Messy Me - Today's Project

The motivation for this declutter project is not my drive to be a neater, more organized person (at least not just that) but a need to discover what the heck is making me sneeze. I have blamed everything, but I have come to discover that I always sneeze when I'm on my computer, so this is where I need to focus. And once again, dear readers, I am using the fact that you are kind enough to visit my blog from time to time to keep me honest! Sighs, I have my work cut out for me, as usual.

Ok, I didn't get as far as I had hoped with this, but the wine rack is cleared of all things except that which it is supposed to hold! (It was truly amazing what I found in there....rubber stamps, scissors, pens, clorox cleaner for my robot vacuum (I don't use the stuff, which is why it's been sitting around the house since I bought the vacuum, a long time back....) And so forth.

More tomorrow...

Purge Issues!

As many of you already know, I have a plan for this year, to greatly reduce the amount of stuff in my home. It got to the point where I was constantly moving stuff from one surface to another, and it was a constant source of frustration for everyone. Anyhow, I'm in month 2 - kitchen stuff.

For some reason, this month has been much more challenging purge-wise. I think about it every day, and I'm motivated, but it's been much harder to put it into action. Here's one reason why....

This spoon, which came with a rice cooker we no longer own, was chosen to be passed on to some other loving rice spoon type. It has been living happily in our silverware drawer for time uncountable. This morning I took it out. Instantly, little people found it, and reincorporated it into our lives. This has happened with every item I have pulled out and put in the purge-line. Ergh! My son was in tears yesterday because I wouldn't let him drink from a cup we've had in our cabinet since before he was born! Suddenly it became interesting. So not only do I need to remotivate myself every day to climb up into the cabinets, but I need to stash the purge items out of sight of my children. Geez! Challenges come from places we could never predict! =)

Holistic balance through feng shui? - Update

I am not a neat person. Repeat. It does not come naturally to me to keep things tiny or to get rid of thing. I am terrific at making piles, though! I am fantastic at cluttering every surface! You get the point. So following the idea that a neat space will help create a calm and relaxing environment, I have given myself two tasks to complete today. The first was to neaten up the shelf over the fireplace. I did that one early. The shelf had two ornamental rabbits, a Christmassy moose doll, a stuffed animal frog, some fireplace paperwork, a Precious Moments bride and groom, three framed photos, two unframed photos, and dust. (Am I forgetting anything?!) Now the shelf has the PM bride and groom, two unframed photos, and the fireplace paperwork. Wow! My mother's picture hangs right above the shelf and she is smiling her approval. I am smiling, too. =)

Oh, the other task? To fold and PUT AWAY all of the laundry. I have been trying to follow Flylady (flylady.com) in order to try to get more organized, and she says to do a load of laundry each day. (How awfully UNgreen....babysteps....) So I have been. And the laundry goes from the drier to the couch, to the baskets, upstairs to the bedroom.....and eventually put away. SO, there is laundry on the couch, there are various piles of folded laundry, there's a basket or two of folded laundry in the living room, and there are several in the bedroom. I attempted, at one point, to delegate the putting away task, but that failed. SOOOO.....it is my task today to fold and put it ALL away. Today. We'll see about tomorrow!!

I'm putting this picture in here to embarrass myself into completing this task. (grin)

Holistic balance through feng shui?

To live in a holistic way is to live in a balanced way. Live your life in balance with nature. Balance all aspects of your life - emotional health, physical health, diet, exercise, non-toxic environment, yadayada. As I head down the path towards a more balanced life and self, I put my focus on one area one day, another area another day.... making small changes here and there. I am finding that as I make adjustments that make me feel good, or better, other areas present themselves and are suddenly so obviously out of balance that I am taken aback. For example, today I visited a home that was so.....orderly....that it was instantly unsettling to me. One of the owners of this home has been to my home, which is, well, DISorderly. I was instantly flooded with several emotions, including awe (her home is lovely), and embarrassment. Basically, in order to feel peaceful in your own environment, the first step is to create a peaceful environment. Having stuff piled everywhere does not create a calm mood. Why are some of us naturals at creating a clutter-free, peaceful space and others (me) are not? I do not know. But this part of my journey will never be easy for me. As with all of this, it's a process. I have no plan for the "perfect" space for us, just one that one that is nice to be in.