Two Weeks!

 

Dancer Climbs Mt. Boxmore!

Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments on the card daughter painted.  I told her that several of you had admired it and she says thank you.

It's been two weeks since daughter came back home.  Mt. Boxmore is still taking up the middle of the living room, but, after ignoring it all these days, I found Dancer sleeping on top of one of the boxes very early on Friday morning (he woke up and blinked at me when I turned on the light to take the picture).

Daughter started going through, decluttering and organizing her bedroom last Saturday and she finished, today.  She went through every item in her closet, went through each and every drawer, the shelves on the two bookcases, and the top of her desk.  She wanted to sort out her room before she unpacked her boxes.  She is certain that there will be more decluttering as she tries to find homes for the items she brought with her.  But, the initial pass has been completed and I am amazed at the speed in which she accomplished it.  She set a lot aside for donations and tossed a lot of items, as well.  She has motivated me to do another round of decluttering, myself.  

While she was busy cleaning out her room, I called the vet clinic and scheduled Dancer's Solensia injection, folded and put away some laundry, started a new grocery order, watched news and some online videos, and watered the back garden.  As I was nearing the end of the watering, I heard someone at the gate and looked around to see gardener friend M!  I was so surprised to see him and asked him what he was doing here because I thought he was on a two weeks break, but, apparently, he only took a week long break!  Since I had just about finished watering the back garden, he did some tidying up and watered the front garden.  

We had tuna salad sandwiches and apple slices for brunch.  For dinner, I made a sort of fried rice with leftover rice, the leftover half a hamburger patty cut up small, some frozen green peas, peanuts, a little spice blend, and soy sauce.  We had leftover hotdog stir fry with it.  There was a little fried rice leftover, as well as a little of the hotdog stir fry; it'll be enough for my brunch or a snack for daughter.  Daughter had some ice cream and I had some chocolate wafers for dessert.  Later, after dinner, I ran the dishwasher.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter being home
- M taking a shorter break than I thought
- A cooler day (highs in the low 80s)
- Water for the garden
- Working appliances

Friday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

Plans for Saturday include putting in a grocery order and picking up the groceries, picking up my medications (didn't do it on Friday), and maybe some sort of a crafts project.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Mid-Week Catch Up

 

Homegrown Asian Pears

I've been harvesting a few Asian pears from my tree, a couple at a time.  There aren't that many of them and they aren't very big, but, we are enjoying them.  

We've been having some warm temperatures and I've discovered that I am not quite as tolerant of high heat as I once was!  Once the temperature goes above 95F, I find myself going into the bedroom and turning on the a/c and I stay in the cool room for the rest of the afternoon.  The past three days, however, the highs have been only in the mid to upper 80s and I've not needed the a/c.  

Daughter started decluttering her bedroom, over the weekend, starting with her closet.  It's been years since she last went through her closet; she has clothes from when she was in high school and while she still likes them, they no longer fit her.  She has decluttered several big trash bags worth of clothes and passed along a few items to me, should I wish to keep them.  There are also a few items she has asked if I could mend or alter, so I will be working on them over the next several weeks.

In the meantime, I have been keeping myself occupied with watering the garden (M is taking his annual two weeks of summer vacation), general housework (lots of laundry as I am washing the quilts and blankets and putting them away for the summer), and taking naps!  

I did finish reading the e-book on decluttering and "space making" ("The Mindful Art of Space Making: How to Declutter When You're Overwhelmed by April Scott Tandy  that I had borrowed from the library.  I've watched the author's on-line videos and was already familiar with her method, but, it was an interesting book to read.  Now, I need to put those tips to use.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The temperature was a very comfortable 84F
- Working appliances
- New bed sheets (A set of bed sheets bought on sale a while back and never used until now)
- Phone chats with family and friends
- Having my daughter home

Today's joyful activity was enjoying a small bowl of ice cream.  

Plans for Thursday include making a couple of phone calls, booking a couple of appointments, folding and putting away laundry, and giving the garden another drink of water.  Exciting stuff!  LOL.

