Simplifying Life

mary43

My 'Peace room' is exactly where I am now...............in my little den with computer. It's my little 'hidey hole'............name on the door (taken from a set of name plaques worn by donkeys at Skegness...............lol).Everything in this little room is my own personal taste as opposed to shared taste with OH. Photos, pictures I particularly like, my folder of drawings, bookshelves (have to share glass fronted one with OH), card making stuff, mementos of Dad, Gran............even a little bed settee............not very comfy to sit on but handy for son and his girlfriend when they visit.
Can't put piccys on as don;t have the technical stuff to do it............my camera is just a normal bog standard one.......not digital -mind you may be just as well.............bound to be odd cobwebs lurking.............can almost guarantee it...............lol

Becky_2

Hi!

This is a great thread, I have enjoyed reading it. I am hoping by writing this reply I am more likely to put in 200 photos or so in to my photo album and start going through all my clothes in my wardrobe in order to free up some space. I hope to have this done by next weekend.

Good luck to everyone.

Becky

Aril

Hello virtual friends:j
Having taken a break from decluttering for a couple of weeks [there's only so much freecycling I can do in a short space of time] I've now got going again. I've sorted out two kitchen cupboards. In one of them I discovered a pile of colouring books that the small person had barely done and an Easter Egg decorating kit...he confirmed that he didn't want either so those have gone to a freecycler today. He's also decided that he no longer wants the huge ELC frog sandpit which takes up a lot of space in our tiny garden. Unfortunately I'll have to clean it out first as he and his chum decided to fill it with water to make lakes in the sand and I then shoved the lid on several months. That should be nice and festering now:eek: Probably one to tackle at the Easter break.
A couple of short quotes tonight:
Worry is like a rocking chair- it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
[shhhh..sadly I have yet to follow his advice and instead rock frantically away in my rocking chair!!]
And one that applies to me if I overload myself and set too many deadlines. The following is the likeliest outcome:D
Another day done, all targets met, all systems fully operational, all customers fully satisfied, all staff keen and motivated, all pigs fed and ready to fly:rotfl:
Anon
Hope you like them
Aril

lilac_lady

I've had a day off today and watched my DGs. (aged 3) Children show you that a simple life is full of fun. He loved me picking him up from nursery and was happy for a full hour making a picture for his mum with christmas stickers and small pictures I cut out from old magazines. He also was so excited to have a "bubbly bath" at Granny's and went off to bed with "Night-night Granny, I love you, you're my friend", completely unsolicited. I wiped tears from my eyes and poured myself a glass of wine........even though it's not the week-end.

mary43

originally posted by aril
Worry is like a rocking chair- it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
[shhhh..sadly I have yet to follow his advice and instead rock frantically away in my rocking chair!!]

Love the quote aril and I'm doing just that at the moment...........waiting for delivery of pine dresser that was expected this morning and will now be this afternoon...............OH is beside himself about whether it will fit through the kitchen door, I spent hours yesterday clearing out the old one so am surrounding by bags and boxes of all sorts.
I said when new one arrives old one can go in the 'junk room'...........big discussion followed..............yes I know junk room needs the wall plastering and painting etc.............yes I know there's an old wardrobe to be chucked out plus small set of drawers............yes I know the clothes airer gets in the way (as does an old freezer that no longer works)..........and yes, I know all this needs sorting out............OH wanted to shove old dresser in the garage 'for now'............well then it would be out of sight out of mind and junk room would remain junk room forever.................at least if its in the room we want it to go in then we can work around it............not huge problem I thought (OH by this time rocking away in his rocking chair with a vengeance.........lol)
I'd hoped by now to be arranging nice things on this blessed dresser and get all cleared up by tea time..............at this rate I'll be at it till bedtime, either putting stuff back in the old one (if worse happens and new one doesn't fit) or delicately putting stuff on shelves........providing I find the right box or bag that they're in..................lol
Oh dear, today my life is anything but simple................and yes I'm rocking fervently away in my chair......................lol

mary43

I;ve now stopped rocking.........and so has OH ! Pine dresser is installed..........now just have to work out what I want to put on it............plus there's a patch of wall needs painting where we lazily went around the last dresser that stood there...................lol
OH has gone our for much needed pint...................:beer:
and tomorrow morning ex foster lad is coming up to help sort out the 'junk room' ..............well a bit anyway..................lol

