The Best Laid Plans...

My plan to blog more has not happened yet.  I really want to start posting more like twice a week instead of once and I'll get there

I think.

Just not this week!

Work continues in the spare room.

This is progress!  

I have been going through the craft supplies and putting them in storage baskets on the shelves.  I have more to go but I'm happy with it so far.

Emptied all these plastic shoe boxes and other containers.  Yes!

This corner needs more work but this is where I'm storing the donations for my church rummage sale in May.  Empty boxes to fill or recycle.  I have a few other boxes of items I've sold in the living room waiting on delivery.

Some cuteness! 

I love my Maileg Holga (on sale after Christmas) and the pillow cover I found on Amazon before Christmas!  Loving the touches of red added to the gray futon.

In the dining area this storage unit has been cleaned and is waiting to be restyled.  The milk glass will be sold or wrapped up for the rummage sale.  I got rid of more glassware and started rearranging in the kitchen but stalled.

 I'm not so organized.  
I keep starting here and there and it takes me to another room and then I never finish the original room.  I'm going to try to be more organized next week.  Make a plan a day to get things done. 

I love this sign I found at Cracker Barrel clearance.  It says it all! 

I promised you an Annie photo!

She is the sweetest girl! 

And good news, I'm on track for my book reading, seven so far this month.

Also almost caught up on laundry!

I'm a work in progress!  

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

First Week of January!

My first post of the new year!

I've been fighting this awful cold and while I am finally doing a bit better it has taken it's toll on my energy.

I'm in the path of this winter storm and we may get some snow.  It's a good time to just stay warm inside and work a bit more on my spare room.

It was a project from last year that never got finished because of my house guest and other various things happening.  I did sell the day bed and got rid of some bookcases and a large (falling apart) dresser.  Some IKEA shelves were added and then I had surgery, so all of it came to a halt.

I now have a futon that will act as an extra bed when needed and take up much less room.  I make a huge mess when I re-arrange and purge items.  A small room doesn't leave much space to work in so it spills out into the living room.  I took a large load of things to the Habitat for Humanity yesterday.

Yay me!  AND...I didn't go in to shop.

I'm trying to stay out of the thrift shops for all of January.  I need to break the habit of just looking and buying small things because they are cute! 

Cute becomes clutter!

Take this purchase from Nov. of four Blue birds of Happiness.  So cute, only .25 ea how could I leave them there.  BUT, now I have a flock of glass blue birds and honestly what do I do with them? 

Time to downsize, and I think it's really reached into my heart and soul this time. 

I love my collections but they have once again gotten out of hand.  I want to edit them and keep the pieces I love the most and return the others to the wild for someone else to find. 

Where to start? 

First of all I must get my spare room arranged and cleaned of things I no longer use so I can have some space to make decisions.  It feels good to do this!

I want to own my things, not have them own me.  Now I will never be a minimalist.  It's not in my nature but the sheer number of things I own is overwhelming.  January has begun a change for the better!

  Anyone else feeling this way?

I had a few photos I wanted to share.

This one of Scout might be my favorite Christmas photo of 2017

The Grands were going to bed Christmas Eve and Scout headed back out to the living room alone.  There she found the cookies & milk for Santa that Tiger had left out and just helped herself.

Her Dad caught her in the act and thus this photo!  Makes me smile!

My girl and her girl!

Tiger, in tiger pj's brushing his teeth!

My Grands seeing a new baby lamb!

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

D is for Downsizing!

Downsizing!  

The scary word that all collectors hate, but that at some point must be done!

Two years ago when I decided to move from a large home with a basement and this dedicated 'dish closet' I knew that some serious downsizing was needed.

Before I even packed to move, I started donating dishes and glassware!  It was hard, but I knew that it could not all go with me to my new 2 bedroom duplex.  This was the first of many donations.

The new dish closet was smaller and I needed to make some decisions about what to keep and what to donate.

Beautiful dishes that I love but no longer had room for or the time to play with...

Life changes and so must my priorities!

So I also took a look at my napkins (this is only one drawer of two) and my placemats and tablecloths

I have found myself doing fewer and fewer tablescapes so it's time to downsize these items also

This pile has been donated

 but I think it's time to do another edit! 

So many sets of glasses and this isn't even all of them!  So now I'm downsizing to this!

I do have some glasses in my kitchen cupboards but these are the seldom used glasses, but so loved and can't part with...yet! 

My home is a work in progress and two years later I've donated so many things but still have too much.  I'm proud of my progress but will continue to downsize until I feel I have a comfortable amount of possessions.

I'm still working on downsizing some of my collections but the 'orphans' have found a home in my kitchen so they seem safe for now! 

Have you been downsizing and how do you feel about it?  

I'm joining Jenny for Alphabe-Thursday 

and the letter D

Wishing you JOY,

Linda 

Heap of Change Challenge

Funky Junk Interiors started a challenge for January and I decided to join in.

I am so far behind and this is my first post for the challenge.  

As my first challenge I decided to organize my Christmas decorations as I put them away this year.  I have such small storage spaces in my duplex and way too much stuff.  I tried to downsize my decorations and sent a few bags to the thrift shop.

Putting Christmas decorations in piles of 'like' items was a start...

I tried to group all the vintage items together

Linens, stockings and pillows

Tins for cookies and gifts

I put all the floral sprays and picks, groups of colored ornaments (for tablescapes) and pine cones in zip lock bags and then in one bin. 

This makes them much easier to find when doing a table or vignette!

One bin of vintage ornaments.

Another way to save space is to use pillow covers.  I got these at H&M this year for $5.99 each and I love them.  I'm still using the red & white pattern through February.  

So where do I store all the bins?

My laundry room...one corner has space for several large bins and this is where I put the Christmas and Fall decor.

I just added this set of shelves and on the top I was able to store my ornaments and several other small containers of Christmas odds and ends. 

The shelf above the washer/dryer holds my suitcases and some other boxes I still need to sort through.  This laundry room also houses Charlies litter box (I'm sparing you a photo of course).

This is going to help me focus on one area at a time and get it done!  It's so easy to get overwhelmed when you look at it as a whole! 

This weeks link ups are at
Beyond The Picket Fence

Wising you JOY,

Linda