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!

Mid Week On Wednesday

Treats from Neighbor S
(Carrot Cake, Pistachio Brittle, Apples)

On Wednesday, M was here in the morning to tend to the garden and he brought me a daylily plant from his garden.  In addition to watering the garden and weeding, he also picked some of the peaches from the higher branches of the tree for me, climbing up on a ladder to do so.

Some of the peaches had been pecked at by birds and damaged, and we composted them.  Others had some soft spots and bruising,, but, I knew I could use them.  I kept the good peaches aside and concentrated on the rest, cutting off the soft and bruised areas.  There was just over one pound of cut peaches and I decided to make a small batch of jam,  I made just under a pint of jam, filling one half pint jar and about 4/5ths of the second half pint jar.  They will be kept for my own use.  

Then, I offered some fresh peaches to neighbor S and she brought me some carrot cake a friend of hers had made, a pistachio brittle, and some fresh apples from another friend's garden!  

Under the Bathroom Sink Cabinet on Tuesday

First of all, thank you for all the positive comments about the under-the-bathroom-sink cabinet.  I appreciate the fact that no one said anything about how messy it looked in the before picture!  But, one or two expressed some concern about storing the light bulbs under the sink where they could be damaged if there was a leak.  I must admit that I never considered that possibility!  So, today, I pulled the box of light bulbs out and replaced it with some containers of sanitizing wipes and the bottles of flea spray:

Same Cabinet on Wednesday

The containers are plastic and they should be fine if there is a leak (although, I hope there won't be a leak in the first place!)

Then, I moved onto the plastic shelving unit that is next to the bathroom sink:

Additional Bathroom Storage

I relined the shelves with the same wrapping paper I used to cover the cardboard box and rearranged a few things.  The two boxes on the bottom shelf are cardboard boxes I had covered with fabric, a couple of years ago.  One holds all the light bulbs and the other holds my stash of disinfectant sprays.

The next shelf up has the box I covered with wrapping paper, yesterday, with some bath products that I had stored in another container, previously.  Next to it is a plastic heart shaped basket holding the stash of lint rollers (I stocked up on them when the store was having a sale on them).  

The shelf above it has a plastic shoe box with Dancer's supplies - his brush and flea comb, his monthly flea prevention medications, spare charcoal filters for his litter box, etc.  On top of it, I have kept his thyroid medications and the bottle of the sedative I give him prior to vet appointments.  Next to Dancer's stuff, there is a small blue and white jar holding some laundry detergent (used when I handwash some items like my wool sweaters), a dish holding a bar of pink laundry soap, and a small dish with a coconut oil/sugar scrub I mixed up.  

The top shelf has a fist aid kit and some extra bandages, the disinfectant spray and sanitizing wipes, and a small box holding the trash bin liners.  I thought that I should cover that box with some wrapping paper to make it look a little prettier, but, obviously, didn't get around to doing it, today.

The very top of the shelving unit has some spare rolls of toilet paper, but, I didn't include that in the picture.  

The bathroom organizing is done; all that is left is the usual weekly bathroom cleaning that I do on Fridays.  

In between sorting and organizing in the bathroom, I had a long chat with Aunt C and cleaned the floor in my daughter's room because Dancer threw up in there, on the recently washed crocheted rug, which needed to be washed, again, and chatted with my daughter.  

Brunch was leftover spaghetti and a fresh peach; dinner was a cold cuts sandwich; snacks included a piece of carrot cake.  

On Wednesday, I am grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Fresh peaches from the tree
- Treats from neighbor S
- Being able to share some peaches with neighbor S
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activities included gardening, picking peaches, and sharing some peaches with neighbor S.

Plans for tomorrow (Thursday) include sorting out the kitchen cabinet, which I didn't do today.  

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?  Where do you store your spare rolls of toilet paper?

A New Week

A Trio of Red Roses

Here we are, starting a new week in June, with spring coming to an end and summer just about to start.  I am trying to maintain my momentum from last week, when it comes to housework.

This week's focus is the bathroom.  So, on Monday, I decided to clean and tidy the cabinet over the bathroom sink and the cabinet under the sink.  I wiped down the lights that are over the medicine cabinet and dusted the top of the cabinet, then, cleaned the mirrors.  The medicine cabinet shelves were fine as I had sorted through them, earlier.  

The cabinet under the sink has two drawers which are fine, too - the top one holds my hair dryer, a hair curling wand, and a bag of cotton balls (one of my last purchases from the dollar store before it closed), the lower drawer holds several containers of wet wipes, which are part of my earthquake supplies (to be used if access to clean fresh water is limited).  The main part of the cabinet is one open space, which hides the sink drain pipe, etc.  I use this to store some cleaning supplies and my stash of spare light bulbs.

Before

I had kept the light bulbs in a small plastic shoebox type container, but, as you can see, the supply of bulbs didn't fit inside the container!  I know that there are some lovely bathroom cabinet storage units, but, I didn't want to buy anything.  

Instead, I took a clean cardboard box and covered it with some gift wrap that I had on hand, and put all the light bulbs in it:

After

It will be easy enough to pull the box out when I want to choose a new bulb.  I left the cleaning supplies in the plastic basket, as everything is nicely contained in there.  

On Monday, in addition to cleaning and sorting through the bathroom cabinet, I cleaned the refrigerator, took the trash cans to the curb, did a load of dishes, and watered the garden.  I also picked more blueberries.

On Tuesday, I brought in the emptied trash cans, looked through the weekly grocery ads, picked more blueberries, did a load of laundry, finished joining all the crocheted granny squares and started on the border, and sorted through one kitchen cabinet where I keep some pantry items such as pasta, boxes of cereal, containers of sugar, etc.  As I told my daughter, I am not allowed to buy any more pasta for at least the rest of the year!  

