hello!! I see I have alot of reading here to catch up, and I will..I have tomorrow and the 26th off and I will have nothing else to do because I found out that my son will spend about 2 1/2 hours with us tonight...you know I was using his visit as my impetus for our living room/other declutter, and it got done, but I can't describe my emptiness and sadness (because they are spending the other 45 1/2 hours at his girlfriend's house)

sorry for the Debbie Downer act but I am truly deflated.

OnebyOne: I am glad you have a new bed and place to sleep that is bigger. Good for you for getting rid of the racks you don't like. Since I have started this thread (thank you) I can't underestimate the feeling to have space and find things that are where they should be.

Lexxiss: What a neat gift for you DH to come down to find the picture frame this morning. We made a special album for my sister yesterday and I have 5 boxes of pictures that need to go somewhere. I have earmarked those for Jan.,Feb, March to try to get completed. Is it easier to scan and save on computer than to put in albums? I am future thinking and I am sure my kids would want a jump drive vs. albums. I will have to really think this next step thru as I like hard copies for my altered books and scrapbooking projects. I think a nice combination would be workable for me.

Leaving to see my family today. 7 hour drive and looking forward to some "down time" in the car as I have be running in high gear lately. I cleaned out 2 more Christmas boxes and gave away ski helmets/cars/snowboard boots to a neighbor that is a nurse and hubby a police officer. Their 3 boys were elated. I am finding the double reward like you......blessed to have things gone or put to a better use and nice when our efforts can bless someone else.

Merry Christmas -Beck Friends.

Holly,

Your emotions are honest and I can understand the sadness of wanting more time with him. That is a Mother's Heart to want that attachment and time. I hope that the time you have with him is special and you find other things to connect to that bring you pleasure and enjoyment when he is at this girlfriends. Giving you a cyber hug...

Helping Rachel, thanks but it was no big deal. My real take away: I think too much!! I often feel disorganized, yet here was a pure brain stem reaction - I was half asleep, after all - yet was more efficient - focused on just one objective, not half a dozen. Anyone else ever feel their brains are too busy? Used to be proud of multi-tasking, now I wonder. Does anyone else think our multi-tasking modern lifestyles just slow us down, add "brain clutter" in the long run?

VermontMom, SO sorry. That is really too bad. Don't apologize - this is a major disappointment.

Lexxis, you always seem to be doing a lot while waiting for the coffee!!! SO impressed - I just stare at the wall, that is when I'm not drowsing in bed, waiting to smell that wonderful aroma that means DH has already made it!

I think you may have something. We have too many choices, own too many things, hear world wide news 24/7, have year round foods and I am no longer a joyful muti tasker. Is it possible to live a simple life anymore? Maybe I need to say no more.

I wanted to share that I took in a huge garbage bag of holiday wrap and decorations. I also donated a dead flat screen for parts. I may try to look at holiday decorations I haven't put up and try to get rid of more next week.

Happy Holiday to All.

Hello!

Best wishes, everyone!

Holly, sending supportive thoughts your way today. I hope you enjoyed your short visit with your son and that today you find a spot of peace. This is a hard time of year for many. Not having children sometimes I have felt very alone and left out. Today I'm going to enjoy as best I can.

Well my DH absolutely loves the photo frame. We figured it takes 7 hours to run through all the photos just once. As I observed his joy I found the motivation to organize yet another part of this photo project and since photographs and memories are part of holiday "stuff" I've already opened my next can of worms. I pulled all the remaining photo albums and slides out of DH's closet and have laid them out on my dressertop in the office. I am going to sort a bit and formulate a plan. I have one large and empty dresser drawer which will accomodate the project as I go along so it's not laid out all over the place for weeks. I can see an end to this project with many rewards.

Happy holiday!

"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. "
I figure I am half way through and I already feel a new freedom and a new happiness.
"They will always materialize (or dematerialize :lol) if we work for them."
I need to keep working for them.

Hello Declutterers!

The quote is from the promises of many of the 12 step programs....it was running through my mind this morning spurred on by my thought that "this will get so much easier once I can get through the "old" clutter".

At this point I don't really take "a day off" completely because the new clutter adds up very quickly. Keeping up with my new clutter is the only way for me to keep diving into the old stuff.

