I Hate Chaos. And Yet I’m Surrounded By It.

On March 17, 2012, as I was out getting my nails done to get ready for my friend’s wedding later that night, Stephen started tearing out part of a wall in our kitchen to open it up to the family room. Little did we know that the next day would be the day I fractured my spine. That was nearly 18 months ago. The kitchen is still an unfinished, half-demo’d zone of destruction.

And, Stephen ripped out two bathrooms. To the studs.

cough *overzealous* cough

One is almost put back together. The other one now has sheetrock. As in, as of last week.

We weren’t planning on selling our house when all of this work started. We thought Stephen would be able to finish it. He’s pretty handy that way.

We were wrong. Now we’re mid-remodel, he won’t be able to finish it in this decade and we’ve decided we’re going to sell our house.

Dear. God. Help. Meeeeee!

Stephen’s done an awesome job on what he’s been able to do. But, he’s just one man. One. Man. With limited energy after putting in an 11 hour work day.

And he sliced open his hand last weekend on some glass, ironically while doing dishes, requiring a trip to the ER and stitches. So there’s that.

We’ve thrown our hands up in the air and have called in the big dogs. Plus, I think he’s exhausted. I feel bad for him, really. And I can’t help because of my back. I can’t bend down to paint, I can’t lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. Essentially, I’m worthless in the helping out department.

So a construction crew is going to finish it up. And we’re going to hemorrhage cash. And we’re fortunate to have the option to do so.

In the meantime, while going back and forth on bids, picking out tile, trying to get actual work done for my clients, etc., I’m going to declutter the kitchen. Because I can control the kitchen.

This was not in the original plan and I’m not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal. I’m having issues. I get cranky when I feel like things are spiraling out of control and, on top of that,  I’m in pain. Actually, cranky is being generous. I turn into a raving be-yotch.

Back to the kitchen. This is the cabinet to the left of the microwave, above the cooktop:

KitchenCabinet3

I went through everything, tossing cough drops that expired two years ago, prescription cough syrup from 2009 and a variety of other random medications that never got used. Where I could, I emptied the contents and recycled the containers. I’m trying not to think about all of the trash headed to the landfill. It makes me ill.

Also in the cabinet were five thousand air freshener things:

KitchenCabinet2

Pretty sure I don’t need them, but I’ll leave the final decision for another day. At least they are all in one bowl. I found two other ceramic bowls that I haven’t used in nearly five years so they went to the donate pile.

Here is the cabinet after:

KitchenCabinet1

The top shelf is a small plastic bin that houses some chewing gum. (It’s up high because not long ago the kids left it out, the dog got into it and a $500 emergency animal clinic visit resulted.) The middle shelf holds the air freshener things, for now. The bottom shelf holds medication that isn’t expired. Mostly for the kids.

Just looking at that makes me feel better. Even if only for a minute.


23 Responses to I Hate Chaos. And Yet I’m Surrounded By It.

  1. Hi Kandice, so sorry to hear about the injury (or should I say injuries?!). Going through remodeling is unnerving; been there, done that. I’m now in the process of combining households, well, actually that’s been going on for over two years. We’re trying to fit the things we love/need the most into a 1,123 sq foot home. It’s not easy and I’m feeling overwhelmed. We’ve both parted with a lot and I’m sure over time, more will go.

    All that to say I can relate to your feelings of hating chaos…but this will pass…I’m certain!

    Ree ~ I blog at EscapingDodge.com

  2. My first thoughts were, 1 – “You poor thing I’m so sorry for all the craziness”, 2 – “Wow, good job it looks great!”, 3 – “Man, my life is dull, but that’s ok!” Bubblegum, really!! Yikes, who could have known or even guessed in their wildest imaginings. Thanks, so much for your time, humor and honesty.

  3. Kandice!!! Glad you posted the photos. The cleaned up one made me breathe easier. Amazing what a photo can do to the brain. You and Ree and doing it right, man. Tammy and I just did most of our closets, tossed our TV, and sold back over 200 books. Now our pace is slowed, but steady. It’s really quite fun.

    Fresh air is indeed a commodity, so holding on to the fresheners may have been wise;)

  4. I am working on my kitchen I got rid of alot of things awhile ago but thought you know what I am about 100% sure that I can get rid of more. We are talking about selling and making a out of state move sometime next year and I don’t want to take it with me been there done that and it was a big big mistake plus a storage unit fee.

    I’m sorry about your injury and also for having to a remodel before selling. We are working on a few small projects but we know we can do them.

    Good luck and looking forward to more that you are doing and working on!!

  5. the cabinet looks wonderful! Sometimes hiring a contractor to do home remodeling is the smartest thing we can do…it does cost more in dollars, but does save our sanity. 🙂

  6. Why are there ads for payday loans and cash advances embedded in every entry on this blog? It’s right after the first paragraph. I presume you either have an untrustworthy plugin or theme installed or you’ve been cracked.

    • Mackenzie- This is Kerry, it does seem to be malicious code. How are you viewing the site? through a reader? or a standard browser? Thanks

      • If it helps to know, I also got the ad. I was viewing the post from my google reader through Feedler on an iPad. When I opened in Safari it disappeared.

      • I view through a reader, but I also came to the site and viewed the page source to see if it was only in RSS or on the live site as well. It’s on the site too, it’s just in invisible text.

  7. I agree with another poster about hiring out – sometimes you just have to do it or your project will NEVER get done! 🙂
    My vote is to get rid of the air fresheners – every.last.one. All they do is release chemical fragrances into your house – yuck. Not good for you, not good for the environment.

  8. Ditch the air freshener thingies, they are toxic anyway! Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few drops of orange or lemon oil. Smells soooo much better, and much less clutter.
    Loretta

  9. Congratulations on deciding to cut your losses (stress) and pay to get the house finished! What a relief for you and your husband. And yeah – pitch the air fresheners. They’re probably unusable, and when your house is clean you won’t need them!

  10. Air freshner things, plus many other things you might otherwise dump because you can’t possibly imagine that anyone would want them? Freecycle. You’d be shocked at what you can get rid of. (No one will want 10 year old college textbooks or a half empty box of Dixie cups, you say? That’s what I thought and then had people clamoring for both). And if you can’t get rid of it by giving it away free then it probably really is trash…but at least you won’t feel so much guilt about throwing them away.

  11. Here’s another vote for freecycling the airfreshners. It’s amazing what people will take from freecycle.

  12. love,love the before and after pics!
    sorry for your and hubbies injuries.
    commercial airfresheners not so much.
    chaos and order more yin/yang

  13. Goodwill the air fresheners. Having an empty bowl in a cupboard is very liberating.

    And hey, be kind to yourself. What you’re doing here is amazing. Baby steps!

  14. You are on the right path, keep up the baby steps. It won’t be long until the house is on the market & THEN you have to keep it clean! Keep de-cluttering!!

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