Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday!
It has been another cold, busy and slightly frustrating week but read on because I also have cat photos! Let’s start off with one of Mr G in his bed, he’s a little blurry and wasn’t in the mood for photos. He is doing a lot better but I still need to keep an eye on him and also give him daily medications, so far so good.
today’s art . . .
…is strangely absent again since I have done nothing since last week’s journal page due to all the work that is happening in my house… still. So let’s see what has been happening…
decluttering
I am still in the “messy middle” as the decluttering experts say, and it is not a happy place to be – there is just stuff everywhere, but because of having to move furniture, plus furniture that fell to pieces, this was the only way I could do it, so I have to endure this mess until I can get it sorted and stuff starts leaving the house. So far, there are 8 bags of clothing waiting to be put in the car and taken to a charity shop, and along with that there are also 8 pairs of shoes/boots that are hardly worn but due to my foot problem I will not be able to wear, so at least someone will get the use of them. Also I have filled two boxes with books, so far 59 books, but I am just getting started with the books. Some things need to be moved out of the way so I can get to them and have a proper look at the shelves. Last week I took a car load of rubbish to the recycling centre – that was the easy stuff to get out of the house – everything from now on just gets harder to part with.
One thing I need to remember is that organisation and buying more containers does not solve the problem of having too much stuff/stash. I have way more plastic storage tubs that anyone should have inside their house and they are all full of stuff/stash. There are reasons for this, but as attractive as it sounds, no one needs a craft store inside their house. It all needs to go but I need to find somewhere to donate it as I can’t send it to landfill as it’s all good stuff but it can no longer have a home inside my home. It’s a long, slow process to go through all of this craft stuff so I started with some easier things this week. I also had a helper in the form of Miss Lily. I left this bag on the bed while I went off to get some other stuff and came back to find her inside it.
I let her stay there and grabbed another bag. I also managed to fill a box with under-garments, including some things still in the packets, and some “gently used” bras. There is a charity here called Smalls For All who accepts such donations and they send them to poor countries where the women and girls can’t afford underwear. You can read more about this by clicking on this link. I managed to fill a box with things that didn’t fit or I didn’t need any more but these people will put them to good use.
disco cat toilet?
One reason why this decluttering is taking so long is that I am trying to move furniture and other items into places I want them to be, so not just swapping the contents of one room with another and keeping everything the same, but moving out all the excess (stash) and arranging the furniture how I want it to be, then whatever can fit in the room afterwards can stay but the rest HAS to go. One thing I have thought about doing for a long time is moving the cat litter boxes into the Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs. They used to all be in the utility room until Miss P arrived and wouldn’t let the other cats use the facilities, so they had to be relocated to the hallway which I do not like as I have to see them every day and they are in a kind of high traffic area, so I felt like they needed a quieter place. The cupboard under the stairs was stacked high with storage tubs full of “stash” so I moved them to the living room to join the others, and then I moved the litter boxes into the cupboard. You might be wondering why everything looks green – well it’s because I bought some colour-changing battery LED lights, so now it looks like a disco in there. I think they like it LOL plus it’s more private and there will be less tracking of litter on paws across the hallway. The lights can be set on a timer, so I put them on before we go to sleep and I like to think they are down there dancing away in the cat disco during the night haha.
t stands for . . .
My ticket to tea this week is this hot cocoa in my mug that is covered in book covers, and also my porridge if you like that sort of thing. I do like that sort of thing and my favourite way to have it is the traditional way made with water and lots of salt! It would also normally have cream on the top but I don’t eat cream so I had some almond milk on mine, but in the days when I used to eat cream I did have it that way and it was delicious.
It’s been so cold here these last few days that hot cocoa and porridge were definitely needed to keep me warm. I am writing this on Monday evening, and yesterday (Sunday) we had all the weather – snow, hail, rain, and wind – all at the same time and freezing temperatures. The heating is still broken so we have been huddled up together in one room with an oil heater plugged in, and lots of hot water bottles. Really looking forward to some Spring/warmer weather… as is Miss Lily, here she is cuddled into a blanket. It’s warmer than you’d think as she is also lying on a heated throw under that blanket!
