A pile of “crap”!

I can’t possible be alone, I’m sure every home has one.

A drawer, a basket, a box, where you store things coming out if your pockets, receipts, take away menus, business cards, phone cover, sticky notes with scribblings on about something you want/need to remember, descriptions on how to change the battery in your alarm, pens, sunglass cover, notebooks, rubber-bands, and in my case also memory sticks and 2 small marbles!!! What the…. where the heck did they come from?

I’m sure we all have that “junk drawer”, that one space where crap seems to congregate!

I cleared mine today!

Good riddance, is all I can say 😉

Back again…

As I told you in my last post, July tally, the last few weeks I have pretty much just relaxed and enjoyed my time off.

But enough is enough, it’s time to get back at it 😉

Back to my declutter task, back to my blog and back to getting some stuff done around the house!

So here is my first instalment, getting back on my declutter wagon!

1 jacket
1 pair of pants
1 thermal underwear top
6 T-shirt
2 pairs of knitted wool socks
1 BIG piece of silk – bought in Malaysia in 1995, intending to have a dress made…. like that ever happened!
1 clutch
1 bed sheet that don’t fit any of my beds…?
1 pair of boots – they seemed like a good idea when I got them, but they’ve never been used…
1 book – Thor Heyerdal, the adventurer
2 software CDs never used
4 empty DVD boxes (count as 1)
1 pair of sandals – never used, what was I thinking with those heels!
1 plastic serving tray (broken)
1 almanac – 2010
1 shirt – dads – and
1 cardigan – dads – they won’t ever get used and it’s been almost 1,5 years, it’s time to let them go!

24 items, woohoo 😉

Now, if decluttering the rest of the house would just be this easy…

July tally

I have to admit, July was an appalling month when it comes to decluttering, which you probably have noticed, since I haven’t written about a single thing I shed.

So what have I been doing with myself in the month of July? Well as I wrote in the beginning of July, I was taking an hiatus to focus on my health.

So July month have been filled with trips to the osteopath, loads of rest, beautiful days in the garden and not to forget…

Loads and loads of time occupied with Molly, my furry friend 🙂 With her around I seemed to get “nothing” done. When I sat down to read, she wanted to play. When I worked outside in the yard, she hated being on a leash so I made “borders” so she could go loose, but I still needed to keep an eye on her whereabouts, just in case… When I ate, she wanted food. When I watched TV or had friends over, she wanted to “play” or go out for a walk, or was hungry or something.

So you can see why I got nothing done… right? 😉

Even so, when I think about it, there are actually a few things that have gone out-the-door in July… Not only have I not written about them, but mostly I have even forgotten to take pictures of them 😦

But let’s see if I can’t manage a small recap anyhow!

JULY TALLY of things “out-the-door” = 22 items

2 reasonable sized Boxwood plants in planters – 1 given to a neighbour, 1 given to my step-mum for her new cabin
8 plastic planters/pots – given to my neighbour
6 books – I’ve actually read 12 as part of my read a book program – but, I’m getting into some of my favourites and they are harder to part with… maybe next month 😉
1 roll of plastic flex pipe
a bunch of small plastic plant pots – counted as 1 (no photo)
2 terracotta pots (no photo)
bunch of plastic pipes leftover from earlier garden constructions – counted as 1 (no photo)
bunch of wood bits and pieces leftover from earlier garden constructions – counted as 1 (no photo)

Let’s see… I think that was it.. I can’t believe I ended up with the same amount of items as in June! And NO it’s not a copy/paste error – it just turned out that way!

Hmm.. if I could part with one extra book, I could beat June tally… Nope, I don’t think so.. not quite yet, gotta think about it first 😉

So her we are – 22 items – just like June!

June tally

We are all in agreement that the month of June have been a bismal month for decluttering. But even though I haven’t written about them, there are a few things that have gone out-the-door anyhow!

So let’s see what this month have amounted to on the declutter scale:

JUNE TALLY of things “out-the-door” = 22 items

2 hanging baskets – given to my step-mum for her new cabin, including the
2 linings for the hanging baskets and the
2 hooks for the hanging baskets
1 big bag of shredded papers – I normally do a yearly shred after I’m done with the taxes (late shred this year)
A bunch of kitchen drawers utensils no longer (or ever) in use – counted as 1
1 red empty leather notebook – also for my step-mum
1 toilet bag after dad
Some outdated medication – counted as 1
1 indoor water fountain feature set
9 books – I’m still chugging away at my read a book program
and another book that I read and gave to mum while I was in London in May – that I forgot to tell you about, but I’m counting it anyway 😉

Hey, this wasn’t quite as bad after all… for a non declutter month… 🙂

My grandfathers cabinet!

