Are you a piler too?
June 16, 2011
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Do you ever have one of those moments…when you walk through the same spot in your house for probably the 50th time in a day and all the sudden it hits.
IT is the STUFF.
The I’ve been too lazy to put you away for the past week and yet I’m still surprised to see you JUNK.
I swear it’s like I’m wearing glasses and someone finally cleaned them off. All the sudden I can see it all. And all if it drives me MAD:
I always joke that STUFF multiplies. But it does! It starts with that very first piece of whatever, and festers from that point on.
My thought process is “There’s already one thing to put away there, I’ll just put this one here too, and put them away together. Later.”
Snort.
That makes me laugh.
:)
And over the years I’ve determined I’m a piler. I will take the same group of stuff and stack it in a spot over and over and OVER in the same spot, thinking it looks better:
It doesn’t.
I’m a Master Piler though. One of the best. ;)
I can pile a TON of stuff in one spot, balancing it oh so delicately.
I’ve gotten pretty high. Pretty proud of myself.
The island is my nemesis. I don’t think it’s physically possible for me to keep it completely clean for more than 24 hours:
Oh my…that is so awesome.
There’s a little spot in the kitchen where my deep secret lies…
When I take pictures of our kitchen for the blog, I pile all of the crap to the left of the fridge.
It’s why most of our kitchen pics look like this:
Cause you can’t see the PILE-O-JUNK:
I’m a sneaky one. ;)
OH, but wait…I forgot about the very very worst spot.
THE STAIRS…
Dun dun dunnnnnnnn.
Namely the basement stairs.
I’ve tried baskets. I’ve tried…well. I haven’t tried anything else. Especially the one thing that would work – just putting the stuff away when I’m done with it. ;)
On those days when the fog clears and I finally see the piles around me, the hives start and it must be cleaned up immediately.
Rightthisverysecond.
I’ve developed a very complex method of fixing the situation fast. I grab a big basket or bin and pile everything in the room inside:
Sometimes there’s a few things that are put away during the process, sometimes not. This time about half got put away, half went into the bin.
I’m also a bagger:
I’m not even going to tell you how long that stuff has been in the bag. Let’s just say a long time.
It’s the weird odds and ends stuff that hurts my brain – I have to really think of where to put it away.
I don’t like my brain to hurt, so I do what any normal person would do – I ignore the bag for as long as possible. ;)
Really, I could probably throw the whole bag away and never miss it.
But what if I stuck $20 in there? I didn’t. But what if I did??
That’s how my mind works.
The occasional grocery bag is easy to ignore, so that’s why I usually use the bin. It’s too big to avoid, too bulky for me to keep walking around.
After I fill it up, I carry it around with me from room to room, putting the stuff away where it belongs.
It works for me because it cleans off the surfaces fast, and that instant gratification is saaahweet!
In about 45 minutes, (with the Bub’s help), we had the whole family room and kitchen spotless:
Ignore the overflowing basket of toys…at least they’re off the floor!!
I can now get to my cereal, and that’s important:
 |
| Our glass cereal jars |
My hiding spot is CLEAN! :)
And the island is free of clutter for one shining moment:
The family room coffee table is cleared:
And I’m starting to remember why we’ve always had a smaller table in the family room – less surface to clutter up!
I found a smaller beauty at Goodwill a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to show you! And it will be soon, because the new sectional is IN people!!
It’s done about four weeks earlier than we thought!
(Store photo. Not our configuration or color.)
WHOO HOO!! I am so excited! We have to wait a week for the delivery, and then the TV is getting moved a few days later…so I’m hoping to show you everything in a couple weeks. :)
So…tell me, are you a piler too? A bagger? A take your time and put it all away-er? Or do you just keep the stuff off your surfaces? If so, I want to be you.
I love you. The end.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thank you for reminding me that I'm normal--according to Sarah standards.
Oh my before I saw the after shos, I coulda' swore you were in MY house. I thought I was the only master piler. My mom says it's a gifted woman trait so you're not the only one : )
ReplyDeleteDitto TDC! Ditto Chris (comment #1)!
ReplyDeleteJen
Sarah, you are SO not alone! I felt better seeing your photos cause usually everything looks so perfect! I was starting to wonder if you had any clutter at all. Thank you for being real! I love you even more now. <3
ReplyDeleteI am not alone .... THANK YOU > THANK YOU >
ReplyDeleteI also do ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! I have little piles everywhere. I JUST put the last of the easter decorations away...my hubby walked past the pile and patted a rabbit on the head "nice bunny"...I took the hint.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty!
Oooooooh, mamma...you pegged me, too.
ReplyDeleteI am SUCH a piler! And often it goes right on my bed, so I have to put it away (or put it on the floor....sigh) before I can go to bed!!! But i'm hearing you...I am just like you!
Good job getting it put away today!!
Suzanne
Here's the situation, I'm super organinzed. Yup, I have a spot for everything in my house....the catch? I never - hardly ever - put my stuff in the super great basket/container/shelfthingajig that I have for said specific item. Nope, everything is close to, approximately near, almost made it, by the spot. I joined a support group and we have t-shirts...
ReplyDeleteummhmm, i'm faith, and i'm a piler, bagger, put in basket-er.
ReplyDelete;)
the method that works best for me to clear out the stuff is to invite people. then i'm motivated to run around and put everything where it goes. and i get to have friends over which is fun!
I LOVE seeing photos like this. It's so refreshing to see that other bloggers are normal people too...not everyone lives in a perfectly clean and decorated house at all times. I am definitely a piler...I have a spot in the corner of the kitchen that houses who knows what. When that gets overly crowded, a new pile begins to form on a dining room chair. Hey, at least it's not on the table. I was tricky and hid it on the chair, right?
ReplyDeleteSo funny. Yep, I do it too. I have two major piling spots. The little table outside my bathroom door is where I fold and pile items I've worn once but they aren't really dirty but, I don't really want to put them back in with the clean clothes. I finally get irritated and just wash them. Also, my laundry room counter catches everything that comes in through the garage or is supposed to go out but, I've not gotten around to it. I must confess the stairs used to be such a place but, now that the kids have left home and no one lives up there its not. My mom used to say she was going to have "Don't Go Up Empty Handed" put on her tombstone. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteIt's like reading my own journal! I'm so guilty of piling!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh Sarah, we must be long lost cousins! I am a "bag lady" too! And a basket nut! I also start getting the hives and just can't seem to toss or put away all the miscellaneous little things. It drives me bananas! I have 3 baskets of random socks and business cards, and, and who knows what else. I'm gonna clear them out though. I swear. Then I'll hide the baskets and never fill them with stuff again. I hope!
ReplyDeleteThat's me to a T! The piles, the bags, the baskets/boxes, occasionally the stairs! It's always nice to have the validation that I'm very much NOT alone, xontrary to my husband's opinion!
ReplyDeleteHahaha I am a piler and a bagger, both! And you're right, its like there are magic glasses and you just can't SEE it for days!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, my mom would get sick of our stuff lying around the house and make us do the bin thing - we each had a plastic laundry tub and we had to carry it around and collect our stuff within 30 minutes or she's throw it away!
