Over Forty and Letting Go

I'm beginning my third year of my 40's and have found the longer I'm around, the less things surprise me... actually a lot about the world disgusts me.

Over the past week, I've decided to sell off over 40 books from my huge collection. This is mainly a set of 52 books - with their own magazines - which were sold as a newsagents' collectors thing. You know the kind of thing it is: it started way back in the early 60's and has been going on ever since. You buy the first magazine with a piece for a discounted price, then the following week, you buy the next one with another piece at the full price of $9.99 and the following week, you buy the next and the next... until you have a full collection of books, or you've built the Eiffel Tower or you've built a model Mustang... or whatever it is you've been promised by those companies to have in your hot little hands by the end of the year.
Well, that's what it was for books. I was given a collection of 52 books - with magazines - for Christmas one year and they were these types of books. I had them for a long time and now, I've noticed that I have doubled-up on some of those classic books. So, I'm selling that 52-book set. 

It just makes sense doesn't it? You get rid of and sell what you no longer need. You whittle down the possessions until you just have those things that make you happy... no matter what it may be.

I have my painting, my books, my gardening, my furniture refurbishing... I love music and have a 1970's style house, but then there's always a time when I jump in and just throw away a pile of clothes, a collection of things I just don't look at anymore (or use) and it makes me feel better. I have more room and I don't fill that space up... instead it's just there to be enjoyed. 

Yep, I'm getting to that age where I want the extra bedroom for my craft gear, and yet, I'm throwing out what I really don't need anymore. It feels great. I never thought throwing out or giving away things would feel this good... but it does. What have you done in your life that makes you feel wonderful? Cleaning out a space does it for me. I'm begun to be good at being brutal with myself when it comes to letting go of things a now; but I never used to be. It all takes practice. If it wasn't for Peter Walsh, I wouldn't be as strict about my cleaning out as I am now. But really, I have to be in the right mood and zone to do it. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

All In One Morning!

Today was a 'Claus Day'. This is named as such due to one of my childhood friends who was killed in a car accident when I was young - he was only 21 years old and engaged to be married. His name was Claus Skov; and a really beautiful, sweet, charming young man from Denmark I had grown up with when him and his family migrated from that gorgeous country to Australia when I was still in primary school.
My family had to reteach them English because every second word they said was 'fuck' and 'shit'. Hey, what can I say? They climatised in Mt Isa... they picked up their English from the locals there and brought their rather broad way of speaking to Brisbane. I remember fondly how they called their first pet - a white kitten - Little Shit. It was hilarious at how my brother and I tried to get him and his sister - Lena - and brother - Lars - to change the name by asking what they were going to call their cat when it grew up... Big Shit, of course! I think we settled on Snowflake or Fluffy - I don't remember. 

But today was a Claus Day... it was lovely and sunny. There wasn't too many clouds in the sky and there was a gorgeous cool breeze to lift our spirits - just nice enough to make us stop and sigh at how nice it was. Yep, that's what a Claus Day is. It's a day where I can picture Claus approaching my folks' house just to have a cup of tea and a chat. I could see his white/blonde hair fluffing in the breeze as the sun shines off it. His shirt flapping in that breeze and that wonderful smile he had. 

Like I said, he died so long ago. It was down near Beenleigh and I don't remember quite how it all happened or the details to the whole thing; but one day he was in our lives - and the next? Well, he was just gone; along with his fiance, who died in the crash with him (only a few minutes later). Really horrible and sad isn't it? My family knew him for so long and his life ended so young. 

But yeah... I had a good day out today on this day. I got a lot done in only three hours. I checked the mail, went in the search for a tapestry frame - which are as rare as hens' teeth and just as expensive as I thought they'd be once I found one! Yep, I'm going to have to make one! 
Then, I was off to the junk store at Springwood where I found some of my Birthday Buddy's present and searched for oversized pegs to paint for the markets. I then went to a Vinnie's store in search of a tapestry frame (you know, to see if they had any just in case somebody had tossed them out), but nope, not today! I did score a very cool dinner set... very retro!... for only $10. And then? Well, I went to the bank and deposited what money I had left. 

Yes it was a lucrative day.

