Declutter A Little Each Day

Declutter Motivation

2010-09-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

What motivates you to declutter?

I have just begun again this week after reading a hard copy of 3 posts that I had printed out some time back. After going through these articles, I made me a working list and stuck to it rather well this week. I've gotten quite a bit done in the kitchen area which always seems to be my worst. Maybe you can find some motivation there as well. Check it out here. I would start with parts 1 and 2 first even though this link is to part 3. This link has all parts linked so that is why I chose it rather than linking to the different parts.

I haven't read the Emilie Barnes book that she refers to yet. I'm still batting back and forth whether or not to purchase it from Amazon. I did go there and preview some pages which gave me even more ideas. Those ideas plus the articles got me started with my daily lists this week.

I still have quite a bit to do in the kitchen, but it looks so much better. I think rather than moving on to another area of the house this next week as I am more accustomed to doing, I will just hold steady and keep on doing more in the kitchen. Everything else can hold its own for another few days.

Declutter Begun Again

2010-09-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

It has been over a year since I did any posting about decluttering. That's not to say that I haven't decluttered anything. I just haven't written a post about it. Over this past week, I have been going through the kitchen and throwing out lots of things:

Recipe books that I have never used and have never even looked at but thought I would
Cereal that was out of date last year (how does this stuff get pushed so far back in the cabinet?)
Plastic containers (this things seem to get in my cabinet and multiply like rabbits and where are the lids -why don't they multiply, too?)
Stale bread and crackers
Dish cloths (one day I don't have a single cloth in the cabinet and the next day it won't hold them all - the mysteries of below the sink)
Food that I bought on sale that I thought we would eat
The dreaded vegetable bin (some of this stuff I wasn't even sure what it HAD been)

So, here I go again, trying to declutter a little each day. Don't know if I'll have the opportunity to blog about it every day, but I will try to keep you up to date as much as I can.

What are you decluttering this week? Leave me a comment so I know I'm not all alone out there in this cluttered world.

Declutter Day 42

2009-08-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today we have cleaned out closets and it was a huge job. The room where our exchange student will be staying was used for storing things that we hadn't gotten around to putting anywhere yet. Yes, we've lived here 3 years and still have boxes of stuff that hasn't been put away. I probably should have just tossed that stuff (since I haven't needed it in 3 years).

Most of the stuff was decorative things that I hadn't decided exactly where to use or if I wanted to use them. I also had stuff that belonged to my grandmother that has sentimental value but really doesn't go with my home.

Here's a better breakdown of what we did:

all holiday decorations to the attic (we had Halloween and Thanksgiving and even some Christmas stuff that needed to be organized and put in one place)
box of enamel pots (still haven't decided what to do with these - maybe on the tops of the cabinets like they were at the old house)
sewing material and supplies (gathered these together in one place so I know where to find them) - I left the sewing machine in that closet because I don't think I have enough space for it elsewhere and it won't interfere with any of her things
blankets and bedspreads - these were placed in two of those space bags and will be stored in the hall closet once I go through it - I was amazed at these bags and how much they shrank
school papers from our little one - I had already gone through these and saved only the ones that were special to us - I have them in a clear box that will be stored in the top of my closet
bed linens for the camper were returned to it
several other items were sent to our local charity store - mismatched sheets, old picture frames, etc.

I intend to post a picture of that room when I am done (probably another day or so).

Declutter Day 41

2009-07-31T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today I have decluttered literally a ton, but not at home. Today was the day to clean up the old computer lab along with its cabinets, drawers and storage towers. We (my little one, six students helpers and two teachers) worked nearly 5 hours to go through the whole area and toss items that were old, broken, obsolete or just plain unusable. I wish I had taken pictures, because the students would feel so good about all the help they gave.

Here's some of the things that made up that "ton" - we didn't weigh it but it had to be close to that:

old software with its documentation and users manuals
dictation equipment and curriculum materials
calculators
textbooks
printers and printer parts
keyboards (with some kind of connection that I have never even seen)
broken mice
decorative posters and other items
old assessments and worksheets
broken furniture

We did recycle everything that we could and all of the technical equipment is sent to one area in our county where it is auctioned off. The furniture that is still usable was put in an area at our school where others have an opportunity to use it.

It was a very successful day. The lab is looking more like a lab and less like a trash dump, but I am really tired. Now to get everything set up next week.

I've still got to finish our exchange student's room. She'll be here in a couple of weeks. The room is shaping up and starting to look more like a bedroom instead of a storage area. I've still got to do the closet, but I've got to get my closet straightened up first. Maybe tomorrow!

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-07-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

This is turning out to be a very busy week with technology work for school, teacher training and vacation bible school, but I do have my 5 Things I Can Live Without this Thursday. So here we go:

too many school supplies - do you know teachers hoard these things for lean years (kind of like this one) when there just isn't any money - I still had way too much stuff
too many unread magazines - I have a stack that I put on the sofa two weeks ago and I still haven't had time to read them - they are going out in the recycle
curbside recycling - this isn't one I chose but our area is discontinuing this after Friday of this week - there wasn't enough money to fund this program in our rural area - now we'll have to sack it up and take it to a recycling area which will be a pain
mismatched pillowcases and sheets - how do you get more pillowcases than you have sets of sheets for? - I can see needing a few extra pillowcases but I had 9 that had no matching anything
boxes (well, one box and one laundry hamper) of stuff from car - we cleaned out the cars a week ago and still hadn't put up all the toys and clothes and junk from the car - most of this belonged to my 5 year old and I thought it had been put away - we are vowing to start cleaning out the car every day rather than just once every whenever

So what can you live without this Thursday? I couldn't get the Mr. Linky to cooperate with me today, so if you'll leave a comment then I'll come back and add the links. Come on. Join in. I want to see what others are doing without. I need the inspiration this week.

Back from Vacation

2009-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

We have been on vacation and so posts have been very few in the last week or so. We had to get ready for vacation and then we were gone for several days. It was a fiasco at the beach (the mosquitoes tried to eat us alive), so we left midweek and came home. Then we went to our local state park and just relaxed for a few days.

Anyway, we are back and are now getting ready for our exchange student who will be here in less than 3 weeks.

I did get our inside freezer cleaned out and defrosted last week in the middle of our vacation. All of those fresh vegetables that had been put up had not been organized - just thrown in the freezer. We still have corn that will have to be put up either this week or next so that will be busy.

Stay tuned for more decluttering. I'll be working at school this week for several trainings and some computer repairs that need to be done. I'm sure I'll find plenty of decluttering that needs to be done there as well as here. It seems that clutter is a lot like rabbits and just continually multiplies.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-07-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week has really gotten away from me. It's Saturday morning and I just realized that I hadn't done 5 Things I Can Live Without THURSDAY. So it's a little late, but here goes:

scratch paper - I had given my 5 year old some old paper to use as scratch paper but he has scattered it everywhere - so I'm rethinking this and probably just going to put it in the recycle bin next time

toddler undies that are too small - our little one has grown out of several pairs of his 4T undies so we have gathered up all those in that size and discarded - I knew it was time when he asked me about the "marks" they were leaving on his waste because they were too tight

grease stains on shirts - I'm can't seem to get them out with anything - if you have suggestions other than those I've tried let me know (Dawn detergent, Spray and Wash, Oxy clean powder)

tired feet - between working several days this week for 10 hours a day and putting up vegetables during the evening, my feet are killing me

old sheets - I hate when sheets get those knobby places in them - we have thrown out several sets that were past their prime

So, what can you live without? Link or post a comment and let us know.

No Decluttering Recently??

2009-07-14T15:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't gotten much decluttering done recently. This is what I have been doing - vegetables. See my blog at http://grocerysavingsforrealfamilies.blogspot.com/ to see my progress with that.

This week I'm working on getting the house straightened back up so we can go away for a few days. I hate to return home to a messy house.

So my decluttering has been put on hold for just a little bit to get some other things done, but I have been busy.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-07-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

I relaxed so well on Monday that I am having trouble getting back into the decluttering mindset this week. On Tuesday morning, my little one said that Monday was a wonderful day and there was no way that Tuesday could be any good. As far as decluttering for me, it wasn't.

Then on Wednesday he had some dental work done that he had to be sedated for so we had to watch him very closely all afternoon and evening. I thought that when we had our dog treated for heartworms years ago and had to keep her quiet and calm for about a week that was an impossible goal. No way! Try keeping a rambunctious 5 year old quiet and calm for an evening. Talk about impossible!!

Well, to get on with the work for today, here's my 5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday:

my husband's cluttered and out of control outside shed - I think I may tackle that thing next week - we've been putting up vegetables and I can't even get in there to put the veggies in the freezer - ARGH!!
freezer burned meat - we bought 1/2 of a cow last year and I didn't realize that we had nearly 30 packages of hamburger that had not been used - it's all freezer burned and awful now - I'm kicking myself for that - just think of all the money that was thrown away - ARGH!!
toddler bed - we're getting rid of it - our neighbor is having a little one and wants it so it's going
stuffed animals - I have secretly gotten rid of several of these this week - there were quite a few of these "stuffed" in the camper - they got removed and gone through without notice - do you find it hard to remove some of those toys unless your sneaky about it??
magazines - I am vowing to stop subscribing to ANY magazines for a while - I don't ever seem to have time to sit down and read them before the next one comes in - sometimes I have 2 or 3 of them before I take time to look at them - they obviously aren't on my priority list so why am I wasting the money??

