Saturday, November 9, 2024

The decluttering continues

AH—those DHs and their set ways!!! This will NEVER be a dining room! But be sure to read to the end—the office may eventually have another purpose, and I approve!

Look at Murphy! She needs different things to entertain her brain, so she climbed on a rock in the forest! 

MOM -- look at me!! 

How fitting was this bit of wisdom in my Yogi tea yesterday? 

A fitting quote


Based on that and the fact the date of my adventure was changed, I decided to hit the office with a vengeance! I could hear you cheering me on, so I went for it. And besides the thought of having a flat surface for that puzzle? I'm in! 

I found magazines from 2014. The newsmakers of 2014. A lot different from today's newsmakers - just a mere 10 years ago. But who is on the cover then and now? Yep -- that would be Taylor Swift!

Old magazine

An "ancient" and well-used paper. Stained, ripped, torn, and now in the recycling. 


Good grief - I kept this?


I mostly stumbled upon brochures from another show! This time, it was the Houston Quilt Show—not one year's worth of brochures, but two years. I collected them when I worked for the fabric company, and we were always on the lookout for new designers. 

Pattern designer brochures

I had to empty my recycling, which became so full and heavy!

The recycling bin is full


Some of the brochures were in their original packaging. YES—shame on me for collecting all that stuff and NEVER acting on most of it! It was such a waste, but I have no regrets. It is what it is, and it's all in the recycling. Except I did keep this bag, as that tree could be used in journal-making! I'm allowed to keep a few things!!! I'm more excited about dealing with this now than having to deal with it if I were to move. I cannot imagine dealing with this because I HAVE to, rather than I WANT to, and with no set deadline! 

A cool image on a paper bag

Oh my—I have a fond memory of Deborah and me doing a schoolhouse on striped fabric and digital prints. I took a picture, but the card is gone. 

Schoolhouse invite

I kept plugging away, and YES, I did consolidate some of the stuff, but look!!!!! I can definitely put a small puzzle together in that space. 

Open space on the desk

I consolidated some of the junk on top of the filing cabinet to free up space on the desk. But it's all in containers, and it's easy to grab a container at a time. Well, that's my reading bag out front. 


Three containers of stuff 

This stuff is still on the floor, and I will try to deal with it today. I need to address this before I move on to the next pile, or I'll make a bigger mess. 


Stuff to deal with today


I chuckled when I went through all those pattern designers. This company has nutcracker patterns. I remember years ago when I coveted EVERY nutcracker pattern that existed. Why? I've not made one of them, but I NEEDED them. 


Nutcracker patterns


Somewhere along the line, I got this idea that I have to do EVERYTHING, or READ everything, or collect everything. I remember saying as a kid (I lived a VERY sheltered life in the country until Grade 6 and even then) that I would read EVERY BOOK in the world. I had yet to learn how many books there were and how many authors, and the numbers are growing by the day! No one told me, which in some ways is good, but in others, someone should have said - there is only so much you can do! Read the good books first! 

While pitching and purging, I came across these from my daily quote page calendar (2017). I thought it was appropriate for what I was doing. 

Quote of the day

Ah, Jen Kingwell, she was in my life way back in 2016! I didn't know how many of her patterns we would do as sew-alongs at that time! We are on our FOURTH Jen Kingwell pattern, although I taught one of the quilts twice! Let's just say that her quilts are challenging and leave it at that! 

Jen Kingwell


Wait, I have one of her classes this morning, and I do not want to give anyone FOMO, but this is such a great class. Her pattern was written for hand piecing, but no one (wait - we have one lady) will handpiece it. Some of the blocks are IMPOSSIBLE, however, I'm breaking them down into various techniques and providing the information back to the group. I dare anyone to say they are NOT getting their money's worth from that class fee! I introduce a new technique or style to replicate the hand-pieced blocks every month! This is a fortunate group indeed!!! 

And then we have the easy quilts. I swear these two, along with log cabins, are so common that we should just have a website for super-easy quilts, have someone write a good pattern, and be done with it. How many of the same patterns do we need? 