I came home and cleaned up the new dinner set and set about figuring out what to do with the old mis-matched one. My old 20 year-old one is chipped and has bits missing from it, so I'm going to throw it out in the bin. It's not worth giving to charity if it's not complete. Well, that was my busy morning. It was only three hours for me to get this all done! Woah! What a morning! Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Big Plans

Over the last two years, I haven't done much; not since I fixed up the gardens. Okay, I did the markets, but I haven't changed anything in the house.

I still have most of the furniture I moved in with - besides the bedroom suite I bought myself for my 40th Birthday - and I have been wanting a change over the past few months. I've wanted a new dining room table and the need to get back into my garden again this Winter (which is just a matter of getting in and repotting plants that have outgrown their pots). 

The sad fact of the matter is that 95% of my furniture was once owned by somebody who's passed away or doesn't need it anymore - yes, my house hold furniture is all second-hand. All of it, except my office desk, my bedroom suite and the standing desk I built, is all second-hand or scrounged from around my unit complex or the family in some way. I don't like it that for a good part of my life, I've been living with this kind of stuff in my life; and wish to be rid of some of it. 
I've had a word with Mum about selling the kitchen table - as my late-Grandma owned it for over 40 years - and she said it would be okay to sell it. You see, it's a retro-1960's, 5-sided table with 4 burnt orange swivel chairs. I'm not just going to dump it, I'm hoping to sell it for a good amount of money and use that money to buy another dining suite almost immediately. 

Other things I need to work on is the office. There's a bookcase I really need to get in and replace with a bigger bookcase - yes it's a matter of getting one that's tall enough, big enough and will take on the weight of the books I own as well. This is so when I move house, I can just take with me the four bookcase I own and they are bookcases I use in my next place without any worries of having something fall apart in transit. This is going to take time, though, as it's a matter of saving up the money and then buying the bookcase and getting it home. Then, ditching the old one.

During this time - of about 4 months - I'll be looking at how much my stall next year will change. I'm currently working on making new things for it - like book-bags (which were things I thought would be great for kids and high school students to enjoy) and handbags, which I'm hoping to find a pattern for a simple one to make soon. But this is all just 'blueprint' stuff right now... however the stall is going to change in a way that nobody's going to see; and I'll have to make a hat stand to house the new bags I'm hoping get into - or buy one... or... well, like I said, it's still something I'm working on right now.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I'm looking at my garden. I've already started buying potting mix in readiness for June/July to get myself into the saving mode to buy large pots for the garden. I need 3 large pots - which I'll buy one at a time - to repot the two plants out the front and the third one will be for the Frangipanni out in the garden; as it didn't flower this Summer past. 

Yes, there's plenty of plans I'm hoping to get done over the next few months - including a major decluttering of my house as well. This means I have to be brutal when it comes to seeing what I want and what I need in this place. It's coming to the pointy end of the whole decluttering thing - you know, the devilishly detaily part - but I'm sailing along well. The bathroom was cleaned out and and cleaned up all in two days in the last week, and I'm very pleased with that. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Back To Decluttering Fun!

Over the last week, I've had some major time on my hands; and it's been damned depressing over that time as well. I didn't have my internet and used a Hotspot Device that my Mum loaned me - so I wasn't online for as long as I wanted to be, because I didn't want to chew through the money on that.

So, once I got myself back online, I started back into the decluttering again. The top part of my wardrobe has been cleaned out and I gave away a tiny bookcase I have been using as shelves for my tiny handbags. In its place I put a basket where my tiny handbags can stay and put my 3 craft baskets up there along with 2 spare pillows that are strangely-shaped (a body pillow and a boomerang pillow). 

Then I have gotten into the habit of throwing out the rubbish in the kitchen on a daily basis and making sure I try to wash up once a day (after dinner). It's making life a lot easier for me now when I wake up in the mornings and the kitchen is so much tidier to work in. And speaking of which, I have had the kitchen pantry, fridge and under the kitchen sink all organised since January and they've stayed that way. I'm so pleased with myself that I haven't let them get messy again! 

Yesterday, I mowed the lawn, watered the garden out the front - as it's been so dry here - and out the back yard just as the sun went down, and was inside after dark and just before 'Neighbours' started (man, that show is going through so many changes... I seriously don't know if I want to see any more people leave it). 

