Friday, September 14, 2012

My Friends Are Brilliant

Like most of you, I tend to commit myself to a lot.  There is so much that I love to do and so many opportunities out that that it's hard to say no.  I've gotten better at it, and when a friend of mine approached me a few weeks ago to ask if I was interested in joining her new club she was forming, my instant reaction was, "No, I've got enough on my plate."

Then she explained it further.  And I was so in.

The woman is brilliant.  Four of us get together once a week at a house, rotating through the four of us, and we work.  We fix and we ... complain for two and a half hours.

The four members of the club, proud on our first day of work


You know those projects that you don't do because ohhhh they are overwhelming or you don't know where you start or you just don't know enough to do it right?  That's where we come in.  Four people working for two and a half hours can get so much more done that you'd imagine.

The first week, we reorganized a friend's office.  We got rid of a ton of books on the shelves that shouldn't be there.  We went through the photos to decide what stays and goes.  We cleaned all the shelves.  We took charge of the tangle of cords and got them organized and put away.  By the time we left, it looked really put together.

This morning, we were at the second house.  While my friend who has an art history master's degree - among other artist credentials - went with her upstairs to help choose paint colors and decor, my other friend and I got to work in the kitchen.  We recovered four of her kitchen chairs and cleaned the wood on them.  Neither of us had ever done anything like that before, but with directions we did it.  It went so much faster having help because removing the cushions and putting them back on is just not a one person job.

Reupholstering is a two person job!

And we also figured out how to remove some mold from the edges of the windows of my friends too well sealed house.  Australian tea tree oil - which I love for all sorts of magical properties - apparently has another use, as well.  It kills mold naturally.  You know I'm going out to buy another bottle of this.

Use a Q-tip dipped in Australian tea tree oil to kill and remove mold

By the time we left, my friend was thrilled that she knew what she was doing with a decor - and in realizing, thanks to my artsy friend, that she had a theme in her house already - and that she had gorgeous new kitchen chairs that "had never been so clean ever and that her windows were now mold free.  And we left feeling pretty good about ourselves, too.  We got a lot done, and we're all ready to tackle the day after this.

Next week is my house.  We're going after the jungle that was once a garden in my backyard.  If the weather doesn't cooperate, we're organizing my bathroom cabinets.  Next up is going through my closet to get rid of items that don't belong there.  My basement is up next, particularly the room that used to contain the gift closet and now is just overrun.

I.  Can't.  Wait.

This was the best idea ever, and I'm thrilled to be part of this club.  Because my friends are brilliant - even though I was the only one who knew what the word "slake" meant.

12 comments:

Pat September 14, 2012 at 5:03 PM  

My niece has a group like this, too, but there are just three of them. They all work on a project at the home of one of the members once a month (I think) for several hours. I learned from her what d-i-y means. One tends not to get side-tracked when one has a fixed number of hours to complete a project! Good for you, ladies! I had to look up slake, though I'd heard it used before and figured out what it meant from the context, but had forgotten.

Andrea September 15, 2012 at 7:43 AM  

I LOVE THIS!!!!

It is totally the greatest idea! Your friend rocks, as do you. :)

Tara R. September 15, 2012 at 4:54 PM  

This is a fantastic idea! Do you all travel? I'd provide beach towels and margaritas for a little garage cleaning.

Tami September 16, 2012 at 10:12 AM  

This is such a fun idea! Getting things done is an added bonus of spending quality time with your friends. LOVE THE HATS!

Claudya Martinez September 16, 2012 at 12:28 PM  

This is a spectacular idea. I think I may have to borrow it.

As far as your friends being brilliant, you know what they say...like attracts like.

Michelle September 17, 2012 at 10:27 AM  

Pat - That's wonderful that your niece has a group like this. It's great, isn't it? I found out from my friend that the original group she was a part of was actually on Oprah for it way back in the day.

Andrea - Greatest idea ever. I can't wait until my house looks pristine because of my friends. In 20 years ;)

Tara - Ha! Tempting come February. Can we get back to you then?

Tami - I know. It works out so well. We're productive and learning and spending time together and it's just this big positive spiral of awesomeness.

Unknown Mami - Please do! I would love to see people all over the place doing this. And ahem, yes, yes, it does, doesn't it? ;)

Steph @ Problem Solvin Mom September 17, 2012 at 7:57 PM  

Love it! :)

Paula September 17, 2012 at 8:15 PM  

Sounds like such a brilliant idea!

Paula September 17, 2012 at 8:15 PM  

Sounds like such a brilliant idea!

Unknown September 20, 2012 at 12:19 PM  

Awesome friends!!! Tea tree oil is good for all sores, itches, and stinky feet on teenagers! :-)

tiarastantrums September 22, 2012 at 10:43 AM  

BEST.IDEA.EVER!

Michelle October 5, 2012 at 2:32 PM  

Steph - It's awesome. We just did week 5 today, and I'm so energized. I can't wait for everyone to come back to my house :)

Paula - It's awesome. I highly recommend finding friends and starting up your own group. I love it.

Dwana - Stinky feet, too? Now THAT is a use I'm filing away for future needs. Great tip.

Teresa - Isn't it though? The power of working together and sharing ideas to create even better ideas is so empowering. I love what we're doing.

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