I had to stomp on the ice in the yard before my little dog would go. Big dog didn’t care.How is everyone doing with the storm? We got a few inches of snow and now it’s freezing rain. Thankfully, our snow removal service had done our front walk and steps before we even got up this morning. Unfortunately, I had to clear the back porch and yard for our dog to go out. It’s all slush and was like shoveling wet cement! And I had to do it twice because the first time, I hadn’t cleared enough space for our prima donna dog, and he refused to do anything. Fortunately, he has since “done his business” and is now napping our our bed. I’m not looking forward to the flash freeze coming later this afternoon and tonight!
2019 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?
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Stay safe, everyone! Sparkle, I loved your post! When I sold my house five years ago, I had to do a major un-haul too. I moved 15 cases of books and probably got rid of that many too. I’ve got an even bigger move in about four years when I retire, and I’m already steeling myself for that purge. My selfie will look like yours.
Flash freeze doesn't sound good... ice is scary! And you've had knee and hip issues, so falling would be really bad. Other than your prima donna dog (had to laugh at that!), is there any reason for you to go outside today, or can you stay tucked in & cozy, with a cup of hot chocolate or... if you prefer... hot buttered rum???How is everyone doing with the storm? We got a few inches of snow and now it’s freezing rain. Thankfully, our snow removal service had done our front walk and steps before we even got up this morning. Unfortunately, I had to clear the back porch and yard for our dog to go out. It’s all slush and was like shoveling wet cement! And I had to do it twice because the first time, I hadn’t cleared enough space for our prima donna dog, and he refused to do anything. Fortunately, he has since “done his business” and is now napping our our bed. I’m not looking forward to the flash freeze coming later this afternoon and tonight!
My friends, indulge me with my soap box...
With all this talk of Marie Kondo, I don't really understand why people get so caught up.
Surely people have always routinely decluttered? "Spring cleaning" is a thing for a reason. I routinely take stock of things and do clear outs.
But I have never konmari'd all my possessions. I know how much space I have everywhere. When I run out of space for any one category of things, say books, or pens, or shoes, or bags - I take stock, throw / donate some things, operate a one in one out policy and besides that I don't worry too much.
A drive for minimalism irrespective of need doesn’t resonate. If you have the space and resources and things are in good condition then you don’t need to pare it back a lot (in my opinion).
After all Marie Kondo started by advising on how to declutter to fit life into tiny Japanese living spaces. That’s why everything in Muji is so compact and space conscious as well. If you live elsewhere with more space, the cultural context does not carry well.
A large living space with hardly anything in it can look as bad as a small living space that’s over cluttered.
In my opinion.
Whatdyafink?
<climbs carefully off her soap box>
With all this talk of Marie Kondo, I don't really understand why people get so caught up.
Surely people have always routinely decluttered? "Spring cleaning" is a thing for a reason. I routinely take stock of things and do clear outs.
But I have never konmari'd all my possessions. I know how much space I have everywhere. When I run out of space for any one category of things, say books, or pens, or shoes, or bags - I take stock, throw / donate some things, operate a one in one out policy and besides that I don't worry too much.
A drive for minimalism irrespective of need doesn’t resonate. If you have the space and resources and things are in good condition then you don’t need to pare it back a lot (in my opinion).
After all Marie Kondo started by advising on how to declutter to fit life into tiny Japanese living spaces. That’s why everything in Muji is so compact and space conscious as well. If you live elsewhere with more space, the cultural context does not carry well.
A large living space with hardly anything in it can look as bad as a small living space that’s over cluttered.
In my opinion.
Whatdyafink?
<climbs carefully off her soap box>
I completely agree! We clean out spaces when they need it. There is no reason to do the whole house at once.
I have several display cabinets. They would look sad with only a few things in them, and the room would look bare without the cabinets.
I'm not going to say goodbye and thank my things when I'm done with them. They are inanimate objects!
I think it is wasteful to get rid of things in order to achieve a state of minimalism, just for the sake of being minimalist. It makes more sense to me to use my things to the utmost. It makes me happy to know I have gotten maximum value out of the things I own.
The other day I was reading a thread where a woman was complaining that she loved things neat and tidy, and her husband liked to stock up on things and not clean up after himself. I consider myself to be the accumulator in our house and my husband is the minimalist. He has very few clothes. He would rather wear a few shirts until they wear out, only buying more when those are gone, than have 15 shirts he could rotate. The other day as we were leaving the grocery store, he said, "Oh, I forgot to get Dr. Pepper!" I said, "Don't we have a couple of cases at home?" He said, "Yes, but I like to stock up so I don't have to worry about running out." I was so happy we were on the same page.