Well, there's the 5 for this week. Want you join in and share? You can use the comments section or the linky.

Declutter My Mind Day

2009-07-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a day to relax and declutter my mind. First, Boo and I went with my best friend and her son to Chuck E. Cheese's and played games. We all had such a wonderful time. We didn't spend any money, because we had some accumulated unused tokens from other visits. Since that venture didn't cost us anything, we decided to go to the cheap movie theater and see the Hannah Montana movie. It was awesome! Both of our boys love music and love cowboys and farms so this movie was great for them. They also think Miley Cyrus is the greatest girl (they are only 5 and 4 but already starstruck with her). Afterwards, we ate and did a little school shopping.

It was a wonderful day to get out, clear my mind and get some much deserved "no thinking" time. Needless to say, the only decluttering that got done was from my mind.

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses sometimes (or for me, it's more like stop and spend some wonderful, fun time with my little one while he is still little and wants to spend time with Mama). To quote Hannah, "life's a climb, but the view is great."

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-07-02T07:01:00.001-07:00

The DSL is working again and I am ready for 5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday. These things center around what has been going on at our home this week.

Dial up - I had forgotten just how slow it is - I think I would rather have no Internet at all
Outgrown toys - we decluttered in my son's room and found several large items that we got rid 0f (toddler table and chairs set, toddler recliner, small fold out couch)
Paper piles - I went through several stacks that I had stashed
Cluttered countertops - we had to clear these off this week because we have been putting up vegetables from the garden
Too many cups - we decluttered lots of cups from the cupboard this week - how do we accumulate so many from Subway, Zaxby's and every other fast food place?

So there are my five for the week. What can you live without this Thursday? Link up and share.

DSL Problems

2009-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything since last Friday because my DSL has been dying a slow death over the weekend. My provider is sending someone out tomorrow to check on it. Needless to say, I won't be doing much posting until it gets fixed. This dial-up connection just takes entirely too long.

I have been decluttering in the interim time. Our camper needed lots of declutter work and it is now ready for our upcoming vacation. I'll try to post some pictures once all is working again.

I will still host 5 Things I Can Live Without on Thursday (even if I have to go to the library or the neighbor's house). Until then, I'll be working just not on the computer.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-06-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday again! One day closer to the weekend!! Of course it is also time for 5 Things I Can Live Without. Since I have been decluttering several areas this week, my list is going to be longer than 5.

Cell phone chargers for phones that we no longer own - how do these things not get removed from our home when the old phones go?
Diaper bag - found one of these in the back closet - my baby is 5 years old
Crochet needles - found several in the back closet - I haven't crocheted in so long that I don't even remember how
Car seat accessories - these were found in the back closet as well - why are they not with the car seat?
Dried up glue and glue sticks - found these in the drawers
Owner's manuals for appliances that we no longer own
Disorganized closets and drawers - it is so much nicer to have areas where can locate your stuff
Out of date fruit juice - found in the camper - I don't think I want to give my child something that expired in 2007
Christmas To-Do pads - found in one of the drawers - I let Boo have these to color on - I didn't use them at Christmas and probably won't use them in July either - why do I waste good money on this crap?
Wooden paper plate holder - this was just taking up space on my counter - since I'm not using paper plates much any more it has been holding several of my trivets - the problem is that it can't hold them all - so I have trivets in several places - I have gotten rid of the holder and put all the trivets together

So what can you live without? Take a look at what you have decluttered this week and share with us. Post your link or just leave a comment. Happy decluttering!

Works for Me Wednesday - Timers

2009-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

TIMERS! That's what works for me.

I use my timer to

keep me focused on the job at hand

keep working at a job even when I may want to stop

remind me when something else needs to be done (i.e., clothes moved from washer to dryer, 5 more minutes to bedtime, etc.)

get us out the door in the morning

take shorter showers

declutter multiple times a time but not all day

challenge me to hurry and not get bogged down

remind me to stop working on the computer

What works for you? Visit We Are That Family for more ideas.

Declutter Day 40

2009-06-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today I have tackled the back closet. Do you hear the horror movie music in the background? I did when I opened the door. SCREAM!!!!!

Now, I'm hearing the birds singing and the crickets chirping and the soft sound of a cool breeze.

Once again, I can't believe all the stuff that was in there that really didn't need to be. Plus, we have some free space available in there now.

I love this hanging organizer. I put items in there such as

gloves (which we aren't needing right now but they still need a space)
glue that I don't want my 5 year old having access to
glue gun
bug spray
flashlight (again away from the kid - he loves to run down the batteries
cleaning cloths
summer pool items

I have linked this post to Work on It Wednesday. Visit there for more inspiration.

Declutter Day 39

2009-06-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten all those kitchen drawers finished and am now ready to post my before and after pictures. It always amazes me how much gets tossed into these drawers and forgotten.

Before:

and After:

Routines and Schedules Help With Decluttering

2009-06-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Routines and schedules tend to help me with my daily life and decluttering. After some prompting by Joy at Just Organize Yourself in this post, I have decided that I need a summer schedule to be sure that I am getting as much done as possible. I have been feeling overwhelmed lately and have not been spending as much time with Boo as I would like to. I want him to remember the summer months as fun times and not Mama trying to declutter all the closets.

So this week I am making an attempt at creating and using a schedule. I will probably find that I need a couple of schedules (days that I need to work or attend trainings, days at home, days with outings), but for now I am focusing on the days at home.

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast, dishes and cleanup, 1 load of laundry

8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Decluttering and cleaning up the zone area for the week, 1 load of laundry

9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Reading and learning time with Boo

10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Play time with Boo

11:00 - 12:00 p.m. Lunch, dishes and cleanup

12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Nap time for Boo and individual play time (if shorter nap)
Computer time for Mom (bills, blogs, email, etc.) and more declutter time if needed

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Screen time for Boo (TV, movie, video game, computer)
Mom finishes up any household chores

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Cut and Write time for Boo (can also be science or craft time)

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Dinner, dishes and cleanup
Boo can play outside if not too hot (this Florida heat has been so bad this past week that I haven't let him out in it too much)

6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Games and reading time as a family

7:00 - 7:30 p.m. Bath

7:30 - 8:00 p.m. Pickup time around house

8:00 - 8:30 p.m. Family devotion time with Boo, then Boo to bed

8:30 - 10:00 p.m. Adult time for parents

We may have to change around a few things, but we are going to try to stick to this attempt at a schedule this week. The only thing that I didn't slot for a particular time is gardening and taking care of the animals. We'll try to work around the hot weather for these things.

Declutter Day 38

2009-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today I decluttered at school. When we got out, I left my room just as it was. I'd had enough that week and knew that I would be back to clean and straighten up. Boo went with me this afternoon and here is what we got accomplished:

textbooks put on cart to be moved to book storage room
new computer table put together and part of the computers moved to it - this table has a back tray to hide the cables so everything looks more organized - I have one more to put together and organize but there wasn't enough room to get both of them done without moving some other furniture
moved extra desk over to my teacher desk to make an L-shaped workspace (added more storage and work area)
organized differentiated instruction materials for easy access
decluttered printer areas and reorganized
decluttered magazines and reorganized
old computer monitors moved out from under computer tables - these need to be gone through to determine what still works but now they have been moved to a place where I can check them out
moved unassembled computer carts for the lab out of my classroom and into the lab - they just got put there when they were delivered and we haven't had a chance to get them assembled yet - there's more room in the lab than in my room

My classroom looks like a whirlwind has gone through it, but at least the decluttering and reorganizing has begun. We'll probably go back on Monday and do a bit more. Needless to say, no decluttering got done at home today.

Declutter Day 37

2009-06-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today I have worked on Boo's clothes drawers. He had quite a few things that he had outgrown or that were really worn. We are also thinking about vacation and what will need to go with us then. We've gotten the shorts and shirts gone through and the drawers look much more organized. (He was having trouble putting away his clothes, because there just wasn't any space.)

When I was going through my Google Reader this afternoon, I ran across a post at Small Notebook with a wonderful idea for packing kids clothes for camp or vacation. I love this idea for the camper since we have such limited space. I'll post my pictures a little later today.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-06-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday once more which means it is time for 5 Things I Can Live Without. This week I have gotten rid of several items that I can definitely live without. Those list of items include:

sofa pillows - we got rid of these several days ago and it is great - no more moving pillows to sit down and no more picking up pillows that have been strewn all over the floor
dining chair cushions - since getting rid of the sofa pillows has been so liberating, I'm going to send out those dining chair cushions as well
flip flops that hurt my feet - doesn't everyone have a pair of these - you know the ones - they were so cute but you can't wear them more than 2 minutes
old purses - I hold onto these for way too long - if it is torn or something is broken, just let it go
heavy curtains - I have removed the roman shade type curtains that I had in my bedroom from the windows - I left the valance - it is so much "cooler" looking
I know there are only supposed to be 5, but I can really live without this 100 degree heat that we are having in Florida. Anything that helps us feel cool is wonderful right now.

