i don't buy expensive things, i shop at goodwill, but i love fabric and home decor and interior design items. much of that is my love for artistic things, love for color and pattern and design.

but it is clouding my life, and clouding my thought process. i think stuff acts as a barrier to my spirituality. when the house is cluttered and unorganized, i get anxious. i want to seem more open, have less cluttered thoughts. i want to teach my children about simplicity, and the beauty that can come from simple living.

so, i am going to start to clean out. all of my closets, all of those cupboards, all of that stuff that is just here and serving no purpose in my life. i don't want to live a cluttered life, so i think it's time.

children live what they see. if we are unorganized, or if we hold onto 'things' for comfort, they will do that also. time for me to put the pieces of that puzzle together and move on.

i think this will be a freeing experience. if we can do a drawer or a closet or a cupboard per day together, we could give eachother the support we need. while we are decluttering, we can begin to grow and work on parts of ourselves and our lives that we would like to change.


so, if you want to do this, just make a post with all of the spots that hold your clutter and number them. after we clean out each number, in its place we will list an aspect of our life that we want to change. that list will become our daily meditation for the next 30 days after our clean out is over.

i am really ready for this. i will start a new forum before monday where we can discuss the changes we look forward to, what we plan on doing with our old stuff, and any other thoughts and feelings we have during the process. we can start clearing out our lives next monday. or, if i am the only one who feels the need to do this, you all can sit around and read about me. ;)

i am going to use the next 30+ days to clean out my life.
:)
amity

1. 3 drawers in kitchen
2. the craft cupboard
3. bathroom storage
4. bedroom closet
5. livingroom closet
6. laundry area
7. basement storage. ok, this one could take 3 days.

that means as i finish one of these areas, i will replace the listing with something in my life that i would like to change.

anyone else?

i'll join in, amity :)

1. unpack & organize hall closet
2. unpack two lone boxes still sitting in the corner of kids' room
3. clean & organize kids' closet removing all outgrown clothes
4. organize balcony storage closet so all xmas decorations are stored together & easy to get to for next xmas.

i think that's it. pretty sad i have all of this & we've only been here for 3mos!

I suppose you want something a bit more defined than "my house"...
sooo...
1. Kid's closet
2. Our Closet
3. Hall Closets
note: we have a tiny house but TONS of closet space...
4. Office - the biggest problem, but could reap the biggest reward from fixing it.

Let's hope that this works...I can't even get to my sewing table and I find my self repeating "I can't live like this" too often...

Laura Q

since my mom is going back to cali ~ we will be putting our house back in order!! she has been in w's room , g & w have been sharing & b & i have been in g's ~ lol - clear as mud? ;)

anyhoo ~ she departs the 9th & then it is time to CHANGE things up ~ ofcourse decluttering & organizing as we go.

so ~

dd goes back to her room (wooden floor re-painted), ds to his room, & me & b back to ours - which we will repainted as well.

then the nesting & such starts getting ready for this new fella :)

whew ~ lots to do, but it will feel great!!

I went to a great conference in feb. about just this topic!
The Spiritual Task of the Homemaker, cleaning is about more than just the dusty stuff on the surface.
trisha

1.the storage in the bathroom
2.bookcase in office
3.desk in office
4.ebay clutter
5.ds bed
6.bench in kitchen
7.top of frig

I'm in.

1. dining room table
2. my bedroom dresser
3. Computer room
4. Basement ebay corner
5. Kitchen counter

I would like to do my bedroom over - but's it a big mess & I have to thinkof it in little bitty pieces.

Wendy

1. 4 drawers in the kitchen
2. My spices
3. Our bedroom closet
4. Our bathroom closet
5. My computer desk

1. kitchen cupboards washed out in and out and rearranged
(I have dome some already)

2. PAck away Winter theme items and knick knacks

3. dust on top of cupboards (I dont like that one)

4. Finish going htrough dresser and closet-if it aint been worn or trying to hold onto it thinking thin thoughts I am donating it!

5. The Office (oh my gosh-way to much to clean in this room)

6 The basement -which after our septic gave us trouble yesterday, no telling what we willneed to clean with the water flowing into it.
YUCK!

7 Outside-do we include outside projects?

include anything! after reading your lists, maybe i need to add a few more places. you are reminding me.

i may even take pictures if i get brave enough to share. it's a mess. my closets, my basement, the top of my fridge, its horrible! i am so tired of holding onto batteries just in case they are good.

while you are writing, be thinking of what major self additions or subtractions you would like to make. i think cleaning will take me one week- if it takes you shorter or longer it's ok! we will wait until everyone is almost done before we move on to the next big step of making changes. i am thinking of 2 major changes to/dealing with my life.

Originally posted by amity
when the house is cluttered and unorganized, i get anxious. i want to seem more open, have less cluttered thoughts. i want to teach my children about simplicity, and the beauty that can come from simple living.

