Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Share your decluttering activities and ideas.
User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16504
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Harriet » Tue Feb 01, 2011 10:08 am

Here in February, the month in which we think of love, lets turn our hearts to our homes. While we don't exactly love the structure, property or things that make up our house, the love that we have for the precious personal space of home can't be denied! Here is where we nurture our well-being, hold our family close and shelter the memories that are meaningful. Here is where we will find the space to grow into our creative, contented, generous future selves.

This is our dream space!

Let's take time this month to show some love to our homes by freeing our dream space of the clutter that crowds it. We always cherish pictures of who and what we love. Well, as you work around the house this month, take your imaginary camera and snap a picture of that crowded shelf, the cluttery corner of that room, the closet that isn't functioning well. Instead of looking past the clutter (as we ALL do ) imagine that you are going to show this photo to a friend to explain how what's in the photo is part of your dreams. Try to zero in on the difference between what is loved, and what is crowding you. How can necessary things be stored with less visual chaos?

Love your home enough to let go of clutter and let the dream space bloom.

Last month's "Start with a Plan" thread held a lot of inspiration and ideas. Check that out if you haven't been able to read it yet. Thanks to everyone who chatted there. If you'd like to join those who are decluttering one week ahead of Focus Cleaning, check out Indiana's Focus threads in the Organization and Simplification forum.

If you had some successes with your plan last month, let us know! If you want to share your decluttering strategy for February, this is the place! We all benefit from hearing from others with the same struggles!

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23441
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Nancy » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:09 pm

I let go of some books for dgkids to take home
and plates with cartoon characters on them
plus I have a couple of coats that are too small ready to go out in the car trunk.
:arrow: Then I'll be sorting swimming suits.

User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16504
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Harriet » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:05 pm

For me today is the first day of leaving laundry area (which for me is directly beside the kitchen area) to head toward storage decluttering in the coming week. This way I'm getting ready for each round of Focus cleaning.

Last week I tried to streamline/clear the countertop and cabinets across from my washer-dryer. In the coming week, dd12's closet is on my mind. I bought a light for her closet but am disappointed that it doesn't really give a lot more light. It's better than nothing. I bought her a batch of clothes hangars that are overdue. They should help. Also we have just got to think in terms of donation. One pair of her jeans went into the donation bag yesterday and her old roller-shoes (retractable) went into the trash because I didn't think they were appropriate for donation.

I am using my "camera" eyes in my living area and dining area and trying not to be blind to clutter just because I can EXPLAIN it. Yes, that does make a personal difference and reminds me not to beat myself up. But guests or family still have to deal with clutter even if there are explanations, and it is still in the way of my vision, keeping me from having that calmer view of clear space. If I love my home, I will keep doing what it takes to get past explanations to the point I can let go.

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23441
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Nancy » Tue Feb 08, 2011 12:30 pm

I like that Harriet, Camera Eyes sounds like a plan.

I got the CD's down stairs I need to get them all in the cases.
I failed to get the Christmas ones in the trunk and to the thrift shop.
I need to sort and cut all of these down by about half at least.

We have de-cluttered the bags of leaves they are gone yea!

User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16504
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Harriet » Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:26 am

This week Outdoors is the decluttering ahead of focus, so for me at this time of year there have been only a few small items I could work on outside. So, more time for emphasis inside! I got a bag for donation out to the car trunk, yay! Another one started in my bedroom.

One outdoor thing I'm so glad I decluttered this week is our old magnetized extra-key box. It never worked right, was way too visible on our porch no matter where we tried to stick it, was temperamental to open, and drove us crazy. Life is too short! I popped the extra key into a very small tupperware. It closes with a tight seal against the weather, but opens easily instead of fighting us like the old one. Now Sammie holds our extra key for me in an inner niche of her house (smile) and she is ALWAYS home, alert and aware of who is "family" and allowed to reach into her private space (smile). So there is no reason to have an ugly black box on my porch any more.

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23441
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Nancy » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:30 am

I have de-cluttered a couple of lower grand work books back to dd for dgd as dgson
has gone beyond those in school freeing up a shelf in the dining room yea!

User avatar
bittersweet
Member
Posts: 1432
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:59 pm
Location: Central Alberta
Contact:

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby bittersweet » Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:31 pm

Outdoors decluttering? In Alberta in February??? *snicker* the only thing out there to declutter is snow, snow, and MORE snow! Since I was gone for almost all of February, there was really no decluttering done all month. However - it came to my attention tonight that the bag and box of donates that were supposed to have been gone a week or more before I left were STILL sitting in the dining room *sigh* DS has loaded those into the car since one of my errands (car registration renewal) tomorrow is only two doors down from the Goodwill donation centre.

March will be a different story!
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23441
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: Love Enough to Let Go February, 2011

Postby Nancy » Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:15 am

I've de-cluttered yarn I sorted and went through the other day.
Plus a bag of bags have been de-cluttered and misc. other items that needed to be tossed
yea for progress! Tomorrow is trash day here.


Return to “The Decluttered Home”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests

cron