ceridwen

Been thinking today about wmf's idea of creating a little peace corner in her bedroom and what a good idea I think that is. Many people dont have the space to have a dedicated meditation room ("peace room") - fortunately I do myself (though it does have to double up as occasional dining room). Cant say I am exactly using it a lot at present (as in very rarely:o ) - but it does help just knowing that there is a dedicated "peace spot" in the house to "escape to". I was wondering how many people have a little bit of space in their home they can claim as a "peace corner" anyway - and I do think its valuable to do so if it is possible. One doesnt have to put very much there - a big cushion (or equivalent if not so agile), low table with just one flower or candle or something else meaningful on it and the ability to turn off the electric light in the room and just use candle/s for lighting. Optional extra being a stereo for low gentle music or "natural" sounds (if your home is in a noisy environment and traffic noise/neighbours noise/whatever needs "drowning out"). Personally - I occasionally need the "drowning out" in my home - but have "natural" sounds CD's anyway - because its ALWAYS necessary if I'm brave enough to venture out to try and sit in my garden (euphemism for tiny back yard!) - as I have a pretty high background level of traffic noise nearby unfortunately. The neighbours must sometimes wonder how come they can hear the sounds of waves crashing, thunderstorms or rather more birds singing than are brave enough to venture into my neighbourhood (bit like London sparrows they would be here - not so much singing as coughing in the diluted petrol fumes that passes for breathable air in my vicinity! - just a SMALL traffic problem in my area:D ).

Off back to sort out my house a weensy bit more. Thinks...the thought has been crossing my mind at intervals about Rosieben's comment that things initially feel a bit more chaotic in the process of decluttering. Can relate to that - especially as I am in the process of swopping over to "natural" cosmetics and cleaning materials at present. I cant really afford to just ditch the "old" versions - so am using some of them up - so right at this moment I need storage space for both old and new version stuff.

Still - its a MUCH more organised loft and understairs cupboard now and the charity shop guy had a big smile on his face this morning after I had dropped some stuff off and my "head" duly feels noticeably "clearer". I just keep having a pleased little smirk to myself that I now know exactly what I have in both places and can lay my hands on it readily as required.;)

mary43

I'm still surrounded by boxes and bags of 'stuff' till Saturday when they're collected and it's turning my brain round and round.
Have arranged bits and pieces on the dresser........some didn't fit as the shelves are a different size so they've been added to the pile of 'to go' stuff...........other odds and ends are waiting for old dresser to be sorted out in 'junk room' (must stop calling it that) ...........lots of stuff can be stored in there...................oh roll on Saturday.
Have added to pile of stuff bags of wallpaper and borders...........no-one of freecycle replied so ex foster girls sister can have them as well.
Old wardrobe that was a tool cupboard also gone along with delapidated arm chair thatI wondered why I'd kept. So,kitchen looking tons better........my computer room is not !! But by Saturday afternoon I should be able to see floor space and not keep tripping over boxes to get to computer..........lol
Would dearly love a 'peace corner' but in our house its not easy. Bedroom ? Ideal if it weren't for boys up and down the stairs shouting as they go............best place is where I am now where I can shut myself off to everything and everyone else.............normally anyway.

ceridwen

<cough - "junk room"> <cough> <cough>. Now I wonder why I am thinking "that sounds like Mary's "peace room" potentially" - <cough> LOL

mary43

'junk room' ????? Oh no, dear me no ! Peace room - nothing like ! Too much 'stuff' going on there.............fridge freezer and upright freezer, old sideboard currently houseing usable paint and wallpaper and tools, old drawers with decorating stuff in, cupboard waiting for me to get around to giving it some TLC and old green dresser out of the kitchen smack bang in the middle of the floor !! Oh, not to mention clothes airer - couldn't get to that at the minute if I tried..................lol Also tons of cobwebs, plaster that needs knocking off the walls and either re-doing or, cheaper, paint the brickwork..............mind you where I'm sat now isn't a great deal better...................lol
So I shall shortly deposit my backside on the comfy sofa, blanket round my knees (comfort and warmth)and lose myself in a bit of tele..................lol:j

Best add............even if and when it's ever finished 'junk room' will always be 'junk room' one way or another in our house, I just know it...........lol
Not somewhere I could even contemplate as a peace corner...........summertimeis different..................haven of bliss at the bottom of the garden where ex foster lad created wild life garden for us with a pond, weepingwillow, wild flowers............bench given by ex foster girl and its somewhere perfect to ponder