Decluttering is FUN!!!!

I'm going to have to change my blog from quilt-focused to decluttering-focused. 

I'm obsessed and can't open any drawer or door without looking at the contents and thinking I need to get rid of something. And if you do little bits at a time, it takes little time. 

So, while I prepped and wrote, I spent the morning doing something else. I've already been up very early and made some exciting changes in the office, which you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see as there's too much already for today. 

But let's say that I'm super excited. 

It all started because I needed a lightbulb. Lightbulbs have a habit of burning out and must be replaced. The lightbulbs are stored in a box on a shelf in the laundry room. I opened the doors and extracted the box; this is what else is in that cupboard. What a hodgepodge of stuff, and so hard to reach over the dryer. 

The contents of a cupboard in the laundry room

There's the box of lightbulbs that I removed. How many spare lightbulbs does one house need? 

A box of lightbulbs

There were a lot of cans of spray paint on that shelf, some ant and wasp spray (which we use), wood glue (two bottles because I couldn't find it and had to buy a new one), and THREE cans of WD-40—probably the same thing happened but twice. 

All those items are now on the bottom shelf where they are easier to reach without a stool, except for the one can of bug spray, which is too tall for the bottom shelf. I think we can live with this, and now the only things on that shelf are things we use. However, if you know someone who wants a can or two of WD40, they are up for grabs, or even the wood glue. I only need one of each! I hate throwing them out and can't donate them, so if you know someone who can use them, great. If not, I may put the extras in the hazardous waste. In the "before" photo, stuff was right to the back of the cupboard. Now, the stuff just sits along the front edge. There is nothing in behind. I think I've died and gone to heaven. OH - U did move things a little bit so I could return the box of lightbulbs to this shelf. 

The after of the laundry room cupboard

I also found lightbulbs for lights we no longer own. And a scented thing to put on a lightbulb? Both are gone. 

Odd things I found

Also, in the lightbulb box and that same cupboard, I found these: a mass of extension cords. Good grief—how many does one household need? 

Extension cords

I have my heavy-duty ones in the basement, stored in a box, so I wrapped these all up and kept ONE. The rest are in the donation box. 

All tidied up

There is a light fixture in the office that takes three bulbs, but only one was still working, and it was a low-wattage bulb, so when that light was on, it was dark and depressing in this room. 

So I added a second one, and WOW—it's like daytime in here, and it makes the place feel so much better. 

What a difference a lightbulb can make

The lightbulb I originally intended to change never got changed, but new bulbs went in the lights over the garage and this lamp, so all is good! I'll try to remember to change the one in the bathroom later today! 

But there was much to be done in the office. OH -- here's the other thing about my new decluttering habits. In the past, I would have pulled those extension cords out, and they would have sat for days before I tackled them, but they have already been dealt with. There's no time to leave crap lying around - deal with it NOW! 

I was tired of seeing DH's basket of medical stuff on the kitchen table. It needs to be there, but it could be in a nicer container. I had emptied this box the other day from the office, and it was sitting here empty. Guess what? All his stuff fits like a charm, and it looks much nicer on the table! 

A pretty box can hide essentials

Also, I found two tape dispensers and rolls of tape in that cupboard. One of the dispensers doesn't work well, and I didn't take the time to find out which one. I have a drawer of tape in the basement, so it all got relegated to the basket from the meds. It is now downstairs, so I can keep all the "like" things together! This may find another home, but for the moment, it's downstairs. 

All the tape we own

I'm stunned at how much tape I have, how many lightbulbs there are, etc. You go to the store and buy because you think you don't have it, and then when you start sorting, you realize you might never have to buy tape again! Unless I'm moving. But there will be so few boxes to seal that I might be good! 

I also cleaned out several CDs, so the stack is getting smaller, and I'll be glad to remove that box from the table. I found a recovery disk with data from 2008. I don't think I will need that, so it and others went in the garbage. I found one disk with photos on it, which were transferred to the external hard disk. 

