A trip to Denver today. Only purchased food items. My best strategy to move forward is to not bring new things in. I have enough. I don't need more. These are my mantras.
The office feels lighter. I will spend some time looking around again tomorrow to see what else is sitting that no longer serves me. My sister is coming over Friday night and I think I will ask her to please come look through the linens of my Grandmothers. They take up a large space and I want her to take anything she wants. I do not have any use for these boxes of linens. They were from a different time and were my Grandmothers life. There was no tv. She didn't drive. She cooked, gardened and sat and made stuff. Lots of stuff. My plan would be to give them to an antique store. That way they find another life. I'm not so sure at a thrift store.
I recognized this morning that I've spent enough time decluttering that cleaning has moved up to my top priority. This morning I woke early and what was really "pressing" was just that. I vacuumed the entire house including stairs. Got all the recycle together and loaded car, including a bunch of boxes DH's DD left on our porch. It's all gone. Dropped a piece of copper wire on my neighbors fence and left a light fixture at the "free" pile at the landfill. Then soaked at the hot springs as reward.
Tomorrow I hope to stay home and see what I can find to move me forward. Friday a dental appt. then I will have to commit to doing the company books for last year.
Didn't feel like it but tidied up the kitchen before I came upstairs. It gives me a fresh start for tomorrow.
I've dusted and cleaned the counter but haven't set it up for the mending yet. That's because I can now get to the window between the garden room and the kitchen. And it has to be cleaned as it's filthy. So that's today's small thing to do. I'll also try to do it from the kitchen side. My back hasn't been strong enough to risk it for months, and it's not been important enough to ask someone else to do it.
Thinking of asking other people, onebyone. You know your kind neighbours upstairs, do they have an available child of a suitable age to flatten and tie up the boxes for you? Children sometimes quite like this kind of thing and it might be fun! And as you've missed the garbage this week, can you drop them off at a recycling centre when you and your friend are taking things to your MIL's?
Instead of clearing all the rest of the trip stuff, I tackled two bags and the junk mail, most of which went into recycling, and then after dinner we sat down to watch a movie together. I'll tackle more tonight but don't want to just move anything - it needs to be put into its correct place.
I spent a lot of time and thought decluttering last year - donating a great deal to our local Goodwill. I wish, in a small way, that I'd been able to sell some of it but took the speedy route - a quick hop away in the car and suddenly cleared space. But still have more to clear/figure out what to do... Will enjoy the clean house on Saturday morning, hopefully.
Happy news to report. I just emptied out the last box of box mountain v.3.
So awesome.
I found several treasures I'd been on the hunt for for months.
The rest of today's decluttering will be there following:
Break down boxes for transport to recycling center
Arrange current boxes into (sigh) new pile
Tidy up kitchen
Right now I have a kitty on my lap and a stack of found magazines to go through. I will remove what is of interest and place into the file folder I created for this. This is a happy reward!
Onebyone, kudos for a milestone achieved! Great job, also, getting those boxes to recycle. Such an accomplishment when it's something you really don't like to do.
Silverbirch, One small thing done every day adds up really fast! Kudos to you!
Nationalparker, glad you are joining us here! Yay for junk mail to recycling!
I've made small progress this morning. I sorted through some stuff in the office, the dining room and the kitchen.
Mostly just putting things in their proper place, although I did go through some files in my office and separate between recycling and shredder. Everything is looking good. I always remember Small tasks every day move me forward for the long-haul.
Progress toward financial mountain that has small pool to drawl from to pay taxes. Ouch. At least State taxes are almost paid. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of W2 forms that we'll never see again. 4 different retirement sources lead to some confusion that I still don't understand.
At least I'm beginning to get the info on desk and to "pray for patience"
I do understand that in the de-clutter some interesting things show up and I get lost with them, then must pull myself back.
I cleaned the window (both sides!) yesterday and laid out the newspaper for the work to be done. This is going to be done slowly. The work is:
Clean and glue the chipped pieces of Bakelite back on the bedside light.
Clean and glue one or two broken but beautifully shaped clay flowerpots back together.
(Bonus work) Oil the lid of a tea caddy so it opens more freely. This is a commemorative tea caddy from probably 1918 and in very poor condition as it's been storing split pins etc for many years. It shows Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, nurses, probably Earl Kitchener of Khartoom and Field Marshal Sir John French, and possibly a member of the Australian Imperial Force. I am reluctant to throw it away but it is in such poor condition. No need to make a decision now, though.
(Bonus work) Rub down and paint with black Hammerite my gran's old flat iron and a shoe last I found in the wall. Not my family's but my grandfather certainly used one to mend everyone's shoes. There's a possibility that the DB may do this work.
nationalparker, excellent work putting junk mail into recycling!
onebyone, fantastic work! So great that you found some treasures. Also that you were able to bask in your success with your kitty.
