Planning

Flood Damaged Clutter

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It’s been a couple weeks since I posted here. Almost two weeks ago remnants of hurricane Ike drenched the Midwest resulting in flash floods here in St. Louis. My mother-in-law ended up with seven feet of flood water in the basement of her townhouse.

Needless to say we would not let her stay there at night for fear of mold spores and other possible contaminates in the air. She spent her 83 birthday sleeping at our home. It has taken almost two weeks to have the basement cleaned, sanitized, have the furnace, A/C, and hot water heater replaced, and new washer & dryer delivered. She is finally back home.

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This past summer I was going to help her declutter her basement and have a garage sale. Due to my illness that was postponed. Now the flood waters decluttered the basement for her.

Most of the stuff that was lost was truly clutter for her. She never used the things but couldn’t get rid of them. She thought maybe someone in the family, especially the grandchildren, could use or want them. She has four grandchildren and they all live out of town.

We hold on to things for many different reasons. If you are holding onto something because you think a family member might want it someday, then ask that person now. If they say no then get rid of the item. There is someone out there that can use that item so sell it or give it away to a charity. You’ll be blessing others.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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15 Minute Days

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Some days I can do my routines and then sit down to write without any problems. However, that doesn’t happen as often as I would like. My nature is to jump from one thing to another. In other words, I get easily sidetracked.

Some days are just 15 minute days. When I get behind in my work and the house is a mess I find the only way to get it back in control is to use a timer. I write out what I want to get done and break the list down into things that can be done in 15 minutes or less. Then I set a timer and go to work.

Sometimes I get through my entire list but most of the time I don’t. That’s okay. I prioritize and do what I can. I figure I got more done with the timer than without.

If you feel out of control try setting a timer. Focus on one thing during that short time. You’ll be amazed how much you can get done this way.

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

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Fall Clothes Shopping

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Fall weather has hit the Midwest early. I’m sure it will warm up again for a few weeks before it really cools down.

I wanted to wear a long sleeve top when I went out Saturday night so I looked in the back of my closet where I keep some of the out of season clothes. Since I decluttered my wardrobe a few years ago I have room to keep many of those transitional clothes in the closet year round. Less to store in boxes under the bed.

As I went through these long sleeve tops I could see some of them looked pretty worn. It may be time to get rid of them and buy new ones. Since I don’t usually enjoy shopping (a big plus when trying to keep clutter under control) I will have to decide what I need to freshen up my wardrobe before I go to the store. Then I can at least narrow down what I want to buy with regards to style and color. This helps give me a clear purpose for the shopping trip.

Since I’m not very fashion conscious a few years ago I joined the website, missussmartypants.com for a year. It helped me understand the styles that looked best for my body type. I actually enjoyed clothes shopping for awhile. What I bought fit well and looked good. I need to review my saved information or maybe even join the website again so I can enjoy shopping for fall clothes.

After all, if you look good you will feel better about yourself.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com (blog)

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September Gardening

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Although it is still early in September the weather is cloudy, cool, and damp like a fall day. It caught me off guard when I went outside to walk the dog. I had to come back in a grab a light weight jacket. I’m not ready for cold weather yet but today reminds me to start preparing for it.

I was looking at the weeds that have taken over the front yard this year. I need to spray them this weekend so I can plant grass seed in a couple of weeks. I know my yard will look bad for a few weeks but I neglected it this summer due to my illness and now I need to get back to taking care of it.

IMGP0319 I have also been thinking about where I will put all the large houseplants that have summered outdoors. The house looks so uncluttered during the summer but I don’t want to lose all the plants I have had for years. I can either live with a jungle look all winter or make some tough decisions as to which plants I don’t want to keep. Too many plants can become clutter and that is what is starting to happen with my plant collection.

How do you handle these fall gardening chores? Please share your ideas in the comment section.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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The Transition from Summer to Fall

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Each weekday my dog starts barking at the school kids running to the bus stop. Then I hear the beeping of the bus backing up at the corner to turn around for it’s journey out of the subdivision. School is back in session.

My youngest is away at college so the familiar rushing around to catch the bus doesn’t happen here anymore. But that doesn’t mean I have lost the old feelings that come with a new start. From the time we were little and got excited about a new school year to when our own children went through school is a good portion of our lives. We become conditioned to looking at this time of year as a fresh start.

Then again maybe it’s because the end of summer is here and now is the time to get back to taking our lives a little more serious. Or maybe it’s because we follow nature (at least in the northern hemisphere) with the impending fall and winter we need to prepare for it. Sort of like the squirrels gathering nuts for the winter.

Any or all of these reasons may make us feel like it is time to get back to the business of taking care of our homes. In Spring we spring clean to make our homes clean and bright for the summer. In Fall we prepare our children for the long school year ahead. We start putting our gardens to bed for winter. We put away the summer clothes and bring out the fall clothes. We even start thinking about the holidays and what our plans will be.

September seems to be that transition month where in the beginning it’s hard to let go of summer but by the end we are ready to move forward to the fall and winter months.

How do you transition from summer to fall during this month?

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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