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. 

I've Been Lazy

This virus has really bugged me, but it's gotten me to work on a few things - only a few - over time. And then, I got to thinking that we have a lot of time to do everything we want to get done.

So, I'm slowing it all down.

Okay, I've gotten 4 bags of charity stuff all worked out, and my shoes as well, but really, I don't have to rush. And neither do you. This is the perfect time to take your time and work through your house at your own pace and work on what you need to get finished. The best thing about this staying-at-home bit of this is that you can be sure what you want to throw out and what you don't.

Anyway, today, I've folded some laundry, and have to put it away - along with other laundry I've had folded and stashed in my bedroom. Then, I'll be looking at the art gear at the top of wardrobe and little by little I'll be working through that; and seeing what I want from it and what I don't. There's a bag I don't want anymore and I'll be putting anything I don't want into that and putting a label on the handle to put into the top of the wardrobe so I can pull it out when the charity stores are taking donations again.

Man, that's going to be a great day, right? So many people are going to be giving on that first day!

The Big Wardrobe Cleanout!

I'm so proud of myself!

Yesterday, I started putting away my clean laundry and it turned into a big clean out of my wardrobe - mainly because a lot of what I had washed and dried outside couldn't fit into the wardrobe.

So, I pulled out any t-shirts and decided to fold them, and had a lot of coat hangers which had taken up space. Then, I moved long-sleeved blouses next to the dressing gowns, I put the coats in their own colour codes (I know, I know, weird right? But it makes some kinda sense to me). Then, I put all my new op-shopped dressed in one section and my jeans and shorts in the next section. I tried on a few thing to see if they'd fit - and some did and others didn't. 

And then, I found them: the clothes I was given and haven't worn, and don't like. I pulled them all out and put them into a donation pile. I also pulled out all the 3/4 pants/jeans which I no longer wear and put them into a pile as well... and well! I emptied out so much of the wardrobe, I was amazed with myself.

And this was before I had even gotten any clean laundry put away - sure it was folded and hung up on hangers, but none of it was put away... so I put it away and it all fitted so well! 

Then, I pulled some things from underneath my clothes and found I had bags I had bought and other things which I simply didn't need. Some of these things went in the bin, while other items went into the donation pile. This donation pile was getting pretty big now... and this is good!

Today, I folded and put everything in the pile into a bag... such a pity I can't take it to a charity store yet. Well, give it time: in the next few months, we'll get ourselves to the charity stores and they'll have a huge influx of donations from everyone's houses. Won't that be great? 

In Isolation

The last time I went out was really early Tuesday morning - and that was to get supplies. But I've been home and haven't talked to anyone or near anyone... and this is good.

This has given me a good chance to organise my house and my garden. 

Today, I reorganised my greenhouse in the back yard for the third time - as I'm planting cherry tomato seeds and in a few days, I'll be potting up truss tomato seeds in there as well... I can't wait to see what happens. I'm hoping it all works out.
Well, if it does, I'll have some lovely tomatoes to eat in the coming months - and I'll share them as well with my neighbours.

I then organised my laundry liquids in the hallway to my kitchen where the shelving is... and managed to put everything in a nice spot there. 

Two plastic boxes in my home office are now filled with books I'm keeping from crowding up my bookcases too much. But there's a box by my front door which has to go out to the car for donation. Unfortunately, all my donations are going out into the back seat of my car until further notice, as no charity stores are taking anything for now - and they're closed anyway. 

Tomorrow, which is Friday, I'll be going through my wardrobe and sorting through all of my clothes to see what I'm keeping and what I'm donating. This is a good time to do this. And then, I'll organise my drawers again and vacuum the house, dusting everything as I go.

Yes, it'll be a busy day tomorrow - as busy as it was yesterday and today. So, how is your place going in this time of isolation? Are you cleaning out as much as I am? Or are you catching up on reading and other activities? 

This Year's Work

Because of the Corona Virus this year, I'm sure a lot of people are scared and there's a lot of countries and cities in lockdown.

It's not a nice thing to hear of this; and even worse when you're wondering if it's going to happen to your city and country.

Australia has already closed its borders to people who are not citizens or residents coming in. So, that's a step towards us going into lockdown. This has pushed me to clean out my living room quickly. And yesterday, I bagged up 3 bags; today putting them into my car to take to Vinnies. 

There's still a lot to do in my house, but I have to get in and do it quickly. And seeing I got 3 bags done yesterday, I'm sure I'll have all of my plans sorted out in a month or two. And then, I'll have plenty of time to save up for the unit I want for my living room. 

But cleaning out is going to be a good thing for me, isn't it? What are you doing in this time where we can't go anywhere? 

I'm Back!

It's been so long since I've been here!

And I've missed decluttering my house; mainly because I've been living for six weeks at my brother's house - house sitting - while he and his girlfriend have been overseas in India.

Well, I returned home on Sunday and am just getting my computer back up and online... and it's cost me a lot of money to get it going again. Yeah, it's been sitting doing nothing for that long; which means, things go wrong with it. 

Anyway, after it's been fixed (and a lot of money has changed hands), I'm finally back here.

But while I was away, I did manage to reorganise my brother's fridge, underneath their kitchen sink, their laundry and the cottage I was staying in out the back of their home. So, that says something about what I've learned through Peter Walsh... that I've become a bit of an organising person; and not just in my own home either.

Now I'm back, I've had a good think about what I'd like in my own house... and I'm beginning to go through my living room in a big way. So far, I've filled almost one bag with charity items and one rubbish bag - so that's 2 bags filled with things I no longer want.

