Minimalism - June - Progress!

As my kick off month - I am making tremendous progress.  Are You?

Going minimalist living takes courage to find ways to dispose, eliminate, and change your head of what is important.  Stuff for the safe of stuff takes away your energy, time, and money.  I started this challenge last November.  Looking ahead, I've got five more months to my big celebration.

Here's the round up of some of the progress that happened for the Month of June.

Cubbies in the kitchen - there are four left to do out of sixteen!

Garage - began to clear out some stuff, a little at a time.  Since I've moved so much of the stuff into this space, it is creating a little bit of an overwhelming feeling.  Best thing is to pull back a little, and break tasks down into smaller chunks so something can be done.  

That's the Key to Success - break down tasks and get something done!

There was a little setback as the tables I borrowed from a neighbor to use in the garage had to be returned.  Si la vie ---- I've cleaned off another table I have and will embark on the garage once again!

Storm damage - the ceiling got done in the studio, the carpet was looked at, and supposedly the floor is okay and the Assoc will be sending someone soon?

Craft items - I started to get a little carried away.  I cleaned out the closet where I keep stuff, rearranged items so they can be used, threw out items, and found the missing in action beads I purchased last November.  What  I really found is that I have more space than I thought!

I reclaimed projects - which is to say I'm not going to finish them any longer.  So I unraveled the thread / yarn that I can use for another project.  Cut off the samples and put in my sample box.  This was the first big go around probably since I moved in.  Now the bed is covered with those projects / items that need attention but not right now.  They can sit for awhile and let them stir around in my subconscious.  Occasionally, I go and look at the closet and smile!

My lace pillows  and supplies received a first big overhaul.   I found a batch of snowflakes that I made and tucked away.  That makes a dent in my challenge to make 50 snowflakes this year!  Yippie! The star project got a big boost as I starched the little guys - so easy with a little water and all purpose white glue and pin them to the board.  The stars look amazing.

Farm - the plots are some what done or as done as it is going to be.  The squash is looking really great, the tom's are growing and have some fruit on them.  We've been weeding and weeding.  Least favorite item to do -  but it is happening.  We have picked some squash.  It's now time to go in maintain mode and let mother nature do her thing.

Books , Books, and more Books.  I was able to go through more bookshelves and get rid of more books - some went to the library for their book sale, others were tossed.

Revisit - part of this minimalism is that it is very difficult to change the way you have lived.  So I went back to the front hall closet and cleaned it out again.  This time it took only about 30 minutes and I found a winter coat that can be given away!

Organized more "paper work", undo piles - you know what those are.  Most of us have them.  So I took a small handful and sorted them out.  It was surprising (not really) that more than half were tossed out and the other half were filed in places that had been set aside for exactly that.  Then gradually, I took another handful and then another.  Before I knew it, all of the pile was sorted, scanned, filed, and tossed.  Note to self -- remember to put it away while you have it in your hands!

Minimalist living doesn't mean you are a hermit.  I arranged several get-togethers with friends I hadn't seen for  a while.  What a nice time and that allowed me to celebrate these accomplishments.

Thank you to the month of June!  I feel so much better!  Now on to July.....

Living My 60th Year --- KC is on the mend

This week had me taking KC to the vet.  It isn't generally a fun event for her nor me.  Though she seemed to do pretty well.   She spent the day at the vet to test her BG curve and several other tests for kidney, sugar, etc.

News finally came and she's been feeling badly due to an UTI infection.  Back to the vet the next day to get the antibiotic that will need to be administered for the next ten days.  Her sugar is double what it should be  - some of it due to the infection.  She will have to go back for another BG curve test some time in early July.  

I Found The Beads!    Yippie - I'm not losing my mind - just putting the stuff away in a safe place!?!  

This past week, it was one month since the resignation.  I'm loving sitting in the back of the room during the meeting this past week.  I didn't lose the day preparing for the meeting nor lose a couple of  days after taking care of all the work that would have been assigned to me.  I did do one thing, posted the Meet the Candidate notice for this coming Thursday evening all over Facebook.  

Master Bedroom Suite --- Still no information about getting the room fixed from the leaks. Though it was approved to have the engineer look at it.  In the mean time, back to minimization.  

Completed!

There is a bookcase - with lots of assorted books. Also a stack of them next to it as there isn't any room for more.  Occasionally, I'm looking for a title, stuffing more books in it, yet I'm no longer using most of them. 

Ready to Donate!

Then the week before,  it came to me --- I've not touched it since moving in.  I decided that without looking - I gave myself the okay to keep ten of the books.  

So proud to say - it is cleaned out and I've got a box of books ready to donate at the library!

Okay, if you are counting ---- yes, it is a little more than ten.  

Not going to happen.

