Home and Hospitality, December 2011

[Harriet]

A year of decluttering work on our homes is a success, but does not finish a thing, of course, since decluttering will always be an ongoing project.

Still, the month of December gives us a pause to look around and realize that others can be offered hospitality as a result of our efforts. That's profound. We can provide a place for meaningful, memorable celebration, and welcome those the Lord has given to us as family and friends. We can appreciate the space and refuge that our lovely homes were meant to provide.

If DASHing through the snow makes for stash-and-DASHes (and it will), remember this time to make more than a mental note about getting back to the stash-and-dash. Put it on the calendar! "bag shoved under bed has mail !" There are no bad stash-and-dashes, only bad follow-up.

Do you have year-end Clutter Goals that you are reaching? Let us know, we're interested. Are there failures that frustrate you? We have BTDT. Are you forming a plan for making 2012 more of a success that 2011? We hope it will be the best ever.

[Nancy]

I need to go through the toys and books and the toy box here this month.

[Harriet]

Musical spaces game here would be funny except it's so much work. HRH and I need some privacy so storage element of Master Bedroom is going upstairs. This seals the fate of the concept of sitting room or reading alcove up there - just don't have the luxury. We will bring a table and television to our bedroom and I can do my exercises in private, or we can watch something on tv besides football. Dstepson wants us to buy an eliptical and bring it in the room, too, because he's so sure his dad will love it once he tries it and can get some exercise while watching the news, etc. We're deciding to throw some things away - there's work for dstepson already put out on the porch for when he comes.

[Nancy]

Some musical activity going on here too I've move the loom off that small table to the taller one and things are back in the rec. room after turkey day. Tables and chairs are put away and I've moved the dressers back to where they go. Put dresser scarves back on; also area rugs are upstairs trying that out for now we seem to like it and the protection for the new carpeting!

[Harmony]

More magazines to the recycle bin. Some big blueprint packages to the garbage (those take up a lot of room). Other stuff not actually thrown away, but reorganized and tidied up and stacked neatly, yielded me another 3 30" shelves to use. 8 cartloads of leaves gone from the yard so far - do they count?

[Nancy]

Utlity trailer is full of leaves I've been raking and bagging up. H. said some thing about hauling it off today. I'll be filling it up again as the front yard is not done yet and still have the back to do. I don't mind as it gives me at least 20 min. of exercise & sunshine when I do it about 3 days a week.

[Harriet]

HRH was in charge of placing things in the storage area upstairs and it looks pretty good. You can reach the window to open and close it or take a look outside, so it doesn't seem so cramped as I feared. We're still not through, but have an inkling now of how it will look. A couple tall kitchen bags of throw-away have left the house from all areas. Dstepson took an old tv.