Another pile of books

I don’t know if you remember – but early this year in Taking a stab at by bookshelves, I wrote about my Read a book program. How I’m planning on reading my way through my books, to decrease the collection I keep.

I read in spurts, either not reading at all, or can’t seem to get my nose out of the books, kinda spurts 🙂

The year started off slow, but the last 6-7 weeks I’ve really gotten into my paperbacks. I have read a bunch of books and so far only one is a keeper 😉

That means that today, 18 books are going out of the house.

Well.. that is not strictly true actually, I know my mum reads some of these authors, so I’ve shot her an email to check which ones she wants, before I get rid of the rest. Hopefully in a day or two, some will be on their way to my mum in England and some will be on their way to the paper recycle bin 🙂

As soon as the weather is good enough to start my garden projects, I won’t get much reading done..  but for right now at least, I’m on a roll, so I’m hoping for one more pile of books this spring.

I have to admit, it’s hard to let them go, I like my books. But I have checked, and they can all be bought, as kindle e-books, should I want to read them again 😉

What about you, how do you handle your book collections?

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A bundle of sticks

It’s amazing what comes into the house, under the name of decoration 🙂

I’ve had these bundles of sticks for a while. They looked cool there for a second, but boy, are they dust collectors 😉

They can be great for warming (or filling) up a corner or a nook, but right now, I want my space to be clean and uncluttered. And a couple of “dust collecting bundles of sticks” just aren’t cutting it.

So I’m sorry my dears, but I think it’s time you leave the premisses.

2014-04-01 18.32.58 Bundle of sticks

 

PC nicknack’s

I have this “box” full of chargers, hard drives, computer cables, network cables, converters and a whole lot of other computer related nicknack’s. You name it, I’ve got it 😉

I just installed a couple of drawers in a Ikea unit – the drawers are going out of production so they put them up on 50% sale! I’ve been thinking about installing some drawers in the unit for the last couple of years, and I realized, that if I was ever going to do this, it was now or never!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the drawers can not hold as much stuff as the boxes I used before… So a clean up was unavoidable (and desperately needed if you ask me) 😉

I pulled all the data related “junk” out of one of the boxes, and went about decluttering… All the stuff in the pile of mess picture came out of that red box, I can not believe how much it held.

I’m sad to say I did not manage to get rid of, as much as I’d like. I always keep all the belonging part to a item, that I own (if I ever give the item away, I like giving it as a complete set), even if I might not strictly need all the parts belonging to the item.

There is still a lot of computer stuff left in the house. But for now at least, there is a small pile of stuff, that is going out-the-door 🙂

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March tally!

Month three! My gosh I thought I had spent February focusing on my digital clutter, but February don’t even hold a candle to the month of March.

Unfortunately, getting that focused on digital clutter, have taken away some of the focus on tangible decluttering, and it’s time I step it back up in the month of April!

Looking at my monthly tally this month, you’d think I’ve done nothing. I might not have been decluttering to much, but I have still been up to a couple of things 🙂

MARCH TALLY of things “out-the-door” =  12 items and 7535 emails

  • 1 ice cream spoon
  • 1 leather vest
  • 10 bottles of hotel “candy“
  • 7535 emails at my work mailbox

So what else have I’ve been up to? Well let’s see, there is:

 

2014-04-02 15.36.19  2014-04-02 15.57.30

I love spring!

I love spring! That time of year when the days are starting to get a little longer, the plants are slowly starting to come alive, and the weather clears up with a few nice days, here and there!

Even though it is still cold outside, there is warmth to the sun, and if you find a secluded corner, it gets nice and toasty 🙂

Sine the weather forecast is “promising” some fine weather the next few days, I thought it time to unpack the garden furniture. I love how putting out all the garden furniture, makes the outside suddenly look like an extra “living room”. It makes the whole place look much friendlier and welcoming 🙂

I’ll be waiting for some warmer weather, before the furniture pillows comes out though 😉 Still, spring is here, furniture unpacked…  woohoo!

I love spring 1

I love spring 2

Spring cleaning

We have had a couple of really nice days, and it feels like spring 🙂 It’s still cold outside, but the crocus are out, and it’s time to start the garden spring cleaning.

