After an incredibly lethargic day yesterday, we are back to normal. The sun is out, it’s very cold, Don is going off to run some errands, and I am going to start – well, really continue – to purge. The other day, I sorted through a section of the bookshelves in our bedroom and I already have stacks of books to donate to the library. There’s more sorting to do.
Then I’ll start in on our office, which has become way too crowded. And tackle the ever problematic craft closet which really needs a purge. I need to be in a ruthless mood and I am.
It all started with the vintage dollhouse, dang it. I brought it in the house and the sheer amount of stuff we have (most of which I love and would never get rid of) overwhelmed me. Where do I put the dollhouse? There are two choices: on top of the china cabinet in the den, or next to the armoire in the living room. Currently, it’s next to the armoire but it needs a sturdier table if I’m going to keep it there. That led me to think about what I can get rid of.
Anyway, I’m running out of space on the den bookshelves and I want to transfer some of those books upstairs, so that I have room for more in the den. Make sense?
And, of course, we currently have no room on the kitchen table because that big old fern is there and the table is truly the only place for it.
I’m holding off on taking down Christmas until January 1st, but I must admit, I have the urge to take it all down now – a first. I think it’s because I’m in a ‘cleaning mode.’
What else? We watched Smokey and the Bandit last night in honor of Burt Reynolds and the experience confirmed why I never had any interest in watching it before. Pretty bad.
And I just finished a murder mystery by a well known author who has a series that takes place in Paris. It was fine, but I had just finished a James Lee Burke right before I started this one and it paled in comparison. That’s not entirely fair, of course, because Burke is such a superb writer that almost everything else seems a bit clunky. My reward? I’m starting Louise Penny’s latest later today.
I hope you’re enjoying your holidays.
Happy Thursday.
Those of us who live in small spaces will always have to pick and choose what to keep. I’ve been letting go of so much and it does feel incredible to me. I want to really keep what I love and enjoy looking at and I have found it changing a bit over the years. Very little new was brought into the home this Christmas and some went out so it’s a win win for me. I’ve a been a bit under the weather with no energy to put away the Christmas decor. I usually wait until New Year’s anyway. I might need another does of Grand hugs and playtime to perk me up. It’s fun while they are all on break and I get to see them more often. Take care and enjoy the purging. Hugs!
Feel better, my friend!
could you put a hook in the ceiling to hold the fern and free up some table space?
i am in that same mood to purge, clean and (re)organize … hoping that mood lasts when i get home in about seven hours. :) sometimes it’s hard finding a spot for things and for sure hard to let other things go, but it’s worth it.
glad you can start a new book by a favorite author. that’s something to look forward to, too. thanks for all the book and movie suggestions. i didn’t enjoy the movie at all, but if i was looking for a movie to watch in honor of burt reynolds, i’d choose “deliverance”.
hope you have a nice day.
kathy in iowa
ps: claudia (or anyone else) … do you have any resources or tips to recommend on cutting out sugar? i could sure use them; please and thanks.
Kathy have you tried a sugar substitute? Gives the flavor but not the effect. Stevia is the one I’m thinking of that is derived from a natural plant. Might be something to check out. I have many friends who use it and won’t go back to regular sugar. Good luck! Chy
to chy …
thanks very much for the suggestion and the encouragement!
i don’t bake or like to cook (but when i do, i will try a sugar substitute). the problem for me is avoiding temptation at the store! i try to remind myself of how awful sugar makes me feel and how bad it can be for our bodies, but – unfortunately – i have a very sweet tooth and too often think of food as a reward at the end of a hard day and those things are hard for me to change. i will keep working on them, but again, thanks for your idea and good wishes.
best wishes to you and yours for a great 2019!
kathy in iowa
My dad had diabetes and we found many different sweets that were sugar free – Bulk Barn is one place I can think of but not sure if that is just here in Canada. It’s hard when you have a sweet tooth!
Happy New Year Kathy!
X Chy
thanks, chy.
there are no bulk barns around here that i know of, but sounds interesting.
kathy in iowa
The one time I cut out sugar, I did it cold turkey – just as I did when I stopped smoking. But it’s hard. There are lots of sugar substitutes out there and if you try and buy your sweets at a health food store, that might help.