How is your week coming along?

Still Sorting and Trying to Organize

 

Family Room Bookcase

The family room didn't get painted and there was no emptying of the room.  In fact, it was quite the opposite as things that were emptied from the living room and dining area were put in the family room!  This was how the bookcase above looked when all the books from the living room bookcase were added:

During the Painting

In a way, it was good to know that all the books could fit in one bookcase, along with my scrapbooks, photo albums, and board games.  

Currently, I have some of my scrapbooks and all the board games on the bottom shelf and the rest of my scrapbooks and photo albums, along with books about scrapbooking on the shelf above that. 

The middle shelf has a few decorative items - two blue and white tea pots (which might go in the dining area), a green glass bird that was a gift from my aunt, and two pieces of pottery that my daughter made in school that she thinks I should get rid of, but, I'm keeping!

The two upper shelves have books, including some that didn't get put back in the living room bookcase for one reason or another.  There are a couple of books among them that I want to read and then, donate.  But, I have room for them and I am keeping them for now.

Meanwhile, in the dining area, the shelving unit there which has table linen and kitchen towels in the cabinet section:

Dining Area Shelving Unit

has had cookbooks and other items returned to it:

Dining Area Shelving Unit

However, I am now thinking that the two blue and white tea pots that are currently sitting on the middle shelf in the family room bookcase might look better on the middle shelf of this shelving unit.  There might be a little rearranging of items, later today.

It's still a work in progress, I would say.  But, this shelving unit is looking a lot better than it did before it was emptied in preparation for painting!

October Decluttering: Part 4

My decluttering goal for October was 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I fell behind almost right away, because I couldn't just pull out things, such as books, without wanting - no, needing - to at least look through them if not actually read them, again!   Then, I ran out of steam about halfway through and sadly couldn't meet my goal!  However, I made some progress and I am happy with that.

Past October decluttering posts:

Part 1 (Days 1-5)

Part 2 (Days 6 - 11)

Part 3 (Days 12 - 15)

Day 16: 1 book, 5 CDs, 2 items of clothing, 1 cookie tin, 1 spray on sunblock that a guest left behind after a pre-Covid weekend stay!

Day 16: 1 book, 5 CDs, 2 clothing items, 1 cookie tin, 1 sunblock

Day 17: Blue and White China - Currier and Ives tea cups and a broken bowl.

Day 17: 9 tea cups and 1 broken bowl

Day 18 - 1 stand fan

Day 18: 1 stand fan

Days 19 - 29:  Tossed and not photographed:

1 old litter box

1 old overhead garage door opener mechanism and sensors, etc.

1 old car security device

1 old mop head

Several leftover roofing "shingles" (not wooden shingles)

1 foil covered cardboard box that Mama Cat used to sleep in

3 bowls

Several leftover pieces of floor board trim

Multiple bags of paperwork, some shredded, the rest recycled

Several pieces of brown paper, bubble wrap, etc. that I had been keeping

Day 30: 1 dead persimmon tree (the patio umbrella couldn't save it - it got too scorched and dried up)

The Persimmon Tree Earlier this Summer

Day 31: Do the 4 vials of blood samples I gave at the clinic count?  No, I didn't think so!

- 2 jars

- another bag of paper for recycling

So, I was consistent and decluttered 10 items a day for the first 17 days of the month and then, averaged about 1 item a day for the rest of the month.  According to my calculations, I decluttered over 180 items.  Not as many items as I had initially set out to declutter, but, I am content with what I did declutter.  I focused more on visual clutter this month and I feel that I have made a dent.

I am sure I will find more to declutter, but, I will take it easy during November.   The November decluttering goal will be an item a day for a total of 30 items.  That will be more manageable, I think!

How did you do with your October decluttering?  Are you planning to declutter in November, too? 

More Progress!

 

Entertainment Center: Before

Remember this picture of the entertainment center from a couple of days ago?  This is how the entertainment looked until this evening.  