Today, I washed the car for the first time in weeks and sorted out the vinyls collection under my stereo system. I found so many things there I didn't know where to start; but starting somewhere instead of giving up was better than nothing at all, right? Well, I found some certificates of my late-Grandpa's tests for his mouth organ exams out at Warwick inside a book for one of the 'Reader's Digest' Album Collections. They were left there by either my Grandmother or my Uncle Allan. Just as well I went through all the music album books and didn't just toss them into the box thinking they weren't worth anything... and just as well I wanted to try out one of the vinyls too, otherwise I would never have found the certificates.

Well, I called Mum and told her about them (as she's the one doing the family history and needs to know) and I put them away in a folder I've got of all his music certificates - so far - I know there's more somewhere around here. I have inherited a lot of books and things that have these hidden inside them; I just have to go through them all before giving them away.
Once I got the vinyls I didn't want anymore into the car, asked a friend online if he wanted any of them, and thought to take them to Mum and Dad's tomorrow... I packed away everything else into the space under the stereo again. There's a gap behind them, but I'll see what to do with that yet.

Well, that's my few days of cleaning up and cleaning out done for now. Two bags of Christmas Decorations are off to Vinnies on Monday. And tomorrow I'm sorting through my bathroom towels - as I have far too many for just one person. There's some there which are too tatty to be hair towels; so they're going to be stored in the shed for when I need them around the house. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Autumn Has Arrived!

Last night, I was chillin' out in front of the idiot box when I heard the wind chimes at the back door of a breeze approaching. I hang them there to musically announce if there's a nice breeze or if the rain's coming in when we've got some of Mother Nature's water system happening from the skies. And last night, I felt the chill of the long-awaited Autumn evening show up. I didn't think much of it until I found myself reaching for the socks I had pulled off earlier thinking I was in for a warmer night.

It's so lovely to know we're going to have the warm days and cooler nights coming our way. So, I've been getting myself out of bed earlier to get my laundry done and into the garden as well. I'm looking forward to Winter this year as it's been three years since I gave my gardens a good big facelift - and this year is the year I'll be getting in and doing a major repotting! Very cool. 

The two pots out the front are in to be replaced by bigger pots (so the plants will have room to move) and I'll use the pots from them in the back yard. The Frangipanni out the back is needing a bigger pot - much bigger - and so that'll be replaced as well. This will take time as I'll be hoping to buy those pots from Bunnings one at a time. 

I'm still cleaning out the house bit by bit... I'm in my forth or fifth year of decluttering my house. But you do get to a point where you can only declutter only so much before you can't do anymore. I'm up to the small things in my house. Mum's decluttering her place, and she's starting right at the beginning - and I'm so proud of her, as she's letting go of so many things. However, I have noticed she's stopping on the things she wants to keep and looking through them. I have given her the advice that even though it's nice to look through the stuff she wants to keep, put it off to once side (the Keep Pile) and look at it afterwards and don't lose momentum on the cleaning out process. 

Well, that's all there is to report right now. It's getting easier to sleep at night, and I'm looking forward to cooking the lovely comfort food I love to eat every Winter (yes, I'm a Winter person, not a Summer person) and get in and read some good books over this time of year as well. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Busy Week

Today is the only day I've got to myself.

Yep, this week has been busy as hell; and next week isn't going to get any better as it's going to be shopping week. 

On Monday, I had craft day and I could sit and do my pin cushions again. After working on a larger needlepoint for so long it was a relief to get my mind onto smaller things than a larger item. I had put the larger needlepoint into the framers to get worked on. 

Tuesday had me picking up the needlepoint - and did it look lovely! I'm so pleased with how it worked out and hope it is accepted into the gallery. There are a few little things that I have noticed about it that aren't up to scratch, but that's all just in learning about how to get things framed... otherwise, it's well done. And the great thing is that I provided the frame and glass; all I had to do was pick the matte for it. 

On Wednesday, I was at the Logan North Library showing it off at the Embroidery Guild. The ladies were very impressed by it; and spotted the same things I did when they inspected it up close. But when they looked at it from a distance, those little things couldn't be seen. So, that's a good thing. I'll be taking it with me to my to the regular craft group on Monday so the other ladies can see it too. 

