Good morning all. Happy Tuesday. Very chilly morning here - still no frost in my area - but it won't be long!
After a much slower week last week - I think MAYBE I got my Mojo back!!!!!! At least that has been my story for 2 days now! Not sure how long it will last - believe me! As of yesterday afternoon - I was saying "someone stick a fork in me - I think I'm done"!!!!! I was pooped.
All good - I am on a roll.
I went out Sunday and picked everything that was left in the garden. Sad day for me. But now I have a lot of goodies to work with this week and need to do preserve. That is good.
I did a bit of yard work as well that day.
Then I started the decluttering AGAIN. I have been doing bits and bobs for ages and ages. I need to get serious - so sick of the crud. Now mind you I was in ONE room yesterday. It has been the catch all room for ages. Let us say - behind, under, in, and around!!!!! I feel so ashamed of how bad it got.
Found things - oh did I find things. Glen swore he had more knives around here somewhere - pocket knives. He collected. I thought I had found everything for him, he said he thought there were more. Well, sadly after 4 1/2 years - I found them! That is pitiful - there was so much crap piled on the bag they were in that I didn't see them. I sat there and had a talk with him yesterday and told him he was right (he has to be laughing). I will share some of them with the boys this year at the holidays - as I have 4 that collect too. I plan on keeping a couple too.
Cases holding cassettes! Lots of cassettes! I don't think I even have anything to play them on. I found his cases of CD's. Hundreds of them! I will go through and keep ones I will listen to and do something with the rest.
Video tapes! No VCR here! Oh my goodness, the things that can hide at the bottom of a storage closet.
I also found several old photo albums that were Mom's. Going through those today and making piles of pics for others.
Trash got a couple big bags for pick-up today! I will be loading the Blazer up for a donation.
ALL from one room! Good golly!!!!!!! I am shaking my head at myself.
It really does distress me that there was so much in there. I am not finished with that room yet - the rest I come up with, will be donated.
I tell you this because I know I am probably not the only one. 37 years has led to a house of STUFF! I want you to know there is hope. I am feeling good about this space - so it is incentive to keep going. Ashamed yes!!!!! But hopeful!
So here I go - My name is Cheryl - I am a collector of CRAP! I am trying to turn this around and get rid of things! Do not think badly of me - as I came from a family of 'collectors of crap'.
LOL
I hope this inspires someone to realize that they can do it too.
Like the little red engine - I think I can...I think I can...
So go forth and HARVEST and DECLUTTER!!!!!!
Have a good day!
I love fried green tomatoes. Glad you were able to enjoy them. It was a wonderful gardening season this year. Even though I love Fall and Winter I will miss grabbing fresh herbs and veggies from the yard. Have fun decluttering. You're going to be so happy when it's all done.
ReplyDeleteI love them too. Such a wonderful bite! It was a good season.
DeleteYes, will miss my grow'ceries'!
Thanks, I have been at it all morning!!!
Cheryl, I think you're being too hard on yourself. "All things are difficult before they are easy. Difficulties are meant to arouse not discourage." One room at a time is the way to go or even one drawer at a time, like eating an elephant - one bite at a time. I culled my mother's home after she moved to an assisted living residence. That was my lesson & motivation so now decluttering is an ongoing process. I just put 6 prs of pants into the donation bin. Often, it's one item in, one out. My frugality sometimes causes me to hang on to items past their best-before date. I finally replaced the 2nd-hand food processor that was falling apart. The old bread machine (also 2nd-hand) went to the trash with the old one. Sometimes hanging on to our stuff is an attempt to keep things as they were like before your Glen's passing. It's obvious that he's forever in your heart.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you hit the nail on the head at the end. I do seem to think keeping stuff is an effort to keep Glen here. I know better. But still, we were both pack rats - now I am trying to take care it. I have been through the culling process with mom and daddies house - I should know what the heck is happening!
DeleteBut all water over the dam - I am doing it now. Each day will be something cleaned, out or trashed PERIOD!
Thanks for the pat on the back!