So this morning before work it's the ol' 1-2-3 dance

1. old clutter-sorted on the picture project
2. current clutter-picked up/put away everything we generated yesterday
3. clean-cleaned cat box, kitchen and put recycling out (also "Cleaned" the snow off the back steps outside)

Off to work.

thank you ladies so much for the kind thoughts! i should have got right back here on Christmas eve afternoon to tell you they reconsidered and did spend the evening and the night and the morning here!! And they announced their 'Promise" to each other, which I guess to an old fuddy like me, means 'engaged to be engaged'

So I went from horribly down to tremendously joyful, isn't that something

Son was VERY surprised at our nice living room!! And today I am enjoying the cleanliness and the quiet order (I might be slightly mentally unbalanced but I do think an uncluttered room is 'quiet' and a cluttered messy place is 'noisy' in my mind)


@ 'can of worms' but a good project and nice that you can work on it and put it away, out of sight but not out of mind!

Lexxiss, I do like that you count shoveling as 'cleaning', lol. BUt it is true isn't it! unfortunately a huge snowstorm is on its way to us , 8 to 14", so we will be dealing with that tomorrow.

Today I will do laundry (that doesn't really count as a step towards declutter but it is a necessity) and try to put it all away when done...I have put pillows and the comforter outside to air out (it is very brisk out there, they will smell wonderful tonight with the bleachy-clean sheets) and I do need to go through refrid. to wipe down and throw out questionables.

Holly, glad to hear your good news! I do agree...my decluttered rooms are much quieter than the cluttered ones. I can only decide for me...but it seems that in the long run I will do better with my lifelong food plan when I can spend my time in a peaceful environment. Regarding laundry...in my book it can very easily become clutter and need to be decluttered. That's why I'm addressing both old and current clutter in my daily plan.

Today
old clutter-worked on pictures mostly pulling them out of photo albums for scanning
current clutter-folded laundry and put away...did a swoop of the house and picked up/put away.
clean-did a quick scrub of kitchen sink then did sink and toilet in upstairs bathroom.

I was happy to note that DH made our bed this morning thus reminding me that as I keep making the effort that he is changing, too.

I will jump in with the 3 step as well! (Thanks Lexxiss)

Old- Start purging boxes in office- goal 5.
Current- Put away all christmas presents-- start laundry from trips.
Clean-MBR- in need of dusting and quick vac.

I am going to work on a master plan for basement area. Utility room is 80 clean, waiting on husband to organize his work bench

Completed 7 boxes in office. Very happy with that.

Current project completed.

Clean didn't get it done, will do it in the morning.

Good night!

Yay Tami (helping rachel)!

As I was sitting downstairs watching the slide show (we're both obsessed with it now) there were numerous pictures of beautiful hats I have knit. It really hit home that once my clutter is gone/manageable I will be so happy to be a knitter again.

Current clutter: No current clutter! I seemed to have picked up after myself yesterday.

Clean: Will do 5 minutes of cleaning in my TV room this morning

Old clutter:
I went to bed too early so I'm up and at 'em. I have a day off so might get some of my pictures scanned. I am pretty good at it now and can do about 300 in one stint. When I realized I was wide awake at 1 I went and pulled the slide viewer out of the closet. My sis gave it to me I have never used it. It works pretty good and just like decluttering in my house I am finding it is easier to start by throwing out the ones I know I don't want...and I am writing in pencil what the ones are that I'm saving. Just like decluttering pictures that used to matter DNA-Do Not Apply. Others are as precious as gold.

The office is a wreck...albums, slides, photos everywhere. I realize just how much I like it clean and organized these days. A shift. I can see the end to this project as long as I just keep moving forward one day at a time. The reward will be priceless.

Lexxiss--Debbie: I have an HP copier with a scanner on it. Are you scanning to a file or jump drive? I have set scrapbooks that are done, but I am thinking scanning would be the way to go for future. Some of the files in my office --- I am choosing to scan folders so I don't have excess paper. Just trying to tap into your flow :)

Cleaned MBR and Bath. Done in 20 minutes.

Going around the house to take pictures of Christmas decorations. I purged my christmas boxes this year and sent lots to Goodwill. Haven't' done that for 20 years. So what goes back into boxes must be current supplies or in use now. Labeling boxes and contents. It will be so easy next year because of how I purged and organized this year.

Off to office for inspiration and to the 1/2 price book store with some books.... goal is to come home with only one new book.