I started
this website in early 2006, when my house had become such a disaster
area that it was affecting my well-being. I've always disliked
it when things got too messy, but somehow over time everything
became messy. In the past, I could find at least one clean room
to retreat to when I needed an escape from clutter, but there
hadn't been a refuge like that in a long time. I thought perhaps
putting the mess out there for the world to see would encourage
me to do something about it. And it did. I was on a roll for several
months, decluttering everything in sight and maintaining a simple
routine to keep everything neat. It was a pleasure living here
during that time. During the Summer, we made a mess in the living
room (it was supposed to be temporary), we went on vacation, I
got out of the groove of my routine, things went downhill, and
I was never able to salvage them. Now Neil and I are starting
to take care of some weekend projects that are a big step towards
restoring our house to its former glory. Once again I feel the
need for this space, documenting our progress. I hope there is
much progress to document!
I've changed
the layout for the main pages, and I'll change the photo layout
for any rooms where I take new pictures. If you see anything here
you'd like to chat about, I can be reached at The
Polka Dot Cottage message board. The Cottage's Laundry
Room is the best place for discussions about this.
Enjoy!
Lisa
|
Updates
04/28/07:
Back in cleanup mode. I spent three hours today sorting through
the piles of mail and assorted papers that had been accumulating
in the kitchen. When I was done, the room looked so nice, I had
to take pictures ;-) See them in the updated
Kitchen area.
03/24/06:
Some progress in the Bedroom...
03/22/06:
It's been a while since I updated! The house stayed really nice
after Aidan's party, thankfully! With the exception of the Dining
Room, which has become a place where Neil unloads new book shipments,
and where I am stacking things I plan to donate to charity when
I get a chance. Until I get rid of more clutter, we just don't
have a place to do these things and we have to sacrifice a room
to it. I say, better the Dining Room than the Living Room at least!
On a positive note, I've gone a step further in the Hallway
cleanup, which was actually a side-effect of working on my home
office (aka a corner of the Family Room). And, I recorded another
video tour, in case anyone is enjoying
those. Oh, and last but not least, I have a new online forum,
which is a reincarnation of my old dialup Bulletin Board System,
The Polka Dot
Cottage. Drop by and have a chat!
02/25/06:
Aidan's birthday party is today and we've been cleaning up the
living spaces. I hurried up and took pictures, just in case something
happens and things get trashed. Let's hope that's not the case!
Anyway, check out the Living Room,
Dining Room, and Family
Room!
02/19/06:
Tomorrow it will be one month since I took the original mess pictures.
I spent the week after that dealing with the Flu, but for all
of the days since then I've been spending at least 30 minutes
a day decluttering. I thought I'd post some Work-In-Progress pictures
for all of the rooms that I have yet to finish. You can use the
links above, or click on the pictures below to see.
02/13/06:
It's been 3 weeks since I took the initial pictures, and I have
a new video tour for anyone interested
in my progress. I also have finished the Upstairs
Bathroom, which was a long time coming!
02/06/06:
Some friends suggested I look into FLYlady.
I had tried that about 5 years ago, but not for very long. I guess
I just hadn't been desperate enough to stick with it. My mess
5 years ago was nothing like my mess now. Now I
am motivated. So, I've re-joined the FLYlady mailing list, and
have explored her website, and for the past 1.5 weeks I've been
"FLYing:" establishing morning and evening routines
designed to eliminate the clutter in manageable 15-minute chunks.
I am so pleased with the results already! I'm really working on
improving the whole house at once, but there are a few rooms that
I have finished so far - the Kitchen
and the Downstairs Bathroom.
Stay tuned for a work-in-progress video tour...
|