Join in and tell us what you can live without. I'm trying Mr. Linky again, but if it doesn't work or if you don't have a blog, leave a comment either directing us to your post or sharing your 5.

Declutter Day 36

2009-06-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

At Making Your Home A Haven, this week's challenge is to clean out or organize a drawer or closet. My kitchen drawers need lots of TLC. So that's what I'll be working on. Before and after pictures to be added soon!

Declutter Day 35

2009-06-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today has been a fairly good day for decluttering. I have several meetings this week (inservice training for teachers), so I have someone coming to my home to sit with my little one. I've decided instead of dusting so many things that it is time to get rid of some of those items. Here is what I've decluttered today:

small basket that I really didn't like
baby photo albums with no pictures (I got several of these and never used most of them - sending out to someone else to enjoy)
books that we no longer read or enjoy
decorative pillows that seem to be thrown on the floor all the time - we tend to just move them out of our way to sit down - who ever thought a couch needs 4 pillows? - where do you sit??
sugar container that doesn't match our kitchen
clothes that no longer fit (I didn't have to dust around these but I'm sending them out anyway)
kids table and chairs set - we bought our 5 year old a real desk a few weeks ago and he loves it - he'll be starting kindergarten this fall and needed a "big boy" desk

So I think I'm getting back on track. These items will be taken to our local church thrift store tomorrow and be out of here.

Declutter Days 32, 33 and 34

2009-06-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

This week we have been camping out at our old place because my son loves to go to Vacation Bible School at his grandmother's church. We are also planning a vacation for July. So I combined these two activities and have been decluttering the camper. I worked on it for three days (just in the afternoons). Here is the progress that I was able to make:

Day 32 (Tuesday, June 9):

went through all the bed linens and organized by size
pulled out all beach towels to be laundered
removed heavy blankets (we won't be needing those at the beach in July)
removed trash from under the main bedroom bed (these were items that had been used and we were saving the packaging for some reason??)

Day 33 (Wednesday, June 10):

trashed old food and drink items from storage areas in the eating area (closed in benches provide storage) - these were out of date for too long
organized bathroom storage cabinet (this is a small area and has to be kept neat and tidy or nothing fits - which is where it had gotten)
decluttered toys from top bunk bed and under the bottom bunk bed
organized toys that would be staying in the camper into bins
replaced folding chairs (we had these in the car for t-ball games) and folding table under bottom bunk bed

Day 34 (Friday, June 12):

decluttered kitchen cabinets
trashed more old items that were out of date
started a list of items that will be needed for trip in July

I didn't take any pictures because most of these areas are small and you wouldn't have been able to tell much about them. I did find a picture of the camper that we had taken earlier so I put it in.

I still have several areas to go through, but at least this has been started and won't require so much time right before we go on vacation.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-06-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Is it Thursday already? With Vacation Bible School and swimming lessons this week, we have been on the move (literally). Of course, the two are 40 miles apart and we have been commuting back and forth. It's been a great week, just busy.

This Thursday's 5 Things I Can Live Without is centered around cleaning out my car (since that is what I have been concentrating on lately). Over at Organized Junkie, this month's task is the organize those vehicles.

Here are the 5:

toys, toys and more toys (who ever came up with the idea that toys in the car was a good idea??)

crayons (THEY MELT IN THIS FLORIDA HEAT!!)

junk mail - yes, I have been housing it in the car to keep it out of the house.

shoes, shoes, and more shoes (these, just like the toys, seem to multiply in the car).

jackets and sweaters (I don't even remember the last time we wore these this year. Why are they still in the car?)

Join in and list your 5 Things. Since Mr. Linky doesn't appear to be cooperating today, just leave a comment with your link.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-06-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy this week with the end of school that I almost forget about my new meme. Join me today for 5 Things I Can Live Without.

All the packing materials that seem to come with just about everything (especially toys). I hate having to throw out so much stuff just because I bought something. I have really started looking at how much packaging and excess materials something has before I buy it.
Sand - we have had a good bit of rain the last few days (which I'm not complaining about). My complaint is all the sand that damp feet bring in that has to be gotten rid of on my laminate floors. Some days I feel like all I do is vacuum.
Ants!! They came in when it was dry and now they are coming in when it is raining. We haven't left any food items out, but they are still everywhere. I even have those tiny, sugar ants in the bathroom. What could they possibly find in there with sugar? The toothpaste?
Using my dryer everyday. I have found that I can do this by using the drying racks and clotheslines. Even on rainy days, I can dry clothes inside and not have to use the dryer. Yippee!! This will be good when that electric bill for all the extra air conditioning comes in.
Dusting! I know, I know! You really can't live without this, but it was a nice thought. You know to never have to dust again - heavenly!!

Now link up and join in. Share your 5. (Hopefully, Mr. Linky is happy today!)

Declutter Day 31

2009-06-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was able to go through several stacks of junk mail, bills, statements, etc. and get some filing done. I worked on getting the master bedroom finished as well. We've finally gotten all the furniture in and set up. So I spent some time lining the drawers and putting away laundry. I also hung a clock that I had bought and never really decided where it should go. It was just taking up residence in the spare bedroom, but now it is hung in the master bedroom and I love it! Hopefully, tomorrow I can post my master bedroom pictures.

Earlier in the day I had a meeting at which I arrived about 15 minutes early. It was raining really hard, so I didn't want to get out of my car until the rain slowed down or stopped. I decided to use that time and a plastic bag that we all seem to have too many of to gather up the trash. When I got back to my work, I threw the bag away. My car isn't completely decluttered, but all the trash is gone.

All in all, today has been a good day for decluttering!

Work On It Wednesday - Do It Now List

2009-06-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes decluttering and keeping things organized and straight can be very overwhelming. I tend to forget how a short period of time can change an area. So I made what I call a Do It Now List. This list is just a list of tasks (that continually need to be done and take less than 10 minutes). It hangs on my refrigerator. It includes things like:

Pay a bill
File something
Put shoes away
Declutter a section of a drawer, cabinet, etc.
Play with child (fun things need to be on the list, too)
Put away some laundry
Fold some laundry
Put a load of laundry in washer
Wipe one counter
etc., etc., etc.

I don't get hung up trying to clean an entire area. I just do the next thing on the list. You can create your own list with checkboxes (or if you email me I'll be glad to send you mine). I've found that breaking it down into smaller chunks makes it more doable for me. I don't spend time procrastinating about everything that needs to be done. Instead, I'm actually doing something. Plus looking at all those items that I have checked off gives me a real sense of accomplishment. When the list is completed, I put up another one and start all over again.

This really works for our home. To see more Work on It Wednesday, visit Organized Junkie. There are some great ideas there.

Declutter Day 30

2009-06-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the last t-ball game of the season and we've almost reached the end of our school year, so I'm hoping to get more decluttering done. I need to make a list of all the places that still need some major decluttering and pick one place per day.

Today I was able to go through the stack of papers that Boo brought home from school (it was more than a stack - it was actually a paper sack full). We pulled out the items that we wanted to save and put the others aside to go to grandparents for their refrigerators or walls or whatever.

I also got my purse and wallet decluttered. It didn't take much time, but it was past due so to speak. Now I know where my library card is and where my movie rental card can be found. I thought I had lost those two items.

See why it's important to declutter? You never know what you may find. Personally, I'm hoping to find money stashed somewhere that I have forgotten. A $20 bill would be nice to find tucked away somewhere. I think I'll go check my wallet and the side pocket of my purse once more just to be sure that all the spaces have been decluttered and clean.

Decluttering Sunday?

2009-05-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, even though it is Sunday, I have been decluttering some today. I have been fighting a sinus infection or cold or something since Thursday afternoon (sore throat, congestion, low grade fever and either a stuffy nose or a drippy nose - it changes from one to the other). I was feeling some better today so I decided to declutter in the following areas (sorry but no pictures - I just wasn't up to it):

both the inside freezer and the refrigerator freezer (needed to see what we had before I do our menu plan for the week
bathroom cabinet - I need some space to store the extras that I have been buying at CVS, Walgreens and Target
under bathroom sink
makeup drawer

Considering that I had to do these in shifts and then take a minute to rest because I wasn't feeling great, I'm really proud of what I was able to accomplish. I got rid of lots of outdated OTC medicines and old makeup and organized all the extras in one area so it's easier to find when we need more toothpaste or deodorant.

Tomorrow I need to tackle the closet by the back door. I have bought quite a few cleaning supplies and I can't even get them in that space. I hope that I'll feel like doing this tomorrow.