Sigh, I need to do this too. I already own a ton of books I haven’t read yet. But I see a new one that sounds interesting and my brain defaults to “Ooh, shiny!” And I forget about the ones I already have.Well, I just finished it a few minutes ago, and the ending was a surprise, but also a let down. So I was definitely glad that I took it out of the library.
This year one of my "shopping my closet" goals (in a way) is to read more books from the library rather than buying them as eBooks. That means waiting, of course, especially if they're new & popular books, and I do love the instant gratification of getting a title on Amazon the minute it comes out! But when I ran a Quicken report in December and saw how much $$$ went to eBooks, I was definitely motivated to make better use of the library!
Thinking of you! Hope you and the birds stay warm and comfy.
Gorgeous!Today (She went for a wander, and now she’s out for a meal. She’s such a fun loving bag)
I think it’s a balance. It’s really easy for our collections to creep up on us, as someone said a few pages back, and out of sight can mean out of mind—I find it easy to forget what I already have for things I don’t use a lot, and I don’t always stop to consider whether what I have is working for me or if I still need it or even if there’s a better option/replacement.
So I like a reminder to go through everything, not just the usual clutter-clearing I do for spring-cleaning, and I do think sparking joy is a good test for that kind of stuff.
On the other hand, long before Konmari, I’d catch the cleaning bug and get rid of stuff I swore I’d never use again, and now there are lots of things I still miss and am kicking myself over.
Also, I agree with this 100%:
“A large living space with hardly anything in it can look as bad as a small living space that’s over cluttered.”
Omg I so feel your pain.Ever since @ElainePG mentioned the Kondo drawer folding approach, I’ve redone every drawer we have. However, I seem to have chattered on about it a little too much because Mr. S suggested I Kondo-ize my book collection. Wait, what?
Sigh...
So, we spent the afternoon going through my books. There was a lot of wailing, screeching and rending of garments. But in the end I relinquished 8 large bins of books and only kept one bin.
Then the insanity spread to my Star Trek collectibles. Perhaps Mr. S. is trying to get me to file for divorce??? In our previous house, we had a Star Trek themed media room. However, we agreed (me quite reluctantly) that this house would have no “themed” rooms. <heavy sigh> So, my beloved items have been in boxes in the garage. The evil one (aka Mr. S) hauled them out and “assisted” me in sorting through those too. I have one tiiiiiiiny box left. The other 10 boxes I’m going to list on eBay in “lots” to get rid of it quickly.
So, now I sit in Half Prices Books with many of my precious things being taken away, sent away and marked for death.
I took a selfie...View attachment 4315698And here is my bag of the day #8 of 10 LV Lockme II BBView attachment 4315699
Mine is a small dog too, and he’s always been a drama queen about his paws — doesn’t like to get them wet, and if he steps on an acorn shell, you’d think he’d been shot! On the plus side, he neither needs nor expects a walk in these conditions!
Elaine, you have such a way of setting a mood and creating a craving — I’d love a hot buttered rum!
We have dinner plans tonight, but just at the house of some friends who are literally three doors down (they’re even in the same set of row houses). So not far to go, although I will be verrrry careful. In addition to the knee and hip issues you so sweetly remembered, many years ago I fell on the ice and broke my wrist in two places. 
I’ve been fearful of ice ever since!Oh, yikes... a broken wrist sounds sooooo painful! I had surgery on my right wrist some years ago (twice... it's complicated... incompetent surgeon the first time...) and after the second surgery I needed a whole lot of rehab so I totally get why you'd worry about the ice.Elaine, you have such a way of setting a mood and creating a craving — I’d love a hot buttered rum!
We don't have ice here, fortunately, but it's chilly and rainy so I'm tucked in by the fire with my last cup of coffe for the day. Just finished the New York Times Sunday puzzle, and ready to read a new mystery.
Have fun at your dinner party tonight!
Interesting discussion about clutter-clearing! When I read Marie Kondo's first book a few years ago there were some things that resonated for me, and others that didn't. I definitely was NOT motivated to go through my entire house, tossing things out just for the heck of it. But I was motivated, at the start, to take a good hard look at my wardrobe. And that's when I joined this thread... which was a real plus!
Now I go through my wardrobe several times a year. For me, it's not a "one and done" process.
Regarding things other than clothes, I do think there's a big difference between clutter and collecting. Someone might (f'rinstance) have a collection of art glass, beautifully displayed in the living room, or a collection of vintage rhinestone brooches tucked away in a bureau drawer, or a collection of cookbooks inherited from a favorite grandmother on a shelf in the kitchen. It would make no sense to get rid of any of these collection, in the name of "minimalism."
