The Clutter is Going to my Brain
This week we’ve decided to move rooms around, our semi-annual effort to make 11 people fit into a relatively small house. My problem is that the kids keep growing up and turning into adults which is annoying and, if I may say so, rude. I give them a perfectly fine space for a 12 year old and then just a few years go by and they are all huge and their clothes are all enormous and they no longer fit in the space I so generously gave them.
This week I have let go of my beautiful guest house living room. It was so cute and cozy and a romantic luxury that I held dear to my heart. But I’m not bitter.
It had become clear that Hope, my 18 year old who had been sharing a room with 2 sisters, needed some privacy. A small space to call her own. So we made a plan. And in order for the magnitude of the complication of it all to really come across in a blog you have to read this next paragraph as fast as you can and all in one breath. Ready? Go.
I move my sewing room/shop into the guest house living room while Hope moves her bed and all of her possessions into the little back room where I used to sew then the guest house living room has to be emptied and everything put somewhere else especially the couch which we decided to move into my bedroom but we had to take out the couch that was in there and put it into James’ office then find a place to move the recliner (that is nearly falling apart) from his office until we can take it away then rearrange the room where Hope used to live for the 2 girls that are still in there. Furniture flying. Stuff everywhere. Calgon take me away!
Whew!
We started it all on Sunday and by yesterday I was walking around the house pressing my palms on my temples and saying, “I can’t think. I can’t think.”
There is scrapbook stuff all over my bedroom, piles of things we don’t know what to do with on the school table, for some reason the girls decided it would also be a good time to clean out their closets so we’ve got huge bags of clothes in the living room ready to go to the thrift stores and all I want to do is find a clean place to hide.
Last night as I went to the guest house/shop to fill a few orders I discovered that Faith and Patience had snuck over there and straightened it all up for me. The bags of trash are gone and the place is ready for work. Sweet relief. Faith and Patience are my new favorites. That is, until someone else cleans up something for me. My affection can be bought, sometimes as cheaply as wiping off the kitchen counter.
It should all be finished by the weekend and I will be able to put thoughts together again. Hope will be securely in her new room, the new shop will be running smoothly and my school table will be clear of clutter.
In the meantime, I’ll be hiding in my closet.
Oh, bless your heart! What a task! It sounds like a good plan though – hope you get some rest.
HUG!!! Thank you for sharing your REAL life with us other Mamas to encourage us! (and warn us of peril to come!)
Those kids are so blessed to have such an adventurous Mom, even if you do it unwillingly…or regret it later ha ha!
I’m thinking of cleaning up/out our office/school / craft room. Thanks for making it sound so mundane. When I compare it to this it makes me feel like it might be done before lunch.
When you come out of the closet let us know.
A perfect example of the incredible job you and James have done parenting your precious brood: to turn the entire house upside down and still have children with the hearts of servants, to quietly do what needs to be done. Beautiful! The house, the kids, and you! 🙂
LOVE your writing so much!
OH how exciting! And to have Faith and Patience so willingly go in and straighten things up for you so you can have a quiet retreat, a place to work peacefully! Did I tell you our eldest enlisted in the USMC? Yep… he leaves for boot camp, December 3rd. So we still have time left together… 🙂
(and your whole post had me chuckling to myself…)
hugs my friend! Peggy in Indiana
Rearranging always creates such a mess, but when everything gets organised it always feels so fresh and clean and spacious.
Maybe you should just move to the guest house and hope the children finish the house for you?
Bahaha!!! Cracks me up!! I actually had.to.go back and read it slow, to get it. I love reading.your stuff. Is.there somewhere on here where you give.the names and ages of the kids? I’m new. 🙂 oh, and excuse all the periods that are outta place.I’m typing on my kindle because that’s all we have right now. Lol
You make me smile. A lot. Thank you for that.
Oh my! I would be wanting to hide also. And the children growing up thing? I too think it is very rude. 🙂
This sounds like the weekend before our Thai student arrived.
Sarah came upstairs to her old bedroom, Emily moved over to Alyssa’s room, a twin bed came up and a twin bed got moved over, and a dresser went upstairs and downstairs. Oy vey! What a mess and was it ever exhausting!
I feel for ya.
But now that the dust has settled, it’s wonderful.
After your dust has settled, too, you will have a place to call your own-ish.
Aren’t daughters wonderful? Such blessings and such helpers!
Bless you all!
Love, me
That is how we roll around here too! One thing leads to 10!
I bet it looks great!
I need to declutter my office/classroom/sewing room/catchall room for everything that doesn’t have a place. I can’t function properly knowing it’s such a mess.
Isn’t that the way it goes! One good idea snowballs into several large projects and one million little ones! They say change is good!! HaHaHa!! I’m in need of some snowballing, but I also need to fortify myself with several days of chocolate intake first!! 😉