I want to declutter the video tapes and the CDs a little more, but, I decided that I have finished decluttering everything else on the shelves for now.  It was time to rehome everything that was left.

Entertainment Center: Now

I was able to find homes for just about everything except the stereo and the CD holder.  I do have a couple of options for them, though.  I could move the tea trolley/cart to where the entertainment center stands now and put the stereo and CD holder on it.  I will have to move the entertainment first, in order to do that.  Or, I could clear the top of the sideboard and place the stereo and CD holder there.  

So where did all the other stuff go?  Well, the majority of them went on the family room bookcase, which now looks just as visually cluttered as it did before!  

Bookcase: Now (Still a Work in Progress)

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get everything to look somewhat reasonable.  I took the shelves out, readjusted the shelf heights, and dusted everything before I put the things back on them.  The scrapbook albums stick out so, after putting them on a higher shelf, I moved them to the bottom most shelf, with the board games.  The next shelf up has the photo albums and a couple of books about scrapbooking that my sister gave me earlier this year.  The third shelf up has the video tapes I haven't decluttered yet.  The two top shelves have books, including some that I have pulled out to declutter (once I look through them one last time).  Some of the books might be moved to the living room bookcase, eventually.

I think I need to find another place for the albums, or, maybe cover them all in matching fabric.

It's still a work in progress, but, watch this space as they say!

October Decluttering Part 3

My decluttering goal for October is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I am quite behind with my decluttering, as you can see (I seem to be wanting to at least skim through each book that I am decluttering and listen to each CD), but, I am hopeful that I will be able to catch up by doubling up in the next few days.  

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 1 which covers Days 1-5

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 2 (Days 6 - 11)

Day 12:  9 additional cookie cutters, 1 plastic tray, and some plastic frosting/icing nozzles and tips thrown in as a bonus!  (The cookie cutters will be donated, the tray was recycled, and the tips were tossed.)

Day 12: Cookie Cutters, Tray, Icing Nozzle Tips

Day 13: 1 knitting magazine given to me by a cousin, in 1974, before I left Hong Kong to come to the USA; 6 books, 2 cookie tins (I had stored items in them but they have been emptied); 1 ceramic cookie jar (received as a gift, one Christmas, filled with biscotti).

Day 13: Books, a Magazine, and Containers

Day 14:  5 more books, 4 CDs, 1 candy tin 

Day 14: 5 books, 4 CDs, 1 Candy Tin

Day 15:  5 books, 1 booklet, and 4 CDs.  The booklet about the British Museum was picked up in 1986 when I visited London and visited the British Museum.  I also bought a book, titled The Treasures of the British Museum, on that visit, so I decided to keep the book and declutter the booklet.  

Day 15: 5 books, 1 booklet, 4 CDs

As you can see, I am making progress.  I've now cleared two shelves in the family room bookcase and have made a start on the bookcase in the living room.  

How are you coming along with your decluttering?

The Entertainment Center

 

The Entertainment Center

This is the entertainment center that is in the family room.  It is something I assembled many years ago.  It included a door for one of the lower cubbies (which now houses the games), and a horizontal shelf for the longer cubby at the bottom, but, I didn't install them.  I needed the full height of that bottom shelf where I store my scrapbooks and old photo albums.

One of the decluttering books I read recently had asked if there were out dated furniture and items in the house, such as an entertainment center, DVDs and CDs (never mind VHS tapes!) and I remember thinking, yes, yes, and yes!  LOL.  

I like my entertainment center and it provides adequate storage for me, but, since it is all open to view, it adds to the visual clutter in the room.  Besides, once we removed the pothos plant that was on the very top of the unit, we could see the water damage.

Here's a close up of the water damage at the very top and the front of the top shelf:

Close Up of the Water Damage

My daughter suggested getting rid of the entertainment center and replacing it with some sort of closed storage.  I am thinking that if I can declutter the contents of the entertainment center and the bookcases, then, there might be enough storage space in the bookcases to accommodate what might be left of the items in the entertainment center.  I might have to relocate my little stereo (radio/CD player, turntable, cassette tape player, all in one) and the CDs to another spot and a few of the decorative items might be moved around.  But, if I can clear the entertainment center, then, I can get rid of it and there will be one less piece of furniture in the room.  At least, that's the plan; how it will work out is yet to be seen.

