Storage units: Do you have one?

Aha! See what I'm talking about, the more stuff we have, the more responsibility that comes along with it. I came across this article today on MSN as I was logging out of my Hotmail account.
The author argues that more and more, Americans are turning to storage facilities across the country to store things that no longer have space in their home. Even though our homes are getting bigger and our households are getting smaller, we are PAYING to store our stuff in those convenient storage units we now see dotting almost every block. She interviews Guy Denos, a gentleman who has been in the storage business for 20 years; his argument is that people are storing their parents' things, old tax returns, grown kids' items, etc. But I'm sorry, I agree with the author, MP Dunleavey. She argues that the growing numbers of storage facilities is due to American consumerism and overindulgence.

It is an interesting article and while she gives some brief facts or conspiracies as some nay-sayers would note, I think she hits it dead on. I remember seeing a TV show once where a husband and wife were on the brink of a divorce because of his clutter. He had something like two storage units, a garage, a house, and back workshop full of his stuff. Could you imagine? No wonder this wife was about to move out, his stuff had taken over.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out the article, I found it interesting and was nodding my head in agreement. Americans spend too much, save too little, live in huge houses, and yet we still don't have enough. Pretty sad, huh?

Image from http://www.bministorage.com/Photos.html

Update on Mama's house..

My parents came down last weekend (21June) to clean out my grandma's house as someone is going to rent it for a year.

I know I've talked about this before, but this time, it was SERIOUS crunch time and we had to get the rest of the items out. I figured although I'm 25, I have helped my parents in numerous ways deal with my grandmother and all of her belongings. For my readers who are dealing with aging parents, I figure maybe some advice could help you with their homes; in addition, what you can do NOW to prevent your children from dealing with your stuff.

My grandpa passed away almost 2 years ago to the day, July 7, 2006, the day before my grandma's 88th birthday. What have I learned from this experience?

• Older generations have a difficult time getting rid of things, they really need to be reasoned with about what is important, and what is not. A napkin collection (I'm talking paper, from fast food restaurants, not linen)? NOT. A silver tea set that was a wedding gift. YES. My grandma's generation who survived the great depression thinks they need to stock pile things; don't get angry or upset, talk to them in a logical tone and help them realize that used tinfoil isn't important and buying a roll isn't expensive. Chuck the old stuff and if they need new, they can easily access it.


• Even though my grandma has three, yes, THREE homes full of stuff, she still feels like she needs it all. You have to be firm about paring down what goes and what stays. My parents and uncle, God bless them, have allowed her to keep so much (really, Tupperware from 40 years ago? When she doesn't cook?) that they have garages and homes over flowing. Ridiculous and pretty silly.


• Take one day for your loved one to go through the house and pick their favorite things; then take them somewhere else (outside the house) so that they can relax and every able body is ready to go to work. (I wish we had done this!) Put those things in a pile so you know for sure those are getting packed up to go home. It's HARD to get things done when she's asking questions every 2 minutes and wondering what is going on and if we're bringing that chair, etc. When packing up a house, it's business time and getting distracted when you're trying to work is just mentally exhausting.


• Call a used furniture store and see if they buy estates. Instead of hauling things through 3 states, pick your favorite things, family heirlooms, quality furniture that can be used and sell the rest. This way the buyer is responsible for hauling everything else away; dishes, furniture, housewares, etc. No boxing it up and bringing it home and then dealing with it later. No, you probably won't get as much as you hoped, but do you want to deal with a yard sale of items? It's not just the yard sale, it's renting a trailer, boxing everything up, loading it(which is exhausting in itself), taking it home, unloading it, going through it (again...), taking the time to set up a yard sale, etc. If the items aren't that precious and were used as a winter home, they're most likely just spare goods. Check out the yellow pages for used furniture places. Trust me, I wish my parents would have done that!


• Be understanding. My grandmother was SO emotional about everything. It's frustrating on the kids (and grand kids) to see her make a huge deal out of a few mugs and 20 year old spices, but those are her things. Again, talk to them about how their goods can be used and appreciated by someone else. She loved them and appreciated them at the time but now that time has passed, she needs to move on.