Another Award

2009-05-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Who knew that cleaning out closets and decluttering countertops and piles could win you awards? Well, that is exactly what has happened and I am so honored and humbled by this award. Thanks to Joy at Just Organize Yourself for bestowing this honor upon me. She has an awesome site on getting and staying organized and decluttered - a woman after my own heart.

Now, in return since this award is all about making new friends, I must nominate 15 of my favorite blogs for this award. They in turn will need to nominate their friends and so on and so on.

Here's my list of 15 (in no particular order). Check them out.

A Frugally Old Fashioned Homemaker
Focusing on the Bible, Family and the Great Deals
Learning the Frugal Life
Little House in the Suburbs
Small Notebook
Cents to Get Debt Free
Beautiful 2 God
Organized Everyday
Simple Mom
Freezer Friendz
Working Moms Can Blog Too
Sentiments from My Kitchen
My Lil Budget Book
Eat at Home
and finally the lady who inspired this blog, Pigpen to Paradise.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-05-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

This week I decided to focus on five things that I could live without that have been decluttered from my home.

old gold picture frames - why would I even waste good money on these - most of them had tarnished and looked horrible - I just had them in a box in a closet (now they are gone)
undies that have seen their better days - our entire household had this duty - some were too far gone for rags (that's really bad)
baby blankets - my little one is now 5 years old and these just don't appeal to him any longer (why have I not blessed someone else with these??)
super flat pillows (actually this would be okay for me but my husband insisted now that we have a new bed that we needed new pillows as well)
old Swiffer sweeper - I got a new microfiber mop from www.flylady.net that I really love but for some reason was still holding on to the old Swiffer - it can go clean up elsewhere

I'm sure you have things that you can live without this Thursday, too. Share them with us. I'm going to try Mr. Linky again, but I'm fearing that it still won't work correctly. If not, just leave a comment and your link.

Am I Still Decluttering??

2009-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that I hadn't posted anything about decluttering since last week. I had a whole list of things to do over the long weekend and didn't get a single one accomplished - not one. I laid around all weekend (it was rainy here), watched movies, and did absolutely nothing (with the exception of a few loads of laundry.

I guess since today is Tuesday (I almost typed Monday - I'm already a day behind), it is time to start something. So I'm leaving you for now to go get something decluttered. I think I'll start with my dining room table. We probably need to eat somewhere other than in front of the tv tonight.

Before...

and After...

Blog Link A Thon

2009-05-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

I joined a Blog Link A Thon a week or so back at Momdot and part of the agreement for joining was to post the blog thinks on each of our blogs. They will be doing this every month or so. Watch for it and if you didn't get your blog listed in this one, maybe next time. These are some awesome sites, so check them out. Please let them know that you saw them in the Link A Thon.

1. http://www.notalwayscharming.com/
2. Fairy Blog Mother
3. Crazy Adventures in Parenting
4. Engineer a Debt Free Life
5. Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Girls
6. Good Golly Miss Blondie
7. SavvySuzie
8. For The Love of Baby!
9. http://lovemy2dogs.blogspot.com/
10. Blessings Abound
11. Coupons, Deals and More
12. Hairstyles For Girls
13. http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com/
14. A latte in the morning
15. KiddiesCorner Deals
16. 3 Kids and Us Mom Blog
17. The Ohana Mama
18. Coupon Queens of Laurel Run
19. Today’s Journey
20. http://confessionsofahousewife.com/
21. My Charmed Life
22. http://www.doublebugs.com/
23. http://3boys1girlandadog.blogspot.com/
24. New Sue Review
25. Suzanne Calling
26. Just For Me…and You
27. Time Slides By
28. Babes and Kids
29. Declutter a Little Each Day
30. Grocery Savings for Real Families
31. Life Starring Ellie and Eve
32. So Cute Crafts
33. Brea’s Mommy
34. Are Muffins Just Ugly Cupcakes
35. It’s A Beauty Filled Life
36. The crazy suburban mom
37. Donna’s World
38. Momma’s Gone Over the Wall
39. Mommy’s Quiet Time
40. Joyce (Saving My Cents)
41. My Trendy Tykes
42. The Not-So-Blog
43. Confessions From HouseholdSix
44. SiPPyCuPSand FiNGerPriNTS
45. http://www.couponmommie.com/
46. http://www.crackersandchaos.blogspot.com/
47. Giftfully Simple
48. Just For Fun
49. Digital Mommy
50. Me And Craig
51. Parenting Princesses
52. http://mylastshredsofsanity.blogspot.com/
53. Inside My Head
54. Petit
55. My Love Lucy
56. FreckleBox personalized gift
57. Baby Lulu Dress
58. Blog 4 Mom
59. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
60. Jolly Mom
61. My Life My Journey
62. Maman And Gourmand
63. http://jessmalexander.blogspot.com/
64. The POSHpreneur
65. A Blog of Goodies
66. Christy aka The Write Gal
67. LookWhatMomFound
68. Peanut Butter & Smelly’s Dad
69. Lucy
70. Angry Julie Monday
71. The Mogul Mom Blog
72. Angela
73. Deal-ectible Mommies
74. Christy’s Creations
75. Lisa
76. http://www.booksnboys.blogspot.com/
77. Wannabe Supermom
78. Thre Craft Momma
79. Internet Toddler
80. http://lifeisasandcastle.blogspot/
81. Kristen of La Dolce Vita
82. Cranberry Fries
83. http://www.mud-bug.com/
84. The Mom Buzz
85. http://nightowlmama.blogspot.com/
86. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls
87. Mommy Cracked
88. EclecticBird
89. Mama Mentor
90. Moomettesgram’s Musings
91. Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews
92. Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes
93. Diaries of a Domestic Goddess
94. Go Graham Go!
95. NerdFamily Things
96. NerdFamily Blog
97. Making Money Keeping Money
98. NerdFamily Food
99. Flying Giggles & Lollipops
100. http://themorrisbunchblog.com/
101. http://www.simplybeingmommy.com/
102. A Kindred Spirit’s Thoughts
103. Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House
104. D-Lo’s Lounge
105. Free Sample Freak
106. What Mommies Need
107. Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1
108. icefairy’s Treasure Chest
109. Cheaper Than Therapy
110. Therapeutic Reviews & Giveaways
111. Lily Bean Designs
112. Dirty Diaper Laundry
113. Dance Momma
114. JamericanSpice
115. Mombalance
116. A Pocket Full Of Buttons
117. Ordinary and Awesome
118. Reviews and Giveaways
119. Subjective Beauty
120. Tales From A Shopaholic Mommy
121. Mommiemayhem
122. IE Mommy
123. http://blasianbabynotes.blogspot.com/
124. Amber Woodward
125. Grammy Janet’s Place
126. Outnumbered 3 to 1
127. ShimmerMeBlue
128. Dev’s Favorite Giveaways
129. Joyful Money Saving
130. 1stopmom
131. A Modern Mama
132. PourSomeSugarOnMe
133. Fancast
134. Lollipop Baby
135. Lola & Ben
136. idoby2celebrants
137. Sue Jackson
138. Cackleberry Kids
139. Gifts By The Stars
140. Jemma
141. Handmade Kids
142. Ollie Rose
143. Babasfarmlife
144. Banquet Manager
145. Monkey’s Momma
146. This Mom Can Shop
147. EcoLabel Fundraising
148. Divine Chaos
149. baby kakes ink alphabet onesie
150. tee from recycle me
151. http://lizzie-q-homemaker.blogspot.com/
152. marla mandell bread (5/17)
153. ozone socks 5/15
154. Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs
155. Hip T
156. ThenComes Baby
157. Homemade Gourmet
158. Fresh Pure and Simple
159. MomDot Mom Blogs
160. MomDot Mom Reviews
161. Bloggers Give Charity
162. Organic Baby Resource
163. Potamus Prefers
164. The Army Wife
165. Through Hazel Eyes
166. Frugal Rhode Island Mama
167. Just Jingle
168. And Twins make 5!
169. Frugal Plus
170. Christie
171. What Happened To My House?
172. Miracles on Mama Street
173. Heck Of A Bunch
174. Blog Designs by Susan
175. mommy23monkeys
176. Hanna
177. Got Kids Need Valium
178. Womb At The INNSANE
179. Katie & Kimble Blog
180. http://adventuresofastayathomemom.com/
181. The Frugalicious Mommy
182. Penny Pinching Diva
183. Another day. Another thought or two
184. Beauty4Moms
185. http://www.evilflu.com/
186. Little Miss Julia
187. Mrs Zeee
188. Cheryl
189. Frazzle Dazzle SuperMom
190. Florida Mealtime Savers
191. Inspiration Station
192. Mommy’s Kitchen
193. Saving with MamaNordy
194. Saving SAHM Sanity
195. A Little Piece Of Perfect
196. Nodin’s Nest
197. Lil Miss Eco
198. Laryn Strickland
199. HeatherMama
200. The Gerber Babies Blog
201. WhateverSuccess
202. Women Who Win
203. http://theburbblog.com/
204. Happy Healthy Families
205. Sweeps4Bloggers
206. dramaqueensmum
207. The Mom Trap
208. Multitasking Mama
209. Mama Michies Musings
210. Little People Wealth
211. Belly Beyond
212. Kim Kihega
213. Mom Fuse
214. Juanita
215. Adopt a Do
216. On the Refriderator Door
217. Christine
218. Little Diva
219. My Household Junk
220. I’m Here….Really
221. http://greer5intexas.blogspot.com/
222. mary
223. http://www.nicolesnickels.net/
224. Lori Newman
225. http://kris-jay-caity-izzie.blogspot.com/
226. Debb
227. Shawn Ann’s World
228. Peke Moe -NZ made baby sleep sacks
229. A Simple Kinda LIfe
230. Sweet Serendipity
231. Bouncing Off The Walls
232. Jane Loedding
233. Msbuildingupdabenjamins
234. Msbuildingupdabenjamins
235. Msbuildingupdabenjamins
236. Musings from Me
237. Veronnica
238. The Adventures of Miss V
239. Mudd Kids
240. Mom Most Traveled family travel
241. Relishing the Dirt
242. Good, True and Beautiful
243. http://frugallivingandhavingfun.blogspot.com/
244. The Last Blog on Earth
245. A Wrestling Addicted Mommy
246. Rae
247. http://www.thesidelinesoflife.blogspot.com/
248. Dore’s Diaries
249. Blog by Donna
250. Lisette
251. Pillaging With Buffie
252. Mom of Faith
253. GODSOWN
254. flutterbyechronicles
255. shelley
256. Life In A House Of Blue
257. kristen
258. Alex the Fey Thriller Series
259. MamaCheaps!
260. Donalacasa
261. A Jewish Journey
262. http://learningtogetherhandinhand.blogspot.com/
263. BethinNC
264. Stuttering Shell
265. Don’t Blink
266. Life is Sweet
267. Lisa
268. http://www.sahmsue.com/
269. m.e (cathie)
270. Run DMT
271. Princess Ratbag
272. Michelle G
273. http://www.nathansfight.com/
274. Moody Mama Says
275. Laurie Ann
276. Cooking During Stolen Moments
277. A Simple Walk
278. Vanessa
279. middleagedmom
280. Ramblings Of A Wannabe Writer
281. Oh My Baby
282. Fordcast Sunny
283. Lisa Miller
284. http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com/
285. Bibs & Cribs {very cute stuff}
286. My Lil’ Budget Book
287. Misadventures in Baby Raising
288. My Mommy Said
289. Milk & Honey Mommy
290. Milk and Honey Mommy
291. Amy O’Neal
292. Parenting Children
293. A Girl And Her Life
294. MarieLynn Boutique Blog
295. Born Fabulous Boutique Blog
296. The Pitter Patter Boutique
297. Stephanie Deese
298. Brea’s Baby Boutique Blog
299. digiscrapping.net - Heather Manning
300. Kids Activities Blog
301. Two Little Whales Cloth Diapers & More
302. 3 boys & a dog
303. Karen ~Georgia Angel
304. http://mynotsohurriedlife.blogspot.com/
305. Shannon Blogs Here
306. A Virtuous Woman
307. Secrets of a Southern Kitchen
308. Dreamer
309. Lollipop Book Club
310. Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower
311. Heck Of A Bunch
312. MomSaves4U
313. Barely Domestic Mama
314. http://www.babylovingmama.com/
315. Professional Family Manager
316. Kathleen
317. Coaching The Family
318. Frugal Creativity
319. Easy Being Green
320. Dandelion Bubbles
321. Shelly aka The Attic Girl
322. Foxtoybox-Discovery Toys
323. http://beauty4moms.blogspot.com/
324. Colleen - Mommy Always Wins
325. Playground for Parents
326. World of Discovery
327. http://andbabymakesfourperrine.blogspot.com/
329. A Little Bit Nutty
330. Mahayla’s Mommy
331. Mommy Goggles
332. The Shopping Mama
333. If I Could Escape . . .

Another Pile

2009-05-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have really gotten into this tackling piles challenge from Making Your Home A Haven. Today I took this

to this.

Little by little I am reclaiming the spaces.

First 5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-05-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is my first 5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday. When I made the picture to use with this post and recurring posts each week, I tried to pick things that I can definitely live without.

Those things include:

shoes that have outlasted their lifetime,
all those plastic bags,
all those plastic bottles,
broken toys, and
junk mail.

My box of "stuff" included mismatched socks and those plastic coat hangers from the store as well, but the five listed are the five that I wanted to highlight this week.

I'm hopeful that each week this post will help me and everyone else think of those things that are just hanging out in our home and don't need to take up residence there. Whether it be that we need to get rid of it or just never bring it in, I'm hoping that each week we'll be reminded to think about this and the 5 Things I Can Live Without.

I know you are thinking of all those things that you now want to share, so link up. Remember, link to your post and be sure to link back to here. To see guidelines for 5 Things, visit here.

Update: I stopped by earlier this morning to check in on the new meme and everything was working fine. Now, I see that the Mr. Linky has disappeared. I can't get into Mr. Linky's website so I think it may just be down. I went to several other sites that I know have Mr. Linky's for Thursday and they're missing, too. If it's not available, leave a comment with your link and I'll add them in later.

Mr. Linkys are great when they work!!

Five Things I Can Live Without Thursday

2009-05-20T14:05:00.001-07:00

After viewing a portion of the Oprah show, I have decided to start Five Things I Can Live Without Thursday. In an effort to get my house and life under control, this looked like something that would benefit all of us. So starting this Thursday, you can link up and share Five Things I Can Live Without.

Here are the guidelines:

5 Things I Can Live Without is open to anyone wanting to join up and link to their post about things they can live without.
Please link to your individual post as opposed to your blog's home page. If you're unsure how this is done, just publish your post. Then right click on the URL address for that post, copy and then paste in the Mr. Linky box.
Adding the 5 Things picture is not a requirement, but you are welcome to use it in your post.
Be sure to link back to 5 Things here in your post.

Thanks!

Tackling Another Pile

2009-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

We didn't have much of a t-ball game tonight since the other team didn't show up. Our fellows (and gals) got to hit a few rounds and then go home. Bad for the kids but good for mommy because I got to tackle another pile - the pile of stuff on my kitchen counter.

My kitchen counter seems to catch everything. This week it was the stuff we purchased at CVS and Target over the weekend. There were also some dishes that had gotten stacked on the counter as well as a few grocery items from an impromptu grocery trip last night. I have gotten those piles cleared tonight and it looks so much better.

For more inspiration, visit Making Your Home a Haven this week.

Tackle A Pile - Still Decluttering

2009-05-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today over at Making Your Home a Haven, the challenge is to tackle a pile. I have taken this challenge and tackled the pile of laundry that was on the freezer in the laundry room. I worked on this before school this morning and now the laundry room looks much better. There is still more to do, but I am so proud to have gotten a little done.

What pile do you need to tackle? I still have plenty more and hope to tackle something else for a few minutes this afternoon.

Posts May Be Sporadic This Week

2009-05-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

Because I teach high school and this is graduation week, posts may be a little sporadic this week. We have something going on every night either with graduation or my son's t-ball. I don't know how much decluttering I'll even be able to do with such a full schedule this week. The nice thing (if there is such a thing) about decluttering is that it will wait on you until you can get to it. So there's always next week.

Until then!!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday Decluttering

2009-05-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since Thursday, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been finishing up with the spring cleaning assignments and decluttering.

Friday night we worked on the master bedroom a little more because we went Saturday and picked up the rest of the furniture. We got back late Saturday afternoon and got the bed put together and all of the area around the bed (nightstand, underneath, baseboards, etc.) cleaned and organized. My goal is not put nothing under this new bed so that there won't be an accumulation of junk and dust bunnies under there.

Sunday after church, I had to go through the lateral filing cabinet that held our tv and all the peripherals for it. We bought a media chest with this bedroom suite which meant that the filing cabinet had to go elsewhere. I spent several hours pouring through old files and throwing out nearly 1/2 of the "junk" that was in there. There are still a few files that need to be gone through, but these were medical files that would take more time to decide if enough time had passed to allow it to be dumped. I didn't think I had enough mental alertness on Sunday to tackle those.

The new bedroom furniture is set up now and the room has been thoroughly cleaned. Now, we have to start moving the clothes and other items from the old dressers to these. I'm sure there will be even more decluttering to be done. I want to take pictures, but I am waiting until we get the decorative items back on the wall and dressers.

Declutter Day 28 and Spring Cleaning

2009-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today the challenge for the Spring Cleaning Party over at Simplemom.net was the master bedroom. Because our bedroom is torn all apart right now waiting on the new furniture, I decided to attack my closet. I almost didn't take a before shot because it was so bad. Lots of things from the bedroom had just been thrown in there as we were trying to move furniture around from room to room. Now I'm glad that I did the before because it is a drastic change. See for yourself.

