"Are things getting cluttered?''
"Are you feeling okay?"
These were the questions I was greeted with when I walked into work today.
Tired is how I feel. I also need to invest in some concealer to cover up the bags I've been sporting around.
My anxiety has once again hit hard and at an inconvenient time. This little anxiety disorder I have is one of the reasons why I don't wear a watch.
All I can think about is trying to find a day that I can take off to go to the dentist (after cancelling 2x) and the doctor to get my Rx's straightened out, without missing meetings at work and testing days for the kids.
I know my patterns.
Overwhelmed = Clutter = Shutdown = Anxiety = Fail
I must look like hell.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
How much stuff does one person need...
For one to be considered a hoarder, he/she has to have an abundance of "stuff". It could be organized, piled up, strewn about, or taking over the house, but most of all it consumes the person it belongs to. It becomes a cancer that is very hard to treat and get under control.
After searching the internet for lists of what the "average" person has in his/her household, I found it difficult to come up with anything.
I have read multiple lists of what one needs for a new house- from furniture to cleaning supplies, articles connected to poverty and what essentials we need to survive, and this article on a blog called LifeHack.
The author of this particular article listed 3 reasons as to why he held on to his extra stuff he had:
Sterile and minimal are two different feelings. My house was sterile. I brought in things to the house that would warm it up. I have yet to put them up. I want a minimal and simple look, while functional at the same time.
My bedroom was empty after my Hoarders friends were here. My room was physically cold and I felt like I was guest in my own house. It was a horrible feeling. I ending up moving some furniture around and unloaded some boxes, and brought items back in that I was going to hang up. Those pictures are still on my desk waiting to be hung up. My clothes have crept out of my closet to be sorted through for consignment and give away- I just can't seem to get through it in a weekend. This is not normal. I have a perfect picture in my head of what it should look like. My room is not functional. It's the company I keep. I'm not ready for empty space.
The pictures that I have of the spaces in my head look perfect, seem realistic, yet are so out of reach. It may be due to my issue of perfection. If it isn't going right, I quit. It it doesn't look right, I find something else to do. I'm so hyper-aware of this issue, that I don't like starting the project, but in the end there is failure right around the corner. I've gotten so used to things being done so-so to my liking, that I've lived with it. I'm craving to be "good" at something again, while enjoying it. Failure is not socially acceptable, nor is it what others expect from me. It's horrible to disappoint people who love you, but those who look up to you.
I envy people who can clean their house in 2-4 hours. I have no idea what that reality is- I've never experienced that as an adult in my personal living space.
My grandma would kill me (if she weren't already dead) if she knew about my situation and the TV show. I struggled as kid to clean my room and had a mini-intervention in 6th grade. Dona bagged up everything that was on the carpet and brought everything to her garage and I had to earn the items back. This included my clothing. To top if off I received a City Dump laundry bag after. From middle school through high school my room stayed cleaned and I developed some OCD tendencies. It was one of the things I could control. Junior and senior year in college I started having "organization" issues and found the procurement of items enjoyable. It soothed the depression I was dealing with, yet it seemed okay because I was "planning" for being a teacher and living alone in an apartment. Being prepared was essential in my mind. Preparedness = happiness.
Clearly I've been to therapy (a lot) and I know what my issues are. What's worse is knowing you need to fix it having to repeat and repeat and repeat.
P.S. I still haven't found a suggested list of what one should own.
After searching the internet for lists of what the "average" person has in his/her household, I found it difficult to come up with anything.
I have read multiple lists of what one needs for a new house- from furniture to cleaning supplies, articles connected to poverty and what essentials we need to survive, and this article on a blog called LifeHack.
The author of this particular article listed 3 reasons as to why he held on to his extra stuff he had:
- To avoid the discomfort of empty space
- To meet the expectations of a social group
- Because procurement is enjoyable
Sterile and minimal are two different feelings. My house was sterile. I brought in things to the house that would warm it up. I have yet to put them up. I want a minimal and simple look, while functional at the same time.
My bedroom was empty after my Hoarders friends were here. My room was physically cold and I felt like I was guest in my own house. It was a horrible feeling. I ending up moving some furniture around and unloaded some boxes, and brought items back in that I was going to hang up. Those pictures are still on my desk waiting to be hung up. My clothes have crept out of my closet to be sorted through for consignment and give away- I just can't seem to get through it in a weekend. This is not normal. I have a perfect picture in my head of what it should look like. My room is not functional. It's the company I keep. I'm not ready for empty space.
The pictures that I have of the spaces in my head look perfect, seem realistic, yet are so out of reach. It may be due to my issue of perfection. If it isn't going right, I quit. It it doesn't look right, I find something else to do. I'm so hyper-aware of this issue, that I don't like starting the project, but in the end there is failure right around the corner. I've gotten so used to things being done so-so to my liking, that I've lived with it. I'm craving to be "good" at something again, while enjoying it. Failure is not socially acceptable, nor is it what others expect from me. It's horrible to disappoint people who love you, but those who look up to you.