That cabinet is a floor-to-ceiling cabinet and I sorted through the two shelves of the upper part of that cabinet.  My plan is to sort through the lower part of the cabinet, over the next couple of days.

Tuesday's brunch was French toast; dinner was spaghetti; snacks included peaches and dried palmyra palm sprouts, known as kotta kilengu.  

As we start a new week in June, I am grateful foo:

- Sunny, warm weather
- Water for the garden
- Garden fruits
- A well stocked pantry
- What I was able to accomplish

My joyful activities have included picking garden fruit and crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M, picking more blueberries, sorting through another kitchen cabinet, and crocheting.

How is your week coming along?  What are your plans for Wednesday?

Thursday

Rose Bud (Picture taken earlier)

I woke up feeling cold, this morning, and thought I shouldn't be feeling so cold when it was a sunny day with the forecast saying the high will be 80F.  It did, eventually, warm up to 80F in the afternoon, but, the house registered at 65F/18 C when I woke up!  No wonder I felt cold!  I went outside to sit in the sunshine to say my morning prayers, but, mosquitos started to bite me, so I had to come inside, again!

I finished sorting through my closet, today, tidying up the items I store on the floor of the closet.  One side of the closet has three suitcases storing various items including Christmas blankets and table cloths that I don't want to store in the garage, some of my special occasion saris, and some of my daughter's baby clothes that I saved (almost all of them are handmade items).  I didn't pull them out to sort through them, this time.  Instead, I focused on the items I store on the  floor on other side - I pulled everything out, swept the floor, sorted through the stuff, and put everything back, but, in a tidier manner.  

I wore one of the blouses my cousin had given me.  It has long sleeves (which I like), a mock turtle neck (I like that, too) and the fabric is a fairly thick double knit, which is nice and warm (again, something I like).  However, the print is a black and white cheetah print and there is a black and white fringe down the sides of the sleeves which reminds me a bit of a zebra's mane!  LOL.  It's not something I might have bought for myself (I'm not really into animal prints) but, I do like the cut and the warmth of the blouse.  I guess I'll keep it for now; it's something I could wear under my black sweater or with a cardigan, in the winter.

Later, I sorted through the "tupperware" type food storage containers I keep in the kitchen.  I store the majority of them in a plastic basket I keep on one of the cabinet shelves.  I matched the lids to them, but, I store them nested, with the lids tucked on a side of the basket.  When I need a container, I just pull the basket out, take the container I need, and put everything back in the cabinet.  I didn't declutter any of the containers even though I have an abundance of them, because I will need them to send food back with my daughter after she comes down for the holidays and she can just recycle them at her end.  That was another of those tasks I had been intending to do but hadn't got around to doing.

Plans for tomorrow include tidying the kitchen counters.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The sunny day and the warm afternoon
- Warm clothes for when I'm feeling cold
- Getting the closet organized
- Emails from friends
- Being able to video chat with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was spending some time in the garden, mosquitoes not withstanding!

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

Starting February

Camellia

M brought me a camellia flower from his garden, today!  The above photo is my attempt at taking a close up!  I could almost hear my phone saying, "What on earth is she trying to do now?"  LOL.  

Monday was a rainy day, but, Tuesday was sunny.  I brought the trash cans in, cleaned the shelves on the fridge door and organized them a bit, and started on the freezer.

What I have is a side-by-side fridge/freezer and that is the only freezer I have. The last time I organized the freezer and took a proper freezer inventory was in July 2022.  Since then, I've taken things out and put things in and tried to keep a record, but, I was not very consistent.  So, yesterday, I took everything out, shelf by shelf, wiped down the shelves and put things back, trying to keep things organized.  I've seen some freezers with pull out drawers, but, what I have are shelves that don't pull out and one bin at the bottom which does pull out!  

I have it organized so that I have mostly dairy items (frozen milk, butter, a small container of ice cream) and some nuts on the top shelf; mostly cooked items (including two packets of chicken curry and several small packets of moringa curry) and some fruits (the last packet of frozen peaches and a bag of quartered lemons) on the second shelf; vegetables on the third shelf (I have a shoe box sized plastic storage container to hold the packets of frozen corn and peas, etc., in one place so they are easy to find); several packets of grated coconut and at least 8 bags of grated and chopped zucchini still left from the summer of zucchini on the fourth shelf (time to make another batch of chutney, I think!); some meat (small packets of ham and a few packets of turkey meat, plus a ham bone for soup) on the fifth shelf.  The bin at the bottom also contains meat - 3 packages of sausages,  a bag of chicken wings, half a packet of hamburger patties, some turkey bones for soup, a small package of bacon (4 slices); and half a package of hot dogs!    

I also cleaned out the shelves on the freezer door although they were already fairly well organized.  I actually have one empty door shelf!  

Now, I have a better idea of what I have and what I don't have in the freezer and what items I might want to buy when they go on sale (chicken and ground meat or ground turkey).  I am also thinking of eating mostly from the freezer in February.  With that in mind, I made a turkey and vegetables soup for dinner, using some of the turkey bones and freezer vegetables (with leftovers for later).  

I feel I ended January on a good note because doing a freezer inventory was on my to do list for at least a couple of weeks!

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:
- What I was able to accomplish in terms of cleaning the fridge and organizing the freezer
- The blessing of a well stocked freezer
- Working appliances
- Electricity and natural gas to run the appliances
- A sunny day

Tuesday's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

The Peach Tree on February 1

Which brings us to today - Wednesday, February 1.  My maternal grandmother's birthday.  Also, the birthdays of two of my cousins!  It was a sunny day, today, and I took a couple of photos of the peach tree.  The bees have discovered the flowers!

