Extreme Clean-out: Part Two -- Clothing Sortie!

Help! (from Lifeinpleasantville.com)

In French, the word "sortie" means an attack made by troops coming from a position of defense. I thought it was pretty appropriate for my campaign to rid myself of extra, unused clothing items, which is part two of my Spring/Summer Extreme Clean-out!
I kind of liked the play on words, too . . . sortie . . . sorting . . . get it?
I decided I simply couldn't face the world seeing photos of my clothes hording situation before I started sorting out, so this post will have no pics from my actual house.
Picture in your mind a pile of clothes in sizes ranging from current to five years ago all the way back to wishful thinking, overflowing the closets and dresser, piled on the chairs and heaped on the floor in my room.
Oh, the shame!
I've made a good start, creating several categories of new piles.
They are:
1. Donate

Represantational ME and my STUFF (from Susiestyles.com) 

2. Rag Bag
3. Sell? (will probably morph into donate before we're done.)
4. Maybe
5. Keep
And here and now I'll make a few pledges, to help keep my on track.
1. I will not keep mateless socks "in case" the mate turns up.
2. I will not keep clothes I wore before I turned 40.
3. I will not keep clothes I haven't worn in a year or more. (Ooooo. This is a hard one!)
One thing I can't promise is to give up all hope on a few things I've been keeping in case I get down to my goal weight again . . . a size 10.
I have to dream!
Tomorrow, photos of progress.

Extreme Clean Out! Books: Done!

The first challenge I faced in my Extreme Clean-Out Summer was books. I have hundreds of them, and that's after culling hundreds more.

Sell/Donate Pile!

I've been collecting these books since childhood. Some are my mother's and father's from their childhood. Books have always been something I excused myself for hoarding, because they were -- BOOKS! Can you ever have too many?
Well, yeah, if you're downsizing,  you can have too many.

I should disclose that I have a couple hundred on my Kindle, as well, but they don't take up any space, so they're staying right where they are!

As for the books I decided to detach from my collection:

Two boxes for kids

I gave many to my children; those cherished from their childhoods; some of those belonging to their father; classics they wanted.
My brother got age appropriate ones for his classroom.

Nonfiction

Several large bags went to an area nursing home, where they're being shared and circulated by the folks there.
Others I have put in the sell/donate pile, which has grown to a couple hundred books. A friend with a book selling business will look these over, and choose what she wants to purchase.
A few valuable ones I'll sell on eBay. What I don't sell, I'll donate.

And the ones I'm keeping, probably about twice what I'm tossing, I've carefully organized. One bookcase holds non-fiction I'm simply interested in, such as
books on travel, gardening, cooking, Bonsai, fish-keeping, along with books I need for writing, ranging from various reference volumes to dictionaries in French, Spanish, Italian and German, to books on how criminals think and various poisons and weapons, to how the Amish live, to oddities all about subjects such as witchcraft and fairies.
You never know what you'll need to know!

I know these days you can look up anything online, but I like a book in my hands. It's simple.

Book hall

My book hall is all my fiction, arranged by author. I have a couple other book cases filled with fiction, too.

So now, this portion of my Extreme Clean-Out is finished, I have to
tackle the much harder task of thinning out my ridiculous collection of clothes.

It's not like I have couture; rather, I have quantity in a number of sizes. And that doesn't even include my accessories: Scarves, shoes, jewelry (which should have its own category, I'm thinking). And then there's the stuff I hardly use, or used to use. Or MIGHT use again. You'll see. It's a sickness.

I still haven't decided whether to show a photo of the pile in my bedroom. I'll begin that this weekend.

But for now, I'll revel in the happily reduced volume of volumes!
I hope I've inspired you a bit. Have fun culling your own collection!
Ta ta for now.

Extreme Clean-out in the Days of Sunshine and Cicadas

This Book Hall is more Extreme than ours!