I love you for being real.
Yes I am a piler and my stairs drive me CRAZY they look like yours on a good day! I do the same thing with the big basket and throw everything in it that doesn't go in that room and then put it away. and move to the next room. and so on it works well for me unless my hubby grabs the basket and takes it too the attic then its lost forever. But I do think I must be making improvements since we moved because I can empty the baskets pretty fast because stuff has a place that is goes, in our other too small house too much stuff did not have a home.
ReplyDeleteI am a stacker and my kitchen bar catches it all. I go through phases of keeping my house spotless for months and it being trashed for months. It all starts with the kitchen bar! When the pile starts on the bar, I know I'm headed downhill, so the 1st thing I do when I wake up is pick up anything that doesn't belong, I make beds as soon as one of my kids falls out of it. At the end of my day, as I'm getting my kids ready for bed, I put away everything...everything! All it takes for me to get out of wack is 1 night...if I wake up and things aren't as they should be, I procrastinate and so starts the cycle of my messy house!
ReplyDeleteOH I think you snuck into my house. I am a piler, bagger, etc. All of the above. The instant gratification ROCKS, but some of my bags are years old...gotta get to those! Love your blog. I have never commented before but this post was ME!!!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, I swear we are twins separated at birth! I am a piler too, I hate, hate, hate it!
ReplyDeleteTDC the secret to no piles (okay tiny piles) is put away as you go all day long, every day, every where you go! If you touch it twice you've already wasted the same amount of time if you would've just put it away. And efficiency is my middle name so that helps too! Good luck but no one's watching so you can have your piles (out of camera shot of course!).
ReplyDeleteYou and I sure share a brain about some of these things!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! Junk reproduces like rabbits--at least at my house!
I am NOT a piler I am kind of a neat freak except and a big except in my closet, so that makes me a closet-piler is that like a closet eater?! Oh my true confessions!! They say it is good for the soul. I have to have all surfaces clean and orderly but behind closed doors it is fair game.Kathysue
ReplyDeleteYep.... except I'm very good about keeping all the public rooms clean and picked up. My piles are in my bedroom. LOL
ReplyDeleteI adore this post! I have a bar that goes into our kitchen. It's breakfast bar height, except we have no bar stools. EVERYTHING gets piled on that bar. I will clean it and w/in hours the is a pile. There are only three of us. My 2 year old can't reach it so I can't blame him! right now.. my laptop is there, an empty diaper wipe container, a drill, a measuring tape, head phone, the tube to the vacuum cleaner, a cup full of pens, some Lysol wipes pens an thermometer and stuff that I catch the two year old with he shouldn't have so I dump it on the bar... until later... I hate later.
ReplyDeleteYES! I'd like to think there's a method to the madness, but I'm the only one who knows where anything is located in the piles. Thanks for showing what's outside the lens. It made me feel better about my home and the stuff piled in it :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've been having the worst day and it really does make me feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one with a house full of cluttered surfaces, grocery bags and laundry baskets!
ReplyDeleteUhhmmmm - my stairs called, they want to know how you took those pictures of them. LOL But seriously, the stairs are my utter downfall.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping it real!!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs I sit and write my thank you for this post I am in my kitchen where I can see a precarious pile on my island. Thank you for letting me realize that I am not alone. And that I am also not the only one who moves things around for photos that might just end up on the blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI am such a piler...of my HUSBAND'S stuff! It's generally mail, papers to go through, etc...and when that pile gets too big or annoys me too much, I put that pile in his recliner. Bwahahaha...now he HAS to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a piler and a bagger. It's truly ridiculous. I'm so grateful when you post things like this... if I only see perfection in blog posts, I feel so AWFUL about myself. These type of posts make me feel not so alone!
ReplyDeleteha! I am the same way! Pile it up, then bag it. ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteCan I just send you a big thank you for being REAL with all of us readers? This is one of the only blogs that just inspires me. Reading other blogs I'm inspired, but I also feel quilty that my home isn't as clean/pretty/organized/whatever and feel down that I'll never have enough money/time to make my home beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI was reading a blog a few months ago and they took some "real" pictures of their home, and there were like two pairs of shoes and a shirt on the floor and they're like "OMG our house is so messy right now!!" I wanted to gag to say the least....
Anyways, sorry for the novel length comment here but again, thank you for being real and inspiring me to make my home lovely and pretty, even when piles and bags appear out of nowhere (a common occurrence around here!)
:)
This post made me feel so much more normal!! I am a piler. A badddd piler. I just looked at my house tonight and decided tomorrow is the day I get this place back under control. Ive ignored it for the last three days and it looks like a tornado hit it.
ReplyDeleteI feel better now, I am not the only one with stuff on our tables. Our diner table gets the worst of it.
ReplyDeleteI am a piler and a if I have to clean it up cause I have company coming in five mins bagger...lol I think some of you will get that...lol
But the worst is my better half he is a bagger he will bag his truck junk up and bring it in, his work truck. It drives me nuts cause its me who has to go through it every time. cause he put important stuff in with trash! He dont pile its in a bag or every where...lol We make a great pair...lol
I swear you've been hiding in my house! I too am a piler, and a bagger. I have some bags in the basement from when we moved into our house . . .17 years ago!! Thanks for being one of us!!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that so many of your fans all seem to suffer from the same 'clutteritis' syndrome. After working with gifted and talented students for years, I believe that it really has something to do with our creative brains! We're usually focused on the 'next great idea' that we want to work on...or maybe those 6 other projects we started but haven't finished ;) and we simply don't see the clutter until it's overwhelming. We aren't messy...we're creative!!
ReplyDeleteI am such piler! I pile everything...on the floor, behind the couch, under the desk, next to my bed, on the refrigerator! Everywhere! then it SITS. THERE. UNTIL...my black lab's hair completely surrounds it! It's absolutely disgusting! It only takes about a good week for the hair to engulf my pile!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being real! I am also a piler because sometimes, I have no where to put stuff so everything got stacked up! The first picture especially feels like our home with the random Thomas CD and Thomas shed lying around. All little guys seem to love Thomas, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteLove your honesty, Sarah. Now, you make me feel less guilty of my own clutter. :)
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com
Oh my gracious. Thank you for making me feel normal. I'm definitely a piler...although I wish I wasn't.
ReplyDeleteA friend told me once that when there are piles of stuff, it means that I'm being productive. I *hope* {fingers crossed} that that is the case. Ha!
I was totally identifying with you about the piles and then I saw the picture of the bag and I started laughing and laughing...... my kids came running and were like "whats so funny about a trash bag?" as I am still laughing. I totally am a piler and a bagger. When I had stairs I did the 1st 3 steps. This makes me feel more normal because my mother is a neat freak so my days to clean house are always Monday and Friday when mom comes over..... Love your blog!! Still chuckling over the bag.......
ReplyDeleteI just dont understand how people keep stuff put away all the time. How. There is too much stuff to keep up with.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing and then it drive me nuts! That's when the rampage begins and my husband gets irritated b/c I want him to help me put things up right.this.second!