Bees in the Peach Flowers

As is my custom on the first of the month, I made milkrice and seeni sambol for brunch.  I was careful not to make too much milkrice because I didn't want to have a lot of leftovers, but, then, when M arrived to tend to the garden, he detected the smell of the seeni sambol that I had just finished making and asked me if I was cooking something, so, of course, I offered him some milkrice and seeni sambol, which he enjoyed.  The interesting thing is, even though I cooked less and had plenty of milkrice and seeni sambol for my brunch and served a bowlful to M, there is still plenty leftover for my brunch for tomorrow!  Maybe I didn't cook that much less, after all!  LOL.

I spent a fairly relaxed day, today.  I cooked the milkrice and seeni sambol in the morning, did a bit of weeding, walked in the driveway for 15 minutes (had the timer on), did a little walking meditation as well (walking with awareness of each step being taken), did the dishes, peeled and ate some of the homegrown pomegranates I had stored in the fridge (the peels had hardened and I had to soak them to soften them enough to cut them, but, the seeds inside were still fresh and juicy), watched the news, and spoke with my daughter.  She flew out to Hawaii, today, for her friend's wedding (daughter is a bridesmaid, again).  The flight was very turbulent, she said, but, she arrived there safely.  It's her first visit to Hawaii and she'll be there for a week.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe flight, even if it was turbulent
- M's help with the garden and being able to share
- Bees to pollinate the peach flowers
- Traditions and customs 
- Memories of my grandmother

Today's joyful activity was speaking with my daughter after she reached Hawaii.

Plans for tomorrow include tidying up the kitchen, a bit.

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

The Weekend

Indian Treats: Jalebi, Samosas and Sauces, and Mango Lassi

We have had a lovely, sunny weekend, with day time highs in the mid 60s (F).

On Saturday, daughter went on a hike with two of her friends (my late friend A's daughters).  On the way back from the hike, they had stopped at an Indian restaurant to pick up some items to go.  Daughter bought some samosas with the dipping sauces that come with it, a cup of mango lassi, and a container of jalebi (a type of sweet) because she knows I love it.  We shared the samosas and the mango lassi; the jalebi is all mine because my daughter finds it to be too sweet! 

I was in the garden, taking some photos on Saturday afternoon, after daughter had left to go on her hike, when the phone rang.  It was neighbor T's daughter calling from next door!  She and T were at the house to pick up a few things and would I like to come over to say hi to T; they'd love to see me!  Of course I said yes!  I put on my mask, took a few mandarins from the fridge and put them into a blue and white china bowl that I had set aside to give away, and went over to visit.  T was seated at the dining table and it was lovely to see her again.  She looked quite well but her daughter explained that they had decided that T will live at the assisted living center for the foreseeable future as she was unable to live on her own without assistance.  They had stopped by the house to pick up a few more items to take back to T's room at the assisted living center.

They are not sure yet what they will do with the house, whether to rent it or sell it.  They are also not sure what they will do with the contents of the house - T has lived there for nearly 50 years and while she probably has fewer items than I do, there's still nearly 50 years worth of belongings to sort through.  Her daughter said they will probably store the contents of the house in a storage unit while they decide what to do.  She said T will not have enough space in her room at the Center for everything (and probably will have no need for things like china, etc.) and there's no room in her own apartment for anything.  She also doubted if her brother, who lives in a different state, will want much, either.  

They did, however, admire the blue and white bowl I put the mandarins in and asked me if I wanted the bowl back.  I said I didn't want to add to their possessions they were having to dispose of, but, I really didn't want it back; they were welcome to keep it or pass it along.  They remarked on the fact that the bowl matched the vase I had given T with some flowers, earlier, and I explained how I used to collect blue and white china and how I was now trying to declutter some of my stuff, myself.  T's daughter said they would love to keep the bowl, that they could always find a use for a bowl, but, if they ever have a yard sale to dispose of some of T's household items, I was welcome to bring some of my items and participate!  I thanked her.  My cousin P (who used to live across the street from me, who has since moved to Florida) and I used to hold joint yard sales many years ago; we never made much money, but, we had fun!  

I didn't stay long, visiting T and her daughter, but, I promised to visit T at the assisted living center, one day.  I felt a little sad to think that T will no longer be able to live in her own home.  I hope if they rent or sell the house, whoever moves in will be good neighbors!

Afterwards, I finished sorting out the shelving unit in the dining area.   I had posted about these shelves earlier, too, back in February 2020.  Gradually, these shelves became easily accessible space to store items and this is how it looked earlier in the week:

Before

The decorative items got pushed aside, food items took up shelf space at the top; the lower cabinet continued to be used to store table linen, kitchen towels, place mats, hot pads, etc.

After

I found room for most of the food items in the pantry cabinets.  But the middle shelf still has jars of peach jam/sauce and a big Tupperware container holding a 5 lb. bag of lentils! I will have to reorganize several kitchen cabinets to find room for them. The other two containers stacked on top of the Tupperware container will go back with my daughter.  I sorted through the table linen and kitchen towels, etc., too, but, didn't declutter anything.

Daughter and I spent a relaxed evening.  Daughter and I had leftover hamburgers for brunch; I didn't cook the meal I had planned to make for dinner and we had samosas and leftovers, instead.

On Sunday, I changed the dust sheets on the family room sofas and did a load of laundry.  Much later in the evening, I ran the dishwasher.  I had a ham sandwich for breakfast and later, daughter and I had some soup for a late lunch.  Dinner was leftovers, again - rice, keema curry, cucumber salad, and peach chutney.  It was a low energy day for me so I took it easy.  The oncologist's office called to confirm the appointment for later in the week (it's an automated call and you press numbers to confirm you are able to keep the appointment or not).

