Not quite a horder - decluttering
Comments
-
or behind the sofa or under a be
0 -
Zills--Visible progress is GREAT!!!!Good for you!!!!
0 -
We had a giant limb fall and go through the roof of the carport. It missed impaling the cars, but the result is that the carport will be demolished.
Today we put out a bunch of firewood and pallets to the curb. My son's quote of the day was, " It looks like a bonfire starter kit."
0 -
MexicoHeather, on no! Sorry you'll have to go through demolition and rebuilding and insurance. Hope it's all very easily settled.
0 -
YIKES!
0 -
MexicoHeather - so glad the cars were spared! So funny - "starter kit".
0 -
How much firewood do I really need? I live in Florida for crying out loud...
0 -
Heather, love your son’s comment, sorry abut the carport damage! Your fireplace is perfect for your Florida location!
0 -
MexicoHeather: so sorry about the carport, but very glad no one and nothing was hurt. I hope the insurance settlement and rebuilding is not to much of a hassle.
LOL, I now have the image of a "bonfire starter kit" stuck in my head!
0 -
I love what you've done with your fireplace! We don't ever use ours because if the weather is cold and damp enough, there's a burn ban to keep pollution down. I've been wondering what to do with seashells. We have some from Barbados and used to pick them up when we went to the beach in Texas. Now, please come up with an idea for our rocks.
0 -
Wren 44: Because there are no rocks in West Florida, I find them irresistible. This is how I display and store my rocks. Using them beneath pottery to accent colors or rotating them in a dish is working for me.
Interesting...I used to call my right breast the "box of rocks". Now I just have these nice rocks.
0 -
0 -
Jazzygirl - love it!!!
MexicoHeather- sorry to here a out the limb! Love what you did with your fireplace to! I'm in the mountains and have plenty of rocks!!
0 -
I went through a cabinet and discovered several bottes of expired medications. One was a half-empty bottle of Tylenol, originally had 500 pills when full. I put all the other pills in with this bottle. It was a colorful mix by the time I was done. Then I took off the Rx labels, and put all the empty bottles into plastic recycling.
I now read the expiration dates on OTC medications, vitamins, and supplements before purchasing. There's no sense buying a 500 pill bottle of Tylenol if it's going to expire in 1 year.
0 -
For years now I have told my children and grandchildren if there is anything they want - put their initials on it so they can have it after we die. My husband was cleaning old tires out from under our house and found our youngest son's initials on the foundation. Ops!
0 -
Jazzy--Too TRUE!!!
Hapi2bee--your
youngest was smart!0 -
hapi2bee, ha ha, great story!
0 -
hapi2bee, I admire your youngest son's initiative and, as it seems to me, his sense of humor.☺
0 -
Happy 🐝: Smart son!
0 -
hapi2bee, Thats the kind of story you should send in to Reader’s Digest! Seriously!
0 -
Visited with my Dad and my sister today. This is our first visit back to the state since Mom's funeral early March.
My Dad has his health problems. He was just back in the hospital Wednesday/Thursday for a scheduled procedure to improve blood flow in his legs. My sister continually reminds us of her heart issues and Hashimoto's disease. My older brother has edema in his legs, and possible heart issues.
Dad took my sister and me aside and gave us some of Mom's favorite jewelry pieces. He wanted us to have some of Mom's special things now that's he's had a chance to process her death a little.Sadly, the house is a wreck. It is cluttered, dusty, and falling apart.
I got my wedding dress and veil on my last visit. I am looking for the matching gloves from the wedding dress and the silk flowers. I think the gloves and flowers may be in the same plastic bag. However, that closet is full of plastic bags. Both hubby and I got bad cuts on our hands when we went through that closet last visit.
I wanted to try again this visit. That closet was also full of a horrendous smell. I finally found the source of the smell: an old rug and three stained pillows. I bagged them up for the trash. Then I found a bag of lightbulbs, all broken, lots of sharp glass. I also took out two boxes of papers, one was label "newspaper clippings, 2014" and another was "medical records, 2013." Mom is dead, and Dad's doctors are doing a good job, so I don't think we need those medical records anymore. I know Mom was BRCA2 positive. I don't need to go through a box for some other scrap of information.
After I got all that stuff out, I was able to reach Mom's special dresses. One was Mom's dress she wore to my wedding, another the dress she wore to my sister's first wedding, and about 8-12 dresses that she wore to other weddings. The dresses all looked so dated and everything was dusty and filthy. My sister and I each took the dress from our weddings, I also took another dress that looked pretty. The rest are all going to charity.
