The BIG move. You're probably wondering why it is taking so long for us to get settled into our new home....

Yes good luck. I will run away

Well, you did a public service........................
I'M N E V E R moving!

good luck! it took us over a year to clean out our "old" house when we moved to the "new" house. 2 yard sales and tons of trash bags later we finally got the old house cleaned out & sold and the new place is almost as cluttered as the old one!! ya have to love it..it yours!

You are not alone. I have lived in the same house for 36 years and never got rid of anything... Anything I buy I love. Now on Saturdays I go and buy other peoples junk and love every minute. My poor husband says just don't buy anything big. I used to buy doll beds to use for the base of my baby shower gifts. But now they are just hanging out in the rafters and every now and then one fall and put a dent n the car. OH no...not good. Good luck Meganne clean a little bit each day and then just play and have fun.

LOL-Your description of all your "STUFF" made me laugh meganne-made me think of one of George Carlin's old comedy routines he did about people and their "STUFF" ~linda~

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by meganne 01 Sep 2011

I am so sick of STUFF, sometimes I feel like I want to take it all to the tip! But then I get sentimental over something.

Then I watch that Hoarders show on TV and I'm terrified of becoming like that, so I go downstairs with the intention of throwing STUFF out.....

Then the memories come back when I pick up some item.....

OH THE TORMENT!!!!!

I think I'll leave it all to my kids to throw out. ROFLMBO!!!

I wish I could come and stay till WE get it all done. Hope you can get to it soon. Hugs DeVon

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by meganne 01 Sep 2011

What day do you arrive??? :-))

One step at a time, Meg. DH is wanting to downsize - and get a place with less land to care for. I dread the thought - we have been her for almost 32 years - can you imagine the things that have accumulated? Bless you heart. I would try for one room at a time - if you can find the things for that room in all of your boxes..LOL

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by meganne 01 Sep 2011

OH Dlonna I don't need to IMAGINE! LOL!!!

Ray was in the same house for over 40 years and MIL the same and when I cleaned out MIL's house it was a nightmare.

Now Ray's GARAGE is the store to end all stores, he has so much STUFF he can't find anything when he needs it so he goes out and buys a new one, of whatever it was he needed.

He hasn't had his car in the garage for over ten years.....
I'm sure you can visualise this! LOL!!!

Whauuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have moved and to quote my late grandmother/grandfather 'Rome was not built in a day'. I have spent the summer putting off collecting my half/threequarters of my late mothers stuff...
You will get there in your time. Good Luck with your mil my friend the clostest Cutie had her mum aged 100 for a short stay while her home is getting a new bathroom. I collected my emb machine from her yesterday and will get hers back from being repaired in a few days. My friend was finding it hard with her mum in 'temp' residence. Good Luck on the sorting you will get there but it doesnot look like it will be tomorrow

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by meganne 01 Sep 2011

Yes I know I should be more patient.

I was having a rough time with worrying about my little girl (dog) and struggling with the burden of MIL's demands and the stupid bank teller put Ray's tax cheque into our house loan instead of our everyday a/c so I had the hassle of contacting the bank to try and retrieve our money, we needed it to pay our bills. AAAAARGH!!!! it was all too much!

BUT, I am doing one box a day now and at least I can cope with that and it feels like I've accomplished something.

We moved in our house 7 years ago with one kid and without crafty stuff. Now we try to sell the house and my husband always says I should try to sort out now before we have to rent a truck tractor train to move all our stuff with two kids and all my fabric, machines and so on :o)
What a luck I have no MIL (my husband's family are all dead) so I just have to get on with my own. I'm sure you get it with the old lady. Maybe put the radio to full blast while sorting out... ;-)
Greetings, Bettina

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

LOL!!! I love your advice Bettina. :-)

Oh WOW!!! this makes me feel normal!!!!!
............... :} :} :}

AlmaG.

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

ROFLMBO!!!!!

Well that looks rather like my house -only I've not just moved! LOL. Best of luck with sorting it all out. It'll happen slowly but surely. I hope you're getting plenty of sleep to deal with MIL as well as the house.

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

Do you need a housekeeper? I'll work for food. :-)))
---------------------------------------
We have our days and it's worse when I'm already uptight, which seems to happen a lot lately, probably because I am on my own with her 24/7 and Ray only comes up on weekends.

Don't worry, I wouldn't throw her over the balcony, she's too heavy for me to lift. LOLOLOL!!!!!

The problem is, it all takes time - darn - just don't have enough of that or enough hands. You'll get there. It's quite a job!

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

Sure is and I'm still having one good day, one bad. it has to change soon. LOL!!!

I hope your move goes as smoothly as possible - a great time to get rid of heaps of unwanted stuff. MIL's can be very difficult. Mine is coming up to 103 years but lives over the ocean...... Hope you are back with us soon. Sarah.

I would hate to move... the older we are the more stuff we have.. ugh... I can remember the first move was in the back seat in the car.. not much then.. but now after 11 grandkids .. nightmare..

EISH!! My heart bleeds for you. The problem with moving is that only YOU can sort and pack your stuff away, otherwise u'll NEVER find anything and that's worse. You remember where it was in the old house, but cannot find it in the new one. Wish I could help, but that's only going to slow u down, maybe I must come over and keep MIL company. Hugs.

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

Yes, I think You're probably right about that, finding ANYTHING is a nightmare right now. But I'm afraid MIL is oblivious to anything but her crossword puzzles and she has no conversation about anything else.
But thanks for offering.