ReplyDeleteHannah
I am SUCH a piler, and the hubby is too so that makes for a baaaad combination. I love the idea of putting everything in a bin/tote and finding homes for it all. That is my biggest problem - we aren't organized to begin with so a lot of things don't even have an assigned home. Gotta work on that one. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a piler and bagger too! It's so bad right now, I've been sick, and it's the last week of school for 2 of my kids, so they're bringing home piles of stuff every single day and I've got quite a big stack going. I hate it, but I don't know where to put all that stuff, so it's sitting on top of my desk. I also have random bags stashed around the house.
ReplyDeleteI might have to try the bin idea for the easier stuff, that sounds like it works well!
Thanks for being REAL! I used to be a teacher. You should have seen my desk!!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Haven
I saw a TJMaxx receipt!! My fav!
ReplyDeleteI am a piler and do the baskets also. My downfall is the baskets never get emptied. They just move to the room where they belong and we dig through the basket/bucket looking for whatever we need. It's a horrible habit and drives me mad. Islands are not good for pilers. Mine is currently clean too, but first thing in the morning it won't be. Ughhh!!! Why did you remind me?!! J/K! I feel more normal now. :)
ReplyDeleteSomeone said it's a gifted woman thing...man, am I gifted! :) Glad I'm not alone! I am a total piler, stacker, sorter...I can't just throw out the bag either, because like you said, something valuable might be in there! I have been on a mad purging and organizing kick, but it doesn't even look like it! UGH! Stuff is the bane of my existence and yet I perpetuate my own problem! I am trying to stop bringing so much back IN after I get some of it OUT! LOL! Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteWow! I think that we may have been separated at birth! I do all of those things, right down to the not "bagging it" anymore (because I would loose things that I needed and then find them months after I had needed them). Any hoo! A fun read.
ReplyDeleteYes. My name is Sarah and I'm a piler too. I had to show my husband the picture of your stairs - I do exactly this and it drives. him. crazy. So glad I'm not the only one, but I keep hope alive that someday I'll be a put-'er-away-er.
ReplyDeleteYou're the best!! Of course, I'm a piler! Once a year, right before my cousin comes for a visit, I take all the pile of unopened bills (I should go paperless) and the notes from school, the pencils that I work the crossword puzzle with, the socks I thought the washer ate, the M&M's I forgot I bought, the Christmas ornament that was left under the couch when all the rest were packed away, the income tax statement from last year we took out because we couldn't find our son's ss card and can't remember his number, our dominos, and anything else that was placed there and forgotten, into a basket or two or three and hide them in my closet until she is gone. Then I try to sort through them and put them "up".....some get shredded, some are "placed where they belong" and some get put back on a little pile on my dresser to find a place for "later"....and then it starts all over again. Thanks for confirming we are all a bit nuts!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to read that I am not alone in the world!!! I am a bagger,piler,shuff-in-corner-er you name it but not on the Stairs for some reason. Oh and a box filler but never emtier...I am also one of those!!!
ReplyDeleteI will try and do better...but would not actually bank on it working!!!
mmmmk I LITERALLY just put away months of piles (especially that table right by the door!) And spent 2 hours organizing my closet/craft space. Only for my husband to come in and say what changed?!? grrrrrrr! At least I feel 10 lbs lighter without even throwing anything away! *aaah* :)
ReplyDeleteI just sat down to read emails, check out the land of blog. This is after spending all day (madly) cleaning up the piles and putting away. We have guests tonight and it is the only time the house looks spotless. Love the reality you talk about.
ReplyDelete((raises hand)) Me too :)
ReplyDeleteI am a piler to. My husband says that there needs to be a support group for spouse who are married to pilers. :)
ReplyDeleteYep! I'm a piler! I have two major hotspots...the dining room table, and the buffet {in the same room}...Oh, and the little spot behind my laptop and the wall at my desk...The dining room table works for us, because we have no kitchen island, and I can clutter up half of it, and we can still eat on the other half. Whenever I clear it off, the hubs ALWAYS comments upon walking in the door. Always.
ReplyDeleteI'm a piler, bagger, AND boxer! When someone pops over unannounced, we grab whatever container is within arm's reach, slide a pile (or two) of stuff into it and chuck it into our room. Where it will sit. And sit. And sit. After a while Hubby says TOSS IT! I just can't do it...I HAVE to go through it all. UGH!
ReplyDeleteMy Mum is a piler. My stepdad is a piler.
ReplyDeleteFor years I endured piles of stuff that NEVER got shifted. Ihaven't seen the dining table since Christmas...hang on...that's the only time I see it...
I vowed never to be the same when I moved out! Unfortunately it's genetic.
I'm what I like to call a 'mini stacker'...I stack and pile throughout the week and then blitz it on a saturday or sunday morning.
Piling - nature or nurture?
:D
xxx
When we were first married I had collected a minuscule pile of papers on the coffee table. Teensy tiny. Then One day I realized, my vital pile was gone!!AUGH! My husband (having gotten tired of it) said oh so innocently under the interrogation light, "I didn't realize you wanted it, it had been there for awhile so I assumed you were done with it." As you can see 5 years later, I still remember. He is so patient though, I still have a pile here or there but he is rubbing off on me.. My piling is a trait inherited from my Grandma, her son, my Dad:)I have never seen my grandmothers counters clean in my 28 years. My dad has a desk, and I have a tray, the genes are getting better!!!
ReplyDeleteThe timing of this post is too funny to me! I spent my evening cleaning up piles from around the house, and you know where most of it ended up?! On a new pile on the stairs! Haha!! It's nice to be in good piling company!
ReplyDeleteOmg! haha I am you! My house is a disaster right now with all my freaking piles everywhere and my bags stuffed away in the closet. It's a sickness. ;)
ReplyDeleteSilly girl. Be VERY happy that you are an amateur with your "PILE-O-JUNK" -- that is a 'baby' pile of junk. If you saw MY piles, your 'hair would stand on end' to quote my Mom. :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough you are a good "bagger" I must admit... I'm a STAR bagger too.
But seriously, you got a LONGGG way to go before you have to worry. ;)
Best,
Gloria
I'm just like you! LOL... But I swear my bags and piles are all "organized messes" and I know where everything is.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! My kitchen is begging to be organized. :) I noticed the green lamps in the pics and I fell in love. I beg you to share ideas I could copy?
ReplyDeleteWOW! It's good , NO! Wait!! It's WONDERFUL to KNOW I'm normal. Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteI love this post too! I have ADD and it seems I can't get think organized! but trust me I am so much worst than you! By the way I am a big fan!
ReplyDeleteI am such a piler! My husband always calles me that and constantly is calling me out about how I move things from one pile to another as if I'm actually cleaning! He started saying to me, OHIO.... Only Handle It Once! I often chuckle to myself whem I'm moving things around and thing OHIO OHIO OHIO... :)
ReplyDeleteI had a little chuckle to myself when I saw this post, yes I am a terrible piler, I have little heaps of clutter all over the house!