Super easy quilt - 9-patch and hourglass block or 9-patch set on point

Half square triangles

I found this pattern. I know some people require a pattern—I totally get that. But some of these are so simple—squares and half-square triangles—that a pattern is really not needed. The beauty of these easy ones is that you can easily make them any size you want by adding blocks or making the block sizes larger or smaller! 


Simple pattern

I am lucky that my brain works in quilting like a duck takes to water. I get it, and I keep reminding myself that some people struggle. So, that pattern above? It's up for grabs if anyone wants it. 

I found this, and I have no idea what it's for. It says salt in multiple languages around the edges. 

What is this?


I was going to ask you what it was for, but then I decided to check with Google. OH MY GOSH—this is for the dishwasher. But what do I do with it? I guess I had better read the instruction manual! I took it out of the garbage, and I'll check the manual! 



I was on a roll, so I excavated a few more boxes and bags from the back of the desk. Those are all dealt with now. 


More stuff to deal with


Seriously? A box of oversized golf tees? What does one do with those? They went in the donation box. 

Oversized golf tees


And I had to empty the recycling bin a second time! 

The recycling bin is full again!



Remember me saying that I had to handle everything without just chucking it? I found MONEY!!! It was in a travel brochure from 2015 when I rented a house in PEI for a month. I suspect I know how it got there. A friend visited on that trip, and I likely bought something, and she paid me in cash. There was $60!!! And I found a $100 gift certificate the other day. No expiry date on it, and for a local shop that is still in existence. I'm going back to see if they will honor it!! 


Money

This is my clear area now! And yes, I want to get into those two remaining ends of the desk and keep digging! However, I was starting to hold onto too many pieces of paper, and I knew I was getting tired. 


WOW!!!!


I made amazing progress. While I still have paper to deal with, I made huge leaps and bounds in getting rid of stuff. I'm extremely excited about that. The big thing was that most of it was garbage—or should I say worthless junk that I had collected over the years. There were no action items, no earth-shattering stuff—just junk. And it's gone!!! 

Now, I must deal with odds and ends, which keep getting consolidated into a box. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and use the garbage bin wisely when I get there. But I must take some time every day. This is actually one of the most freeing things I've done. Dare I say (and I'm a chocolate lover) that the satisfaction is way better than what I get from chocolate! GASP!!!

I'm giving a lecture on Monday on Modern quilts and even found some of my notes related to the lecture. Sigh. 

I also found these dots in the nick of time! I use them to indicate the blocks I've assigned in the pattern, as in my Dear Jen quilt. So, how timely was that? They will go in a safe place (the desk drawer, where they belong) so I can find them each month. 

My little dots are found!


It is so unbelievable that I allowed myself to dig this hole. I like to pile papers on each other; before I know it, they are buried. I wouldn't have time to deal with the paper, and then it was out of sight and out of mind. I'm remembering almost everything I find! But do I need to keep it? Nope!!! Think of how much brain space I'm freeing at the same time as I clear the physical space! 

There are two large buckets of paper on the desk that I want to tackle next. One is of the current paper, which might slow me down as I find things I'm supposed to do, but there's also more junk. I can feel it!! And the other is a bucket of filing. Good god --- there's no room in the filing cabinet to file it, so that will be a bit slower. But YES - I know most of this stuff no longer needs to be kept, so it should go relatively fast. First, sort the bills and other paperwork by category, find the appropriate folder in the filing cabinet, and then PURGE. 

I have three Zoom classes today and two tomorrow, so I doubt I'll have time this weekend. I really need to be sitting at the computer writing, so I may have to leave the decluttering for a bit. OK—I get excited on the walks with the girls, anticipating coming back to the office to declutter more. What is happening to me? 

But the important thing is that I'm not just tossing. I'm learning from what I see, and that's the most important thing. Whenever I go to a trade show, or anywhere, I try to pick up NOTHING. I take pictures to check out their websites, but I pick up NOTHING. Accept NOTHING free, as it will become clutter. Now -- if it's something that you can use, then by all means take it. But if you don't have an immediate purpose, just say NO!!!!

All the homework and presentations are done for today. Wait, there's a bit more tweaking I want to do on the final one today, so I have time to make that happen. 

But look at my scrap box after making the blocks. It's so pretty!!! I'll share the photos tomorrow of my quilt blocks after the group has seen them. 

