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Thread: Year two of the elephant

  1. #1
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    Year two of the elephant

    So a year ago I started the thread about "eating the elephant". I expected it to take two years. I now think it will take the same "two years" it took my dh to finish school after we got married. We celebrated out 5th Christmas together before that "two years" ended.

    i have cleared out a lot of things. I think most of the areas of the house are better, but it's hard to tell because a lot is still packed up.

    there have been increases only in the doll collection and studio equipment, but the studio as job took it's first baby steps.

    The repairs are finished on the old basement and most of the old rug is gone.

    the basement is dug and the new foundation poured, but there is still stuff belonging to the contractors in the new basement. The new basement also has windows and an exterior door.

    the addition has framing, sheathing, a subfloor, tyvec, tar paper and a chimney. We poured two small concrete porch floors.

    in the next year:

    I want to continue to make progress on the sorting, purging, organizing of the house/barn/studio contents. I would like to have my closet totally finished and my studio completely set up. I want to sort through and right size the decoration for each holiday - starting with Easter in March.

    i expect to have the roofing finished, the windows and doors installed, and the siding on. I would also like to have the yard graded and the new electrical service installed. I hope to have the new basement cleared out and usable.

    wiring, drywall, and flooring are stretch goals. So are getting all the books back on shelves and accessible, and having three inviting guest rooms. Maybe painting the walls in the old basement.

    if anybody cares to join me for another round of elephant, I welcome the company.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chicken lady View Post
    So a year ago I started the thread about "eating the elephant". I expected it to take two years. I now think it will take the same "two years" it took my dh to finish school after we got married. We celebrated out 5th Christmas together before that "two years" ended.

    i have cleared out a lot of things. I think most of the areas of the house are better, but it's hard to tell because a lot is still packed up.

    there have been increases only in the doll collection and studio equipment, but the studio as job took it's first baby steps.

    The repairs are finished on the old basement and most of the old rug is gone.

    the basement is dug and the new foundation poured, but there is still stuff belonging to the contractors in the new basement. The new basement also has windows and an exterior door.

    the addition has framing, sheathing, a subfloor, tyvec, tar paper and a chimney. We poured two small concrete porch floors.

    in the next year:

    I want to continue to make progress on the sorting, purging, organizing of the house/barn/studio contents. I would like to have my closet totally finished and my studio completely set up. I want to sort through and right size the decoration for each holiday - starting with Easter in March.

    i expect to have the roofing finished, the windows and doors installed, and the siding on. I would also like to have the yard graded and the new electrical service installed. I hope to have the new basement cleared out and usable.

    wiring, drywall, and flooring are stretch goals. So are getting all the books back on shelves and accessible, and having three inviting guest rooms. Maybe painting the walls in the old basement.

    if anybody cares to join me for another round of elephant, I welcome the company.
    Keep us posted here!

  3. #3
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    I'm happy to join in as part of your cheering section. I have such great admiration and respect for what you accomplished this past year! Some how, I can feel that you will even reach your stretch goals this year

  4. #4
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    OP, your progress is good, and your detailing of it even better. Continue on in your narrative, it is interesting.

  5. #5
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    job well done so far!

    I'd like to join in, my goal is to ruthlessly purge my area of the house over 6 mos (I have to give myself long time goals or the date comes and goes and I've done nothing) and then start on the hoarded basement box by box. I figure since it took my mother decades to accumulate this crap, it is going to be very slow going and I am naive if I think I am getting anything past her without her approval. And I know you are not supposed to do that to hoarders anyway, it's just very overwhelming knowing she has to be part of it and she cannot even get down there. I'm eating an elephant that bites and growls.

  6. #6
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    Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

    I'm sorry you're dealing with that, but it's nice to have someone else along with a long term project. We can encourage each other to keep taking bites when the progress seems slow.

  7. #7
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    I'm motivated by what you accomplished last year

  8. #8
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    Keep up the good work everyone!

  9. #9
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    I spent a lot of time puttering today, which is helping me feel more centered. Everything got so disorganized being packed up and shifted around.

    I found the tin with the advent garland my aunt made for me - I knew I hadn't permanently lost it, but I was really angry that I couldn't find it to put it up in December.

    i found two bins of clothes I had packed away and was able to toss a whole bin full into goodwill without even trying them on. Put the rest back in one bin and set them aside so I didn't get derailed.

    have all the holiday stuff I have found so far on one storage rack, grouped by holiday. (this partly cleared out both guest room closets)

    purged the the linens a little bit

    started grouping craft stuff by type of project (would like to get rid of the glass painting stuff, but can't find it - wonder if I got rid of it and forgot?)

    started grouping all the empty picture frames and homeless framed pictures on one a card table in the basement.

  10. #10
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    good job, that's a lot in one day!

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