I envy people who can clean their house in 2-4 hours. I have no idea what that reality is- I've never experienced that as an adult in my personal living space.
My grandma would kill me (if she weren't already dead) if she knew about my situation and the TV show. I struggled as kid to clean my room and had a mini-intervention in 6th grade. Dona bagged up everything that was on the carpet and brought everything to her garage and I had to earn the items back. This included my clothing. To top if off I received a City Dump laundry bag after. From middle school through high school my room stayed cleaned and I developed some OCD tendencies. It was one of the things I could control. Junior and senior year in college I started having "organization" issues and found the procurement of items enjoyable. It soothed the depression I was dealing with, yet it seemed okay because I was "planning" for being a teacher and living alone in an apartment. Being prepared was essential in my mind. Preparedness = happiness.
Clearly I've been to therapy (a lot) and I know what my issues are. What's worse is knowing you need to fix it having to repeat and repeat and repeat.
P.S. I still haven't found a suggested list of what one should own.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Not So Sweet Home
I've had the house for 5.9 years. I have a love/ hate relationship with it.
I love the air conditioning unit and the insulation that the ceiling has to keep my electricity bill low in the winter and summer months.
I hate that I have yet to finish painting the upstairs (there is still green painters tape along the walls and ceiling) because I have yet to choose a color that I love.
I never eat at my kitchen table. I can count the amount of times this has occurred on my hands over the past 5 years. It is currently holding craft projects, cook books, place mats, napkins, and office supplies. It's a nice table. I am fortunate enough that the boyfriend lives around the corner and I'm a fixture in his home and have my own key.
I also have some super pieces of furniture and they are hidden and unused. Pathetic. I kept my favorite pieces when I did the major clean out.
I have this picture in my head of what would be "perfect" and it has yet to come to fruition.
I love the high ceiling upstairs and how the garden level basement stays cool and has full size windows.
Unfortunately the hates outweigh the loves.
I keep telling myself that if I finish the house and make it a home, I'll love it.
I have the tile for the bathrooms, the vanities, the kitchen cabinets, hardware, new stove and more.
Deep down inside I think it's because I know the boyfriend dislikes my house and it's not right for the 2 of us.
His house is a much better fit.
I also had a dog who lives here who likes to sleep in my bed. Retraining a rescue dog (who was left to die in a rolled up carpet) to sleep in a crate was unsuccessful when she came to me.
My house is lonely, which is why it's not "cute", and not yet a home.
I love the air conditioning unit and the insulation that the ceiling has to keep my electricity bill low in the winter and summer months.
I hate that I have yet to finish painting the upstairs (there is still green painters tape along the walls and ceiling) because I have yet to choose a color that I love.
I never eat at my kitchen table. I can count the amount of times this has occurred on my hands over the past 5 years. It is currently holding craft projects, cook books, place mats, napkins, and office supplies. It's a nice table. I am fortunate enough that the boyfriend lives around the corner and I'm a fixture in his home and have my own key.
I also have some super pieces of furniture and they are hidden and unused. Pathetic. I kept my favorite pieces when I did the major clean out.
I have this picture in my head of what would be "perfect" and it has yet to come to fruition.
I love the high ceiling upstairs and how the garden level basement stays cool and has full size windows.
Unfortunately the hates outweigh the loves.
I keep telling myself that if I finish the house and make it a home, I'll love it.
I have the tile for the bathrooms, the vanities, the kitchen cabinets, hardware, new stove and more.
Deep down inside I think it's because I know the boyfriend dislikes my house and it's not right for the 2 of us.
His house is a much better fit.
I also had a dog who lives here who likes to sleep in my bed. Retraining a rescue dog (who was left to die in a rolled up carpet) to sleep in a crate was unsuccessful when she came to me.
My house is lonely, which is why it's not "cute", and not yet a home.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Book Smart...Move
The book fairy visited school this past week.
As I was unloading the bag of books I had brought in, I noticed my mom had slipped in a few extra books. My favorite was a book on relationships for couples from the 80's with an ugly pink and purple cover. It screamed "Bring Sex Back to Your Marriage". I couldn't even think of why my mom even had the book- she was pregnant with my brother and sister during this decade.
There was no way I was taking the book up to my classroom.
I left it, and the other duds in the bag, thinking I'd bring it back with me to donate on the way home.
Teachers are nosy, by nature, and raided the books, and emptied bag. Most of the books, even a few duds, were gone and will be at new homes. Sweet success. Not so sweet, the couples book was still sitting pretty, center of the table.
