So, I wanted to post some pictures but I have no idea where my card-reader is in all the clutter right now. Here I'm having a blog about creating order and eliminating chaos and right now things are very chaotic. I guess it will just help to show the journey that I'm on.
Yesterday one of our friends delivered a whole bunch of furniture, most of which belonged to his grandmother. It's just beautiful. It has made me realize, though, that a space looks much bigger when there's nothing in it. Tomorrow K is going to pick up bunk beds for the girls' room - yay!
Early next week he'll be picking up our belonging from the storage unit. That is when the real fun will begin. We have an attached garage where much of our belongings can go while we're figuring out how to order everything. We're also not using the basement as living space right now. I'm somewhat dreading having all of our stuff come. I know that there are some things that I want. Over the past couple months while it's been in storage I've realized that I can live without so much of it. Fortunately, I know where there are some donation drop boxes and other places to donate things. I knew when we moved that much of it would be donated. One of the issues about where we were living is that there was no place to donate things and I didn't want to just send everything to the dump. It will be interesting to see just what makes the cut.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
A New Beginning
It's been a very long time since I've visited this blog but the time has come to start again. We have recently bought our first home and we moved in a little over a week ago. A move right before Christmas wouldn't be too bad if it was a short distance or if the house was move-in ready. We had neither of those condition. However, things worked out well and we all had a great Christmas and we really didn't need all of the things that we used to 'need'.
With the festivities over (well, we still have New Years) we've been busy making the house into our own. Starting with the easy things, we've been painting - a lot. We have been taking before and after shots and the plan is to share them here.
Over time our plan is to paint everything, refinish the hardwood flooring, install a new furnace, install an airtight fireplace insert, move the kitchen, redo the bathroom, re-insulate the exterior walls, finish the basement. (Some work was already started but it looks like it was improperly done. We'll be removing what needs to be removed and starting over.) Of course, I'll be doing gardening too.
It's going to take some time as it will depend on finances and the time we have available to do the work. It will be exciting to see the transformation. I can tell you one thing, I'm so glad I got rid of a lot of my clutter last year. There's still a lot to get rid of but it could be worse.
With the festivities over (well, we still have New Years) we've been busy making the house into our own. Starting with the easy things, we've been painting - a lot. We have been taking before and after shots and the plan is to share them here.
Over time our plan is to paint everything, refinish the hardwood flooring, install a new furnace, install an airtight fireplace insert, move the kitchen, redo the bathroom, re-insulate the exterior walls, finish the basement. (Some work was already started but it looks like it was improperly done. We'll be removing what needs to be removed and starting over.) Of course, I'll be doing gardening too.
It's going to take some time as it will depend on finances and the time we have available to do the work. It will be exciting to see the transformation. I can tell you one thing, I'm so glad I got rid of a lot of my clutter last year. There's still a lot to get rid of but it could be worse.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Good Start
Yesterday was a great start! I got rid of a whole bunch of crafting odds and ends. Most of it just went in the garbage because it wasn't even worth it to donate it. Some of it went into a box for donating.
I also went through the stuff that didn't sell at the yard sale. I have a big bag of stuff to take to the youth group on Thursday to donate to them. It's so nice to have that out of my house.
I had to go out this morning so I didn't get very much done yet today. I did throw out a set of six plastic plates that we haven't used in ages. Only four more items and I will have met my goal of ten for today. I'm hoping to throw out way more than four more items though.
I also went through the stuff that didn't sell at the yard sale. I have a big bag of stuff to take to the youth group on Thursday to donate to them. It's so nice to have that out of my house.
I had to go out this morning so I didn't get very much done yet today. I did throw out a set of six plastic plates that we haven't used in ages. Only four more items and I will have met my goal of ten for today. I'm hoping to throw out way more than four more items though.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Starting Again
With most of my projects for February out of the way, I feel that it's time to get focused on junk removal again. I was considering waiting until March 1 but I'm ready now and I don't want to put it off. I think that as far as numbers go, I'll be aiming for 10 items per day. I'm sure that I'll exceed this amount on many days but I think it's a reasonable goal.
