almost there

Today's job is tackling the massive mess that the crap gnomes have left on the computer desk. I have no idea how long this is going to take!

basement ick factor

The ick factor downstairs went up considerably this morning with a minor flood from the early morning downpour. Hubby was supposed to take down the giant plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling which contained most of the dust from his excavations, but he forgot, so there was a nice bit of mud over there. I'm not tackling that until it's dried up. Three giant garbage bags and three smaller bags of clothes to donate later, I got out the shopvac and made an enormous dent in the dust and filth on the floor. The shopvac doesn't have the hose extender piece, nor does it have the rectangular floor attachment, so I was stooped over using the small round attachment for about 45 minutes. Not exactly the easiest way to get the job done! The pool table is significantly less cluttered, and the floor is phenomenally cleaner. It still feels dusty and dirty down there though, and I think that will continue until we get the walls sheetrocked/paneled and the floor tiled with something. Maybe rubber tiles given the recent influx of water when it rains hard. I noticed the paint on the rock walls is peeling off and dropping onto the floor, and the rock walls themselves create a good bit of dust/dirt. Looks like we will need some kind of moisture barrier between the sheetrock and the rock walls.
It's our anniversary so I am going to quit while I am ahead and plan for the evening.

Not moving as fast as last year....

I got the bills and papers sorted and filed, which was a major accomplishment, and I now have a plastic folder with 12 tabs in it labeled with the months of the year so I can file the bills and such as I go now rather than waiting until there a tottering pile on the desk that needs to be filed in the basement corner. I'm feeling more organized there.
I got the dining room area mostly cleared out, but I have a pile of old framed pictures and I have no idea what to do with them yet, so they are still sitting there.
I bought big art-portfolio kind of folders to keep all of the kids' schoolwork/artwork etc in, and so that stuff (what I kept) is now organized and tucked away in their closets.
I went through the clothes in the downstairs closets and in my closet and got rid of two giant garbage bags full of clothes (donated).
I did a little work on the attic so it is slightly clearer and better organized.
I also cleaned out the freezer in the kitchen -- need to add the basement freezer to my to-do list.
Now-- I still need to clear the desk area and clean the basement. I am thinking I will save the basement for Monday as the garbage men come Tues so there will be only the one evening of overflowing garbage bins outside.
This year doesn't feel as accomplished as last year, but I am still getting a good bit done.

End of June, beginning of summer

I've had a grand total of one week off from work, during which time The Boy was in summer camp at the YWCA and Drama Queen was home with me. We had a playdate, went shopping, picked blueberries and raspberries next door, and went to the Bronx zoo.
Next week it's down to brass tacks since she'll be back at day care for July.
First up on the agenda is the de-cluttering, since Elizabeth will be coming to clean and if she doesn't have to tackle that she gets a lot more real cleaning done.
If I finish the decluttering on Monday then I'll start the basement on Tuesday. I have a feeling the decluttering will take Mon and Tues, though. De-cluttering will also involve throwing out/donating lots of toys that the kids have grown out of/destroyed, in hopes that there will be much less to move to the basement once Hubby gets that project more underway. He started digging out the wine cellar area (under the original porch, where the headroom is about 4.5 feet). He's hoping to have a walk-in wine cellar at some point. Obviously the other basement renovations are not going to happen until he's done excavating -- no point in ruining carpet or painting until that's done.