So, I attempted to get crafty over this long weekend, but it didn’t really stick. Friday after work, I thought to myself “goodness, its been a really long time since you did anything creative, you need to get moving – you haven’t posted about anything but annoying little bunny rabbits for weeks! Maybe something simple and manageable, like embroidery.” Yes, this was my though process... And it led me to my old suitcase of embroidery transfers. I even picked on out and ironed it on a nice flour sack towel and picked out my thread. But, the embroidery didn’t get very far – maybe an eight of the way through the pattern before I got distracted.
Hey, at least I tried. I do plan to get back to it, but my distraction actually inspired me a bit more. I actually traded embroidery for cleaning and I kept going all weekend. I know, crazy stuff. Over the past few months, my guest room had turned into a closed door room. One pile turned into another pile, then the bed was covered and the closet was stuffed. It was rather embarrassing. My Mom would never have approved of my housekeeping. I planned to get to this long ago, but life kept getting in the way. Every extra day I have had always ended up focused on something else, like taking care of my Pops or... So, when the inspiration struck, I had to keep going.
So, now the bed has no piles and sports clean bedding and fluffed up pillows. The old magazines have been removed from under the bed, the shutters and fan are dust free and the floors sparkle. The closet is even clean and I can move things around – but, the dark side of this is a lot (I mean LOT) of non-fitting clothes have been moved to the basement. Yes, even a clean, sparkly room can be a bit depressing when you have a concrete realization of the extra pounds that have crept on over the past six months... But, I am not letting that get me down and I have a plan for that and for the displaced and remaning first floor clutter.
The first plan is what I call the “31-Day Shred Mini-Health and Fitness Challenge” and I will post (I promise) about that later this week... The second plan is “Unclutter July.” So much for Spring cleaning, mine is taking place this Summer!
I think some of this inspiration comes from what I have recently seen around the blogosphere. Have you seen the site Unclutterer? Love it. It will make you want to pare down, find new uses for old stuff and want for new multi-tasking gadgets (oops... that might not be good). But, more poignant was a post I saw on Apron Thrift Girl about how losing the clutter and loosening our attachment to things can open ourselves up to a much better, more meaningful life. I get this. I really think that clutter causes stress and utilizes much more of our time than it needs to. If simplifying my life and my clutter can help reduce my stress (yay!) and provide me with more time to work on say crafty, cooking, fitness, friends, family etc., than I am all in. Hence, Unclutter July has begun. A good month (maybe more) of organizing, cleaning and cluttering will be happening around my household this month. I’ll keep you posted, although I may not be brave enough to share all the before and after pictures...
Anyone else have any good goals for July?
Oh wow -- I'm actually sitting back at the computer because I'm so overwhelmed by clutter, I just keep drifting around aimlessly. Avoiding the clutter, don't ya know. I could definitely use an Unclutter July!
Posted by: meg | July 10, 2008 at 08:09 PM
I can't wait to grab your Unclutter July button for Cabin Life. . .I'm a chronic unclutterer and will happily spread the good news!
Posted by: ellie | July 10, 2008 at 06:21 AM
Great post! I've been working on this, but with kids it's hard. My daughter is pretty much on-board, but not my son. He's only 7 and he still likes his stuff. We've been working on the clothing portion and have really whittled things down - I sold off almost all of my jewelry but a few pieces, tossed all shoes I don't use and got rid of ALL the clothing I don't wear or like. It really feels good to live a bit "lighter." Please keep us updated on how you're doing.
Posted by: chrischris | July 08, 2008 at 09:16 AM
DITTO EREN.
Need to work on the clutter issue, BIG TIME!
Posted by: Roni | July 07, 2008 at 09:32 PM
Oh, I so relate to this post. We are doing a bit of decluttering here as well. The hardest part for me is holding on to something in the name of finding a use for it (repurposing it). I mean how long do you wait until you decide just to send it to the recycle bin? I have to work on this.
Posted by: Eren | July 07, 2008 at 09:02 PM