I'm sure my co-workers were wondering, "Who the hell would bring a book like that to donate to book basket?" That would be me, Grace.
As I was unloading the bag of books I had brought in, I noticed my mom had slipped in a few extra books. My favorite was a book on relationships for couples from the 80's with an ugly pink and purple cover. It screamed "Bring Sex Back to Your Marriage". I couldn't even think of why my mom even had the book- she was pregnant with my brother and sister during this decade.
There was no way I was taking the book up to my classroom.
I left it, and the other duds in the bag, thinking I'd bring it back with me to donate on the way home.
Teachers are nosy, by nature, and raided the books, and emptied bag. Most of the books, even a few duds, were gone and will be at new homes. Sweet success. Not so sweet, the couples book was still sitting pretty, center of the table.
I'm sure my co-workers were wondering, "Who the hell would bring a book like that to donate to book basket?" That would be me, Grace.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Food Storage...Book Storage...What?
I have books all over my house. The piles are organized. The boxes are labeled. I've re-purposed old books and recycled books that were beyond repair. I have sold books, donated and given books away, yet I am still overwhelmed by books.
This fall I unearthed the remaining boxes of school books in the storage unit with the goal of bringing them to my classroom to share with my 3rd grade kids.
(Once upon a time ago I taught 2nd grade, moved schools and ended up teaching a 5/6th grade class and later a 5th grade for the following 4 years and the books lived in storage.)
It was super to remove the 10 (yes...TEN) boxes from the storage unit and then I ran into a bit of a glitch. I didn't have enough room for the boxes at my house.
Some of the books have arrived at school. Most have not. The biggest problem I've had in this whole "little" project is my classroom library is full. Creating more space in the classroom, getting rid of books, and handing books down to other teachers takes time. I also have a habit of leaving things in my car and not taking those things out right away.
Some of the books are sitting in the dining room at my dad's house. They have my "belongs to" labels on them, all ready to go (they've been ready to go since October).
Some books are in plastic tubs on my mom's covered porch. Most of them are new. I can tell you how much I paid (no more than $2) for them and where I bought them.
The remaining books are in my house.
Time for the books to move on and move out.
 |
| Pennant Banner- 1970's basal reading book-Coco's Kitsch |
Monday, January 21, 2013
New Year...New Goals
2012 came and went and I did not complete the goals that I set out to accomplish. High expectations are something that I have for my students and for myself, yet I tend to cut myself so much slack that I don't hold myself accountable. As an adult, I find it ridiculous, that I choose not to complete the tasks that I think will make me happy, but I also know that my physical space is limiting me and I did it to myself.
Hoarders is on in the background as I am writing this, and I am sick to my stomach. It is so hard for me to watch the show, yet I make myself watch. I know what it takes to produce the show, how much prep work goes into getting all of the crew, port-a-potty, organizing boxes to the location, and the family to participate. I see familiar faces every once in while and think about the camera men who are shooting the show (wondering if they're wearing their knee-high boots or not), and feel guilty for an hour straight (or two if I am watching on the DVR) while picking up my current mess.
I wish I felt different, but I'm not to that point yet. I thought I was going to be okay. I spent a lot of time and money in therapy after the visit, working with a personal organizer, unpacking the 100+ boxes that were left, donating and throwing out more "stuff" and I still failed.
I have made progress. I can go without shopping for weeks (and only visit the grocery store). I have maintained my relationship with the boyfriend and we are very open about my on-going issues (we'll hit the 6 year mark at the end of this month). I am good at my job and am a good teacher. I have accomplished plenty to be proud of, yet this "stuff" is my mountain that I need to move to get back to the normal that I want to live.
Being accountable is my goal for the year, which means I will be holding myself accountable using this blog.
Most people cannot relate to my problem with "stuff" and are quick to judge. I judge myself enough as it is. I have a hard time understanding why, yet it is something that I have been around most of my life and live with. Anxiety and money are huge pieces to this puzzle. It is what it is and this is where the "recovering" part comes into play.
More later this week...
Hoarders is on in the background as I am writing this, and I am sick to my stomach. It is so hard for me to watch the show, yet I make myself watch. I know what it takes to produce the show, how much prep work goes into getting all of the crew, port-a-potty, organizing boxes to the location, and the family to participate. I see familiar faces every once in while and think about the camera men who are shooting the show (wondering if they're wearing their knee-high boots or not), and feel guilty for an hour straight (or two if I am watching on the DVR) while picking up my current mess.
I wish I felt different, but I'm not to that point yet. I thought I was going to be okay. I spent a lot of time and money in therapy after the visit, working with a personal organizer, unpacking the 100+ boxes that were left, donating and throwing out more "stuff" and I still failed.