I have begun decluttering the entertainment center, putting aside some of the videos and CDs to donate.  I have managed to clear almost two shelves in the bookcase, too, so there's room for the board games and scrapbooks there. It is definitely a work in progress.

I will post an update on the decluttering, soon.

Any thoughts on my plans for the entertainment center?

October Decluttering Part 2

My decluttering goal for October is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I am behind with my decluttering, but, I hope to get caught up and I'm telling myself that some progress is better than none!

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 1 which covers Days 1-5.

Here's what I've decluttered more recently:

Day 6:  9 books, mostly gardening books.  They have lovely photos of lush, flower filled gardens, and lots of good ideas, but, the majority of them have, at most, just one or two examples of drought tolerant gardens.  Looking at the lush gardens only makes me feel envious.  Time to let them go!  The garden secateurs broke and came apart in my hand when I was trying to cut some flowers.  I put the two halves together to take the picture; they have been tossed.  The books will be donated (I offered them to M, but, he said no thank you).

Day 6: Books and Garden Secateurs

Day 7:  6 more books, 2 items of clothing (blouses), old garage door opener remote control, 1 mop (not pictured).  I have now decluttered all my gardening books.  I am not quite sure how I feel about that!  

Day 7: Books, Clothing, Old Remote Control
(+1 mop not pictured)

Day 8: 6 books about decorating (the book on the top of the stack dates back to 1970s), 4 decorative kitchen wall hooks (a gift from my sister, many years ago; I used to hang the pot holders from them)

Day 8: 6 Books, 4 Decorative kitchen wall hooks

Day 9:  9 books from the shelves and one toy catalog that came in the mail.  I kept four books on decorating and two books on scrapbooking.

Day 9: Books and a Catalog

Days 10 & 11:  20 Holiday Cookie cutters - for St. Valentine's Day (a cupid), for Easter (lilac colored - bunnies, a chick, and a duckling), for Halloween, and for Christmas, including five Disney-themed ones.  After going through all the books and making difficult decisions whether to keep or donate, I needed to sort through something that was easy to declutter and the cookie cutters were it!  I still have half a container filled with more cookie cutters and tartlet shells.  

Days 10 & 11: 20 Cookie Cutters

I am making progress!  If you are decluttering this month, how are you doing?

Making Progress

Before

This was the second shelf of the family room bookcase.  This shelf held books about quilting/patchwork, knitting, sewing, crocheting, and "one stroke" painting.  These were the books that had been left after previous decluttering sessions.   I enjoyed looking through them even though I didn't look through them all that often.  But, I am on a mission to reduce the amount of items I possess.  So, I've been trying to declutter my books, going through each book and asking myself if I really needed to keep it.  Was I really going to make any more of those projects?  Would I be able to find ideas for similar projects online?    

Here is how the shelf looks now:

After

I might switch things around once I've finished decluttering this bookcase.  But, for now, I am happy with how this shelf looks.  

If you are decluttering, too, are you starting to see signs of progress?

October Decluttering: Part 1

My decluttering goal in October is to declutter 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  So, how is it going?  I'm a little behind, but, here's an update for the first five days.

Day 1: 10 books.

Day 1: 10 Books

Day 2:  1 catalog of quilt patterns, a miscellaneous collection of craft supplies (ribbons, feathers, lace, Easter eggs, artificial flowers, small pom poms, a crayon, and the zippered bag in which they had been stored. The majority of the items were tossed.

Day 2: One Catalog and Miscellaneous Craft Supplies

Day 3: 8 books, 1 skirt, 1 blouse.  I have now gone through all my patchwork/quilting books and decluttered all but three, which I am keeping for now.

