Another Box of Books Bites the Dust...

Another box of books gone! They are all packed up and ready to leave the house. There are still many more to go.

I've been sorting, getting rid of lots of crafty magazines, more than I ever thought I'd be able to let go. I am finding it quite freeing, but what I still have it so overwhelming. I know it's a little at a time and as long as I keep going the piles will be getting smaller.

I have been up in the craft room a little this week. I made this lovely little album using more of the cards and envelopes I had. This is also used paper from my stash as well as some tags. It really made me smile to make this.

I know I've made quite a few of these but I am really liking them and I am using up things I have.

Week Over?

I must admit I've been in a bit of a wobbly state this week but it has gone quick! I think that's just it, we have to keep plodding along and making the best of things.

I have been working hard on the book decluttering. Sometimes I still feel as though I'm moving one pile to somewhere else, but I am sorting through things and getting rid of things. I have another box of books ready to go to the library bookshop (when they open) or the charity shop (if the library bookshop doesn't open soon). Getting rid of some of them aren't bothering as much as I thought they would or perhaps I'm just a little bit more ready. I still have a lot to go through but it's nice to see things leaving the house. I have even been sorting through some magazines (crafty ones) ripping out the bits I will use and recycling the rest. The recycle bin was almost full again this week.

I have been upstairs crafting a little. It's been quite hot again though. I have begun working on getting things organised more up there and have found some things that I didn't remember I had. It's like going shopping at home lol. I am pretty sure there are things up there that I'm going to get rid of. There are some decorative papers I know that I won't use. I was thinking up making up a collection and then putting them all together in the donate box. I hate the thought of tossing them out.

There have been a couple of lovely mornings out walking this week. The light is becoming quite beautiful in the morning. These are phone photos but I thought I'd share. It has (sadly) been quite busy at the place where I walk in the mornings. I am hoping that once things cool down it will be a little quieter. Selfish of me but I miss the peacefulness of my walk.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Weekend/Decluttering Update

Thanks for all the encouragement on the decluttering of books. It's going fairly well. I am going with the flow and am finding some a lot easier to get rid of than others, but each little bit counts.

I have officially declared August as Book Decluttering month. I've been in a bit of a funk lately - haven't talked about it much - but I was supposed to leave on Friday (rescheduled trip) to visit Mum for six weeks. Unfortunately the flights were cancelled and as the quarantine order is still in effect the trip has been put on hold indefinitely. I am trying not to think about it too much as I just feel like crying. Some others on here have left comments before about being in the same boat so I know others understand. It's really tough being so far away from an aging parent and not knowing whether you will see one another again.

Deep Breath.

Anyway, so as I am going to be stuck here for a while I have decided that I will be using the time to do something...well, useful. I am going to sort out stuff (mainly books) but other things too. I have a goal in mind and I am using that to motivate myself.

As I was feeling a little down this weekend (and it was hot) husband and I decided to take a drive to the National Wildlife Refuge a couple of hours away and do the Wildlife Drive a couple of times. I was hoping to see pelicans and I did! They were beautiful to watch. There aren't many seen in Michigan but we had seen some here last year when we went. When we passed by the area where we had seen them last year we saw only two. I was happy to see them, but wishing there were more. Sure enough, another mile or two later and there were loads!

What a beautiful sight! On our second go around the wildlife drive some of them had broken away and were fishing. It was amazing to watch. They fish as a collective and push the fish into the middle of them and then they feed.

It was absolutely beautiful to watch and well worth the drive!

So now it's Monday again - back to the sorting. I sold three 'lots' of 10 books each over the weekend so they will be out of the house tomorrow. Yeah!

Decluttering Encouragement please - books

Ack so I got started. I've cleared out two boxes of books which I feel is really good, but there are so many everywhere - yikes. I was working on a particularly tall bookcase, cleared out a whole box (probably 12 x 12 x 12) full of books but the bookcase still looks the same!!! It's still full. It looks as though I haven't got rid of any books. Obviously that means some more need to go. Sigh. I really want to move onto some more that I know I can get rid of. It just seems so overwhelming!!! I know I just have to keep going because any progress is some progress and closer to the home I want.

This is the bookshelf after. I don't have a picture of before. Sigh. This is just one bookcase. It just seems overwhelming.

What tips do you have when you're feeling discouraged? How do you decide what to get rid of?

Thanks for the input.

New Week, New Month, New Post

Wow August. How time flies when you're not having fun lol. 

