The decluttering continues

Stand up, sit down!

Even though I was supposed to be at my desk, writing, I needed to get back upstairs. I wanted to continue the momentum and finish the year - well, start the new year with those rooms in order. 

This is what happened. 

While the guest room was more or less organized, some of my stuff had been moved to Studio U for the big clean-up, and some had not been put away. This was the state of the room when I walked in. 

Studio U is a bit messy

Stuff from the guest room 

These are all samples, quilts, or tote bags that must be dealt with. Some of it came from the guest room. 

More untidiness

The first thing was to open the blinds—even though it was a foggy day, let's let some light in here! 

Open the blinds!

I put all the batting and cushion forms in this closet. It still looks like a mess, but it is mainly sorted. I have pulled batting bits to use with my community project quilts. That is downstairs, and I'm happily working through the pile. As I need more, I'll raid this closet. Let's hope it'll be pretty empty by the end of 2025! The bottom line is that all the batting is together in one place, except the rolls of batting, which are in Studio B. 

The batting closet

Two large tubs in Studio U hold finished items. Good grief—what am I going to do with all of it? I need some as samples for classes, but I will never use the rest. 

A tub of finished projects

There are loads of tote bags and zippered pouches, some super cute. Look at these—they are about 2" square! 

Cube zipper pouch

I've decided to bundle some of it up and offer it to friends I see, understanding that NO ONE is allowed to take anything just because. They have to have a purpose for it, and most quilters already have piles of their own stuff. Perhaps I should load the tubs on my wagon and go up and down my street to find a home for the stuff. 

I've offered the entire two tubs (minus the few samples I need) to someone who participates in a Christmas craft fair. I think the proceeds go to their church. If that doesn't work out, I'll try to find someone who does craft fairs, and the proceeds can be donated to a food bank or something. 

I just don't want to be bothered with it! The tubs also contain zippered pouches and journal covers. 

Then, I moved the smaller quilts and samples that wouldn't fit in the tubs back to the cube shelving in the guest room. Those quilts will be donated throughout this coming year, and the samples will hopefully find a home in the empty tubs. Notice there are still FOUR empty cubes! 

Some of my stuff was moved back to the guest room

And this is what Studio U looks like now. 

A wonderful space to work

This looks much better than before. 

Neat and tidy!

Everything was put away quickly, as everything has a home! The few items on the cutting table will be donated. I just need to contact certain people to make that happen. 

A beautiful space to sew

I even woke up this morning thinking of selling my Horn cabinet, which you see in the above picture (the white sewing cabinet on the left). It's sitting in this room and not being used. I'd love to sew in that room, but the internet is practically non-existent. I could set up my travel sewing machine and sew on nice days. It's a beautiful room, and I feel bad that it isn't being used anymore. 

So, if anyone thinks they might want a new sewing table, let me know. I'd have to find a price, and it's heavy, so two people will need to move it out of the house. DH is NOT able to help at this time. 

Gosh -- it's so easy to get rid of stuff! Oh, should I say - it's so easy to let go! I'm shocking myself at what is happening. There literally won't be anything left in the house! Look out, Murphy! Look out, Lexi! Look out, DH! 

So here are some shelves in the office. The top shelf is a lot of books about decluttering and organizing. Do I need them? Maybe not, and it's almost an oxymoron at this point, but I enjoy reading them, and I'm finding a tidbit or two, so it's OK to read them. Once I'm done, they go into the recycling. 

Shelves on the bookcase in the office

By the end of 2025, I want that shelf to be empty. Here is the complete open shelving in that bookcase. It's full but neat! 

Open shelving in the office

The top shelf is filled with puzzle books and magazines. Yes, I know—how many does one need? So, if anyone is interested in some, let me know. But -- you have to use them. They cannot become clutter in your house. I believe it's mostly logic puzzles and Sudoku. I need to keep a small selection, like the equivalent of that black box, and the rest could go. Where is Yagana when I need her? 

There are three boxes on those shelves, and I'm afraid to look in them. I suspect there's a pile of junk in each. I'm not ready for the junk yet, although if I had it in one spot, Yagana could zip through it quickly. 

There are some books on the lower two shelves that I want to read. My goal is to clear much of that by the end of 2025. I'll do comparison pictures!!! I need to go HERE before I go to the library!

Good grief—I found two books people had loaned me. That's why I hate it when they insist I take their books. I can pretty much find anything at the library or online resources. No worries - these are now out and are first on the list when I need a physical book. 

Books loaned by friends

This is the open shelving on the second bookcase. It's a little bit messier and has more boxes. Who knows what is in those boxes? I'm almost afraid to open them. And all those binders? What's in the binders? 

More open shelving in the office

Oh, did you notice the empty spot on the other shelves? I have something special to put there, and hopefully, I'll organize it later today. 

Yes - I think I'll take some before pictures for New Year's Day and then compare them in one year. Let's see if I'm really making progress. I am - I'm kidding! But I want to know how much, and maybe that will be enough incentive to get the first round in this office done!!!

Speaking of progress, I made BIG progress yesterday. I did some sewing while we had a Virtual Retreat last night (we closed up just before 9 p.m.). I had done some cutting in the afternoon (more on my project tomorrow), but the design board with the pieces was NOT beside the sewing machine, and I had to get up very often to press and grab the next piece. Stand up—sit down!

But the real progress is this. 

Conquer 2024 - DONE!!!!

I did it—I walked 4,500 km this year. I won't do that again, though—I need to slow down. That was the equivalent of 12.33 km daily, which was easy on some days and challenging on others! But a stretch goal is a good thing! 

I had three days remaining to complete the job! Yesterday, all the extra steps to get to the ironing board, which is NOT close to my sewing machine, helped. Is my process inefficient? Do I care? I care more about keeping my mobility than I do about being efficient!

So all is good at my house. My leg pain has eased up - it's still there, but not nearly as intense as it was several weeks ago, and that is a blessing. I must NOT become complacent and let the investigation into the cause drop. I will continue because while I'm better, I'm not done with this. I think it was a wake-up call, and if I don't heed it, there will be much worse to deal with. The gentle stretching and stand-up/sit-down routines are all working to ease the pressure on the nerve. Whatever it takes! 

WAIT -- we have Virtual Retreat again today. We start at Noon EST. 

December 29, 2024 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

I'll see you this afternoon when I'll sew and move up and down as I complete the project. So much for the handwork project sitting by the sewing machine!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!