The skirt (floral, long, lined, with tiered chiffon flounces) was something my cousins gave me when they were decluttering their mother's closet a few years ago.  I loved it, but, it was too snug and I didn't want to undo the fitted waist and zipper to alter it.  But, I kept it, hoping that one day, I'd lose some weight and it would fit.  Well, I lost a bit of weight, and, I was able to fit into the skirt last winter.  But, by this summer, I had lost a little more weight and now, the skirt is a bit loose!  The waist slips down a bit, the long skirt gets too long, and I run the risk of tripping on it!  I don't want to cut and shorten the skirt, so, I'm donating it.

Day 3: 8 Books, 1 Skirt, 1 Blouse

Day 4:  Kitchen Items - 1 copper sauté pan, 2 copper saucepans and lids, 1 metal trivet, 6 spoons/utensils.

The trivet is something I purchased for $0.25 from a thrift store when I was a student in Wisconsin because I loved that saying ("The hurrier I go the behinder I get").  But, it is time to pass it along.

The copper cookware was something I collected in the 1980s.  I never used them for cooking, just for displaying.  I still have the colander, kettle, and the big pan.  I use the kettle to hold some of my cooking utensils, the colander to hold fruit, and plan to use the big pan as a planter.

The cooking utensils were given by neighbor S, when she was sorting through her kitchen.  I accepted them thinking I will use them, but, haven't used these items and it's time to let them go.

Day 4: Kitchen Items

Day 5:  3 Books, 3 VHS tapes, 4 pairs of glass bangles from Sri Lanka.  The bangles are the last of the 10 or 12 pairs that I bought on my first trip back to Sri Lanka in 1979.  The majority of them broke over the years.  The red pair still fits, but the others are too small to fit over my hands, now.  

Day 5: Books, VHS Tapes, and Bangles

I am making progress and I am starting to see it.  It is a bit slow going and I find myself needing to take some breaks as I ask myself questions like, "Am I really going to re-read it?  Am I really going to make those projects?  Can I find directions for similar projects online?"  etc.  For the most part, I am still focusing on reducing the visual clutter, but, I look through drawers and cabinets, too, especially when I'm looking to make up the numbers!  

If you are decluttering this month, how are you doing?

Seeing Decluttering Results and October Goals

 

Family Room Bookcase 

This is the "before" picture of the family room bookcase, taken in mid September.  Five shelves with four of them filled with books and the middle shelf displaying four brass decorative items.  I didn't pull out the trolley table with the inlaid work to take a better picture of the bottom shelf because it was too much work (the trolley table has a removable lower shelf and I've stored jars of jam and chutney on that shelf).  The bookcase was sort of organized by categories of books.  The top shelf held books on religion, the second shelf held crafts books (mostly knitting, quilting, and crochet), the middle shelf held decorative brassware, the fourth shelf held more crafts books and a few other non-craft books, and the fifth, bottom most, shelf held books about gardening and decorating.  

I have a tendency to jump from place to place when decluttering, rather than going through one shelf or drawer and decluttering that before moving on.  I am not sure why I do that, except, perhaps, I find it easier.  Somehow, it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming to pull a couple of items from here and another item or two from there, knowing that, sooner or later, it will make a difference.  The downside of that is, of course, I can never say I have completely decluttered one particular area or category of items.

However, when it came to this bookcase, I had an idea of what I wanted the top shelf to look like.  

Top Shelf: Before

I asked myself which books were most important to me and which books might I realistically re-read.  Here is the end result of the decluttering of the top shelf:

Top Shelf: After

I decluttered approximately one third of the books that were on the shelf.  I might not keep this particular arrangement, but, I don't intend to add more books to this shelf.  

I have started decluttering the next shelf, but, I haven't finished it.  Here's the "before" picture:

Second Shelf: Before

I will continue to declutter this shelf, and other areas of my house, in October.  The October decluttering goal is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items for the month. 

 

Will you be joining me in an October decluttering challenge?

September Decluttering - Week 4

On to September decluttering week 4 or the final push!