I have some raised flower beds, and the edges are painted white. Well actually, after the winter they are no longer quite as white, they are kinda green 😉

So out came the pressure washer, and now it looks much, much better! If the weather warms up a little, I might even be able to freshen the edge up with a lick of paint.

Looks better, wouldn’t you say?

2014-03-27 17.20.19

Out with the old – in with the new!

Ice cream with silver specks? Nope, no more, absolutely not!! I’m done, my dear old ice cream scoop, I’m done picking silver paint out of my ice cream.

You have worked really hard over the years, spooned tons of ice cream, to me and my friends, and I really appreciate it, but it’s time to let you go.

I’m sure you don’t mind, me swapping your worn body out, for a new green shiny ice cream scooper thingy 😉

2014-03-14 20.13.11

Woohoo! A Liebster Award!!!

liebster2

Last week I was nominated for the Liebster blog award! How cool is that! Just three months into this blogging world 😉

The whole thing caught me completely by surprise. This is kind of random, and unexpected, and totally flattering… and it has taken me a few days to get it together. Thank you, Sandra at It’s Tidy Time for this wonderful gift.

Receiving the nomination, I got a little curious, what on earth is The Liebster Blog Award?

As far as I can see, nobody really know for sure, how or when this award started. But what I’ve gathered, is that it started as an idea, to recognize new bloggers. It’s given to bloggers by other bloggers, in order to create new connections, welcome them and bring attention to their wonderful blogs. COOL 🙂 As I find out more, I’ll put it together on a separate page

A short summary for now:

  • It’s on the internet only, as a virtual award.
  • It is given to bloggers by other bloggers.
  • “Liebster” is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favourite.
  • It follows the principles of a “chain letter”, in the sense that it should be passed forward to a certain number of people.
  • Each of us choose if we want to; accept it, and continue paying it forward or refuse it.
  • The “rules” have changed over time, so now several sets of rules exist.
  • It seems to have been started in Germany, late 2010.
  • Earliest reference I’ve found so far, is to a post on a German site December 19th, 2010.

Now back to my nomination 🙂

Thank you, Sandra over at It’s Tidy Time for nominating me for my first award, ever 🙂

Here are the RULES received from Sandra – not the original ones from back in 2010 – but a different set:

  • Thank the rockin’ blogger that nominated you
  • Answer the 11 questions you were given
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 500 followers
  • Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer
  • Tag your nominees and post a comment in their blog so they know they’ve been nominated!

ANSWERS to the questions I was given:

1. Where do you like to blog? Since it’s been winter since I started my blog, I blog at home, mostly curled up in my sofa with my laptop/ipad.
2. Who is your main inspiration in life? I don’t’ think I have a main inspiration, there are so many to be inspired by. A few:
– my friends Lisa and Mia for following their dreams, love you girls!
– Ed, for being the best dad ever (and my best friend), love you sweetheart 🙂  (and no, we’re not dating 😉 )
– my dad, who sadly passed away less than a year ago
– my step-mum for putting her “best foot forward” after loosing dad, after 30 odd years
– and there are so many more, way to many to count, so I won’t…
3. How do you feel about winter? Living on the west coast of Norway, winters tend to be wet and grey! So I gotta admit I love the season of sun and warmth! But if you give me a couple of cold, sunny snow filled days? Then we’re talking…
4. What was the happiest day of your life? Happiest day, oh gosh, there are so many, how to choose? So I won’t, and leave at it that 😉
5. Which movie makes you laugh out loud, literally? It’s Complicated, with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin
– the Skype scene in it, just about had me fall out of my movie theatre seat, I was laughing so hard.
6. What’s your favourite candy? Why! Chocolate, off course 😉
7. If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? TIGER. They are confident, strong, independent, both solitary and social animals. I don’t know if it is because I would want to be like them, or because I am like them, that they appeal to me. I actually think it’s both! I can be both strong, independent, solitary and social. I think it’s the confidence the tiger has, that I wish I had little bit more off.
8. Android or iPhone? Both
9. What would be your favourite country to visit?
Counties I’ve already been to – US – I have so many friends there
Countries I’ve never been to – Africa – I’ve always wanted to go there
10. Coffee or tea?  Hmmm, Cafe Mocha – does that count?
11. What would your dream retirement scenario look like? Dream retirement! Living in a warmer climate, close to the beach, hanging out with friends, sipping margaritas 😉 and having the financial freedom to travel as much as I want.

