Thought I'd check in...project complete, with the exception of my final pickup. It's spectacular and I will post pictures. I woke up early, yet with plenty of rest. My thought was go back to bed "you deserve it", but upon looking around I knew I'd feel much better if I put some more things back in place. credit.

Interesting observation regarding my "collecting". I finished a jar of homemade marmalade from my BIL. I soaked the jar, removed the pretty tag and wanted to keep it. Fortunately, I'm able to take it right to my recycle but the important observation is that my "collecting" mentality is still very active and I need to constantly strive to make a "better choice" just as I do with food.

Happy weekend!

PS My celebration is a puzzle being laid out on the table in my reclaimed living room. Exciting.

Lexxiss:

Kudos for completing the painting/carpeting project. I am glad for you and the intentional actions that you are sharing.

Love the reward of a puzzle!

I am glad you are giving voice to your process with "collecting". I sorted thru drawers last night and placed like items together. After I had some space (head space) away from the task, I realized that I could throw out 25% more of what was in the main junk drawer. Stuff not needed but I had the thought that I must store and save those things for a future use. So I can understand the "neural pathway that says I must keep for later use". Some of the items were heavy duty napkins from a hotel that we went to in the Cayman Islands. Really, I need to keep those?? After all these years. An old lottery ticket that expired. Maybe if I keep it long enough it will not be expired? My sub-personality masquerading as a hoarder has some crazy thinking that is going on!

Enjoy your day, can't wait to hear feedback from DH's reaction.

Getting ready to clean the house for a few hours. Whooo hooooo

Done for the day.

Cleaned stove and all burners.
Cleaned out 4 kitchen drawers
Cleaned floors and vacuumed.
Cleaned bathroom.
Went thru 3 boxes labeled and moved to office.
Went thru lots of junk that was on counters and organized them.

Credit that I focused on the value of having a clean and organized space. Now off to watch the Olympics and relax without a glass of wine

SB thought: I don't know what to do with all this little stuff so I will just stick iti in a bowl/box.

Healthy thought: You can make a decision right now to decide if it is useful and needed and if it is find a home. (That is not piled on counter or desk)

Thanks so much Lexxiss and helping rachel for continuing to post your transformative stories re: owning your own space.
I love reading it.
I need pictures!!

I am finally through my long list of to-do's for the week. It's been a tough demanding week. Lots of change a foot. I decided that I *could* part with those two chairs I moved from the dining/work space into the living area that are now holding piles.

I'll tell you my reasoning for holding onto the chairs : a woman who I really really liked and who was my very close friend for over 10 years gave them to me, but as is her way, she has just disappeared from my life. Hanging onto the chairs made/makes me feel she is in my life and still my friend. That's just not true. That relationship is over. If she wanted me as a friend she'd reach out. She's ok without me.

*big deep sigh*

The chairs have got to go. Look what SADNESS they hold!

Bye for tonight. to my virtual friends.

Wow, onebyone, getting rid of those chairs sounds like a really healthy and liberating decision for you!

I decided not to assign an August decluttering project for myself because my August project is writing 50,000 words -- in the study that I decluttered the last two months. I have some things that I hope will get done and will report here, but I don't want to set a goal.

Summer goes until September 21, right? I know what I want my September goal to be.

One by One I like the way you confronted a thought that kept you from your goal. The hook of keeping chairs so relationship would still be there when you state that it is not. May your letting go of the chairs open new space and opportunities for you to connect with what you love.

Gardener Joy] What a great example of how you spent time preparing last month for the new task at hand. I hope the words flow easily for you.

Ready for nap ......

25 clothing items to goodwill
cleaned silverware drawers and water bottle drawer
Clean out Master bedroom end tables next to bed

Made homemade spagetti and low carb meatballs for dinner.

House looks great on 1st floor, now on to the upstairs ....will have to get the energy and motivation to do that.

Hello All

To answer gardenerjoy's question, yes this decluttering thread is until the end of the summer, from the summer sunny equinox to the fall rainsand the autumnal equinox!

Summer officially ends at 10:49am on Saturday September 22nd.
I know I hang onto every single day.

I am sure to start a Fall decluttering thread as I will have on-going projects and YOU GUYS OUT THERE are a big help in keeping me focused and coming back to it.

So, today DH has to go and try to mend his mother's computer. I am going to try to stay behind and get the dishes done and the kitchen back into order. DH now wants to do some cooking for himself and I need/want to help facilitate that as DH is very creative in the kitchen. I feel a *relief* of the burden of feeding us both. Organizationally speaking, we went grocery shopping with a list that DH created. I realized I was interferring and not trusting him somehow so I backed off and we did well. *credits* to us both for different reasons. The pantries will be re-organized now by DH, which I am ok with. He needs the orderliness way more than I do... and I can learn from his innate skills with this. I am more of a "oh on this shelf it's all pasta-y things, some soup stuff, cause they have noodles, and some noodle stuff". I like to categorize and if it fits the category it fits the space. And I don't mind sorting through things to find what I want as I like to be reminded of what I have which happens when I sort.

Hmmmm. I may have just named my specific type of cluttering disease here and my cure, if I can just wrap my head around it.

Anyway, going now. Have a great Monday. It's a holiday here in Canada, well in Ontario anyway. I feel like it's a holiday too.