Here are the links to the previous weeks of decluttering during the September decluttering challenge:

Week 1 Decluttering

Week 2 Decluttering

Week 3 Decluttering

22nd - On the 22nd, there were 10 items that I didn't photograph: 6 cardboard boxes I had been keeping because I never saw a cardboard box I didn't want to keep (flattened and used in the garden as a weed barrier), 2 empty gallon sized plastic water bottles I had kept because "you never know when you might need a gallon sized bottle" (recycled), 2 additional pill containers lurking in a drawer, kept because I made the mistake of looking up uses for empty pill containers on Pinterest (recycled) and the following 12 items I did photograph: 1 cute resin kitty with a broken Welcome sign (decided I didn't want a broken welcome sign at my front door), 1 tote bag, 2 lantern shaped candle holders (given to me by M who rescued them from another client who was going to throw them away; I used them for decorations and during a recent power cut, but, I have other candle holders), 1 camera and holder, 2 lab work books (my daughter's that she said to declutter), 2 vinyl records, 1 stack of craft idea cards, 2 CDs. The lab workbooks and craft cards will be recycled.

Day 22: The Photographed Items (12)

23rd:  2 empty yogurt containers, 3 VHS tapes, 18 books (the tattered red book on top will be recycled; the rest will be donated):

Day 23: 2 Yogurt Containers, 3 VHS Tapes, 18 Books

Day 24:  Daughter's Text books.  She had decluttered them but, I had held onto them thinking I could donate them to someone, but, no one accepts used text books, especially after several years.  I will have to dump them all in the recycling bin and that about breaks my heart.

Day 24: 24 Text Books

Day 25: 5 boxes, 10 books, 6 brass coasters, 1 VHS tape, 1 calculator, 1 decorative bathtub shaped painted wooden shelf (craft item), 1 pack of dried out markers , 

Day 25: Boxes, Books, Coasters, VHS Tape,
Calculater, Craft Item, Dried Out Markers

And that is where I stopped decluttering for September.  I sort of hit a brick wall.  I think I got decision fatigue and/or overwhelmed when the numbers got bigger.  I sort of anticipated that happening.  Which is why I gave myself permission to stop at 300 items, which would have been the equivalent of 10 items a day.  But, I went a little bit above that and I am happy about that.  At the same time, I feel a little disappointed that I didn't quite make the 465 items goal.

Week 4 decluttering = 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 = 94

Week 1 = 28

Week 2 = 77

Week 3 = 126

Week 4 - 94

Total decluttered in September = 28 + 77 + 126 + 94 = 325

So how do I feel about this decluttering challenge? It was something I felt I had to do as I felt that I had too much and the visual clutter was getting to me.  Yet, at the same time, decluttering doesn't come easily to me and it was hard to declutter my books (and CDs and VHS tapes).  I felt the need to look through each book (partly because I tend to write my name and the date of purchase on the inside of each book and I don't want my name floating around anymore than it is already with the various data breaches!)  I love looking at the pictures of various craft books and I had to tell myself that I was not going make half the items shown in the books, it was better to let someone else try making them.  I wanted to re-read all the non-fiction books and I had to curtail that to just a skim through (I did hold back a few to re-read them).  I told myself to be realistic about how likely I was to re-read some of my books.  As for the CDs and VHS tapes, I listened to each CD before I decided it could be decluttered and watched each VHS tape (yes, I still have a working VHS tape player).  

There is much more to declutter, but, as I stated above, I experienced decision fatigue and had to stop for a few day and then, I ran out of month!  I will continue to declutter, most probably at a slower pace, in October, too.  It's not quite Swedish death cleaning, but, I am mentally preparing myself for a possible downsizing sometime in the future.  When that happens, I want to be able to easily fit my belongings into a much smaller space.  

The next step is to call for a donations pick up!

Thank you to all of you who have encouraged me and cheered me on.  Thank you, too, for not being judgmental in your comments about what I had been holding onto.  I know that some of you joined me in decluttering and I hope you had a successful month of decluttering.  If anyone is interested, you are welcome to join me again, in October.  

