April Clutter Control, 2015

[blessedw2]

Awesome d Harmony putting decluttering on your everyday schedule!!! And another cleared spot!!!

Wow d Elly is right!!!

D Harriet your Kidney Foundation will truly appreciate the donations. Well done!!!


I haven't been home a whole lot. DD younger is getting used to driving to the sailing center and since it's so far away (and she doesn't drive much), it's been an adventure for her and myself. Yesterday we finally figured out the best route for her. It will take her a bit over an hour but she has a summer job and can still go dingy sailing with a dear dear friend.

[Harmony]

blessed, it's wonderful that DD can still do her sailing.

I got a fabric picture I'd made into the garbage. No one liked it once I made it and somehow it had gotten a little yellow spot on it so it's outa here. Put a small cabinet with 4 little photo albums in the donate bin. It is nice, but takes up a huge amount of space for the little I'd ever used it. Now I've learned that all the nice stuff in stores does not have to come home with me!

Monday TaDa: I added a pair of slacks and a tshirt to the bin. Then I began working on the bookcase in the family room. After much sorting, I threw into the recycle 81 pieces of paper, pamphlets, stacks of papers stapled together; 8 picture frames to the bin. I gathered 15 full size hard-back books (cookbooks, decorating, sewing, holiday - all given to me by someone or another). Took the books down to the Friends of the Library room for them to sell as they were all in very good shape. Dropped the bin of stuff at GW as it was pretty full.

I was watching a particularly gruesome episode of Hoa rders tonight and DH came in and watched a bit with me, in total shock. Of course we've never been like that, just too much stuff, even if all is cleaned and organized. We began talking about what I've been doing and he was surprised I'd managed to get that old wheelchair out of here - and pleased - and told me a few more things I could get rid of. He said he just didn't have time to do it. We talked about all the photos he's inherited... and he admitted it would be a real time-consuming job to pick what to save...and nobody else in the family wants them or even knows half the people in the pictures. He was the oldest child in the family and knows most of them..but his family isn't like a family like say Harriet's - one who cares about the generations...there are very few headstones anywhere...there just aren't a lot of family ties going back. Or forward, for that matter. So what to do with it all? It's a real puzzle.

[ellyphant]

blessed, I hope your daughter has a wonderful summer. Glad she can do the sailing.

Harmony, the organizer in me loves to read about your decluttering. Old photos can be a problem. I read something recently about not feeling responsible for preserving other people's memories. I do have old family photos framed and in albums, but my grown kids probably won't know who these people are, someday!

Today I have decluttered a decorative plate and a wobbly footstool.

[Harmony]

Ellyphant, thank you so much for sharing that (about not feeling responsible to preserve other people's memories). That's very interesting and wise. I will have to share that with DH, who is beginning to realize he got left with a huge white elephant. The photos are not the only thing he's left with. He has a big box of stamps (a collection that is probably not worth anything) - for one thing DMiL thought she could send those stamps through the mail and save them with cancellation marks!

Today I decluttered the other bookcase in the living room. I have 8 books in a bag to give the Friends of the Library. I put 2 in the donation bin for GW.

Here's a good question: When does one consider giving away all the "organize-your-home/life" books because one cannot organize the shelves with so many of those?!

One big plastic bottle from garage emptied and tossed. Yay, the house is beginning to look really good!

[ellyphant]

We also were given a stamp collection that consisted of cancelled and brand new stamps thrown in a box! These were from dfil and his mother. DH had no interest in it, so I used the stamps that were usable and let our kids do art projects with the others. They glued and decoupaged them onto little boxes that I found at Ben Franklin (this was the 90's). Those were all eventually thrown out or donated, but at least someone got some enjoyment from them. It kept the kids busy for a while over a long snowy winter! Maybe your grandkids would like to do something like this, Harmony.

[Harmony]

That's a cute idea for the stamps, Ellyphant. I was thinking it would look nice decoupaged.

3 Sweaters to the bin today, 1 bra still in pkg in the bin, and I threw away a tshirt and a pair of shorts. Also threw away a few party invitations from years ago. I'm still finding stuff. Unbelievable.

Here I go again: little umbrella stroller to donation bin. 24" x 36" white board out to clean off, it's going too. I bought that thing to use after the hurricanes came through and we were so crazy busy I was trying to organize both of us into some sort of normalcy. Never really worked and of course DH never used it. Been in a closet ever since. Ah, that was 2004, that's 11 years of storage, YIKES!

[ellyphant]

Have thrown away 4 drinking glasses that were etched by the dishwasher...and a shirt of dh's that was ripped and worn out. He had put the shirt in the washer, but I don't want to see him wearing that again!

Found a coffee mug to donate.

[BookSaver]

Good job, everyone!

I have done some decluttering. Trash and recycle bins went to the curb last night totally full. *\o/*

Today I decided to do a quick 15 minutes in my sewing room and found 3 sets of lined drapes. I remember when I said yes to someone who was giving them away, and I thought I was going to replace some in a couple of our rooms right away. Then as usual I couldn't get a block of time to move furniture, take down the old ones and put up the newer ones, so they were stashed out of the way in the sewing room (which has now by default become long-term storage ).

Today when I found the drapes again, I decided they aren't worth the bother because they would need to be cleaned and pressed, and they're the wrong color to begin with. (White?! Yikes.) If I'd been able to get to them when I was first given them, they would have been an ok intermediate step at the time -- but by now, forget it.

So that is another huge trash bag out of the house.

[Harmony]

HaHa, Elyphant, DH puts torn shirts (dirty) in the wash but he'll pull a rip bigger so it's totally unusable and he doesn't want it in his drawer again! Sometimes I take the time to cut up for rags, but not very often.

BWTG Booksaver getting rid of drapes. I hope it made you feel good to do that.

All my donations went out yesterday. The lady at the library said MORE!!? and I told her I think that's it for now. She tried to get me to browse the shelves in the little room and buy some....

3 BIG picture frames in the donation box. 2 poster size and 1 bigger than that. I'm done with that idea now, moved on to some other way.

Today as I was cleaning, I didn't have to stop and clear surfaces, put things away first and was able to get a lot done. I will be dusting next and expect to get to a lot of places I was missing.

Tonight I went through my pattern box. 19 patterns in the donate box. A couple in the rubbish. Hand drawn patterns thrown out. Don't intend to make any of these types: maternity clothes, wedding gowns, Christmas decorations, quilted duffle bags, btdt! I did KEEP a plastic zipper bags full of apron patterns and my quilt patterns are in a different place. One big box OUT.

[ellyphant]

WTG, Harmony and Booksaver!

Today I dropped off three plates at the thrift store from whence they came. Came home with 2 votive candles and a bag of greeting cards...couldn't resist! I've recycled the cards that I didn't like. For less than 2 dollars, I have suitable cards for the next year.