I have made progress. I can go without shopping for weeks (and only visit the grocery store). I have maintained my relationship with the boyfriend and we are very open about my on-going issues (we'll hit the 6 year mark at the end of this month). I am good at my job and am a good teacher. I have accomplished plenty to be proud of, yet this "stuff" is my mountain that I need to move to get back to the normal that I want to live.
Being accountable is my goal for the year, which means I will be holding myself accountable using this blog.
Most people cannot relate to my problem with "stuff" and are quick to judge. I judge myself enough as it is. I have a hard time understanding why, yet it is something that I have been around most of my life and live with. Anxiety and money are huge pieces to this puzzle. It is what it is and this is where the "recovering" part comes into play.
More later this week...
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Clearly I don't know how to edit the page properly, because the link to the shop doesn't work. Maybe I broke the blogger rules by posting a link?!?
My amazon shop is called fritzandlola.
1.Go to the amazon.com site
2. Add a backslash / (after the com)
3. Type in the word "shops"
4. Add a . (dot) after the word "shops"
5. Finally, type in "fritzandlola"
On the do-to list: create a website for the domain name that I own. I'll need a tutor.
(I made a website for my modern art class 12 years ago- I'm assuming I can't use the tutorial I saved from that class!)
My amazon shop is called fritzandlola.
1.Go to the amazon.com site
2. Add a backslash / (after the com)
3. Type in the word "shops"
4. Add a . (dot) after the word "shops"
5. Finally, type in "fritzandlola"
On the do-to list: create a website for the domain name that I own. I'll need a tutor.
(I made a website for my modern art class 12 years ago- I'm assuming I can't use the tutorial I saved from that class!)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
A Little announcement...
Probably not, because I've kept it quiet- same thing with my eBay shop. I also have an Etsy shop too. I use the money to contribute to the $525 monthly payments to my school loan debt- free money, in a sense, for things I already have and need to get rid of.
I probably haven't "advertised" my shops because I don't want to hear how appalled people (who I know and care about) are about the "stuff" I've held onto and didn't get rid of when my good friends, Hoarders, visited.
If you are appalled, keep your mouth quiet, and buy something! It will make you feel better because you contributed to my therapy of getting these treasures out of my house! 
Now that the boyfriend and I have hit the 5 year mark, I'll share my amazon.com shop, which is now 6 years old. The boyfriend is not available for sharing, so sorry.http://www.amazon.com/shops.fritzandlola
Soon I'll figure out how to link back to old posts...you can read about the Hoarders experience in the first post on this blog.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Handmade crafters label branding kit by Cathe Holden | Worldlabel Blog
Thought I'd share something fun that I stumbled upon while blog stalking. They're free and who doesn't love composition books?
Handmade crafters label branding kit by Cathe Holden | Worldlabel Blog
Handmade crafters label branding kit by Cathe Holden | Worldlabel Blog
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Dehoarding another Hoarder's Classroom
Over the past months, I've been cleaning out a classroom, while teaching a handful of 3rd graders. This was a last minute move (yet, it was my choice) and I've suffered with my organization since.
I had the pleasure of cleaning out a classroom packed with 3 decades worth of unusable supplies and complete crap! The twist to this whole move, was that I had 1 week to clean house, move my items in, organize, and plan! The retired teacher (37 years to her credit) took 6 weeks to go through her treasures, took off with 20 boxes, and left me months worth of cleaning.
I've highlighted some of the gems that I threw out, recycled and donated!
The Vintage Cigar Box: This was an awesome find! Not only is it a cigar box, it had a price tag on it from BYU. The cigars were only 25 cents a piece! I took a calligraphy class in college and it is not an easy art to master- especially with ink. These particular calligraphy pens were the real deal- complete with metal nibs. I had nightmares of what the classroom would look like after experimenting with these tools, India black ink and 8 year old students! It's messy enough with watercolors- but what in the hell was she thinking?
Powder Paint: We use pre-mixed tempera paint in the classroom these days. I do remember the days that powder tempera paint was used. I even thought the bubbles that were left behind gave my paintings character- this was 27 years ago. These particular powder paint tins (yes tins) were from a family of 12. They're made by Crayola when they had a plant in New York, NY...before zip codes were invented! Vintage- absolutely. Safe- probably not. Chance of getting lead poisoning- thought I'd avoid it.
Now that I think of it, I probably should have put them in a hazardous waste bag.
Ancient Gauze: The Red Cross is a super organization. This was a super addition to my mom's collection of vintage first aid supplies and such. There's nothing better than having gauze from the 1960's to soak up blood from a bloody nose or ripping out baby teeth from the kids! Along with the gauze were 100+ wooden splints, 2 woolen army blankets, and a 25 year old pillow. I knew that she (the teacher) was a afraid of earthquakes, but to be frank, I'd be running like a mad woman with the kids under my arms if they needed a splint. I'm on the second floor. I did keep the splints for the kids to paint. If we don't get our craft on, they're gone this spring.
