Tag: Books

What I gained this trip!

As you all know, I’ve been on this mission to declutter and get rid of stuff!

Going to Houston I had plans to buy 2 t- shirts and 1 pair of jeans as replacement for worn out stuff. That was, until my luggage went missing!

Yes you heard right! Upon landing in Houston, my luggage was still sitting in Stavanger. It had never made it on the plane… ???

“Well” I thought “that’s OK, it will make it here tomorrow… No sweat”

Turns out tomorrow came and went, and so did the next day, and the next, and during my “hunt” for information, nobody and I mean nobody seemed to have any idea where in the world my luggage was!

Fortunately the friend I was staying with, is of the generous type, but after three days of walking around in oversized men’s clothing, I caved and went shopping.

2 t-shirts, 2 bras, 3 undies, 1 sleep shorts and a couple of jeans later, I get the phone call I had been waiting for “We have your luggage ma’am, it will be delivered today”!

“Well that don’t sound too bad”, you’re thinking, “you were going to buy some of that anyway”. You’re right, I was… but what I promptly forgot in the middle of all this, is that I went to Houston to celebrate my birthday. And just because my intentions were no birthday gifts…. 😉

So here I am, returning from my “wasn’t going to buy anything trip” with an extra set of items in my luggage:

  • 8 T-shirts
  • 1 shirt
  • 2 bras
  • 3 undies
  • 2 sleep shorts
  • 2 pair of jeans
  • 5 books
  • 2 notebooks
  • 1 ring
  • and a bunch of birthday cards

That’s 27 new items in-the-door!

This was not quite according to plan!

I must say though, I kinda really did need a few replacement pieces of clothing… 😉 and I am very appreciative of my wonderful friends gifts, which have given me some new favourite pieces 🙂

Hmm, guess this means, I will have to start a hunt for items to shed, to make up for what just came into my house…

HELP!!!

How do you guys handle unexpected gifts coming into your house?

 

August tally

So let’s see, did I ever get anything out-the-door during the month of August?

Well yes, actually I did! Even though I’m still doing pretty poorly according to my intentions 😦

Remember; I did have a day earlier in August, where I got a few things out-the-door. And I tackled my “junk” drawer. And the last day of the month, a white tornado went through my house and I ended up with another pile of stuff that will be going out of the house over the next few days. Since that pile is still pretty much sitting here.. they won’t count much on August tally, but hopefully on September they will 😉

So lets see, what did August actually amount to?

AUGUST TALLY of things “out-the-door” =   45 items

24 – items on my day 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!

Bunch of items – while clearing my junk drawer – (count as 4)

  • 1 wallet (worn out)
  • 1 flash-light (broken)
  • Several outdoor pieces (never used, and never will be used) – count as 1
  • Loads of paper/menus/business cards ++ – count as 1

In addition I finally cleared out some of my toiletries, that I talked about like forever ago in Thriftiness getting in the way of decluttering – I gave most of it to mum 🙂

  • 1 big box of hairspray
  • 1 box of night cream
  • 1 bottle of toner
  • 1 bottle of serum
  • 1 small bag of miscellaneous make-up/trial creams/++
  • 1 bottle of massage oil (it was so old it went into the trash)
  • Bunch of other stuff – count as 1
  • 1 bottle of shampoo
  • 1 bottle of conditioner

And a few things from my “white tornado” day have actually made it out-the-door 🙂

  • 1 Backpack (a friend of mine, way more sporty than me – took this one, and cover and Adidas bag)
  • 1 travel cover for backpack
  • 1 Adidas bag
  • 1 sports bag
  • 3 pc bags
  • 1 weight lift bar (given to a friend, who hopefully will use this more that I ever did 😉 )

So that’s it, for the month of August – 45 items. Not to shabby after all 😉

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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…

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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!

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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… 🙂

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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…

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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 😉 )

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Running amok in my guest room

This weekend I had a small kick of energy (or whatever you want to call it 😉 ) – and I went a little crazy, roaming through some of the cabinets in my guest room, pulling everything out, looking for all those odds and ends that are just “hanging around”, never really being used.

And guess what – I ended up with quite a pile 🙂 And here is the result!

Weekend TALLY of things “out-the-door” =  53 items

  • 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

+ one pen that I found out was leaking like a sieve, when I pulled it out to add up my item manually.. now my hands looks like there has been a war going on between me and my pen 😦  Seriously, I look a mess….

As you can see – I’m still chugging along getting rid of things 🙂

So what’s next? Hmmmmm, closet maybe?

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April tally!

Month four! Sorry it’s a bit late, I almost forgot about it for a second, but here it is 😉

Let’s see, what I have I been able to shed this month?

APRIL TALLY of things “out-the-door” =  58 items and about 4500 emails

  • PC nicknack’s – I forgot to count out the items when I did this job, but what I can see from the picture I got rid off:
    • 2 mouse
    • 1 laptop hard-drive
    • 1 wireless adapter
    • 7 converters (Europe to US and the other way around) (count as 1)
    • 1 Bluetooth headset
    • 1 Apple charger station
    • 1 FM radio sender
    • Bunch of USB, firewire cables (count as 1)
    • Bunch of other stuff I have no idea what was (count as 1)
  • 2 bundles of sticks
  • 18 books
  • 1 bottle of port 😉
  • 1 compact camera with chargers, extra batteries ++
  • 1 handbag
  • 8 clear plastic boxes
  • 1 old broken cooking thermometer
  • 15 vases and other flower related stuff
  • 1 screwdriver set
  • Around 4500 emails at my work mailbox (still working on the 5000 I promised)

So what else have I’ve been up to? Not much, except for enjoying the heck out of spring 😉 And I’ve done a major patio overhaul.

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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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