Can you imagine someone else doing this? They would just toss everything, and rightly so. This is MY mess, and ONLY I AM RESPONSIBLE for it. So it makes sense that I should be responsible for cleaning it up! That's how most of us were raised, and that's how we raised our children, right? 

Data from 2008

As I mentioned, lots more happened here, but I'll share that with you tomorrow. Again, these little memes are supposed to be funny, but they are not! We need to deal with this stuff NOW. 

I'm unsure if this boost in the office came from finally talking myself into getting it done or listening to Messie Condo's book TWICE. But she sure puts a perspective on things. As you hold something in your hand, I can hear her words, and I think—what the heck am I keeping this for? Recycling or garbage! 

Again, I can't reiterate enough the calm I'm feeling because I'm finally taking charge of this mess. I feel invincible and can do anything, and I CAN!!! 

I love this quote - it goes with my philosophy about learning. You can never learn too much. 

So, Miss Lexi is terribly traumatized by Murphy. Although they play together in the morning when I put my shoes on, something terrible happened in the kitchen that day. Last night, when we were eating pizza and OK—so we give them some of the crusts to munch on—Lexi wouldn't even come near the kitchen. Murphy sat patiently, but Lexi, who usually sits under the table, was hiding in her kennel. No coaxing would bring her out. 

It seems obvious that their fight was about food, but there was nothing specific that we could see unless DH was lying. He was heating up his dinner when the fight broke out. Poor Lexi—she is getting lots of extra love these days, and hopefully, she'll come out of her shell. But her behavior is bizarre. 

She likes to be outside when Murphy is not, and I felt sorry for her as she curled up on the deck. It was NOT cold, and she's a Husky - the weather is just fine for her. 

Happy to be outside ALONE!

We usually have a mat outside the backdoor, but it had to be thrown out when the glass tabletop shattered, leaving shards on the mat. So I went to the mall and bought her a new one. 

Lexi's new mat

She immediately lay down on it, so I think she missed it! 

You have heard of porch pirates—they steal delivered packages from people's front steps. Knock on wood, but we've never had that issue. Our front door is somewhat sheltered, and the step is high, so anything small isn't noticeable. But look at this!!!

A porch pirate dream

I'm standing on the sidewalk, and just a few feet away is the delivered package. The delivery person couldn't even be bothered to wing it up to the front door. It's in a bubble wrapper, so it would have been fine. That's an invitation to take it! I did not, but I'm just saying! 

As we get older, I find it easy to bruise my fingers. You grasp something weird or too tight, and you get a twinge and a bit of a bruise. Yesterday, I was just leaving the house with Murphy and holding her leash. She was not tugging hard, but I felt this twinge in my hand, and before I knew it, I had swelling, and a large bruise had developed by the end of the day. 

Ouch

Good grief - it even spread to the insides of my two fingers. 

While it didn't really hurt, it was uncomfortable for a bit, and today, it's just fine, although the bruise is still there. It's one of those aging things, I suppose. I just have to be careful, as I need my hands! 

When I was at the mall, it was about 3:15, and Santa was coming at 4! People were getting ready—I did not wait! 

Getting ready for Santa

I got a little behind in my writing because of what happened in the morning, but that's OK. I've got time. I just need to set that timer for 20 minutes and attack, then stop. It used to take me a while to get started, now when I start, I can't stop! But that's OK - I'll eventually run out of things to sort, and I'll be twiddling my thumbs! I doubt that very much! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have two Zooms tomorrow and nothing today, so I should be able to accomplish lots! 

Have fun with the decluttering process. I have convinced myself that it's fun. Here is another sobering fact about clutter—the amount of dirt and dust I uncover is UNBELIEVABLE. Think of all that dust going into your lungs. It just feels dirty, so I've been dusting away, and things are looking much better. 

Well, I"m off. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!