Have a question about spackel or building shelves for your letterboxing paraphenalia--this is the place for you. =) -- Ryan

Ok, I was just looking for a board to bring to life...this is my baby! LOL

Where was this board, by the way, when I was remodeling the house last year...the reason I had to forsake letterboxing for SIX months?! Nearly killed me.

Anyway, today we're painting all the patio/lawn furniture. Out with the almond, in with the Hampton Green. Change is good. At least, my hubby would appreciate change more if I'd stop coming into the basement to check AQ and stayed with him while he pressure-washes the stuff.

Alright, alright, I'm going...

VictoriAnna the DIY chick

Starting in October last year, we painted the downstairs, added columns to the dining room, sold all the old furniture, got a new stove, new granite countertops, new (wholesale!) sink, new (wholesale!) hood, new (sleep number, don't waste your money) bed, new (old-1890) armoire (came in 17 pieces and was assembled in the bedroom...never to move again,) new (wholesale) sofa, new coffee table, new chairs in den, new (floor model) entertainment center in basement, new (used-commercial) treadmill which required us to rewire the basement for 220, moved the microwave to the pantry which required us to rewire the pantry, new TV's, new washer, tiled the kitchen backsplash ourselves, did the new kitchen light fixtures ourselves, added bookshelves to the kitchen counter, and fixed a LARGE hole in the ceiling of the den where the shower leaked through for years.

Needless to say, I didn't resume letterboxing in earnest until May of this year, but it was worth it. We even had a tea party in January for some LB friends so they could see what I'd been ranting about on the yahoo list for weeks. Believe me, there's a wild story on the boards for nearly every one of those items in the above paragraph. I can't do anything the easy way, apparently.

Anyway, I now have a cool 300-year-old Tuscan kitchen in a designer house. (Yes, I had help, but she's a personal friend interior designer...gotta love that freebie stuff. Plus she works at the Atlanta Gift Mart...wholesale merchandise all the way!)

So, that's enough about that. (And the patio furniture still isn't painted yet.) Once I started back boxing, I went from F50 on 5/10 to F253 on Friday. I'm a little obsessed, wouldn't you say?

VictoriAnna

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It's almost as good as the day that I discovered Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers and spent the day "in awe" of all the dirt I could remove (running around the house testing it on walls, doors, counters...)

Watch out! Those magic erasers take the sheen off of shiny surfaces. Also, once you discover how well they take paint of skin, BE CAREFUL. They'll give you a horrible "rug burn." My poison ivy scar is finally going away, and now I'm waiting for the eraser burn to heal.

Lisascenic

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I'm just interested in having my old things moderately clean! And boy, that Magic Eraser makes me happy!

We were *shocked* to discover that the "color" of our vintage radio was actually patina from years of someone's nicotine, and that the radio is actually ivory, and not yellowish. Yeccccch.

Seriously, be careful on skin. These erasers take paint off more easily than using solvents, but are really really abrasive.

About 4 years ago my husband and I remodled the home we were in. We painted the whole house (including the kitchen cabnets), put in all new lighting/ceiling fans, new cabinet/mirror in one bathroom, refloored the whole house, and replaced old sliding doors with french doors. We had to move to Florida and couldn't sell the house in time, so we rented it. Biggest mistake of our lives. We could never get payment on time and were too far away to keep an eye on the place. When I saw it again I almost cried. The woman had said it would just be here and her two teenagers. It turns out she let her other daughter with 2 crayon/coolaid aged children, a boyfriend and dog move in! The new carpet was thrashed, thresh-hold peices on the floor gone, crayon everywhere, yard full of junk, ugly paint on the walls- you name it! No matter how nice or classy a person seems, remember they are showing you only what you want to see.

My husband now wants to refinance our house, use the money as a downpayment for a new house and rent this one *shaking head in dismay*. I think I'll have to put my foot down on this one.

Weyrwoman

Out of curiosity, does anyone else tear themselves away, kicking and screaming, from trading on Gardenweb to go 'boxing?
Do you wintersow?
Do you know what a sasbe is?
Do you drool over tomato pictures from 'down under' in January?
????
:~)
Elisabeth

Cut the clutter, that is my new years resolution and I have had several people refer me to the Flylady.net website. Also my half-sister asked for the Fly Lady book (Sink Reflections) for Christmas. Have you guys tried the fly lady system and has it really worked for anyone??