I did sort through more books today; this project will take a full week. I will be putting a lot of them back into the book hall, but they'll be organized by author so if I want to read, say, a particular Nora Roberts series, I'll be able to go right to it, instead of fruitlessly searching . . . and even re-buying! . . . the same book again when you already own it! I found three copies of one book!
The sell/donate pile is growing!
When I'm done, I'll take a last photo of the sell/donate pile, and my beautifully organized book hall and bookcases.
This involves dusting and vacuuming.
The kids have been helpful.
But summer is coming, and the weather is nice outside, so outdoor activities also call me, forcing me away from my book sorting. (My legs ache after sitting Indian-style for so long anyway!)
To be useful, I pulled four or five weeds from the cracks in the driveway, and felt righteous.
In other news . . .
Molly saved a bullfrog missing the skin from one leg . . . it's temporarily living in the veterinary tank on the back porch, getting treatment as recommended by the online amphibian forum.

Extreme Bull Frog!

EVERYTHING exists online!
I bought a black, pleather futon for the girls college apartment at a barn sale . . . for $25! Score!
It has joined the masses of furniture and other debris in the garage (a part of the Extreme Clean-up coming later this summer!) That'll be after books, clothes and kitchen stuff.
Later in the day, I stood talking to a neighbor in the yard, and half a dozen cicadas attempted to climb my pants while we talked. It's crazy out there. I'm not kidding. It's literally an invasion.
But they're harmless.
They do not eat your trees, plants, grass, etc.

Extreme Cicadas! 

They DO fly down your shirt, sneak into your home on your back and zoom around while your family runs screaming and the cats chase them up walls and curtains, and glare at you with those eerie, red eyes. Their song is already filling the air, somewhere between a frog chorus and an alien spaceship landing.
They'll be gone within weeks. I remember collecting the shells as a child in a former emergence. I remember them zooming around when I was at Ohio University in the early '80s.
Last time they were here, in 1999, Cooper was a newborn and I was 37. Now he's 17. I'm 53.
When the babies of these current cicadas come up from below ground in 17 years, Cooper will be 34. I'll be 70!
Good Lord!
Time as measured in cicada generations is daunting.
So I'll stick to my Extreme Clean-up, in the time of Cicadas. I think they're neat. I just don't want them flying down my shirt. That'll freak me out!
And now, I'm going to go read a book, enjoy a glass of wine, and relax. Because that, in the end, is a big part of what it's all about, right?
Bloody-well right!

Extreme Clean-out: Books and Yoga

Totally me doing Yoga while reading!

What does Yoga have to do with an Extreme Clean-Out of my house?
It's all about attitude.
I've found that when I strive to improve one area of my life, a desire soon rises in me to try and improve others, too.
Sometimes this isn't good; bite off too much, you choke on it, right?
So keeping that in mind, I'm trying to do an overall overhaul of my lifestyle. I guess if I fall on my face, I can use the old "I tried to do too much at once!" moan as an excuse.
But here's the thing: I want to go small, right? I mean, in my next home. Should be easy, right? Just toss, dump, sell, donate, CLEAN OUT!
But who I am at 50-something has taken a long time to achieve. I didn't accumulate all these books and THINGS overnight. Remember, I'm the caretaker of the junk of many dead ancestors.
And yes, dumping 3/4 of this stuff is really, really going to help me start fresh.
But.
It isn't enough.
Besides improving the state of my house, I want to improve the state of my mind and body. If I'm not healthy, it won't matter if I achieve my goals.
So one of the areas upon which I'll focus is my physical well-being. And guess what? Going through all those books has pointed to one way to improve that.
While sorting books, I came across a book called, "A Morning Cup of Yoga."
Initially, I tossed it into a keep pile, figuring I'd look at it someday -- as I've intended for years since buying it. (Lies to herself.)
Four or five days into my Extreme Clean-Out, I found myself with a different attitude.

My spiffy Fitbit!

