Decluttering
Every year at about this time I have the same feeling.
The fresh airiness of the house after I’ve cleared all the Christmas decorations makes me realize just how cluttered everywhere else is. The rest of my family are an untidy bunch and inveterately hoard everything imaginable, so it’s always a real battle to keep it all under control. I love simplicity. I love tidiness and space. Inevitably over the years I’ve had to compromise massively, but once in a while it just gets to be too much and the inner cleaning fairy just has to get into action.
This morning I’d had enough and braved the cellar and my son’s bedroom. The cellar houses a lot of things that are on their way to being recycled or donated, so I trundled off and got rid of a whole load of bags of unwanted things. I also have a collossal amount of cardboard ready for collection day on Friday – that has all been bundled and put in the shed until later in the week. Now at least I can walk into the cellar to start tackling the shelves – or at least those that I haven’t been explicitly forbidden to touch (which of course, as you can imagine, are the worst of the lot!). I’ve trained myself to be happy with very little on the decluttering front – anything gone is an improvement, even if it isn’t anywhere near as much as I’d like!
My son’s bedroom is looking much better. I don’t normally clean and tidy for the teenagers, but it’s such a battle to get them to do it and they never ever do a really thorough clean. (You know how a mother’s idea of clean bears no resemblance whatsoever to a 14 year old’s idea of clean!). Well now it’s done! Spiderwebs removed, all rubbish out from under the bed, dusted….it looks wonderful and I actually feel like a good little housewife!
In between the cleaning I’ve been periodically rewarding myself with some more Fireworks sewing. Folks, this quilt is not going to be done in a hurry, but it is going to be lovely…one day…… 3 blocks down and 11 to go.
Here’s hoping your week has started well. I’ll be back tomorrow, when I may just have some exciting news!
Helen
January 14th, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Oh no, the dreaded D word. I spend my life trying to declutter but am fighting a losing battle. Like you I have a family of untidy clutterers, and I’m not exactly the tidiest of people myself. However, as they say, in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king (or woman is queen, if you prefer)! That makes me the chief declutterer and I never quite catch up. One day …
January 14th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
I really love your Fireworks Helen! I am going to be good and finish the things on my Q1 FAL projects first but I am definitely adding this to my list for 2013.
Years of living in flats taught me that de-cluttering regularly makes me happy and so I am incredibly frustrated that we don’t seem to be able to make the time to do this more often now we are in a house. Partly the loft is just too handy but also with having young children and nieces/nephews we are doing more “save it just in case” instead of shifting it out. We have made a good start in 2013 – I too was amazed by what a difference taking out the Xmas stuff from the living room made and carried on in a few rooms and I feel better already. Still a way to go – I need to make sure my clean-up Mojo doesn’t desert me!
January 14th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Your fireworks is looking amazing, love it. I feel your pain with the teenager bedroom scenario. My two (2 girls 16 and19) have to share a relatively small room: it always looks as though it has just been burgled!
January 14th, 2013 at 7:07 pm
The quilt will be lovely. Having just finished one of Camille’s patterns, I know the detail involved, but it is so worth it.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:15 pm
The blocks are as beautiful as I imagined they would be. It’s nice to take your time and enjoy the process, isn’t it?
I have a whole bunch of stuff that needs to be thrown out or recycled but no means of transport to do it at least till the weekend.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Well glad you found some time to sew in there. Now can I interest you in a spare room to clean? I have fears of what will happen when the flatmate moves out shortly o.O
January 14th, 2013 at 11:53 pm
If you want to come and sort out our garage, I’ll make a cup of tea!
January 15th, 2013 at 6:54 am
I’m afraid I’m a hoarder, and Gordon would throw everything away! But I do like clean and tidy, and all the clutter has a home! I just need to keep using more cupboards!
January 15th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
I looked under the eldest’s bed yesterday whilst stripping the linens off. It was curiosity for the most part. I am still in shock. Every square inch is filled with c**p! I even lifted the mattress to look down through the slats to see if it was as bad as the first impression. Worse. We sew for our sanity!