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. 

A Rough Week

I'm sorry I haven't been in here. I haven't been well this past week; and I've been busy with family things. Mum hasn't been well and I'm off to help her with her ironing today. 

So, apologies all around for not being in here to keep you guys active with your decluttering. 

I have been decluttering, but not in the house. 

It's Autumn/Fall here in Australia, and this is the time I attack the garden, and I plan what to do with my plants. You see, all my plants go to 'sleep' and it's easier to work with them without making them go into shock too much during the cooler seasons. So, around March/April, I organise myself to buy some potting mix and start moving plants around the garden. 

Right now, I'm looking at buying two larger pots for two plants I'm going to repot and relocate in my garden. The other pots they've come from are going to be reused for other plants. 

I have clipped back some of my plants from their Summer growth and am going to use the clippings to make new plants - yep, I grow succulents - and then I'm going to get rid of large white bucket in my garden which has become a haven for mosquitoes. 

There's other things I'm hoping to save for, like new seats around the garden - the ones I have are rotting, and I need new ones to make the place look and feel better. This will take time, and I'm hoping to get in and make sure I pick out the right seats. I'm hoping to get two large metal seats and replace three wooden seats. I'll ask Dad to rust-proof the metal seats for me if he can, to make them last longer. 

Yep, this is my decluttering idea for my garden this year. So, what have you got in mind for your garden this year? I know this is a different way of looking at decluttering, but really, I think if it's a part of your home, the garden should be decluttered as much as your house. Even if you're not much of a gardener, your outdoor area should be tidy and make you feel good about yourself. 
And if you feel it's too much, which part are you going to start on first? The weeds? The old, broken, useless pots? Sweeping up? Drop a comment and let us know.

Feeling Stuck!

Yep, I'm feeling really stuck right now. There's the mental stuckiness and the physical stuckiness too... I'm just stuck!

I can't move anything around until the markets this weekend have been and gone, where I'm hoping to sell off everything in my stock box, and have a spare empty box to use for storage here in my office. And I'm unable to move anything upstairs into the wardrobe until after this weekend coming because I'll need it for the market.

So, everything is kinda sitting around the house making me feel... well... stuck!

The garden is looking great though - at least there's that. 

And over the past week I've found out in a really hard way that I'm allergic to bamboo - oh, yay... that's great! An artist, a painter, allergic to the most common thing around! Yes, I'm grumpy and tired, because the medicine the doctors put me on to get rid of the hives kept me awake at night, something I've grown accustomed to not doing anymore.

I've been feeling not very motivated as well. But I've been pushing myself to get in and work in the garden, do all the laundry (while we have the great weather to do it) and put away everything I can while I'm at home to do it. 

Otherwise, I have new neighbours, who are lovely people and are just starting out - which means, they really need to get themselves furniture and make their place their own. I've suggested op-shops and they can come with me to look at some of the Super Stores to see what they have... they're thinking about it. 

Anyway, how is your decluttering going? Seeing I've had a tiring week, it'd be great to hear how everyone is going on their journey to encourage me to keep me going on mine. 

A Couple of Weeks

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post; and I must apologise for this. I have been cleaning out and looking at what needs to be done to fix up my place to make it better over this time.

However, I've also been working hard on my garden - and it's really coming along well. But I don't wish to bore you with the details of that until the time is right.... yeah it does get boring when one thing is talked about.

I have been working on the art area again, as I have been given two sets of plastic drawers from Oma's house and they're really coming in handy to store all the little things which need to be put away. In turn, that frees up the space on the bookcase in the hallway to the kitchen.

But I'm looking at replacing that with a larger one which will store everything which is leaning against the walls and blocking the way in a big way. This bigger one will be my birthday present to myself. Sure it will take up more wall space, but it'll also be a good thing for me too. I'll be able to get rid of that thin bookcase and spread out my books on art, shift any blank canvas' I will be using soon and store anything needed on top easily. Not a bad purchase really. 

I've got a few things to do in the next day or so in the way of donations. I have to get in and donate at my local Vinnies and then drop by to a Life Line Super Store and look around to see if they have any second-hand shelves (big metal ones are what I'm looking for). And if they don't, I'll drop off to Bunnings and see how much they are there... and see how much I have to save to get a set there. 

Yes, this will be a matter of me not spending up big on anything for a while; but it'll be worth it to save up on space. 