The Weekend Update

 

Asian Pears, Persimmons, a Red Chili, and 
Dried Okra Pods (for seeds)

I have had a very quiet weekend.  I did a couple of loads of laundry, spoke with my aunt and my friend, did a little gardening, did some housework, and felt a bit out of sorts.  I've been trying to declutter, but, I am struggling with that.  But, then, I knew that I would have a difficult time towards the end of the month, when I needed to find larger numbers of items to declutter.  Honestly, it is like pulling teeth!  

In the meantime, my daughter sprained her ankle on Thursday evening, shortly after her acrobatics class - not while doing acrobatics, but, at the end of class, while stepping off a padded mat.  Fortunately, one of her friends gave her a ride home so she didn't have to call for a ride share to get home.  Her ankle is still swollen, but, she has been icing it, and she ordered a pair of crutches which were delivered to her today so she doesn't have to hop on one foot around her apartment.  I feel bad that I am not there to help her.  

I am grateful for:

- Daughter's injury is only a sprain, not anything worse
- The garden harvests
- Sunny, warm days
- M's help with the garden
- Making even some progress with the decluttering

Weekend joyful activities have included spending time in the garden and reading.

My plans for Monday include the usual Monday chores and watering the back garden.  

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for Monday?

September Decluttering Week 3

Continuing with my September Decluttering Challenge - as many items per day as the date.

Week 1's decluttering is here

Week 2's decluttering is here

15th - 2 craft books, 9 magazines, 3 hair bands, 1 CD

Day 15: 1 CD, 2 Books, 3 Hair Bands, 9 Magazines

16th - 12 magazines, 3 VHS videos, 1 seed necklace from Sri Lanka (a gift from sister)

Day 16: 12 Magazines, 3 Videos, 1 Necklace

17th - 10 magazines. 1 knit top (given by cousin), 1 multi outlet plug in (I bought it, but, it doesn't fit my outlets), 2 CDs, 3 brass bottle openers from Sri Lanka (souvenirs/gifts; there were 4 and I kept one)

Day 17: 10 Magazines, 1 Knit top, 1 Multi-outlet plug in, 2 CDs
3 Brass bottle openers from Sri Lanka

.

18th - 6 doll stands (from when I used to collect dolls), 1 ice bucket/vase; 1 ceramic cannister/jar, 2 board games, 1 cookbook, 1 perpetual desk calendar with quotes, 2 larger doll bodies (for crocheted doll cushions, still in their sealed packages, originally bought by my mother), 2 smaller doll heads and hands (for smaller crocheted dolls), 1 small doll head, 1 brass ashtray in the shape of Sri Lanka

Day 18: Doll Body Parts, Stands, and Games

19th - 9 books (Christmas Crafts/Decorations, Crafts/Cardmaking, Cookbooks), 5 Crafts magazines, 4 doll hats, 1 torn clothing item (not pictured)

Day 19 - 9 Books, 5 Magazines, 4 Doll hats, 1 Clothing item (not pictured)

20th - 3 Crafts books, 5 CDs (including 1 boxed set of 4), 6 packages of binder divider tabs, 6 crafts booklets

Day 20: 3 Crafts books, 5 CDs, 6 Sets Divider tabs, 6 Crafts booklets

21st - 1 Patchwork Designs book, 1 CD, 3 VHS tapes, 1 Brass ornament, 4 Scarves, 1 Platter, 6 Shell shaped silver plated dishes, 4 Apple shaped silver plated dishes

Day 21: 1 Book, 1 CD, 3 VHS tapes, 1 Brass ornament, 4 scarves
1 Platter, 10 Silver plated dishes

Week 3 decluttering = 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 = 126

Here are the decluttering totals to date:

Week 1 = 28

Week 2 = 77

Week 3 = 126

Total number of items decluttered so far in September = 28 + 77 +126 = 231

Decluttering doesn't come easily to me.  And it's getting more difficult to find decide which items to declutter and which items to keep.  At the beginning of the challenge, I had stated that, continuing to declutter all month would give me 465 items decluttered, but, I have given myself permission to stop at 300 or to continue until I reach 500.  

