Week 9: Laundry Room Organisation

Monday: Read Organized Home Challenge #9: Laundry Room

Tuesday: Declutter laundry room around washer and dryer

Wednesday: Declutter old/unusued laundry supplies

Thursday: Declutter laundry room shelves and cabinets

Friday: Declutter and organize ironing board and supplies

Saturday: Create stain removal kit

Sunday: Add fun decor to your laundry room

All has been done, apart from Sunday's task. And that isn't happening. The laundry room isn't a place I want 'fun decor'; it's a place of work that's tucked away at the back of the house - practical and functional. It needs to work well, not look pretty.

Project 333: The Next Phase

My winter season is two weeks away from completion. It was a short season of 6 weeks because of the point I joined the project. With two short weeks to go until I enter the spring season, my mind is going towards the clothes I will be wearing. I was sorely in need of new white tops, and so bought three yesterday when I saw them. My current ones will be retired. Other things required are new shoes, new jacket/blazer, and trousers.

As I'm going to be wearing the same clothes again and again for three months I want the clothes I wear to look good.  It's time to ditch the ones that have seen better days and are worn out and old!  

And it's done!

At last the cabled infinity scarf has been completed!  It's done.  Yarn has been decluttered into a useful finished item.  Huzzah!

Sofa Migration

Just before Christmas, the sofa migrates from the bay window in the sitting room through 90 degrees to the perpendicular wall. This allows the Christmas tree to be in the bay window, looking shiny and bright. Then, at some random point the sofa migrates back to the window position. Sitting right by the window means there's much more light for reading, craft work and life in general. Today was migration day.

Also, half of the sitting room has been involved in a spring clean.  

Get that project finished!

The problem I had with my hands and wrists in the summer has almost all gone (it's my left arm now!). However, not having knitted for a long time has sort of knocked it out of me. I no longer automatically reach for my knitting. It is a decision I have to make, and one I don't often make.

This has been coupled with a decision to work one one project at a time, only moving on when the project has been completed. I've had enough of the infinity scarf I'm making for The Offspring. I want it done. Today is the day!

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Well...  I tried.  I've managed to get half of the final panel completed, and have knitted for about two hours.  That's enough for today.  I'll try again tomorrow and with a bit of work, a dollop of hope, and an audio book, it will be done.

Food, glorious food!

A tidy kitchen, the recipe book challenge and the menu one have resulted in us being far more ready to to try new recipes.  It also means we are eating far more fresh vegetables.  This is a good thing, a very good thing.  Oh, and baking.  More baking and less bought in goodies.

Oh the weather outside is frightful

And this is causing my joints to be frightful too. I'm tired, sore and cranky. No new cluttering or organisation has taken place.

However, the new status quo has been maintained. The kitchen is tidy, dishes have been done, laundry is happening, things are being picked up and put away after use.  It's just nothing new is happening.

I suspect part of the reason is I have already done all of the daily challenges and I simply can't be arsed making up new challenges to keep me going.

Smears or smut

The windows in the sitting room have been cleaned. However, there's lots of smears.  What's worse, smears or smut?  I think streaky clean is better.

Oh Noes!

I am falling behind! I am slipping out of the paths of righteousness and into the ways of complacency.

Setting up weekly routines for cleaning feels rather beyond me at the moment. It is something I want to be able to do, but I not quite ready for it. Perhaps in a few months I will be able to do it. In the mean time, I need to schedule some guests to come to visit. Cleaning will be done then.

Hold on!  I'm not behind! I'm just not doing extras. Cleaning is happening on an ad hoc basis.  I'm getting there.  

Next week takes me to the laundry room. It was decluttered and tidied relatively recently, but I'm happy to head back there again and have a second pass at it.  

Week 8: Meal Planning and Weekly Cleaning

Monday: Read Organized Home Challenge #8: Meal Planning

Tuesday: Begin meal planning 

Wednesday: Fill out menu planning ideas form for inspiration for meal planning

Thursday: Create a menu board so everyone knows what's for dinner or other meals

Friday: Create running grocery list 

Saturday: Create weekly list of errands and shopping list

Sunday: Declutter and recycle batteries and light bulbs

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We have used a running grocery list for quite some time, and it's brilliant. Some things are added to the list when we are running low (eg loo roll). Others are added when the last one is started (sauce), and others when the last one is finished (bananas). This means there is always a stock of the essentials.  

From the start of the year, we have been menu planning. This is also brilliant. The decision of 'what do you want for dinner?' no longer happens at the end of the working day, but at a relaxed time. When the menu has been planned, we check the fridge, pantry and freezer if an item is needed it's added to the shopping list.    

This week, I'll be working on creating a weekly cleaning list. One of the side effects of decluttering is the cobwebs, dust and grime is far more visible!  This needs to be tackled.  My plan is to concentrate on one room/zones each day. entry/stairs, sitting room, kitchen, vestibule/laundry/shower room, bathroom/loo, and bedroom.  At some point, the dining room will be added to the mix, but it needs to be decluttered first!

Sunday will be kitchen day.  