So, over the past couple of weeks, I've been cleaning up, cleaning out and planning. I know planning doesn't seem much; but it means I'm looking into working more on the house and how I store things. So, do tell, how is your decluttering journey going? Mine has slowed a little, but planning does that to the journey. 

It's Not Just The House

Over the past month, I've been redesigning the backyard. This means I've had to move all my potted plants, repot some of them, back-fill others and move another few still to new places around the garden to make room for something new to be added to the garden.

I bought myself a brand new greenhouse. Now, it's cheap one but it's going to serve its purpose until I save up for a nice bigger one where it's made from stainless steel and has bolts and is nailed to the ground properly. But until then, this little green walk-in one will have to do; as my delicate plants are being attacked by the possums and, well, I really want my garden to look and feel different after this year.

Also, it really needed a complete clean-out... I have plants in it which weren't doing my garden any favours.

Just like a house, there are things in a garden which need cleaning out once a year or so; and it's very healthy to get in, get your hands dirty and make your garden into something you want it to be - just like your house. 

Years ago, I had a white table in my garden and it really worked its mojo in the place. But it rotted very quickly and I got rid of it after around a year of having it and it was out in the weather. The day I tossed it over the fence, it opened up the shade area in a way I never thought was possible! Then, I bought a steel 2-chair bistro table setting and it looked gorgeous and gave the garden a totally different feel. 

Anyway, I built the shade garden around that freer feeling and made my garden look and feel just lovely after that... and that was 4 years ago. 

I've been sprucing up the garden every few years, in Winter when the garden is sleeping and dormant, and it's really paid off in the Summer months when I can sit back and know it's going to jump up and grow for me! 

So, have you stepped outside your home and looked into your garden area? Are you potted plants rootbound? Do they need bigger pots? Does your little courtyard or postage stamp backyard need a complete make-over? Well, now is the time (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) to work on it. 

Morning Work

I've been busy in the past few weeks working on my garden and working through grief... which seems to pop its head up at the worst times. So, today, I woke up after sleeping in and thought it was high time I got in and did some of the smaller stuff around the house.

Two loads of laundry were done and hung out on the clothes horse - as we had the prediction of rain later today, and I don't want to be running out in the yard pulling it all in half wet. And then, I washed up everything, threw out food I no longer need in the fridge, in preparation for shopping tomorrow, and then put out the rubbish into the bin outside.

After that, I wrapped up some spoons, which match a set of mugs I'm giving away and put them in to the Donation Box. I then sorted out the rubbish in front of the entertainment unit. I pulled out all the shoes which need bringing upstairs into my room, found all the books which need bringing back into the library and then put away anything which was going to be put away into the entertainment unit while I had the space free there. 

Seeing I've gotten rid of all the plastic bags in my house, I searched out any last ones hanging around and put them into a blue recycled bag and hung that on the back of the side door to take shopping with me tomorrow. This will be taken to Coles to their recycling box outside the store where any plastic bags will be taken to a recycling center. 

I folded up my shopping bags and put them into their own little bag, put that away into the drawer by the side door, took the bag of books upstairs into my library, have all my shoes I'm not currently wearing in a pile to bring upstairs and put away and I've also got laundry to sort and fold and to put away as well... this will be done this afternoon, along with the making of my bed, vacuuming and dusting. 

The house has been overlooked lately because I'm either painting, gardening or just been lazy. But the kitchen has been looked into over the last week or two; and I'm happy to say that it's looking better. On Saturday, I washed the car and it's so much cleaner than it was last week. 

So, what have you been up to lately? Are you decluttering a little and cleaning up a little - like me? Or have you attacked a big section of your house? Keep us updated with how your decluttering is going. Until next time. 

Sunday Garden Work

It's Tuesday and I didn't get a chance to tell you all what happened on Sunday; as I'd had been out to art class where something big happened there - and because it involved a young child, I don't think it's right to mention it here. But having a First Aid Certificate really paid off - but really, nobody else had one but me.

Anyway, on Sunday, I got out bed early and into a nice hot breakfast! After reading a bit of the paper, I went outside and mowed the lawn, pulled some weeds and got the wheelie bin into the backyard. The pruning shears came out and I clipped back the Sun-loving Broms... once all the leaves were done, I tipped them on their sides and pulled them out and tossed them in the bin. However, only one fitted - as the Mum Brom didn't fit - she was too big! 

Well, another third plant was pulled out of a pot and tossed away and now I have three pots to use. One of them it empty of soil, while the others have soil still in them - useful for me to plant something else. I'll probably plant some garlic this year; which I've done before. 