I want to end with a couple of quotes I read this week. I don’t know the origin of this one:
Get clear on what matters
by letting go of what doesn’t
And a slightly longer one…
Your environment – where you live and how you shape your surroundings,
is the biggest, most important and most impactful thing you can do
to favor your own happiness. – Dan Buettner
I hope you are all staying safe and warm. Let me know what you think in the comments and Happy T Day! As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
Ingredients
all the stuff in my house!
Challenges
Altered Book Lover – T Stands for – Decluttering, Donations, And Disco Cat Toilet
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The quote is quite right, but sometimes you can get used to all the clutter and that is dangerous. You are very brave getting rid of so much stuff. I stil find it difficult. The I-might-need-it-one-day-syndrome.
For the craft stuff, try your local community centre or fnd a local craft club. Certain charities might be interested. (Hospice? In the UK, hospices have craft volunteers, who would love to have your stash)
I’m glad your cat is doing better. And the cat disco made me giggle. I can just imagine….
Have a lovely weekend,
Hugs,
Lisca
I find that when I buy plastic containers, I fill them up, and then have to buy more. There is something wrong with this, I know. But I haven’t figured it out just yet. LOL Happy T Day/week!
Wow, that´s a lot of stuff you let go off!
Awwww, such beauties. Every working day I hear Emmi, my customer´s black cat interfereing, it´s fun (for me).
Good quotes, happy belated T-Day.
What a nice looking cat. Ohhh, decluttering. I am with you, I have one small room that is full of plastic bins and boxes. It is so stupid. However, every box has art supplies and art in them.
Wow, you have a lot of things to get rid of. I can’t even imagine purging 59 books. I love books so much and I have a hard time parting with them. And I keep buying more.
Your cat disco certainly sounds like fun. Being able to see at night is a big deal. They have toilet seats that light up as well.
Enjoy your cocoa. YUM!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
You sound like you will have lots of space once this project wraps up. I’m curious, do you ever want something back after you get rid of it? I’m good at cleaning out lots of things but I must admit I have bins or art supplies and although I can purge some things, I have wanted a few of them back after they were gone. That saying, I am very impressed with all your cleaning. Stay warm, and I hope you get spring weather comes your way. Hope it was a great T day. Hugs-Erika
When my basement flooded (twice), I was forced to get rid of many craft items,as well as wonderful books. Bags and bags and bags of yarn, books, and other paper crafts had to go because they were already starting to mold after only a few days. And I sure didn’t want mold in my home. My declutterig was by force, not choice, though.
Mr G and Lily look good. I’ve never had a heated blanket, but I bet it comes in handy since you have no heat. I hope you are dripping your water. You sure don’t need broken water pipes, too.
I’ve never had porridge, but your hot chocolate looks quite good. Thanks so very much for sharing your continued decluttering project and your hot chocolate with us for T this Tuesday, dear Elle. Hug those kitties for me, please. BTW, I read somewhere that if you have more than one cat, you should not put their litter boxes together. Bleu and Squiggles boxes are in different rooms. I hope yours like that new disco inspired place. Hope you didn’t have to by those color changing LED lights.
It’s amazing how much of a mess you make when cleaning and decluttering. Just think how fabulous things will look when your done. Love the kitty pics. Mr. G’s pic made me smile. Ink never liked having his picture taken either. Happy T Day
Good for you to stick with your decluttering and organizing Elle- bravo! I should be doing the same but have absolutely no desire to do it cuz then i have to go out to take it all away and I don’t like going out in the cold months unless it’s really necessary:) Good to keep kitty warm. I do love porridge, and all the warm grain breakfast things. Keep up the good work, but take some time to play too. happy T day!
So good to be decluttering, I always find it very therapeutic ?. Loved seeing your cat photos too, such fun! Happy T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x