There are two things that I think will help this time. First is that my older daughter's birthday party is over. I had kept quite a bit of arts and crafts supplies so that her friends could make things while they were here. I'm glad that I kept it because they had a great time making their creations but now that the party is over, I'll be happy to pass it on.
The other thing is that I had my yard sale this past Saturday. I realized that, for the most part, it's just not worth it to keep a lot of the stuff I have to try to sell it. I had done a bunch of baking for the sale as well and I'm so glad that I did. I made about $130 from the baking and only $30 for the yard sale items. I was able to pass on some great winter wear that I'm glad will be getting used but as far as making money goes, it's not worth the effort. Now I'll be going through the stuff that didn't sell and either throwing it out or putting it in a 'donate' box.
So that's where things are at right now. We'll see how it goes and see what things are like on March 22.
There are two things that I think will help this time. First is that my older daughter's birthday party is over. I had kept quite a bit of arts and crafts supplies so that her friends could make things while they were here. I'm glad that I kept it because they had a great time making their creations but now that the party is over, I'll be happy to pass it on.
The other thing is that I had my yard sale this past Saturday. I realized that, for the most part, it's just not worth it to keep a lot of the stuff I have to try to sell it. I had done a bunch of baking for the sale as well and I'm so glad that I did. I made about $130 from the baking and only $30 for the yard sale items. I was able to pass on some great winter wear that I'm glad will be getting used but as far as making money goes, it's not worth the effort. Now I'll be going through the stuff that didn't sell and either throwing it out or putting it in a 'donate' box.
So that's where things are at right now. We'll see how it goes and see what things are like on March 22.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Dropped the Ball
Well, it's a good thing I did so well for the first half of the month because I totally dropped the ball for the second half. There are a couple of reasons why.
First, we're fostering a couple of puppies. What has this taught me? I now know that I'm not as much of a dog person as I once thought. I guess it depends on the breed and the age of the dog. We've enjoyed having them here . . . for the most part. One reason I wanted to foster them is so that my children would start to feel more comfortable around dogs. In that regard, they have done the job beautifully so I think it has been worth it.
Another thing is that I've been trying to go to play groups with my daughter who is still at home full days. When we're not at home, junk removal just doesn't happen.
One more thing to note is that, while I haven't posted about what I've thrown out for well over a week, I've still been throwing things out. Of course, now I've forgotten what a lot of it was. I know that I got rid of a lot more paperwork that I didn't need. I also went through my felt (after making a bunch of felt hand puppets) and got rid of the scraps and organized the rest. I also got rid of a lot of old seeds that I had. I know that I won't be doing a lot of gardening this year so there was no point in keeping a lot of the seeds I had. I've kept the heirloom seeds and some herb seeds but that's about it.
I still have a ways to go in getting the garbage out and reclaiming our house as a real home but a good start has been made. February will be busy for us. I'm not sure how much I'll get done garbage-wise. I'm having a yard-sale though. Some friends and I have booked a local hall so I'll be getting 2 tables there. In the past, I've had so much stuff piled on the tables that it's been hard for people to even see what I had. This time, I've been more ruthless with things and I threw out the stuff that I figured nobody would buy anyway. It should make for a better sale overall. Plus, it will leave more room for baked goods - that's where you make the real money.
First, we're fostering a couple of puppies. What has this taught me? I now know that I'm not as much of a dog person as I once thought. I guess it depends on the breed and the age of the dog. We've enjoyed having them here . . . for the most part. One reason I wanted to foster them is so that my children would start to feel more comfortable around dogs. In that regard, they have done the job beautifully so I think it has been worth it.
Another thing is that I've been trying to go to play groups with my daughter who is still at home full days. When we're not at home, junk removal just doesn't happen.
One more thing to note is that, while I haven't posted about what I've thrown out for well over a week, I've still been throwing things out. Of course, now I've forgotten what a lot of it was. I know that I got rid of a lot more paperwork that I didn't need. I also went through my felt (after making a bunch of felt hand puppets) and got rid of the scraps and organized the rest. I also got rid of a lot of old seeds that I had. I know that I won't be doing a lot of gardening this year so there was no point in keeping a lot of the seeds I had. I've kept the heirloom seeds and some herb seeds but that's about it.