Wow. You really hit the nail on the head there, Amity.

1. My closet
2. Built-in dresser in spare bedroom
3. Guest bed
4. dd's closet
5. the den
6. linen closet
7. front hall closet
8. laundry table

:D

Go ladies! It'll feel so good. I can't even begin to tell you how free we feel since our huge purge 18 months ago.

Anyhow, I noticed the top drawer of my dresser was become a catch-all again, so I'll do that......:p

1. desk
2. pantry
3. top dresser drawer
4. coat closet
5. upstairs storage
6. filing area :o
7. dd's closet
8. my sewing area
9. our yet-to-be-unpacked boxes :o

nudge!

1.my desk top
2. my craft room
3.shelves next to my bed
4.stuff upstairs piled on floor
5. my stuff on dustin's shelves
6. storage cupboard

Where isn't there clutter in my house?

1) Pantry
2) 2-3 junk drawers
3) Linen closet
4) laundry room
5) Under the sink

I don't have the basement and my bedroom listed. These jobs are SOOOOOOOO large that I think I'd be quickly overwhelmed. I have a gizillion books, too.

Luckily, it is coming upon garage sale season.

1. Dining table Okay, I did this today, but does it count if there's still a little pile of magazines and papers that I have to find places for? I did discard/recycle all the extraneous papers. Also, I'm not sure the spiritual significance I want to attach to this task. We don't actually eat at the dining table, it's just tucked into the corner. I was able to put our tiny Buddha back on the table, and the whole room feels more serene with it cleared off. :)
2. Entryway Done!
3. File cabinet Done!
4. Desk top Done!
5. Desk bottom Done! The desk looks good, but there will always be something going on there, since this little space works hard. We run three separate businesses plus my husband's thesis. I can't believe all those piles of paper are gone and dealt with! It feels so good! Now on to the really challenging parts, which will probably have to be broken down into smaller bits to become manageable....
6. Bedroom closet
7. Hall closets and drawers

Our house is pretty good, not too many hot spots, but the file cabinet is something I've been putting off for a LOOOOOONNNNGGG time. I'd like to not only declutter, but also deep clean everything. Hope I can keep up!:)

my whole house :eek:

6 rooms
7 closets (3 storage)
garage and attic above.

just overwhelming clutter :mad:

Great timing.

Just yesterday I made an de-gross list. LOL. I am doing one room per day, right down to the smudges on the wall, until the entire house is done!!

2 rooms down so far;
computer room -check
pantry and homeschool closet -check

I'll add rooms as completed.

3/25
still on track.
dining room
today was a field trip for hs so I'll have to do double duty tomorrow.
3/29
Main bath.
Family room. Blech, talk about growling dustbunnies.


Katie

I'll join in but there isn't any point in listing any specific areas. Really, every single room, closet, and cupboard needs help.

I bought Sink Reflections about 1 hour before I read this post.

:thumbsup: I was just declutting the office today :)

1) Finish the office
2) the garage (HUGE ONE)
3) Linen closet
4) couple of cupboards

We are moving Saturday so my main goal when unpacking is to sort as I go with a large yard sale pile and a large donate pile. DH and I are doing the "clean sweep" method. LOL

~*~DONE~*~My BIGGEST challenge is clothing. Between thrifting and yard saling at least once a week, selling on eBay and being a clothes horse in general (at least for the kids), I have an over abundance of clothing. I now have 6 huge boxes full of clothes for my yard sale next weekend (25 cents a piece b/c I want to see it ALL gone and everything that doesn't sell is going straight to Salvation Army, not coming back in the house!). I would just donate them if I didn't need the money NOW so much.

~*~DONE~*~I also need to go through my new kitchen drawers (4, I think?) where the executor was nice enough to leave them full of kitchen utensils which, at first, I was totally goo-goo over, BUT I need to actually sort them and get rid of what I am not going to use.

I would like to sort through DH's clothes, truthfully, but I think he may get angry if I do. LOL This man must have no less than 40 polo and pullover shirts. It's partially my fault because I have a tendency to give my kids and DH clothes that do not sell on eBay if I think they'll like it or DH will pick something up from a thrift and say "Oh, well, if this doesn't sell, I'll wear it." LOL I'd like to get him down to more like 10-15 polos, but I have serious doubts that it will happen. Let's just say he had three dresser drawers (not small ones) full of folded shirts.
:rolleyes:

I'm in if I can start next week when dh is home and things are back to normal.

1. craft supplies
2. boys craft closet ***Finished***
3. boys closet and dresser
4. tupperware cabinet and under sink ***Finished and reorganized the kitchen cabinets to make healthy meal planning easier, I hope***
5. front coat closet
6. storage in garage (may take a week)

OMG, I have been feeling so totally overwhelmed with just this exact problem! Mine is one of those "whole house" issues as well, but I'll hit the high spots:

1. clear sewing room for painting
2. put away ALL scrapbooking supplies
3. clear all the surfaces AND under the bed in master bedroom
4. living room
5. kitchen counters

Soooooo...... I guess I won't be seeing you all for another few months. ;) Oh, maybe if I take it a piece at a time I can get it done more quickly than that!

