AMDG It's Tuesday and I am definitely at the WoRsE bEfOrE iT gEtS bEtTeR Phase. Egads! Today's chore, for both my daugher and me, is to get e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g off the shelves in the craft closet, cull, remove to the sewing table. At that point, everything should be on the table and ready to be moved into an organized home. I would really like to jump ahead today and get a head start on Wednesday but it's cooking day and that usually keeps me pretty busy. Meh, whatever. It will get done no matter what! Yay!

AMDG Yeah, I'm with you on the daughter's room thing. Hit that linen closet and enjoy a wonderful sense of accomplishment and order!

AMDG Very important! ^ And remember, divide and conquer multiplied by baby steps will keep you moving forward with decluttering/cleaning AND your normal routine. You Can Do It!

AMDG It's Tuesday, Ethel! Get it done!

AMDG As I recall, the one we listened to at Target actually had the bleep. It self-edited.

AMDG Yeah. The clock . . . We saw one at Target, too. My daughter reallybwanted it and aboutba week later we went back to get it. We had listeded to a couple of phrases when we saw it the first time but never thought to ck them all out. As we were standing in line, my daughter pushed the button again. Right there, in front of about 100 people, the thing in daughter's hand screamed (something like), "Get your bleep out of bed!" We were both really embarrassed. Actually, neither of us remembers what it said but we think that might have been it. We didn't get it. We tried to b/c invisible as we slunk back to housewares.

AMDG Ok, not even close to pumpkin pie but delicious and wholesome: pumpkin pie oatmeal. We mis pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in with the oatmeal as we cook the oats. When done, into bowl and top with walnuts and drizzle with maple syrup. Add milk if you like.

AMDG Ethel, have a grand day off and we'll see you Wednesday!

AMDG Phew!! I just can't believe how much I'm getting done! Blessed be God forever! Monday -- cull the awful pile on the sewing table; cull the awful pile on the floor of the craft closet and remove items to sewing table. I'm done with my chore by my daughter still has her's to go. I also moved all the books from that room to the library. AND I've kept the laundry going (blech)! What's going on with you guys? Keep us posted!

AMDG my bologna has a first name, it's o.s.c.a.r. my bologna has a second name, it's m.e.y.e.r. Oh, I love to eat it everyday . . .

AMDG This is a test.

AMDG Plansrme, this is your post from an old thread! Keep us updated here! I haven't even opened this thread before today but just wanted to chime in and say that just seeing the title every time I come to this forum has been inspiring. I love to declutter, so I didn't need more than the suggestion that this is a good time of year to be thinking about purging and organizing. Inspired just by the title, I have: 1. Finally cleaned out my linen closet and realized that however many spare pillowcases a family of five needs, it is not 27. I now have a massive pile of sheets and pillowcases ready in a basket, waiting for the next time that one of those charities calls to say, "We will have a truck in your neighborhood. . .." 2. Taken a long, hard look at the pile of stained and torn towels I keep in my basement for---what??? and donated them to an animal shelter. Folded and stacked neatly, they filled a good-sized laundry basket to overlowing. 3. Purchased a mirror to go in the downstairs bathroom we remodeled nearly a year ago. I have looked off and on, but I finally said on Sunday, "I am leaving this house and not returning until I find a mirror." I found a cheap mirror in the second store I checked, and it is perfect--yea me! 4. Purged the book shelves again and donated them to a friend of a friend who sells used books to help pay her daughter's medical expenses. My friend lives in my n'hood, so I can always just drop them on her porch, and she takes care of getting them to her friend. Super easy. 5. Found good homes for several items that I just thought were too nice to be thrown into a random charity giveaway basket where they might not be taken care of. Our neighborhood has a Facebook page that is fabulous for that sort of thing--I have never not found good homes for things I want to give away. 6. Cleaned my first floor front windows, inside and out. 7. Started painting my bedroom and decided that it needed more time than we could give it (some of the trim needs to be replaced, and the ceiling needs to be repaired and painted, all of which I can but do not have time to do), so I called in a professional we have used before. He was at my house within the hour, and we are awaiting his estimate. That's it for now. I'm feeling very on top of things until I look at the calendar and realize that there are basically two weekends left before Christmas and that both of those will be nearly completely occupied by swim meets. But hey, at least my linen closet is organized!

AMDG Divide and Conquer multiplied by baby steps! Come! Join the force! This is a link to this week's thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/495949-the-great-advent-decluttercleaning-challenge-resetting-to-the-new-week-1/?p=5334290

AMDG Hanna! Look for the weekly thread. I start a new one each week. This is really Week 3 but since it is finally and really Advent, I reset to week one. Sneaky, yes? Come on over to the new thread! http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/495949-the-great-advent-decluttercleaning-challenge-resetting-to-the-new-week-1/?p=5334290

AMDG Hey, you two!! I want you to play and W!E!L!C!O!M!E!!!! I start a new thread each week and this is the link to this week's: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/495949-the-great-advent-decluttercleaning-challenge-resetting-to-the-new-week-1/?p=5334290 I will go ahead and copy your posts over to there. If it turns out you'd rather I didn't, I'll delete them. Again, WELCOME! and post your progress!

