Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Yes, it's me again

See, I told you I'd post more often this year! Aren't I good?

I'm sitting in my study, which for the last month has been ground zero for Operation Christmas Madness. Today I spent several hours putting it to rights while the boys were as lazy as they could possibly be, tomorrow being the first day of the spring term. None of us is ready to go back--or at the very least, none of us is ready to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. It won't be pretty.

My study is a small, upstairs bedroom that for the most part serves as a storage area for my books and papers, though I'm thinking about making it my actual work space. Normally I write on the living room couch, Travis by my side, but after a very serious effort at finishing a draft in November, many hours a day spent hunched over my MacBook, my back protests at the very thought of sitting anywhere other than a proper chair at a proper desk. As it happens, my study has one of each--a chair and a desk--plus a comfy club chair on loan from my friend Danielle if I need to kick back.

I should take a picture of my desk, which I'm quite fond of, even if I don't ever work there. It has cubby holes where I put my mail--such as it is--and other bits of paper that I collect. Today I went through all the cubbies and sorted and recycled and generally made my desk look like the place where a girl could sit each morning and peck happily away at her computer. Sadly, I did not get to the drawers, which are filled to the brim with decisions to be made--should this paper be saved? Recycled?  Shredded? I try to be ruthless, but it's so hard.

Next up is the study closet, which is jammed with all sorts of nonsense, including several half-finished sweaters and lots of yarn ("wool" to you UK gals) that I will never actually use but don't know what to do with. I feel like my whole house if filled to the brim with things that we don't use but I don't actually know what to do with. That would describe 95% of the stuff in my attic. It's the figuring out the proper disposal which puts the kink in the system. I wish I felt okay about just dumping all of Will's Star Wars figurines and all the plastic flotsam and jetsam he's collected over the past five or six years. But I feel I should re-purpose it somehow. In fact, one idea I've had is to systematically box up every bit of junk--here's a box of Star Wars figures, here's a box of plastic building blocks--and then sell the boxes at a yard sale, cheap. One buck a box of fun stuff your kid will love. My guess is there are lots of families with little kids who would eat this stuff up. Food for thought ...

I know, I know, I've mentioned my attic, and now you're all snickering. "Oh, here she goes again, like she's ever going to get that attic cleaned out." But I proclaim that 2013 will be The Year of the Attic. My friend Amy has offered to help me with it in exchange for quilting lessons, and I might just take her up on it. I need to purge! I want to get rid of stuff and then--and here's the big thing--not replace it. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I say, Watch this space. It will happen, ladies. It's only a matter of time.

11 comments:

magsmcc said...

http://themaclive.com/whats-on/family-fun-toys-transformed/

Make money on the toys front- mothers like me are spending £5 a head to have boys stick bits of toys on a big bit of chicken wire- run it at your fine school and they can keep the sculpture after!!

I have no wisdom on the rest. I have to gut out the spare room tomorrow so that a church worker can live in it for five weeks from Saturday- I, never mind her, may never be seen again...

Gumbo Lily said...

That was fast! Your reappearance, that is. Another post in which I smile a lot as I read....especially when I got to the attic part. I think I actually did let out a snicker, but I believe you! A friend who will help in exchange for quilt lessons will surely do the trick!

I love the sounds of your office/work space. I want to see it. I have a workspace that really needs my sorting out and organizing.

Angela said...

Watching and Waiting!

I have this mad idea that Mags will enter HER spare room, and somehow come out of a cupboard in YOUR attic

xx

Heather said...

I, myself, feel like a paperwork hoarder. I feel like if I shred an important paper (years old mind you)that I will somehow need it the next day. I also have some boxes of my kids' old toys in my garage that not only have nostalgic value to my kids, but to me, as well. Sigh...I had forgotten about those boxes, but now I guess I have to figure out what to do with them. It would be good to let them go.

Tracy said...

I've posted about Mr Busy's messy bedroom exploits over the years. I tackled his room again the other day. And the shoes in my wardrobe. Who knows, maybe one day I will archive the filing without having actually filed it!

I would LOVE to see a picture of your desk. I inherited Miss Sunshine's last year and my back/shoulders are much happier for it. You should try it as a work space - it'll be good for you :)

Jo said...

Why don't you put everything in the attic, let Amy sort it out, and give her REALLY GOOD quilting lessons?

Leslie said...

The year of the attic. That sounds kinda scary. Hey, I think you could write a book about this!

I looked up the books you mentioned over at my blog and the library only has The Right-Hand Shore (but it is is your favorite so yay!) I put it on hold. One of my book clubs is going to meeting every other month so I will have more time to read books of my own choosing which makes me happy!!!

debbie bailey said...

I saved my childrens' special toys and now my grandchildren play with them. Whenever one of my children sees them they say, "Ah, I loved that toy!" Warm fuzzies all round! I'd keep the special ones boxed up in the attic for such a day as this. It will come!

You sound like me and my desks. I have four where I never sit. Anytime I write or paint, I do it at either the kitchen or dining table. My desks are for organizing my various things. They make me feel organized anyway.

GretchenJoanna said...

My grandchildren and others whom I babysit think I have the best collection of toys. But I only had about 3 years that they had to sit around unused!

I agree about the kink in the system. One thing that helps me to just give boxfuls to the Goodwill is thinking about some poor person coming upon a real find there, and how happy they will be to get such a bargain. But often I feel I must first send an e-mail to all five of my kids and say, "Does any of you want ____?" and they are usually silent (even though most of them are married with children and I can't understand them not wanting to fill their houses up with stuff) so then I let my husband cart the things off, which he does very fast before I can reconsider.

I was about to say that I believe in you, Frances - but then I read Angela's comment and I thought that I also believe in MAGIC - it could happen!! And if the two of you got together, you would have a wonderful time... but I don't know how your attic would end up.

mrsnesbitt said...

LOVE 2013 the year of the attic! Mind if I tag along and do the same?
Dxx

Ali said...

I think getting a friend in to help could be the answer - I am so much better at tossing other people's crap than I am my own!