My scrap box


If you're struggling to get motivated to tackle a drawer or a door, try verbalizing it! I verbalize through my blog, trust me, that's a HUGE motivator. Even talking about it can help. And if your SO isn't on board and won't listen, talk to me!! 

DH has a few things in his office that need to go, and I keep talking about how much space I will have. He even mentioned at dinner that he needs to clean his space. I think he let it go because he saw how bad my office was, and now he doesn't want to be the messy one. 

DH was so impressed (GASP) at how much progress I've made; he even suggested I put a hospital bed in here for him for when he can't make the stairs - he has bad knees. I said I'd order one today for him and put my stuff in the bedroom, which is about four times the size of the office! I could dance amongst my crap! He said he wasn't quite ready! But now that he's put that bug in my ear - I won't forget that! Be careful what you wish for! 

On that note, I'm out of here! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!



Friday, November 8, 2024

The JOYS of decluttering

Thanks for all those fantastic comments and suggestions!! I guess I could safely say that the art of decluttering has now become a daily routine in my life! I'm excited about that, but I'd rather spend the time sewing. However, the new "clean" house makes me want to do more, so getting rid of the junk is very positive. 

I had some work to do in the office, and I actually had an OPEN flat surface upon which to do that work. The surface is nice and clear this morning, but it was a euphoric moment to know that I enjoy being in this space and can use it! 

Speaking of SOs, whose glasses are half-empty regarding decluttering, I mentioned at dinner that I was making massive progress in the office. DH's only comment was, "Oh—maybe we can eat in there sometime." We are NOT and have NEVER been the kind of people who eat in a dining room. I've used this room as an office for 21 years. This was another "if looks could kill, I'd be a widow" moment. In our previous house, the dining room was M's play area. 

If a room is designated as something, that's how he sees it, even if it sat empty for 21 years. Sigh --- and now you wonder why we don't travel together.

However, we get along like peas in a pod regarding EXIT Games. More on that in a minute. 

I have to share what I did yesterday. While I did NOT set the timer for 20 minutes, I gathered one pile of the crap I had uncovered, and I QUICKLY went through it. I touched each piece, and then it was GONE. I think I kept ONE map from the pile of stuff from the bicycle show, and the rest is history. It took all of FIVE minutes. I was jumping for joy after that little bit of decluttering. 

Here's one thing that I found. Seriously? The schedule for the Chi-Cheemaun ferry from 2014? There's ABSOLUTELY no need to keep this. This is the kind of stuff that I'm talking about when I say—do that fast sweep through the house and get rid of things that are absolutely ridiculous to still have in your possession!!! Get that recycling or garbage bag out—I know there is an easy bin or box full that you can get rid of! 

A ridiculous thing I uncovered

I've made headway on the second stack and hope to finish it today. 

The second stack of paper


Oh gosh—I even found a maintenance bill for my car—two cars ago. That went in the shredding pile. 

An old bill

The sooner the mess gets cleaned up, the better to get some time back in my day. WAIT -- that won't happen because I'll need to start at the top of the house and continue the decluttering until we have nothing (or mostly nothing left in the house). It's weird how I'm starting to look at this with a very different eye. How long has that decorative item been there? Do we need/want it? Some more stuff will be put in the donation box! It's addictive, and I LOVE it. 

These are the piles of stuff that were in the office and are now headed out the door when I get a chance. Hopefully, I can make a run to the thrift store today. 

The donation pile


This stuff is sitting in the Pony Express staging area. However, I need to open that white plastic tub and share its contents with you in case anyone wants something from it. Nothing in there currently has a home. It's not my stuff, and I need to get that cleaned up!

The Pony Express staging area

This looks like a disaster, but it's the kitchen island. There is some paper there as I need it to wrap some decorative items for the donation box. 

Things on the kitchen island to go

Then, I took a few more minutes and reviewed the daily CD stack. Seriously? This raises the question of why I have some of this stuff. 

In the early days of embroidery software, there was a separate program to convert formats between machines. OK—that's not a problem, EXCEPT. I only ever had one brand of machine. Don't ask why, as I've no idea why I have it. 

