Momentum

We've been spending a lot of energy on decluttering this week. Our basement has a tiny back "room" that is more like a large walk in closet. Until very recently, it held 8 or more totes of my daughters' things, multiple boxes of my father's things, and some totes of "extras" for just in case. We have one of those sleep number beds and there was a tote and a very large contractor bag and a free floating "topper" in that room. We have had this bed for a couple decades. The extra pieces came from a guest bed at my parent's previous home. In that time, we have never once needed to replace any part of our bed. We got rid of the extras. Massive amount of real estate was taken up by that alone. The other big giant job was sorting and properly storing the vast American Girl doll(s) (Seven of them to be precise!) collection. My mother (and I) lavished the girls with all manner of clothing, accessories, and furnishing- they have the kitchen and the table and chairs, they have furniture for the baby dolls and just so many tiny items that are now safely reunited with their like items. Turns out there is a proper method to storing those dolls and we weren't even coming close. You need to store them sans clothing so there is no dye transfer from a cute outfit. They need to be in cardboard and acid free tissue paper. If they have hair, it should be brushed and secured with a hair net. On top of that, they do best for the long haul when they stand upright so as to maintain their eye action. We did it though! All seven dolls are resting in boxes, staring at the cardboard in the closet in my office until such time as they are released to a grandchild or sold off to someone else. The clothing is all in open plastic bags with silica packets and then all stored in a cloth bag on the main living level. The furniture and other plastic accessories were placed in plastic totes with plenty of silica packets and then back in the basement walk in back room. Along with this monumental, and honestly, fun activity my youngest and I did massive amounts of purging of childhood/teen year junk, along with much of the stuff I needed to go through of my parents and my own. This week we managed three car/trunk loads and a full minivan to the donation station! I have books yet and somehow keep locating more and more things I can live without. It does seem that when you have the time to devote to this task, it becomes easier to make decisions as you see the mountain of stuff grow smaller. I feel like I want to just go full on pitch fest! Throw it all away!! I'm now tasked with telling myself to slow down...make good decisions. But there is light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train or one of any number of flashlights you saved for just in case!

Just an hour in the morning yields a mountain.

So, youngest offspring and I spent a chunk of time yesterday afternoon, sorting the AG dolls and their copious outfits, accessories and furnishings. We didn't finish. We aren't purging this vast collection but instead, prepping it for proper storage. Did you know that plastic totes are NOT great for dolls? Did you know that they need to stand upright to preserve the eye action? And, did you know that they might be best stored without clothing so as to not let any dyes transfer over time. We did not know any of this. Now we do and we're doing better. It was very hard to find boxes that would fit them but I finally managed to find the narrow boxes- we will have to figure out how to make the smaller babies stand up but I have zip ties and a good hole maker and an idea. So we'll get it done. The whole process required cardboard boxes, archival tissue, and hair nets to keep their hair from frizzing. Oy. We did have a lot of fun and laughs pulling it all out- sorting out any NON AG items and then she got a social call she couldn't refuse so we didn't manage to complete the task. Tonight we're hoping to do this. This morning I woke up primed for purging. We had to pull out many totes and boxes to get to the AG stuff so I attacked those. I have made a mountain by the garage door. As I do this, I notice that as time passes, the tether to certain things frays and the ability to get rid of things becomes easier. I had a tote with two items of my mom's clothing, a blanket crocheted for her during hospice (she never noticed this kindness- she'd had a stroke and was fading quickly), and her toiletry kit. I piled the clothing and blanket in the bags for donation easily but the toiletry kit, wonder why that was so difficult- today it wasn't. I emptied it all into the trash- the toothpaste, floss, hair ties, combs, etc. I think when it went in the tote it just felt too personal but time allows you to see it for what it is, toiletries just like those in your own bathroom drawer, not sacred items to be treasured. The take-away from today is that some decisions may just need a little more time. It might not be one you can make right now but eventually, you'll come to the conclusion that it needs to move on.

Dishes, have I mentioned all the dishes?

 I have found the ability to purge. I have. I am in the process of one of the hardest areas for me to purge. Dishes. I love them. I think I've mentioned it. I coveted the SLAH (IYKYK) line of dishes from the late 1990's/early 2000s for a long time. About 5 years ago, I came across six yellow/red dot bowls and eight yellow luncheon plates in a thrift store. The kicker was they were all in a set for $8.00- that was it?! I grabbed them up and then began sliding down the rabbit hole- I started to send up prayers to the thrift gods only to find them answered! I'd get a few little things here, a few there- what I needed to finish off this vast collection was easily located on Ebay...until I had 10 place settings of the Siena and Provence dishes...and have I also mentioned that I don't really ever entertain? I like the idea of a party but not the actual party itself. I have had my kids and their partners over and even with my mother-in-law, we still only made a group of seven. [full disclosure- I also have curated all the Christmas Memories dishes...along with a wrought iron frame that holds two long rectangular plates along with numerous "tidbit" trays...again, I never get over 7 people at any event and never have more than one or two events a year] 

This is just ONE line of dishes...I have others. But this line is my purging triumph. Horns should hoot and accolades should be laid upon my shoulders. I spent yesterday at the original consignment thrift store where it all began with the iced tea glasses, latte mugs, and flowerpots. I didn't want to load it all up and haul it in if they weren't going to sell it, so I tested and brought photos of the rest. Now I have an appointment to bring the remaining pieces in mid-July. 