I have decided this is the month to do some major book decluttering. Yikes. This will be difficult for me.  I love books. They are my escape and some are a little like old friends bringing comfort and joy when times are tough. I am planning on purging some I even wanted to keep to read. I will be telling myself that I can borrow or acquire them again. Hopefully they will be going to a happy home where someone else can enjoy them.

Hopefully throughout the month I'll have piles to show you. If anybody else is decluttering let me know and I'll check out your link and hopefully get some motivation!

Picture today - these mugs make me happy. I smile every time I look at them.

Finding Happy

At the beginning of the year I decided to participate in an 366 photo year challenge. Any long term readers of my blog will know that I find it really difficult to stick to projects. I was determined to go ahead and give it my best shot. To make things a little easier I chose to do all the photos with my phone and I decided on a theme of 'Things That Make Me Smile'. Back then I was optimistic. I was having some down days but I thought that if I focused on the good it would help my moods. Of course that was pre-Covid 19 days. I've kept on with the project. It's been a struggle sometimes but I'm glad I've kept on going.

So for another of my things that make me happy I thought I'd share my collages for the month of July. There are lots of pictures of my walks - I've already said how much joy those walks bring me, but there are other little day-to-day things.

Days 1 - 11

Days 12- 22

Days 23 - 31

Thinking of this project and this week of looking for happy it has made me realise that sometimes it's just the little things that make us happy, make us smile. It can be something as simple as beautiful skies in the morning, passing a lovely flower, doing something that brings you joy or perhaps just a simple kind word from someone.

A Crafty Life

Another thing that brings me joy is crafting. I have done some sort of crafts for years. I remember my Nana trying to teach me to crochet (an epic fail - I still can't!) and learning to cross stitch at school. I took up cross stitching a little more seriously when I was about seventeen and haven't really stopped since. There were periods when I didn't do a lot of it, but I've always had some sort of stitching around. I started doing some scrapbooking when my children were younger and that has evolved into other papercrafting. I have (sort of) learned how to knit and I can do the basics of quilting (not my favourite though). I think crafting of some sort is a great creative outlet. There is nothing quite like seeing something come together or making someone a gift and seeing their smiles when they receive it. 

My latest cross stitch that I'm working on. It's a pattern from a magazine that I've had a long time. It will be a bunny dressed in a Christmas outfit. I thought it would be something fun for my Mum. I'm hoping she'll like it. 

More mini-albums. I really need to start filling these!

It's lovely to finally be able to have my own room where I can create things. I must admit to be a little bit messy in the creative process and my room really needs a sort and a tidy. I plan on doing that once the weather cools down a bit as it's still quite hot upstairs and I can't stay up there for too long!

Do you do lots of crafts? Is there one in particular you really like? How long have you been doing it?

I can't remember a time when my Mum wasn't creative.  She would knit us lots of different things and when we outgrew them she would take them apart and wind up the wool into balls. When she retired to took some quilting lessons at the local college and has made lots of lovely quilts. My Nana was accomplished at crochet and she used to sew the gussets on thick leather gloves to make extra money. I remember her doing it when she was (seemingly to me) quite old. Mum says she had done it for years to make some extra household money as her husband was a little tightfisted. It's lovely to know that I've continued on (in some sort of way) in the crafty arts. When I pick up a needle I often think of Mum or Nana. 

Say Cheese!

Today's thing that makes me happy and brings me joy is photography. I've always enjoyed taking photos but it's only in the last four/five years that I've actually learned how to use my camera properly. Before this I was using the automatic feature on my camera. I am happy to say that I rarely if ever use that function now. If you do and you're happy with it then that's okay. I really wanted to learn what all the buttons were used for and what they all meant but never had the time (or perhaps too many other hobbies to give it a good try!). However I decided that I was going to try to get to grips with my camera (hubby had bought me a really good one). It took a lot of work, a lot of frustration (still sometimes) but I'm really getting the hang of it. I really enjoy taking photos. When I'm out there with my camera I tend to forget about everything else and just see what I can see. My Mum says that now I see things that she wouldn't even think twice about. I think photography has made me more observant. 

In the last few months it has really kept me sane. It's given me time to forget about all that's going on in the world and try to see the beauty all around me. Speaking of which, I don't like Winter in Michigan but getting out with my camera and trying to see the beauty around me has really made me learn to appreciate a part of winter. I'm still learning - seems like there is always something new to learn. There are still so many things I want to learn. When I first started getting out taking photos I was a little weary of taking my camera with me. I felt kind of silly. Now I rarely go anywhere without it. At least in that part of my life I don't care what people think of me. I don't care if they think of me as the crazy lady who is always carrying her camera with her. In fact, I'm pretty sure some people that I see on my walk each day think that of me. 

