When decluttering becomes an obsession

I'm in BIG trouble. I've become obsessed with tidying up. And now I'm looking at EVERYTHING to see if I want to keep it. Even things that are sitting out on display. Off with their heads! Well, more like into a box!

This is my front hall. Do we really need this table? And that unsightly chair filled with reusable grocery bags? I "can't" get rid of the chair. I made that in my Grade 12 welding class! 

Can this be tidied up?

And what about this old sewing machine that holds the dog leashes. 

The front hall

It would be nice to have a bench with buckets underneath so that all the junky stuff can be hidden away. I've thought about putting the leashes on a hook on the wall, but that's too messy for a front hall. I checked the drawers of that first table, and they are mostly filled with stuff that we don't need. DH doesn't like change, so if I changed it - he would freak out, but seriously -- we don't need both tables. Yet, I use the orange stool when I put my shoes on. Hmmm. What to do to tidy that spot up? I've got some research ahead of me. 

Where are those Property Brothers when you need them?

Then I tackled this shelf in the office. There are TWO empty drawers, but because of the weight of stuff inside the cabinet, one of the legs keeps popping off. And there was stuff on the top. So I fixed the leg once again and put away all the crap that was on top! Seriously-- my eye is drawn to this clean surface every time I walk in. It feels AWESOME. I have an idea of what to put in those two empty drawers that will clean up another area. 

The top of this shelf was decluttered

Yes, some of the stuff got moved to the table, and then I dealt with it. 

The dumping ground

No room is sacred, and I spotted this little footstool/storage thing in the bedroom. I opened it up to find a few things that well -- could be better served in another location. It was mostly handwork - a place to hide the stuff. Well, that's OK, but why am I storing it if I never touch this stuff? I don't use the footstool, so it could technically go, but there are quilts sitting on it. Does anyone want the footstool? 

A forgotten footstool

So that stuff got moved to the kitchen table as well. 

More stuff on the dumping ground

And do you see what else I found? My portable OTT light. I knew I had one, but where the heck was it? I wasn't even going to bother looking for it. 

I was going to take a portable light with me for the retreat next week (oops - I never mentioned that before - did I?). I tucked a different light in my bag since I had no idea where this one was. 

My portable light packed for retreat

So now the OTT light is packed in the knitting (GASP) bag, and I'm set. 

The OTT light is now packed for retreat

Then, I put my hiking backpack away. I know -- don't ask why it's sat out for months. This is a closet of bags and suitcases. I've already been through it once, but I bet I could go through it again and see what else I can eliminate. It's still pretty orderly, so I'm not worried, but someone might be able to use the stuff we no longer use. 

The luggage closet

And YES -- I must tackle these two remaining eye sores in the office. Yes -- just TWO remaining eyesores. There are many other things to tackle, but at least those areas are relatively neat. These two flat surfaces are pretty obvious. 

The tabletop

The desktop

Both areas look somewhat different this morning, as I've stacked the empty boxes (kept to be filled with donation stuff) and dealt with most of the paper. No pictures yet. 

I put all the paper onto the kitchen counter and flattened and folded it last night. Can schools use tissue paper for crafts? I'll have to check with a teacher. Otherwise, the rest is ready to be put away. 

Sorting and cleaning up paper

In Studio B, I'm looking for a quilt I want to finish, and the darn thing is NOT where I think it should be. But in the meantime, I found bags of half-square triangles. Some are trimmed, some are sewn, waiting to be pressed and cut. So, I processed a bit of that last night. 

Half-square triangles found in Studio B

Seriously? What is wrong with me? And for some reason, I'm way more motivated to do this when DH is not around. Why is that? He's working at the office this week, and I'm taking full advantage of that. No questions! Plus, the house is super neat and tidy when he gets home. 

Not only does the house look better (even if some of it is behind closed doors), I cannot believe the mental change that has taken over me. I feel FREE - I feel excited (OK - I was always excited), but I feel way more energized than when the house was filled with crap. We must all try to do ourselves a favor and get rid of those things we do not want. 

Decluttering is a slow and sometimes painful (physically and mentally) process to undertake. I get it -- I did NOT start this process yesterday. It's at least 12 years I've been at it. I'm finding that the more I've cleaned and tidied, the easier and faster it is to get through an area. Of course, there is less to deal with, but I've also trained my mind that I don't need this stuff. 

I'm making a mental list (I should write it down) of who deserves a quilt. If you are a quilter, you already have many quilts, so you're not on my list. But other people in my life (only a few) are not quilters and could use a quilt. So I must start going through the quilts, and I'll make a start by donating 10. These ones have no special meaning to me. I'll take pictures and document their existence on the blog - then I can have that memory forever! 

Maybe I'll make a digital book of them. But the time has come to start the cull! 

Like I said, you can't believe the freedom I'm gaining from this exercise, and the more you have to get rid of, the longer it will take, but trust me -- it's so worth it. I have this goal in mind: when it's time to move from this house, NO DOWNSIZING will be required because we'll have already downsized! That's my goal. 

My other revelation is my health. OK -- so I'm a pretty healthy person, but it seems my body will wear out before my brain does. That means one thing - I must start taking better care of my body NOW. I began by visiting the Athletic Therapist yesterday. I know I need to stretch more and do some weight training, but if I just went into the gym and started, it would be laughable, and I might be doing more damage than good. 

After hearing about the issues of my left leg, he is convinced that I've been compensating for my right knee, which I had surgery on my meniscus about eight years ago. Everything he described made perfect sense, and he feels it's totally muscular and can be corrected. Guess what? It isn't going to happen overnight, and it involves me doing some simple exercises to build my core back up. My middle area is like a bowl of jelly and is holding NOTHING in place! Now, I'll not be doing sit-ups or anything strenuous like that, but I've got a very simple set of exercises I'm supposed to do multiple times a day (so help me god - remember to do them). 

Here's the thing. I plan on living another 30-40 years. I want quality years, not stuck in a wheelchair or hobbling around. So, I HAVE to remember - there is no question. This is NOT an option. Yes - I've already done them this morning and will do them again after finishing my morning chores. Besides, who doesn't want to have a strong core! 

I finished one more writing assignment, leaving one more. However, I have other writing assignments that I also need to write, and I should just keep on writing. That would free up more table space in the office as there are buckets of stuff (grouped together) about specific topics. Yes -- I MUST continue writing every day. 

I had so much fun in Studio B this morning, doing something totally out of character for me. Let's just say that me and my digital cutter have become GOOD friends. And I'm learning Canvas Workspace - the software that goes with the cutter. Once you know ONE graphic program, they all function more or less the same. I have my Applique with a Digitual Cutter this weekend and well -- I"m excited to get them started! 

I played around with my embroidery software some more, and it's like anything: the more you do, the easier it becomes. I'm still not nearly as proficient as I want to be, but it's coming along nicely!

So what does all this mean? It means that you have to be the maker of your happiness. You also have to want to do things --- you can tell someone they should lose weight, clean up their space, take charge of their learning, or whatever YOU think they should do. Unless THEY want to do it, it'll never happen. Fortunately for me, this window opened many years ago, and it's escalating in a POSITIVE way. 

I only hope that some of my inspiration and enthusiasm can help others to go down this path (if they are not already there beside me). Some of you are ahead of me, and that's OK. We can still be friends; maybe one day, I'll catch up. But no worries -- I'm having fun, and that's all that counts.  

On that note, I'm out of here! I have so many more pictures to share, but there just isn't time!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!