It may have something to do with my new Fitbit, too. I traded in my cute little Fitbit Zip for a more advanced product, the Fitbit Charge. It tells me how many steps I've taken, as well as monitoring my heart rate and sleep habits (seriously!) and telling me how many flights of stairs I've climbed and calories I've burned daily. (No, I don't own Fitbit stock. Heh.)
With that kind of information, how can I NOT try my best to live a little better?
I'm not going to be crazy about this. I'm not swearing off snacks, wine, coffee, fat, salt, in fact, all the good stuff. But I'll try to eat a little less of that stuff, and a little more whole grain, greenery, plain water, etc. And chocolate. Because . . . just because.
And I'm trying to exercise daily. This is mostly walking -- haven't made the 10,000 steps yet, but I hit 7,000 yesterday, and I'm at 5,500 today so far.
I've got to be honest. You're probably not going to see photos of me on FB at the finish line of a race.
But today I figured I'd toss in a little living room Yoga. I just followed the pictures in the book!
It didn't hurt. Much.
So. That's a start.
I have a long, long way to go this summer if I hope to greet the fall with a cleaned-out home, organized closets, and fitter, healthier me.
Everything positive I do towards that deserves a reward. (Okay, I had a piece of cake. That's a good reward! I thank my friend, Linda, for that. But first, I made her walk with me!)

The Book Hallway

The Sell/Donate Pile is Growing!

And I've culled a couple hundred more books from tonight's target, the book hallway. That, as it turns out, is going to take more than one day. I just keep getting sucked in! (I'd forgotten I have this entire series of vampire romances by Lynsay Sands! Yummy!)
So tomorrow, book hallway again. A little more walking. And I'll feel a little bit better about me!
Of course, I haven't tackled my next project yet -- clothes! It'll make books look easy-peasey. I'm not sure I'll have the courage to post pictures of my pile of clothes, my packed closets, my disorderly drawers. We'll see. I guess if a little embarrassment helps me proceed, it'll be worth it.
(I'd love to hear your stories about your clean-out journey. If you're doing an extreme clean-out, post comments here. Pics, too! We can do it together!) 

I'd rather be reading!

Extreme Clean-Out, Part One: Books! Day Two ~ The Journey Continues

To bring you up to date, I've embarked on a journey this summer, of the soul and spirit as much as a material journey. My goal: To purge my home of all the surplus stuff accumulated over the 35 years or so of my (supposed) adulthood.

The book hallway

I decided to tackle what at first seemed to be the easiest thing; my enormous collection of books. It seemed easy because although there are too many of them, they were fairly organized and accessible, in bookcases or stacked along walls.

Can't get rid of these . . . 

But in reality it has turned out to be harder than I thought to get rid of these volumes. See, I reread my books over and over. The ones I've kept all these years, some dating to childhood, are really old friends.
I simply can't part with many of them.
Laura Ingalls Wilder is safe. Jane Austen as well. Anne McAffrey stays. I'm keeping Nora Roberts, too. And then there are the books I used to read to my kids. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub; Rainbow Fish; Slobcat; No No Nikki; Tom and Pippo; Moo, Baa, La la la; and so many others.
Likewise, I can't part with the books of my own childhood, such as Winnie the Pooh; Now we are Six, also by A.A. Milne; my collection of Anne of Green Gables, and others.
I have to keep all the books on Bonsai, even though I kill Bonsai; on growing orchids, because I have one now! And my books on salt water aquariums, because I intend to have one someday.
It adds up, you know?
But I've made good progress. I have a growing stack of around 200 books ready to sell and donate.
And still have my book hall to explore tomorrow.
Today's chore was the big bookcase in my bedroom.

It's hard not to get distracted while visiting with old friends

A new toilet is an exciting thing!

I got a little distracted from time to time, between being sucked into a book now and then, and my brother and son installing a shiny, new toilet (one that actually flushes when you push the handle -- a n
ovelty here, where we are used to standing over the toilet, plunger in hand, ready for the worst when we flush.)
But at the end of the day, I have a stack of keepers I really, really want (or at least want to reread before passing them on) and have added to the stack with which I can part.
Tomorrow I'll go after the big collection in the book hall . . . or maybe the pile behind the armchair in the living room. Almost forgot about that!

The Giveaway/Sell Pile is Growing!

Extreme Clean-out: Part One -- Books! Day one . . .

I'm exhausted. Mentally, which feels like physically. Why? Because I've had to decide which of my collection of beloved books to abandon! Give away! (Okay, for money, hopefully, but still, it feels like a betrayal.)