This weekend, I was grateful for:

- Daughter was able to enjoy a hike with friends
- Indian treats to share
- An unexpected visit with neighbor T and her daughter
- Working appliances
- Phone calls and emails from friends

This weekend's joyful activities included visiting with neighbor T and her daughter.

Monday's To Do List:
- Dust the living room and dining room
- Change the bed sheets
- Load of laundry
- Clean the fridge
- Take the trash cans to the end of the driveway
- Maybe water the front garden?

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

 

A Good Start to the Week

My Daughter's Painting: Apple Blossoms

My daughter decided to take an on-line painting class, today (Tuesday), after work, as a fun activity.  

Daughter received an email from someone she supervises, this morning, saying that she  had been exposed to Covid at the office on Thursday (I suppose she received a notification from the office contact tracing people) and had woken up this morning feeling ill.  She had said she was going to get herself tested, today.  Their cubicles are diagonally across from each other's and they had both been in the office on Thursday!  Fortunately, my daughter keeps her mask on in the office, all day.  Daughter said she is feeling fine, but, she will be testing herself tomorrow morning, as required, prior to going into the office.  I am, of course, hoping that daughter will be fine and her rest will be negative.

I have had a couple of productive days, so far.

Yesterday (Monday), I did my usual Monday weekly cleaning tasks and dusted the living room and dining area, did a load of laundry, emptied all the waste baskets in the various rooms, cleaned the litter box, cleaned the fridge, and took the big trash bins to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning.  Then, I continued with my pantry inventory and reorganized some of the kitchen cabinet shelves that act as my pantry shelves.  

Cousin P called while I was in the middle of doing my pantry inventory and we chatted for a good hour or so.  Then, I made myself a cup of tea and turned on the news to catch up on what was going on in Sri Lanka.  I checked with the daughter of one of my cousins in Sri Lanka and she hastened to assure me that they were all OK.  Later I spoke with friend R and she said she had been in contact with her daughters and they were OK, too, but, of course, she was concerned about them.  

I made a pot of soup, yesterday, with a ham bone that I had kept in the freezer for the purpose and dried green split peas that I had put to soak in the morning.  I added carrots, tomatoes, broccoli stems, onions, garlic, etc., to the soup and let it simmer for several hours while I did other stuff.  But, I finished some leftovers for my dinner, yesterday, and kept the soup for today.

Today (Tuesday), I brought the trash cans in after they had been emptied by the City's solid waste collection trucks, watered the front garden, and picked fresh flowers for the altars and mantelpiece.

Then, I finished the pantry inventory, going through and organizing the last shelf where I keep pantry items.  Some people have a pantry room or a dedicated pantry cabinet.  I don't.  I keep various pantry items in various places, some in the kitchen, some in the spare bedroom, some in this kitchen cabinet and some in that cabinet, etc.  So, my pantry inventory not only lists the items, quantities, and expiration dates of some of the items (although I am of the opinion that most canned items are good for several years after their best by/expiration dates), they are also listed by where I store them!  My old lists were all hand written lists; this time, I typed them into the computer, to make it easier to update and maintain.  That took a little extra time.  But, it is all done, now, and I added one or two items to the running list of items needed that I keep posted on the fridge door to order.  

After that, I took a look at this week's grocery ads, online.  I usually receive the paper ads with the mail on a Tuesday, but, didn't receive them, today.  Well, I was very unimpressed by this week's grocery offers.  I am very glad that I did a grocery order, last week, instead. 

After tea, and a phone chat with my daughter, I dealt with the stack of papers I had wanted to sort through.  It took me almost one hour to do that, but, everything has now been filed.  That is not the end of the paperwork (there's another stack on my desk), but, this particular stack has been dealt with.  Of the original "brain dump" list of 10 items I posted on Saturday, I have now checked off 8 items, started on the 9th item (the second baby blanket) and have only one item left to do (sew on new borders to a quilt).  I am very pleased with what I have been able to accomplish since Saturday.

I changed my mind about having a salad for brunch and had a slice of toast, instead, half of it with a slice of cheese, and the other half with ginger marmalade!  Dinner was a bowl of the ham and split pea soup and I made a batch of American-style drop biscuits to go with it, adding some fresh rosemary leaves to the dough to flavor them:

Rosemary Drop Biscuits

They were very tasty, if I say so myself!  And rather addictive!

Soup and Biscuits

There is more soup and biscuits left for several meals, this week.  I might change my meal plan, again!  LOL.

Today, I am grateful for:
- My daughter is feeling well
- My family in Sri Lanka seem to be safe and OK
- What I have been able to accomplish these past couple of days
- Water for the garden
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was opening this box which was delivered today:

Surprise Box

To find it filled with these little foam pieces:

Hope they're recyclable!

And hidden under all those foam pieces were:

Bowls!

The rest of my Mothers' Day gift from my daughter!  Two cereal bowls in the Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" pattern to match my tea cups!  Of course, I love them!  But, I scolded her for spending so much money!    She said she set a budget for my gifts and the lotion and the bowls did not exceed that budget!  LOL.  The apple does not fall too far from the tree!  She said I was to use them for everyday use.  I washed them and put them in the cabinet to take out as needed. 

Wednesday's To Do List:

- Tend to the garden with M
- Start on the quilt borders
- Dust my bedroom

May decluttering so far have included:

4 items of clothing
2 note books
5 brochures/catalogs/magazines

How was your Tuesday?  How is your Wednesday coming along?

March Room of the Month - The Garage

First of all, thank you, everyone, for your very kind comments about my March decluttering.  You were all very encouraging and congratulatory, maybe a bit incredulous (a possum skeleton?), but, not judgmental.  I appreciate that very much.  I don't consider myself to be a hoarder but, I readily admit to being a keeper-of-stuff!

