Since we downsized living area with buying this house, we're having to take a hard look at the massive amount of "stuff" we own and do the hardcore purging. We're at a point in our lives now, that while there is a whole lot of major changes having recently happened and some still underway, we're able to see better who we are and what kind of life we want to live. Hubby has always wanted "less stuff," but lost that battle a while ago. Now, however, we're seeing changes.
Part of these new changes comes from "letting go," something that I find very difficult to do. But I started around the beginning of this year to "let go" of material stuff from my past. Clothes that will never fit me again, and which serve no real purpose (other than I wanted to get down to that size again), I finally bagged up and gave away. I had decided I'd learn to be comfortable with my XXL (or XL, depending on a variety of factors) sized body, and to let go of the past. Not but a few weeks after giving that bag of "too small" clothes go, my thyroid shut down and I got under a doctor's care. . . natural thyroid (desiccated) hormone supplement started making serious changes to my body and my mind!
Now, I'm able to easily let go of the XXL and some of the XL sized clothes that started falling off of me. I am happily trying on clothes, glad that there's finally a "style" that suits my taste and body type as well as made in my size (sometimes that even means only an "L"!!). Bagging up loads of clothes that no longer fit--because now they're too big-- has me on a roll of being able to let go of other material 'stuff' too.
With all of the changes named above comes redeeming space that was formerly wasted. Some things haven't changed too much, such as my need for extremely supportive boulder-holders, which don't fit into any drawers. I had found that putting them on hangers allowed me to let them hang from a wall lamp that stuck out a bit, but the wall lamp wouldn't take my beating for long (it's high. . . given my shortness). So the other day I finally got creative. I used cup hooks and a lamp chain that I still have from some other project (that project didn't turn out).
I screwed the cup hooks into the cock-eyed wall/ceiling part of my closet (remember, we live in a geodesic house, which makes the need for creative storage), then hung the lamp chain on it. Then I placed the hangers on it. I think it took me 10 minutes, and that included the time to get the stool so I could get high enough. Now that formerly useless space has been creatively purposed! :-)
Here's the before and after photos of the redeemed closet space, so that still very ample hold 'em up's can be tucked away out of view, and still not get squishered and out of whack (the washer does that as it is). Please pardon that I left the bras on the hanger for the pic, as that's part of showing how creative I needed to get, and how much space I was able to utilize.
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| Closet space "Before" |
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| Closet space "After" |
The other projects concerning housekeeping I actually did earlier in the year, and are more towards the decorative-with-a-purpose side of housekeeping. The main bathroom's window is in direct line-of-sight for anyone coming up the walk, and thus makes for uncomfortableness for the kids (or anyone else who might want to use that bathroom), particularly during the shorter daylight hours of winter. After searching for creative ways to make a decorative and private 'block' without using something that would contribute to the moisture/mold problem, I finally came up with a solution.
Dollar store glue and craft paint. I diluted and mixed the glue and paint together, and then had fun. The result isn't too bad, and it isn't permanent! When I'm ready to change up the colors or style, the paint will come right off and I can do something different.
The other project was similar, but dealt with the door leading from the mudroom to the house-- a big glass window pane in a wood door. I did the same type of idea, but applied it a little more transparently (not as much need for privacy), by using more water and glue than paint. I'll be changing this up soon, since I recently painted the door (from the sky blue that it was to the current sage green), and want to modify the motif a bit. I'll still have my motto's (for lack of a better term) on the door, as I am trying very hard to live them out to the fullest of my ability. The motto's are: Live Honestly; Give Freely; Deserve Victory. The latter is not my quote, but that of Terry Goodkind (author); the former two are my quotes (as far as I know, but seriously, how can I be the only one to put those two words together?).
Below are the pics for the painted window projects, even though they weren't recently done; I did just get the pics taken.
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| Bathroom window painted |
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| Mudroom glass window painted |
And finally, the latest project that I did yesterday is that of sorting through my jewelry and finding a way to quickly and prettily store it. Using this idea also allows for quick and easy packing, too, for my "Weekend" trips that I get to take every so often. Well, I hoping that will be the case.
It's very simple-- dollar store ribbed ribbon, scissors, and a lighter and a cup hook (again, yes). Cut the ribbon to desired length, lighter the ends so it doesn't unravel, cut a hole at the "top" and lighter it, too. Put your cup hook were you want the pretties to go. Push the earrings through and put the back on. Done. Hang the ribbon on the cup hook. When it's time to pack for the trip, the ribbon can be taken and put into a small box (such as what costume jewelry comes in)-- should decrease change of something getting lost, too. I also made one for my brooches, because they're pretty and should be seen instead of stashed away in a jewelry box! Now I can quickly appreciate the shinies that were my grandmothers' and shinies from the Hubby. The brooch ribbon is behind the earrings, on the same hook for convenience and because I haven't totally decided on where I'm going to keep them. For now, they're on the wall by my dresser and 'Serenity Board'.
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| Brooch Ribbon and Earring Ribbon on a cup hook~ Creative, vertical storage |
All in all, I'm on a roll with getting rid of "stuff" (materially and otherwise), finding creative storage solutions (totally working on maximizing vertical storage ideas), and having fun with "housekeeping," now that I don't have to focus on two houses!
On a side note, Hubby just got the lawn mower working again (he had it running, but the blade stopped turning), so he's probably happy as a clam out mowing the 3' (yes, that's feet) lawn that's out of control. He did that while I wrote this entry.
Now it's time to fix some dinner, and help my Girl who's busy being sick (puking sick type, poor thing).
Being creative is such a wonderful stress-relief outlet!
Okay, I lied with the title. . . this wasn't as quick as I'd planned. Oops.
~Cedeham~
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