Well, the bin is almost full and I'm looking forward to cleaning up the garden more next week, once the bin has been emptied tomorrow - yeah it's too full to put anything else in it now. All I can do now is plan for the next lot of gardening next week. 

That was my weekend of cleaning up, cleaning out and decluttering - in more ways than one! I moved my hot pink Geranium into a sunnier spot; and it's doing better. But the garden still needs a better clean-up than what I've done so far. 

Busy Week of No Time

I've been so very busy this week, and haven't had any time to get myself in here to chat and post about anything.

Well, this weekend I'm going through the kitchen cupboards and finding what I no longer use and donating it! Yes! I'm being brutal about things that aren't any use to me or my kitchen anymore.

The amount of things which have fallen out of the cupboards and nearly broken on my feet in the kitchen. So, this weekend and today is the time to get myself together with the cupboards and sort out what I really don't need anymore. There are certain things in my cupboards I use and things I don't.

Have you ever come across anything like this happen in your home? Well, it's time to go through your cupboards again (yep, we did this sometime last year) and redo them.

I find that going over the same area a year later in my decluttering refines the house a little better. It helps me figure out exactly what I need, what I don't need and work out what I'd like in the future too. But cleaning out the kitchen cupboards is a good way to figure out what I need and what I don't neet... and seeing I'm only using particular things around the kitchen; and have only used those things for the past year. It's interesting to find those unused items are just sitting around getting in the way.

I'm hoping to get into the yard this weekend as well, and make sure I get the unwanted plants out of there as well. The good thing is that I know which plants are due for the rubbish tip and which ones are going to be repotted. This is a good thing.

So, here's the Weekend Challenge: look through your cupboards in your kitchen and figure out what you don't use. Would it be those set of coffee mugs, or the chipped dinner set you've been meaning to replace? If you're sick of looking at it and really need it out of your house, this is the weekend to get in and do it! Make sure you have something else to replace it or have been using another set of plates instead (and you're not using paper plates for the next six weeks while you're searching for that perfect dinner set). As for the garden? Well, that's up to you? Do you want to that garden facelift like I am? 

The Next Day Or So...

I've been in hospital for some big tests; and now I'm not allowed to be outside the house for the next day or so.

This is the perfect time for me to pull myself in the direction of those jobs I've been putting off and get in and do some serious decluttering, putting away and tidying up.

So far, I've been out in the back yard and sorted out which plants have to be pulled out and thrown away, leaving which pots behind to be reused and up-cycled. While I was out there, I cleaned out the rain gauge and counted up which plants needed bigger and better pots and will need to bring in the solar lights to see if I can get new batteries for them to make them charge for longer - if I can't get them batteries, well, I'll go and buy new lights to set up around the garden. 

This morning, I started sorting through Bookcase #2 - the Tallboy Bookcase - and sorted out my Stephen King shelf so all my SK books are standing up, not laying down. I'll be doing this for the next shelf down too; to make sure it all looks uniform and clean; leaving a space for my drink on the shelf and for my cordless phone just like where they are now. There are still books to sort through, to find homes for, and I'm hoping to get this office figured out before too long.

The bedroom is a mess as I've let the clean laundry pile up. So, there's putting away to do, sorting out what to vacuum in the bedroom as well as cleaning the bathroom too. In a funny kind of way, I can't wait to get in and do these odd jobs around here... after the death of my friend, I kind of let everything pile up and stop - my world just came to a crashing halt. It's time to get it going again, time to get it back on track.

This weekend is the perfect time to get it working again properly - to pull my focus back onto the decluttering and cleaning of this place. 

Habits

Over the last year, I've learned new habits in my decluttering. What I need, and what I don't - what will be donated and what will be thrown out in the bin.

However I've also brought into my life habits which I've stuck by. Now, scientists say that it takes 3 weeks to create a new habit and make it stick - so it took time for me to get into this to prove it'll work out. 

And it works! The washing up get done every night and counters are wiped over. I put away my toothpastes in exactly the same spot they were the night before and clean my hair brushes every few days. The bins are emptied every day and the big rubbish bin is put out for collection on the morning of bin day. But these are only the usual habits I've added into my life.

I've still got to get in and make my bed every day and put away the laundry every time I do it. I'm still finding it hard to throw out or donate items - even though I've been doing this decluttering journey for some years now. And now it's an on-going challenge for me to keep the house in some kind of order, I'm hoping to work at saving up some money; instead of going out to op-shops to buy something. 

