Organizing and decluttering the homestead

[treerooted]

Lol, Britsea, that is word for word what happens here.


Well, at least I'm not alone? As per Bee's original post, I just feel so much better knowing where everything is. Mess is one thing, but disorganization can take a toll.

Even though it's just mess I will try and tackle the kitchen today while the little one naps. Kitchen is ground zero, so we'll go from there.

 

[Mini Horses]

NONE of you are alone -- I'm right there with you!! It just happens.

Altzhimers is always on my mind -- what's left of it! -- and I'm not so sure that is a cause or just the total confusion of "everything" that causes forgetfulness for me. I still work, so often my time is more structured to work (there's that paycheck thing) and what I NEED to do. Priority is frequently along the lines of "feed the livestock or clean the closet". Five years of mom here with the big A sure had an impact!!! I aged 20yrs in those 5. Mom had been buying way more than needed, often forgetting she had 2 or 3 of whatever it was anyway. She was always one to have "enough on hand" anyway. What I found in her house was unreal!!!!

Soooooooooo.......yesterday, I did some tossing and ya know what? I have a table in the dining room area!!!! WOW, a nice one, too. Tomorrow is going to be cold and windy out, so I do hope to have another go at "clearing & cleaning" inside. You cannot imagine how much I have upstairs from mom's house -- but, I just can't get there until I finish downstairs where I "live".

A never ending battle. (that my DD doen't want to inherit!) Hope to do some clearing this winter, big time.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

A never ending battle. (that my DD doen't want to inherit!)

I'm determined NOT to do that to my kiddos too...but it's hard! Too much to do, too little time. Outside chores seem to take priority to inside chores. And, when I'm inside, I'm dealing with mom/dad/DH, cooking, laundry...all the normal stuff so that the extra rarely gets handled.

 

[treerooted]

Hope to do some clearing this winter, big time.

Great, we'll form a support group

And ya, caring for a parent is tough, particularly with Altzhimers. My grandmother lived at my parents house for several years during the advanced stages of Altzhimers and Dementia. She passed last year (the day after her 96th birthday).

 

[NH Homesteader]

My husband is a mild hoarder - DD won't get rid of anything either... I have SO MUCH STUFF I would rather go to the dump, or be donated, anywhere but stay here! And we have a small house. So my organization efforts seem futile most of the time.

But.... I'm going to try! Lol

 

[treerooted]

So the little one is napping, though probably not for much longer as I was holding him for a long time. I don't feel like cleaning anymore. My friend lost her twins today at 13 weeks. So I'm crying a lot. I will clean tonight though in case they need us to look after their son. And I may clean their house too if the timing works out.
Having a clean and organized space does make things easier when dealing with misfortune. Like when you're responsible for the affairs of a family member whos passed and getting papers in order, all the mundane things that feel surreal that you have to do even though it can feel like everything should stop for a moment.

My husband would have no idea where anything is I bet, if he needed to find it without me! So...2018, the year of the organized papers.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh so sorry for your friend. That's so awful, and right at the time we all start to let our guard down a little about miscarriage.

My husband also has no idea where anything is! I am about to go through some of my livestock supplies and figure out if I need to order anything before kidding season, and start organizing some baby stuff. It's all easier than tackling my husband's messes! Lol

 

[tortoise]

Having a clean and organized space does make things easier when dealing with misfortune. Like when you're responsible for the affairs of a family member whos passed and getting papers in order, all the mundane things that feel surreal that you have to do even though it can feel like everything should stop for a moment.

This is always a huge concern for me! I don't want to leave a mess for others to clean up. Nor do I want to figure out want to do with DH's stuff. OMG, so much stuff. Plus paper. OMG, paper. I have my papers in order, and I *think* DH knows where the documents are. I only have a list of his accounts, if his computer loses his passwords to accounts, I'd be lost.

I need to get baby stuff out of my house. DH doesn't want to get rid of it yet, and now his sister is married and we assume trying to conceive. I hope to get it out into the attic above DH's shop building. It's all packed up, but getting them up there is a physical nightmare. I might have DS10 climb up into the attic and I can hand them up to him from the ladder? I might as well put kid clothes I'll be storing for 8 YEARS in between kids up in the attic too. I need space to breathe in my basement. Canning and food processing supplies take up space! It's all over and a huge mess right now!

 

[baymule]

We downsized from a 2500 square foot brick house to a 1500 square foot doublewide. HUGE master bathroom with a shower and gargantuan garden tub that the grand daughters love. We have never used it. Seriously, I could have used some of that room in the KITCHEN!

We went from a 20x24 den to a dinky 12x14 den. We sold most of our furniture as it was oversized and wouldn't fit in here anyway. I still have boxes I haven't unpacked after 3 years...... because I have nowhere to put anything. My poor husband had his hanging clothes in moving boxes for a year because I threw those crappy wire rack things they put in mobile home closets, out in the yard. I finally built him a 3' wide x7' tall tower with shelves and a 2' wide x7' tall tower with shelves and two clothes rods between them for his hanging clothes. My closet is still full of boxes......

Right now, I have seeds all over the little table we have. I am diagraming my garden. @Britesea I have that papers pile on the table next to my recliner. But I do have a small 2 drawer filing cabinet where I can file papers when I finally get to sorting it all out.

I would rather go outside and play with tools or play in the dirt.........

 

[Mini Horses]

I would rather go outside and play with tools or play in the dirt.........

Me too!!