I still have a ways to go in getting the garbage out and reclaiming our house as a real home but a good start has been made. February will be busy for us. I'm not sure how much I'll get done garbage-wise. I'm having a yard-sale though. Some friends and I have booked a local hall so I'll be getting 2 tables there. In the past, I've had so much stuff piled on the tables that it's been hard for people to even see what I had. This time, I've been more ruthless with things and I threw out the stuff that I figured nobody would buy anyway. It should make for a better sale overall. Plus, it will leave more room for baked goods - that's where you make the real money.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
It's About Time
Okay, I'll admit it, laziness has crept in. The weekends seem to be the hardest for getting stuff out. With working Saturday mornings and my sewing circle in the evenings, I just want to relax during the afternoon. Sunday wasn't really any better this past weekend.
Yesterday I got back on track. One of the things that I used to do was to put things in boxes with the intention of having a yard sale. I've learned that even when I do have a yard sale, a lot of the stuff doesn't go anyway so I'm still stuck with it. I've decided to break that cycle. While I still keep a few things for yard sales, the majority of it has just been going in the trash. I need it out of the house, not just rearranged. With the youth group meeting again I'm also filling at least 1 or 2 boxes each week to take and donate. This Thursday I'll be taking a box of books and a whole bunch of children's clothes.
So, back to what I've accomplished. On Monday I went through some of the boxes that we had filled with yard sale stuff. I threw out the stuff that wasn't worth selling and put most of the rest of it in boxes to donate to the youth group.
Today I got rid of a bunch of old workbooks, you know, the ones that you used way back in public school but didn't fill the whole thing before the end of the year. Of course, I couldn't let all that paper go to waste, which is why I held onto them for over 20 years - and still didn't used the unfilled pages. I figure, if I didn't use the unfilled pages in the past 20 years, I probably won't use them in the next 6 months either. Also, today I had DH take some fun foam craft stuff into the school for the art club. I've got so much craft stuff, I feel sort of bad pawning it off on other people but I think that this will at least be useful for the younger kids. If they throw it out at the school, no big deal, it would have gone in the garbage here anyway.
Yesterday I got back on track. One of the things that I used to do was to put things in boxes with the intention of having a yard sale. I've learned that even when I do have a yard sale, a lot of the stuff doesn't go anyway so I'm still stuck with it. I've decided to break that cycle. While I still keep a few things for yard sales, the majority of it has just been going in the trash. I need it out of the house, not just rearranged. With the youth group meeting again I'm also filling at least 1 or 2 boxes each week to take and donate. This Thursday I'll be taking a box of books and a whole bunch of children's clothes.
So, back to what I've accomplished. On Monday I went through some of the boxes that we had filled with yard sale stuff. I threw out the stuff that wasn't worth selling and put most of the rest of it in boxes to donate to the youth group.
Today I got rid of a bunch of old workbooks, you know, the ones that you used way back in public school but didn't fill the whole thing before the end of the year. Of course, I couldn't let all that paper go to waste, which is why I held onto them for over 20 years - and still didn't used the unfilled pages. I figure, if I didn't use the unfilled pages in the past 20 years, I probably won't use them in the next 6 months either. Also, today I had DH take some fun foam craft stuff into the school for the art club. I've got so much craft stuff, I feel sort of bad pawning it off on other people but I think that this will at least be useful for the younger kids. If they throw it out at the school, no big deal, it would have gone in the garbage here anyway.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Donation for the Nation
Up until now most of the things I've gotten rid of have just gone in the trash. Honestly, a lot of it was trash. However, one issue I'm faced with here is simply a lack of places to donate gently used items. There are no thrift stores here, the closest one would involve taking the goods on a 5 hour train ride - just not going to happen. Fortunately, I volunteer with a youth group that occasionally accepts donations. They can't accept everything from everyone otherwise they'd be overwhelmed but since I have an 'in' I was able to take a lot of my things there, which I did last night. This is a great time to take things there too because with the winter road in operation they're able to send a lot of excess items to a community that's more isolated than we are. It feels so good to send things to a place where they can be used rather than just the dump.
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