I can’t believe I forgot to write about this!

The day before I got on the plane to go to London, I packed up this cabinet and delivered it to a shipping company, to have it sent over to my brother in England. I’ve been holding this cabinet the last 5-6 months or so, for him. The cabinet is a bit taller than me, so its worth writing about getting it out-the-door 😉

My grandfather built this cabinet originally, long, long time ago. He was a “hobby” furniture carpenter. As long as I can remember, he had a workshop in his basement, and would make all sorts of items out of wood.

When my grandfather passed away years back, dad inherited this cabinet and brought it home with him. At that time it was painted and looked pretty “shabby”. Dad found an furniture carpenter in town and had it beautifully restored, including adding glass to the doors. They managed to get hold of “old glass”, which made it look like there have been glass in it from day one.

As dad passed away last year, this cabinet is now going to my brother. From my grandfather, to my father and now to my brother. Three generations of male Sira’s! It’s kinda nice, it warms my heart, this 🙂

I packed the doors really well, and I hope the shipping company gets it there in one piece, so that my brother can enjoy it for years to come.

I think it will fit really well in their small cosy house, together with their other wooden furniture.

Pretty isn’t it… Well done, grandfather… Well done, dad…

May tally!

Well there it is, the month of May is over, and it’s time for my monthly tally.

If I may say so, I think the month of May have gone pretty OK when it comes to declutter items. Even though I had a week completely under the weather, and a week in London with more sightseeing than decluttering 🙂

Let’s see what this month have amounted to on the declutter scale:

MAY TALLY of things “out-the-door” = 126 items

53 – items when running amok in my guest room

9 snuggles (stuffed animals and bean babies)
1 empty computer box
1 empty camera lens filter box
1 PC “desk” to use in your lap
5 clothes storage “bags”
1 decorative plate
6 space bags
5 books
3 small paper pamphlets
6 Christmas decoration items
1 hanging shoe holder
2 eagle creek travel gear pieces
1 camera bag
1 dirty linen basket
1 decorative “garland”
1 gym “bag”
1 space saver set
1 travel journal
2 bathroom mats
1 shoulder strap for a bag I no longer have
1 bag of sticky carpet felt (to use under carpets to make them not slide)
1 hanging bag for cloths

54 – items from my closet cleanup

8 shorts – surf shorts and regular shorts
1 swim top
1 bikini bottom
2 knee length pants
1 bicycle t-shirt
1 pair of indoor “shoes”
4 office shirts
3 sweater
1 knitted hat
1 fleece buff
2 regular buffs
1 scarf Stockings – a bunch (counted as 1)
1 par of socks
3 of my dad’s ties
12 unused unmentionables
5 pairs of jeans – 2 worn, 3 unused (but sadly to small)
1 pair of office pants
1 top
1 T-shirt
1 knitted jacket
1 pair of insoles
1 belt

1 pair of very high heeled shoes 😉
16 paperbacks
1 wooden box – and
1 keg/barrel – my brothers – as posted from London

And that’s it. The out-the-door tally for MAY 🙂

Not to shabby…

Hand over!

Not much going on with our London trip today.

I spent the morning wrapping up a huge clock, that I bough here in London over Christmas, that I’m bringing back with me to Norway this trip. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.

Today though, I’ve handed over a couple of my dad’s things to my brother. Items I’ve been holding for him at my house in Norway.

So what went “out-the-door” today:

1 wooden box, not sure where my dad got it, if it was from his travels or if it’s from grandfathers.

1 keg, made by our great grandfather or grandfather (not sure which).

The only way I could get the keg with me, was to break it down to its individual pieces.

Turns out 1 keg = 31 pieces as you can see from the pictures below…

My dearest brother said he won’t need any help to put it back together again, I wish him luck 😉

Under the weather…

I’ve been feeling a wee bit under the weather the last couple of weeks, and all of last week I even had to stay home from the office 😦

I’m not sure what bug bit me, but whatever it is, it’s an energy zapping bug! All I’ve done is pretty much sleep and hang out close to the couch (to sleep some more). Never mind being able to muster up any energy to spend time on the computer, which is why you haven’t heard from me for a while… I’m really sorry about that.

The only good thing coming out of having to stay home, is that I’ve just about, been reading every book in sight, actually, about a book a day! While looking for books to read, I’ve come across a few, that I’ve decided I won’t bother to read, before I get rid of them.

