Yours truly here; sore as heck and pretty darned tired after a day spent cleaning out the den closet. The closet had become a black hole where stuff was piled so high that we could barely get the door open and I couldn’t summon up the energy to tunnel down to my toolbox. For over a year, I’ve been thinking that I needed to add inexpensive shelves to one side of the closet because it was clear to me that we needed a vertical solution to the mess.
Once I get an idea in my head, coupled with the energy to take it on, I don’t stop until it’s done. I took everything out of there, sorted through old VHS tapes, CDs, and DVDs, marking some for the Salvation Army, some for our storage space, and the rest for here. I grabbed two unused bins from the shed and filled them with CDs. I folded up the heavy iron CD shelf we were using and which was taking up valuable space. That all went to storage. I saved some CDs that we were likely to want to play. We figure if we really have an itch for anything that isn’t here, we can easily grab it from storage. In other words, if I’ve made a mistake in my keep/store decisions, it can be remedied. We do still listen to CDs. I have a nice Bose CD player and I’m not a big fan of Spotify, or even Pandora, though I do use Pandora occasionally. (I have issues with the way they screw over the recording artists, who see very, very little money from those streaming apps. I like to buy the music directly so that the money goes to the artist.)
Anyway, all that was sorted, two bags were taken to the dump, shelves were purchased at Lowes. I put the shelves together and put everything away and the whole thing is very satisfying. However, that made two days in a row of heavy lifting and my back is complaining today.
The only other thing I did was switch the position of two chairs at the kitchen table. It suddenly struck me that the green Hansel and Gretel chair (that’s what I call it) would look more interesting when viewed from the living room and den. I was right.
Today? A quick visit to the grocery store and rest.
Happy Sunday.
after i do a clean-out or rearrange something, i find myself looking at it over and over and over again and alternately thinking “what took me so long?” and “i did good!”
you did good … hope you can take a break and that your back feels better soon!
happy sunday.
kathy in iowa
Well, I hacked at ice most of the afternoon. I had to take advantage of the warm temps. So now I’m REALLY sore!
great work on getting rid of the ice. hope you can now rest and feel better soon.
kathy in iowa
Thanks, Kathy!
also … love the details, color and chippiness of your hansel and gretel chair!
kathy in iowa
Thank you!
It’s a great feeling to put a cluttered area of the house in order. I’ve been on a “simplifying” kick since last summer, taking carloads to Goodwill. You just reach the point where you realize you need to let go of stuff because your kids won’t want it and it’s just taking up space. My biggest problem was always the “sentimental” stuff. Then I read an organizing pro’s blog where she suggested taking a picture of the item before letting it go. That was life-changing for me.
Good Idea, Kay!
I don’t know if taking a picture of it would do it for me. I like those things with me!
The back of your green chair is awfully pretty. Good decision to give it center stage!
I’m taken with Kay’s suggestion to photograph things that are important, but still taking up valuable space—like my remaining piles of tearsheets and illustrations that were part of my old portfolio. I did get rid of a lot in the downsizing, but those I still have are now too much. They are important to me alone, but every once in a while I do want to look at them. Not very often. Too much space. Hmmmm.
I’ll bet you are glad that job’s done!
A picture wouldn’t do it for me. Besides, what if I lost the picture??
This is the third post I have read this morning about organizing and purging. lol I think it must be January ‘fresh start’ thing. I am just like you—once I start a project I just keep pegging away until it is finished.
Have a peaceful, blessed Sunday- xo Diana
I’ve now cleaned out and organized the closet under the stairs and this one. Now, I have to paint that last unpainted wall in the kitchen!
Congratulations! We organized our spices the other day, and the effort made me ridiculously happy for such a small thing. My desktop is making a funny noise when I turn it on some mornings. I’m hoping it’s just a fan going out, something easily replaced. Just in case, I’m taking a look at the digital organizing I’ve been doing. I’m making sure things are backed up that need to be and deleting things I don’t need. This effort is not making me nearly as happy.
That reminds me that I have to back up my computer!
When I finish cleaning/ organizing a space, even if it is just the refrigerator, I find myself opening the door and just looking at it every time I walk by ~ and smiling. And wondering what took me so long to get at it. I agree that January is a great month to do purging and organizing, especially when the weather is rather brutal outside. We had 50* yesterday, and an inch of snow this morning. However, the sun is now out and the snow is melting rather quickly.
Hope you get some R&R today!! Have a good Sunday.
I did a FaceTime with Don today to show him the results! Warm here today, so I finished chopping up all the ice on the driveway. Very sore, but it had to be done!