If you read last night's post, you saw all the pictures of book cases, book stacks, book bunches and baskets in my house. There are hundreds of books ranging from coffee table to humor to children's to smutty romance to action adventure to teen to classics.
Some are easy to toss. I never really liked the Bronte sisters. (I've heard some people do!) So buh-bye Wuthering Heights. (Ok, my daughter grabbed it, so it's technically still here, but I have hopes that it'll move out someday, when she does!)
Shakespeare, too . . . so long, Romeo. Don't forget to take Juliette with you. (I hate that play, and all plays/musicals/songs derived from it. Out! Out! Damn play.
J.R. Ward had me for awhile, as evinced by the stack of sexy vampire romances. But eventually, they got too . . . ridiculous. However, if you're into hot, and I mean STEAMY, vampire novels, these are well done. But I'm done with them.
Also going, although with some regret, are Lillian Jackson  Braun's Cat Who mystery books. My good friend Karen and I read through them together ages ago. They are really good, and I recommend them. I mean, you've got a newspaper man who solves murders with his two Siamese cats. How could you improve on that? I think I'll probably collect the series (nearly 30 of them!) on my Kindle.
Jan Karon's Mitford series is outta here, though I did love them. Someone else can spend lovely days with Father Tim, that lovable, Episcopal priest as he finds love and the meaning of life.
I tossed no Nora Roberts; no Lincoln Douglas & Preston Child; no Jack Whyte and his amazing Camulod Chronicles; no Jane Austen (duh); and I'm keeping Betty Crocker's classic Dinner for Two.
That's it for tonight. . . I got through three bookcases in my dining room. Tomorrow, I'll confront the pile behind the armchair in the living
room, and possibly the hall bookcase.
Right now, I have to go read some weird book about Viking Vixens I'd forgotten I had. See you Saturday!

Extreme Clean-out: Part One -- Books!

Hi, my name is Anne, and I'm a Bibliophile. I may have a little problem when it comes to books. I've always loved them, always coveted them. It wasn't a problem when I was a child, and used the
library, where they expect you to return the books you've read. But then I grew up and discovered book stores.
Oh, the wonder! The smell! The color! The sweet temptation.
So I started buying books. And I just kept on buying books. After all, I reasoned, they were good to have, right? I do reread books over and over, so most of my books really get used. And I loan them to friends.
I have books about every subject I've ever wanted to explore, from orchids to bonsai to hiking the Appalachian Trial to wine making to parakeet keeping to writing murder mysteries to classics to brain candy (romance, chic lit, etc.)
My children also love books, and may have inherited a little "book habit" from their father (who ALSO loved books) and me. We have many, beloved children's books I can't toss, as I remember holding my tiny tots on my lap and reading these stories aloud. Goodnight Moon. Green Eggs and Ham. Little House in the Big Woods. All the Harry Potter books.
Consequently, I have hundreds of books. And in my extreme clean-out and eventual downsizing plan, I won't have room for hundreds of books.
So I have to sort em out and divvie em up.
I'll make two piles, first: Keep and toss.
Of the toss, I'll make two piles: Sell and donate.
This is going to take a few days. I'll take pics when I'm done and let you know how many books I've managed to part with. Wish me luck!

Spring is here . . . time for an EXTREME clean-out!

I'm readying myself for an extreme downsizing within the next couple years. After nearly 30 years of adult life, I've accumulated a lot of stuff . . . not all of which I'll be keeping, and not all of which I'll be able to foist off on my kids.
I also have the accumulated, inherited STUFF of many dead family members under my roof. I used to think these things were sacred, and I must continue as a custodian in the chain of ownership, but I've changed my viewpoint.
I realize that I don't need to own stuff to remember people.
And I don't need to own as much stuff to be happy.
I've been fantasizing lately about living in a much smaller space, in a sort of Zen fashion, with only the things that really give me pleasure or are necessary for my comfort, survival and day to day living around me.
Looking around, I now feel I can comfortably, even happily, toss out 90 percent of the stuff in my home.
I've already downsized from a 5000 + sq. ft. home to one a couple thousand sq. ft. But I want to go smaller.
Not, I think, into one of those eeny little portable tiny houses, around 192 sq. feet. For one thing, I feel I'm beyond crawling up into a loft to sleep these days.
For another, I want to be able to host my kids if they visit. That means a couple bedrooms. Two would suit me..
I think something around 500-800 sq. feet will do.
With that in mind, I need to fling-boogy a whole lot of stuff.
So this summer, that is my goal. I'll be blogging about it on here a couple times a week. Join me on my extreme downsizing journey, part one: The Stuff Toss.
Out the door will go knick-knacks, jewelry, art, books, clothes, housewares, furniture, you name it! Even albums and certificates.
I'll make digital copies of that kind of thing.
As for the rest, I'll sell what I can, and donate the balance.
Stay tuned! It begins this weekend.