All the stuff just happens to everyone! Not just you! Last night someone was asking for a bean bag chair on Nextdoor and yup there was one here so she came to get it this morning and we are $10 richer. Now I am motivated to get some very good items we will not use listed for sale and get them out of here!
ReplyDeleteI wish I felt comfortable doing that. I don't want strangers coming to my house and don't want to take the time to meet somewhere - too much stuff. I will continue to donate or set at curb with a free sign!
DeleteYay for you $10 is $10 - it all adds up and your load is lighter.
Thanks
I would not have people come here if it was just me but the Hubby always goes out to meet people and collect the money. We have not had a bad experience and have met some really nice people.
DeleteThanks for that info.
DeleteYou crack me up! Collector of crap! hahaha I shouldn't talk tho, there is more than enough junk to go around from here.
ReplyDeleteToday is the second part of the survey I am doing for Herron Research. Once I get that done, I have some laundry to put away and other things to wash before cold weather really hits. Nothing worse than the weather changing and suddenly you have nothing seasonal to wear. We didn't have any frost last night but it was pretty cool. Jacob was really shivering this morning so I put his sweater on him.
The Farmer has been bringing in produce and I saw Riley picking his tomatoes on his plant. He will miss that when it is gone.
Enjoy your day culling. I will join you after my survey is finished.
I have done those surveys in the past - nice way to help and make a little $$.
DeleteI got several sweatshirts out this weekend. I went from t-shirt and flip-flops to sweatshirt OVER t-shirt, socks and slippers over night!
It is always sad for the produce to end. Love that fresh!!!
Thanks.
Your tomatoes look amazing! Those will be good in the winter time! Don’t feel bad about all of your stuff. It just takes time to go through. You are making great progress! I’ve been catching up on reading and I’m so glad you had a great time at your reunion. It took me a day to recover from mine! Lol! 😁
ReplyDeleteIt took me at least a day to recover from my reunion too! I was tired! LOL
DeleteThanks, yes, I will be doing some canning this week. Don't want those babies to go to waste.
Glad you are back! I am working on it each day - one day I will get there!
Maters looking awesome! There is nothing more rewarding than emptying a room into another space and consciously deciding what returns. It is so freeing!!!!! No shame, all gain. :-)
ReplyDeleteI finished that one room today! Well, almost - one book shelf left (that won't take long). It feels amazing. Onward and upwards. It really is freeing!!!!!!!!
Deletethanks
More a little later, but first a prayer request: Blue and Poppy escaped the outside kennel not long ago. No sign of them. Hubs is looking for them. We're on the only paved road here, which is busy. Please pray he can find them, or they return, and that neither gets hit by a car. Both are tagged. Blue is chipped. Poppy not yet until her spay. Thank you in advance. --Elise
ReplyDeletePraying that they will be back soon with happy stories to tell of their great puppy adventure!
Delete--Frances
Thank God! Just put my reply in the "comment" section. oops. Sorry everyone.
DeleteAlso, Elise, you may want to look up side effects on the chips in doggies. I just found out some severe negative health risks on that. It always pays to do our homework, so thought I'd let you know. The info came up on a Holistic Pet group I follow. : ) Not trying to frighten, just offering info to make a wise decision, I'm so glad I saw it.
DeleteThank you, Amelia. Because we live so far out in the country, but on a main road that leads to a mountain highway, we'd opted for a chip right away with Blue. She'd been on her own long enough to be starving. She hasn't had any problems with it. With Poppy the vet scheduled it for her (prepaid) spay as soon as she has a 1st heat that's over. Collars and tags can fall off is our thought. That, and I have enough metal in my foot now to almost qualify me as the Bionic Woman. There's much in life that isn't ideal, but we weigh the risks as best we can. (((Hug))) --Elise
DeleteSo happy they are back after their big adventure! Oh the stories they will be dreaming of!!!!!!! Silly puppers - just needed to have a little fun today!
DeleteI wish you all could see how very pleased Blue and Poppy are with themselves today. They were across the street on the 3 acre lot of the AirBnB that had guests over the weekend. No doubt checking out new smells. Thank God neither was hit on the road and they came right to Hubs when he spotted them there and called him, their stump tails wagging.