-Amanda from Seattle

http://www.flylady.net/index.asp

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Have you guys tried the fly lady system and has it really worked for anyone??

I used to do it all the time. I loved it! I would be more cheerful when my sink was shiny and I had no clutter. I grew up in a pack rat family, two of my children keep wrappers and half torn up and crinkled pieces of paper, just in case!!!

I now have my own routine so I don't go there very often but she was wonderful in getting me started and in seeing what I needed to do in my home.

Some people need their floors to be spotless of dust, some need a sparkling fridge, I fould I needed a clutter free home. It's wonderful.

my problem is that I have alot of family come to visit, off and on, so I don't keep my fly lady routine then. But it is also awesome when you have kids because they can help!

The down side (for some people), and she mentions this, is that you get alot of emails. I mean ALOT!

Give it a try. BABY STEPS!!! LOL!
Pokey

Amanda:

Thanks for the link. I'll go back and really sort through that good stuff. Liked the "powered by Mac OS X" at the bottom of the page.

I would never have guessed You would have a clutter problem; constantly travelling and all. I am facing another move very soon. I'm not without items that should be tossed, so I am not perfect.

In my experiences, I try to look critically at things often and ask myself ... has it lost its usefulness to me? Do I really want to carry this with me to my new life? I have free-cycled a number of things this past year. What a great rush, to know that someone else thinks you are wonderful for parting with something of great worth.

I also try not to hold on to things that look dated that I know I'll eventually sell off/give away. We all have seen the trinkets and stuff at yard sales and wondered ... why in the world did they keep that for 20, 30, 40 years?

I never sell books and clothes. I am pretty disciplined about how many clothes I own. If I buy a new outfit, something has to be donated to make room for it. Books are given to the Friends of the Library and they can use/sell what they want.

I suppose my thoughts were formed when I was a sophomore living abroad. I saw lots of things I would love to have (temporarily), but since I wasn't interested in carrying them all over Europe, I didn't buy them. It had to fit in my small backpack. Mom and Dad weren't there to carry it for me. A valuable life lesson.

I love Clean Sweep-type shows. I wonder, if the cameras came back unannounced 6 months later, had the homeowners transformed their lives for the better, or did the old habits resurface?

Good luck in your De-cluttering,
speedsquare

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Cut the clutter, that is my new years resolution and I have had several people refer me to the Flylady.net website.

I had a similar idea in mind... last week I ordered Pam Young and Peggy Jones's "Sidetracked Home Executives" which predates the Flylady a little (I think Flylady even refers to and borrows from their system). I read my mom's copy of the book 20 years ago, but I can't borrow hers because she can't find it now. She never applied any of the great tips, apparently!

It's very odd that this topic came up after I ordered the book but before I received it in the mail...

-Red

FlyLady is remarkable, and has truly impacted a lot of women's lives, and subsequently the lives of their families.

My wife has been following it for quite a while, and has introduced it to many others. It's terrific, and it works, works, works for anyone that does it.

I've learned to really appreciate that you can do anything for just 15 minutes, not matter how bad or hopeless it looks from the outset.

Good luck! It's free, and can't hurt to try.

We've been big fans of the FLYLady for several years. Just ask many of the IALC folks! We love to FLING!!!

Thank God for the FLYLady!!! I discovered her by way of Julie Morgenstern's discussion board for Organizing from the Inside Out! Definitely life changing--both Julie's book & happening upon the FLY Lady. There are a few people/things I can pinpoint that God providentially snuck into our lives--Julie, FLYLady, Dave Ramsey, Jessie Wise/Susan Wise Bauer & letterboxing. Amazing!!!

dvn2r ckr

Yes, FLYLady's inspiration came from Sidetracked Home Executives! I pick that book up often at thrift stores/yard sales to 'sneakily' donate/leave around our church's 'free' book shelves--hoping other folks will accidentally stumble upon it. I do the same think with Dave Ramsey/Larry Burkett books.

FLYLady's system works because it forces you to modify your thinking. The emails can be overwhelming--but they work! I'm living proof of it!!! I encourage folks to follow the emails for a couple of months (ensure you turn them off when you're away from the computer for several days in a row) but follow them when you can--or you can create your own reminder system using Outlook's calendar/appt system. Follow the reminders for several weeks in a row until you develop 'clutter-free' habits and then you can turn them off. The testimonials help provide you inspiration because you see others are going through similar things.

