Woah! It's October!

 Well, hasn't time flown?

Maybe it hasn't for some of you, but it has for me. It's been a busy time while we were in shut down and I chose to keep myself to myself. 

Over the past months, I've cleaned out my wardrobe - twice - and packed up boxes for donation days when my local op-shops were to reopen. I had to stack the boxes against my front door in anticipation; as I don't have a proper storage area for them.

My garden hasn't looked better! I just kept going out to Bunnings and buying plants, pots, a garden arch, more plants, and when the government gave me two lots of $750 I bought myself a new tablet and then bought a lot of gardening things. Great stuff for me, right? It's just something I'm enjoying right now - gardening that is.

And now I'm back into cleaning out the house.

First the kitchen got a clean up and clean out. I reorganised my appliances and sorted out my gardening books and cleaning items (as that's what I hoarded; not toilet paper). I also pulled apart my old 1990's entertainment unit my late-Uncle Allan gave me, sorting out what I wanted in it and what I didn't want. I asked my Mum and Dad if it was okay to get rid of it, as I thought it was time to let it move on. Yes, I became emotional and teary, but that's how it goes. I was so appreciative of what he did for me with that item; and that I was the first person he thought of when he wanted to give it away. 

So, I moved all my vinyl out of the credenza and into boxes. I sorted out everything from the credenza and made arangements to get the big, bulky unit out of my house, move the credenza across to the area where the old unit to used to be, and make space for a chaise lounge of my Great-Grandmother's which I'd be getting from my brother's house. They didn't have the room for it anymore... but I now do.

And it looks great!

In the next week, I'm looking forward to getting a back awning for my townhouse. It's going to look fantastic. I'm hoping it'll be the best thing around as it's metal, green and it'll keep out the weather and I'll be able to go out the back and enjoy the shade in Summer, the rain as well, and keep the rain out of my house when it does storm, but still let in the breeze. 

Right now, though, as time is available to me, I'm cleaning out the home office. I'm dedicating half and hour a day to it, and so far, I've accomplished so much! I've been searching for the perfect desk for my office to replace the big, space-sucking corner one... by the beginning of next year, I won't know myself. How cool will this be that by the time I do move house I'll have just enough of everything I need in my house, and no junk. 

So, how are you doing right now? I hope you're keeping well. I haven't been in here because I haven't worked on too much - not until the last few weeks. But do keep us all updated on your cleaning out. 

Good Stuff Going On

In the past week, I've been working on my house and garden. And I've found it very uplifting to get rid of the old and bring in new when I've needed it.

The old VCR has been unplugged and put off to one side and my digital television has been plugged into the antenna... and it's cleared a space for a new turntable (as my old one has stopped working - well, okay, it keeps on pulling the arm back to the rest position and refuses to play two or three times before playing a vinyl. And then, halfway through a vinyl it'll pull the arm up and pull itself back to the rest position again... so yep, it's not working anymore). I've talked to my older brother about it, and he's offered to find me a nice new/old one for my birthday! Yay! I'm looking forward to that! 

And then, a few weeks back, Dad and I went to 'Spotlight' and bought some new lace for my bedroom window. Well, yesterday, I got around to replacing the old, tattered lace - which took me around half an hour to do - and now the old lace is in the bin and the new lace looks so good! 

I did try to go three for three, by attaching the back and arms section of the wash table in my room, but the screws were way too long - oh well, never mind. Can't win them all, right? 

But last week, I went off to Life Line and dropped off two big boxes off goodies to them - yes! They're open and able to accept donations; not furniture though. But I told them I did Glen-20 everything before I closed up the boxes. They were so grateful I did that. 

It's been a good week - despite the protests in the city - as we are trying to avoid a second wave of the pandemic. Anyway, I hope you're going well with your decluttering; just like I am. Everything is looking good at my place too. Drop a comment and let us know how it's all going at your place.

House Plans

I've been going well with my cleaning out this year - however, there's still nowhere to put anything I've cleaned out; which is a pity.

I've got so many things planned, and I can't put them into action as yet. And also, I have the ability to save a lot of money too... which is fantastic. I'm putting money away in accounts and enjoying the fact that I don't have to go out if I don't really need to. 

Well, last night, while I had the commentary of an episode of 'Supernatural' on dvd going, I decided to clean the tops of the cupboards. Man, they were gundgy! I couldn't believe how disgusting they were! Once they were clean, I put down newspaper on top of them and grabbed my servers from the credensa and then put towels and the old table cloth which covered the bigger two on them - to keep the grease from going on them. 

This has cleared the credensa so I can put plants on it - for now. 

You see, I'm still wanting to get rid of that credensa, the two china cabinets, two cd towers, and the large entertainment unit (the last one of which my late Uncle Allan gave me a year before he passed away) - all of this furniture is just too chunky. I've been looking on the Fantastic Furniture site and eyeing off a storage unit there which is really nice. I've also been saving some money up for that piece. 

But, first thing's first: the car has to get a service and its new speakers put in next week. I think by my birthday, I'll be able to get myself these things for my living room... yes, it'll be okay to get a charity to pick up my old furnishings then and install the wall unit for my living room - which will look great, and give me more room in the living room.

And along that wall in the front? Well, I'll be getting myself a nice 2-seater lounge. I do need more seating in the living room. 

So, what are your plans for the rest of year for you place? I've still got my donation items in boxes and bags around the place just waiting for the charity stores to reopen - but I do have the feeling that won't be for some time yet. 

Winter Jobs

Our government is easing restrictions here in Queensland - and I guess that's okay. But I'm still cautious. So, I'm still staying home from my usual places of social activity. I'm only going out when I absolutely need to, and I'm doing online shopping more than anything else. 