DeleteOnce inside they bounded over to me, whole back ends wagging, looking for praise and affection. LOL! --Elise
P.S. to Frances, Poppy is now too big to even get up into my lap without help, but she still wants up some kind of bad!
Once a puppy, always a puppy!
Delete--Frances
I've prayed Elise! In the name of Jesus please help Elise and Hubs to find Blue and Poppy, we humbly ask, please God protect them. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amelia. He heard you!! (((Hug)))
DeleteSo great! Thank the Lord. Those pups are so happy with their little bad selves. ; ) hahaha! .....So cute!
DeleteOkie Doke. Now that THAT'S all settled... I was going to say, Cheryl, that "crap happens". To all of us. Closets. Cabinets. Drawers. Under bed. Corners where things collect. Even those of us who've purged regularly find it and we also find things we'd long since forgotten about. Something tucked in a tote bag and set aside. If you've got a basement? Well, that's where it all collects. A spare room? Yup. Easy enough to shut the door and say you'll deal with it later. You're NOT alone.
ReplyDeleteThe last of your grow-ceries look like they'll last you awhile! I'm so glad your garden produced so much this year. Speaking of food, part of my de-cluttering tasks, once I can be on my feet longer, is the baking section of the pantry. Remember the deals on boxed mixes last year? Yeah. Well, I'd put them far out of my mind once summer heat came along. And it'll be awhile yet before I can bake in earnest. Like I said, "crap happens" to us all. Your blog today did make me chuckle. --Elise
Oh I have a basement too - that is a whole other story!!!!!! I am going after it soon! Yep, shut that door and it goes away!
DeleteGone now!!! That room is basically done as of 11AM.
Yep, some good eating there. I sure don't want to waste any of that yumminess!
Oh bummer. Yes, crap happens - a lot!!!!!
Glad you got a chuckle - I kind of am too now that I am making some progress.
Good for you, getting it done and dusted!!! It's a job to declutter, but the rewards are immediate.
Delete:-D
Cheryl, lol You are hiliarious! I *know* exactly how you feel!!! I pulled a few pair of my walmart boots out of the back of my closet yesterday, ankle length, knee length, casual etc. Faux suede. Oh my gosh, they were full of cat hair!!! I didn't wear any of those particular boots last year but still may need them for different events. My calves are large (thank you Daddy!) lol and it's so hard to find knee-high zip up boots that fit. Anyhoo, I'm going to be cleaning those. But so many times lately, I'm so horrified when I pull dusty and brown spotted things out. I feel the same way you do! And yes, sometimes I feel like 'I Love Lucy' when things pop out at me! Or better yet, falling into a box or clothes basket! lol
ReplyDeleteYour garden gifted you well, just beautiful. Our poor garden did not survive the drought at all. I thought we would have some eggplants or cucuzza coming up this fall but not yet. So.....
I'm tired out too, I'm no party girl and hubs bday party was a little wearing on me.
You have your work cut out for you with photo albums and figuring out what to keep...God bless you. Will be praying for you, this could be emotional for you too? ~Amelia
Funny - I Love Lucy was the first thing I thought of when I read that quote!!!!!! She always got into some spots.
DeleteOh cat hair - still finding it and there has not been a kitty in here for many months! YIKES. It hides!!!!!!!
My garden was great - small but great! It did not disappoint.
Rest up!!!!
Yep, I may put that off a day or two. I finish that one room today!!!!!! Albums are still sitting here! They aint eating nothing -soooooo!! LOL
Yes, that quote is so funny! And true too! Now that I have my little grandsons, I just crack up with all the different things that pop out! lol And sometimes I'm just wide-eyed...in a kind of Oh. My. Goodness. look! : D So glad you are you!