ReplyDeleteI love you so much for being real!!!! I've said it before, I'll say it again - your blog is FANTASTIC and I adore reading it. Your writing style always makes me chuckle ;) It is even more endearing to know that you are REAL like the rest of us! My nemesis is the kitchen counter, the PILE next to the coffee pot. The birthday party invitation, dance recital DVD that I need to watch, pliers that need to be returned to the garage, ARGH! We're undergoing a kitchen remodel and I don't have countertops at the moment. Whatever do I do?! I realized that I don't have a pile accumulating, so I'm trying to take notes on my behavior change so the PILES don't come back on my lover-ly granite!
ReplyDeleteMy place is the dining room table. What a mess!
ReplyDeleteSNAP!! Everything you said applies to me!! I do all those things. I tried to have a drawer for stuff like a neatfreak friend of mine. Didn't work.
ReplyDeleteWHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM??!!!
My Mum managed it. She was amazing. Her mantras: You have to have SYSTEMS!
2. A place for everything, and everything in its place and 3. It doesn't matter how many piles you have on your desk, as long as they're NEAT piles. (not so sure about that one..)
Yeh good luck with all that! And to me too! It's an ongoing mission!
for instant gratification or for that visiter who announces they'll be over in ten...I use a laundry basket...it can then be placede into the launndry and forgotten for weeks...lol..laundry door is always shut!!!i hate my laundry...oh yes...my hubby is a bagger...with 8n in our family sometimes you gtyta do what keeps you sane...loved your post...xxx
ReplyDeleteI am a piler and a bagger and like you, my stairs are the WORST! The one thing I've found that actually helps me is my one-thing grab. It's a habit I've tried to practice where whenever I pass through a room to another room (or go up the stairs) I try to find at least one thing I can grab that goes to whatever room I'm headed to. This method is especially helpful on the days when I just don't have it in me to to a massive clean-up. Sometimes I also call it "Better Than You Found It". Before leaving a room I just try to do at least 1 small thing to make it look just a little bit better than it did when I arrived.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll go disassemble some piles myself today!! :-)
I am a clutterer by nature. I gave up trying to put stuff up ages ago. I have accepted myself for who I am.
ReplyDeleteI do periodically go through stages where I frantically run around putting stuff up. Doesn't last very long though.
I so wish I were one of those organized people. You know, the ones that go get all that extra energy when they see things aren't in their proper place. But I'm not one of those people. I'm like you, Sarah. But much, much worse. I have piles everywhere. It almost appears as though I'm a "beginning hoarder". It's sad because I live in a very small condo. Square footage is hard to find in my place. I keep telling myself I have GOT to find a way to get organized and get this stuff put up. But my problem? There is very little storage space available, and when I put stuff up (even though I tried to be organized when I put stuff up), I could never find it when I got ready to use it. So my best solution? Leave it out. I guess it's fortunate that I live alone (or maybe this is part of my problem), and I never have visitors. So I sit here in my turmoil and mess and dream of one day having it clean and organized. That will never happen. Sad. But true.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog and am so inspired by so many things you do. I also am a major piler / junk breeder. It's so challenging to be working on a project and put stuff away every night when you know you'll just need it in the morning again. Also, I have the tendency to work on several things at once, which drives my husband and kids crazy lol. I have found that when it gets too bad, I just need to watch an episode of Hoarders, it scares some motivation into me, lol and I get moving on the piles o'crap everywhere. Love that you're so real and willing to admit that your home looks like everyone else (outside the camera shot that is)
ReplyDeleteI love you! Piler is my middle name. My kitchen table is my nemesis! 4 of us live in 800 sq ft. So it gets crazy. I don't think my table can stay clean for more than an hour. It is terrible and drives my husband crazy! I so glad to feel normal when I read your blog.
ReplyDeleteIs that a Scentsy catalog in the first picture??? Scentsy ROCKS!
ReplyDeletemy mom was a huge piler--it drove me crazy...I can honestly say I rarely have even a small pile at our place...so I guess it's hopeful for your children for anyone who is a piler :)
ReplyDelete"Surface Abuser" is the term I use. It is my #1 Fault (oh, besides talking too much).. My husband and I are the "poster children" for piling......ha ha
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, jean
So glad I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteSo when I first read the title, I thought, "why is she writing about a PLIER" - haha! Then I read and I'm the exact same person...a piler too and it does drive me crazy. Thank you for letting me know that it's okay to blog about this - I feel normal now!
ReplyDeleteYou're singing straight to my problem right now. My weakness was always the kitchen table & my desk. They're always piled with STUFF. I hadn't thought to go around gathering everything in a bin though. I'll have to remember that one. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're singing straight to my problem right now. My weakness was always the kitchen table & my desk. They're always piled with STUFF. I hadn't thought to go around gathering everything in a bin though. I'll have to remember that one. :-)
ReplyDeleteHere's how I combat the piling of stuff: Everytime you move from one part of the house to another, take a quick look at your usual "pile locations" and grab one or two things that need to go to the room that you are going to. Example: I'm in the bedroom and I'm headed to the kitchen, so I check my husband's nightstand for the used drinking glass that needs to go to the dishwasher. Strive to do this EVERY TIME you move from one level of your house to another. It's like herding your clutter closer to their proper location.
ReplyDeleteThank you. (Said sincerely and heartfelt). If you didn't show us that you had the same crud going on as we do, we'd think you were perfect. And that would be bad for me. Cause my home will never look that lovely unless there is crud piled in a corner while a take a photo. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is the only person I know who's not a piler. I def didn't inherit her clean gene! Glad to know your house looks like mine. Only if you ever come to mine I'll hide the piles to make you think I'm a neat freak! HA!
ReplyDeleteThat thought process - exactly me! Except instead of bins, I put the stuff in boxes. And then pile the boxes in my craft closet. it's been so full, I haven't been able to pull my craft stuff out since Christmas! And when I go through it, it's mostly trash, never find the maybe-I-threw-it-in-there-$20. Bad spots for me are the peninsula, top of the dryer (oh laundry, I wouldn't mind you so much if I didn't have to fold you and put you away!), and the top of my dresser. Oh my dresser... I haven't seen the bare wood top in years! (except when company comes over, because then, all piles on top get thrown in a box!). Ugh!
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's the dining room table that gets me. It always has many piles on it and I usually know exactly what pile is what. And there is usually only room for each of us to have our dinner plates. Of course, it is worse now because we are in the process of packing so we can move. My goal at our new house is to be organized. We'll see how that goes!
ReplyDeleteOh yes!! I am a TOTAL piler...and I collect baskets so I have baskets everywhere..and inside those baskets???...more piles of stuff!!! it's gross. I disgust myself. I do, occasionally, clean up the piles and clean out the baskets and SWEAR it will NEVER get that way again. you know, until the next time!
ReplyDeleteOkay that makes me feel a little better to know that I am not the only one that piles and bags EVERYTHING. oh yeah-and stack stuff on the stairs. The problem with that is that you see the stairs to the basement as you walk into our great room. I always tell myself that I will take a little bit at a time as I walk past it and completely forget about it. If there is a 12 step program for this, please let me know.