As for Deliverance, I’ve only seen it once and it was so powerful and upsetting that I’ve never watched it since. Don’t get me wrong, it’s excellent, but I have no interest in seeing it again. Besides, it was on at 10 pm, and that’s too late for us.
I would have chosen – if I had my preference – The Longest Yard. Love that movie.
agree with your choice of “the longest yard”. “deliverance” was disturbing.
one summer eleven years ago, i was driving back from new orleans and took a different route home. not intending to, i got stuck on a two-lane road (one lane for each direction) in western arkansas. it was a very very hilly and curvy road … and beautiful until it quickly became dark. i couldn’t get any cellphone/radio reception or gps. couldn’t pass a slower driver and didn’t want to speed up when someone was tailgating me (the road was that twisty and i had no idea how it ran, which meant driving slower than i wanted (but i was driving the speed limit) … i was scared. also, there were no shoulders off the road just in case, only seemingly endless trees close to the road, and i saw maybe seven cars total in that part of the trip). there were no exits or turn-arounds and i saw no signs for towns because there was really nothing there. i didn’t realize that i was in the middle of a national forest until i got to fort smith after three very long, very scary hours (yeah … definitely should have looked closer at the map or gps before i lost reception). by the time i got there after midnight, i was a complete wreck, a puddle, because i kept thinking no one would know what happened to me if some creep stopped his car in the middle of the road and wouldn’t let me get by.
why am i telling you this? because throughout that part of my trip, once i realized i couldn’t turn around and just had to keep driving and especially because of someone tailgating me for a long time, i could not get the theme song to “deliverance” out of my head. :l
with the hope that i haven’t just put that song in your head … goodnight!
kathy in iowa
ps: hope to drive that road again someday in the future … in the daytime and with someone (and get back to new orleans).
and thanks for the tip about cutting out sugar.
That’s a scary story! You must have been so tense for that entire drive, Kathy! I can well understand why that theme music kept going through your head!
i was super-tense! when i finally started seeing signs for fort smith, i thanked God, checked for cellphone service and could call my wonderful sister. she was back here in iowa, made some quick calls and found me a room at a lovely holiday inn in fort smith, then called me back and listened to me unwind until i walked into the hotel (which is when i started to cry). then i slept for ten hours before heading home.
i’d really like to take that drive again … only during daylight hours and not alone!
kathy in iowa
I took down all my Christmas decorations yesterday but as usual, it’s all just in heaps all over the basement floor and bar. Brian is on vacation (we’re not going anywhere) so he’ll help me pack it all up and put it away today. I’m going to purge/donate a lot of it, too. Too much stuff is overwhelming. I’m tired of that feeling. It’s cold and gray and raining today, so I guess it’s the perfect weather to do a project like this. I have quite a few errands to do too, but those can wait ’til tomorrow.
Reading…later today I will be starting “Becoming”. Brian just finished “My Exaggerated Life” by Pat Conroy (I bought it for him for Christmas) and loved it.
Melanie, my daughter gave me Becoming for Christmas and I can hardly wait to start it. I have a pile of three library books I’m determined to finish first, then I can dig into it. Enjoy! You’ll get to it before I do.–Wendy T
I love Pat Conroy. I have a book of his essays that I still haven’t read. I’ll have to look for the one that Brian just finished.
Me, too!! Purging I mean. I’m getting in the mood and feeling strong about it. I’m going to check with a local senior center and the library about donating some of my books. And going to go thru my china cabinet and linens and Christmas decorations. Good luck to both of us, you and me!!
I gathered up 4 bags of books to donate today. I’m going to drop them off tomorrow. Good luck, Deb!
Hi Claudia! I wonder if you’ve seen the Netflix series Derry Girls? As a voice and accent coach I think you’d like it, also it is pretty hilarious. (And also i’m Wondering if one of the young actresses is not native Irish. Every now and then she comes out with a flat vowel sound that makes me wonder… I haven’t looked up the actress yet to confirm my suspicions so I could be way off…
No, I haven’t seen it. There are so many series on Netflix and Amazon Prime that I tend to get overwhelmed by the possibilities.
Best wishes with your purging today. Sounds like you’ll be quite busy.
