Decluttering ~ the Grand Finale

It's the weirdest thing.

Over the past few years, we've (I've) been on a decluttering mission.

This past weekend, we had hopefully our last ever yard sale.

Well yes, of course it rained.

This time there wasn't as much from the house, 
but primarily the shop and yard.

There still seemed to be a revolving pile in the kitchen near the back door,

then that ever growing pile in the shop.

I know, who would need to declutter the yard?

That be us 😁

We had the snow blower, old lawn mower, the old '49 ford, the tent trailer, the chicken tractor, a motorcycle, and canoe 
as well as the stuff from the shop and house.

Honestly, we didn't make much which was disappointing.

We still have several of those big items that we will have to put on Craigslist.

I was rather hopeful that it would all be gone Saturday.

(It will take multiple trips.)

Even though at this moment, our shop looks like a bomb went off, 

I have the knowledge that those boxes are empty,

 and the plastic bins. . . are empty.

The leftover items are being logged (for taxes) as they go into an empty box,

then loaded and taken to donation.

If there are any boxes left, they can go to recycle.

My mom wants a few plastic bins.

If those remaining are empty, they stack easily.
There is someone who wants to come and look 
at the children's books this week.
Many sold and there are still 3 boxes left if that is any indicator of the volume.

The thing is~

The house looks and feels sooo much cleaner and calmer.
I doubt we'll ever be featured in "Home and Garden," but it's our home,
and it should work for us rather than us working for it.
We are now that much closer.

Even in the shop, there's a more open feeling.

There are empty pockets of space.

Once these left overs are gone and I can park in there again,

it will just be refreshing.

Since moving here nearly 17 years ago, there seems to always be one reason or another keeping us from being able to park in there.

I did get it to the point that I parked in there this winter.

I have just been really surprised at how calming it has been to have gone through e v e r y t h i n g.

There will always be things to go through and keep on top of,

but from here, it seems manageable - more like maintenance mode.
It's not something that happens in a half-hour like on TV.
It has take a few years to actually go through everything.
There are emotional correlations with 'things,' and life doesn't stop 
so we can deal with all the clutter.

I still have some papers to sort through but 
will wait until I can have a fire going.

I'm sure I'll figure out more that can go,

but for now, I'm going to enjoy this calm feeling.

That's really the best word-

just. . . . calm.

It's the weirdest thing.

Keeping the Garden Simple

It's almost gardening season, and...
We want to plant it all!

Am I alone in this?  (I bet not:)

Those seed catalogs showing up at just the right time is no accident.

If you consider how marketers approach sales,

it is no wonder that we are shown gorgeous tomatoes, luscious greens, 

and savory herbs right smack dab in the middle 

of the longest, bleakest, coldest winter days.

We must be strong!

How much of each item does your household eat?

As your mouth begins to water while looking at the 32 varieties 

of delicious corn on the cob, do just one thing for yourself.

Go get a black marker and at the top of the page

write how many pints and/or quarts of corn your family eats in a year.

Figure about 2 ears per pint (4/qt.)

Now comes the tough part - choosing which one or maybe two you want.

It's a torturous task indeed.

Do this for each item.

I find that each year I plant fewer and fewer items.

I don't mean fewer seeds.

The garden is still full.  How? you ask.

In our garden, we have 4 plots and a round.

This year, I'm planting one whole plot of tomatoes.

Rather than 3-4 plants, I'm planning on about 10.

We use quite a bit of stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and enchilada sauce.

I have beed canning our stewed tomatoes for some time.

Last year, I think I got the tomato sauce down (thanks to a neighbors Victorio.)

And I have recently come up with an enchilada sauce recipe that we like so will now add that to the list of things we no longer purchase from the grocery store.

Another whole plot will be green beans.

Why do they taste so good?

We eat them fresh, cooked, canned, all yumminess.

Do you 'get' where I'm going here?

The other perk to this is that there are fewer seeds to save or purchase.

Though, I am improving my seed-saving skills, I still worry that I will inadvertently do something that will ruin the seeds.

This year I am going to try a small separate patch of seed carrots,

which will take two years.

My hope is that by refining our garden, I will be able to procure my own seeds

and have plenty of the things we like to eat.