This is HUGE. I've also gone through several cupboards with ruthless abandon and removed many redundant or seldom/never used items. I have a large box in my trunk already. I will do some more and then drive through the donation center later today. 

This is just a fraction of it all...I have serving dishes and all that holiday stuff to go...it was fun to find it all and enjoy it for a few years but time to simplify and make space, so much space! 

Successes!

 Books. 

I love books. I like the feel of them around. I like them neatly upright on a shelf. I like them stacked in piles on side tables. I like them leaned up against the fabric covered tea box in my office; waiting for me to pick them up and continue where I left off. 

I often have a few books going at any time. I sometimes will abandon a book for months, only to pick it up and complete it in an afternoon. Books are just such an essential part of my life. I hate to part with them. I like looking up to see the title on a spine, reminding me of the experience of reading it. 

So, the conventional wisdom in declutter is to start with "easy" things like books. It isn't the easiest category for me. I did declutter the books though. I did it by providing myself a framework for decision making. If I had read it and it wasn't a "reference" status book (I have kept all my college literature anthologies because you just never know when history will get wiped and we have to begin again), or it was a book I'd grabbed from somewhere but no longer seemed interested in reading (and if I did, I could find it at the library), or it was a reference/non-fiction that was either dated or easy to locate in a public library, internet, etc. I ended up parting ways with probably 60-70 books. That was just a quick sweep of the shelves. 

I did get rid of all but one of the ancient Readers from the 1800s. I was holding onto them because they had sat on my mother's desk when I grew up. I now have my mother's desk. When I got this from my brother, I felt a pull to recreate the arrangement of things she kept on top of it and one item she kept in it. The postage meter/scale (antique even then) is long gone and too expensive on ebay to replace, I did have the books and a painted rock she kept on it. But in the end, I tend to keep the top clear because I do watercolor painting and drawing on the desk and had to clear the trinkets before I could begin. 

Inside the desk, I have a package of Holly Hobbie wrapping paper from the 1970's. The exact same paper she had in there. I know because as a child, I loved Holly Hobbie's drawings of sunbonneted little girls and would often open the drawer to look at the paper. She would use it for small gifts but she either liked it or forgot she had it because it remained in the drawer for as long as I could recall. I was able to find an unopened package on ebay. I have used a little of it to wrap some small gifts for my own daughters but I will retain a square so I can peek at it when I open the drawer. 

Anyway, I managed to let go of the dusty old tomes. I kept one that contains the signature of my great grandmother, Grace Patterson. It is the only thing I have of hers so I will keep that. I never met her, she was long since passed when I came along but my grandmother, Edith, was (and will always remain) one of the best people I've ever known so I assume her mother was also quite wonderful. 

I am hoping someone will find those other three old books and be excited by what they found. I often shared them with my students, but I noticed this last time, they were less fascinated by them than in the past. "They smell!" "They are dirty!" Yep. They are out there in the world now, looking for a new home. 

There are more books that need to be taken care of in the basement. I think those will be easier. I couldn't tell you which books are down there so probably easy to just see books and not even sort them. Just let them go. Someone will be happy somewhere. 

Inspiration

 I visited my mother-in-law's home on Sunday. I haven't been in months and during that time, she had been working furiously to declutter a lifetime of stuff in order to sell her place and move into a continuous care facility. She is looking at a two-bedroom apartment in independent living. She has done an amazing job of clearing the clutter. It is hard to describe the startling inspiration - hit me right when we walked in- space! The amount of space! The walls, the fridge- clear of visual clutter- so you could notice the few pieces of art she has on the wall. The kitchen and dining room were just so clean. 

This is a woman who had collected Hummel figurines. And you know what that means, right? This is a woman who loved her clutter. But she did it. And she loves it! 

I am looking around at my things with a highly suspicious eye now. 

The plan is to continue to do some small decluttering over the next four weeks but once school ends, we'll go big. 

Things I already know that will be difficult for me- books. I need to figure that strategy out. Clothes are another tough area simply because I hate the money spent for things I didn't get much use from. I'd like to have them wear out, but I have way too many to wear any out for years. That is usually how most decluttering systems start- because they think it is easier to make those decisions. I might have to wait on clothes and books. I think the knick-knacks will be the easier one to begin with. 

Anyway- I'm inspired. I'm looking at various internet/insta decluttering folks and what they say but I will come up with a plan and hopefully, enact it once school is out for the summer. 

Little bit by little bit

 And enlist help when you can. Today I managed to do this by asking my daughter to just help me understand what was in a tote in the garage...it was full of dishes! We here in this family have a long and storied relationship with dishes. My mother set the standard with her Noritake china (for special occasions) and her Arabiaware midcentury stoneware set that was for everyday...but wait!!!! There's more...sooooooo much more. 