If you find something that makes you happy, make it a point to get out there and do it.

Me and my camera today on my daily walk, looking for birds and bunnies (of which there were lots!).

I prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it. This is one I did take of myself. I was holding one of my camera while the other was on a tripod taking a photo of me. I jazzed it up in Photoshop - something I am working on getting to grips with as I like the idea of photography and art. This was certainly a challenge!

Thanks for everyone reading and commenting. Check out Jacky's blog as she's posting what makes her happy too. Dicky Bird's Nest

Day 3 - Today's Happy

I had another post planned for today, but daughter called me today and sent me a couple of photos and I realised just how happy seeing photos of her dogs made me smile. I miss them. They really are such characters. I've told daughter to send me some more photos when she gets the chance as they really make me smile.

When daughter first decided to get her husky I wasn't quite sure what to think. I knew they were pretty dogs to look at but they are also big. I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about such a big dog. Would it be scary? Would it jump up on me? Would it bark a lot? Howl? The reality was completely different and such a lovely surprise. Shasta, daughter's rescue dog, is such a beauty. She is big (even for a husky she's a little...well, husky) but she's also very gentle. As she's a rescue we're not sure of her background but I have the feeling that, at one point, she was very loved. She has always sat so nicely when children have asked to pet/stroke her. The same when it is older people. It's as though she senses when people need her to be really gentle. Even though she used to get really excited when she was taken for a walk and pulled a bit if it was icy out and you told her to go slow she would. She absolutely adores daughter. Today while daughter and I were talking Shasta decided she wanted to be a lap dog!

Daughter was trying to take a photo while Shasta was sitting on her lap!

When daughter met her boyfriend through some husky friends another two huskies were added to the mix. The dogs all get along so well. Shasta is the oldest so she has old lady status. The youngest is a little hyper but she seems to bring out the puppy in Shasta sometimes. The middle one doesn't have a lot to do with Shasta, but they do like one another. If the younger one is trying to get Shasta to play too much the middle one will play instead as though she's trying to protect Shasta. They make a lovely family together.

Shasta and the younger one. Daughter says they didn't stay put together for long lol.

This is the middle one. I like to call her Princess as she does like her home comforts. She's the one sitting on a pillow in the living room. She's quite gentle and sweet. She did take a little time to warm up to everyone when we first met but now she loves attention just like the others.

Just thinking about them really makes me smile. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to be able to live with them all the time, but I suppose, like a Nana to children, it's nice visiting or having them visit and knowing someone else has to take care of them. I love getting photos and hearing about their antics but I'm glad it's not me!

Happy Walking...Walking...Happy Walk

I feel I got a little bit more accomplished today. I did my regular jobs and did some more sorting. I actually got a few things listed on Ebay too. I am really ready (I think) to get rid of some of this stuff. It's not going to be easy to sort through things I especially like, but I feel the need to lighten myself of some of the things. I would really like to get the house decluttered and feel as though I have some space. At some point (I never thought I'd say this) but I would really like to move. If anything this six months spending more time at home has proved it is that this is not where I would like to end up living. Perhaps it's just a dream, but if it helps in getting things sorted through that's a good thing and, if this is where we end up, it will be with a cleaner and more breathable living space.

Okay - on to day two and the title of this post. What do I enjoy doing? I enjoy walking. It is something that has kept me sane the last six months. Just being able to get out in nature and look around, see the different animals, birds and the changing of the fields as I've walked through them has given me something to look forward to each day. It was a little dicey there for a while. The place I really enjoy walking and is closest to where I live was, for a while, one of a very few spaces open for walking in our city as all the rest were closed. It got very crowded, more trash was left and more dogs off leashes, but things have settled down a little now. During this time I did enjoy seeing people walking with their children who were enjoying nature and looking for frogs, ducks and such. 

My walking boots see a lot of action. They also keep my feet nice and dry!

Some of the lovely wildflowers I see on my walk. Things seem to change so much from week to week. There are flowers that die off and new ones that always seem to be popping up. The change of colours is amazing to watch. I love walking through the field and feeling as though I'm a million miles away from the city when I am in fact in the city. 

How about you? What is it that you enjoy doing? What has helped keep you sane in the last few months?