by Sharon O | Sep 30, 2017 | Uncategorized
Today is the last day of September.
So hard for me to believe we are entering into the fall months and then winter will come.
Fall has always been my favorite time of year.
I love how it represents change and colors and letting go… and reminds me to pause.
Not only am I still cleaning and managing the ‘task of removing and re-purposing’ items from our home, I am also decorating for the change of season.
Today I purchased three hand made wooden pumpkins for outside our front door.
Couldn’t figure out an outside plant to match so I purchased yellow and orange pansies.
I hope it will look welcoming and nice.
I am not generally one to decorate outside our home since we had a nice nativity stolen.
It is discouraging to try to make it look nice only to find someone else liked it too.
The fall is also a season of remembering as our anniversary is in November.
We had fall colors in the ceremony and it was a remembering of the beauty outside.
Today was a combination of a fall rain, and then sunshine, then rain again.
In Oregon one must have a rain coat, and boots and an umbrella too.
What are your thoughts about the fall season?
Soon everything will be changing colors and looking amazing.
The beginning of fall is arriving and I am loving the cool air and soon the fires in the fireplace, along with the soup on the stove and biscuits in the oven.
Fall is a time for sweaters and books and hot cups of tea.
I hope you find time for a slow ‘sipping from your favorite cup’… as you enjoy this season of change.
by Sharon O | Sep 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
Following my desire for more order in our home; I decided to work on my sock drawers in the bedroom.
After realizing that three dresser drawers were full of socks it was time to go through them and decide what stays and what gets repurposed.
Really how many socks can one person wear?
I wanted to get to my favorites.
Each drawer will have favorite warm socks, and short socks. If there is no comfort, they leave, I don’t need to keep them if they are not helpful for my feet.
In the last year the doctor has given me a diagnosis of pre-diabetes.
Which basically means socks and shoes are very important since neuropathy is a also a part of my new ‘set of issues’ with my feet. They have lost some feeling in them and they ache a lot.
It is important to have good socks that don’t bind or feel too tight or are too light weight for the comfort level that is needed.
I sorted and sorted. Kept my emotions far away from the decision to cut the numbers down.
In the end of the process so far, I have 85 pair of socks that can be sent somewhere.
They are all in good shape and all can be repurposed for other use for others who are in need.
I need to do this process with shoes and even the abundant supply of sweaters in the closet.
How many do you need? It is a great question and even a greater question when moving into the coat closet.
How many ‘good coats’ do we need, how many rain coats even in Oregon, do we need.
It all boils down to realizing how much stuff we have that we really do not need or use anymore.
I hope this mini series has been both encouraging and challenging because we all have work to do.
We all can help others in many ways; we just have to be creative and figure out how.
Are you ready for this challenge to?
by Sharon O | Sep 20, 2017 | Uncategorized
After we have worked hard on this task of cleaning and purging it is important to take the time to re-evaluate what we learned in the process and how can we not repeat it.
If it was too much clothing, then we must master the ability to say “I don’t it need anymore.”
If it was books, same story, how many can you read?
Keep the very special ones and send the others to a different place of residence.
My husband will often say, “what are you getting rid of?”
It puts me on a ‘defense’ because I am not getting rid of something; I am hopefully blessing someone with what I had and liked.
It is all a matter of perspective and wording.
The other thing that is really important to me is ‘let me do this on my schedule.’
Do not tell me what to do, in fact don’t really even suggest what I need to work on.
Just let me work on it.
When I get done with this major process I might reward myself with something special.
For instance if I give away four pairs of shoes that I marginally liked, then I can find ONE pair I really love.
It is a reward system that works. Minimize to maximize your goal.
I am really liking comfort clothing. Removing the old jeans that ‘bug’ me when I wear them.
Also the petite short length tops. Yes they used to be favorites of mine but if I do not feel covered when I raise my hands up then it is time for them to move on.
It takes a lot of ‘determination’ when doing all this.
But in the end it is so worth it.
Allow yourself time to deal with the ‘list’, then also allow yourself time to deal with how to re-center or re-do the space that is now open.
Try really hard to not fill it up with other ‘stuff’, empty space is freeing.
September is a great time for starting new routines and thoughts.
Then when it’s all done you can move into the holiday season feeling refreshed and ready.
Are we going to encourage each other in this process? I hope so.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get it done. With a smile and with a sense of accomplishment.
by Sharon O | Sep 18, 2017 | Uncategorized
Have you ever really looked in your kitchen cabinets and wondered when you last used something?
I can think of at least two drawers and three parts of the cabinets that could be purged and cleaned.
When I did daycare I had kid cups and spoons and plates. Don’t need those anymore.
How many coffee cups do we like or love?
What about the utensil drawer? we have been married 42 years and some of the items have been with us that long.
How many serving dishes does one really use on a weekly basis?
That electric fry pan you store in the garage? like it or love it, your answer will tell you if you should send it to another ‘person’s home’.
I am trying to de-clutter as much as I can this fall. It needs to be done.
It is necessary just as the clothing and or the shoes.
Get it processed and focus on what you really want to keep.
At some point in time we are going to redo my den-office room.
In this journey of redoing and purging it is going to take time to go through drawers and or closets of all kinds.
I have even thought of coats and sweaters. How many does one need and how often do we wear them? I have favorites. What about the heavy winter coat, yes keep.
What about the multiple kinds of sweatshirts?
In this process of cleaning it is almost always going to bring you back to the question,
“do I like it or love it, does it serve a purpose.”
The fall and winter season will be upon us soon and then we will drag out the Thanksgiving decorations and Christmas too.
How much of those do we need to keep?
As we move through this process let us keep in mind the whole purpose of removing the items we don’t want or need; is re-purposing them for others to enjoy.
Keep focused and stay on track.
YOU can do it… you can manage this task. Be proud of yourself as you do it.
by Sharon O | Sep 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
My husband and I have a saying about keeping things in our home.
Do we like it or do we love it.
Does it have a purpose or is it a sentimental part of our lives?
Could we live in peace if it was gone or should we make room for it always?
These are very good questions for all of us to consider when purging and cleaning.
Remember the goal and reasons of simplifying our lives; to maintain a more peaceful environment.
That can mean to ask the same question for many areas or rooms.
Do we like it or do we love it.
Last year my husband cleaned out his three tool boxes and kept his favorites; then gave the left overs to our grandsons who loved having their own hammers and tools.
It is so simple sometimes.
One day I found myself going through old magazines and tearing off our address then sending the rest into a recycle box to be recycled.
They don’t serve a purpose after awhile unless you can take them to a doctor’s office where they mostly have outdated and boring things to read.
I know in the den I have many books that serve little purpose for me now, so they will go away too.
In our room there are more assorted books and items that really could leave and not be missed.
It will be both fun and freeing to get this project done.
Does it take energy? yes because when one is a sentimental messy it is an internal shift to ‘give away’.
Just like any project we have to have a purpose, and a goal so we can visualize the end result.
One year I cleaned out my closet and gave away over 15 sweatshirts. How many can one person wear?
It freed up space and it went to a good cause.
That is what this message is about. Repurposing our ‘things’ to bless others in the process.
Are we ready to continue this process?