Before (as if you couldn't tell):

and After (aahhhh!):

Between what we cleaned out of Boo's room yesterday and the stuff from my closet today, we have a toy hamper full plus another paper sack that will get donated to the local church thrift store. Good for them. Better for us.

Three Things This Thursday

2009-05-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Three Things This Thursday that I am most proud of are:

1. Getting the living room back in shape this week even though we have furniture spread out everywhere.

2. Getting Boo's room back in order (now I need to tackle his bathroom).

3. Not a declutter thing, but after our preacher's sermon Sunday entitled Failure to Launch on not letting our kids be the dictators of the house, Boo has slept every night in his own room. This is a major (I mean, MAJOR) accomplishment. Because he was born premature and had LOTS of health issues for the first 4 years, we have kept him close by in our room. Even in the last year, we have had a couple of scares with his breathing issues. After Sunday's sermon, I decided to put it in God's hands and move him to his own room. Right now, we are just in the spare room next door because of the new furniture still coming in. (Parts didn't come in and parts needed to be returned.) I have been able to sleep and he usually comes in between 5-6 a.m. and snoozes with us a bit then. It has given my husband and I some time together that we just weren't having previously, so our minister was right (which of course I knew he would be). It's not been easy, but we've got a wonderful start.

Declutter Day 27

2009-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

At Simple Mom, our Spring Cleaning feat for today is the children's room. I thought I'd be able to get this done with a little help from Boo and possibly take 10-15 minutes. Little did I know. It's a sure sign when you child closes the closet door that something is definitely amiss.

Here are the before shots. Beware! Enter at your own risk!! (They are really messy.) My little one was not very happy about taking pictures of his messy room.

Now for the after:

I am going to show him these pictures as a reminder of what his room is supposed to look like. We have been trying to pick up the toys and stuff every evening, but I didn't realize that he was just piling it around rather than putting it away. So Mom's got to do a better job of checking behind him.

As a side note Boo wants to let the House Fairy know that he plans to keep it looking this great, and that he really does deserve a prize even though it was really bad at the beginning.

Declutter Day 26

2009-05-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had t-ball so I was only able to get a few things done. In fact, I should be doing more now but I am taking a short rest before I go again.

We are still working on getting the furniture moved around and in the right areas. Right now, I have a dresser and a toddler bed in the middle of the living room floor. I have vacuumed and cleaned around (and under) them, but things still look disheveled with so much out of place.

Boo and I cleared all the toys from the room before he went to bed, but his room has got to be done tomorrow. So I won't finish the spring cleaning in the kid's room until then. We have already been decluttering old clothes, toys, etc. and cleaning in that area. On a side note, he has started (with a little prompting) sleeping in his room now. I'll post pictures of his room tomorrow once we have finished. He is already talking about sending pictures of his room to the House Fairy and I know he'll be ecstatic to see them show up here, too.

To see more spring cleaning that is going on, visit Simple Mom.

Pictures of Spare Bedroom

2009-05-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is what our spare bedroom looks like today. We still have a few things to do in there before our exchange student gets here, but I wanted her to be able to see it as well. We now have

a queen size bed with headboard (no footboard) with storage compartments
a night stand with a drawer and book storage
a dresser with mirror with areas for decorative items
a chest of drawers (5 drawers)
a cedar chest (for more storage)

We don't have any decorative items put up yet. We may wait on these until we know a little more about our new family member. We want this to be a room that she can enjoy and call her own. Ignore the comforter. We just threw one on (it's not the one we are going to use - just a cover for now) and the bed skirt is in the laundry.

Catching Up - Decluttering Per Se Put On Hold

2009-05-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

I had to put the decluttering on hold for a few days because of the new furniture. I'll get a picture posted in the next day or so.

On Friday evening, we were really busy with Mother's Day for our moms. We had them over on Friday because we were planning to go to the beach on Sunday (which got interrupted). We also had to get our trailer ready for picking up the furniture on Saturday.

We were gone all day Saturday to get the new bedroom furniture that we ordered. The mattresses had not come in, but the rest of it had so we decided to make the trip and do a little shopping while in town. We got back home, got the furniture unloaded and then went straight to church for a kids program that our little one just loves. We didn't arrive back home until after bed time (for all of us).

Sunday was extremely busy. Even though it was Mother's Day, we had to get all the furniture unboxed and check for any damages/problems. We have three days to report any kinds of problems and there were some. The dresser appears to have been dropped or smashed in some way. One corner of the dresser top is crushed. Also, one of the bed rails is cracked.

We moved the queen furniture set (after church) from our room to the spare room. I didn't know so many dust bunnies could live in one place. I didn't take pictures, but it was unreal how many of those things were under those dressers. They don't sit directly on the floor but there is only enough room under the dresser to hide dust not actually get anything under there to clean them out. So it took quite a while to move the furniture because we cleaned and decluttered as we went.

When we get home today, we will continue to put the new furniture together and look for any more problems. The furniture store that we use stands behind their furniture really well and very seldom have we had any problems. Mostly I think someone somewhere just wasn't very careful with these pieces. We have to go back for the mattresses anyway so at least it won't be a wasted trip to return the damaged pieces.

Until later today!

Special Post for Our New Girl

2009-05-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

This post is a special post just for our new exchange student. We finally got to talk with her in person last night and she wants to know more about us. This post is being done especially for her. Here are the pictures and some information that she has requested.

Here's our family from our vacation last summer:

These are pictures of our home (inside and outside):

These are pictures of our spare bedroom which will be your room:

The little bed is just being stored here. We are getting a queen size bed moved in to this room this weekend.

More pictures of our family:

Pictures of the grandparents:

Boo (that's our nickname for him) and one of his chickens. We live out in the country and have chickens, a cat and a garden that you can see in the background

Declutter Day 25

2009-05-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today is cleaning and decluttering in the kitchen over at Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning Party. Here's my after pictures. I didn't snap the befores. I only got one cabinet done because I have a horrendous sinus headache.

Declutter Day 24

2009-05-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had a dentist appointment this afternoon and several errands to run so we didn't get home in time for me to do any decluttering or spring cleaning. The only thing I got done was to put a new flower arrangement on top of the armoire in the living room and some toys and other things put away in Boo's room.

Tomorrow is the kitchen. I've peeked ahead and I'm ready.

Declutter Day 23

2009-05-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's spring cleaning fun in the living room today at Simple Mom's. I only the after pictures because I spent most of my time straightening up the kitchen and the living area because our parents were coming over for the t-ball game tonight and to eat/visit with us.

If you saw earlier pictures of my living room, you will notice that I have moved an old armoire into the corner between the two couches. That had to come out of the spare bedroom because we are moving the bedroom furniture in there this week. I just couldn't part with this piece plus it holds all of my memoirs and scrapbooking supplies and pictures. I love this piece because it belonged to my grandparents and I think lovingly of them every time I look at it. I shouldn't have had it stashed away in a room that was mostly serving as a junk area anyway. I truly smile every time I look at it. This is the way we should feel about every thing we have in our homes. If not, it should go. I think that is the point of decluttering.

Now that tree is another story. I actually bought it for my son's room, but it just didn't seem to fit where I wanted it. I don't smile when I see it. I usually cringe, because it is a constant reminder that I spent good money on something that just didn't work out like I wanted it to. My husband has suggested that we put it in the attic and save it for a Christmas tree for my little one. All we have for him now is a little tiny tree and since he's getting to be a big boy, he'll want a big boy tree. Sounds like a good idea to me. It was cheaper than a Christmas tree and I won't have to see that reminder except during a short time of the year. That might actually cause me to smile instead of cringe. It might turn out to be money well spent in that context.

Oh, and I do know that this mirror is too high. Originally, we were planning to move my grandmother's piano here to the new house and I measured to see where the mirror needed to go in order to be above the piano. Well, as you can see, there's no piano. Moving it proved to be more than we could handle and I couldn't afford a moving company. So until I can save up the money for moving it, the piano will stay at our old house. I'm planning to move this mirror and replace it with a gorgeous metal clock.

Anyway, I didn't get the area deep cleaned today, but part 2 of the living room is tomorrow. So hopefully I'll get a chance to do some real cleaning then.

Declutter Day 22

2009-05-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished the entryway. It looks much better. Things from the weekend have been put away, floor cleaned and filing done. It's getting late so I'll post my pictures tomorrow just you won't have to take my word for it. You can see it in pictures. Until then! UPDATE: Here are the pictures.

Before

and After...

If you need some inspiration for your entryway, visit Tammy's Recipes Making Your Home a Haven.

Spring Cleaning Party

2009-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today I am joining Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning Party. I love her ideas for today (the 1st day of this party). I am running all over the house grabbing up trash. Flylady would call this a 27-fling boogie. Want to join in? It lasts for 2 weeks. Surely we can do anything for a couple of weeks.

Declutter Day 21

2009-05-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Since today is Sunday, I didn't get any decluttering done, but I did clean out the filter for the AC unit. It's supposed to rain tonight so leaving the windows open for those cool breezes didn't seem like an option. This is the first time this season that we have run the air. I hope we don't have to make a habit of it right now, even though the Florida heat is increasing each day. Electricity is just too much and those night breezes are FREE.