Yeah, I've been spurging a little too much - and I know it - instead of donating my unwanted gear. But I'm getting there.

So far in the past few weeks, I've posted off three 5kg bags across Australia and have had happy people enjoy the books I no longer want. But I still have books I no longer need; so I'll be looking at donating them to an old folks' home or somewhere else soon.

I have to fix up the back yard and repot my plants this Winter and so I have to get in and stock up on bags of potting mix and then save up big for a few larger pots and then reuse other pots around the place - yeah, it'll be another reuse of old items if I can find them around places or garage sales. 

Getting into the habits of giving and donating as well as bringing things into the home is a delicate balance. You have to remember how much space you have, what you need and what you don't and if you really want to keep all your things in one place. And to make those decisions at the op-shop is good thing; however, when you make the decision and bring it home and realise that item doesn't fit anywhere? Well, it's time to really look at what have; and do you really need it? 

So, what habits have you worked on for yourself to bring your decluttering and organising around to a better place? Leave a comment for us below and we can all help each other.

Repairs After Storms

On Sunday evening, we had a huge storm hit Logan City and the electricity was knocked out for over 24 hours. We got it back on in the early hours of Monday morning, but it's Tuesday now, and we're expecting another storm tonight.

So, it might be as big and bad as the last one... we don't know yet.

I've had to do some small repairs to a fence and tie up my Frangipani in my yard as the side fence I worked on isn't as stable as it seems.

However, today, it's impossibly hot; and so the decluttering I was hoping to get done may have to wait until it cools off. I'll see how I go with the house when the storm arrives, but this afternoon, I might get in and do a bit of tidying up first, so I'm not tripping over things.

But that's the thing with decluttering around a house, or a townhouse, you have to remember that when you have a place, you're not just cleaning it up, you're caring for it. 
I've been caring for this place for 15 years and in the last decade, I've learned a lot about how to get in and care for it in much the same way as my Dad cares of his own home. It's very important to not only look after where you live - no matter whether you rent or own - as its appearance is a reflection of how you feel about your home. And the more you care for it over time, the less you have to spend on it in the long run when the time does come to sell it. 

So, what have you been doing to upkeep your home on the outside to keep it looking great? Seeing mine is in a townhouse complex, it's a simple matter of making sure it looks its best in the Winter months (as they're the best months to work on my place) and so when the Summer months come around, which is our storm season, the place is sound. 

Small Things

I've been busily working away at smaller things lately. There's the entertainment unit - which was filled to the brim with VCR tapes I'd like to see on dvd. And then there was my wardrobe that I worked through again rather successfully.

And now, I'm looking at the smaller things in the house. You know those things around the place, they make the machine of the house work more efficiently, smoothly and easily. I had to only look around for the past week because I had no money to put towards it.

But today was pay day, and I went out and did my grocery shopping and bought the things I needed to make the house run better again. 

I bought two of these work caddies to use around the house. One is for the upstairs bathroom, and the other is for the downstairs area. I think they'll work really well! And them being both red will make them stand out too. I'll be able to put them away in the same place every time and they'll work out for the house each time too. 

Then there was the garden hose connections I had to buy new ones of because the old ones were broken by people stuffing around with them too much. So, I bought good, expensive ones and I just hope nobody screws with them. I hate to use profanity on here, but really I just don't need somebody stuffing with my property when I'm not here. And disconnecting my own hose when I need it there to use to wash my car or water my lawn isn't a choice. If everyone else around me can have their hoses connected without a worry, why can't I? 

Anyway, I hope nobody breaks these ones. 

But the house is coming along so well! 

I've begun knitting a throw for my bed; using all my yarn that I have in the suitcase up the top of my wardrobe. This will get rid of the yarn stocked up in there... and make something nice and colourful. Otherwise, I've been getting rid of crappy yarn I no longer need and can't use or want to give away either into the bin.

I scored a new iron through my Fly-Buys and it's a Panasonic... it's lovely, light and I could iron with it forever! I used it the other day and didn't want to put it away. Now, that's a first for me!

Anyway, I'm still going through my bedroom and looking at things to see if I need them. My money box collection is bigger than I first thought; and yet most of them are empty. And I'm looking at what clothes I really do wear compared to the ones I just love to have because they look good.

Yep, it's the small things that I'm looking into this time around... really, isn't it the devil in the details that keep things going? Of course it is.