ReplyDeletehttp://stacinay.blogspot.com
I can't tell you how happy this post made me. I'm normal! I'm a major piler, bagger, and basket user. I get baskets thinking it'll organize me, but instead I just ends up with baskets full of crap. Why do I do it? Anyway, thanks for the post!
ReplyDeletePiler. But I know exactly where to find "whatever" in what pile -- no kidding. When I was a teacher the piles in my classroom would drive me nuts. . .yet. . .I knew where every test, worksheet, and hmwk assignment was. Ugh. I even gave up with dresser drawers and just bought some laundry baskets to put in my closet and sort my clothes that way too. Sigh. I want my surfaces to look like yours :) Don't know what it is about opening doors and cupboards that "gets" me every time. Thanks for the confession -- have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I am TOTALLY a piler! I'm so happy I have an actual term for it now... and happy to know I'm not the only one! Extremely guilty of pulling the "I'll put this away later" and then adding to the pile. And it's nearly impossible to keep the kitchen table clear. Love the big bin idea - saves lots of time walking back and forth throughout the house!
ReplyDeleteoh my word i am such a piler! ugh! i can clean the whole house and then i leave this pile of papers on my kitchen counter like no one notices. now, i am motivated to go clean some (maybe 12) piles....
ReplyDeleteHa! Ditto what everybody said above. I have pilitis myself. And stuffonstairitis.
ReplyDeleteSarah you make me feel so normal and so good!
Thanks for the smiles. Hugs and have a great day.
Oh, Sarah, you are so brave to show your piles! The first step is admission.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a piler/bag lady. I think it is hereditary. My daughter is so funny. I asked her to clean her room the other day. She took before and after pictures!!! She is 9! It really cracked me up. I think it inspired her. She was impressed with how far she had come. Unfortunately, I later found the junk crammed in her closet. Hey, at least it was off the floor.
You are my hero! I totally do this :)
ReplyDeleteI can talk myself out of anything if I try hard enough. Every time i walk up the stairs - to get dirty laundry, go to bed, get something from my craft room - why don't I take a handful of stuff from the stairs to their homes?
Who knows. I'm working on a pile of stuff that belongs in the master bath right now, but the bag isn't quite full/overflowing yet, so I figure I have a couple days before I really need to take it anywhere. :)
haha
If you start a 12 step program for this, please send me the info. If I don't lose it under a pile somewhere in my house, I'll see you at the first meeting. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah...I'm a piler too. Big time!
ReplyDelete:-D
Layla
PS...Just wondering why you chose that configuration and color for your sectional? (Insert major sarcasm here) I know you're smiling right now. ;-)
I. HEAR. YOU.
ReplyDeleteI have such a love/hate relationship with my kitchen island, for exactly the same reason - I love its function, but it becomes the crazy catch-all dumping ground for EVERYTHING. And it drives me batty!
At least now I know I'm not alone! :)
Emily
Hello...my name is Velma and I'm a piler :) Yep, I finally admit it. sigh...I pile stuff on my counter, I pile the mail on the table in the living room thinking I'll sort thru it "later" and I pile things on the stairs but for a very good reason (in my mind at least)...I don't want to take just ONE thing upstairs...I'll wait until I have several things to take at once. Never mind that it would be good exercise for me to take the stairs several times a day and never mind that, oftime, I walk right by it pretending that it's not there!
ReplyDeleteYes, I am a pileraholic! Let's form a club! :D
Have a great day ~
Velma
I once read something very helpful... "touch it once, and put it in it's place". That is less effort in the long run.
ReplyDeleteGreat for mail, junk mail organizing, coupons you rip out of mailings, etc. If we all had enough storage for all the stuff we accumulate, we wouldn't have to pile. But alas we don't... I'm looking around my kitchen and I see folders of real estate work (at least all the papers are in folders ;-), bills next to me to be paid this morning... not too bad, but then again I don't have a Bub at home.
~10 minute pause~
Thanks for the inspiration... I just put all the clutter away :-)
My husband is a piler! It gets so overwhelming I can't even stand to clean it up! So about once a month we have to set aside part of a day and clear off the tables. I'm hoping one day I'll wake up and he won't be a piler anymore! haha What a miracle that would be!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! You have a way of making me laugh every time I read your post.
ReplyDeleteI'm agreeing with Kristi (above) about being creative. I used to be an OCD neat freak and the more I've gotten back to my creative side, the messier my house seems to be lol.
But you did an awesome fast job of cleaning up and I love your basket idea! I need to get me one of those!
Yep! Me too! My nemesis is the cardboard box. Man, can I fill those in a heartbeat! It's usually the heartbeat RIGHT before guests are due to arrive.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are human!
Whew! I feel better! I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteWe keep things out on top of tables and desks, because we are visual people (Stay with me, I am trying to justify the cultch I have stacked around me) and once something is out of site, it's out of mind!(It's my story and I'm sticking to it)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing yours! :)
I still 4 have piles of my son's school papers around! And when I took photos of our house "before" pics I moved the junk piles from one counter or room to another for those "perfectly clean" photos! For photos you have to, otherwise its hard to see the furniture, walls, decor!
ReplyDeleteI've gotten over thinking every decor blogger's house is perfectly neat - no one's is unless it's for sale! Great post!
Your sofa: is that the Brentwood or the Landsbury? I'm looking at the Landsbury 3 seater (non-chaise).
Oh yes. I am a piler, a bagger and a scoop-and-stasher. Big time.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your posts, but I especially love the ones that make me feel like I'm not alone! I have cleaning ADD - I take something into the kitchen to put it away and then get distracted and start cleaning the kitchen! Nothing ever gets finished this way! Admitting the problem is the first step right? Not to overcome!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blog - makes my day!
I am a "piler". And the picture of your stairs...that is so both stair cases in my house. Stuff that needs to go "up" but gets passed by every time I go "up". So funny.
ReplyDeleteThe way to avoid having piles of stuff is to live in a small place. I have a dinky carriage house apartment and have to follow the rule that I can't bring anything home unless it has a predetermined place to go. I'm also a bit of a neat freak. I couldn't live with piles. The closest I get to having piles is when my little metal "toast holder" paper filer gets full of paper ready to file. Piles of stuff make me want to clean and organize. I'm a freak like that.
ReplyDeleteOh, I could help you teach a Master's class on Piling, girl! My post on Thursday was all about my shoe pile nd how I fixed it. ;) Yes, I even pile the shoes. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteI have a basket full of stuff sitting in my bedroom that has been there for 2 days. I am a horrible piler and it drives my husband crazy. Being a piler and having kids is a really bad combination. Thank you for helping me feel normal!
ReplyDeleteI have a basket full of stuff sitting in my bedroom that has been there for 2 days. I am a horrible piler and it drives my husband crazy. Being a piler and having kids is a really bad combination. Thank you for helping me feel normal!