Declutter Day 20

2009-05-02T19:22:00.001-07:00

I'm beyond tired. Today I have gone through all of my pictures and scrapbooking materials. They are stored in an old chiffrobe that belonged to my grandparents. I didn't throw out much nor go through every single sheet of scrapbooking paper and stickers, but it is more organized than before.

We moved the chiffrobe from the spare bedroom to the living room. I didn't think there would be enough space in the spare room for the bedroom furniture and this piece. I really didn't want to get rid of it so I found another space in the house for it. I think it looks pretty good in the living room. If I weren't so tired, I'd get up and take a picture. Maybe tomorrow, but not now.

Declutter Day 19

2009-05-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY!

At last, I hope to get a few days of peace and quiet (as much as you can have with a preschooler) and a little more decluttering.

This evening I have gone through the bookshelf in our living room. Since we will be getting new furniture in the bedroom, I have to do something with the books that are currently on the nightstands/bookshelf units that we have. The new ones have all drawers and no room for books. Some of my decorative items may have to go, but so be it.

Here is the before which really isn't much different from the after. I had to take this with the smaller digital camera and it's quality is not very good. The job is done though and I only had to get rid of 2 items: a small basket and a little birdhouse.

Declutter Day 18

2009-04-30T18:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I have made up for lost time today. I have been cleaning out the spare bedroom where our exchange student will be living next school term. Since we are getting new furniture in a week or so, we need to move the old furniture to the spare room. I have a couple of dressers in there that are mostly holding things that I just haven't taken the time to find a place for. This afternoon I have cleared one of the dressers out and an old cedar chest.

Most of the items were things that I have of my grandmother's and I don't want to get rid of them. I found a set of beautiful his and hers embroidered pillowcases that I didn't even know we had (I think my husband's grandmother did them). I found several crocheted doilies that I had forgotten about and some material to use for making grocery bags.

I organized my sewing items and went through Boo's school papers. I also found some old bills and statements from 1998-2003. I got rid of all of that as well. I located some insurance information that I hadn't been able to find and went through some of Boo's medical records that I needed to organize and save.

Next, I went through some of Boo's clothes that are in the dresser that will be moving to the spare room. We threw out some holy (I mean, holey) under pants, old socks and a few t-shirts that needed to be rags.

All in all, it has been a long afternoon. I don't generally try to declutter so much at one time, but I was feeling a little behind so I kept at it.

You may be wondering how I got all this done with it being a t-ball night. Well, since my little one was in the principal's office this afternoon after repeated, unsuccessful time-outs, he was not allowed to play tonight. He had gotten into trouble on Monday and was forewarned about losing t-ball privileges if there were any more behavior problems. I'm wondering if the moon is full or something. He's generally very good, but in the last few days he has been a handful. Here's hoping tomorrow will be better.

Declutter Day 17

2009-04-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

About the only decluttering I got done today (Wednesday) was clearing the car of all the items that we purchased at Target. As soon as school was out, we drove back to the furniture store (about 1 1/2 hours away) to order our new furniture. This is what we have picked from Ashley Furniture Homestore. It is the Cross Island and we ordered the king bed, night stand, media chest, dresser and mirror.

I didn't even get all the stuff put away as it was nearly midnight when we got home. Hopefully, tomorrow I can declutter another space and get some things caught up. Of course, we do have t-ball again tomorrow.

Declutter Day 16

2009-04-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

I didn't get anything decluttered today. This is what we were doing (and I have to say it was much more fun that cleaning and decluttering). He thinks he was won the championship every game.

Declutter Day 15

2009-04-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Today I got back to some decluttering!!

If you have read my post from Sunday on my grocery savings blog, you already know that we weren't home on Sunday and stocked up on toothpaste from CVS and Walgreens. I try not to spend too much on toothpaste. In fact, my little one and I use the samples from the dentist, but my hubby - that's another story. He wants a FULL size tube of toothpaste, so we granted that wish on Sunday over and over and over again.

Well today (Monday) when I decided to put up the toothpaste, this is what greeted me...

After about 15 minutes, it looked so much better...

Now on to the next thing!

Declutter Day 14 or Not

2009-04-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, once again, I didn't get any decluttering done on Sunday. I think I may have to mark Sunday as a No Declutter Day (my day to rest from decluttering).

As you know if you've been reading my posts, we are getting an exchange student next school year. We don't have any bedroom furniture for our spare bedroom yet except for this toddler bed and some old dressers from my grandparents' home. Of course, we aren't going to expect her to use this, so we decided to move our bedroom furniture (queen size) to this room and buy a king size set for our room.

Sunday after church we decided to check out some furniture sales at Ashley Furniture. I had found several things online that I liked but they are only on sale this week. Since the store is 1 1/2 hours away we decided we'd probably have more time to browse on Sunday that one afternoon. We didn't get home until bed time. So until Monday!!

Declutter Day 13

2009-04-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

Day 13 was Saturday, April 25th. I finally got the baby chicks moved outside. They have created such a mess in my laundry room that I don't know when I'll ever get it all straigtened out. I've been promising pictures once we got the pen done and them moved so here it is...

aren't they sooo cute? Especially now that they are outside!!

I also spent time on Saturday repurposing an old dog pen into a nesting box for the laying hens. I cut the pen in half and attached part of it to the top to cover the nexts. We have to get some concrete blocks and then we'll be ready to move it into the pen for the older chickens.

Here it is...

No decluttering was done on this day with all the activity going on at the chicken pen. There's always tomorrow to attack something else.

Til then.

7 Quick Takes Friday

2009-04-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

--1--

We got the house straightened up this week for our home visit from the agency that will be helping us host an exchange student next year. Talk about decluttering and in a hurry, but we did it and all is still is wonderful order.

--2--

Boo has continued to keep up his room and to put away things as he gets them out. He even had a visit from the House Fairy and was left a nice search and find book with Wall-E. Not only is the House Fairy extremely proud of him, but Mama and Daddy are, too.

--3--

We got the baby chicks pen finished and will be moving them today. We have to go to the local hardware store for some pine straw for their bed. I promise to follow up with a picture shortly.

--4--

I want to declutter my closet this week coming up (starting today) as well as go through our winter clothes.

--5--

Another decluttering project this week will be the dressers in our master bedroom. I have got to find some space for linens since our exchange student will be using the closet in the spare bedroom where these are currently located.

--6--

I was able to use the drying racks quite a bit last week for the laundry. I think I only had to actually dry one load. Since last week was Earth Day, we tried really hard to do lots of things that were more earth friendly. We want to keep that habit going until it actually becomes a habit.

--7--

And finally, this week I want to go through our home and get rid of dust catchers, clutter mongers and any thing that is just there because we are blind to it. I only want to surround us with things we truly love and admire. Everything else is just stuff (that requires more upkeep and cleaning). I'd rather be spending time with my family and not running myself ragged trying to clean STUFF!

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, visit here.

Family Fun Friday

2009-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this Family Fun Friday today. We are going to finally get the baby chicks moved from inside the house to a corner of the big chicken pen. It has warmed up nicely here and they are not staying the big appliance box. The Americauna (spelling is questionable here) rooster was out on the floor of my laundry room last night just squawking away. He has gotten out of the box and couldn't find any of his friends. Of course, this didn't prohibit him from leaving me a "squishy" present on the floor. So needless to say, they have to go.

Boo, my 5 year old, loves all the chickens. He pets the big ones every day. So I know that this will be a family fun activity for all of us. Of course, it may be some work for the parents, but Boo will be ecstatic to "help" and play with the animals.

What are you planning to do this Friday for family fun? If you need some ideas or are just plain curious about what others are doing, see Moms by Heart. Don't forget to link up so others can see what you'll be up to. I'll post the AFTER pictures as soon as we get it done.

Declutter Day 12

2009-04-24T05:34:00.001-07:00

I didn't get anything decluttered per se on Thursday. We had a T-ball game and with fixing dinner and cleaning up, there just wasn't enough time. I did clean out the baby chicks bedding. They are being moved outside this weekend and I had hoped that I could just keep adding some more newspaper until then. BUT when we walked in from the game, the smell was overwhelming and I knew this was going to have to be done. Not really a decluttering job, but a necessary one.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get two declutter jobs done on Friday.

Three Things This Thursday

2009-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

For my Three Things This Thursday, I thought I would list some things that I have accomplished this week. I'm so proud of our family for all that we have gotten done.

1. We were able to get our house in order this week for our home visit (see 2).

2. We are getting an exchange student next school year and have completed this process. We are currently awaiting the background check and then should be corresponding with her soon thereafter. My little one is so excited about "his big sister."

3. My little one has kept his own room straight this entire week. I am going to have to find some reward for that. I am sooo proud of you, Boo (his nickname)!

To check out more Three Things This Thursday, visit Psalms 104:24 (not the scripture which of course you could reference - but the website).