Cleaning the garage had been on my To Do List for a very long time.  Years, in fact.  Well before it got to the stage it was in at the beginning of this month.  But, I postponed doing it because it was a big task and, every time I set out to do some cleaning, I felt overwhelmed by it.  It was too full of things that I wasn't quite sure I wanted to get rid of.  It was too messy, too dirty, too difficult, I didn't have the time, there were other things I should be doing inside the house or in the garden, too hot, too cold.  I am not making excuses; I am just describing how I felt. 

In the meantime, additional things got put in the garage.  When there was no room on the shelves, the items were set on the floor.  Then, one of the shelves tilted forward (a screw had come loose and fallen off) and after one of the small earthquakes we have from time to time, the stuff sitting on the tilting shelf fell down.  I probably left it where it fell until I could fix the shelf, except, I didn't fix the shelf.  So, the stuff sat on the floor and additional stuff were dumped on top of that stuff.  In addition, there was a small hole in the side door through which the garden cats and possums got in from time to time.  They usually found their way out, too, but, at least one possum didn't!  But, the cats would sometimes run around and jump on things and they knocked things down which didn't always get picked up.  I eventually got someone to replace the door so the animals couldn't get in - that was in November 2019.  Unfortunately, that door is already warped from the rain!  Obviously, the door was not meant for an outside door!  

Mary-Lou posted about "silent to dos" and "tolerances" and, as I mentioned in my comment to her, I have very high levels of tolerances when it comes to mess and clutter.  There is a reason why my online name is Bless My Mess!  

Finally, when Eileen asked me if there were any projects I could do outside (I had been trying to explain why I was letting some house projects were going undone because I didn't want workers in the house during the pandemic unless absolutely necessary, such as when the furnace needed to be replaced) and I successfully cleaned out the garden shed in February, I decided that I will clean the garage in March.  It was going to be my March Room of the Month.  I started out spending 15 minutes a day, just removing one or two items to declutter.  Deciding what to declutter and what to keep took most of that time!  Oh, the dialogs I held with myself over keeping and tossing! I posted some pictures after I had got started, here.  

Right Wall - Then

Right Wall - Now

Not much of a difference at first glance, but, the shelving units and the cabinet top have been scrubbed clean and all the large cooking pots (yes, they are used, especially when having large gatherings, jam and chutney making, etc.) and one or two baking pans have been moved to these two shelving units - easy to access from the side door.  I have not gone through the kitchen cabinet unit, yet, or the totes in the corner (Christmas decorations and some old files).

This is the left wall, my "wall of shame" which I didn't show in the earlier post because I felt too ashamed to show it; I am taking a deep breath and posting it now:

Left Wall - Before (March 12, 2022)

I spent half the month just steeling myself to deal with this mess.  The other half of the month was spent working on it! I really, really wished I had some help with this part of the cleaning (it would have been accomplished much faster with some help, too), but, I managed to do it, a little at a time.  These are the pictures I took while the cleaning was in progress:

March 14, 2022 - The lilac vinyl table cover 
is covering the window air conditioner

March 21, 2022

March 22, 2022 
Some of the donations ready to go

March 25, 2022

March 26, 2022: Tilting wall shelf
to the right of the yellow basket
removed

March 26, 2022: Focus on the empty
lower shelves

And at the end of the month:

March 30, 2022

I asked M to put the box with the Christmas tree on top of the metal shelving unit.  It had been stored on the floor between the Christmas totes and the old kitchen cabinet on the opposite wall.  I realize it makes the top of the shelving units look very crowded, but, I am trying to get things off the floor, to make it easier to clean the floor and to minimize the opportunity for critters to get inside the boxes! 

March 30, 2022: Empty Shelves!

I might take these shelves down, too, eventually, but, I'm keeping these up for now.  

I haven't finished decluttering the garage, yet, but, I have brushed cobwebs down from the walls, washed the windows, washed each and every shelf and cleared quite a bit of the clutter.  I am now in the process of cleaning out the files and the newly ordered paper shredder should help with that!  

Still to do:

- Go through boxes of files and papers
- Go through the old kitchen cabinet and decide what to do with all the craft supplies stored in there
- Decide if I want to continue to keep the kitchen cabinet
- Find a better place for the stack of resin chairs (we use them in the garden in the summer)
- Go through the stack of plastic drawers
- Go through the Christmas items (might wait until closer to Christmas to do that!)

I am debating whether to continue with the garage as my room of the month in April, too.  It is, most definitely, a work in progress!

A Space for Everything - The Big Reveal!

New Sideboard!

Today, I cleaned the corner of the family room a little more, washing the walls and the baseboard, again.  Then, daughter pushed the sideboard into place!  

Plenty of Covered Storage Space!

The two cupboards on either side have three shelves, the upper two are adjustable.  The top drawer is shallower than the other two.

Then, daughter sorted through everything that I had stored on top of the old computer desk and the plastic shelving unit that used to be on the side of the computer desk.  She went through all the computer accessories and decided what could be discarded - old computer mouse attachments (computer mice?), keyboard, monitor, and speakers (set aside for donating).  I dusted the items while she sorted, organized, and consolidated things for me!  Then, she arranged everything: 

Left Cupboard

Right Cupboard

The cupboard on the left (when standing in front of the sideboard, facing it) has computer cords and program CDs in a pink basket on the bottom shelf.  The cardboard box on the middle shelf holds some empty canning jars (I might cover the box with fabric or contact paper, later).  The top shelf holds my tool kit (screwdrivers, hammer, etc.) in the clear plastic shoe box in front and extra nails, screws, and other pieces of hardware in another container, behind it.  Much of this stuff was stored on the plastic shelving unit.  