Debbie, having a proper place for things makes all the difference, doesn't it?
Sandy, well done with the books! And very good luck as you chip away at the financial mountain.
Last edited by silverbirch; 01-08-2016 at 04:22 AM.
I have a super busy day ahead but my best strategy is to find time to do something to move forward everyday, anyway.
Today I did a mini reorganize in my laundry/pet room. I also wiped down the shelves, windowsills and top of the dryer. Credit. I needed to retrieve my 5 gal. water bottle from the car and since the carafe was almost empty I soaked the interior with a bleach mix and washed the outside. It's not often the opportunity arises to do that. It feels good knowing my "purified" water isn't being contaminated by the interior of the jug.
As always, I moved the laundry forward. It's upstairs I will fold and put away before I leave. I finished up the dishes I had left to soak last night and will put them away before I leave. I wiped down the countertops while I was at it. Credit.
Several years ago I committed to keeping up with the laundry/dishes daily. It has made a big difference in my life. It also motivated me to find ways to streamline these necessary chores. I wash up items while I am cooking, especially my knives. If I have items left over I let them soak overnight but always deal with them in the morning. It's so much easier to wash something that has soaked a bit. lol.
I'm upstairs ready to attack paperwork. Although I want to dive into last years books (post on QBooks) I will finish the reports for December, even though they don't have to be done until Jan. 31. It frees my mind and then I don't chance "forgetting". Credit.
Staying decluttered/clean is an ongoing thing for me. It's gotten easier but I must always be mindful. One unplanned trip to the thrift store if I let down my guard just allows "stuff" to start adding up again. Today....I don't want that.
Great work everyone! We've done a lot and this first week isn't even over!
This morning I drop all those boxes off at recycling plus two bags of garbage and one donations box.
Then I am up to my studio to pull out my stock, set-up an supplies for the market show on Saturday. And after that I will stop in at the Mill Pond Gallery where I am in residence with another artist after the market on Saturday and all day Sunday so I can be an example of a working artist/an artist as work. Not sure if I am working on my woodblock carving or a painting. Doesn't matter really.
What I didn't find in my decluttering here are my good wood carving tools. They must be in the studio. I hope to find them today.
Wow - great progress, everyone! Motivating to read - thank you for splitting the seasonal one into weekly pushes, OneByOne!
Finished putting away everything from the trip - backpack contents, gifts, clothing laundered and put back, both winter and summer clothes, and all of the mail handled. Felt good to come into a clean living area today. Reset the table with winter linens/setting for a couple of days.
Clearing/cleaning project for today is the pantry. When that's done, will do my menu listing and marketing list and hopefully the marketing... We need a lot of fresh food as we cleared out a lot before leaving.
Feeling rather shaky today so I'm just going to mend the bedside light. Didn't manage anything yesterday except cheering on the SO as he started to rub down the iron and the last.
I start my 4 day work week this morning. I have picked up the kitchen and put a few things away in my office. It's important for me to move forward even when I have other commitments. Credit. I made headway with paperwork yesterday and will complete one item before I head out. It's the online filing of w-2, w-3. I gave a preliminary copy to mom yesterday and I'm good to go. It makes sense to revisit it, push the button and place the file back in it's place until next year. Just remembered my new printer ink is downstairs....spontaneous exercise.
So I logged on to SSA Business services and it wouldn't allow me access. It said I was not authorized. Further research indicated they have shut down the site until 1/11 for upgrades. Oh, well. I tried. I have a little time I think I will go to the Colo. site and see if I can complete the state part.
Woo, you guys are doing great!
I lost steam for a few days but did get the ornaments off the tree and most of the other holiday stuff down. Today we will take down the tree and wreath and complete it.
Also hoping to sort and trash a little paperwork. Its supposed to rain all day tomorrow so maybe that will be a good day to work on projects!
I am on my phone so haven't been able to copy and paste my intended goals for the week but I think I achieved them.
Although I feel the apt is slipping back into chaos and clutter. DH cannot be counted on to maintain surfaces and I have to start refining the stuff I gathered up last week. I have been "storing" those boxes on the chaise and I need to move them into the dining room once more.
Less and.less though. By the end of the month it really will be completely done.
I don't leave for the gallery until 11am tomorrow so I'll get the kitchen in order once more. Gotta stay on it.
And I never did find my carving tools. I do recall them all together in a see through box. When they do appear they will all be together. I hope that's soon.
I think I won't get to MIL's storage shed Monday. The studio is really a huge deal. Most of the next 7 days will be on there with an hour or so dedicated to here at home. But 4 hrs at the studio. It's in really bad shape.
I'll close this thread in the morning. Thanks for a great week 1. It was good not to be alone with this.
Such enthusiasm is very encouraging! 
last stop for cardboard boxes
First week wrap up