Tomorrow, I'm off to the doctors to get my right hand looked at, my medical certificate looked into for my driver's licence and then to the bank to see how much money I have left. Yeah, it's just little stuff, but the devil's in the details - and these details don't take long. 

I'm hoping to get my house cleaner than it has been over the last few weeks, so I started today with cleaning up the piano - dusting it from top to bottom - and putting back on the top only the things that make it look lovely and retro. Before I did that, I went outside and mowed the lawn, pulled the weeds and cleaned up the back yard. It all looks so very neat and tidy now... well, until the next time it needs a trim. The flowers on the Moch Orange are now starting to drop and I can then trim up the shrubs for Winter. That will be next week.

Anyway, I have some more tidying to get done around the place: laundry to put away, the bathroom to clean up, the living room and lounge to tidy and the lounge to find (again!)... and then I'll be cleaning out some bags of stuff I have had around the place to see if I can donate them or throw them out in the bin. I'm in my 4th year of declutter, and must say that as the years have passed, it does get easier. I'm onto the smaller stuff now and so I've become better at this. Mum is just beginning on the journey of decluttering and she's finding it harder as it's a big thing to do still; however, it took a good year and half to get through the big stuff before I got onto the smaller stuff (I call it stuff and not junk or crap as a lot of it is just stuff and only a small percentage of it is junk). I have found that it's best to look at something quickly and know if I'm going to keep it or not, put it into the 'Keep Pile' and move on. If I'm not going to keep it, it gets thrown out or donated... I'll look at my 'Keep Pile' more intently when I have time later on in the day; otherwise it will hold me back from doing what I'm supposed to do.

Well, that's my week. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Saving Mode.

I have a list of things I would like to buy this year - and this list of things co-inside with another list of things I want to throw out or give away; so it all pays off.

So, over the last week, I've been looking at my money, how much I can spend, how much food I have in my house and what I'm doing with the crap left over in the place before I start a really big throw-out... and the biggest throw-out is going to be in the office: one of the bookcases is going to be replaced with a bigger, better one.

I'm laybying at a furniture store and looking around at other things that will give my place a nice look to it... on the other hand, I'll be ditching a few things I really don't need around the place - namely some storage boxes and a bit of shelving that has done its time in my house and need updating.

I really don't want to be hanging onto something I don't like and I feel as though I am. So, yep, I'm updating a few things around the place one thing at a time.

Anyway, today was shopping day - a rainy, sultry one - and I got in and did it. While it wasn't raining here in Woodridge this morning, I got my petrol, and decided to go to the Rochedale Fruit Markets to get my lot of fruit'n'veggies. Well! Halfway there it poured rain! So, out came the umbrella and I got half soaked... yay... oh well. Can't win 'em all. I did walk one lady to her car who didn't have an umbrella, and she was parked next to me. She was grateful that somebody was there to help her.
On my way to Logan Central Plaza, I was in traffic when a car pulled up at the lights with the movie character of 'Chuckie's Bride' all over it... you know the one from 'Child's Play'? Yeah that one. A dark blue car with that on it? Yuk! What made it worse was that the dude who owned it had a bride and groom of Chuckie and his bride standing holding hands in the back window. 

Well, I did get my shopping done. There was a bit of time at the chemist, I paid off a layby at Woodys' and then I spent as little as possible at Coles - which ended up being a top-up shop anyway. But I did buy a mop to wash the floors of the bathroom and toilets for just $6.95 ... not a bad deal, eh? Well, it'll help with the floors there and I'll get it done instead of using the vacuum and needing to get on my hands and knees to scrub. 

Anyway, that was my day. I arrived home well before the rubbish truck and now the house is full of food again. It's nice when you've been shopping and you've got food in the house to eat for the next few weeks. I don't know why it's a comfort for me, but it is. I guess it's the way I was brought up - to appreciate that a house filled with food is a good thing to have and to make is last as long as possible. tonight's dinner might be lasagna, I'm not sure yet... but whatever it is, it has to be comfort food as it's still coolish outside. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

A Busy Day

Over the last few days, I've been at Mum and Dad's place helping my Mum with cleaning out their house. for the first day, I just waited to see how she'd do it; but realised that she was moving things from one place to another - without any real progress.