The Glue Factory: If I didn't know better, I would have thought that there were cows living in my cupboards and whenever the glue was out, a new bottle would pop out in an instant. This is only half of the glue hoard- no joke. The more I dug into the cupboards, the more glue bottles I found. There was Glue All, School Glue, glue sticks, book binding glue, fabric glue, some kind of glue that had a price tag from the 1980's, and paste (I totally had a Billy Madison flashback with I saw the paste). I think I supplied an entire grade level with glue this school year.
The Paper Forest: I couldn't get over how many reams of paper I came across. I was blown away. I felt guilty. I a big believer in kids using both sides of their paper, reusing paper from the printer and copier, and recycling. What was even worse was at the end of the school year, the teacher was ordering more paper. Apparently this paper didn't have the right kind of lines, or the colors weren't right, blah, blah. I haven't ordered any paper for the kids. I gave away 25 reams to other teachers in the building. I had already bought notebooks (at least they were only ten cents a piece) and I gave those to an upper grade teacher.
A friend that I grew up with just got a job with Tree Utah- I think I need to contact him to see about planting some trees to make up for the excess of paper reams in the classroom.
In the next post I will sharing the vintage posters that I dug out. We (the music teacher and my 3rd grade co-teachers) named a few of them. A few of the posters came in Community series (police and firefighters). The SLCPD and Sugarhood were featured in the 1960's- classic!
I had the pleasure of cleaning out a classroom packed with 3 decades worth of unusable supplies and complete crap! The twist to this whole move, was that I had 1 week to clean house, move my items in, organize, and plan! The retired teacher (37 years to her credit) took 6 weeks to go through her treasures, took off with 20 boxes, and left me months worth of cleaning.
I've highlighted some of the gems that I threw out, recycled and donated!
 |
The Vintage Cigar Box: This was an awesome find! Not only is it a cigar box, it had a price tag on it from BYU. The cigars were only 25 cents a piece! I took a calligraphy class in college and it is not an easy art to master- especially with ink. These particular calligraphy pens were the real deal- complete with metal nibs. I had nightmares of what the classroom would look like after experimenting with these tools, India black ink and 8 year old students! It's messy enough with watercolors- but what in the hell was she thinking?
Powder Paint: We use pre-mixed tempera paint in the classroom these days. I do remember the days that powder tempera paint was used. I even thought the bubbles that were left behind gave my paintings character- this was 27 years ago. These particular powder paint tins (yes tins) were from a family of 12. They're made by Crayola when they had a plant in New York, NY...before zip codes were invented! Vintage- absolutely. Safe- probably not. Chance of getting lead poisoning- thought I'd avoid it.
Now that I think of it, I probably should have put them in a hazardous waste bag.
Ancient Gauze: The Red Cross is a super organization. This was a super addition to my mom's collection of vintage first aid supplies and such. There's nothing better than having gauze from the 1960's to soak up blood from a bloody nose or ripping out baby teeth from the kids! Along with the gauze were 100+ wooden splints, 2 woolen army blankets, and a 25 year old pillow. I knew that she (the teacher) was a afraid of earthquakes, but to be frank, I'd be running like a mad woman with the kids under my arms if they needed a splint. I'm on the second floor. I did keep the splints for the kids to paint. If we don't get our craft on, they're gone this spring.
A friend that I grew up with just got a job with Tree Utah- I think I need to contact him to see about planting some trees to make up for the excess of paper reams in the classroom.
In the next post I will sharing the vintage posters that I dug out. We (the music teacher and my 3rd grade co-teachers) named a few of them. A few of the posters came in Community series (police and firefighters). The SLCPD and Sugarhood were featured in the 1960's- classic!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Super Slacker...at posting that is.
I'm a posting slacker. I visited a friend and her new baby. The boyfriend's brother came home to visit, BBQ on Saturday afternoon, movie Saturday night, family party Sunday evening for our state holiday- Pioneer Day!
I have kept up on getting an item out of the house each day. |
| $9.99 Bowl Set |
Day 3:
[purchase info] Costco- 2009
[time in my possession] 2 years
[last used] June 2011- Popcorn party at the end of the school year. (First and only time used)
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy. I loved the color of the bowls, but didn't need them.
[destination] Good friend who recently got married. They needed a set of matching bowls. |
$1 can of paint was a bonus- they needed to paint their deck chairs. I'm a sucker for mistinted paint. This particular color didn't quite match.
Day #4
[purchase info] random buckets of mistinted paint and laminate/vinyl floor glue
[time in my possession] 6 months- 2 years
[last used] Never
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy-Middle of the road: Floor glue- super easy. I didn't end up needing it with the type of flooring I used in the craft room.
