December Declutter and Organization, 2019

[Harriet]

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.

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 2020 more of a success than 2019? We hope it will be the best ever.

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.

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. Maybe put it on the calendar! "bag shoved under bed has mail !" There are no bad stash-and-dashes, only bad follow-through.

[Twins' Mom]

I'll do another declutter in January I hope. For this month it's pruning as I go, not dedicated decluttering.

[Nancy]

I decluttered the kitchen counters yesterday.

[blessedw2]

yay for you for decluttering.

I have been doing a little each week and not listing it but glad it is done.

[Nancy]

I dielt with two rather large boxes yesterday that helped.
My sewing machine box went in the tool room some times that cone in handy when purging.

That made a spot for my mixer box to go in the storage area it is too soon to
Let go of that one. I disassembled the coffee maker box, I m ay use it for painting if not it will go.
Doing these the last two tasks frees up space in my creativity room yea for this.

[Harriet]

Dd did a large clothes clean-out and took several bags out of her room the other day.

Our dining area has always been our most-decorated area for the season, and really it has to be, because the rest of the living area is so trafficked and used that it doesn't lend itself very well. But HRH's medical things are truly difficult to work around in dining area (and dd has too many art things there). It's like we're decorated for hospital Christmas, lol. I am, at this point, just decorating around them, hopefully without doing too much complaining. Over the next few days, we need a significant push to make some decisions about all this, which, after all, is right at the front door.

[blessedw2]

yay d harriet!!!
(decorating for hospital Christmas - I understand that!) cheering you on as you make decisions!

yay d nancy on boxes
and making a space for the sewing machine

[blessedw2]

I have been grabbing little stuff each week - i found the christmas ornaments that dd older collected to donate (when she was a home organizer) - years ago. I donated those, donated some of our christmas stuff, and some other things that were never opened. I have gotten rid of much of cooking supplies that I no longer need. I enjoyed that time of learning but it doesn't fit with us now. I can still cook with out all the stuff.

dh and I noticed that both dd's use many glasses etc. when they are home - so we limited that. we always loved drinking out of mason jars - I used to can a lot but not any more. We put a label on 2 mason jars for each girl. We are done with doing dishes that aren't ours lol. we recycled all the mason jars. We also marked one bowl each for all of us. one extra for a guest. we are going to do that with coffee cups but keep the others hidden for guests
dh is more than fine with that.

[Harmony]

blessed, bytg decluttering in the kitchen.

I am overrun with coffee mugs. I have 6 or 8 that I love and use. That's plenty. But I have ones with grandkids younger pictures on them, several with grandma or grandpa sayings on them, one big one I turned into a pencil cup, I bought 2 to support DGSs girlfriend who has a website with her business, and I can't really get rid of these...and what did I do? I bought someone a nice coffee mug with a bible saying on it that was appropriate to the situation! It's so easy to get overrun with stuff in the kitchen. I'm thinking about small appliances. Have you noticed how many new ones there are out now? Pressure cookers, air fryers, copper pans, mixers, choppers? Everytime I see another ad for something I picture my counters just a little more cluttered.

[blessedw2]

we too have been overrun by coffee cups and that's even after donating a bunch.
we ended up marking 2 cups for each of us and putting away the rest.
isn't that the truth d harmony.

oh my gosh Yes!

. Have you noticed how many new ones there are out now?

I am struggling with decision making lately but also so so tired of the extra stuff.