I hope these tips have helped. Like I said, this is a HARD time to deal with everything and she is so old she just sat around and couldn't do much of anything; this really frustrated her because she didn't understand what was going on. If you're getting on in age, start going through your things and picking what is really the most important to you. Please don't put on your children what my grandparents have put on our small family. It is hard. It is physically and mentally exhausting. And VERY time-consuming. Make it easy on your family and cut back on some of the things that may not be that important to you; you can't take it with you!

Happy de-cluttering.

Blessings,

LL.

I need your help!!

Everyday I leave my house to go to work, I have two dogs that look at me like, "You're leaving again?" I can't stand it. I want to work somewhere where I am able to take them with me and spend the day with them. I've determined I want to open up my own pet boutique.

We have a few of them here in Tucson, but I am far from impressed. They lack originality and fun and I think that I could bring a really fun edge to my store; right now I'm trying to figure out the logistics of it all, asking for help from my brother who is about to open his own business: an ice cream parlour. What I want is a fun name for my boutique..that's where you come in. I would like something that is fun and original, but let's the person know that it's a pet store. It would be fun if I could incorporate Juno's name somehow in the title. Here are a few ideas thus far:

Juno's Posh Paws

The Posh Juno

Downham Market Pet Boutique

I don't know...obviously!! Any ideas about the boutique, something you would like to see or have offered, let me know PLEASE!! I really would love to get this started and am praying that it will happen.

Thanks for all your help!

LL.

Only have 100 Things? Could you do it?

I really enjoy the Living section on CNN. They usually have interesting articles every few days that pertain to what I'm dealing with at the present moment. Today they have link to an article on Time.com entitled, "How to Live with Just 100 Things."

Currently there is a 100 Thing Challenge, a movement that challenges individuals to whittle their belongings to just 100 things. Dave Bruno, online entrepreneur from San Diego looked around his home last summer and determined he just had way too much stuff, so he began this challenge.

It's a very interesting read and I encourage you all to check it out. It really makes us think about the important/not so important things in our lives. Do we really need so much stuff? I learned quickly the power of clutter when I lived in England. Simply put, we could not have a lot of stuff. In our first home, we had NO closets. No joke. A 3 bedroom house with no storage...and a tiny one at that. Now in my new home, I'm really encouraging myself to purge. I really need to clean out my storage unit in the backyard. I have way too much Christmas stuff so that needs to go. I suppose it could go on craigslist as Christmas approaches.

I'm going to take this challenge head on. No, I don't think I could get to 100 items, but at the same time, I could afford to pare down my goods. Does one person really need as much as I have? As my bf says, you have enough stuff for 3 people. Yikes.

My parents are coming down so I think I will give them some items to take to family members. Ok, here we go again. PURGE TIME!!! :) Ah, I love it. Give me your thoughts on this challenge. I'd be interested to know what everyone thinks.

Blessings, LL.

What did I accomplish???

So, let's recap what I said I would do this weekend:

• Get spare room organized and cleaned.
  


• Mail off package to BFF in Florida.
  


• Clean the floors.
  


• Find an old sheet at Goodwill to cover Washer and Dryer (getting filthy!)
  


• Clean out puppy wading pool so they can play or just stand there confused.
  


• Organize bathroom storage (or lack thereof!)
  


• Donate used goods to Goodwill.
  


• Clean up yard furniture, find good place to get them powder-coated.
  


• Take Ruby to vet for shot.
  


• Take chairs from storage to get cleaned and put in spare room.

Ok, I did get the spare room cleaned and organized. YAY! It's coming around nicely. I'm just waiting for the ex to pick up the cabinet so it can thoroughly be organized; I found this AMAZING 1950s teak buffet at my beloved used furniture store (thanks to the owner who gave me heads up!!). This 97 year old woman passed away and he collected this beautiful Danish teak furniture from her house; I bought the buffet, and drooled over the dining set which is WAY too big for my place. :( So, it's on layaway until he can get the cabinet and I can put the new buffet in my house.