Speaking of screwdrivers, remember the cordless screwdriver with the rechargeable battery that had run out of charge and I didn't think I had the battery charger?  We found the battery charger, today, when daughter was sorting through a basket of tools and supplies!  I had forgotten I even had it, never mind where I had put it!  Of course we found it after she put the sideboard together without the cordless screwdriver!  It is now stored together with the screwdriver!  

The cupboard on the left stores the old, non-working laptops on the bottom shelf, being stored until we are able to go to the computer store to have them delete whatever files stored on them before being recycled.   These laptops were stored on a shelf on the computer desk.  The middle shelf is actually empty!  Imagine that!  The top shelf has a basket with my gardening supplies - seed packets, gloves, and a new hand spade!  As well as a can of WD40 lubricant, which could probably go to the garage!  

The drawers in the middle contain all my gift wrap supplies that used to be stored in a battered old wicker chest!  The bottom drawer has Christmas gift wrapping supplies, the middle drawer has birthday and all occasion gift wrapping supplies, and the top drawer has tissue papers, bubble wrap, etc.  Two plastic shoe boxes filled with ribbons, Christmas cards, etc., that were stored on a different shelf unit in the family room, also fitted into the drawers.  I put in a small box with a pair of scissors and tape in the top drawer, as well.  The sideboard makes a good gift wrapping station!

The only items being stored on the top of the sideboard are the computer modem and the white cookie jar which stores bird seeds.  Of course, I am not sure just how long that top will remain so clear!  I am already tempted to place a set of candle holders or perhaps a small plant on it!

As a result of getting this new piece of storage furniture, I was able to declutter the computer desk and the plastic shelving unit (might move that to the garage or the shed to store plant pots, etc.; if not, it will be taken apart and either donated or recycled).

That just leaves the old wicker chest that is falling apart:

Old Wicker Chest

This chest was purchased several years ago, when the old coffee table in the family room broke and I needed something to function as a coffee table for the prayer gathering that was being held later that evening!  Friend R and I ran to a discount store that sold furniture, but, they didn't have a coffee table for a reasonable price!  I purchased this chest in lieu of a coffee table and later, used it to store my gift wrap and gifts as I purchased them ahead of time when there were sales, etc.  Dancer Kitty liked to sleep on the top and over the years, the wicker began to break (I made a half-hearted attempt to repair it with some raffia, at one point!)  Daughter thinks I should dispose of it.  But, I decided to store the big bags of cat food in there, for now.  At least until the bottom collapses! 

Daughter said that assembling and setting up the sideboard, sorting through the stuff and organizing everything was her gift of service to me - it's a gift I appreciate very much!  Such a blessing to have her do these things for me!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter's gift of service to me
- The new sideboard 
- The new storage space!
- Having everything nicely organized
- Finding the charger for the cordless screwdriver!

Today's joyful activity was getting the new sideboard set up and organized by my daughter!

Sunday

Stripey Hugs the Curry Leaf Tree

Stripey Cat (also known as Will, as in "Where there is a Will there is a way" for his determined efforts to sleep in the planter with the chard plants and get into the okra bed) decided to hug the curry leaf tree, the other day.  I think there might have been a mockingbird on a higher branch that he was watching, but, he showed no signs of wanting to climb up the tree!  Instead, he clung to the tree for several minutes and then, jumped down.  He and the mockingbird have a little routine - the moment he comes into view, the mockingbird will dive bomb him and Stripey will give chase to the mockingbird.  When the mockingbird flies out of reach, Stripey will wander off and the mockingbird will dive bomb and it starts all over again!  Today, I watched him as he walked up and down the length of the garden wall, trying to figure out how to get down from it, until finally, he found the place where the asparagus fern is growing and jumped down, knowing the plant would cushion his fall!  His antics make me laugh!  Daughter says I am easily amused!  

I felt a little stiff and sore this morning when I woke up, so I took it easy and relaxed.  A cup of tea and morning prayers, then, leftover pancakes and a slice of ham for breakfast.  A phone chat with cousin P and neighbor T, both of whom told me to stop chasing rabbits!  LOL.

In the afternoon, I took out a tray of 4 chicken half breasts to thaw to cook for the upcoming week.  Then, I decided to do an inventory of the meat that I had left in the freezer, because that was the last tray of chicken that I had!  There is one single half breast (not a tray) and that is it for chicken!  Time to stock up on some chicken!  

I then decided to inventory the rest of the pantry which led to organizing some kitchen cabinets and sorting through the food storage containers!  Three lids without matching containers were discarded in the process, although, the last time I tossed what I thought was a container-less lid, I found out that my daughter had the container with her in Berkeley!  Of course, when she brought the container down, I had no lid for it!  LOL.

Midway through my pantry inventorying, I stopped for a sandwich (toasted ham and cheese - not quite croque monsieur, but, yummy!) and a cup of tea.  Dinner was leftovers - rice, green beans, and Italian sausage; daughter had rice and green beans for lunch and leftover pasta for dinner.

In the evening, I chatted with friend R.  

Later in the evening, we put in an order for groceries.  It included some baking supplies in preparation for the upcoming holiday baking season (butter, flour, and cornmeal), a couple of trays of chicken thighs for the freezer, fresh produce, and a few stock up items (canned condensed milk for my tea, coffee for my daughter, etc.)  I will find out, tomorrow, if everything I ordered will be available or not.  The convenience item was another packet of pot stickers and the splurge item was a package of bacon (on sale for $4.99 with digital coupon and loyalty card; $6.99 without coupon, loyalty card only).

Today, we had pleasant weather; sunny and a high of 76F.  The forecast for tomorrow, however, says it will be cloudy with a high of 66F.  No rain in the forecast, though.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Stripey/Will for keeping me amused
- Chats with family and friends
- Being able to order groceries online
- Pleasant weather
- What I was able to accomplish (kitchen cabinet organizing, etc.)