I still didn't find the gloves and silk flowers.
My sister did bag up some of Mom's clothes (although those may be the clothes she brought home from Hospital/Rehab/Hospice and just never unbagged.
Edited to add that the source of the smell was the rug my older brother/squatter brought from his boarding house when that closed, not anything of my mother. Ditto the broken lightbulbs. She may have collected clutter, but my brother has the junk.
0 -
Mominator--what a
poignant list of finds in that closet. It must have been hard going through
some of those things. It's hard to see our family members aging and their
health failing, too. I hope the gloves and flowers turn up eventually.0 -
Mominator- wow on all the clean out you dealt with. I remember taking some of my mother's special dresses, later donated them because I realized they were special to her, not me. And so nice your dad was able to give you some jewelry, those are some of the nicest things I have from my mom. I know you may have more challenges ahead with your dad (and siblings who remind you why they won't help). Big hugs sister.
My consignment shop put out a call for jewelry this week, and I happened to be going through mine over the summer and took in some nicer things yesterday for consignment. I have lived here in NM for a couple decades and thus, have acquired a lot of southwestern silver/turq type things. She took everything, like 25 items. Today I am dropping off the costume jewelry, which they usually will just give me a flat rate on (that is okay too).
In the process of this though, I tried on a beautiful opal ring that has not fit for a few years with finger swelling on the AI meds. I came off the meds earlier this year, and I am now able to wear the ring again! Yay!
0 -
I haven't tackled any big projects this week but I have managed to toss out some things. I've opened the closet that I dread the most and just told myself to get two or three things in easy reach and toss. I've done that a few times. Also, today I cleared out two drawers and filled a couple of grocery bags. Baby steps. I will have to get into that dreaded closet sooner or later 😨
0 -
Muddling, baby steps work! A drawer, a shelf, a section, and item at a time!
Jazzy, interesting comment on your view of your mom’s dresses verses her view.
Mominator, your parents’ home sounds challenging to say the least. It sounds like there’s going to be surprise waiting you in just about every nook and cranny in the place.
0 -
DivineMrsM, with my DH retired now, and home a lot, an item here and there is about all I can toss, LOL. He's a great guy and takes care of me so well but, he is not all about tossing out "perfectly good stuff". I have assured him I'm only working on my stuff, which is true. However, I've tried to get him to do the same. Ex. He retired months ago and brought home the usual boxes of office junk from nearly 40 years. They are still sitting in the basement where he put them back then. I also know that he knows why I'm in such an eradication mode and it makes him sad.
I have gotten some big things done but there's more! I've been ruthless, haha.
0 -
Today was a paper throwing out day. A4 paper from when I had mail from Japan and Germany - recycled. 1/2 of files, recycled. Extra hanging folders -donated. Last year's health info- half thrown out and the rest removed from my active files.
0 -
MuddlingThrough, You could have written that for me! My DH retired 6 weeks ago and has a hard time getting rid of anything that may still be useful some day. Not only do we have our house to clean out, but his mom's (she's in Assisted living) and My Mom's house. She passed away and I'm an only child. It's all up to me. It is overwhelming. But, I try and at least put a few things in the give away box every day.
0 -
wow, zogo, you do have a lot of cleaning out to do at two additional homes! My MIL passed away last year and so far my DH and his brother have done nothing about clearing out her things. BIL stays there several weeks a year and house is always clean and vacuumed and windows washed. DH makes sure it's maintained, grass mowed, etc. But they haven't taken one thing out! I was going to put my foot down but then I got sick. So, we'll see. Best of luck to you for the big jobs ahead.
p.s. MIL's house is in another city or I'd go for a few minutes at a time.
0 -
Saturday, May 06, 2017
9:23 AM
Jazzy--YEAH for wearing the ring again!I just found a consignment shop near me, going to stop in and find out about how it works. You seem to have pretty good luck with yours.
Muddling--baby steps is the way togo.For me that means doing SOMETHING, if only1 little thing, everyday. And then taking advantage of the times when the urge to purge comes on. Sometimes it's just the stand beside the chair, or cleaning out the sink. Just keep moving, baby steps add up!
Good Job, Heather!
Zogo--the big project tackled alone is very overwhelming sometimes. Keep pushing forward, even 1 item a day is progress!
0