File conversion software

When I opened it up, it was a floppy disk. 

A floppy disk


A typing tutor? I don't think I need that. Garbage!

Typing tutor?


I also found a promotional CD for Husqvarna Viking sewing machines. The thing is that it was for the Designer SE, which I never had. Perhaps I was dreaming of owning it. I opened it up to see if there were any design files on it, but nope—it was just videos in an old format—so old that it would have been a pain to get them to open, so that's in the garbage. 

Promo video - GONE!

While walking the girls, I thought about the office and the mess. It's a much smaller mess than it's ever been, which is making me very happy. I also thought how nice it would be to work here with the emptier workspaces; we've only scratched the surface. Then I thought about what else I could do in the office, and that nice flat desktop came to mind. Wouldn't that be a nice place to set up a jigsaw puzzle? It's on the main floor, so Miss Lexi could hang out with me. I'd be closer to DH if he's watching TV, and if I happen to cook (GASP), I'm right beside the kitchen. 

So I started looking at the stuff on it. I found fabric in the two containers hiding behind the garbage bin. Those would be perfect for my Dear Jen project, so they went downstairs. 


Fabric in the office! 


Now, I could move all that stuff off and have the desktop free immediately, or I could devote that 20 minutes a day to get rid of more stuff. Be RUTHLESS. Which do I want more - the space to lay out a jigsaw puzzle or to continually stare and store this mound of paper crap? Let's see how that goes as I'm heading into another busy period and won't have much extra time, but I could spare 20 minutes a day! 

This is our current EXIT Game puzzle. The box contains four small jigsaw puzzles, and with only 88 pieces, it was a snap to put together. I bought this one used from the thrift store. The people must not have liked it, as they got to puzzle two and stopped. So the game is intact, and we can play. 

The current EXIT Game

We have solved the first three puzzles and all is good! OH - when I say all is good, the puzzles have given us lots to think about. They are doable, but we get much discussion out of them and lots of thinking! How the designers dream up the puzzles is beyond me. They are super creative!!!! And I celebrate each successful solution joyously. DH is a little less exurburiant than I am. He probably thinks he found the jackpot of lunatics. Hey -- you have to be enthusiastic about life because otherwise, it would be pretty boring. 

This game gives you options. You get TWO items and must choose -- the garlic or the tomato? The hammer or the sharp peg? You have no idea why you will need them later. And there's a handy backpack to "put" them in. We went with the garlic and the hammer. Did we choose wisely? I guess we'll find out. 
Our items in the backpack



I have three Zoom classes tomorrow and then two more on Sunday. The two on Sunday are easy to prep for, although I'd like to do a bit more machine embroidery. 

But I made leaps and bounds of progress on those for tomorrow, so that is good. My priority is those that are classes versus just a show-and-tell, which are the two on Sunday. The pictures are ready to load into the second one, and all is good. 

I was going on an adventure today, but my friend texted me that she was ill, so I'll stay home and go on the adventure next week by myself. That's OK. I'm kind of glad to have the extra day. But holy, I rarely check my cell phone until about 9 a.m. I know—I am NOT married to the thing. But I glanced at it early this morning and saw her note. Thank goodness because otherwise, my morning would have been totally different. 

Miss Lexi was lazing on the couch again. It's funny how she initially would NOT go near the couch. OK—she wasn't allowed, but once DH let her up, she thought the entire thing was hers. It's a mess, and I don't sit on it! Miss Murphy came in, and I encouraged her to get on the couch. No—she won't stay, but I think in the 60 seconds she was on, Lexi was NOT impressed. 



MOM -- her tail is fluffing me! 


And after Murphy got off, Lexi moved to where Murphy had been sitting. Just in case, she decided to get up again! 

Oh, and as I was working on the weekend homework, which involved sewing, I finished this small sample that had been sitting on my project table for a month or so. Yeah! One more thing is gone. 



Small sample - DONE



So all is good, and I'll be able to get all the presentations done and the notifications sent out today with no stress. I probably won't quilt a quilt today just to keep the pressure off, but you never know. I'll see how the decluttering goes. Imagine if I didn't have to do this! But I'm falling into a nice routine that works for me. While I sound pleased about it (and I am), there's still much work, mainly in the office. But I'm motivated for that clear desktop! 