DeleteAmelia, when I was unpacking boxes after we moved in last year, I, too, had boots with cat hair on them. And we hadn't had a cat in 5 years!!! [blushing] In our defense, I think cat hair in particular creates tiny villages in the corners of our closets, living there quietly until we giants come along and mess things up for the residents. :-D
DeleteOff Topic - Not Off Topic [and why Hubs is so tired]
ReplyDeleteThis does tie in in a way with excessive amounts of stuff, and I'll try to keep it brief, but it's another update. Sunday morning Hubs, our sons and I all woke up to a long, ugly email from BIL. After services, the son that lives here told the priest and the head of the Rosary group that because of his choice (to become Catholic), his uncle had disowned us all, and he asked for prayer for him. Maria wrote BIL's name down in the book for this week. Not only am I grateful for that, I kind of get a kick out of it. People he strongly disapproves of will be praying for him this week in earnest!
Obviously, this has been stressful, as family issues can be. Yesterday Hubs got all of his brother's stash out of our shed and loaded up the car. He'll get that to BIL and pick up the key to our house from him. Which leads me to the tie in...
There are FOUR storage units in town filled with his stuff. But it wasn't enough space when he finally got here to stay in April. He needed not only some of our shed space, but also filled the guest room with boxes and had a fully stuffed, horse sized trailer. He'd not been willing to part with any of his parents' belongings. Most of which is old and not in good shape. Including 3 sofas, countless recliners, end tables, and more boxes than can be counted of old books, brick-a-brack, etc. Since May, when he moved into the 2000+ sq. ft. house he bought, rather than going through the storage units to look for ladders, tools, etc., he's bought new. Also kitchenware (there must be 20-30 boxes of that alone), more guns and ammunition. LOTS of the latter. Yet he's never been to a shooting range here, or done any shooting. And none of what's in storage has made it into his house yet... or the 2 large shipping containers he had moved onto his property (one 40 ft., one 20 ft.). He bought himself new camping chairs to sit on.
When I said (above) "crap happens", it does, but there's a difference. Cheryl, your STUFF doesn't define you. You aren't obsessed with it. There are things that are special to you, sure, but compared to others in this world, you're a saint. Never feel otherwise. And for anyone reading who feels guilty about whatever clutter there is in your home, trust me, it could be MUCH worse. Years ago I heard a statement that has stuck with me, "The things you keep in your home should serve you; if you're serving those things instead, and they don't bring you joy, they need to go."
The same could be said for toxic relationships? --Elise
Elise, it's hard to imagine living like your BIL. I always wonder what makes a person feel they have to hold on to so much stuff. I totally agree with you that what we have in our home should serve us and we should not hold onto things so tightly. I have a magnet on my fridge that says, "The most important things are not things." That is so true!
DeleteElise, I'm a little confused, is this the same BIL that was living with your family briefly who wrote the ugly email?
DeleteOh my gosh. That man has a BIG problem. Talk about not being tolerant of others and their beliefs!!!!!!! No excuse at all for that kind of behavior. He IS a HOARDER!!!!!!!! He has an ADDICTION to stuff. It is an illness for many.
DeleteMy goodness. I am so glad your husband has pack the stuff up and s returning it to him and getting the key back. You do NOT need that drama in your life. Life is too short for that kind of stink!!!!!!!!!
You, hubs, and sons - just go forward and enjoy your lives together - release the other parts!!!!!!
Yes, Amelia. The same one. Hubs' younger brother. The one he gave his own inheritance to, and I don't mean for that to sound harsh: he'd do so again, even with all of this. The email on Sunday was... vicious. Wholly condemning of us. I've left it all in God's very capable hands.
DeleteWanita, I honestly feel for him. Those of us who've been around the block a few (or twenty) times KNOW a very rough road is ahead for him. It's not going to be pretty very, very soon, as snow is already falling at higher elevations.
Cheryl, I believe he has a number of mental health disorders, some of which worry me. The last time he was here he pulled his loaded pistol out of his pocket and aimed it at the walls, grinning. As an FYI, my MIL was a licensed (Christian) marriage and family counselor. I have to wonder IF she knew about his issues, WHAT she knew, and WHY she encouraged him to come here when she died. [Sigh] --Elise
P.S. Hubs is meeting him in the parking lot after BIL's Bible Study group. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyway, please pray there'll be no scenes and just a peaceful transfer of his belongings and our key. Thank you!
Prayers for you and your Hubs, Elise, that all goes smoothly with the transfer of stuff.