15 Minutes Organisation: Creating a Bullet Journal

A little while back I came across the idea of bullet journals, and thought 'That's cute', and promptly allowed it to dribble out of my brain. The examples I had viewed had too many drawings, fancy decorations and it didn't seem something that would be useful to me. The name 'journal' also put me off. To me, it has overtones  of writing a touchy-feely diary. I haven't done that since I was a teenager.

Then, a youTuber mentioned it, and I re-examined it.  I tried it out at work, in a simplified version, and it went well.  I've now set up my personal bullet journal, using the method found here. It is at one and the same time more complicated, and also simpler than my work one.  When I was doing it at work I was half remembering the set up instructions.  On Monday, I'll add in the sections I need to bring it up to speed.  I had also a rolling bullet point list. This will change on Monday.

Kitchen Goodies

My child has labelled me a hipster as I have just bought three sets of these lovely glass jars, that's 15 jars in total.  They will not be used to serve up sausage and mash, or trifle, but will instead be used to store such things as flour, sugar, oats, pasta, lentils, etc. I love the look of them, and they are so practical.

Another kitchen goodie is my new oil dispenser. I had been pouring oil from a two litre plastic bottle. The bottle dribbled and always glugged out too much oil. This oil dispenser does not dribble, and gives far greater flow control.

My kitchenware style can be summed up as glass, silver, uncluttered and simple.

Project 333: 17th February 2016

I am loving Project 333.  I'm finding it liberating.  Having a restricted palette means decision making is so very much easier.  There's a few pieces that don't go together.  The plum skirt and top are not a good mix, and neither are the green cardigan and teal tops.  Black and navy are not a combination I like. The navy trousers can really only be worn with the navy cardigan or the green one.  This is a bit limiting.  In the next cycle I will make better choices.

My choice of clothing for today is almost identical to the 13th of February, white top, purple skirt,  black cardigan, purple scarf, black shoes, and the twist is grey tights.

It was useful at the start of this project to keep a list of the clothing I have been wearing.  However, I'm no longer feel it to be useful.  I'm going to stop creating a daily list, and instead post only when I have something to say about it, or when a new cycle starts.

15 Minute Declutter: Packing up a Bedroom

A start has been made on packing up The Elder's books and CDs. It is going to take time to pack away and remove all of her belongings.

Project 333: 16th February 2017

Green and Blacks, makers of lovely dark chocolate, but also today's colours.

Black top, black sweater, black trousers, socks and shoes. Green cardigan and scarf.

15 Minute Declutter: Crafting materials dumped

Over time, crafting materials have been dumped in my bedroom.  It transformed into a huge, intimidating mound. I feared each item would be require a decision, and a decision filled with regret. It might be regret because of a poor purchase. It could be the regret was for items started, but not finished. It could even be general regret.

Hmm... about half of the mound has been sorted, and the emotion filled thing didn't happen.  There's one bag of rubbish, another of materials to be donated to the Children's Centre, and a third I wish to keep.  Well, keep for now. Things might look different when I start work in my craft room.

Project 333: 15th February 2017

Black top, grey merino sweater, black skirt, black tights, black shoes, rainbow scarf.

15 Minute Declutter: Packing Soft Toys

My elder child went off to university just over 3 years ago. Up until this Christmas she still had her room at home, full of her things. My younger child is moving into the 'Teal Room', but it's still full of Number 1's stuff. Over the next few days (weeks), I'll be packing up a bedroom full of stuff. Her belongings will be put away in boxes, and the boxes labelled. She can then decide what to do with them. Today, it's the turn of the soft toys.

Project 333: 14th February 2017

The Beloved gave me this brooch for my birthday last year. It works its magic holding my shawl in place. Today's shawl is purple, and it's being worn with a black top, black skirt, black tights, black shoes and black cardigan. Whilst at work a grey sweater was also being worn.

The 30 Day Wait and Buy Happy

A great tip I came across whilst watching video clips on decluttering and minimalism is to have a 30 day waiting period before making unplanned purchases. It's a chance to slow down and consider the purchase. There's no point in decluttering only to restock your home with new clutter.

During the decluttering of the linen cupboard at the start of January, I realised we only had one spare/guest bath towel. I added 'big fluffy bath towel' to the 30 Day list in the back of my journal. Whilst shopping for new tights at the start of this month, I realised 30 days were up on the bath towel, and bought it. Having a general browse around the shop I spotted this clock.

"Ohh!" thought I. "I like it," and it had been marked down from £89 to £45.  So it was added to my 30 Day list.  The temptation was there to buy it immediately, especially as it was half price!   

Last night, I bought a new Kindle (my old one is old, and is starting to wheeze and groan). The model I have just bought isn't the newest, but there was a 30% reduction, and it does all the things I need/want it to do. As I was removing the Kindle from my 30 Day list, I thought about the clock. I do like it, and it would look good in my home. But, I don't love it. The clock was removed from my list.

Another useful tip I picked up was "Buy Happy". Too often we buy things to cheer ourselves up, rather than because we need, want, love, or even like the item. If you are not happy, then stay out of the shops. Only buy when you are happy and content.