Yesterday, I went to Bunnings and grabbed 2 cardboard boxes and took them to her place to start her off on the Peter Walsh style of decluttering. She was impressed on how it all worked and took to it quickly; and amazed herself on how quickly she filled the Donation Box. 

Today, I was there to help her move a few things around the house while Dad was out. We had our laughs and enjoyed our time of working together. I got some needlepoint done and came home around 6pm.  It was a good lot of work done within a few hours.

Tomorrow, I have to do some work around my place and so I'm staying home to clean my house - yep, it's not a tidy place. I've been working on a piece of artwork so much the housework (except the laundry) has been mainly neglected. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember I'm always here.

Busy Sunday

This morning, I woke to a nice coolish day; which is a change to how the days have been lately. After going out for the paper and eating my pancakes, it was time to get in and do some gardening before it started to rain again.

The lawn got a good mowing and I pulled out the weeds that had wrapped themselves around some of the pot plants in my shade area. Then, I did my edges and threw all the bits and weeds in the bin. After putting everything away, I locked up yard again and washed my hands. The garden looks less like a jungle and more lovely - and the birds can get to the lawn grubs better now.

Once inside, I ate the rest of the fruit from breakfast and drank my coffee, packed up all the dishes on the sink and pulled everything out from under the sink and onto the counter again. I thought to put the really big Lazy-Susan under there so the washing up detergents can fit better. I also found that I have more than I need in the way of cleaning up things... so I won't be buying so much at my next shop. This is good!

I took the smaller, home-made lazy-susans upstairs and put them under that sink. They house the some of the cleaning detergents there on the bottom shelf and the containers of refiller soaps on the top shelf and some shampoo that my visitors would use. This has cleaned up some of the shelf space in my vanity. It looks so much better now.

I still have so much more to do in the way of cleaning out bags of paper work; but that can wait for another day. This has been something I've wanted to work on for some time - and now it's all done, I can move onto bigger things to tidy up. In my last post, I have shown you a link to a youtube video on how to make lazy-susans yourself... they're not expensive and fun to do. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wet Days and Lazy Susans

Last night, I didn't get much sleep. I had some horrible nightmares about demons exploding from my friends' faces and woke in a sweat at 4am; unable to get to sleep all that easily again. 

I put it down to the amount of caffeine I drank and chocolate I ate the night before at Dad's birthday dinner at Runcorn... silly me.

However, today, I got in and started looking at how much room I had under my kitchen sink; and what I could do about it. You see, I have had a wooden box under there housing all my sink stuff since around 2005; and it's high time for a change. 
So, I pulled it out, cleaned up the shelf with the cleaner housed under there and some paper towel and made myself some Lazy Susans from cheap baking tins and marbles. I found the youtube video where there's two ways of making a Lazy Susan - a shallow tray and a deep tray. I have made a couple of deep tray ones so things don't fall over.

I also have found an original one from the 1970's at a charity store for $5.00. Today, in between showers of rain, I sanded it down, painted it with stain and brought it inside just in time for it to pour rain again! I'm waiting for it to dry completely before I use it in my house somewhere... I'm not sure where yet, but it will be good to use it; as it's a large one. 

Well, I do have a box I have to do something with and other things to clean out around the house over the coming year. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Hot Summer Days

It's only days away from when the kids all go back to school - another year older, another year on in their schooling. Some of them are going onto college and university and some are going into high school, while the younger tots are heading into their first year of primary school.

This year, I've seen a lot for the first month. There's been so much sadness this month; and we all feel as though we've lived a year before the first month has gone by.

David Bowie - our most brightly-coloured of the colour spectrum of singer/songwriters, actors and artists - has left us to make the night sky look so very different in every way. He's even got a star constellation named after him and there's a David Bowie Day now (20th, January - mark that down in your diaries for next year).
Then, Alan Rickman died the next day. What a great loss to the movie world this man was. He wasn't my favourite movie star, nor one of the most attractive ones, but he was a classic star all of his own - a very traditional actor of our time.
And to make things worse, Glenn Frey of the Eagles died. Damn! How much worse could this month get? A mere week after David Bowie, this wonderful guitarist left us without his brilliant riffs to air guitar to; and we all went out to buy Eagles music again and play it all up loud. 