Next to tackle - Lace pillows, not the kind you put your head on, the kind that you make bobbin lace on. Many of them had WIPs and were moved into the suite area some months ago.  

It was time to look at them and find out what there is.  Some of the pillows had demo projects on them, some with projects I'm still half done, some not started.  

Question I asked myself - how much time do I have to complete any / all of these.  Several were cut off, couple left for demo purposes.  The one pictured here had some severe structural problems that I would not tolerate when I took it off the pillow.  I cut off the dozen bobbins,  unwound them, and put them back; two pillows have projects on that I want to finish and my demo stand pillow is ready for the next demonstration - possibly late summer and the fall.  The snake pillow is ready for a beginner!

In process.....

Yes, the star project is happening.  I starched two more boards of stars during the week, put a loop of fishing line through them and hung them up.  Connected with this project was making a few more snowman scarfs for a project later this year.  Those are done and put away for now.  I'll make up more stars with the remaining yarn and this project will also be completed.  

KC is feeling better - it is amazing what 48 hrs can do for her.  This coming week will have lots to do with the farm plots.  Stay tuned.........  and enjoy your week.

Here's to a year of catching the dreams you chase,

doing what makes you smile,

and loving the life you live.

Snowflakes - finding more thread

 Great week, I completed two flakes #14 and #15!

The top is called SP-511 - Unfortunately I don't have the designer's name.  A friend of mine sent me a copy of the pattern.

The bottom is called Sophronia from Snowcatcher.  Her patterns are just lovely.  She puts up a new design each Monday.   This patten had lots of work on the third round.

I'm beginning to understand how the snowflake is made.  Couple yards of thread, a crochet hook, a few rounds of stitches and it happens before your eyes.  Remember snowflakes have six points!

The notebook I set up as I started this challenge - I'm respecting it and including all the patterns, credits, etc that I have worked.  Of course, we  have enjoyed the pictures.  This has been on of my best organized efforts!

My snowflake challenge falls over into other aspects of my life.  I finished up two balls of DMC  #10 in getting these snowflakes so far.  Great as that's two balls out of the open stash box - though no more white.  I began scouring my stash and could only find balls of Ecru ?  Where is my stash of white?

So there I am pulling apart items in the studio.  I found two unfinished thread crochet projects stuck away from a very long time ago.  One was almost done - though I'm not excited about it any longer. I may reclaim the thread from that project - but not right now.   A second one was really not started.  It was a multiple motif placemat - nice pattern but.....  The second project doesn't exist any longer!!  So now a hook can be placed back into the holder and I found an almost full ball of #10 DMC Cebelia!!

Yeah - studio received a few moments of my much needed attention.  I've an almost full ball of thread to continue making my snowflakes.  For the unexperienced, I've 284 yards of thread to continue on.

Day 4 - Tackle the Guest Room

You should have seen the room last week - a mess.  You could barely walk into it.  I spent time over last weekend clearing it up because I was having a guest for Thanksgiving week.  That's when I found the printout of the minimalist challege!

I must admit that Guest rooms are infamous for serving double, triple duty in many homes today. Sometimes it is a family member on an extended stay, or a place for the kids to stay when they 'visit', or our home office - all in all - it is some type of space.  It accumulates our stuff.  It's a place not visited very often - filled with "we'll get to it later" items.

My Guest room does double duty.  One for overnight guests (though I would love to hide the bed in a murphy) and for my studio.  Yes, my studio, for my crochet and lace endeavors.  I admit, it does have "stuff" in it that does not have anything to do with either purpose.

So for my challenge, I will move the studio stuff out of the guest area of the room.  Studio stuff will need to be another day.

First to tackle - Items on the bed - yes I put them away in the big chest - easy as I had space for them - image that!

Second, the closet on the left!  I found a carryon and a duffle bag that could go.  Found flatened boxes, items that could be gifts or giveaways, and a empty box I don't know where it came from - recycle.  The one item not put back - box of potions that I use for traveling - really it's the size of a file box?  I'm also considering a garmet type bag - very heavy that I haven't used in ----ahhh I don't know how long.

Third - the items under the desk - yes more studio stuff.  Geez - you'd think they were multiplying everywhere - I'd like to think that though I know I just haven't been paying attention, being present in the day and having a place for each item.

~~~ time passes ~~~ oh my goodness - I looked under the bed!  I found my hat, a bag with some blankets, a mess with the wrapping paper that seemed to jump out of the box that it was in.  Isn't always the way....  start one project and it begins another project.

Wow - what a difference a few concentrated hours can make.  I feel a bit ruthless and it feels really good.

Donate box----- package of new color pencils and pencil sharpener.

This was a great day - thanks Denise and Aly Sanger at http://minimalismissimple.com/about-us .



Today's Challenge - Day 5 - Donate one bag of clothing to those in need - and - find one item to put in the donate box.