Since the paint hadn't been used yet, I figured it wouldn't be used in the near future. The problem I had
was the "wasting money" part. All were mistinted paint- so when I have to buy paint again, I'll get the actual paint color I really love.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Nuns, Shoes, and Savers...
Challenge Day #2
Today I did my first drop off at the new Millcreek Savers. Big Brothers and Big Sisters benefit from the goods that you donate (they sell the items to Savers Thrift Store) and I get a tax donation form + a coupon.
This morning I gathered up some shoes that were piled up by my bedroom door, which meant the give away item of the day was a Pile O' Shoes!
Abbycat was very fond of these shoes- she enjoyed rubbing her chin on them. Coco buried her bones in them. I was tripping over them. They needed to go.
Today I did my first drop off at the new Millcreek Savers. Big Brothers and Big Sisters benefit from the goods that you donate (they sell the items to Savers Thrift Store) and I get a tax donation form + a coupon.
This morning I gathered up some shoes that were piled up by my bedroom door, which meant the give away item of the day was a Pile O' Shoes!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Minimizing Debt
Challenge Day #1
Today was my first official day to minimize and document. From the moment I woke up I spotted items that will soon be heading out of my lovely abode. I also saw the piles of items that have been sitting for a month or more that have been ready to go to a new home (I know you’re thinking, “Why are they still sitting there?” I thought the same thing. I get distracted easily if I don’t take my Ritalin and then I forget or choose to step over it). I decided a pile counts as 1 item and anything that I've already grouped to send away. Here are some other rules that are going around in my head: Do I have to go somewhere each day to get rid of something? What if I commit to one day/ week to drop everything off. It will save time and gas- I'm trying to simply, right? Does listing items on amazon.com, etsy.com, or ebay.com count as getting rid of an item or is this in addition to? I'm thinking it should be in addition to since it hasn't left the house. I'm not giving this up. My shops are a secret to most of my friends, very few people know what my shops are called. I've had the ebay and amazon shops for 7 years, but just sold on ebay this past year. Why have I kept this quiet- I don't have an good answer to this. I don't like copy cats? I was embarrassed that I had so much stuff (I was a closet hoarder)? It was a way to earn secret money that I could spend?
While I was thinking about the “rules” of the challenge I decided to take on the Credit Union. They’ve been advertising a credit card for 7.99% all summer. A few months back I had visited a financial planner to review my life and have had a goal to get a credit card that has a reasonable interest rate. I had to rebuild my credit after a bankruptcy 10 years ago (yes, it was one of the hardest things I’ve been through) and I haven’t had the best relationship with credit card companies. I didn’t have a choice in the early years in which cards I could get to establish new credit, and in the past 3 years, we’ve all had a hard time with credit cards limiting our credit because we were responsible users and paid off our debt. There was nothing more exciting to me to get my limit slashed from $8000 to $1200 and an interest rate of 29.9% when I had a $0.00 balance.I figured if I could qualify for this card, I could transfer the little debt that I do have, pay one bill a month at a lower interest. It was a pipedream, but I bit the bullet, took a deep breath and went to the bank. To my surprise, I qualified and was thrilled to find out my credit rating had gone up 40 points over the past 2 months! This was one of those moments that I wanted to call my parents to tell them that I passed- but I am 32. I called the boyfriend instead.
trashogram
box tops for education [trashogram]! I thought the word trashogram was fabulous and there was a word cloud/ side bar full of de-hoarding words. I was sucked into reading more about this author's blog and her "no-retail shopping" challenge.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Still De-Hoarding You Ask? Why yes!
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| Boxes after Hoarders... |
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| Boxes in sorting process |
During this process I have injured myself cleaning! Yes, while cleaning. (You're asking yourself if a hoarder really cleans, right? You should see my supply of cleaners and my Sargent Steamer!)
WARNING: Carrying multiple boxes of books up and down flights of stairs in one day will cause a shoulder injury- like an AC shoulder separation. It only took 7 weeks to heal.
As I've been getting rid of my "stuff", I've been able to get rid of my weight, which is good, this is another on-going issue, and I've been walking more. Being more active is great. Bending over and picking up items is great exercise too- it really works your abs. You can even get in some lunges walking stuff to the trash.
Over the weekend, I just happened to squish a nerve that sends lightning hot pain down my right leg and ends at my knee. No back pain, no numbness. Just dumb luck!
Boxes falling over/ on top of your head = short term pain.
I'm already out of my flex benefits money for the year- I'm crossing my fingers that nothing else attacks me!
Just for fun- have you seen this product before? This Sewing Cabinet would be awesome in my craft room. I just have to figure out how to add buttons to my blog so I can win this-ha! One more thing to add to my list of "things to figure out"...
Monday, January 17, 2011
Embarrassing Moment #358
While out and about today I was approached by a woman who informed me that she saw me on the TV last night. "That was you right? You had great stuff. I have a shop at the swap meet up north on Saturdays. You're a movie star. You're famous."