AMDG DECEMBER 1-7 Welcome, welcome, welcome! I hope everyone comes back and new folks join! Especially now that it is actually ADVENT! If you have been playing along, feel free to skip this part! If you're brand new to The Challenge, here's the lowdown: I really, really, wanted to engage in my own kind of Advent preparation that would involve a combined Prepare the Heart/Prepare the Home theme. When I considered my home and the time I had in Advent, there wasn't enough time so I started The Great Advent D/C Challenge early. The idea is to do whatever works for you and come here to let us know what your goals and objectives are and have some company and support along the way. Essentially, this is how I have tackled the job, though others have done differently: Count up the number of areas to be decluttered and deep cleaned. Divide by the number of weeks to come up with one area to clean per week. Divide the area into tasks per day that you're willing to wk that week (for me, 6: 5 for decluttering and one for the deep clean) Assign the tasks to days so that they get done b/f the week is up. I have managed to accomplish a lot this past couple of weeks! I hate housekeeping chores, really just despise housekeeping, but dividing into manageable chunks (and having a pretty home) has made everything doable so far. I did arrange for the living room/dining room/entry way to be the first so I would have a relatively easy space with a big pay off in an obvious part of the house and the kitchen last b/c it will be the most work. So . . . on to this week . . . It's the sewing room for me! My daughter has to help with this one so there will be two chores/day: one for me, one for my daughter. Sunday -- Rest up from last week and in advance of the work to come! Monday -- cull the awful pile on the sewing table; cull the awful pile on the floor of the craft closet and remove items to sewing table. Tuesday -- cull and remove all craft items from shelves to sewing table x 2. Wednesday -- all items from sewing table to craft closet or other appropriate space x 2. Thursday -- cull/organize scraps and sewing items to pegboard; make more pegs. Friday -- cull/organize printer area . . . whatever else I missed. Saturday -- clean. Phew! This will be my toughest week yet! I will have plenty to offer up and that's it's own good thing. Looking forward to a tidy and functional sewing room!!!!! What are YOU doing???

AMDG We have movie nights on Friday and Sunday. Sometimes we watch a movie, sometimes an episode. Right now we are watching our way through Perry Mason. Once in a while we will watch on another night. For example, on Halloween we enjoyed watching the halloween episodes of some classic tv shows like Andy Griffith, et c. Also, sometimes we might prefer an episode over a game on game night. That's pretty unusual, though, and generally instigated by a worn out parent. We really don't have much of a problem with too much time on the television. By far, my bigger issue is content. As a result, we mostly watch classic tv and movies. Not exclusively, but darn near. As for electronic games, they just don't really go over well here. We have a few but the new wears off so quickly that we hardly ever play them. So, again, I don't need to institute any limits. However, if a game came along that did catch on here, I'm sure I would apply limits pretty quickly.

That! Definitely that! My husband says that the best he can do guessing is a C average abd with me, he'd like to do a lot better. OP, seriously, you need to see the Dick Van Dyke episode when Robert dressed like a slob on the weekend. Funny. I would be annoyed with my daughter, tho.

AMDG Hey, hey! Join us for The Great Advent Declutter and Clean Peoject!!! I really wanted to do a declutter and deep clean during Advent and getting everything done b/f Christmas as part of a prepare the heart/prepare the home sort of Advent focus. However, in my own case, I didn't think I couldn't do everything in the time alloted. I started The Great Advent D/C on here 2 weeks early for company and support. I wont start a new thread till Sunday but look for us and join in!!!

AMDG Marbel, for heaven's sake! Out of the restroom and down to the lobby! Let the rest sleep, I say, and feel positively guilt-free having a tiny little alone time.

AMDG Loitering in the lobby is something we never, ever, e.v.e.r, did when I was growing up. Ever. Period. Depending on where we were going, what kind of trip it was, we might or might not have even stayed in a place with a hang-outable lobby. Sometimes, we did, tough. And when we did, we didnt. Ever. So now I'm an adult with my own family. We definitely have a favorite hotel and often stay there when we travel. Often we don't. It depends on the trip, budget, et c. What I've discovered of late, say, the last few years, is that I like to sit in the lobby sometimes. Right now, for example, im sitting in the lobby with my book, my phone, and my coffee. This seems more often done by other ppl b/c it is breakfast time. However, yesterday while my husbamd and daughter were swimming, I spend a couple of hours here by the fire reading and having tea. Quite nice. I wasn't alone, either. There were several little groups of ppl and a few solo folks sitting in different areas, chatting, reading, sipping, et c. This is, as I said, NOT something I did growing up. I enjoy it now and almost feel spoiled. My husband and daughter are not onto it. My daughter more than my husband, though, since she is more into the hang out in a coffee shop all morning experience. Im curious, is this something you do? Or do you feel awkward or just that the lobby is just for passing through?

AMDG How are you doing, FromAtoZ?

AMDG I personally like the note card idea. It is something I would like to receive and one that I would use (except the ones I kept to frame). It would be a cherished gift. It seems to me that good cardstock through the scanner should do a great job. If you dont have a scanner, kinko's or similar should be able to do it wquite nicely.

AMDG what's thickening, preciousssss?

AMDG Hello, again, you crazy Missourians! So far we love your state! noodles and mashed potatoes? really? noodles? yum. mashed potatoes, definitely yum. Noodles and mashed potatoes? hmmm . . . I need a recipe. Just plain noodles and mashed potatoes? One of my favorite meals is tabouleh and mashed potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving, Missouri!