Thanks for the encouragement!!!

Me, too!

Oh my gosh, my list is huge!
But, need to start!

KITCHEN:
1. Finish painting
2. Re-hang cabinet doors!!!
3. Clean out cabinets
4. Recipes- Type out and have ONE binder

PANTRY:
1. Paint
2. De-clutter
3. Make curtains

DS's ROOM/Computer room
1. Paint door (the last child that lived here colored on it with a permanent marker :rolleyes:
2. Make a curtain
3. Clean out home receipt/paper file DONE!
4. Add biz addresses from the last 3 years to my online address book
5. ENCOURAGE dh
to clean out computer desk and his biz papers that are all over the place

MY ROOM:
1. Paint
2. Make fabric panels for my wardrobe and re-hang the doors

LIVING ROOM:
1. Sand off blanket chest (one of MY children colored all over it years ago)
2. Photos, what a mess! They are all thrown in the blanket chest!
3. Sewing table- finish sanding and re-finish
4. FABRIC
5. Make a new ironing board cover

GIRL's ROOM:
1. Paint
2. Make curtains
3. Re-finish dd's desk
4. Oh, heck! Re-finish ALL the furniture in this room!
I am a trash pile/thrift store junkie with a bad attitude of, 'I can fix that, one day!'

OUTDOORS:
1. Paint bench on front porch (Old church bench mil gave me.. half painted)
2. Finish cutting down my very overgrown yard.. brambles, bushes, etc
3. Finish turning over dirt in herb garden DONE
4. ENCOURAGE dh to till up spaces for veggie and flower gardens

EGADS! I have no business on this computer! ;)

Hope

Someone else who needs to rehang cabinet doors? I thought I was the only one! Maybe it is an NC thing...
Of course, mine have been down so long that I didn't bother to put it on my list.
Laura Q

I'd like to join in too...
it's a bit easier for me cause I live in an apartment with roommates.
1. Computer Desk
1.5 my mail inbox
2. Hat + Mitten Drawer
3. Clean and set up basement playroom
4. piles of paper on record shelf
5. spring clothing re-orginization of dresser and closet
6 toy room closet

Wow! I'm glad there is others who have clutter too!

My whole house needs an over haul! Perhaps if i get brave enough I will share pics too! What a mess:( Depressing

-junk drawer..wayy too many pens & markers that don't work,stray pennies that need to go in penny bank &/or rolled , rubber bands, greeting cards that need to be recycled and sent to St. Jude's Ranch, important papers to important paper safe, expired coupons to be put in burn pile
-organize placemats, napkins and dishtowels (done!)
-finish some sewing projects (halfway done)
-clean refrigerator (done!)

LOL! Laura, mine have 'only' been down for 4 months.
I have had a few people comment it looked good. (They thought I left them off on purpose or maybe they were being a smarty pants, hmm....)

H

Well - i decluttered a small counter in the kitchen.
I packed up two boxes of toys (some from my ebay corner ) for our local even start program.

much much more to go

annother bump, cause today is monday! trying to motivate myself...

here is the link to our meeting place.
am

http://www.amitymama.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=96

I am so bad. I have been putting off posting to this thread because it scares me so much!LOL! Here are my areas that need de-cluttering:

1. Kitchen countertops (office corner, phone corner, basket corner)

2. Kitchen 'junk' drawers (2)

3. Dining Room (sewing corner, music corner, scrapbooking corner, arts & crafts corner, and Table)

4. Master Bedroom (Desk, Hutch, Night Stand drawers)

5. Master Bedroom Closet

6. Breezeway to the Garage

7. Boy's Bedroom (Upper Shelf on both closets, Dressers)

9. Linen Closet

visit Stephanie/Daisy Duck. SO tomorrow is a dead day for us (aka nothing gets done at home).

Wed - Fri I hope to

#1 Reorganize & dispose of many of the cleaners above the washer and dryer.

#2 Clean out and organize the office (the only room in the house we haven't yet completely unpacked and we've been here 3.5 months! LOL....BIIIG job here!)

#3 Go through and post all J's outgrown clothes FSOT and pics, too.

#4 organize and otherwise go through our tupperware/storage containers cabinet. (it all falls out when I open the door!)

That's all I can think of right now. :)

Thanks for the new forum, Am!

My wish list is as follows:

1. hall linen closet (DONE + some kitchen stuff)
2. office
3. garage
4. master bedroom closet

If we end up having to move I'll have to declutter/organize these areas in a hurry!

Warmly,
Debra

So this is where this thread moved! :)

How sad, I just re-read my list and I have only done two of the projects!

Hope