Baby Steps (still)

As stated in the previous post, the midwest portion of the Simple Pleasures crew recently took up residence in a house with a yard. Adventures, with hilarity, have ensued. I should share some of those. However, I haven't forgotten my focus on Sleep and Baby Steps, including those tiny little steps to simplicity and a life that is uncluttered, both physically and psychologically.

In tidying up my bedroom (still not completely unpacked from my move nearly two months ago, but such is life), I found a packet of diapers (nappies) that my little guy has long since outgrown. I didn't know what to do with them, but it occurred to me that I could donate them to any place that would have little children roaming around on a regular basis. So this morning (a nice sunny Monday morning, in point of fact), I took them with me to the daycare and left them with the toddler-age teacher, who was immensely appreciative.

The best part? Everyone benefited from that little arrangement!

Spring Cleaning

My Winter Cleaning has transitioned into Spring Cleaning, even though spring is really take its sweet time arriving to my part of the country. I was very excited to participate in an action that blessed someone else while improving and simplifying my own life. Week before last, I heard of a single mom at church who really needed a crib for her infant. I'd been cleaning through a lot of old stuff, including the crib that my own Little Bug has long outgrown, and hoping to get rid of it. Perfect situation! I called the contact person and was able to give away not only the crib, but the mattress and pad, sheet, and crib bumper. Another mom can use the crib to meet one of her needs, while I am lucky to not be storing it anymore.

Winter Cleaning, mini-post again

Most excellent tidings! I found someone to take the bag of maternity tops (and I slipped in some old maternity-related books and magazines of which I also wanted to be rid--I'm so sneaky).

I still have a long way to go, but every little bit helps. Baby steps can carry you a thousand miles if you take enough of them.

Winter Cleaning mini-post

I have taken something of a break from heavy cleaning efforts while hosting a visitor for a week. However, I was able to do a little sorting, and I pulled out some maternity clothes that I obviously won't be needing any time soon. Yes, I could keep them on hand in order to attempt to be prepared for some nebulous possibility that I may have more children in the future, but I'd rather be rid of the clutter, and it's more sensible that someone else get some use out of them, rather than have them sitting in a box in my closet.

I have been asking around, and apparently nobody at church or work is (or knows anyone who is) expecting a baby right now. I could list the items on Craigslist, but so far, that hasn't worked well for me, so I may very well just end up giving them to Goodwill.

Winter Cleaning, Part 5

The Great Winter Cleaning Orgy continues... I'm hoping that once I deal with all these boxes and the things in them, I actually won't ever have to deal with this level of cleaning/organization again. If you get all your stuff organized and keep it that way, it isn't as bad anymore, right? Right?! I mean, it should make daily life easier (and more efficient and thrifty) and it will make moving much easier. And when I die (many years from now, I hope) it will make things easier for everyone who has to go through my possessions. So, ease all around.

ANYWAY.

Over the weekend, much was accomplished:

• Did a recycle run to get cardboard, paper, and plastics out of the garage and apartment.
• Added cardboard bedding to the vermicompost, put all compost from container in the apartment into bins in the garage.
• Went through old papers and memorabilia, organized it, recycled a lot of things I didn't need. I actually was able to consolidate enough to get rid of two boxes.
• Went through the Little Bug's school papers, eliminated a lot of the ones that don't need to be kept, and then organized the "keepers" in a single location.
• Sorted through magazines, took out and filed any articles or pictures I want to keep, and put the magazines in a stack in the garage, ready to be given away to anyone who wants them. Or maybe I'll give them to the library for their used book store.
• Got a new space heater, because the old one mysteriously quit working on Thursday night.
• Got some new plastic bins, the better to store and organize things.

To do for this week:

• Deal with some insurance issues.
• Organize and file papers currently being centralized on the table.
• Remove more recycling.
• Go through some boxes of clothing, glean.
• Take stuff to Goodwill.
• Give away some items to people who can use them.
• Clean fridge.
• Plan menus for upcoming week and a half.
• Plan the Little Bug's birthday celebrations.
• Bake cookies and rolls.
• Take the Little Bug to get his feet measured.
• Have the Little Bug's hair cut.

So far, no interest in the book I put on Craigslist. I don't care about getting money for it, really, but unfortunately, I don't even know anyone to whom I could give it away for free.

Winter Cleaning mini-post

I got rid of three more books. A friend came over, I offered some books to her, and they completely fit some needs that she and her family have at this time. Perfect!

I put another book for sale on Craigslist but am not sure if it will get any interested parties. It's a book focused on a fairly niche market.

But small victories are still victories.

Mini Mission

Posted by Willow:

At the instigation of Colleen at 365lessthings.com, I gave myself a mini mission for this week and I want to share it with you.

Is your jewelry box overflowing with necklaces and earrings?  Are you like I am, and when you are dressing in the early morning, hurrying to rush out the door, you rummage around in the messy jewelry case looking for the match to the earring you have in your hand and plan to wear because it perfectly matches your outfit of the day?  Maybe we have too much jewelry.

I decided to declutter my jewelry and get rid of the old necklaces and earrings I no longer wear.  Unfortunately, I'm somewhat sentimentally attached to some of the pieces.  This weekend, I hit on  a plan that I think will work to deal with the unwanted, unneeded jewelry.  I pulled a gallon plastic baggie from the kitchen drawer and strategically positioned within easy reach of the jewelry drawer in the bedroom to hold any jewelry I know I don't wish to keep.  I separated the items I know I've worn in the past week--a few sets of earrings and one necklace--and now whenever I choose a different ring, earring or necklace to wear, I place it with the "yes, I've worn it and love it" items.  At the end of a specific period of time (maybe a month?), I'll know with certainty what jewelry I actually wear and what I don't.  I've done this experiment with my clothing and as you can guess, it was an excellent, unbiased exercise in discovering what I really like and wear.  I have a feeling that I will be dropping quite a few pieces into that gallon baggie which will then be placed in the bags reserved for the thrift shop.

Join me in decluttering your jewelry box!

Winter Cleaning, Part 4

I haven't really made that much progress in cleaning, but I want to celebrate the little that I've accomplished.

• I conquered my hall closet! It used to be an inefficient and disorganized hodge-podge of boxes and random things that I just threw in there when I first moved into the apartment. Now, it holds some well-organized plastic bins of long-term storage, as well as all the large items that I stock in bulk and use all the time (diapers, paper towels, etc.) and my games (readily available to be enjoyed by any guests that we might have in the future).
• I found my random magazines and put them all together on a shelf, ready to be gone through and then disposed of.
• I got rid of two magazines already! The break area at work is always full of old magazines, and it turns out that people just bring them in and leave them there once they are done with them, and others can read them there on break or even take them home if desired. I can put some of my magazines there, but I doubt Vogue and wedding magazines will be very popular at a large technical company populated primarily by middle-aged male rednecks.
• I made chicken-rice stew from scratch! It made me happy just to be cooking (with my crock pot, no less) but it also helped reduce clutter in my kitchen because it called for some items that were about to expire and needed to be used. This was a new recipe, and while it is reasonably tasty, I found it kind of bland and so I will tweak things and adjust it before recommending it to anyone. Note: This is often the case with new recipes.

It does get depressing and overwhelming at times, but I remind myself that I really am doing what I need to do, and it's better to do a thorough job and really go through all those boxes, rather than just keep moving them from place to place and then avoiding them by shoving them out of sight in the bowels of a closet.

Winter Cleaning, Part 3

The Little Bug has been sick since the weekend, so that has put a damper on my cleaning frenzy. However, I've managed to do a little organization and decluttering.

• I have given away two books already!
• I made a pile of items that actually belong to my ex-husband and I'll hand them over to him when he visits in a few weeks.
• I made a pile of books that I will give away or sell once I have finished reading them. You know those books that are always lying around in boxes or on your bookshelves, and you feel guilty because you spent money on them, or someone gave them to you as a gift, yet you've never actually read them, but you feel as if you can't just get rid of them (because you spend money on them or received them as gifts)? Yes, THOSE books. Well, I've given myself an ultimatum and a deadline. I bought those books, or people gave them to me, for a reason, and that reason is probably that they contain valuable information and I would enjoy reading them. So I'll read them instead of I Can Has Cheezburger sites or something. I'm going to read those books, acquire the knowledge within them, and then send them out into the world to enrich other people's lives. And if I start a book and then realize that I don't like it and don't want to finish it, I've given myself permission to just send that book along on its way. I'm 1/3 of the way through The Crucible of Europe since Sunday.
• I took two loads of recycling to the bins up in town, working these trips to dovetail with other errands (thus saving time and gas).

Baby steps.

Reasons

Why do people declutter their homes, lives, and environments? I'm sure there are myriad reasons for simplifying.  Colleen's post The Joys of Decluttering over at http://www.365lessthings.com/ got me thinking about why people have been writing about simplifying their lives and decluttering their homes.

• Anger.  Years ago I read the book Messies Anonymous by Sandra Felton.  She relates in the book that she first started decluttering because she was angry.  Angry at herself.  Angry that she had allowed so much clutter to live all over her house that she did not even notice the water leak in the kitchen until it had caused major damage to her floor and walls which required a very expensive repair.
• Freedom from Fear.  Many people hold on to all kinds of items out of fear for the future.  What if they can't afford to purchase another "...(you name the item).."?  They 'need' to keep either the old one or an additional new one around 'just in case'.  Usually this ends up not being cost effective because of disintegration from disuse or because when they do need the stored item, they can't find it in the clutter.  In addition, they've had to spend the resources to store whatever it is.  If you deal with the underlying fear issue, you can free yourself from fear of the future and the accompanying clutter.
• Moving.  People move. A lot.  It's unusual to meet a person who has lived in the same house or even the same neighborhood all her/his life.  Lugging all that stuff around from house to house, city to city, gets expensive.  Do the math.  If a new bed, sofa or table costs less than the price to move it, it's a better financial choice to sell it and purchase a different table, bed or sofa in your new location.  Schlepping three sets of dishes, five boxes of holiday decorations, or 25 boxes of books out of the old place, into the moving van, and back up the steps into the new spot is exhausting and expensive.  People are asking, "Do we really need all that stuff to make us happy in the new home?"
• Cleaning.  It's so much easier to clean when there's less stuff in the way.
• Desire for Peaceful Living.  Face it.  Living in clutter is not peaceful.  People who are decluttering and simplifying their physical spaces are finding out just how much their surroundings affect their ability to relax.  When their space is uncluttered, their minds can be at peace.

If you're on a decluttering kick, what is your motivation?

Decluttering Tip: Footwear

I had some gently used shoes that I wanted to clear from my closet. They were still in good condition, but no longer useful to wear to work, which is the only use I had for them. I donated them to Soles for Souls (www.soles4souls.org), and that organization will provide them to someone who needs them and can put them to good use.

Unless you live in a very remote area of the continental United States, Soles for Souls will probably have a donation location available near you. Go to their website and search if you would like to find one.

You can clean out your closet and do some good at the same time.

Lovin' it!

We two here at Willow's Cottage decluttered and cleaned out the shed this morning.

Gone is a really large box of stuff.  And our recycle and trash bins are fuller than they were this morning.

It's a GREAT feeling to be so many pounds lighter!

Still working

Hey, y'all! I'm still working on those home projects, including trouble-shooting on one that turned out to be not as child-proof as I'd expected. When your child is a genius, you are the proudest mom on the block but also the mom that has to be the most hyper-vigilant.

Just didn't want you to think that I forgot.

Setting up home

Hi, all! I haven't posted for a while, but I did want to mention that I've been working on some homemaking tasks, which tend to be somewhat challenging for me. I excelled in physics and ancient Greek, but keeping a clutter-free home is a difficult problem for me to solve.

In the process of tackling the above problem, I have discovered the truth of my father's highly regarded platitude, "Many tasks can be made simple, as long as you have the right tools." Getting the correct tools for cleaning and organization have begun to make all the difference in my homemaking routine.* I am hoping to have commentary with pictures up by this weekend.


*Now, if only I can figure out how to clone myself and/or obtain a timeturner, I'll be all set.

A Little Decluttering

Most days, I look around my little home and think, "Yikes, it's cluttered again! How did that happen?" Clutter has a way of creeping up on me. I don't notice the piles of mail and paper, and then all of a sudden, those piles are spread out on the table or counter.

The same kind of creeping happens in bathrooms, except that the process is much slower. I buy back up toothpaste, shampoo and soap and those items need to be stored somewhere. I do not like cluttered and crowded cupboards, so I work at striking a happy medium between storing supplies I purchase on sale and keeping the shelves uncluttered.

This week I am focusing my attention on the guest bathroom. I decluttered some outdated items and reorganized what is left. I suppose that a true minimalist would not have done what I did: I found three small baskets on a sale at a craft store, bought them (50% off!), and replaced two large, old, tattered cardboard boxes that I have used for years to hold Bactine, bandaids and other first aid supplies. Because I had decluttered those shelves, all the useful bath items now fit in the baskets. The bathroom cupboard looks neater and cleaner. And color coordinated. I like the look of a minimal, uncluttered, green and white bathroom.

Join me in decluttering the bathrooms in your home, and then tell me what you've done so we can celebrate simplicity together!