She collected all manner of blue and white dishes during a three year stay in Tokyo, Japan. She had multiple types/styles/sets of blue and white but also colorful Chinese dishes and many, just sooo many incidental dishes for serving anything. She believed in "the art of living" which translated to, "have the perfect thing for absolutely every possible occasion." 

Later she collected multiple sets of whimsical dishes for the lake home and for grandkids to use and on and on. 

I had the Arabiaware for many years and recently passed it on to my oldest. The Noritake also resides with me- I love it and use it for special occasions and have fleshed it out to a full 12 place settings with all available serving and hostess pieces. I hold it here for my youngest to someday claim as her Grandma gift. She just needs to be someplace more established. 

I have processed most of the blue and white sets (with a few exceptions) and all of the various Asian specific dishes- like bowls for rice/ramen. Mostly because I collected my own massive set of dishes as a show of my independence. 

So, suffice to say, "we love dishes!" My youngest had been given a very large set of dishes from her uncle- these are very nice, Dansk brand. Massive amount of dishes though. She has filled her apartment with them but there was a tote that contained many, many more pieces. I mean, a full tote. She groaned when she realized what it was...I gave her full permission to part ways with them- they have been through her two cousins too so it wasn't like they hadn't been put to good use. She heaved a sigh of relief as she heaved the large tote into her car to set them free. 

I have explained to her that she needs to refuse to take on the ancestral burden of the stuff. She can refuse and her life will be all the better, and less stressful, for it. I am glad to see her accept this advice and I'm also glad to have help with the declutter process here. I can't thank her enough for just taking things away and not telling me what happens to them. 

I even managed to toss in a windchime that had been gifted us several years ago (still with a tag- never got used as we are not chimey types).  I fully recommend enlisting someone to assist you with the declutter caper. If you can hand something off and not have to worry about actually driving it to the donation center, it makes the whole process a little less daunting. 

How do we do it? Volume.

 That has been the longest running joke in my family of origin that is NOT Monty Python related. It came at a time we were trying to clean out the clutter built by previous generations of my family at a lake home they'd purchased as a way to stay together as adults. The lake home was passed along and my parents were the final caretakers before it became too much and we let the whole place go. But the amount of stuff, junk, treasures, whatever you want to call it, was just so hard to get through. It was overwhelming and we tried to find the humor in the process. 

The other lingering catch phrase (originally uttered in a moment of great despair/frustration) is "my ancestors could have been rich if they hadn't bought so much shit." 

I'm working on my own clutter now. It includes items that came from that lake home, it includes items that came from my own parents, and we store a lot of my children's stuff/junk/treasures. My father is in assisted living but may be moving to memory care. That will bring about another round of "stuff processing" and I really don't have room to store things. It is well past time to get very serious about this whole declutter issue. 

I know that we're all supposed to just get rid of things without feeling guilty and I get that. I want to get rid of things but I also want to keep my money. I've got a plan for my clothes which will sound like I'm running counter to the conventional wisdom of decluttering. Here's the backstory: 

I was happily subbing and we planned to have me just continue to sub until I couldn't anymore. I wouldn't actually have a retirement date so much as just slowly decrease the number of days I work in a week until I faded off into the sunset.  With this plan, I really only needed one, maybe two, actual work outfits per week. I had whittled my wardrobe down and all my clothes- I mean ALL - could fit in my dresser. It was the fulfillment of a dream I've always had. 

Last fall, I got a call from my neighborhood school to return to the classroom. The money and location were just too tempting. I agreed. The immediate realization of working in the same location for a whole school year lead to panic, what will I wear?! I mean, seriously, I had about 2 outfits that would work. So, I went on a little spree. And then I did it again when the weather got colder...and again when spring rolled in...Now I have too many clothes and no contract for next fall. (That is another story - long and short is that education is a brutal business and numbers/budgets/age etc. all play a role in your long term success) So I have a bunch of pretty much new clothes that I really don't need to make use of next term. 

My little plan is to create a "capsule" wardrobe from what I have and then pack the rest away to be my future capsules when the one I have wears out. I know, I know, but the thing is, I spent too much money and they are too new to just purge. I like the clothes, I just don't need to have so many choices and do so much laundry. I'm going to organize them into like items, and when I need a new pair of jeans? Well, I go shopping in the stored clothes first. I will make the deal with myself that if I pull a new shirt out of storage, an old shirt must be donated. This way, I'll have less to manage in my closet/dresser but I'll also not be spending money repurchasing very similar items to what I just did. 

I'm going to try it anyway. Might be a fool's errand. Might just need to let things go but I'm not hating my clothes or having clothes that I'm not really wearing. The normal criteria for purging isn't going to work. I think shopping for clothes in my basement that I know I already like will help me save money as I fall back down to sub pay while allowing me to refresh my wardrobe periodically. 

I am limiting my storage to two totes. So there will be some clothes that don't make the cut. So...while not a pure declutter/death clean...I think it will work for my situation. And in the end, isn't that what you want in your home? We'll see.