Hi! Cheering us all on!

gardenerjoy, how great that you get to work on your 50000 works in your new decluttered study!

Rachel, kudos for keepin' on task! Thanks for wisdom on those "little piles". I have many of them and need to try to either put the stuff in place or let go.

onebyone, kudos for letting go of some control and letting DH have a go in the kitchen. My thoughts would be to let him take responsibility in whatever area felt comfortable to him and then recognize your added time/energy for a new area. I have done that with my DH and very often have to resist the urge to "manage" him.

I have been quite busy with family arriving and joyfully noticed last evening that it only took 1/2 hour to have my entire house guest friendly. credit.

I'm trying to post pictures of the project but am having some difficulty. I'll keep trying.

Good Morning;

Fly by as work has been very busy last 2 days. Goal to finish front living room boxes that just need a label and sent to basement home (office). My next step is working with son who is getting ready to go back to Northern Colorado for College. We have lots of planning, organizing and packing to do. Also, writing a written budget on excel for him. I need to teach him how to manage a weekly grocery list and menu plan. My oldest son is quite the cook and loves to create. Sam, on the other hand, loves his fast food. He will be on a learning curve that is for sure.

Blessings to my Beck Organizing Team Members. May the force be with you, whatever task is at hand.

Hi Declutterers

I'm taking the time today to clean out the bedroom closet and to move the vanity that doesn't fit anywhere into the closet--if it fits in the closet that is. This requires a few steps:

1. empty the closet of what's on the floor in it = one very large almost empty box, two suitcases, a few carry bags, possibly one or two cardboard boxes done - emptied closet out BUT DID NOT sort through the things I found there: 3 suitcases & xlg moving box
2. sweep the floor of the cleared-out closet done
3. shift the tower of boxes out of the way--they are piled inbetween the edge of the closet and the edge of the vanity done
4. clean off the vanity done
5. check in the drawers not yet
6. clear out whatever is underneath it-some cat blanket I think or bags-something is there anyway done
7. move vanity into closet if it fits *crossing my fingers here that it will* done, it's in there, it fits and I can close the closet door.

THE 10 IMMEDIATE ADVANTAGES AND REWARDS LIST OF THIS TASK:

1. TV and CD player will be used once more when I can put a narrow table against that wall where the vanity was and put the TV and CD player on it.
2. to be able to easily open my dresser drawers fully
3. less visual clutter
4. more peaceful and calm space
5. a sense of moving forward in my life
6. a sense of accomplishment and achieving goals
7. To have clear space in the middle of the bedroom so when the cats wake me up I don't have to worry about what I am going to walk into/knock over/maybe lose my balance on
8. to be able to hang some of my artwork up on the walls
9. to have space to work in as I start sorting through the towers of boxes and the excess clothes
10. being able to see what the next decluttering task would naturally be on my path to a bedroom oasis for the winter months

That's my decluttering job and why it's important. Off to go see about it now. I'll check back in later.

OneonOne:

Good Luck with your plan. I like your detail and the committed action that needs to be taken to get to that value of BEDROOM OASIS. One thing at a time, one action at a time. Sending good vibes your way. If you get stuck with mind chatter, share it here for insights for another perspective.

OK Gang.

I've moved, shoved, piled, and crammed everything in and around that vanity that was against the wall onto the bed, onto the floor around the bed, and onto the floor in the middle of the room which is pretty much the foot of the bed. It's a *real* mess.

I guess to tackle this now I should just separate everything into groups of the same thing, right?

So I have lots and lots of clothes, plus bedding. We don't really have any closets to store bedding in. Maybe I can find a place... a shelf in the hallway comes to mind. I'll check into that.

Clothes are keep, give away, and toss. Keep and give away then become "to be washed" and put away. This is future work. Not for today, except I can probably make those decisions today as I move stuff back into place.

My biggest, immediate, decision is wondering what will go where the vanity was. I have a narrow desk-like piece of furniture out here in the living room that would work well. We don't have much furniture. Oh ! Wait a minute! I just looked over and I have A MARTHA STEWART CUBE SHELF THINGY!!! HA! I've attached a jpg. This is product is the WORST design ever for putting it together but it would be fantastic and would serve to advance my bedroom oasis ideal. OK that's what's going there. The tv can sit on the top of it.

Yay.

Now I need to move stuff again.

Organized grocery list, used 20 coupons/price checks for savings of $24. Lots of healthy food like fruits, vegetables, chobani yogurt, fish ect.... Put groceries away and now to write my food plan for the week.

onebyone, yay for "just doing it"! I have continually found that I just had to start somewhere then I could continually change and refine from where I started originally. As to all my bedding, I finally ended up with two sets of sheets that I really liked. The rest I ended up donating. They just took up so much space. I always have a clean set to put on and the pillowcases are interchangeable.

Rachel, yay when your organizing applies to your food/menu/groceries!

We traveled over to our other house and I was gladdened to see it in pretty great shape. The fridge boxes were dirty so I washed them. I found several little clutter items that had been floating around for months. Today I was able to part with them and am sure I'll look at some more tomorrow.
ETA-just looked on my desktop and was able to let go of another little box of misc. worthless stuff. The few items that were saving will be put in the appropriate place.

g'nite!