Declutter Day 11

2009-04-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up from the last few days of decluttering. I have been working so hard to keep everything straightened up that I haven't had much time for blogging. Yesterday (Wednesday), I had to declutter our medicine cabinet in the kitchen. Since my little one had been sick, I was very frustrated trying to find all of his medicines (breathing treatments, fever reducer, cough meds, expectorant, etc.) in such a disaster. So for Wednesday, I took the time to go through the medicine shelf and organize everything again.

I use plastic containers (like those for leftovers but without the lids) to put meds in for each person in our family. My husband has daily meds that he has to take and those go out in front for easy access in one container. I have another container for our little one and then yet another for me. My container is pushed furthest back in the shelf. I tend to be the less sickly one of the bunch (or at least the one who takes the least medicine). These containers make it so easy to just grab up what you need.

The next thing I want to do is make a night nurse kit. I read about this from an email newsletter and thought it was a wonderful idea. In this kit you put everything that you would need in the middle of the night for your kids (thermometer, fever reducer, breathing meds for us, etc.). It is so hard to find a thermometer in the middle of the night and the idea is to have it all together in one place so anyone can grab it without much thought or searching. I think I will try to work on this next.

Declutter Day 10

2009-04-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. I have been doing this for 10 days!! Go me (well, us)!!!

One note of improvement for Tuesday of this week (Day 10) is now that we have gotten the entire house straightened up, my 5 year old knows what his room is supposed to look like and is working hard to keep it that way. He has only been pulling out one thing at the time and putting it back. He stayed home sick with my hubby (on Tuesday) and when I returned home everything was still in great order. Was I ever surprised? I only had a few dishes to wash up.

We had a T-ball game on Tuesday afternoon so the only decluttering that I was able to do was a little bit in the pantry. I had to run to the grocery store during my lunch to bring the guys a few snacks for the day so I straightened up the snack shelf in the pantry after I got home. I didn't snap a picture since it was only one part of a shelf.

Declutter Day 9

2009-04-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't do much decluttering work on Monday since we had the home visit for our exchange student. I just kept up what work we had already done. It looks so nice. I hope we can keep it looking so great.

More Decluttering for Day 8

2009-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I also worked on the porch some more on Sunday. I decided to push the dining table into the back corner and use the metal table from my grandmother's as a buffet. This way we could easily put the food to be served on the porch with us and not have to go back into the house for items. I'll try to get a picture up in the next day or so. We've still got quite a bit to do (paperwork wise) for the exchange student so I may not get any decluttering done for a day or so.

Declutter Day 8

2009-04-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a major declutter day. I received a call from the representative that we have been working with in order to host an exchange student next school year. She will be coming by tomorrow for a home visit.

I had to declutter the spare bedroom (AKA the junk room, the boxes of stuff that we never put away after moving room, the excess baby stuff room, the scrapbook room, etc.). This was a job. Just going through things in there took so much time.

Here's a breakdown of some of what had to be done:
* closet cleaned out and straightened up
* bed linens put on shelf (they had been folded and put in the room but not put up)
* baby stuff sent to charity store
* books and movies (had previously been gone through and just being stored there) sent to
charity store
* camper stuff taken out to camper (bowls, toilet cleaner, dish cloths, tire covers, exterior rug) -
we had purchased some items that never made it to the RV
* air mattress disposal (won't hold air any longer)
* puzzles, scrapbook items, school papers put away
* vacuum (our cat had shredded a newspaper page in there)
* pictures put away
* old picture frames gone through and sent to charity store
* school supplies put away

We made it through this room and had to do some cleaning in several others, but we are now ready for our home visit. We are very much looking forward to hosting a student. What better incentive to get this room under control?

Declutter Day 7

2009-04-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't get any decluttering done on Friday so I'm going with Day 7 today.

Our screened in porch is a catch-all. We use it for outside games and toys, recycling bins, an outside eating area, wood storage for fireplace and lots of junk that just gets accumulated there. I wish I had taken a BEFORE picture. We worked on this area for about 1 1/2 hours this evening. This is as far as we have gotten.

If you have any ideas about how this area might work better for us, please leave a comment. The area is narrow and the outside dining table that I have is round with 4 chairs. We have a large tote that houses most of the outside toys and games except for the t-ball equipment. There are three recycle bins that are stackable as well as the curbside container. I also have a metal table that belonged to my grandmother in the back corner that is currently not being used for anything at all. It mostly just makes a place for more stuff to accumulate. The wind from southernly storms causes the porch to get wet so I need to place some things all the way against the wall. We have moved the wood to our wood rack outside so there isn't a place needed for that at this time of year. Please, please, please give me your ideas. I do intend to use some decorative items in this space once I get things where I want them.

Declutter Day 6

2009-04-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am a day behind in my posts but I have decluttered an area every day even if I haven't posted about it yet. This decluttering was actually done yesterday (Wednesday). I took time to finish up my couponing project. All the coupons have been numbered and entered into the spreadsheet for future reference. I really love this way of organizing the coupons. Before I could never find what I needed or it would be expired. The other issue that I had would be trying to dig back through all the coupons to throw out the old ones. That's not necessary with this system. And the best part is that now it's done.

Works for Me Wednesday

2009-04-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my works for me but didn't get it done in time for the post the We Are That Family website. But here it is anyway:

I have a large cast iron decorative floor grate that I purchased from a floral/gift shop. It's original purpose was an outside door mat. When I saw it, I knew instantly that it would serve as a wonderful large size trivet (18 x 30). I have it beside my stove so that I can sit pots on it without burning the counter or looking for a hot pad or trivet. The best thing is that not only is it functional, it is also decorative and looks like it belongs right there. It keeps me from adding more clutter to this area because of its beauty.

Repurposing items works for me and keeps me somewhat clutter free.

I found a picture online of a similar product. Mine doesn't have the rooster - only scroll work.

Declutter Day 5

2009-04-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

I didn't get this post done on Tuesday. Our little one is playing T-ball so we didn't get in until late. I did get a little decluttering done, though, even with our busy schedule. I decluttered the top of the freezer in my laundry room. There was some laundry there as well as other things that just didn't belong. We have eight chicks in this room, too. I'm posting a picture of them instead of the freezer. They are much cuter!

Declutter Day 4

2009-04-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I have been working on the other side of the kitchen. The countertops were cleaned on Saturday, so today I decluttered items on the counters. I looked at what could be stored elsewhere and what items could be removed entirely.

I also worked on one of the cabinets below the countertop. It took less than 15 minutes to do all of this. I am always very amazed at the power of 15 minutes.

To see other Immaculate Monday activities, visit here.

No Decluttering Today (Easter)

2009-04-12T13:38:00.001-07:00

I have decided that I'm not going to bother with any decluttering projects today. We have had a full day with church this morning and having our parents over for lunch. I am more interested in just kicking back and spending the time with family and my 5 year old.

I've got to go hide one last batch of eggs! Enjoy today and do something you enjoy! Most of all, take some time to think about the importance of the day.

Declutter Day 3

2009-04-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening after our church's Easter celebration, I was able to finish the last of the countertops in the kitchen. Now all of the countertops are neat, organized and best of all - clean.

All of the groceries and purchases from our Wal-Mart trip have been put away and are not waiting on the dining table or the top of the bar. What was I thinking when I put in a bar? It just seems to be a magnet for anything without a place to go.

Declutter Day 2

2009-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to post this on Friday, but I did declutter my coupon stash. I found a really great idea for keeping coupons here and worked on them. I worked on this for nearly 30 minutes. The job is not finished, but I have gotten a really good start and it will probably only take another 30 minutes to finish it. I'll take a picture once I'm done.

We had to go to Wal-Mart today and I was able to save $9 with coupons for items that I would have purchased anyway. So the coupon system is already working.

Blitz - It Friday

2009-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

For Blitz-It Friday, I worked this week on my kitchen and dining area. I want to finish up the kitchen on Friday including scrubbing the grout on the floor. It is awful. My tiles are beautiful but very intricate. I thought when we bought these that they would be wonderful to look at, but now I'm looking at all that dirt in those grooves and cringing. I'll update with pictures as I go. You can see the other declutter activities that I have done this week at my blog.

To see what everyone else has done this week, go and visit Blitz It Friday at Organized Everyday.

Declutter Day 1

2009-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here is what I was able to do today. I'm hoping that working on this blog will help to encourage me to do something each day. My home is not a candidate for Clean House or Clean Sweep or any of those kinds of shows, but it can definitely use a good daily declutter mission.

I am currently subscribed to Flylady and she tries to encourage each of us to declutter just 15 minutes a day. What can you do in 15 minutes?

This is what I did. It took me 2 - 15 minute sessions.

Before

After

Starting Today

2009-04-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

Starting today, I am going to try to declutter a little each day in my home. This blog will be my trek through that adventure. Come join me and let's see what happens.

This idea was not my own. I visited a site by a wonderful mom at 365 Days of Decluttering and Angie is Flying. It inspired me to start my own blog about my decluttering and organizing experience. Thanks, Angie!!