Decluttering Continues

I'm trying to declutter at least 50 things in July. I find decluttering, sorting and (groan) organising a real challenge. I look at things and still like them (that's why they are in the house!) but I also like the thought of having space and tidiness in my home. It seems like a bit of a contradiction. I did a lot of sorting out at Jane's house last year and for a long time I just felt I couldn't sort or declutter another thing. For anyone new reading the blog, husband's aunt passed away and MIL and myself spent about eight months sorting out her house. She was a collector and a bit of a hoarder and it was a lot of work! For a while I gave up sorting my own things out. However, now I'm ready. 

Even though this is a June challenge, I feel as though it's something I hope to continue with and revisit. I do little-by-little rather than getting rid of huge chunks. I really don't know where to start, so I tend to pick a section, go through and get rid of the easiest things. Later on, I'll have to revisit the section again and pick out things that are a little more difficult. 

Today I worked on the bedroom. Mainly clothes. It's warmer now and I knew that I had some legging type capris that I wear in the house, but could I find them? That's a big NO. Today I decided to pull things out and find them. You'll be glad to know that I did end up finding what I had misplaced. 

I also got rid of (straight from my notebook lol)

6 tee shirts

1 night shirt

1 capri (elastic gone)

1 sweatshirt

1 cardigan

1 oversized long sleeved shirt

1 jumper (hole)

1 long sleeve (old)

1 jumper (didn't want)

1 long sleeve button up (been a while since worn)

1 dress (ugh)

None clothes - floss odds and ends

Threw away - a bunch of rubbish I found. 

That's it for decluttering today. I put some in my donate bag, some in the bin and some I am giving to my walking friend as her church is collecting sweatshirts and tee shirts for migrant workers. 

I actually feel quite pleased with what I got done. I'm planning on doing some more tomorrow. 

Question - I thought about this while sorting. Do you keep boxes for items? How long? 

Phone Photo from my walk today. In the woods

Saturday

No walk this morning. It was cold and dreary and drizzly. It's a little snowy now, but too dark to take a photo. The snow has settled on the bird table and grass but hopefully it won't stick around for long. It is a lot colder though. The heat has clicked on several times today and I've been glad of it. 

Husband and I ran a couple of errands this morning. We stopped into The Dollar Tree to pick up some snacks. I had a little look around and picked up a couple of items. The mug is my Day 316 Things That Make Me Smile. Nothing in The Dollar Tree is a dollar any more, it is all 1.25 but I didn't think it was too bad. 

We stopped in another shop and had a look around. I didn't buy anything fun there, but I did see this ornament. I just didn't want to spend $10 on it. 

Do you see a theme here? Lol. 

I forgot to show this yesterday. I stopped in a charity shop and found this book that I thought looked to be an interesting read. I'm not sure it will hang around my bookshelf for long, but should be interesting especially as both Chipmunks and Beavers are things I love to watch. It was one book with two different sides. 

It was only a dollar. 

We are off out tomorrow if only for a little drive. I hope the snow is around just for a little while so I could get a couple of photos to show! 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Snow or No Snow?

 Well, yesterday's snow did not end up really bad.  A few inches. Middle son is closer to the lakeshore and he said he got quite a bit of snow, so much so that his work ended up sending them home to work for the rest of the night. Our snow was worse today! It snowed most of the day. The roads were pretty terrible. Husband had to leave work early as his work does not want them to have overtime but he had to work extra hours the other day. He came, took me to the park and I walked in the cold and snow while he went home and shovelled the snow out of the driveway, pavement outside the house and raked the snow off the roof! It was quite a workout for him.

Some of the phone photos taken on my walk. I had forgotten how much energy it takes to walk through deep snow! It was really hard to judge how deep it was and I had to be careful where I was putting my feet!

I have started to make some lists! I feel as though I am finally getting back on track. I shall work on them some more over the weekend. 

Finally the next two photos for my Photo-a-Day challenge. I am doing Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile.

