financially like that goes against everything I believe in and feel comfortable with.
I don't believe in debt, I don't carry debt (except a small mortgage).
I like the security of an emergency cushion.
To know that even if the worst happened, we would be OK for a while.

Yet--it's a great investment, close to the university and a park, sure to appreciate in value.
It is a gem of a home.
Not for everyone--no storage and no carport (or garage).
Perfect for a minimalist!
(a real one).
My boys could walk to school.
And did I mention how beautiful it is?

Sometimes it's handy to have an architect in the family.
While I rhapsodized about the light, the lines, the Japanese soaking tub, the open floor plan,
Minou noticed the cracks in the major beam, the water damage on the ceiling,
and crawled under the house to see the falling insulation and floppy HVAC pipes.

My bubble was burst.
I still want to buy it, though...for someone with the money to put into fixing into it, it would be a wonderful investment.
The problem is, we don't have the money.
But we almost do. With no cushion.

What do you think? What would you do?

attic avalanche

Oh.My.Goddess.

I had been feeling, dare I say it, just a tiny bit smug about all the decluttering progress I have been making. Watching things going out the door that aren't loved or used, even parting with emotionally charged things like my father's book collection and folders full of prior course material, feeling very proud of myself.

Well, I still am, but I realized today exactly why the house has been looking so spacious.
There's this little thing called an attic.

And ours was completely emptied today, to make room for some renovations--ripping up the flooring and insulation to make it into (eventually) a finished sleeping loft.

And that attic space was full. It didn't feel full, but there you have it. Bring everything in it down the pull-down stairs into the upstairs landing/office area, and there is a horrific, piled-up mess.

And if I thought prior items were emotionally charged--here we are talking baby clothes, baby toys, boxes of papers and cards.... How will we do this?

 

I'm not sure that P'tit Minou Un will be able to get out of his bedroom to come down for dinner.