Here's another essential thing to keep in mind. I have NOT once regretted getting rid of something. Not ONCE!!!! I'm mostly questioning how I managed to accumulate so much stuff, and the minute it was in my house, it vanished into thin air. Or at least I couldn't see it! WOW!!! I guess I better thank my Mom for this wake-up call! After seeing her messes (multiple houses worth) and currently working on the third, I refuse to fall into that trap! 

Hopefully, you are all madly working away at getting rid of stuff. You must be done with the drawers by now, so it's time to move on to a door. There are loads in the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry room, wherever, but pick a door and get to it!!! Set that timer if you have to! I also downloaded Messie Condo's book again. I'll try to listen to it this weekend. It's only THREE hours, it's extremely funny (but brutally blunt) and, for me, extremely motivating! I might stand over the desktop with a garbage bag and the recycling bin as I listen. What could I accomplish in three hours? 

Murphy alerted me that it was 7 a.m., and she needed to go out. It's more of a want than a need, but 7 a.m. is when they are allowed out. When I walked into the office, I felt excited at how it looked! Seriously? What has gotten into me? What will I do when the desk and the table top are clear? I might just move my bed down! Just kidding! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here to finish something today!!!



Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Decluttering - digging deep

Well, I will have to put my money where my mouth is because I have a situation that needs to be addressed soon, which involves decluttering. 

Remember I said there were a couple more containers on the floor in the office? They hide behind my recycling and garbage can, so they often get forgotten. 

The junk containers hiding behind the garbage

I found room on the desktop for the two vertical containers. 

Three containers full of what? 

I decided to open the box underneath. Oh my -- what's in these bags? 

What's in those bags?

OH  -- I needed these decluttering lessons ten years ago! So while I had just scratched the surface of decluttering 10 years ago, that did NOT stop me from picking up crap! Yes, the paper in those two bags was from BICYCLE SHOWS from 2015 and 2016. I brought all that crap home and NEVER once looked at it again!! SHAME ON ME!!!

Brochures and maps from a bicycle show

Underneath the bags was more paper!!! I am an accumulator of paper for sure. 

More paper


OK, so let's step back a moment and evaluate this. Yes, I should take the entire lot and toss it in the recycling. However, I am unable to do that! I know—call me crazy—but I'm slow and methodical, and I need to touch and look at each piece. I can't help it. Maybe I'll get over that one day. 

However, I can go through it quickly, and here's something that I need to take to heart. When I read Messie Condo's book, called Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die, her philosophy behind the book is decluttering for DEATH. It's all about what you want to leave behind (or not), so I will keep her thoughts in my head as I "quickly" sift through those two stacks and toss them. 

Bicycle or tourist maps from various regions throughout Quebec and Ontario. Do I need them? No, so I don't need to store them, like I have for ten years. 

What's really sad is that I NEEDED to pick up all those maps at the show. How many other people also picked up those items, and how much of it got used? We are such a WASTEFUL society. Just to show you that I can, I just picked up a handful of brochures, and after a quick perusal, they are now in the recycling. It's all about baby steps, and I MUST LEARN to let go. I'm trying hard, and I've come so far; everything I toss is helping me reach my destination. 

I hear some of you struggle with my slow speed. "Why not go faster, dump all the paper, and be done in less than one hour?" I can't. I'm learning to let go. Others are saying, "Why bother cleaning it at all? Let someone else do it." I am more responsible and more respectful of others than to leave this mess to someone else. 

The issue with hoarding tendencies, and, let's be honest, it's related to mental health (both the cause and the effect) and our desire to possess stuff, even if it's useless or the piles have become so large that we don't even know what we have. We must deal with it in a way that works for us. I'm slow and methodical, but I know I'll get there. And I'm learning, at the same time, how to organize and NOT let stuff accumulate again. Others might go fast and dump it all but learn nothing, and the clutter becomes an issue again. We all have to find what works for us. I have a MILD case of hoarding, but each time I walk into this office, I feel calm, and I'm not done yet! I wish I could explain that better or allow you to feel the difference between walking into your personal space when it's a mess and when it's not! You cannot believe the difference. 

