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?