Send me a ticket (and oh, yes, a passport) and I'll come make your space nice and spiffy.I could even take care of MIL. I need the "vacation" from my own personal existence, and it would be fun to help someone else clear their clutter. :) Good luck. I'm busy going through my house. If it hasn't been touched, used, needed or thought of for the past two years, then it doesn't need to be in my house. My in-laws moved some time ago, and when they did, they loaded up pretty much everything they owned, backed the moving truck up to our front door and had the movers put everything inside. I already had a full household of furniture. My husband didn't want to get rid of it, so I've had to sneak out one piece at a time to where I could find the house again. It has been a long battle, but I'm finally getting the upper hand. Hang in there. You'll get it done!

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by almag 31 Aug 2011

Oh yes, been there, done that!!

My mum died - I got all the tupperware!!
DHDon's mum died - I got all the tupperware!!

I had all I needed in the first place. Had to move the kids out to move the tupperware in.
Twenty years later and I have, just this very month, cleared out all the tupperware I don't want...theirs and mine.

I just have a very big problem parting with fabric, yarn and craft-stuff.
AlmaG.

You need a plan that I use when I become overwhelmed with clutter. Everyday pick up a certain amount of items for a set amount of time (maybe 15 minutes) and put them away or throw them away. I usually end up tossing more things then keeping because there is no places for them. Get everyone involved in taking care of their stuff this way and you will have a cleared out space in no time. Good luck with getting organized.

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

sob, sob, there is no everyone, just me.
Ray is still staying at his house to fix it up for rental, MIL is 92 and plays on it every second of every day, she is totally oblivious to everything but what she wants, RIGHT NOW! doesn't matter if I am on the phone or the toilet, she hounds me until she gets what she wants.
God Grant me the serenity................

by meganne 31 Aug 2011

Oh, but the rest of it sounds like a plan to me. I'm going to try it. right now.

by asterixsew 31 Aug 2011

Capoodle I like this idea of yours

by capoodle 31 Aug 2011

Figure out what your MIL can do and get her to help in a way that you really need her help. Maybe she can't wash laundry but have her at least fold her things even if not very good. If she can't carry the folded things you could place them where she could put them away. She needs to feel needed. If she wants your attention all the time give her a time like set a timer and when it goes off then go see what she wants. Or what my mom would say, "Not now l'm busy you need to wait." I've been there with both my parents and they sure can become demanding.

by cherylgauteng 31 Aug 2011

All of my sympathy - have been there also !!

This was said to me a very long time ago by a very elderly lady but in your case I think it covers the situation. "Ain't nothing ever so bad that it couldn't be worse." After all at least this is all down stairs and you're living upstairs and you don't have try climbing over it all day. I'll come help you .....of course I need to win the Lottery first....fat chance! Have you considered not going down stairs? lol
Hugs Sis

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by meganne 31 Aug 2011

Yes, but MIL is upstairs and right now I'm ready to throw her over the balcony!!!!! She thinks I'm her personal slave!!!

by justonlyme 31 Aug 2011

I have a MIL like that!!

by nanniesara 31 Aug 2011

I fully understand your pain, you know what I just went through. My MIL would sit and tell me that she could do her own laundry. When pigs fly. or in her own imagination. Well then she did fold towels 2 times in 6 months. But that is it. I know how you feel. I am sorry. Sara

Are we there yet!!

all i can say is take one day at a time and losts of good luckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk,,,,soozie(i neverd want to move again after 25 years in a 4 bedroom 2 story house to a lifestyle villave so much stuff to dispose of.......never again.........soozie

WOW, you have your hands full. Just think how nice it will be when everything is in it's place. Make sure you take a few minutes now and than to poke your nose out and say hi...lol

Mary Ann

Wow, you are up to your armpits in alligators, as they say. I do feel for you. We moved into our house nearly 24 years ago and then it took a forklift to get it here. I tell my husband we move by the ton not by the box. I still have boxes that have been packed for 26 years when I moved from the west coast to the east coast. I guess if I have not opened or needed them in that time they can be thrown away or given away. Don't let it get you down. Just remember this: How do you eat an elephant? ..... one bite at a time. Good Luck!

Well, this is what I face every morning when I go downstairs, there is so much STUFF, so many boxes, I don't know where to start and this is after coming up here every week for over 8 months!!!!!!
What with MIL's STUF, Ray's STUFF and my STUFF, we have so much STUFF I need to have a garage sale.

And I haven't even photographed the STUFF on Ray's side of the ground floor.

Isn't there someone who would like to come and stay for a month and help me????? LOLOLOL!!!!!

Actually, the problem is lack of storage space, Ray only has Sundays to come up and build shelves in MIL's old wardrobes (temporary walls) so it is taking forever to get everything put away.

Maybe by next year it will all have found a place to reside, else I will, the funny farm.
AAAARGGH!!!LOLOL!!!

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by cherylgauteng 31 Aug 2011

You poor thing - just throw away - preferably not yours though, ha ha

by nonna57 31 Aug 2011

Oh SHUDDER and SHIVER. Sorry Meg didn't think it was as bad as you said. Sorry i cannot come up to help. Got a spin off with work Cleaning a ladies unit . Well Now i have only 1 day a week . Best of luck. Will try for the New Year when everything slows down for us, Best of luck Kiddo :)

by meganne 01 Sep 2011

As I told you, Ray has put heavy boxes in front of the cupboards that I am SUPPOSED to be putting the STUFF in!!!!!

the poor man has no idea about moving house as he'd never done it before. He just doesn't realise there's no way I can move these boxes on my own they are way too heavy even if I didn't have the medical restrictions.
Miss you heaps Kiddo, I'll be down next Friday through Sunday.