Here's my garbage. It was emptied yesterday, and now I get to start all over again! I have another stack of CDs to go through this morning, and that box definitely has a lot of room in it now. 

The garbage bin is filled with CD junk


What is challenging is time. I am easily distracted—probably because there is so much that needs to be taken care of, and I struggle to focus. I'm of the mindset that ANYTHING I get tidied up, even if it's a bit, is better than not doing anything. Those unfocused moments have led to a much nicer space to work in, and so I can't complain. There are so many ways to do something that no one is right. 

I'm not sure what your weather is like, but I walked to the UPS depot to drop off another box, and it was so beautiful that I was in shorts. Has anyone looked at the date on the calendar? I had to take my sweatshirt off because I was sweating! 

Shorts in November


Then I stopped in at the mall to find a pair of flip-flops for the gym, as mine broke the other day. No flip-flops, but the Christmas decorations are out! With the help of my friends, I found out I can order the flip-flops and have them ready for pickup at the mall in a day or so. I'll take care of that later today. 

Christmas decorations at the mall


One more customer quilt is done! 

Customer quilt

I also did quite a bit of work on the Dear Jen project, and I hope the worst of the homework prep is over for this month. The quilt was initially hand-pieced with templates. The book provides minimal instructions and no cutting directions, so I'm recreating the blocks and providing details. It's a bit consuming, but all is good. 

I'm on an adventure tomorrow, so I must be heads-down today. I only have time to work on Dear Jen. But if I finish early, which I just might, then I can prep the next quilt or splice that darn video together. 

So much to do, so little time!!! 

As you are decluttering today, here are a couple of thoughts. You'll find these in Messie's book, but I had also thought of some of them as I've been cleaning these last ten years. She goes into much more detail in her book. 

1. Remove all emotion from the process. It's just stuff. Take a picture and move on. I did NOT say these thoughts were easy!

2. If you haven't used it (like my ten-year-old brochures), you can live without it. TOSS!

3. If you feel there is stuff you would like to keep for memory reasons, but the items will have ZERO meaning when you are gone. - put that stuff in a box (try to keep the box small). Label it as such. "When I am dead (let's be realistic - we are going to die), toss this box. No need to look inside, it's just meaningfully to me." Again, Messie goes into great detail on this process, so if you haven't read the book, you should just keep in mind the F-bombs in it. 

4. Even if you like a cluttered home (I ask myself why you would want something that drags you down, prevents you from inviting people into your home, etc.), you can have lots of stuff around but have it neat and tidy. Just like our grandmothers used to do when they had thousands of knick-knacks in the house, it was neat and tidy - cluttered, but neat and tidy. 

5. If you have a SO who doesn't want to get rid of stuff, get them to read Messie's book. Or better yet, read it together at dinner. Talk about it—why don't they want to get rid of stuff? Talk about responsibility. How would they feel if the things they were hoarding belonged to the children? Would they tolerate that mess? 

6. Above all, if you or the SO have NOT touched something in ten years, it's time to get rid of it. Now, that timeline might be different depending on your house. I know one reader, that time frame would be 3 months! But for the rest of us just getting our feet wet, we need more extended time frames to help break this down. 

7. Have RATIONAL discussions with your kids when they are over. Get them to help the other partner realize what is happening. It's a challenge—trust me, I know, having dealt with it and continue to deal with it with my mother. However, in her case, the more she gives up, the more she wants to - or so I keep telling myself. It's tough, but someone down the road is going to have to do the cleaning, and I doubt your kids want that job on top of their already crammed daily lives. 

I pulled this off the internet. It is NOT funny. It's a sign of a serious hoarding issue. Who is going to deal with that? 


Well, after that -- it's time to go. I have convinced myself to take 20 minutes today to review those two paper piles. Let's see how I do on that assignment. If it's successful, I might just do a 20-minute tidy-up every day - just to sort through some of this paper I've accumulated and know I don't need, but I want to see it one last time before it goes. I would have NOTHING in this office (well, almost nothing) if I could get rid of the useless paper! I CAN DO IT!!! I'm just slow. 


And on that note, I'm out of here!  


Have a super day!!!


Ciao!!!