I've been cleaning out the house faster than I thought I could. I'm onto my 3rd Donation Box and it's filling up quickly. I've thrown out a pair of jeans which have a tear in the bum (and I haven't worn them in a year) and so I'm going to look for jeans that fit me this year and give away the size 14 jeans that don't fit me, as they're too big. Why I bought them, I'm not sure, but I will get in and make sure I have clothes I love and will wear all the time. 

This 31-day Challenge has been great. I've done well this year; and have only a few things to clean out before I delve into a couple of drawers around the house and some bags of paperwork, then I'll have a house which is much easier to work with. I don't want to be living in a house filled with so much stuff I don't know what to do with it. And yet, I don't want to be a person who's moving and finding that I have a whole lot of crap I should have gotten rid of moving with me. 

Anyway, this year has been a lot easier to do the first clean-out than in previous years where I struggled with it. This year, I know what I need to throw out, what I need to keep and how to let it go. It's not what my family will think of it all, it's what I think of it all; and that's what counts in the end. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Early Start

It's a Sunday. Normally, I lay about in bed until around 9am and make myself pancakes with my coffee. However, this morning, I was up at 6am and to the paper shop to buy the paper. Since David Bowie passed away, the newspapers have had tributes about him in every paper around. And the Sunday Mail was no different. Richard Wilkins had written a large piece about him and his thoughts about the rock icon; as this man was one of those who met a lot of rock/pop stars.

But I didn't stay up. I went back to bed. I just didn't have the energy to keep going... sleeping in was on my agenda today and so I did just that until around 8am and then, I got myself going. 

Today, I've done well, really well! I got in and did two loads of laundry (and with this warm day and strong wind, it's already dry!). Before I put any laundry out, I mowed the lawn, pulled weeds and threw out my Buddha statue because it was falling apart on me. Pity... it was a nice statue. But then, when I bought it, it was deleted stock - and little wonder why. This is probably why it was. 
Anyway, the laundry was hung out and I went inside to clean up the lounge. As I did, I listened to the tribute to David Bowie - it was a repeat of yesterday's. I had missed half of it, so I sat down with the paper and read what Richard Wilkins had to say about David Bowie and enjoy the music on Triple M. Then, I suddenly got the urge to write a poem! It's been years since I pulled out my poetry books, and I had to go looking for them. To the music on Triple M, I wrote a poem about David Bowie's music, his life and how we're all going to miss him using some of his song lyrics.

I finished reading the paper (and it's still on the lounge) and then made myself a drink and put out the rubbish, added to the 'Donation Box' for tomorrow and then jump online. For the rest of the day, I'm going to do ... not much... because tomorrow is going to be a full day of being out for a couple of hours in the morning before I return home and fill the donation box again. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

31 Day Challenge

I've jumped back into Peter Walsh's 31 Day Challenge on his Facebook page and on Youtube. And so far, I've given away 1 box of charity goodies to Vinnies. 

Yay!

Well, that's a good thing to get done in the few days we've all been doing it worldwide. I've also cleaned out the shampoos and conditioners in my bathroom and thrown a lot of them into the bin (these are ones which were all mostly used and were of no use to me anymore). 

Over the next few days, I'll be working on putting away all my laundry and making sure the living room is tidied up again and I'll put away the Christmas decorations; making the house resume its normal everyday look until next year.

There's still things I have to look at throughout the home. There's bags of rubbish I have to sort through and throw out, there's clothes I want to look through in my wardrobe to give away and there's still a lot of things I want to do to make sure the house stays in good working order. Mum's stayed here over the time I had my sun cancers done last year, and she said that the cupboards are all incredibly organised, but the rest of the house is the problem - I just don't seem to have the space for anything around the place. She can see how I have problems trying to keep things in their own places - they don't have any permanent places to live; every place I put it is temporary, and that's not good.

Well, this is why I keep on cleaning out, so I can find permanent places for my things I want to keep. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.