Today's joyful activity was chatting with family and friends.

Plans for tomorrow include picking up the groceries, the usual Monday routine cleaning, and cooking the chicken breasts I kept to thaw.  

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

Productive Sunday

It was another relatively cool day, today.  It started out cloudy and overcast, but, the afternoon was sunny.

In the morning, daughter went to feed her friend's cat one more time.  Her friend will be home in time to give the cat his dinner.

I spent the day doing a bit of this and a bit of that.  First, I took over some of the zucchini bread that daughter had made last night to neighbor S.  It was my turn to share something with her! 

Then, I altered daughter's dress and sewed up the area above the zipper that had been gaping open.  As I suspected, I had to undo the binding on the armhole and take up some of the extra fabric and resew the binding, again.   

Later, I tidied two shelves in the linen closet - the shelf with the bed sheets and the shelf with the towels.  As I organized them, I wondered if anything needed to be decluttered.  And, I returned to the question of how much is enough?  How much is too much?   How many bed sheets do I need/should I have?  How many towels?  The conventional wisdom seems to be two to three sets of sheets per bed and two to three sets of towels per person.  Which is what I have.  So, then, why do I feel I have too much?

Sheets:  I have three beds in my house, one queen sized and two twin sized; but, daughter's bed can be pulled out to make two twin beds, so four mattresses.  Which means that, at a minimum, I need four sets of sheets (each set consisting of one fitted sheet and one flat sheet) plus as many pillowcases as the number of pillows per bed; each set would be washed and put back on the bed.  I am not that much of a minimalist, though!  The next level up would be two sets of sheets per bed - one on the bed and one either in the wash or in the linen cupboard.  That would mean eight sets of sheets.

Currently, I have seven sets of sheets.  I have three sets of sheets (one flannel set for the winter and two cotton blend sets for the summer) for my bed, three sets (again, one flannel and two cotton blend) for daughter's bed(s), and one set of sheets for the guest bed.  One of my fitted sheets, however, is very worn and threadbare; I will need to replace it in the near future (or have only one set of summer sheets). I do have an assortment of pillowcases!  The guest bed has two pillows, but, both my daughter and I have more than two pillows on our beds.  I also use pillowcases to protect quilts that are not in use, so, I have several extra pillowcases.

In addition to the sheet sets, I have several extra flat sheets (usually, the fitted sheets wear out before the flat sheets do), the majority of which are stored on the bottom shelf of the linen closet.  I use them as dust covers on the family room sofas.  In any case, I didn't tidy the bottom shelf, yet, so sorting through them is for another day.  

Towels: I have two sets of towels for myself and two sets for my daughter, plus, one set of holiday towels and one set of guest towels.  What I do have extra are wash cloths!  I seem to have a stack of about ten wash cloths!  Not quite sure how that happened!

Then, there are some old towels that I use as sofa arm covers to try to keep cat fur off the sofas, but, those are not stored on the same shelf as my regular towels.  Occasionally, those towels are pressed into service when needed to mop up spills, etc.

After I tidied those two shelves, I dusted and tidied my bedside table/night stand.  I figured that was enough housework for the day!  Later in the evening, I played the piano for a little bit, put in an order for groceries to be picked up, tomorrow, and then, cooked a chicken curry and rice for dinner.  I also ran the dishwasher and washed a few other dishes by hand.  

I also chatted with neighbor T (she said she was tempted to walk over to my party neighbors in her nightdress, last night, and ask them to turn down the music, which finally ended at 12:50 a.m.).  I also chatted with friend R who was very concerned because a fully vaccinated family member in Sri Lanka has been diagnosed with Covid.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe drive to and from feeding A's cat
- Two tidy shelves in the linen closet
- Sewing skills
- The cooler weather and sunny afternoon
- What I was able to accomplish

Today's joyful activity was sharing some zucchini bread with S and family.

Monday's To Do List:

- Call the doctor's office to confirm Tuesday's appointment
- Put gas to the car
- Pick up groceries
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Water the garden

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

***********************************

August Decluttering Challenge: 

8/1 - 1 pair gardening gloves

8/2 - non-working heating pad

8/3 - old purse/handbag

8/4 - 1 computer CD containing a report

8/5 - 1 plastic lid that cracked and broke in two

8/6 - 1 hooded sweatshirt (received a new one to replace it)

8/7 - old make-up I no longer use

8/8 - 6 plastic laundry detergent scoops (I use powdered laundry detergent; each new box comes with its own scoop; I don't need to keep the old ones, but, it seems such a waste to toss them in the recycling bin)

8/9 - 1 sponge paint brush (unused, but, so old, the sponge is no longer spongey!)
         1 plastic food container

8/10 - 1 blouse (given to daughter); will be donated as she decided it didn't fit her properly

8/11 - 1 broken clothes hanger
          3 bras

8/12 - 2 Zucchini!  LOL!  Eileen informed me that the zucchini don't count!

8/13 - Daughter's old artwork: A poster 

8/14 - Daughter's old artwork: A painting

8/15 - 1 long dress (given to daughter) - she had urged me to buy it for myself one year for all of $1, but, I didn't wear it.  She, on the other hand, loves it!  It looks much better on her than on me! 

8/16 - 1 coffee mug 

8/17 - A book on cake decorating

8/18 - 1 bottle of perfume spray (an "our version of a famous perfume" that someone gave which doesn't smell good to me)

8/19  - 1 blouse (to be donated)

8/20 - 1 pair of slippers/flip flops (unworn; to be donated)

8/21 - an old digital camera that I could never figure out how to use!

8/22 - 1 small plastic bucket

Clothes Closet on Wednesday

Organized?