She continued to tell me that her husband thought my last name was Utah and that he wasn't going to believe that she met me. She kept going back and forth asking me if I saw the show with the guy who had all the chickens who lived in his house and the lady with the cats. I had to clarify that I WASN'T the lady with the cats, just to make sure she knew what she was talking about. "I know who you are, you have the sweet boyfriend. I've seen the show a few times. It was just on again last night."
Yes, I have the sweet boyfriend, which we're going on 4 years at the beginning of February!
At this point I'm already feeling like I want to bolt, I can tell other people are listening, trying to figure out what show she's talking about, while "browsing" the book aisle. Damn shopping cart that I had with me was in the way.
She continues blabbering about wishing she had a book because she'd have me sign it so she could prove to her husband that she really met "Lisa Utah". I'm just trying to think how politely cut her off and leave- I don't want to be an ungrateful "famous" person.
I continue to do my thing, search for old books for create artist trading cards (for an art workshop assignment) and as I turn around, she's back, with a book shoved in my face. "Will you please sign this, with the network name you were on. You don't have to put your last name on it."
You got it- you couldn't pay me enough to put my last name on that 2001 journal (with a $1.00 price tag)- I couldn't put Dona, my grandmother, through that kind of embarrassment!
As she walks away, happy as a clam, she starts telling other people, she's famous, she was on a show. Ask her about it. I felt like the biggest idiot- especially when people started asking what show it was.
Three minutes later I heard the familiar husky voice, asking me to turn around. "Look, I brought my daughter back with me so she could see you. She didn't believe me either."
*I've added a link here so you can learn about Artist Trading Cards.*
She continued to tell me that her husband thought my last name was Utah and that he wasn't going to believe that she met me. She kept going back and forth asking me if I saw the show with the guy who had all the chickens who lived in his house and the lady with the cats. I had to clarify that I WASN'T the lady with the cats, just to make sure she knew what she was talking about. "I know who you are, you have the sweet boyfriend. I've seen the show a few times. It was just on again last night."
Yes, I have the sweet boyfriend, which we're going on 4 years at the beginning of February!
At this point I'm already feeling like I want to bolt, I can tell other people are listening, trying to figure out what show she's talking about, while "browsing" the book aisle. Damn shopping cart that I had with me was in the way.
She continues blabbering about wishing she had a book because she'd have me sign it so she could prove to her husband that she really met "Lisa Utah". I'm just trying to think how politely cut her off and leave- I don't want to be an ungrateful "famous" person.
I continue to do my thing, search for old books for create artist trading cards (for an art workshop assignment) and as I turn around, she's back, with a book shoved in my face. "Will you please sign this, with the network name you were on. You don't have to put your last name on it."
You got it- you couldn't pay me enough to put my last name on that 2001 journal (with a $1.00 price tag)- I couldn't put Dona, my grandmother, through that kind of embarrassment!
As she walks away, happy as a clam, she starts telling other people, she's famous, she was on a show. Ask her about it. I felt like the biggest idiot- especially when people started asking what show it was.
Three minutes later I heard the familiar husky voice, asking me to turn around. "Look, I brought my daughter back with me so she could see you. She didn't believe me either."
My hoard of books to make my cards
Did I mention I was at the D.I.?
*I've added a link here so you can learn about Artist Trading Cards.*
Monday, November 8, 2010
Adult Readers
So, I have a lot of books. Enough that I could open up a small bookstore- okay, I already have an online account where I sell my books. It's surprising that I didn't major in library and media sciences- I really enjoy books- now that I can actually sit down and read them. I have surrounded my students in books. I have a huge collection of Children's books. When I moved from one school to another I did get rid of some of the books, but held on to the hardback ones. I also knew my niece would NEED books- so I didn't purge my library. I even had a stamp made that said "This book belongs Lisa's Library" that I stamped in every book I bought for my students.
In addition to the hoard at my house, I kept my past 2nd grade classroom hoard in a storage unit. I had over 20 boxes of books that I needed to go through to figure out what to bring into my 5th grade classroom. The challenge was to keep the books that were already active on my seller account separate from the ones that were not listed, while organizing the books. The ultimate solution was to delete my inventory and sort the books. The personal organizer helped me with this, along with her assistant and my "assistant", the little sister. All of the reading materials were organized, the organizers labeled the boxes and tubs the following: kids books, magazines, and adult books. Yes, I now had an extensive collection of adult books. I was a bit floored myself. Maybe I'll be able to make some more money selling these newly categorized books.