ReplyDeleteThat is the very reason i got rid of the big ole coffee table in my LR, was nothing but a place to pile junk. LR has so much more room without it. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I totally do the same thing! I usually start cleaning on one end of my house and then start working back. The back sections of my house progressively get worse and worse b/c more stuff just keeps piling up. Even when the rest of my house is very clean, my bedroom is usually the last on the list and suffers terribly. Isn't that the one room we're suppose to keep clean? lol
ReplyDeleteCrystal
I think this might be my favourite post you've done (ok, maybe not, but a close 2nd). Yes I'm a piler. I come from a long line of pilers. And yes it'll get to the point where I can't cope and I have to clean it up, but it never lasts long. RATS!
ReplyDeleteSarah!!! There you are! My long lost twin! I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one :) I had to laugh about the bag part, I have been know to "clean" off the kitchen counters with a bag and then throw it upstairs in my sewing closet of all places only to get around to it MONTHS later and most likely come across bills, permission slips, invites, etc. Ooops ;) Gotta love it!
ReplyDeleteI love your beautiful decor ideas. I'm always tryin your stuff, and I really love that you're real. Thanks for being great and so fun to read!
ReplyDeleteWow...this is SO me!!! Yes, it just hits me all of a sudden that everything must be clean NOW! But then there's the problem of where to start...i just wander around the house in circles moving random objects from room to room...
ReplyDelete...And I always wandered how people's houses in these blogs are so clean...now I know. ;)
www.leelucreations.blogspot.com
Ha - I love the random fire extinguisher...just in case, right/ (: I'm the putter upper, hubby is the piler. His piles drive me mad. I pretty much straighten up daily, otherwise with 6 people here, it would become unmanageable...
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh this post cracked me up. i am the same exact way. my dad used to taunt my mom about her "piles" saying that she inherited it from her mother. now that i have my own home- BAM piles everywhere. it's a curse i tell ya.
ReplyDeleteand i get random spurts of energy at odd hours and just HAVE to deal with the junk. looking around my living room right now, i really need one of those bursts of energy. haha
i'm more of an "everything has it's place so i'll put it away" kind of person. however my husband puts nothing away so my countertops look like the until it drives me batty (like a hour tops). if only i could teach him how to clean up after himself...:)
ReplyDelete*raises hand* I'm a piler and a bagger, definitely. I'm gonna try the basket trick. I'm AWFUL and my husband is even worse. Our dining table looks like your island all the time until I have to clear it away so we can eat. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I thought I was the only one who bagged! It always seems like such a good idea...gather up everything that belongs in a different room or on the other floor and put it in a bag. I even get so far as putting that bag in the room where all its contents belong. But that's the end of it. Because my goal was just to get the original room clean, so I'll get to emptying the bag and putting everything away when I can't stand the clutter in the destination room. And yes, I don't want to admit how long some of those bags sit there. I've found Christmas presents I forgot I even received. And my poor husband...whenever he can't find something, I tell him to start looking in bags. I'm so glad to know I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteYou so could have been taking pictures of my house...it's nice that I'm not the only one with this dirty little secret!!
ReplyDeleteThis cracks me up- I usually just read from by google reader, but had to come and comment on this one- I have a HUGE gift bag from April that has it's own gravitational pull. It has taken up residency in nearly every room in my house at some point. It's now squatting in my office behind the door. Outta sight, outta mind, but I know it still lurks there, collecting mass...
ReplyDeleteI am for sure a piler-it drives my boyfriend crazy! Good luck with your goal--hehe :)
ReplyDeleteWow, you are me! Well, maybe just a kindred spirit hows that? I am so this way! I won't even show pictures of my dresser anymore,it always has stuff on it. My "hotspot" is the kitchen table, it always has stuff on it! Today, I am going through and cleaning like you did! I do have a solution for the stairs. I got a bag from 31, it is about 1 foot square, though I wish I had gotten the larger one! It can collapse flat, to fit under the couch when not in use. When I have stuff that needs to go upstairs, it goes in that bag, and when it is full, I take it upstairs. There is also one upstairs for things that go down. When one bag goes up, the other goes down. That doesn't mean I empty it right away, but at least they are on the floor they belong on! I always vow to do better, but.... Its nice to know I am not alone in my "blindness"! Thanks for the laugh too!
ReplyDeleteI am definately a piler...I inherited that trait from my mom, whom I consider the master lol. My worst is the dining room table...OMG...haven't seen the table top in years lol. Thanks for letting me know that I'm just as normal *s* as everyone else!
ReplyDeleteThank GOODNESS we are all normal! I pile as well. Occasionally it has slid into a heaping mess on the floor!
ReplyDeleteMy hiding spot is even sneakier. I pile all in the front hall closet. Watch out when you open it could be like something out of a cartoon...or that scene in "So I married an axe murderer" where Mike Meyers gets completely submerged by junk!
Thanks for posting this. My husband always says I'm a slob because I can walk past the junk on our table or kitchen island without seeing the piles of junk. (And I'm soo not a slob.) I just hate taking papers to the basement office or coming up wtih places for other things to live. I do eventually see the piles and then have to GO AT THEM! This post proves to him that I'm normal!! Yay! Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteHello My Name is Immortal and I'm a piler.... well, at least I am with laundry and everything else goes in my bedroom.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask, does your cereal stay fresh in those containers? That is the coolest idea ever! You must do a post on just that!
Yup, piles everywhere! Do you know there is a term for it - it is called "barnacling"! One little "barnacle" finds a spot to attach itself and soon many other "barnacles" find that exact same spot! Suddenly you have a pile of "barnacles". We are terribly good at it here. Sigh. This weekend I must debarnacle - but for now? Now I want to sew or bake or anything else except debarnacle. I think I need a group :)
ReplyDeleteI love that your willing to show us your real, because sometimes it is slighlty depressing to see such pretty houses through a computer. You have made me feel better and yes I'm a piler too :0
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this with us! I am also a 'piler'. Got it from my mom, and apparently learned it very well! I also do what you do, when the piles are so massive I can't see the bottom of them, I get out large basket or box and put it all in there. For some reason, I can deal with it from the box better than just trying to take one thing at a time from the table and doing whatever with it. Weird, huh? But I do love knowing I'm not the only one! I am also loving reading all these comments!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! I'm very organized (except for 4 reoccuring piles in my house). The kitchen "mail" pile, the dryer pile of things to leave the house, the giveaway chair pile, and the unpacked/to be packed suitcase pile. No matter how hard I try these places keep coming back. Thanks for letting me know it is not just me.
ReplyDeleteOh. My. Word. I am SUCH a piler too!! We have this little shelf next to the stairs to the basement that as I'm shuffling things around I start a pile of things to take downstairs. And those stairs also go toward the garage, so library books, keys, etc. also get piled there. Oh and this shelf is also right behind the sofa, so kleenex boxes, coasters, books... the piles never end!
ReplyDeleteReading your post has inspired me to go fix it right now!!