I count seeds, canning jars/lids, and gardening items as part of the grocery budget - because they are after all, and it all adds up.

By growing, harvesting, preserving and procuring future food,

we decrease our reliance on foreign markets of questionable quality products.

We strengthen our own financial situation.

And we reap the health benefits of fresh organic produce.

As often is the case, 

the simple solution can be the best solution.

Weather you grow a large garden to feed your family or a window box of herbs, you are doing something good.

Keep it do-able so you are continually encouraged 

and not discouraged by too much or too many.

And now my friends, I have a perplexing question for you all~

Why don't they sell zucchini seeds individually like they should?

Just a thought.

House Keeping made Simple - Thanks to Grandma

It's the oddest thing.

We plan our retirement (hopefully,) our travel, our special events,

our gardens, and so many other things, 

but honestly, when was the last time you heard or read

about a house keeping plan?

I realize I'm a minority, 

but I enjoy reading about house-keeping, cleaning, decluttering and the like.

There is a ton of information that suggests

how often to clean various items

and methods by which to clean them.

My issue has always been. . .when?

Finding the time to stay ahead of the spider webs and dust bunnies

can be challenging.

I've considered an 'Adams Family' style decor,

but it's just not me.

Image Source

That being the case, like many others,

I have struggled at times continually just to keep up

until I found a plan that is finally working.

Is our house spotless?  Hahaha, I should be a comedian.

Is it livable and improving?  Yes.

Credit goes in part to our grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

Do you remember those dish towels with days-of-the-week

chores embroidered on them?

Monday - Laundry

Tuesday - Iron

Wednesday - Sew

Thursday - Market

Friday - Clean

Saturday - Bake

Sunday - Rest

These days and chores were pretty much set, and

few deviated from them.

I've seen them so many times, they have become simply nostalgic.

I still have an elderly friend who does his laundry on Mondays, 

because that's what his mom always did and taught him to do.

If you look into it more,

there were some entertaining reasons behind

why they did certain chores on set days.

But that in itself would make a very long post

so I won't add it here.

However, beyond the nostalgia is really brilliance.

This is what makes it simple.

I had to play around with it a bit until I came up with what works for me.

Monday - Iron (I still do, some folks don't)

Tuesday - Dust & do Floors (upstairs)

Wednesday - Porcelains (tubs, toilets, sinks ~porcelains just sounds nicer)

Thursday - Laundry

Friday - Dust & do Floors (downstairs)

Weekend - Free

To explain my reasoning and why this works for me,

let me start with laundry.

I can't seem to relax having full baskets of dirty laundry hanging around.

Since I am at work all day, I start it Thursday morning

and might not finish until Friday.

I am evidently okay with not having the ironing part of laundry done

until Monday - at least it's clean.

The weekend is when others are most likely to be at our house

so dusting and doing floors downstairs on Friday works well in that aspect.

Then I just filled in the blanks.

I don't have set chores for the weekends on purpose.

Part of what makes this so simple is that there are 6 days of the week

that I don't even think about laundry, or which ever one.

It's like knowing your paycheck is direct-deposited on the 1st of the month.

You don't have to worry about getting the check,

trying to make it to the bank before it closes,

or thinking about banking holidays & when/if you can get there on time.

It's a plan.

It just happens.

It creates that guidance we need so we are not just going at it helter-skelter. 

Examples:

By the time you decide to look at the floors,

they are so sticky they pull your socks off.

Or the pile of laundry is so massive in order to move it,

it would take one of those strong men who can pull buses full of bricks.

Often times, we set ourselves up for failure.  

I would rather set myself up for success.

The days of the week are pretty reliable.

They haven't changed much in the last couple hundred years.

If I don't get the dusting done upstairs, not to worry.

I will have another Tuesday in just 6 more days.

Identify what needs to be done regularly and give it a day.

That's it.

Then allow yourself some grace.

It's okay to be human once in a while.

There will still be daily chores like dishes, and every so often chores

like cleaning out the fridge, but those are a lot less daunting if

they are not in addition to a long list of other chores.

So go ahead and embroider your dish towels.

You'll know it's laundry day when you are on your last towel.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches