Monday, January 18, 2010

I Do My Best Work In My Pajamas

My mother called three or four times over the weekend.
She knew that I had set this weekend aside to do NOTHING but organize.
At one point, on Saturday evening, she called while Sev was home. I was in the middle of battle number 653 with the file cabinets and rubbermaid boxes, so Sev answered the phone. Now I can't hear my mother so I can only assume that the conversation went something like this (remember I CAN hear Sev):
Mom: "So, how is the cleaning and organizing coming along?"
Sev: "Uhm, well...(lowers his voice) I don't really know, it looks like it's getting worse!"
UGH!!!! Okay, so maybe it did look worse...to the untrained eye!!! but everyone knows that organizing gets worse before it gets better, hello!

Friday night I picked up a pizza on my way home from work. I tossed it onto the kitchen table, told Sev to come eat and then went to change into PJ bottoms, a hoodie and fuzzy socks. I did not change out of those articles of clothing until Saturday evening, and then it was only to shower and get back into a different pair of PJ bottoms and clean hoodie. I stayed in the second pair of PJ's until around 4pm on Sunday.
I stayed up until 11pm Friday evening organizing, cleaning, and filling up garbage bags. Saturday morning Sev left to meet my dad and brother, out on the dirt bike trails. It was difficult to watch him load his bike and leave, but I held my chin up and pressed onward into my war of organization! I had my trusty stead by my side (okay, all I had was Ali). I was armed with trash bags, organizational tools and the will to conquer the clutter!! I would be victorious!!!.....andddd okay, I'm getting carried away....
So Saturday, I got to work around 10am (hey! Even real, sword yielding, conquerors need a little beauty rest..geesh). I did not stop until Sev got home around 5pm'ish. I only paused then to tell him hello and then give out garage organizing orders (which he accomplished). We did not get into bed Saturday evening until after 11pm. Sunday morning we woke up and I felt like poo. I was drained, had a headache and my body was sore. I popped some tylenol and laid on the couch until 10am. I knew my war was not yet won, so I jumped up and prepared for another day of battle. This did not end until.....1am last night!!!
This is what I accomplished in my pajamas:
~ I went through every Army record, form, award, order of Sevs and reduced it to one 3-ring binder full of page protected (I'm borderline obsessed with page protectors) Army papers that I deemed important.
~I found and organized all of the printed photos into 2 photo boxes.
~I sorted through all of the letters, cards, notes, and newspaper clippings that my grandmother has sent me over the years (and if you know my grandmother...it. was. a. lot!) and fit them all into 1 photo box.
~I sorted through all of the letters and cards that Sev and I have written to each other over the years (two deployments=LOTS of letters) and fit them all into 1 photo box.
~I sorted through all of the cards/letters/notes that Sev received while deployed (People, he was LOVED I tell you!) and fit them into 1 photo box.
~I got together every little token, item, newspaper clipping, mementos, random articles of interest that I had ever wanted to keep for future scrapbooking (I had LARGE rubbermaid boxes FULL of this kind of stuff) and fit it all down to 2 photo box (1 for Hawaii related items and 1 for every other kind of item).
~I cleaned off my bookcase. I ended up with 2 bags of books to donate and the remaining books were organized and arranged neatly back on the shelf. I even had one shelf left to arrange all of my photo albums, which had previously been stacked in the junk office closet.
~I got all of my cake items organized and put away in snapware boxes (these little contraptions are an organizing junkies dream container!!).
~I got all of my cake pans organized and stacked in 1 rubbermaid box, that now fits nice and neatly in my hobby closet (I had 3 rubbermaid boxes full of cake stuff before and none of them fit in the closet).
~I got all of my fabric, batting and stuffing organized in another rubbermaid box (nice and neat in in the closet).
~I got all of my sewing odds and ends into a small snapware box.
~I got my sewing machine to fit nicely into a zippered bag, now it's easy to transport AND it has a spot in the closet.
~I put together a shelving unit in my hobby closet and on one of the shelves I managed to get 1 fabric basket to hold all of my cameras and camera accessories.
~I organized all of my scrapbooking/card making supplies down into 1 small three draw rubbermaid container and stackable plastic boxes.
~I fit all of my canvases, sketch books, drawing pads and portfolios down into 1 large flat rubbermaid container that fits nicely under the spare bed.
~I got all of my paints, brushes, pallets, art pencils, oils, and chalks in nice neat organized snapware!
~I got all of my office supplies (notebook paper, printer paper, page protectors, pens, pencils, 3-ring binders...etc. etc. etc.) into 1 large 3 drawer, rubbermaid container (I had it all in 2 when I started).
~The extra large, 3 drawer, container (that once housed the above mentioned items) went into our garage and now houses car cleaning supplies and odd tools.
~I got both desk drawers cleaned out.
~The kitchen junk drawer cleaned out.
~The hall closet (you know the one w/ the vacuum, flashlights, mini took kits...oh and board games, ha! Everyone has one of these closets, right?) organized and cleaned out.
~I got all of my hope-to-have-a-yard-sale-soon stuff together and organized in boxes.
~I got everything cleaned out from under the spare bedroom bed and now all that is left under there is the rubbermaid container with my large art items.
~I went through and tossed out all of the random cords, chargers, plugs and I-don't-even-know-what-the-heck-this-would-go-to items (MAJOR big feat!).

It may have taken my whole weekend, I may have wanted nothing more than to wave that white flag, but dang it I won that war!!! and...I discovered that PJ's are the best suit of armour!!

2 comments:

Meredith said...

That sounds soooooo rewarding, Linds!

Unknown said...

Geez, I need a break from just reading all this. Sounds like a job well done.