I am now approaching the last week plus of decluttering for this month.  Will I manage to declutter 465 items?  Will I stop at 300? Will I keep going until I reach 500?  What do you think?

If you are decluttering, how are you doing so far?

Slow Days

The Bottlebrush Tree

The bottlebrush tree in the back garden has leafed out very nicely after we pruned it back in early March. 

Here's how it looked after it was pruned:

How it looked in early March after the pruning

M wasn't sure if it would ever recover from the pruning, but, I was confident it would be just fine and it is!

I've been having a few slow days so far, this week.  It's been fairly cool with the afternoon highs being in the low 70s.  It's like we went from the height of summer to fall, overnight!  

I baked a cake on Monday because it was finally cool enough to turn on the oven, again.  It was just a yellow cake from a boxed mix, but, I added a little freshly grated nutmeg and some almond essence to the batter.

On Tuesday, I took a piece of the cake to friend R when I dropped off the packages that had been delivered to my address.

On Wednesday, M tended to the garden and he enjoyed a piece of the cake I had baked on Monday, along with a persimmon I had picked from the tree.  I also chatted on the phone with former neighbor T and friend R.

On Thursday, I dusted the family room and sorted through the cabinet where I keep the table cloths and napkins, etc.  

I have been sorting through drawers and cupboards this week, as I look for things to declutter.  Decluttering is not easy for me and most of the time, I end up putting things back in place.  But, I'm making progress.

This week, I am grateful for:

- The cooler weather
- M's help with the garden
- Being able to help friend R with her packages
- Phone calls, emails, and texts from family and friends
- Library books

Joyful activities have included visiting friend R (brief, curb-side visit), tending to the garden with M, and baking a cake.

How is your week coming along?

 

September Decluttering - Week 2

My September Decluttering Challenge is to declutter as many items a day as the date.  I should have 465 items decluttered by the end of the month.  However, I am giving myself permission to stop at 300 items decluttered or carry it until I have a total of 500 items.  We shall see how it goes!  But, to keep myself accountable, I am taking pictures of what I've decluttered each week.

Here's the link to September Decluttering Week 1

Onto Week 2 of decluttering:

8th - 1 cook book - all the kinds of pies one would ever want to make, but, I don't make that many pies, anymore and when I do make one, I have another cookbook with some pie recipes or can look online; 7 CDs

Day 8: 1 Cookbook, 7 CDs

9th - boxed set of 9 books - The Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder - much read and practically falling apart, as you can see!  The 9th book no longer fits into the box!  I am finally ready to part with them!

Day 9: Boxed Set of 9 Books

10th - 7 expired medications, 3 empty pill containers (didn't take a picture)

11th - 6 expired medications & supplements; 5 plastic forks (didn't take a picture)

12th - 1 metal tray, 2 calendars, 1 cookbook, 1 blue rose, 1 floral pen, 1 empty pen box, 3 heavy duty binder clips, 1 dried out/non-sticky packing tape and dispenser, 1 yellow flowered hair clip, 

Day 12: 12 Miscellaneous Items

13th - 6 brass napkin rings, 4 cooking utensils, 1 empty pill container, 1 box, 1 item of clothing (last 3 items not pictured)

Day 13 - 6 Brass Napkin Rings, 4 Utensils (plus 3 other items)

14th - 11 magazines (daughter gave me a magazine subscription as a birthday gift in 2019 and they were such a delight during the initial Covid lockdown period when I couldn't go to the library), 3 craft books

Day 14: 11 Magazines and 3 Craft Books

8+9+10+11+12+13+14 = 77 items decluttered this week.

Week 1 = 28

Week 2 = 77

Total decluttered so far in September = 28 + 77 = 105

The second week of decluttering wasn't too hard.  I am starting to see a bit of a difference.  It's going to get more difficult as I get to the bigger numbers from now on, but, I am making progress.  

Those of you who have joined me in decluttering this month, how are you coming along?