In addition to the hoard at my house, I kept my past 2nd grade classroom hoard in a storage unit. I had over 20 boxes of books that I needed to go through to figure out what to bring into my 5th grade classroom. The challenge was to keep the books that were already active on my seller account separate from the ones that were not listed, while organizing the books. The ultimate solution was to delete my inventory and sort the books. The personal organizer helped me with this, along with her assistant and my "assistant", the little sister. All of the reading materials were organized, the organizers labeled the boxes and tubs the following: kids books, magazines, and adult books. Yes, I now had an extensive collection of adult books. I was a bit floored myself. Maybe I'll be able to make some more money selling these newly categorized books.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Designer Mice
Did I mention I had a house mouse? It hoarded granola bars. It was a sneaky mouse.
This is the one year anniversary of the discovery.
According to the lovely free on-line dictionary, Wikipedia, The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.
As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food. The house mouse has been domesticated as the pet or fancy mouse. Luckily for me, my fancy mouse liked to live alone behind the grate under my new LG fridge. It made a nice home in between the compressor and the ice cube filter hose, after chewing through the power cord.
Flashback to 10/2009:
In a panic I called Kate asking her if she could drop by my house because my outlet was dead as I walked into worked with a reusable shopping bag full of food. I had checked all of my breakers and it was the only thing that made sense. When I checked in with her later on, she saved what she could and told she saw some granola bars that fell behind the fridge and some mouse poop. Then she added that she had pulled out 21 granola bars from behind the metal grate. Each of the granola bars had 1 bite out of them, with one corner torn off.
So much for going grocery shopping the night before and now I had to worry about vermin.
I know how to problem solve and the outlet wasn't dead. Coco and the Abbycat were going nuts sniffing the fridge and the cubby where the fridge was. I didn't see anymore mouse poop, I sprayed it down with another layer of Clorox, was armed with my Sargent Steamer, and had 4 mouse traps set. The pets were also guarding the fridge and dishwasher.
Two weeks passed and nothing happened- I even went to a specialized farmer/rancher store to get big mouse/rat traps. I knew it wasn't a rat- the droppings were small that I had found. The cat and the dog didn't change places either- they guarded the fridge as if it were full of gold! I didn't hear the mouse and didn't see the mouse.
Four weeks passed and I found Pink Panther insulation on the floor. I didn't know if Coco had gotten into something of if the mouse was living under the dishwasher.
TIP: When you can't pull out the dishwasher it's because a) it's jammed or b) the people who lived in your house before you tiled it in so you have to pull up the floor to get it out.
It was 8:30pm on the following Thursday night when I arrived home from math class and heard a screeching, eeeeking, god-awful sound inside my house as I'm unlocking my door. Mind you, I have no children living at my house. As I walked inside, my hall light is burned out and the shrill sound was growing louder and as I feel around for the nearest light switch. I finally looked down stairs. Abbycat was playing with the damn house mouse!
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| Good Kitty | The mystery was solved. |
I'm happy to report that we did NOT find any mummified mice during the cleaning process. It was also 34 degrees in the house the following week- the thermal coupler in the furnace broke.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yes, there is a Coco in my life
Coco is now hoarding milk bones. She saves them in a pile next to "her" chair and eats them when I get home from work. She gets one bone in the morning when I leave and one when I get home. Her latest trick was stealing bones from the cookie jar- she never even though of doing this before. She can't even drink out of the toilet, how was she getting to her jar? She misses her old stash of assorted flavors of bones.
One of Mira's favorite phrases to say as a 2 year old was "Coco Loco"- I couldn't agree more. This is what you get when you mix a Dachshund and a Jack Russell Terrier.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
$$$ Consignment Cash $$$
One of my favorite places to consign my "goods" is at Emilie Jayne in Salt Lake City on the corner of 800 E. and 800 S. housed in an old grocery store. I've been going here ever since Jayne opened the store years ago to shop and consign items. Anyhow- when going through my collection of Pyrex, Glassbake, and Fireware milkglass (white baking pans, bowls, etc.) I had a difficult time letting it go and imagining it sitting in the 1-800-JUNK truck. I held on to them for the summer and couldn't find a good way to display them and decided to consign them. I kept 3 out of the 50 pieces and brought the rest to Jayne to sell at her store. The majority of the pieces were vintage and were all in complete sets. Being a hoarder, I had spent countless hours scouting second hand stores to complete these sets over a period of 5 years. After a short mourning period, I parted with the dishes, along with 2 boxes of "stuff" on September 4th.
All of my goods that I dropped off have sold in less than 2 months and I have a little over $200 to add to the bank account for the home improvement fund! Yahoo!
Check out these links below to see what the store looks like and have written about Emilie Jayne .
Vintage Mixer
Your Heart Out
All of my goods that I dropped off have sold in less than 2 months and I have a little over $200 to add to the bank account for the home improvement fund! Yahoo!
Check out these links below to see what the store looks like and have written about Emilie Jayne .
Vintage Mixer
Your Heart Out
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