I reorganized my clothes closet, today, although you probably can't tell it from the picture above!  I often feel like my "After" pictures look more like other people's "Before" pictures!  LOL.  Yes, I know that we are supposed to use only one color of clothes hangers to make it look more uniform, but, I just use whatever I have and I am not about to toss the perfectly good hangers even if they are mismatched!

Anyway, I reorganized my clothes closet, today, as it has been some time since I last organized it and it showed!

My closet is 6 ft. wide, has one overhead shelf and a single pole running the length of it.  The overhead shelf contains some of my daughter's things (mostly old toys she wants to keep) because I am using the overhead shelf in her closet as the main household altar.  I use the floor of the closet to store certain items I don't want to store in the garage.  I did not sort through those items, today.

The closet holds all the clothes I consider OK to hang.  Sweaters are folded and stored in the chest of drawers; night clothes, sweatshirts, socks and underwear, etc., are folded and kept in the dresser drawers.  Everything else is hung up in the closet. On one side of the closet (to the right when standing in front of the closet, facing it) I have all my cardigans, ponchos, hoodies, jackets, and blouses.  On the other side, I have the skirts, pants, dresses, the two winter coats, and my saris.  

Today, I focused on getting my clothes sorted.  I generally have the clothes separated into categories, like items together, and more or less sorted by color.  Today, I went one step further and sorted all the blouses according to sleeve lengths.  I am hoping that this would make it easier to see what I have and reach for the item I needed to suit the weather.

I also turned all the hangers the other way around, again; as items are worn, laundered, and put back, they will be put back with the hangers turned the usual way.  This will make it easier for me to see which items were worn and which were not.  There were a few hangers that were still turned the other way round from the last time I rearranged the closet, but, most of those were party wear items which weren't worn because I haven't had the opportunity to wear them, in the past year and a half or so.  I am keeping them, for now.  Maybe there will still be an occasion to wear them, again!  

I did not declutter the closet today.  I didn't pull out all the clothes and dump them on my bed, or hold each one to see if it sparked joy or, if it didn't, thank it for its service and put it aside to donate.

Instead, while sorting things into categories, I took inventory of what I had!  I used to do that, a long time ago, but, had not kept up with it.  I did not count my saris and the blouses and underskirts that are worn with them.  I probably have about a dozen saris (some of which belonged to my mother).  But, I counted everything else!  I had read that the average American woman has 103 items of clothing.  I am afraid I have more than that!  

It's not that I buy a lot of clothes; the last time I went clothes shopping was in November 2019, when I bought myself a short sleeved blouse and my daughter bought me three pairs of black pants and three sweaters for my birthday.  Nor do I spend a lot on clothes - the blouse I bought for myself cost $3.99; the items my daughter bought for me were $20 or less, per piece.  But, I get a lot of clothes from my cousins and aunts and I tend to hold onto items!  

The next step is to decide how many of one type of a clothing item do I need?  How many do I want?  What is a reasonable number for a retired woman who stays at home to have?  What is a reasonable number for me to have?  How many is too many?  

I feel I have pared down certain items of clothing to a bare minimum - I have 1 T-shirt (which is actually too big for me, now!), 1 tank top, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of denim jeans, 3 pairs of sweat pants and 5 sweatshirts (I usually wear them to sleep in in the winter).  I have 1 white skirt and 1 white blouse to wear to the Temple on the casual occasions when I don't wear my white sari.  I have one cream colored sweater to wear with the white skirt when I need something a little warmer.  I don't mind the fact that the skirt is more than 20 years old, but, I was looking to buy a new white blouse before the pandemic started.

On the other hand, I have a total of 21 sweaters (including the 1 ugly Christmas sweater) and 34 blouses!  Do I wear them all?  Yes, for the most part (some of the tops are meant for evening wear, so, not worn much, recently).  Do I have room for all?  Again, yes, although some sweaters might be a bit squished!  Do I need them all?  Probably not!  I will be looking to declutter some of them.

In addition to sorting through my closet and reading various articles about decluttering clothes, today, I chatted on the phone with Aunt C and friend R, ran the dishwasher and washed a few items by hand, and watched news.  I also called the charity I usually call for a donations pick up to ask if they accepted text books and they said no.  I will call the library, tomorrow, to see if they accept text books.  If not, I'll have to put them in the recycling bin, which seems like such a waste to me.  

Daughter checked the jury duty website and she doesn't have to report in person tomorrow, either, so we are both happy about that.  

By the way, she has decided that the blouse she took from me doesn't suit her (too big) and it will be donated after it gets washed.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being blessed with an abundance of clothes
- Daughter does not have to report in person for jury duty tomorrow either
- Phone calls with family and friends
- Leftovers in the fridge which meant I didn't have to cook
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was organizing (or, at least, sorting through) my closet and seeing exactly what I have and how many, etc.

***************************************

August Decluttering Challenge: 

8/1 - 1 pair gardening gloves

8/2 - non-working heating pad

8/3 - old purse/handbag

8/4 - 1 computer CD containing a report

8/5 - 1 plastic lid that cracked and broke in two

8/6 - 1 hooded sweatshirt (received a new one to replace it)

8/7 - old make-up I no longer use

8/8 - 6 plastic laundry detergent scoops (I use powdered laundry detergent; each new box comes with its own scoop; I don't need to keep the old ones, but, it seems such a waste to toss them in the recycling bin)

8/9 - 1 sponge paint brush (unused, but, so old, the sponge is no longer spongey!)
         1 plastic food container

8/10 - 1 blouse (given to daughter); will be donated as she decided it didn't fit her properly

8/11 - 1 broken clothes hanger
          3 bras

How was your Wednesday?  What would you consider a reasonable number of clothing items to have?  How do you decide what clothes to keep, what to declutter?