Spring Cleaning!

Also known as why I need to de-crappify my house...

This is exactly how the hubbs thinks...

You know how you can walk around and see the same stuff everyday but not really see it? Yes, well I had a bit of an eye opener today. I happened to look down (normally I miss all kinds of things by not looking up) and I noticed what can only be described as a band of dirt, smudges and otherwise ickiness at 12 inches up from the floor, everywhere. Baseboards, doors, bookcases, appliances, cabinets-you name it- there it was. And sorry no pictures-- no way-- I would be to embarrassed! 

Then it dawned on me--omg it is from my dogs! Eeewww!  So I spent a few hours walking around with spray bottles of cleaning solutions and paper towels eliminating the grime.  I sweep and vacuum every single day because I have 3 dogs and 1 indoor cat yet I didn't notice it.  How in the heck did I not see see it?  Then I began to wonder what else I I don't notice?

I have opened Pandora's box of projects. I have a junk drawer (or 3), several baskets of  "stuff" and stacks (and stacks and stacks) of magazines, overflowing closets and entirely to much stuff, junk, crap-o-la. I REALLY I need to DE-CRAPIFY the house. More than the normal Spring cleaning, I mean a big ol' purge- "load the car down to take stuff to goodwill and fill the garbage cans up up and make the trash dudes hate me" kind of cleaning.  I wonder if I have hoarding tendencies? Eeeeep! I don't wanna be a hoarder. That is scary...and grosss!

This may look familiar...

 I am going room by room-organizing and sorting. This is the worst part of the process. It can feel so overwhelming and I think it looks like a disaster during the purge. My system is to group like items with like then sort into keep, donate, re-purpose/ recycle and trash. The criteria for keep is based on value, sentimental (family heirloom, etc), do I REALLY need it and do I have room for it?  I usually have a "maybe" pile that is everything from all the rooms. Then at the end I go through the maybe pile and make hard decisions to keep, re-purpose/ recycle, trash or donate.

Some days, this ideal has crossed my mind

This article has some links to guidelines and checklists for Spring cleaning, in case you want to procrastinate just a little longer.

And if I don't post in while, send help because it means I have become buried under all the crap. If that is the case --don't touch my stuff! Or it means, I may  have breached the time space continuum, whose portal was located in my closet, behind the stacks of magazines and other crap. Then it won't do any good to send help because everyone and everything will be sucked into a black hole vortex . Unless  Q  (gratuitous Star Trek: The Next Generation reference) shows up. Then he can save us. Or punish us for crimes against universal cleanliness and organization.

My dirty little secret...

We all have them.  Some are shameful. Some really aren't dirty. Some it turns out you can laugh about later on..much later...

Phew ...here goes..We not only have unfinished projects,  we are known as leaners, pilers and stackers. Yes, my friends, it is true. The far reaches of my house (those hidden from camera range) are a hot mess.

See this? THIS is the moldings and trim work the hubbs STILL needs to install in my bathroom. You know TWLBRIH (The Longest Bathroom Remodel in History) that I already blogged about in April 2011. Come on, seriously?!

  Oh yeah never mind the peeling paint (MORE peeling paint--yet another project...sigh) in these backgrounds. This is some of the other rehab/remodel/ construction crap littering my house from incomplete projects. I have managed to coral it into this holding area of sorts.

These next few are all me-- unfortunately. This is the closet in the spare room. No closet doors. Good thing I don't have any guests who have to wake up and stare at this. The entire right corner of this closet nook is painting supplies. To bad I am not motivated enough to do something about it...

Oh yes and let us not forget the stack-o-totes behind the door. At least my gift wrap hanging on the back of the door is organized. See that little pile of stuff in front of the totes? That is part of my super secret stairwell re-do. That I will get to...eventually.

This is a mirror I need to re-home and a little craft I am working on in front of the mirror. Another mirror behind it that needs hung on the wall as soon as the painting is finished and my necklace cabinet needs hung near my vanity.

This is all Sam-Sam. He is a rumpler. Bad kitty.

So there you have it. Some of the cluttered corners of my house. Maybe it's not cluttered. It's  lived in.  Yeah that's what I'm going with...(Don't judge)