MY NOMINEES
Okay, this is going to be difficult. Hmmm, let’s see… Voila! I pass The Liebster Award to – in no apparent order 😉

The Next 50 Years
Living not Wanting
365 minus 1
Musings from a Tangled Mind
Journey thru L
Me Woman You Man
Life Decluttered
newbieminimalist
quarteracrelifestyle
For the Love of Loving Things
Moving forward

There are a couple of blogs I would have loved to nominate – but they have more than 500 followers – so I’ll call them honorary mentions 😉

Simply Save – just squeaking by the 500 mark – already a Liebster – but absolutely worth a check
Life Out of the Box – I love how they use their time giving back to world by supporting school kids in less fortunate countries
Turquoise Compass – makes me want to buy a backpack – I wish I was 20 again…

QUESTIONS to my nominees
1. What is the one thing you are proud of?
2. If you won the lottery, by a substantial amount (so money was no longer a factor), what would you do?
3. Your absolute favourite dessert?
4. What three words do you think your closest friends would use to describe you and what three words would you use to describe yourself?
6. Your favourite quote?
7. Mountains or beach?
8. Can you sing?
9. What is number one on your bucket list?
10. Holy smokes! The apocalypse is here! Your family and pets are safe. You’re at home and can only take what you can carry. What do you save?
11. If you could have a teleportation device that connects your current location to one specific location, what would that location be and why?
12. You get a letter in the mail from 90-year-old you. She/He tells you 3 amazing things you’ve accomplished. What are those 3 things?

My final task, is to let the above bloggers know that I’ve tagged them.

I’m working on it. But you know what, I’ve been working on this for a while and I am anxious to get the post out of the “draft” folder, so I’m gonna go ahead and publish it and the individual notifications will show up eventually 😉

Auf Wiedersehen, mein Liebster’s 😉

7535

It’s been a month since I posted my email declutter challenge article, where I stated I would try to de-stuff my email at work by at least 7000 emails in 30 days.

Actually, it’s probably been closer to 10 000 emails de-stuffed, you see I did a little “boo-boo” in the middle of my clean-up. I wasn’t sure if I had consolidated all emails into my outlook mailbox, so I moved the folder I wasn’t sure about.

Turned out I had already copied it before, so suddenly I had two examples of a bunch of emails! I sure really appreciated getting another 2100 extra emails to clean up… (yes, that me being ironic!)

But anyhow – I did it, I did it 🙂

There were moments it didn’t look like I would make it, I was forever staying put at about minus 1500 emails, but I just carved away some dedicated time, and this morning, I managed to sort out the last ones, that got me past the 7000 mark.

I went from 19592 email down to the current 12061 emails I’m at right now. Thats 7535 less than when I started. Yu hu!!!

Email declutter challenge picture - result 1

As you can see – I’m still not done, and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier, but since I’m on such a good roll right now, I think I will continue with fase 2 of my email declutter challenge.

What is Face 2 you’re asking? Well, let me tell you, it’s another 5000 emails be-gone!

And when am I gona be finished? Another 30 days from today…!

I can’t believe I just promised 5000 emails in 30 days – oh well, now it’s down on paper – so I guess I’m commited 😉

Hotel candy!

For some reason, every time a stay at a “fancy” hotel, I always end up with some of their shampoo/shower gel/body cream bottles in my luggage. It’s a curse! But they look pretty and I can’t seem to contain myself 😉 They are just sooooooo cute.

I don’t have a lot of them, but I’ve been saving the pretty ones for my guests. And I always lay out a nice towel and some “hotel” shampoo/shower gel for them to use, when I have people staying over.

So why haven’t they gotten used up long time ago? Well it turns out, my guest tends to bring their own stuff! And not only do they bring their own stuff, they even leave some stuff at my place if it’s almost used up. So what happens? Well, I get an even more excess of shampoos and shower gels.

Enough is enough! I’m sick of all these small bottles/tubes “hanging around” taking up space. So this year, I decided to use them all up myself 😉

So here they are – all used up 🙂
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NB! A little note for the thrifty out there 😉 Since the hotels tend to toss what’s left of the soaps, shampoos when you leave the hotel, you might as well bring it with you, and use it up at home. It’s what I do!