Clutter

I don't know how I manage to surround myself with so much clutter. I go into other people's houses and there just isn't all the clutter and stuff there! So either all of you are very good hiders or you are managing it much better than I am. I have a gorgeous dining room table that I very rarely see because it is covered in mail, bags, notebooks, pictures, toys and who knows what else. I have piles on the floor in the dining room, currently including 2 paintings that have been taken down for Christmas and a mirror that has been in the corner of the living room, all that should have gone down to the basement but never have made it that far. The desk here is covered in clutter. Filing to be done for the last almost year, receipts to go into quicken that I'm months behind on, other stuff that is just stuff!!! Then there is all the extra furniture that is supposed to be going in the basement once it gets finished but now it is just taking up room upstairs.

So how do you all manage it??? It does get to me and I start to get crabby about it all but I just don't know how to keep ahead of it all! I start systems but no one else follows them so eventually I scrap them too. I really want an ordered house and an ordered life - at least more so than it is now - any great suggestions out there???

On a happy note - I can cross off one of my projects! I finished Andrew's sweater! When he's happier, I'll take a picture of him in it, he's prety pretty cute!