I didn't get the chairs cleaned yet. I tried calling this one place but I never got an answer, but I'm hoping this Friday (payday!) I can do it. I have the day off so maybe I can get it done then!! I have to work Saturday so I will try and get this huge box of to my BFF in Florida. Don't have the funds yet so this Friday it WILL get done!! I need it out of my house!!

The floors got cleaned as well. Yay. They were disgusting but thanks to my wonderful Shark Steam mop, they are now clean. (Until I go home tonight! LOL) Oh, I hate having a dirt backyard.

The bathroom is now organized. I have a lot less storage than my old place so I just did some rearranging and tossing, now it's up to par. I got my hair straightener hung up on the wall so it doesn't take up precious counter space and used some seagrass baskets to keep it all contained underneath.

I haven't dropped the goods off at Goodwill yet; the BF only wanted to sit around all weekend so besides breakfast yesterday and running to get dinner late last night, we did nothing but watch movies...ok, HE watched movies, I cleaned!! So I'm hoping I can get them dropped off soon so I can collect my receipt and get them out of my house.

I found an old sheet to cover my washer/dryer. I went to my estate sale on Sat and found it along with a really nice queen-sized blanket. I realized all I have are afghans (that don't keep you very warm or covered up at night!) and when my parents come down next month, they'll need one for sure. So I got a sheet, practically new blanket, and vintage planter. Total? $4.00. :) So in the spirit of cleaning and having these great vintage pots lying around I went to Home Depot and found some tropical foliage houseplants for $1.77 each! I bought 3 plants and had BF re-pot them for me. They look great on my kitchen table now, I love how houseplants can really make a room so much livelier. :)

And lastly, I didn't get the lawn chairs cleaned yet, won't take too long as they just need to be hosed off. I found some places to get them powder-coated but BF said it would be expensive, so those will just have to wait for now. Not in a big hurry anyway. I also didn't take Ruby for her shot yet. Ugh. We took a nap and when we woke up Sunday, it was too late. So I'm going to get that done this Sunday, as well as get Juno groomed.

All in all though, I think I had a pretty successful weekend! I wish we would have gotten out and done more, but that's ok. He's been working a lot and needed a break. I got the house in much better order and got all laundry done. The house is coming together so nicely and I'm really loving it. :)

I hope you all had a blessed weekend. It's back to the grind for me! And look, it's been less than a week since I've blogged. Aren't you proud of me? ;)

Blessings, LL.

image from http://www.blognetnews.com/nashvilletn/feed.php?channel=93&y=2007&m=06&d=20

And what are you doing this weekend?

This weekend will be such a nice, relaxing weekend dedicated to finishing up everything in the house and playing with the pups. They have been neglected with this move and everything; we usually get out to the doggie park a number of times a week, but since the move, nada. I'm thinking we will be able to get to the mountains, I'm sure they'd love that. Ruby has never been, Juno has but she's been to the more "desert-type" where we have to be careful of rattlesnakes, scorpions, and mountain lions; she thinks that she can just run around and in front of us with no worries. I would love to get them up to the more "green" mountains, lots of trees, higher elevation, cooler temps, etc.

I really want to get my spare room done. It's kind of a "catch-all" for the moment, so I really want to get it nice and organized. I need to get the floors in house clean as well. I have to Swiffer them everyday for dirt and fur (UGH!) and they are just looking plain gross so I'm whipping out my Steam Mop to tackle the mess. :)

Anyway, goals for the weekend include:

1. Get spare room organized and cleaned.
2. Mail off package to BFF in Florida.
3. Clean the floors.
4. Find an old sheet at Goodwill to cover Washer and Dryer (getting filthy!)
5. Clean out puppy wading pool so they can play or just stand there confused.
6. Organize bathroom storage (or lack thereof!)
7. Donate used goods to Goodwill.
8. Clean up yard furniture, find good place to get them powder-coated.
9. Take Ruby to vet for shot.
10. Take chairs from storage to get cleaned and put in spare room.