This is a GREAT post. I am a piler, as was my father before me and his mother before him (I don't really know this, I just know my dad and I both PILE!). I'm so thankful for my husband, the cleaner-upper of my piles. he's so patient...he deserves a medal. Though, he cleans up my piles by moving them to my dresser in our guest room (AKA, MY room, where all my clothes, etc are). SOOOO glad to know I'm not alone on the piling!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband calls me a "nester" not sure if that's better or worse than "piler" but I'm definitely that too. :) It's a regular battle between he and I, me piling...him putting away...me piling...(you get the picture.) :)
ReplyDeletemy sister calls it flat surface syndrome! I have it big time.... oh well it all gets put away eventually right?!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I'll admit...I laughed out loud! I do the SAME things...move the pile over...check, put it in a bin...check, put it in a bag...big check!! I think I still have things in bags from my wedding almost 3 YEARS AGO...gesh...I should get to work! ;)
ReplyDeleteI know not everyone has this as an option, but I literally got rid of my dresser in my bedroom (installed a closet system) because it was just a surface to get piled up. We put in an armoire to house a tv and it has a couple of drawers and everything else goes in the closet. Now, ask my about the pile on my nightstand, go ahead, ask... :D At least it's too small to hold a whole lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us a glimpse of your real world! I am right there with you, and at this very moment, putting off cleaning the mess! My 4 kids have been out of school for a little over a week, and the clutter has reached epic proportions!
ReplyDeleteOMG. Your post made my day! I think my husband has pile-itis worse than me but it is definitely a problem in our house! Especially the stairs... oh the stairs...
ReplyDeleteBWAHA. You're my hero. I'm a piler, too - or, as a friend says, I have The Piles (ew, um...not the other kind).
ReplyDeleteMy way to deal with it is to have a basket that I allow myself to fill with stuff, and then put everything away all at once when the basket's full. It works about 30% of the time...but I keep finding myself going, "Ooh, time for a new basket," and then it's just piles of baskets and boxes and...AUGH.
Glad to know I'm not the only one, anyway. You're hilarious. :)
Ugh, I am SO a piler! And I never realized it until just this moment! I think I will have to employ your bin method for sure!!
ReplyDeleteIts so good the hear this from someone else. I just moved to a new home though so I am really trying not to let those piles EVER start. Its easier to keep them a away then clean them up once they are there!
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious - because I could have written this very post. Our piling spot is the dining table and the computer desk. I also bag stuff and hang it on the door so I can take it where it needs to go and months later it's still there. I have a shirt that should have been returned over a month ago waiting for me on the door handle on the way out. Glad to know I'm normal
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious - because I could have written this very post. Our piling spot is the dining table and the computer desk. I also bag stuff and hang it on the door so I can take it where it needs to go and months later it's still there. I have a shirt that should have been returned over a month ago waiting for me on the door handle on the way out. Glad to know I'm normal
ReplyDeleteBags, bags, bags...where can I hide more? It's sad...but at least I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your honesty! I some times feel so overwhelmed because everyones houses are so perfect and honestly, after a 8 or 9 hour work day and then softball and whatever else the last thing I want to do is clean up!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your honesty! I some times feel so overwhelmed because everyones houses are so perfect and honestly, after a 8 or 9 hour work day and then softball and whatever else the last thing I want to do is clean up!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, did you visit my house before writing this? I'm a stacker and my husband is a bagger so between the two of us, it's mayhem! I think he is worse though because he doesn't empty the bags when he returns from home depot, etc and then goes and buys all the same stuff again on another day. I can't even start to count the number of tubes of caulk he has in the basement. Thanks for letting me know we are normal after all.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Kori and I am a piler. And a bagger. And whatever else there is to make it so my house feels a mess. The end of our kitchen counter (the first thing seen when you walk into it, natch!) is my pile spot. The best part is that my husband is the same way! Except only my piles and bags and whatever else is allowed!!! :D Bottom line...flat surfaces = danger!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you share this part of your brain/home with us!!
I'm a laundry basket abuser! I have extra laundry baskets the plastic wide ones.. I shove everything in there.. Currently have about 3 of them full of crap.. Just staring at me.. UGH I need to fix that.. And I have a bag of crap from my car too!
ReplyDeleteHa, this is soooo funny! I love this post. Okay, I am not so much a piler but I am definately a bagger, and I must come out into the open, I am a drawer stuffer. We have a drawer in the buffet that collects everything that everyone else in the house "piles" on top the buffet. I can't stand to have that little stuff lying on top of the counters and buffet that I put it all (at least all that will fit) in that drawer. The little ones toys are definetely bagged. At any one time you can probably find a bag of little ones toys hanging from the bedroom door knob. I also have the stair problem. I put all my daughters stuff on the stairs "hoping" she will carry up when she goes, but she never does. From time to time I have to bag it up and carry it up myself. So goes the joys of life. Thanks for this post, at least I know I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteHaha, love how I'm not the only one that piles things next to the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI'm a piler, too. I have the same problem with my kitchen island and my stairs (not the basement). I laugthed when I saw the picture of your stairs. I find if I spend 15 minutes at night before I go to bed, I can keep the piles down or wiped out... a fly lady idea that has stuck with me. I also find if I do a 15 minutes room rescue with my kids, we can put away most of the toys and other clutter in our main living areas with a few minutes to spare. Those are my "clutter-busters" and keep my piling nature subdued. :) With the end of school, those haven't been done and I'm having the "I have to clean this up right now" hives.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! It reflects our old apartment to a T. When we moved, I intentionally added obscene amounts of closed storage in our living spaces so rather than piling, I shove everything into a pretty basket and deal with it later. It only works if you DO deal with it later though.
ReplyDeleteOh thank you for not making me feel like the messiest person ALIVE!!!!! I feel at peace and normal!! And the bin idea is so simple it's genius! Implementing it into a once a week (month?) cleaning routine!
ReplyDeleteI have been a lurker on your blog for almost a year now, and this post has made me come out of lurkerdom. :)
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen island is the WORST. It is a daily dump for all things that come through the kitchen - groceries, random tools, toys, mail, books, the dog leash, plastic wrap, sippy cups, newspapers, you know how it goes. I swear, it does not stay empty for more than 10 minutes at a time.
SOOO Glad someone can relate! :)
You seriously crack me up!
ReplyDeleteOur family is pilers too, we are HORRIBLE about the mail, OMG papers everywhere! And all of a sudden a lightbulb goes off in my brain and I'm in a frenzy trying to clean it up. Making comments like "It looks like a bomb went off in here", all flustered and frustrated acting until my husband decides he better get off the couch and help me so I don't have an aneurism. Fun times! LOL
I'm not a piler, but things do get cluttered throughout the week. I usually take one night a week and pile everything from every room into laundry baskets. Then it's easier to stop room by room and unload things into their proper spot. (Instead of running up and down the stairs a kagillion times).