No purging here. We did a minimal amount of decorating and plan to keep it up well in to January. I’m not a fan of January – gets dark here early, so the extra light is something we love. And our tree looks so pretty in the turret. In the woods, no one can see our tree is still up, so up it stays! We purge before we decorate in anticipation of new items coming in to the house and that frees up our down time after the holidays. Clothes get donated, items we no longer use, space opened up. Always a good feeling!
Today, it’s the first real cold day here (-20’s C) so we’re heading in to the big City to visit our new museum. It was moved to a brand new space this year but we haven’t had a chance to see it yet. Our daughters gifted us passes for today, so the 5 of us are looking forward to a day of exploring. I know once we’re done, I’ll be glad to head back to our cottage. The City is fun to visit but I’m so glad we don’t have to live there!
Enjoy your purging today!!
X Chy
We always do a minimal amount of Christmas decorating – there’s really very little up and even our tree is small. It’s just that, for some reasons, I’m a bit restless this year and have the urge to take it down. I won’t – it will pass. Have fun at the museum!
The museum was amazing!! The big City did a great job putting it all together and based on the size of the lineups, a hit for all. We had passes so we got to bypass the lines and got right in. I’m sure we’ll visit again.
I hope you were able to finish up your purging today. Such a good feeling!
X Chy
xo
I just finished the new Louise Penny book and as usual I loved it. I will always be grateful for the recommendation you gave for her series. My daughter is now also hooked, so you have influenced us both . I’m with you on the purging, 2019 will be the year of the big clean out!
I’m glad I got you both hooked!
I got Louise for Christmas. Must finish the book club book first, though. Sigh…
I know what you mean on purging and cleaning. I can barely see surface on my desk in the office. I did unload loads of books before Christmas but the basement is a hazard, I think! It will happen. Michigan winters are long!
I have 4 Trader Joe’s bags full of books to donate tomorrow. I donate once or twice a year and that really helps me keep control of the amount of books that are lying around.
Claudia, as usual, you’ve unleashed us into our latest upcoming project–purging! I have been steadily purging throughout 2018 but my weak resolve to see more outgoing than incoming didn’t last, what with two adults daughters still in my house. I got rid of a lot of clothes, kitchen stuff (really, do I need that much plasticware? I already keep it in the largest kitchen cabinet I have!), and tools (my FIL’s…my husband took them all when my FIL died, but my tools are of higher quality, so I donated all of his). Loads of books to the library and used book store. I’m calling the garbage company this week for my annual large bin, which includes pick up of up to three large items (old TV, old TV stand). All the folding chairs, card tables and older heavier suitcases were donated to the senior center. I’m almost done with purging my stuff and can go on to the fun task of nagging daughters to do same!
Kitchen stuff I have to purge regularly as we have so little cupboard space. Books are going to the library tomorrow. What we really need – hopefully in the spring – is to rent a dumpster and clean out the shed!!
You are quite ambitious…first giving up sugar…and now purging. After reading the comments, sounds like quite a few of us will be right there with you. Which is good…we can spur each other on.
Our tree and other decorations will stay up til after New Years. Because I didn’t decorate too much…it’s not ‘getting to me’ yet. I did purge a lot of Christmas decorations last year…so there’s not much i’m Willing to let go of this year. Good luck on the purging….you just have to make room for that sweet dollhouse! ;)
That’s why it’s odd – we barely decorate. A little tree, a few things here and there. For some reason, I’m ready for a change, but I know I would regret it if I did it this early. We always keep it up until New Year’s Day at the earliest.
Good for you with the purging. We are determined to do the same as soon as the Christmas decorations are cleared away. That will not be until after New Years Day.
Marilyn
It feels good, Marilyn. I have a lot to do!
You are starting the new year off with a bang. I did a kitchen purge in summer. Will get back to the basement, which is a disgrace, after the holidays. At first I thought it would be hard. But it actually feels great. Now, if only I could lose the pounds as fast as I’m shedding “things.” Sugar is my downfall too.
Oh, I hear you! If only the pounds would come off as easily!
I going to take some books to the Little Free Library in a small town not far from here…I find good reads there sometimes!
I love those little libraries!