Clutter, on the other hand, is what ultimately gives me a headache. I don't tend to leave stuff out... I tuck it out of sight in filing cabinets, closets, or drawers. Then, because it's out of sight, it accumulates until it finally reaches critical mass. But this can take a long time! Last week I tackled the file cabinet next to my desk... when I was finished, I had a two-foot-high stack of old documents to be either tossed or shredded. It's not as though the file cabinet was bulging at the seams, but getting rid of those documents was, I must say, a very freeing feeling.
Now I go through my wardrobe several times a year. For me, it's not a "one and done" process.
Regarding things other than clothes, I do think there's a big difference between clutter and collecting. Someone might (f'rinstance) have a collection of art glass, beautifully displayed in the living room, or a collection of vintage rhinestone brooches tucked away in a bureau drawer, or a collection of cookbooks inherited from a favorite grandmother on a shelf in the kitchen. It would make no sense to get rid of any of these collection, in the name of "minimalism."
Clutter, on the other hand, is what ultimately gives me a headache. I don't tend to leave stuff out... I tuck it out of sight in filing cabinets, closets, or drawers. Then, because it's out of sight, it accumulates until it finally reaches critical mass. But this can take a long time! Last week I tackled the file cabinet next to my desk... when I was finished, I had a two-foot-high stack of old documents to be either tossed or shredded. It's not as though the file cabinet was bulging at the seams, but getting rid of those documents was, I must say, a very freeing feeling.
8 of 10 in 31
One of my 3 newest bags - now I've carried all 3
I bought it in September. It was made around 1990 in the US.
Coach Ranch bag. I had wanted this style for a long time.
The London hangtag I got from another tpfer. I traded Las Vegas for it.
One of my 3 newest bags - now I've carried all 3
I bought it in September. It was made around 1990 in the US.
Coach Ranch bag. I had wanted this style for a long time.
The London hangtag I got from another tpfer. I traded Las Vegas for it.
Catching up - up here in Oregon, or at least in Portland, the law allows for pruning any parts of a tree which hang over the property line. Thank goodness, as we have neighbors who do not really take care of their trees.
I understand that selfie!Ever since @ElainePG mentioned the Kondo drawer folding approach, I’ve redone every drawer we have. However, I seem to have chattered on about it a little too much because Mr. S suggested I Kondo-ize my book collection. Wait, what?
Sigh...
So, we spent the afternoon going through my books. There was a lot of wailing, screeching and rending of garments. But in the end I relinquished 8 large bins of books and only kept one bin.
Then the insanity spread to my Star Trek collectibles. Perhaps Mr. S. is trying to get me to file for divorce??? In our previous house, we had a Star Trek themed media room. However, we agreed (me quite reluctantly) that this house would have no “themed” rooms. <heavy sigh> So, my beloved items have been in boxes in the garage. The evil one (aka Mr. S) hauled them out and “assisted” me in sorting through those too. I have one tiiiiiiiny box left. The other 10 boxes I’m going to list on eBay in “lots” to get rid of it quickly.
So, now I sit in Half Prices Books with many of my precious things being taken away, sent away and marked for death.
I took a selfie...View attachment 4315698And here is my bag of the day #8 of 10 LV Lockme II BBView attachment 4315699
I've been doing a clear-out of my own stuff that is backlog. This includes boxes that are left over from our last move...in early 2014! The collections are obscured by them. So far so good, but I yearn for a themed room
(probably not going to happen...). My pick would be X-Files.I love the idea of an Addams Family room! That would be SO fun!!
Broken bones are no fun - they take forever to heal. I hope you stay safe and healthy!Elaine, you have such a way of setting a mood and creating a craving — I’d love a hot buttered rum!
We have the same law in California about trees. The problem is that redwoods are huge! The part that hangs over my fence is at least 2 stories up! Sometimes I wish my neighbors would prune the parts of my trees that hang over their fence. It is much harder cutting it on my side and trying to keep it from falling in their yard. Once another neighbor pruned my fruit tree and then tossed all the cuttings, including unripe fruit, back over the fence onto our side.Catching up - up here in Oregon, or at least in Portland, the law allows for pruning any parts of a tree which hang over the property line. Thank goodness, as we have neighbors who do not really take care of their trees.
I understand that selfie!
I've been doing a clear-out of my own stuff that is backlog. This includes boxes that are left over from our last move...in early 2014! The collections are obscured by them. So far so good, but I yearn for a themed room
I love the idea of an Addams Family room! That would be SO fun!!
Broken bones are no fun - they take forever to heal. I hope you stay safe and healthy!
Here, too. They have pruned back the limbs that overhang our property. But the trees are so very tall that when there's a heavy storm with wind, limbs from their side can potentially break and blow over to our side, since their trees are right up against our fence. At least, that's what we think happened in this case.
I do agree with the laws that protect trees, but sometimes the municipalities can get overly aggressive.