Days 1 and 2:

I’m going to have to get more creative with the post titles as this year goes on but one thing at a time.

Yesterday I started Project Get My Shit Together 2011.

I started how so many of us do at the beginning of the year and the end of the holiday season, taking down the Christmas tree and putting away decorations. It’s a job I both dread and look forward to every year. We are “real tree” people. That means that by New Year’s Eve we have dead, needle dropping mess in the middle of our house.  It is imperative that it goes away as soon after the holiday is over as possible. While putting the tree up and decorating it is a family affair, taking it down and putting everything away is always  my job.

I am also not a “theme tree” person. Our decorations are a collection of things we’ve collected over the past 20 plus years. We started a tradition with the girls that every year they pick out a new ornament for the tree with the understanding that some day when they have their own trees they can take their collection with them. We also buy ornaments during the year when we go on vacation and to mark special events. For years my sister also bought the girls Hallmark collector series ornaments and for a few years we had an “ugly ornament” exchange with Steve’s siblings. So to say our tree decorations are eclectic is an understatement. I love it because it is an annual time capsule that shows the history and story of our family.

Other than the tree,stockings and nativity set I don’t put up a lot of decorations. I used to, especially when we were planning on entertaining over the holidays. But in recent years I just haven’t had time or been all that into it. But even so it seems like we have a lot of boxes and Rubbermaid bins of Holiday Stuff. What I’d like to know is how do the rest of you who have multiple trees, table-scapes, candles, do-dads and what-nots all over the house pack and store everything away at the end of it all? I’m in desperate need of a new system for our ornaments. I’d like to have a box for each of the girls’ collections as well as one for our family ornaments. Our collections include ornaments of all shapes and sizes and many are quite delicate and breakable. Currently I have cardboard dividers in a Rubbermaid tub and I wrap each ornament in tissue. I also have a separate smaller box that I store the particularly delicate ornaments in. The Hallmark collectable ornaments are still stored in their original boxes and make up a layer or two of the Rubbermaid bin. Another Rubbermaid tub holds all the lights and angel with the tree skirt folded on top. Two smaller plastic storage bins hold misc. things like stocking holders, holiday themed serving pieces and knickknacks. The Nativity set is in its own box with all the figures carefully wrapped in tissue and stored inside the crèche.

After the tree was down and out I dusted and lemon oiled the dining room table and buffet as well as the fireplace mantle. Wow. What a difference a little lemon oil and elbow grease make! I remember when we bought the dining room set and I finally felt like a grown up. It was beginning to look a little like a college dumpster diving find. Now it is back to its original elegance.

Monday is also garbage day so we set out to clear as much of the remaining basement junk as we could get our hands on and carry out before it looked like the Clampet’s truck had turned over at the end of our driveway. Seriously, the neighbors are going to start to talk.

Sarah and I also made a grocery run in the late afternoon. I was so pleased that when we got home with it all she set to the task of cleaning out the refrigerator and wiping down all the drawers and shelves before putting the new food away. I think I shed a little tear. I also think Steve and Emma were in the other room thinking we had lost our minds and just a little scared. In the past couple of years Sarah has gone from being the typical teen with the frighteningly messy bedroom and bath to almost compulsive in her cleaning and organizing. A shopping trip to Ikea and The Container Store is nirvana to her.

Today the carpet in the new basement room was installed. They just finished up a half hour ago. My plan today was to empty out the dining room area and wash and polish the wood floor in there but with carpet installers and carpenters still coming in and out I thought I’d save that job for another day. Instead I tackled the living room. Our living room lives up to its name. We spend the majority of our family time either there or in the kitchen. The kitchen gets the “Shiny Island” treatment many times a week and other than miscellaneous clutter that collects on the peripheral flat surfaces, it stays pretty clean. The living room however seems to be the most used and yet most ignored room of the house.

Now I am sitting in a clean, fresh room. I vacuumed, dusted, damp wiped and polished practically ever surface in the room. The wood furniture all got wiped down with a damp cloth and then polished with lemon oil. It glows! The leather couch was pulled away from the wall and cleaned behind and also wiped down and polished with leather cleaner/conditioner. It almost looks new with the exception of some scratches from the pets and nail polish drips on the arms. Guess I’d better spend some more time training animals and children. I used some dry carpet cleaner (Zorb) on the area rug and vacuumed all the drapes, pillows and chair cushions. Even the cat scratching tower got a good going over with my trusty Dyson. I also have a few antique wood bowls and oak baskets around the house. I’ve started vacuuming them off and treating them with lemon oil.

It’s just past noon. I’m now trying to decide if I have enough energy to tackle another area of the house or if it is time for a creative break. The workers are starting to clear out so maybe I will get that floor job started. But then again I do have mountains of laundry sorted on the bathroom floor. And I can’t seem to get my mind off the box of machine embroidery thread I bought last week and want to put to use on my new toy.