As I have not really been working on decluttering this last week, I guess I’ll just have to claim these reads, as my third instalment, in the “pile of books, out-the-door, read myself out of my bookshelf” task 😉

Not very exciting I know – but here it is – 16 books out-the-door (hopefully the only used book store left in town will take them 😉 )

My one night stand…

Oh how I love these, but I just can’t…

Now, get you mind out of the gutter, this is not what you think 😉 This is all about a pair of shoes.. Yes that’s right.. A pair of shoes!

Huh?

Christmas party 2007, Houston, Texas. I got invited to my company’s Christmas party in Houston. I had been over there for 4 months, and when I packed for my couple of months trip to help out the IT department, I couldn’t have dreamed up needing to pack for a Christmas party…

So I went shopping 🙂 and found these gorgeous silver “oh my gosh how high heels” shoes, that I just had to have.

I have no idea what I was thinking… I’m a typical tomboy, you know, flat shoes, barefoot kinda girl, so what was I thinking buying such high heels? I should have known they would kill me just about 5 minutes into the party 😉

And I was right… it was a beautiful party, with lots of fun, and the shoes did look good on me 😉 But boy was I happy when I could peel them of my feet, getting in the car, going home that night 🙂

And you guessed it – they have never been used again. Their just as pretty as they ever was, I just can’t do it…

So it’s time to let go! I will never forget the party, and don’t need the shoes as a reminder. So out-the-door they go, my beautiful tortures silver party shoes 😉

It’s closet time!!!

I had a run at my clothes cabinet a couple of weeks back, as a start on my big closet declutter task.

You know how they say we pretty much use only about 20% of our stuff, 80% if the time. I found this very true, when it comes to the clothing I use. I have some pieces that I use pretty much all the time, and some that are almost never (if ever) worn.

So I decided it was time to clean up shop, and continue what I started a couple of weeks ago. So that I could get the clothes out of here 🙂

I use my declutter system for closet clean ups, just like with everything else.

The rule is to be honest with yourself when deciding what to keep.

KEEP:

love and use
use daily, weekly, monthly or even maybe yearly
that they fit, and I look good in them

OUT THE DOOR:

have not used the last 12 months
will not use the next 12 months
no longer fits
do not look good on me – even if they fit
clothes I don’t feel comfortable in – even if they fit, or even look great on me. (Why would I wear clothes I’m not comfortable in? If I won’t actually use them – they gotta go)

NOT SURE – items I have a hard time making a quick decisions on for the following reasons:

might have a use for the next 3, 6 or 12 months – but I’m not really sure because they:
- do fit, but will I actually use them? I might have an intention to use them this coming summer/fall/winter
- might not be a perfect fit, maybe even a size down from where I am right now, but there is “intention” to fit into them within the next 6 months. Is that what we call wishful thinking? 😉

So how did I go about it?

I pulled ALL the content from my closet one category at the time: pants, office shirts, t-shirts, jackets and so on, you get the drift.

As I pulled them out, I sorted them into my Keep, Out-the-door and Not sure piles.

Everything in the Keep and Not sure pile, I tried on, to make sure they fit and looked good (or decent 😉 ) on me.

Everything that did not fit that bill, went into the out-the-door pile.
Not sure items, that survived this exercise, went into my allowance box.

From the out-the-door pile, I pulled out everything that I could give away or donate. I packed them nicely into some plastic bags (since the donate station I use, don’t take boxes), and went down to the donation station with them right away (just down the road).

A couple of tips:

When you give away/donate, it’s always nice if you can place the items neatly into a box or a bag. Make sure they are clean, and that you have emptied the pockets first 🙂

Before putting anything back in the closet, it might be a good idea to dust, vacuum and even paint the walls if you want a fresh, new look 🙂

How did I do?

Closet TALLY 😉 = 54 items out-the-door

8 shorts – surf shorts and regular shorts
1 swim top
1 bikini bottom
2 knee length pants
1 bicycle t-shirt
1 pair of indoor “shoes”
4 office shirts
3 sweater
1 knitted hat
1 fleece buff
2 regular buffs
1 scarf Stockings – a bunch (counted as 1)
1 par of socks
3 of my dad’s ties
12 unused unmentionables
5 pairs of jeans – 2 worn, 3 unused (but sadly to small)
1 pair of office pants
1 top
1 T-shirt
1 knitted jacket
1 pair of insoles
1 belt

And believe it or not, I still have stuff left in my closet, that I can get rid off! How about them apples?

Oh well, that’s for another day. Now? I think I deserve a coffee mocha 😉

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Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

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