ReplyDeleteOMG! I do this SAME thing! I am also a good closet stuffer. I.E. When people are coming over I stuff everything I don't want to deal with into a closet. :)
ReplyDeleteOur kitchen table is my favorite dumping ground. It is large and its just the 2 of us, so the other half is fair game. DH thinks he is so much better, but he just moves the piles to a bedroom, so we are both to blame. My purse has a way of sitting in one the chairs, so one of my 2011 resolutions was to put my purse it is rightful spot in our room, Thank you for the reminder, I start making an effort again.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this real life? I think anyone who DOESN'T do this is living in a fantasy world! Life is like that - full of junk - the junk mail, the random batteries, packages of "whatnots", loose change (my nemesis!). I wish I had a little cleaning fairy who would follow me everywhere I went and put everything in its place :)
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Ella and I'm a piler. Stacker. Clutter.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your house isn't always picture perfect.
I actually LOL'd at the number of comments saying "me too", we all thought we were alone in our stacking, piling, bagging, toting....you make me smile, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am DEFINITELY a piler... I use the stairs, the dining room table, and the worst: the console table in our foyer... SO bad...
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for sharing your normal-ness!! Yup, just made that word up! I would love to think that I'm a piler and bagger because we recently moved, but truth be told...I'm a long standing champion! Thanks for the stellar company in "pile/bag land"!!
ReplyDeleteI have to say I love your blog! I too am a piler. My favorite place to pile is in a large basket on top my fridge. I had to laugh when I saw your stairs. Mine look very similar. I do the bag thing too....why do we do that?
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing, Merilee
So, so, soooo love this post...and all the comments...letting me know I'm not alone!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Jen and I'm a piler!!! :) I'm so right there with you on piles. They are not my friend though and it gives me anxiety. So you would think I would put them away right?!?!? lol! Thanks for keeping it real. Our kitchen island is the worst too. Mine is larger then yours and at some point, I just can't take it anymore and I clean it off and put everything away. I have to find a better way because it drives me nuts. It's the first room you walk into when you get home and it just makes me stress out. I think I'm going home to clean off my island. The other bad place for me is our office. Don't even get me started about that room. Have a great weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteMy name is suzie.....and I'm. a. piler.
ReplyDeleteI am not a piler...but hubby is, and when my lids lived at home, my son was too-daughter not so much :) Kinda like her Mum :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I find has helped me through the years is to use a cleaning caddy for cleaning supplies, another tool caddy for crafty stuff, and yet another-kept EMPTY-to pile stuff so it can be put away in its correct place
( kinda like you bag method)
I too have an issue with the basement and its stairs-and I use a step basket for that.
I am all for what ever works for an individual/family when it comes to keep up with the piles. I find when I have too much to put away on a more than regular basis, though, then it's time to pare down :).
I have the same diagnosis. Bags, tupperware containers, laundry baskets all contain former piles. I hope someday to be pile free and clutter free! But until then I feel better knowing I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteI love you!
ReplyDeleteI corral it all up...and hide it in the garage. Until I cannot take it anymore. Which is now. Sigh.
Well I hope you read all the way down to comment #184 and my first comment is that I had no idea you were snooping around my house and taking pictures of my piles and bags and baskets to use for a blog material. Oh my!! Reading your post and all these comments makes me feel sooooooo much better. I thought maybe I had issues that not too many others had. So either this is normal or there are a lot of us out there that need therapy. :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. I heart your blog.
You are my clutter twin :) I am a piler and it doesn't bother me too much until the one horrendous moment, where I throw it all in a basket and determine to put it all away. I am also a bagger, which is very dangerous. That is usually reserved for when we have short notice about guests coming over. I have put money, and even my one-and-only credit card in the bag with intentions of getting them out within a day. It took weeks. Very sad. My sister is the complete opposite. Her house never has clutter. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOh my, you hit a nerve with that one!! I think everyone in the world must be like that.....judging by the number of responses!! I have my little piling spot next to the microwave....every once in a while I clean it up but it's never completely empty. But..... my husband is the best at piling and bagging! The other day I found a bag that came out of his truck when he traded it......Two trucks ago!! The man has piles and /or bags everywhere. It's ok though, he's so good about everything else that I can sure live with his piling ways, there is a bright side to it as well, he can't fuss at me to clean up mine!! Love the post Sarah, you are so funny! Take care, VBg
ReplyDeleteToo funny!
ReplyDeletePiling does not get better with age. I am 57 and still make piles, only the stuff I pile changes.
Debbie in Florida
I'm a piler and a bagger and have a "hiding" spot in the kitchen. Too funny, I thought I was a slob but now I see by all the comments that I am normal! (kind of) :)
ReplyDeleteOH. EM. GEE.!!!! You live my cluttered life. I am currently being slowly driven nuts as I glance around my house! Glad you are human and con us into believing your house is constantly spotless. Wish the people coming into my house only saw the clean spots LOL Keep up the good work and I will continue reading about it! :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to poke fun at my MIL for her piles, but once I had a house of my own, with paperwork and all the stuff that people with homes acquire, my piles started. Perhaps b/c I'm too lazy to put things away. My dining table, kitchen counters and coffee table, as well as all dressers in the house, currently have junk on them. Sometimes I feel I should invite guests over just so I'll pick things up!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is the piler. bagger, threw it anywhere-er. I am a neat freak I aspire to be like Monk without the phobia of germs, etc. Do we need it or do we want it & where will it go in the house before I buy it. One day I will be victorious of my quest to have a place for everything & everything in its place. Thanks for letting me vent & giving a few to myself to enjoy your blog.
ReplyDeleteAre we twins separated at birth? This is totally me!!
ReplyDeleteThis is embarrassing to admit, but I am a piler; a piler who then throws a pillowcase over the pile to protect her precious stuff. That's not good, right? Hehehe... Destiny
ReplyDeleteI'm so relieved to hear this!
ReplyDeleteOH, THE STAIRS. My hubby mentions every now and again that it would be nice not to have an obstacle course to the second floor. Oops. BAGGER? Heck yeah. I'm a bag lady. I like to think of it as recycling.
ReplyDeleteSo, my house is going on the market and I'm going to have to try and control my piles. Unfortunately, medication is not an option. I'm going to try & tackle the junk every day but I have a super secret giant bin in the garage that I plan on grabbing & filling every time we have a showing. Just as a back-up of course. :)
May God Bless You!
ReplyDeleteI have laundry baskets to do quick pick up runs through the house. Then I keep the basket in my master bedroom, thinking I will put it all away later. Problem is, before long, I have seven laundry baskets lining the wall in my bedroom!
Sarah, you are my hero in bloggerville! I love your self depricating posts. I am all over self-deprication. Anyway.....
ReplyDeleteThank you for making me feel like I am not a total loser. Seems I was under the impression that most people stay on top of their clutter and don't have the piles going like I do. Teee Hee. Those are the kind of things I love finding out I am wrong about!
I don't know why I've never put myself in this category before, but it is me to a TEE! Especially the organizing of an old pile into a new pile! It thrills me to no end that I'm not the only one doing this! If you EVER find a cure, I do hope you'll share :)
ReplyDeleteWHAT is it with kitchen islands?! You just CAN'T keep them cleared off, you CAN'T!!
ReplyDeleteI have a small counter in my kitchen where it all piles up. I allow it to go until the counter is full and driving me nuts. Then I clear it and swear to keep better track of it. Then I rinse and repeat...
ReplyDelete