Organization | BulgingButtons

March 18, 2018
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Never Will I Ever…

I’ve been doing some Spring Cleaning (yes, I think the capital letters are appropriate in this instance) and I’ve learned some things.

First, I learned that I’ve been harboring some items for far too long. Way beyond their useful lifespans. Why? I’m not a hoarder. Am I? No. Most definitely not. However… I do have “collections” of things that I really don’t need to collect. Some of it is purposeful, but some of it has crept up on me over the years. I really didn’t need to keep those stinky old sneakers and that sweater I loved as an undergrad.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I managed to purge my closet of six bags of items. It’s all shoes and clothing, and that makes me somewhat embarrassed, but I’ve gotten quite a few nice new items over the past year, and I feel really good in those clothes. As a result, I don’t wear some of the older items, and frankly some of them were really never quite “me” from the get-go. Six bags later, and I feel relieved. Less stuff. Less clutter. Less to fret over.

So that takes me to the concept of “never will I ever.” Here are some things I’ve decided fit in that category:

NEVER WILL I EVER

Read all of the books that I’ve loaded onto my Kindle and loaded into my bookcases
Sew up all the beautiful fabric that I’ve collected over the years
Complete all the unfinished projects that are collected in bags and boxes
Completely break the clutter habit
Figure out the keys to maintaining healthy habits

My home feels better than it did. Lots of little projects have been accomplished over the past week, thanks to Spring Break, but there are so many others that haven’t even been touched.

Never will I ever run out of things to do, that much is for certain.

January 10, 2016
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January 10th and Christmas is Still Not Quite Gone

9af61aac02a42e1cd147f625c1e32e15 Today we made progress. All of the tubs of Christmas decorations made it from the hallway and living room out to the garage and up into the attic. All but the Christmas tree and ornaments. That’s a whole other project for a whole other day.

What’s left of Christmas at this point is my beautifully decorated tree surrounded by four plastic totes of various sizes and colors. My sweetheart bought new totes this year, and we filled them and got rid of some of the old broken ones. There’s one large new one and three smaller old ones left.

Many of the ornaments are fragile, and I store them in their original boxes. I know it takes up a lot of space, but I’d rather do that then break them. AC037619l I’m tempted to just take them all off the tree and throw them in a tote, but the satisfaction of getting it done would quickly be replaced by disappointment finding broken ornaments that hold sentimental value. Nope, it’s just not worth it.

So, for now, I’m happy that MOST of the Christmas stuff is gone, but I’m still dreading undecorating the tree. Why is it so much more work than decorating it?

Maybe by this time next week Christmas will be gone for good, at least for another 11 months.

May 25, 2015
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Feeling the Need to Purge

So yesterday I started a new quilt project, which felt awesome. Until I looked around.

Every flat surface in my house has stuff on it. Every. Single. One. And I’m not just talking about the normal stuff, either. Oh sure, the kitchen table has place-mats and salt and pepper shakers, but it also has magazines and pencils.

Mine isn’t quite this bad.

The dining room table has gifts from students, the coffee table has magazines, notebooks, pencils, and gift cards. The bathroom counter has movie ticket stubs and receipts. And my desk-slash-sewing table? I don’t even want to talk about it. Frankly, it’s just TOO MUCH.

So today I’ve started cleaning up, in earnest. I decided that I would tackle one surface at a time, starting with the kitchen counters. So far, so good.

Last year when my former house was on the market, it was immaculate. There was not one thing out of place, ever. I loved it. Truthfully it wasn’t even all that difficult to maintain, but getting it that way wasn’t easy.

We’ve been in this house since the end of last summer. By the end of this summer I want it to be immaculate too. That means finding permanent homes for things that have been just sort of hanging around, or letting them go. It also means a serious closet clean-out, since I have piles of clothes that I don’t wear and probably never will again. Sigh.

Still, I’m making progress. It feels good to fill up the recycle bin with junk mail and magazines, and seeing the shiny granite that was hiding under all the clutter makes me smile. I feel calmer, happier, and more creative when I’m not surrounded by too much stuff. Next mission: the coffee table. Wish me luck.