The De-clutter Process

Day 4 of the 30 day plan was to reorganize your linen closet.  While most homes have one of these, I'm not one of them.  I have a few linens tucked away in my cedar chest.  There is 1 set of spare sheets for my bed that I keep in my own closet, and spare towels for guests are kept hanging in the guest room closet.  It just kind of worked that way after a fashion in this smallish house of mine.  But that's ok.  I used the time wisely to wash and change my own bed sheets and bath linens.  (With my current working schedule, and no days off, it's hard to remember which day is wash day!)

So, the next few days are related to the bedroom.  I have to admit that having company recently, my night stand and closet have been doubly cleaned!  Two weeks before company, I got a weird bug in my head about painting my closet, emptied the whole thing and then put everything back, making sure I was purging old clothes as I went!

And because today was one of those really rough days at work, I will do my dresser drawers tomorrow!


Day 5: Nightstand
Nightstands collect books, water bottles and electronics along with gobs of dust. Clear it off, wipe it down and leave only the bare minimum.

Day 6: Dresser
Dressers can hide a lot in their drawers. Open every drawer, refold messy clothes and match every sock. Start a donate pile of any clothes you no longer need and a toss pile of holey shirts and socks you can part with.

Day 7: Master Closet
Add to those donate and toss piles by going through your closet. Follow your gut: You know what you're regularly wearing and what haven't worn in ages. Try not to let sentimentality get in the way of decluttering!

And by the way... we ALL get sentimental about our 'stuff' !!  It's hard not to.

De-cluttered, Day 3

Day 3 .... and it's time to look through the makeup bag/drawer.
Mine is more like a junk drawer. lol
But a gal needs to have different things at her fingertips ....
I keep several first aid items in there as well, but it's time to clean it out!



And here's the Before

and the After!

I really like how these little
chores broken down into
little chunks each day
is helping SO much!


I also hate to admit that some
of the meds in this drawer
expired in ..... 2010 !  

Yes, that's not a typo. lol

LONG overdue for a cleaning








In other parts of my day .....   I have re-committed myself to going to the gym again.  And taking my supplements.  Both things have been lacking, along with bad eating habits, and an all too much drinking habit (Diet Coke, not adult beverages!)  It's time to break the cycle.  1 mile on the elliptical, and several different weight machines, arm workouts today.   (Legs are tomorrow)

I'm taking a B-12 Timed Release tab with my breakfast, and that seemed to work well for me today.  I was a little more energetic, and didn't need my lunch until well past 11:30 (lunch for me is normally 10:30am).   But maybe the energy came from a better night's sleep.   For that, I'm taking Vitamin D, magnesium, melatonin and calcium.  My old bod just isn't the same as it used to be.  Recovery times compared to when I was younger .... well, let's not even think about that!   I am what I am, but I think I can be a little better, so why not give it a shot?

Here's my self-given Pat on the Back!
Happy Monday, ya'll :)

Day 2

In my quest for "Less is More" and the 30-day plan to being
de-cluttered, today's chore was to clean out the shower and get rid of all those pesky empties that tend to sit around.  Because I had company a week ago, I had just done that!   So I used today's time to get some laundry put away, some errant clothes and shoes that were cluttering up my bedroom put into their rightful spots.

Will I sound weird if I say that I sleep better
when things around me are organized?
Or does that just make me sound a little cuckoo?

Either way, I'll take what I can get.
At my age, sleep comes in spurts anyhow --
and not the good kind!
*gigglesnort*

De-Clutter in 30 days

Just when I am beginning my motto of "less is more" .... a blog I follow came up with a 30-day plan to less clutter.  And I think I'm going to just do it!  Here are the first four days' tasks:

Bathroom

Day 1: Medicine Cabinet

Toss expired medications, hotel shampoos that you'll never use, and throw out lotions you've had since 1990. While you're at it, give the mirror a quick wipe, too.

Day 2: Shower 

Get rid of the extras and empties in your shower. Invest in a shower caddy to keep everything organized and in one spot.

Day 3: Makeup Drawer/Bag 

Go through your makeup bag or drawer and reassess some of the items. Hot pink eye shadow you haven't touched since 1980? Toss! Lipstick that doesn't smell quite right anymore? You know what to do. If you haven't used it in a year, it's time to trash it.

Day 4: Linen Closet

Over time those neatly stacked towels start to shift and folded sheets somehow end up on the floor. And why is your kiddo's baseball bat in there, anyway? Take stock of what's in the linen closet, straighten what you want and consider donating items you haven't used in more than a year to charity.

And even if you have a busy lifestyle and it takes you more than 30 days, at least you'll have a head start onto a cleaner, more organized home!  

So here's my BEFORE

and here's the AFTER