6/365

It wasn't the photo I planned. I wasn't going to do another outdoor one. When I did this same challenge in 2020 I had a lot of outdoor photos. I was going to try for a variety. However as we were supposed to have a really bad snowstorm I was so happy when the sun actually came out yesterday afternoon. Who wouldn't smile at that? 

7/365

Smiling (and a little bit of crying with this book). I know, I know, it's a Christmas book and Christmas is over, but it's been in my to-read pile for a while. I really enjoyed it. It was what my Mum would have called a family story. It's one of those books that I would probably keep, pack in my case and take for her to read. 

Saturday

Whenever I post on Saturdays I always feel like I say how lazy the day has been. Well, it is the weekend afterall. The day has flown by and I don't feel as though I got anything accomplished. I did Skype Mum. We had a lovely chat. It was getting quite dark on her end as we got finished (around 7pm her time). The nights are certainly drawing in now. I could barely see her and I don't think she wanted to move the computer to turn the lights on lol. We chatted about how our week was and she said she got the book I pre-ordered as part of her birthday present - The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton. She really enjoyed the last few of her books and said she wanted this one when it came out. She loves to read as much as I do!

Speaking of reading, I spent most of the afternoon finishing up a book I got from the library. I couldn't put it down! It's called Dreams of Falling by Karen White. It was fantastic. I 'discovered' this author a few months ago and so far have enjoyed every one of her books that I've read. This one made me cry. I would certainly recommend giving it a read. 

Here's the blurb from the back

New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women's fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.
On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree's trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping--including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.

But life can waylay the best of intentions....

Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads--and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.

Ivy, Larkin's mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years--whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal--that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.

I'm actually quite sad to finish the book. It's a little like saying goodbye to a favourite friend. This is one I'm going to put on my to-buy list if I can find it at a good price (right now it's only in hardback).

I did sit a little out in the garden. The day was certainly cooler and there seemed to be a few more birds around. A few hummingbirds have finally been visiting our garden - now that it's almost time for them to move on. They are fun to watch and I like to give it a go to try and photography them. 

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Saturday. We're off for a walk tomorrow - if the weather cooperates. It's my middle son's birthday. He'll be 27 - YIKES! - but he's out of town so we celebrated last weekend. 

Really Good Book

I read a lot. I don't often post about it. I have a sidebar from Goodreads of the books I've read in the current month. I get my love of reading from my Mum. She reads as much as I do. It was funny how quiet things were when I was there and we were both reading a book.

I read a lot of different genres. Most of the time it depends on my mood. The book I've just finished I would class as a family story. It is called What Makes a Family and is by Colleen Faulkner. She's an American author.

I won't give much away. I'm not really that good at book reviews. I end up tending to want to give the plot away! I'll just say that it was a book about several generations of women from the same family. They are gathered at the bedside of the matriarch Mama Brodie who is nearing the end of her life. It is the story of Mama Brodie, her daughter-in-law Birdie, Birdie's daughters Celeste and Abby and Abby's daughter Sarah. It is told through each of their points of view.

It's a really lovely story of secrets, hopes and dreams. It really got me thinking about my own family. I have two sisters, both older than me. It made me wonder how they see me and how my Mum sees us all. We are all quite different women. We get along well with each other, but not overly close. We don't share secrets - at least I don't share with them. As I am so far away from them I don't get to see them very often. They have their own relationship - seeing each other weekly.  I wish I was closer to them so I could see them more. Sometimes I just wonder whether it is Mum keeping us together and in touch. I admit to being a little jealous of them - parts of their personalities. My oldest sister is very bubbly. She has a really infectious smile. I know she gets down but most of the time she appears really cheerful. My middle sister is very organised and super-busy. She seems to have everything together and is very family orientated. I think I'm the odd one out. I've always sort of felt like that. I'm a bit of a dreamer. I know I have traits of Mum and Nana - crafts, reading etc. I wonder what my sisters think when they think of me.  I wonder if it is like this with all sisters.

If you do get a chance, give the book a read. It is well worth the time!