My plan is to get rid of the bulky entertainment unit, two china cabinets and the two cd towers and put a wall unit in their place ... this will fit everything in it, including what's in the credenza by the window - which will also be out of the house. Along that window will be a 2-seater lounge and maybe a little table for people to use for their coffee or tea, and I can put one lamp on there. 

Very nice, I think. And it'll free up the floor space too.

So, seeing this virus thing is going to keep a lot of us at home, how are you going to work at your place? Are you going to declutter and reorganise - like me? Or are you going to paint, read or catch up on your Netflix list? 

Unwell Today

I'm not well today. Yep, I've come down with laryngitis for the third time in the past year; and it's all to do with stress - I'm not happy about it, but I think I'll have to work on how I deal with my stress levels. At least it's not coming out in seizures (which I have had to live with for a good part of my life). 

Anyway, today, it's raining, and this means I'll be vacuuming the house. Rainy days make good days to vacuum because the dust levels keep lower to the floor. 

I hope to get as much done as possible before I fall asleep in the mid-afternoon - as I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. 

Well, I'm hoping to get in and do a few other things before the day is out - and that's to keep myself a little busy. I'm spraying around Glen-20 (it's a spray which disinfects the air and items around the house) and I'll work on putting a few things in the car too for Monday, just to clear the house out. 

So, what are you up to this week? 

Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning...

Yep, I'm doing all of that and more!

It's cleaning up time in my house and I'm being brutal when it comes to throwing things in the bin and in the Donation Box. Why, just last night, I grabbed rubbish bag and filled it with junk from all over the living room and readied it for the bin outside today. 

Then, this morning, I cleaned out the fridge a little more and tied up the bin liner in the kitchen and took both of those bags out to the bin where it's sitting to be collected. It felt great to be rid of those things I no longer need in the house. 

Yesterday, I also put away a lot of things in the entertainment unit which were sitting around the living room, but I'll be needing this year - and I'll be getting fixed. Sure, they were in the way, but no I'm not getting rid of them. 
So, there's the thing: you can have stuff sitting around which you want, but you just don't have the time or money right now to fix. I put them into a spot where I know I'll get to them. 

Otherwise, I've been doing very well with the house overall. Also this morning, I cleaned up the door jamb of my car port door - it was filthy! I have to do the front door yet... as it's just as bad. My folks have been complaining of those two things for years - and to me those tiny things are, well, tiny. They don't mean anything to me. But they mean a lot to my folks. So, this week, it's clean what they will notice.

On Sunday, I cleaned up the back yard. I racked up the leaves under the iron table, and put them in the compost dome, and mowed the yard. It looks so much more tidy. And this morning, I watered the lawn and garden - and within the hour, we received a huge lot of rain! Oh well, I guess I should have believed forecast when it said rain. But our gardens are looking good again now. I just hope it's helping out our fire fighters where's really needed.

So, how are you doing this week with your decluttering? I've yet to vacuum, dust and clean the upstairs bathroom. But that'll be something to keep for the weekend I think. 

One Shelf At A Time

Well, I'm getting in and cleaning my house in a big way this week. And I'm not being fussy about what stays and what goes.

Yesterday, I attacked a shelf in my pantry and pulled out all the herbs to get to my spice rack; and found I had 3 containers of Paprika! OMG! That's just too much - and two of them were smoky paprika, while one was sweet paprika. Jeez, now I don't have to buy any of that herb for a good while. 

Well, I cleaned up that shelf and emptied out the herb containers, wrapped them up and put them into a donation bag and readied them to take with me today to Vinnies. I also added a Disney glass too - one I no longer use.  I mean, why not? If I'm not using it anymore, it's better off somewhere else.

Anyway, I took everything to Vinnies and when I arrived home, I worked on the cabinets and put everything in their spots to cater for the glasses I have in the house. I'm looking forward to getting in and working on the rest of the house. I still have the bathroom to clean up, the vacuuming to do and the laundry to put away completely. 

Well, it doesn't seem like much, but really it is. I hope you're going well with your decluttering. 

A New Year Of Decluttering

Well, I've just looked at the side bar numbers; and I've been very busily changing up the numbers and making sure I have it all correct. 

In 2019, I ditched over 40 bags of rubbish from my home - many of them between Christmas Night and New Years Eve. Yeah, would you believe I tossed from my house 11 or so bags of rubbish from my house within 4 days? True! I did!

Then, the Donations Bags Filled were 21. And the Donation Runs were 17. Now, I have dropped into charity stores without donations, and that's more than 17. However to drop off donations? Well, that's about right. 

This year, the numbers are starting again. I'm going to begin counting again and see how well I do this year. But I'm going to keep a counter of how many of each year I do and see if I can beat each number. 

So, how about you? Are you doing this also? Let's see if you can do that same as me - or better. 

Old-Fashioned for the Kitchen

Well, the rubbish truck came on Wednesday - which was a public holiday - and my very full bin became a very empty one; which I'm thankful for.

Anyway, I started cleaning out the dinner set in the kitchen. Yep, I've been searching for a new dinner set for the past few weeks; and last Thursday I found one!

It's lovely, Japanese and hasn't been on the market for over 30 years. The whole 5-piece setting cost me $6.00 and it's from a company - and a town - in Japan called Nikko. How cool is that? I love it!

I've already packed up the retro-ish pink one after washing it up and putting it into newspaper. And now it's ready to take to the op-shop for them to sell - or toss - whatever they want to do with it. I'm happy with the one I've got. 

However, the guy who packed the box, well, he didn't give me a secure box and all but 2 of the cups broke... everything else survive. That was a bummer, but you know, that happens at the best of times too. I'm also giving away some glasses I'm no longer using and getting in and working on looking at my wardrobe too this year.

Anyway, it's been a few days since my last post last year, and I thought to jump in and let you know I'm still at it.