Again, I can't say enough how much FLYLady and a few others have changed our lives for the better!

dvn2r ckr

I initiated a New Year's idea this year to quit living like a slob. My husband and I made a list of things that we put off forever until it's so overwhelming that it is a major untaking. Then we decided how often they should be done.

I decided that waiting until trees were sprouting out of the gutters, you could no longer see the desk or dressers due to papers, having avalanches everytime we opened the closets, etc was unacceptable.

Then I divided things up and put them on the calendar. For example, this month, the desk, dressers, utility room must be cleaned to the point that nothing exists on the tops of anything (we have a tendency to just neatly stack things in new piles rather than put them somewhere or throw them out). Everything must have a place where it can be put away. We have all month to do the task. All tasks for January (except one small one) are now done. Next time these chores come up on the rotation it will be easy since it will not have had 6months of build up. That's the theory anyway....

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I initiated a New Year's idea this year to quit living like a slob. My husband and I made a list of things that we put off forever until it's so overwhelming that it is a major untaking. Then we decided how often they should be done.

I decided that waiting until trees were sprouting out of the gutters, you could no longer see the desk or dressers due to papers, having avalanches everytime we opened the closets, etc was unacceptable.

Then I divided things up and put them on the calendar. For example, this month, the desk, dressers, utility room must be cleaned to the point that nothing exists on the tops of anything (we have a tendency to just neatly stack things in new piles rather than put them somewhere or throw them out). Everything must have a place where it can be put away. We have all month to do the task. All tasks for January (except one small one) are now done. Next time these chores come up on the rotation it will be easy since it will not have had 6months of build up. That's the theory anyway....

Very similar to FlyLady's approach. Lots of zones to work on; routines, routines, routines to keep it going.

She has the added benefit of reminding you not to feel guilty about anything, just keep giving it 15 minutes at a time, take breaks, and take care of yourself.

Good stuff!

Taking FLYLady a step further--she divides your home(life) into 6 zones--spending 1 week on each zone. You work in short 'bursts' at a time (15 minutes max) and do what you are able to in each zone, each week. As you rotate through the different zones, you'll slowly see results. You don't have to feel guilty because you don't finish it that particular rotation--you'll revisit it in a few weeks' time and can work some more at it. Before you know it, your surroundings start to look great and you have less clutter about you and more free time to do things you ENJOY!!!

I've taken FLYLady's Baby Steps approach to other areas of my life--finances, workouts, homeschooling (my kids & myself), carving stamps, etc. and it works beautifully! In fact, (another big influence in my life) Dave Ramsey's financial Baby Steps work in much the same manner; POWERFULLY life changing.

dvn2r ckr

I just signed up! My house is fairly clutter free, except for about three of the seven rooms. During Christmas break, I started moving all of the clutter from the living, dining and one bedroom to the unheated porch, which keeps it out of sight. I still need to declutter drawers and stuff, but it's a lot better!

Now if I could only find a system to help me in my home office.....

Music Woman

Okay, I'm hoping you all at least monitor this board. We we are wanna be weekend warriors (but don't even fit that category). We are trying to hang a toilet paper dispenser, and the measurement (or lack of knowledge to do so) has thrown us! Please tell me the best way to measure the distance for the brackets for the toilet paper roll!

Thanks,

Scoutingbear

Do you have the plastic piece that actually holds the TP roll? You can use that as a guide. There's a spring in it to compress it when you put it in the brackets. Tthe plastic piece should fit snugly in between the two brackets.

Yes, we have that. I was trying all sorts of other ways of measuring...now, just need to cover all the holes from the old holder (one would think the painter would do that when they paint...)

Scoutingbear btw, happy cake day!

If there is no guide on the back of the TP holder package as to where to put the holes, I just assemble it with the springy thing that the TP will go on included then slap it on the wall and use a pencil to mark the holes for drilling. If you have something that fits inside the wall, error on making the hole too small (you can always make it larger). Consider if you are putting it on a cabinet where the screws are coming through on the other side. Also, consider if you are inserting it in a wall whether a stud is going to block it on the other side.

The Wolf Family *who learns from repeated mistakes*

You didn't mention whether you were mounting it on plaster walls, drywall, or *gasp* painted tile, but depending on the weight of the stationary pieces, you might want to consider inserting the plastic wall anchors before inserting the screws/bolts in the final fixture. Drywall is notorious for not holding heavy fixtures forever, so I thought I would forewarn you.