But I've decided to organise myself into getting my living room looked into. At the beginning of the lock down, I was planning on getting rid of the large entertainment unit, two china cabinets, two cd towers, and credenza and replacing them all with a long wall unit and a 2-seater lounge. Well... seeing a lot of places closed down and we couldn't do anything like that.

Now it's a few months later, I'm chafing at the bit to get things done. First, I booked my car in to get new speakers installed - as the original ones are still crackling. And I bought the new ones before Christmas last year (talk about being patient!). And then, last night, I started looking at websites of furniture stores which sold storage units for living rooms... yeah, I'm not going into a place just to look.

Cleaning out your place can be the small stuff, and it's also the big stuff too. This is the big stuff right now, mainly because of the Covid-19, but it's something I'm not rushing into - as I have to live with what I buy. But my things have to fit into the wall unit I buy too - and it's also has to be the right size for my house. It can't be clunky and big (otherwise it's not worth it) and it has to look stylish too. 

I have done out all my pajamas and have ordered new, lovely looking pajamas online from Target for this Winter. The other cotton ones just aren't me; and so they're off to the charity stores - when they reopen.

Man... I wonder how many donations they'll be getting when they do reopen? The mind boggles doesn't it? 

Got Cleaning!

This morning, it was another crisp Autumn day here in Australia. I seriously didn't want to get out of bed, but there was a few things to get done around my place, as I've got an old friend coming over for coffee - and I mean, very old friend. He's somebody I used to date 20 years ago and he looked me up on Facebook, then messaged me, asking if I remembered him... seriously, I usually do remember somebody if I have dated them; but not this one. We didn't date for long, and well, we weren't on the same page by the end of the relationship back then. 

Well, we asked if we could catch up for a chat and I said that cafes were still a no-go zone for a sit-down chat, and he suggested my back yard... well, there's no harm in that.

So, this morning, I've been up bright and early in the chilled fingers of the day cleaning the parts of the house which really needed it. 

The downstairs toilet got cleaned, and the laundry tub did too. Then, I put away all the extra cleaning detergents I have collected over the past month and cleared the art bench and pulled out my spare table easel to put my large painting of the Harbour Wall II on it. Then, I shifted everything back under the bench (finding out it was all caught on something under there) by about a foot, and I could push my red chair underneath more.
The washing up got finished and the benches were wiped down and the iron found a place of its own - finally! I've been trying to find a place for it for about a week now, and it's now under the television again.
The vacuum cleaner is back where it's supposed to be and I put everything into a place again, making more space near the storage unit under the stairs.

Now, I have to put away the laundry and make my bed - which is something I've been trying to make a good habit of mine. Anyway, I'm hoping to get the house tidier than it's been in a week; seeing I've been just knitting and binge-watching my favourite television shows on dvd lately... yeah, I've been lazy. But the weather has been cold and that's great cleaning weather for me. 

I have been cleaning out my underwear drawer, which means I'm looking at my pajamas... yep, I've bagged up all of my cotton ones and tossing them into the donation pile; as I've bought some online which are more my style for this Winter. 

What have you been up to lately which is changing your house into more of a home? 

Kitchen Sorting

Here in Brisbane, Australia, there's been a few restrictions relaxed. We're allowed to go out for takeaway foods, coffee and other takeaway things - but not sit in cafes. So, that's something. 

Well, while I was out yesterday, I bought some coffee to take to a friend's house (which we're allowed up to two people at our places) and I spotted some coffee cups which had been on sale for a while. I loved this cups for a long time, so I bought them.

On bringing them home, I realised I had to declutter my kitchen to make them fit. So, I spent about an hour cleaning out and cleaning up and kitchen... and it's fun when you figure out to fit things - kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. And the best thing about this is that I managed to let go of two sets of cups I no longer use; packing them up for donation in future.

How cool is that? 

How is your place coming along?

Mine is slowly by surely.

Busily Working On Everything

You know it's been an interesting time around the globe lately. This Covid-19 has been making everyone sick, the death toll is higher in some countries and lower in others. Here in Australia, our death toll is 87 and yet there's less than 10,000 sick. Our government has done well with closing borders and getting everyone to work from home.

For those of us who don't work or have finished our work in the day, we find it difficult to get used to being 'stuck' in our homes. But it's not a matter of being stuck here. You home is your castle... and you have the time to get in and do something - anything - you wish for it to feel better.

I've been cleaning up and cleaning out things around the place. I've been packing things away and making more space for when the time comes to replace the two china cabinets, two cd towers and big, chunky entertainment unit. And there will be a time when I'll be able to do that... it will come. But I'll have to be patient. 

Anyway, right now, I'm cleaning up and boxing things up until that time comes. The freezer is filled with food I've cooked and frozen, and I've pulled out a shelf from it so it all fits. I've washed my car - as I've had this little beauty for 6 years just last week, so why not make it look pretty? 
And while we on this subject: just because you're not driving your car as much as you used to, it's a good idea to keep it clean, and make sure the fluids are full in the engine. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but really, a lot of people just think that a modern car will 'look after itself'; but it won't. 

Keeping yourself interested in your own life goes a long way in keeping sane.  Watch your weight: don't go gorging on snacks just because you've got a pantry filled with them. Popcorn is a great snack and is just as good for you as anything else. 

But make sure your house - which is as much as a work in progress as mine is - keeps on being vacuumed, dusted and wiped down. Even though we may be in lock down, it doesn't mean we get lazy in our cleaning up. Put out your rubbish. Wash up your dishes. Tend to your garden (or balcony garden) and make your house your castle again... it doesn't take much once you're into a routine of it. And when you get into the smaller things of decluttering, you'll find that it'll help with the bigger things. 

And hey... we've all got the time now. So, why not make your house exactly the way you want it to be? I am. Let us all know how you're going in the comments below.