DeleteMaryB
Elise, prayers for you and your family.
DeleteBible study group? OK!!!!
DeletePrayers that all goes well and peacefully - hopefully there will be others around.
Elise, forget the key, change the locks. He may very well have another copy of the key.
Delete--Frances
Oh my goodness, Elise. I will certainly be praying for everything involved. Yes, please consider changing your locks too just in case.
DeleteThe locks will have to be changed, Frances and Amelia, as he didn't have the key with him. To give you an idea of how things are, Hubs turned the video for his phone on, dropped it in his chest pocket with the camera facing out, and recorded the exchange (as it were) of them loading everything from our car into the back of his truck. I think BIL knew that: all went peacefully. Thank you all for your prayers!
Delete--Elise
You've probably all met one or two in your lifetimes... BIL is a chameleon. There are people like that in this world, showing one face to the public and another behind the scenes. It would be exhausting to live that way, I think. Just be the best YOU possible, as Cheryl always reminds us.
Delete(((Hugs to all)))
So happy it is done and over. Glad you changed the locks - very smart advice and action. Smart to record as well. Sad - but smart.
DeleteI know someone like that - for sure. THAT neighbor!!!!! 2 different people depending on who he is in front of and what he wants.
Peace is at my place now - and I hope peace is at yours. You just have to go forward and be done. Takes a while to get it - but it is what we have to do! HUGS - what an exhausting day for you both.
Cheryl, you're doing a great job with your decluttering. It takes time, but it sure gives a feeling of satisfaction to get things we don't need/want out of the house! Really, I think it's an on-going process, and I wonder if we ever get to the point that we feel the decluttering is complete.
ReplyDeleteI hope to get to a point where it feels close to being done!!!!!! LOL
DeleteI am proud of making progress. My Blazer is packed with round one for the thrift store!!!!!! Going tomorrow! It is in the car - not the house YAY!
Thanks
Don't be too hard on yourself. The reality is that those items had a use or meaning when you and Glen brought them home. It's just that our interests change over time. I bet everyone of those CD's and VCR tapes were watched at one point or another. There was probably a thought to give the items away at some point, but I believe we tend to store things when, if we no longer use/need them, we think someone else could use them.
ReplyDeletePlus, as I've learned, it is amazing what a single closet can hold! You're doing great.
Yes, we watched or listened to all that stuff. We used stuff and at some point it was joyful. Now it is stuff. The sentiments aren't in the stuff - I have memories.
DeleteIt is amazing what we hold on to.
Yes mam!!!! A small closet can really pack in the stuff!!!!!!!
Thanks
Decluttering is on my agenda, but it's going slowly. One thing I do that may be useful to others: I keep a list of what I'd gotten rid of - year, month, and where it went. Sometimes I think I still have something and I don't really want to spend a day looking for something that went out the door in 2021! :) Weed the House, listed by year.
ReplyDeleteMaryB
Now that is a good idea. I haven't heard that one before. Most I could care less about - but some things - yes. Thanks for that tip.
DeleteSlow going is the name of this game!!!!! Finally getting jiggy with it!!!!!!
Excellent tip, MaryB. I'm going to start doing that! --Elise
DeleteThe boys will love having Glenn's knives in their collections. You found a lot of stuff!
ReplyDeleteOh I know they will. I gave a few away the Christmas after he passed - and they were thrilled. It will be a nice surprise for them.
DeleteI have been decluttering since I retired 10 years ago and it seems the clutter is reproducing itself. I do believe that my children are bringing their clutter to my house. LOL
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!!! I think it reproduces too! I get rid of stuff and find bunches more! I don't have kids as an excuse - so I guess it is me! UGH
DeleteLooks like you have quite a nice hall from the garden but of course that brings more work! I feel like I am always de-cluttering. I no sooner get the pantry done , that it needs it again. and I seem to keep buying stuff I really don't need that brings more clutter. It's a vicious cycle.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind that kind of work - it will taste so good this winter. I think there are pantry gremlins!!!!!! LOL
DeleteIt is a big vicious cycle.