Jill, thank you so much for those encouraging words! I need to tell you though, I am finally decluttered in the living room!!!
You can not believe how awesome this feels! Everything I wanted to “save” until next time is in that one bedroom I told you about!!! :D
I had a friend of my kids come over and help me. I told her it would only take us 15-20 minutes and she said, “Yeah, sure Rose…” She had seen the house before when it looked like a tornado hit it and when she stepped into the house, the look on her face was priceless!
I wish I had gotten a picture of it! She said to me “Rose, what happened?!”
Jill, it took less than 15 minutes to place all that other stuff in the back bedroom. Of course my one cat had to supervise and hubby said, “Don’t throw away all of my VHS movies.” Little does he know we do not have a VHS player… They all died years ago.
I feel so good Jill! I can’t express what a weight off my shoulders this has been.
I wanted to throw out more but my son said, “The garbage men will surely egg our house!” I reminded him, “Son there is nooooo stopping me now! wait until next week!” He said, “Mom you’re scaring me with that evil look in your eyes!” hehehe. We had a good laugh over it.
Keep preaching about getting rid of the clutter in one’s life. They will thank you!
Trust me, if you were here, I would hug you! :D Talk to ya soon… I just wanted to share that info with you.
Hugs, Rose
P.S. If you wish, please share this with everyone on the website. It might help someone else not feel so overwhelmed with the decluttering. Just taking baby steps is all is required.
Thank you so much for being there by my side. Even though you didn’t physically help me, you did help me mentally and emotionally. Even when I felt I couldn’t do it, you were there right by my side (by the posts on the website and the newsletters) encouraging me (and so many others). I can not thank you enough!
photo by: smemon
AMEN!
I had been holding out, saving all of my daughters baby and toddler things, hoping we would add a another baby to our family. Well she’s 4 and I’m 40 so it doesn’t look like that will be happening. My poor daughter could barely use her room at all, it was stuffed to the gills. I cried at first, as I was filling lawn and leaf bags with her old clothes, toys and books. I truly felt like I was giving my baby away, I’m a silly old woman, what can I say? Now I feel liberated, I filled 6 lawn and leaf bags {at least} and someone else is getting use out of the items. Best of all my daughter is THRILLED with her room! She loves hanging out in there and can’t wait to invite her little friends for a sleepover! It’s so worth it to de-clutter, don’t wait, let go and start today!
Just keep thinking how you are helping someone else out there, who has so little! I used to hold on to my “office clothes” until they were so out of style. Now if I know I won’t wear something, there are organizations that help women put together donated outfits for job interviews! what a better use than gathering dust (and sometimes moth holes) in mmy closet! I’ve finally been able to admit to myself, “gosh, I really never liked that skirt/blouse/jacket/sweater” !!!
I also find that really helps — focusing on the fact that somebody else will enjoy the item, rather than obsessing about the fact that you are losing it and you might someday miss it (possible but unlikely). “This is a good shirt–” (well, thank G-d this child already has plenty of good shirts!) “–Somebody will really appreciate having it.”
This may sound like a silly thing to have to declutter but I have wood in all sorts of sizes and types and balls and balls of partial and complete balls of yarn.
I used to do a lot of wooden toys and intarsias and I knit a bit.
Well just before Christmas my GD wanted barbie stuff so out came the yarn and I knitted her a lot of outfits. Sent them off and she was so happy to have lots of beautiful clothes to dress her barbies in. I didn’t think they were that big a deal just fun for me to do.
I decided to knit a bunch more and give them to the toy drive next Christmas. I have 20 outfits all knitted and in one plastic bin instead of in bags with other balls of wool. I have used up about 7 balls that were cluttering so now it is only 300 left to go.
I have 6 patterns that I am good at (still practicing) but each outfit is different in some way. the stitches I use or the type of yarn.
I figure I am getting rid of yarn that has been driving me nuts for years and little girls get new clothes for their barbies. it is definetly a win win situation.
Also you don’t eat when knitting and you smoke a lot less. so knitting is healthy.
In the summer I will try to get back into the woodworking and get rid of a lot of the small bits and pieces of wood I have sitting in the basement. Toys for children at christmas and a cleaner neater basement for me.
So as you declutter try and think of the positive influence your clutter will have on someone else.