Resolved!

For all you resolution procrastinators out there . . . time's up! Yesterday was the last possible day one could procrastinate to if beginning something new in 2016.

I mean, you couldn't start on January 1 . . . it was on a Saturday, and nobody can start a new diet, or quit smoking, or start exercising regularly – or anything else important – on a Saturday. So that allowed you until yesterday, January 4, to begin your NEW LIFE in 2016.

I was going to start a diet a couple weeks ago, but I got a letter from the Union blocking my plan. They told me the diet belongs to 2016 and that if I attempted to begin in 2015 they'd take action against me.

So I clearly couldn't start until Saturday -- meaning Monday. It wasn't my fault! What is, is, man!

In the past I've given New Year's advice along the lines of keeping it real; not trying to bite off too much. Supposedly this leads to a greater success rate.

But I have little willpower, so have achieved little success. So I'm making a whole lot of resolutions, so I can pick and choose where to put my New Year's energy in 2016. (I reserve the right to blow off any of these at any time, for no reason at all.)

1. Lose weight. Yeah, yeah, you all have this one, too, unless you want to gain weight.
2. Eat healthier. A partner to number one, and could mean anything. Like do I give up chocolate altogether, or just eat dark chocolate, because it's healthier?
3. Quit smoking. Just kidding! I don't smoke, so this is a gimmie. I'm just patting myself on the back for having one less bad habit. Thank God, because I'd never be able to quit . . . that's a real tough goal!
4. Exercise regularly. Besides walking from my desk to the coffee machine to my desk to the bathroom to the coffee machine to my desk to the coffee machine to my desk to the bathroom.
5. Travel more. A conundrum when you consider that to travel more you have to pay more which means you have to earn more which means you have to work more which means you have less time . . . to travel!
6. Be. More. Patient.
7. Am I patient yet?
8. Try something (healthy and legal) new. No ideas on this.
9. De-clutter my house. Hey, this time I have a plan!
10. Live to see next New Year's. God willing!
    And may you all do the same. Happy New Year, and good luck with all your goals, both realistic and wishful thinking!

It's New Year's Day! Another year...we've lived to see its start.
And as always, I'm filled with optimism at the year's dawning.
And with big plans!
THIS is the year I'll get back to a healthy weight. Why not? It's hardly an impossible goal, after all.
Here's my plan. . .
Eat less.
Exercise more.
Ta da!
I spoke with an expert recently, who said a good little trick when trying to eat healthier is, rather than deciding to eliminate all unhealthy items from your diet (unrealistic much??) you should rather resolve to add healthy items.
She told me this will result in you consuming fewer unhealthy calories and foods. . . and this is how you can trick yourself into eating healthier...and losing weight as a byproduct.
THIS is the year I'll finish a novel, and market it. Maybe I can become a published novelist! Why not? It's hardly an impossible goal, after all.
Here's my plan. . .
Finish the book I began during the NANOWRIMO challenge in November, polish it up, and try to sell the darned thing. It's an Amish romance . . . they're hot right now. (Although the book isn't...no sex in these things!)
THIS is the year I'll finally go to Europe! Why not? It's hardly an impossible goal, after all! I'm looking into visiting Italy, and have been studying Italian since June.
THIS is the year I'll get the clutter in my house under control.
Well . . . maybe I need to be realistic. ;)
After all, the experts all agree one should be realistic about those New Year's goals!
Maybe I'll clean out my closet, anyway.
Happy New Year, and good luck with your goals!