Thursday is our work day. We are adding insulation and pegboard throughout our entire garage. I hope the heat wave breaks by then.

Looking for my plumb-line,

speedsquare

I wasn't sure where to post this question but figured this might be the best place.

Any ideas on how to get rid of must smell in the bathroom? I've cleaned the heck out of the place (short of actually cleaning the pipes), used Drano, burned candles and incense with the door shut even. I cannot get the smell to go away. It just appeared a couple of weeks ago. I cannot get all of the mold off of the shower door b/c it looks like someone did a really crappy job sealing the bottom of it and it's so goopy it's impossible to clean (any suggestions there would be appreciated too!), but I'm not sure that's the problem as it's been there for longer than the smell.

I am in an apartment in a house with an apartment right above us and their bathroom is right above mine as well and I have the feeling that they're not the cleanest of people (I can tell they take showers at least lol) but I'm not sure if it might be them and not me? The landlord is a slumlord and does nothing for this place so I probably won't get help there. Moving is not an option right now either ; )

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks, Moonduck

Any ideas on how to get rid of must smell in the bathroom?

I've heard Vinegar or Charcoal removes odors, you might try that. Set a bowl of either in the bathroom and leave it over night (24hrs).

I cannot get all of the mold off of the shower door b/c it looks like someone did a really crappy job sealing the bottom of it and it's so goopy it's impossible to clean (any suggestions there would be appreciated too!)

I would remove all the old caulking and reseal it. That way you can get it as clean as you want before resealing it. It's truly ashame when Landlords won't keep up their prpoerties.

Good Luck
John of the 4Dtoes

As the mother of 3 sons, I have had to deal with smell! You may be surprised where that pee collects that you don't see. I remove the entire toilet seat and soak it (screws, covers and all-- or just get a whole new seat--you'll still need to clean where it bolts in though)-- pee can get under the bolts and down the holes that the seat bolts to.

Remove the cap on the floor bolts and clean that too (from the toilet seat bolt it drips down to the floor bolt). Remove all the caulk (old caulk seems to soak up nastiness too), scrub the base boards and recaulk.

I then take dryer sheets, roll them up and stuff them in the crack between where the back of the toilet touches the base (you don't even see them but they can help absorb any odor back there).

I realize you don't have the young boys with accuracy problems in the house BUT the last tenants in the house may have had that issue and left it behind.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions so far, keep 'em coming please!

I know the previous tenants were a childless couple like we are and I recently did change the toilet seat and clean the whole thing top to bottom (I'm actually quite particular about a clean toilet and wipe it down frequently... there are no bolt covers either). We've lived here about 3 years now and the smell just started about a month ago or so.

I'm reluctant to remove the caulking on the shower door for two reasons. One, it's already kind of broken (it doesn't latch shut) and two, lack of know how. We ask the landlord and he tells us to go ahead and fix it and let him know how much it costs. I am reluctant to pay for anything to be fixed b/c he "sandbags" my checks as it is, so I doubt he'd actually pay me back. So eventually, we just quit asking for things to be fixed.

In some ways he's really great. He's offered to help us find/buy a house by waving the rent towards the bank, but we lack the money so far for a down payment regardless and he also offered to do the home inspection for free for us through the bank (although I'm a little afraid of him doing this considering the shape our place is in, altho I guess that means he knows what's legal and not).

Removing caulk is really not so hard. I don't think the door not latching would be an issue if you were to recaulk. The door is attached to the wall with screws, so taking off the caulk wouldn't hurt.

Someone at a home improvement/hardware store would be able to tell you for free how to get the caulk off.

Do you have a vent in the bathroom to get the steam out? It might be too damp in there so maybe a dehumidifier is in order. Those can be awful pricey though.

Baking soda absorbs odor too. Maybe a thick baking soda paste applied to the caulk, left for about thirty minutes or so and rinsed off would help.

Knit Wit

My thought in reading your dilemma is that your caulking isn't sealed anymore and moisture is getting in under your floor boards or into your wall.

Resealing the the caulking needs to happen but you'll need to try to dry out that moisture first.

Yuck!

KuKu

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but make sure you are not breathing toxic mold! If he's a real "slumload" the health department ought to be checking this out.