the unconquerable room – or so i thought
You know the “room”. That room. The room that is overflowing with all the stuff you have no idea what to do with. Maybe you don’t have a room like that. Maybe you are so orderly and on top of things that you don’t have that room, but I seem to have one at all times (and many times I have several).
Well, my entire family is coming in to town next week and we are going to need every ounce of space we have under this roof, so I have been working and working and working for what feels like months to get my home in order so everyone can feel comfortable while they are here.
I did the bedrooms, I did the dining room, I did the laundry room, I did the bathrooms, I did the storage room, I did the storage room hallway, I did the underneath-the-stairs room, but that room still seemed unconquerable to me. It has been all too easy to shut the door and pretend the giant mountain of STUFF wasn’t there. Clutter is my nemesis. I hate it and it overwhelms me and somehow I can ignore it for months years on end until I finally notice how gargantuan the clutter has become and decide to tackle it.
I have been working for the last several hours on that room and have made a ton of progress! The best part is I have been listening to downloads from past TJED Forums and have been inspired while I have been cleaning!
My faves from today?
Stronger, Wiser, Deeper, Brighter, Sweeter, Finer, Gentler, Kinder:
How Classics Lead Us and our Children to Be More by Heather Burton
The Freedom Crisis by Oliver DeMille
The Heart of a Man by Dale Milsap
If you don’t have these downloads and you need some inspiration in your life, you can find them at TJED Marketplace. I think they are $4 each. I always buy all the recordings and then listen to them throughout the year as I am washing dishes, sewing, driving, or you know, cleaning that room.
I am starting to have hope that just maybe I can get it clean and we can have a sewing room again…and Cameron can have a place to live next week when he comes all the way from Wisconsin!
I'm Tracy, a mama with big dreams, crazy ideas, loads of laughter, an insatiable desire to learn, and enormous piles of laundry.
I have it. I hate it. I can clean it but it always comes back. At our house we call it “The Abyss”. I want it to be my office or my art studio, or my sewing room, but it never gets to be any of those things because… it’s always THE ABYSS! Anyway, thanks for the tip. I have all of the downloeads from the past two years but I never listen to them. I too am having company and need to just dive in and clean it. What better way to stay upbeat while doing something I hate!
The abyss!!! I love it!!! I am determined to get my abyss clean and keep it clean. Determined I say! Do you think it is possible for those of us who are constantly having an abyss to actually conquer it permanently?
We have a Craft Dungeon. :) It’s kind of scary down there right now, as I finish up some work projects, but I’m *very much* looking forward to finishing up tomorrow, so I can do a fast de-clutter and de-junk and de-everything. It would be nice to SEE the flat surfaces, though I suppose they’re really well-protected right now.
I do think it’s possible to have things tidy all the time, but it requires developing better “put it back the first time” skills than I personally possess right this minute. I’m always trying, though! There’s got to be a good balance of practical storage, nice-to-look-at stuff, and good old utility.
I did get my buttons, elastics, and rick-racks all into their own lidded containers, though! It’s a start!
I love your abyss! Such potential, what a great room.
Need help??
I want to see before and after pictures! Or maybe you can give tours of your home when you are all finished! :) Good job on all the hard work! I need to tackle my storage room in the attic before my family comes next month…I’m not looking forward to it.
Oh Tasha! That is super hilarious! I am just getting my house to the barely livable stage that I’m sure most people’s homes are usually in. I have ignored my messes and clutter for so long that cleaning them up isn’t going to make everything look amazing…just livable!
I kind of wish I had taken before pics so I can remember the torture this whole process has been. I think it would give me added ummmpph to make sure it never happens again.
As great as this home is, the reality is it doesn’t have enough storage and I just don’t know where to put things, so they pile up and attract more clutter, and then I am completely overwhelmed by it all. I have gotten rid of oodles of stuff and I plan to continue to do so.