Whew! I think I'm going to stop there before I get overwhelmed. I'm hoping most of this can get accomplished this weekend, that would be really lovely. Saturdays BF works during the day so I can get most of this done without him, hopefully I can really get my spare room cleaned out, that would make my weekend.

I hope you all have a great, safe weekend! Let me know your plans.. :) Blessings, LL

Buh bye papertowels

Ok, so this is a HUGE step for me. I love papertowels, I really do. They help me clean, wipe my face when I'm eating, there's just something about being able to toss them when they get icky that makes me just feel clean.

But I've decided that I need to end my dependency on them. My favorite blog, Apartment Therapy, talked about The Super Amazing Kitchen Cloths, I had to go out and get a set. $3.99 for a set of two, I was like, heck yes! :) I got a cute set of olive green and yellow, which makes me happy because I didn't realize there were two in a package, I couldn't decide which color to buy!

Let me tell you, they ROCK. You just get them damp and they work wonders. I gave my filthy pups a bath last night and had water all over the counter (I bathe them in the kitchen sink). I forgot I had these new super towels and used a regular kitchen on, which of course did not pick it all up and made my towel SOAKED. I then grabbed my Trader Joes one and it soaked up all of the water on the counter! I didn't even have to ring it out.

I've now been using them to clean food bits off the counter, the little coffee droplets off the counter when I pull out the filter, pick up excess water around the sink, etc. I'm thinking these will be great to DRY my dogs when I wash them.. I'll keep you updated!!

Yes, I think this transition will be a lot easier. And for $3.99 for a two-pack, oooh yes, Mommy like!!

Image from re-nest

Etsy=my love

Oh I heart Etsy. If you've never been it's a great site to find home made goodies or vintage finds. I have a lot of time on my hands during work so I usually scour for some vintage finds or great original artwork. I've decided to take another step in going green and try to end my dependency on papertowels. (More on that later) I thought, what a great way to help was to go for linen napkins. I am KICKING myself for not picking up this great set of green and yellow vintage napkins yesterday so I'm feeling better now that I got the set you now see here. :) Something about those little yellow chicks make me smile!!

Anyway, I figure getting some super cute napkins ($8.50 including shipping) will eventually pay for themselves with the cost of papertowels and napkins over time. Plus, hello..they are WAY cute.

New place update

Ok, so I'm totally digging living in my own place. It is so nice and big (well, it's about 800sqft or less!) and I have plenty of space to have things the way I want it.

As much as it SUCKS to move, it is always nice to see what you have, you're forced to deal with it. Once you go through it, you're really amazed at what you have.. or shocked! LOL.

I ended up taking a few things to Goodwill and getting them out of my house. I have more space than before (YAY!) but I want to keep it neat and tidy without it getting too cluttered. The ex came over the other day and was giving me props on the new pad. He also is taking a beloved piece of furniture, a gorgeous Japanese dresser that we bought in England. I tried incorporating it in the main room, but with my mid-century furniture, it looks really awkward! He had told me before he had wanted it, so I'm going to part with it *sigh* but I know he will love it and appreciate it, so it's his when he finds a place to put it. I also gave him a bunch of photo albums and pictures that he had wanted. I love giving things away to people I know will put them to use instead of just Goodwilling it.

Everything is almost in its place, just have to get the guest bedroom/den organized now; need to get my two retro orange chairs out of storage to the cleaners. My parents are coming for my birthday next month so I want to make sure the house is in order!!

All in all the move was pretty stress-free except it was just the two of us moving everything. We got it done and in the end, I don't know if I would have done anything differently. Wait, I would have had more boxes!! I had to unpack real quick, run back to the old place, pack and take it to my new home. But...in doing that, I was unpacked real quick and didn't have boxes sitting around for a long time, so maybe I liked it that way!! :)

The dogs are settling in nicely and love the new place, although I do have to give them baths EVERYDAY since the backyard is just dirt. :( Oh well! I love my new house, like my landlords, and I'm all by myself! What more could I want?

Hope all is well with you all. I will be in touch soon. Blessings.