Grandma — how right you are! I took up knitting again to keep from eating snacks! it’s working!. I love the idea of making Barbie clothes, but if I can suggest, I’ve been finding lots of patterns for American Girl Dolls as well on the internet for free!. I’m going to try to do some outfits and donate as you have — also, as a hint, those American Girl dolls are ridiculously expensive, so if you have say a 4-5 year old who won’t notice, i found a really nice looking 18″ doll at Mary Maxim (don’t mean to tout any one company) for $18.99! Quite a difference from a $100+ doll! Making Barbie clothes to donate is such a great idea. Of all the fancy outfits I had as a child, the most special were the ones I made when I learned to sew. I thought I had accomplished so much, and was so proud of myself.!
But wow! 300 more balls of yarn! That’s a lot of doll clothes! Hope you are “in for a long winters’ nap!.
all the best —
Donna, live on the north shore of lake superior and winter starts sometimes before halloween and nobody plants anything in gardens until the first of June. It is too dark and cold to go out much so knitting is a great way to sit and still look like you are doing something constructive.
Also used to own a wool store so when I sold it I kept a bunch of the yarns.
The doll I am looking for now is a soft rubbery baby doll that I can outfit for my soon to be grandchild. They are hoping for a girl so I want to be prepared when she is old enough to play with dolls.
Any suggestions on what dolls would fit that description. Most that I have found the body is flannel and they are dressed permanently.
Good thing she won’t be born for a few days so that gives me a year.
The site I go to if you want it is free and has about 6 different types of fashion dolls. It is free and all she asks is that you don’t profit from the patterns just knit them and then sell them or what ever. My type of site when I am just learning.
http://barbiebasics.tripod.com/barbiebasicsfreeknits.pdf
well jill .. u did it again .. and i must say thank u .. its a timely message u put out there for the new year .. to take control of ur life again ..
its time to clean and declutter again .. adn yes .. i am at it again .. as u know i am planning on moving and well while i am looking and seeking for that place i want to be at, there is no reason to start and clean out the stuff again .. of course when we move i will be doing it again ..
my son is off for a few days and has offered to help me .. i told him our goal is to do 2 rooms this week and then 2 rooms next week .. and the one room that has most of the stuff (start a bit on it next week) and his room can be started this week adn should be done by next week .. the very last room we will do is the garage .. i simply can not go in there .. thats where the mice are . and we will wait for the warmer weather when i know they will not be here .. and altho the temps have been warm to cool i am not taking a chance .. besides for the garage i will have to hire extra hands to help set stuff out to the road . the only thing we are taking is my tools and hedger and weedeater .. everything else is going to the road ..
so this should be fun .. i already have 15 bags of reg house trash (i usually put 4 of those walmart size bags in one 13 gal garbage bag and then double bag it) .. yes its alot but i dont like to stuff the bags too tightly .. i hope where we move has large dumpsters .. our poor garbage men but oh well .. and normally i dont have that many bags .. i am not sure why we do this week tho .. oh well .. it is what it is ..
so yes .. thank you again fir this timely message . it will def be a weight off my shoulders once i am where i wish to be with the decluttering and once i move to the place i pick .. my son will be off on friday and he will be going with me to see the places ..
:D
I don’t envy you at all Rose. I need to give my garage a good going over again too but it will definitely have to wait for warmer weather and more motivation. Okay so the motivator sometimes needs motivation too.
hehe jill i completely understand about the garage and wanting to wait for the warmer weather ..
we have put a huge dent in this decluttering so far .. its just a few rooms and just small areas but its alot to go to the road ..
my son is helping me and he is such a good sport to do this .. but he knows we have to do it ..
and i have no clue where all this stuff came from .. after all that stuff i did declutter 2 x’s before ..
we are just shaking our heads and wondering “how did all this stuff come in this house?” . hehee ..
but i am glad its getting done ..
and like i had mentioned b4, when its time to do the garage, i will have about 4-5 people helping me take things to the road .. this way everything will be done within an hr but less than 2 hrs .. :D .. (if that long) ..
:D
My heater is programed to only be on when I am home from work, so it was a little chilly at the house when I was off during the holidays. So I decluttered! and made soup! only about 8 boxes of books and movies to go through. Help me before I purchase books again! By the way, is there any use for old vcr tapes of shows I recorded 20 years ago? Just trash them, right? I hate to not recycle.