Read: the life-changing magic of tidying up by marie kondo

Ah, the ever-present need to "tidy up". By need I mean both the internal need to have things in order and the quite obvious mess that needs to be tidied and cleaned. I've just started reading a book by Marie Kondo called "the life-changing magic of tidying up; the Japanese art of de-cluttering and organizing". You've probably picked up your own copy by now or seen it in stores. It's a pretty book, aesthetically speaking, and possibly just the kick in the pants I need to change the world. The world around me, that is. The immediate space surrounding me and my family. I've felt for some time that the lack of order in my world makes it more difficult to kick Lyme disease, be healthy, have people over, get the kids to do something interesting when they're home, enjoy a meal, generally be happy, healthy and achieve all the things we want - even imagine things that we want to achieve. It's all about clarity and finding order. Stuff can hinder progress towards, well, just about anything. You think I'm being dramatic? Possibly, but I might be right too.

I'm about 25% into the book and I can already tell you it's about more than tidying. In my opinion a better title would be: "Getting Your House in Order". Tidying evokes a casual and swift moving things about and dusting image in my mind. While getting your house in order sounds more grounding and an entirely encompassing effort that requires a great deal of presence and self knowledge and for some people, soul-searching. How often do you stop to think about the crap you've accumulated and what it means about the state of your life, your mind, your home, our country and our world? Not long, I'd guess. Maybe we all should spend a few minutes a day considering this deeply.

It is a little challenging for me to read this. I despair that I lack enough OCD to ever fully embrace this life-change. And I worry about Marie Kondo's mental health as I turn the pages and find her need to keep every minute detail in check. Ah, but she has made a career out of this and turned what could be a burden into a gift. I don't think I can turn my clutter into a gift if I tried, so I shall embark on a little OCD journey (for as long as I can take it). Anyone up for the challenge?

House Work: Bathroom Remedy

Chris' office is the last building that needs some love here at 2730. Sadly there's no time and no money for that to happen. There is no insulation, no heat, and recently the icky little bathroom stopped functioning. The toilet went. What kick started this project was that kayak trip we took. That trip made me realize that I could do the impossible. So I set about with a task; fix that bathroom with just a little bit of money and a lot of effort. I figured some paint, a new toilet and a new faucet, how hard could that be? Well, the waste pipe is a couple inches too high and that wasn't just one linoleum floor to remove, but two, the walls are delicate to say the least. I can deal.

Removing the flooring in that bathroom reminded me a lot of paddling in the slough. I wasn't getting very far for all the work I was doing. It was painful, back-ache kind of work, too. So I borrowed some tools from a contractor friend of ours and tried that. It went faster but was still slow going, and toxic to boot. But I am determined to make this little bathroom work again. Every spare moment I had this past week was put to use in that space. It's still under way, but you can see my progress below:

Repair Work

Power tools. How can a boy refuse? Coleman's bed was broken a few weeks ago, and Chris had already fixed it once before. It was Coleman's turn to make some repairs. (Coleman's bed is at the bottom of the loft ladder, so many leapers land on that bed - snap!) We used what we had on hand to make the repairs and I think it should hold up a few more (unsanctioned) leapers.

Studio Work: Paint and Apple Pie

A few very special friends came to help me paint my studio this Friday night. I lured them here with homemade apple pie. (My mum's apple pie, I'm learning, is a key to many hearts - thanks Mum.) Oh my gosh, this was such a special night for me, I am so grateful to each friend who came by and willingly worked hard after a long days work of their own. I look forward to having many more little gatherings and play dates in this space. There is more work yet to be done, but the walls and ceiling are completely covered with bright white, washable paint. As boring as white may seem, I assure you this space will be filled with color and vibrance as it matures.

Life is good. Now, back to work.

Studio Work: My Helpers & Shopvac Love

My heart goes a-pitter-patter when I'm in a hardware store. I love tools, preferably power tools, and things to build with; corrugated metal, adhesives, paint, tiles, wood, hardware in its many forms, rope, drop cloths, oh the list goes on! This weekend, in preparation for finishing off the studio I needed to run out with the family to score some supplies. Chris, I should mention, also has a house project going right now and was collecting items for that as well - he's finishing off the loft safety railing. While Chris was collecting his items the boys and I went to the paint section to gather what we needed for that project. Coleman and Max were highly disappointed when I told them the studio is getting painted all white on the inside. Disappointed maybe isn't the right word, mad might be a better word. They chose a number of colors for the inside, all of them nice, maybe not together, but not what I'm shooting for. I am thinking of caving on one surface, for the ceiling they chose a lovely blue. While we were there we also picked up a shopvac to keep our new and precious space in decent shape. The shopvac turned out to be a big hit for each of us, for different reasons. The boys liked taking turns using it, at first to vacuum their hair and shirts and then the much needed removal of plaster dust and general dirt in there. I liked it because I've always wanted my own shopvac - and it will keep this space tidy and that's a step in the direction of organized in my mind.

Life is Good.

Me and Hawkeye.

Studio Work: Progress Report

Walls are sanded and ready for paint! This week the organizational structure begins. I hear you chuckling to yourselves, you didn't think I had the phrase "organizational structure" in my vocabulary, did you? If nothing else, I know that my severe lack of organization has an effect on us all. I aim to fix that. To the best of my ability.

Left to do? Prime, Paint, Install Shelving, Reinstall Lighting, Organize Furniture and Tools. Create.

Max snapped this picture of me today after the carpenters left. 

Happy creating, everyone! I hope you have a productive and fruitful day.

Studio Work: Rock On

The sheetrock is up and mostly taped. Doesn't it look inviting? They will be putting a smooth finish on the walls. For those of you from the east coast saying, "duh, what other kind of finish would you put on your walls?" Let me tell you simply; Texture. I'm committed to letting the boys explore fully this world and am, frankly too lazy to wash it all up every twenty minutes, I'm not messing with any old world texture. Smooth finish, if you please. Easy to clean. Nice to look at.

I am contemplating selling my jewelers bench. It's a hard decision. But, truthfully it is a tiny space, 16 by 22, and has to fulfill two roles. One: a homeschooling space, eventually for both boys. Two: my art studio, would you like to see a list of the art that will go on in here? Clay, both slab and wheel; small metals, mostly jewelry; glass bead making; sewing; textile decorating including, dying, batiking, weaving (maybe); painting; book making - I'm not finished, but you get the idea. I have to get rid of many things. I have been slow as a snail to rid us of the things that clog our space and truly get in the way of living a full and free life. In here I can start from a clean slate and I intend to have only what we need housed here. I'll let you know how this works out.

Studio Work

It's no secret that we love tweaking our buildings. We can't help ourselves. This summer's building project is on a shoestring budget. I'm the general contractor which is usually Chris' job. I am having fun. Of course, this project is miniscule compared to our previous projects and therefore not as many details. My heart goes pitter patter every time I look out the back door and spy my studio/classroom. That space has housed our baby chicks, our meals when we were remodeling, our stuff when we had nowhere else to put it, laundry facilities, art supplies and projects, I'm sure I've forgotten something. It's been our overflow space since we moved into our 900 square foot house, mostly to store things we aren't using, don't need, don't even know we own. Do you have a space like that, things like that? This garage is being reborn as a dedicated art studio and a homeschooling classroom. I've dreamt of a dedicated art space for 25 years. Twenty five! Wow, I am so darn excited. Sheetrock goes up starting Monday. I may have this done by my birthday on August 15th. Happy Birthday to me. There will be more progress and photos next week, stay tuned.

Clearing things out...

Continuing to clear things out...

Insulation going in...