It feel so good to get a job done like that! I do love that chippy chair and the view of it is so sweet! I’m itching to do a purge (too much time just sitting and staring at things) but I know it will be several more weeks before I even begin to be able to do that. I need to make lists, that always helps me! It’s raining today so more reading and resting for me and YOU!! Hugs!
Make your lists and when you’re all better you can have at it! xo
Wish you had taken some before a after photos for us. Might spur us on to do even more during these months of being closed in, I took photos of
The clutter on my work table, desk and some shelves. It really hads encouraged me to see how they look now.
Now I will begin going through the stack of clothes that need mending.
What I decide to keep can be done one item each night while watching television.
Too hard to take a picture of the inside of a closet in the den, which is usually darkish.
I laughed at the reference to a black hole…I still have a couple places like that. But…that feeling afterwards, of a job well done…is the feeling to me of…’why did it take me so long’! Rest up…you deserve it! ;)
Exactly! Why did it take me so long??
Isn’t it funny how something as simple as repositioning a chair can make such a difference! I love the little chair in its new place. Looks great!
Sometimes it’s the littlest thing, isn’t it? I really like it in its new position.
Indeed rest that back! You are the MOST industrious person. And I agree with you on CDs; I love my CD collection. And I can’t wait til one day this year, when I think things will stay in one place post-remodeling, I unearth my treasured vinyl because there is still nothing like the sound of my old LPs on a turntable, scratchiness and all. It’s true; how are these performers supposed to make money these days? I’ve heard some of them say that the only way they can, is to tour ’cause they sure aren’t making it with conventional record sales.
On every kind of drug here for my cough; after all the weeks of it never going away, the doctor put me on heavyweight antibiotics (and other stuff; I swear it’s a full-time job; I was somewhat surprised while at the doctor’s office on Friday that I was running a fever); but I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night because the cough is still there, not well yet of course, and the darn wind is blowing a gale again; it’s a howler since 1:00 am and we’re in wind warning til noon tomorrow. We are supposed to be getting rain, not wind; this is January. Rain would add insult to injury/tragedy in the cleanup/rebuilding of Montecito but, the other sad thing is, we need rain in SoCalif again, badly. And it’s hot; 85 degrees already at just noon. We coincidentally went to our own offsite storage facility yesterday – hadn’t got the old vintage muscle car out to drive since Thanksgiving – and there was a coating of dirt all over everything in there; it sifts in because the wind is so severe. Dust from the dry river bed and I’m sure mixed in there was sooty ash, pulverized, from the wildfires. Memory gets short, but I haven’t remembered so much wind as we’ve had here the past two months. I now despise wind as much as you do, Claudia. The Santa Anas are NOT my friend. Devil winds!
Well, I chopped up all the ice on the driveway today, which took me several hours. But I had to do it while it was melting enough that I could break it up. There’s no waiting on something like this. It will soon get very cold again.
I hope you feel better soon, Vicki! I know how exhausting a cough from a routine cold can be – you’re struggling with something much more than that. Take care of yourself.
You must have to be so careful not to slip while in motion with the chopping! What do you use…an axe? How cold was it out there when you were doing that, in the 40s?
Thanks for the get-well wishes; I was not fun to be around today (just ask my husband); between the coughing and lack of sleep, I know I was a growly bear; on my way I hope to dreamtime right now, later than should be; it was 80 degrees outside at 11pm, I cannot believe it.
Oh, I’m careful. No, I use an ice chopper – it’s on a long handle and the blade is at the bottom. Very easy to work with.
Congratulations on your cleaning out the closet. You did good. Enjoy the remaining week end.
Marilyn
Thanks, Marilyn. I tend to do more of this kind of thing when Don is away.
Charming!
Thanks!
Claudia, you probably have that good feeling of a successful clean out even when your back is screaming. I was able to do some garden tidying and the pots look better. My daffodils are already flowering…before the crocuses! I love rearranging my things. Somehow, that makes the space feel refreshed.
It’s a long way off until we see daffodils here! April or May!
I admire your organizing. I end up just stowing things I don’t want to see anymore in my craft studio and then it ends up looking like an episode of “hoarders”. But most of our living area is somewhat tidy. But with 3 dogs and 7 adults and 2 little boys living here.. tidy is a foreign word. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Well, your craft studio is for you – and everyone needs one room that holds all the stuff that needs to be out of sight!
Your home is so cozy ,warms the heart
Thanks, Donna!
I have so much stuff here that needs sorted out I’m not sure where to start!
Just a little bit at a time is the best way, I think. Although I tend to ignore that.