Simplifying Life

mary43

I can find a home for all the stuff thats currently 'living' in my plant trough - think it just sort of got put there -as things do sometimes...........maybe if I did fill it with artificial plants of some sort at least it wouldn't be overflowing with other 'stuff'...............and can you believe ceridwen...........in my new dresser I've got two empty drawers..........!!!! Yes...........two !!!!!
Now I think thats pretty good..............normally I'd have just had to find/get/buy something to put in them....................lol but not any more........:T
(thinks to self................umm.....might even paint plant trough to give it new lease of life!)
Starting to feel more positive about tomorrow now despite OH feeling down in the mouth over a silly DVD............out will come my paint pot...........if it stands still long enough it'll be a sort of sage green..................lol
Now off to console OH a bit..........bless him:A

Greenshieldstamp_2

Just a thought on the plant trough Mary 43,

How about making it a memories place and keeping special things in there that you enjoy looking through and that give you a lift. Sometimes we put everything away for safekeeping and it is nice to have some things out to look at more often, and special things are all different shapes and sizes.
Maybe things you have from your foster children etc.

Maybe you could ask people to change the things in the trough around every now and again so you have 'new' surprises to look at. (They need't be new things, just items you haven't looked at for a while). Just as we change clothes around for winter / summer etc. then change the memory things around and rediscover them.

The other thought would be is is a suitable size to keep your craft things in.

I am loving my shiny sink - I am puzzled how something that was annoying me, is now bringing me pleasure now I have simplified things and got rid of the washing up bowl. Weird how things work out.

Take care everyone and have a good day tomorrow

ceridwen

mary....well 2 drawers clear is a start...one doesnt have to fill a space just because its there. Just think to yourself "I dont feel I have to climb Mount Everest just because its there.....I'll just study the view instead". I have this feeling you'd feel bereft if we encouraged you to go for Zen-like simplicity in your home:D

I "itch" to fill a bit as things are somewhat clearer than they were - but will remind myself "More to clean/more to move" (if I ever get the chance of moving to a "forever home"). My mother - on the other hand - comes into my place and frowns and frequently makes comments about getting rid of a lot of my stuff. I know shes itching to throw most of what I have (or - to be more accurate - to sit there and direct me as to what she feels I should throw next;) - but, studying her kitchen cupboard recently, I was thinking they barely have enough crockery to eat off now - as shes chucked so much). Now - my parents home is beginning to resemble a Zen Monastery (catholicised version).

mary43

Hi all

Hope this link works............I got it from another site and it really is beautiful and make me feel much better
Virtual Therapy for the Soul - Has Anyone Told You?

Greenshield - would be a lovely idea to transform it into a sort of memory box but its not big enough...........its narrow and not very deep......its basically four spindle type legs (thin black ones -very 60's) and a narrow open topped trough...........hence the problem with 'what to do'
Might put my 'painting hat' on this afternoon, empty it all out and give it a bit of a makeover.............that might also give me an idea what to put in it.

wmf -I know what you mean about keeping things because they belonged to Mum or great auntie whoever...........in fact I've got a silver plater teapot/jug/bowl and tray -very ornate and not my sort of thing. It belonged to my Dads cousin and when he died his wife sent it to me as a keepsake. Well, because its not my taste its shoved in the bottom of a blanket box. I got it out the other week all set to get rid of it. I don't really want to give it away - I'd sooner get a few quid for it and get something more personal that I can then say was from Dads cousin...........something that would take up far less space........piec of jewellry maybe ? I've also got brooches that were my grans but somehow the time isn't quite right to get rid of them......one day maybe. I've got Mums china cabinet with the tea set from Gt Aunt Annie - I'll never use it but while Mums still around I don't feel I can 'out' that either, nor the two remaining plates from grans that were part of a wedding present for her. I don't like them I have to admit and would prefer to look at something else. One little box of 'dads bits' will be on its way to my youngest son among his birthday stuff so thats a start and I'm feeling more determing that anything I might have in future must either be useful or give me pleasure. Mums old tea set from my childhood is another thing I can't bring myself to get rid of............not while she's around. But the time will come for all these things I know.

OH has gone off to buy another dvd player..............it will hardly 'simplify' the tele area.............lol Yet another machine, more wires etc. But if it keeps him happy then who am I tto get in the way of that.

Well, it's time I set to and did another 'retro sweet box' for ex foster lad for easter, then attacked an old cupboard with a touch of 'shabby chic'.......then the plant trough.................lol

natman

Hi, living life nice and easy -

I was reading an article about a couple who wanted to do just this and decided to live their lives as if it was the 1920s-30s

They got rid of their mobile phones so no one could harrass them
They got rid of the TV as they were sick of the depressing news
They bought all clothes from charity shops and recycled like mad

Apparantly they have very little stress...................

Dont know if this is extreme - but it seems to work for them.

Looking at some posts on here - we are all craving the 'when were on holiday life is better' So how do we create a life, where it feels like we are on holiday!!!!! I may go to work in my speedos tommorow.. hhaa

mary43

natman - OH would want to keep the tele - I'd want to get rid of it
I'd want to keep the phone -land line and mobile...........OH would hapily disconnect the lot
Already get our clothes from charity shops and stuff for pressies as well...........lol

Think the 'holiday' feeling would have to be a state of mind..........get ourselves to feel as though we were on holiday, not rush around so much to get here there and everywhere, not worry if 'stuff' doesn't get done...........there's always another day and why not have a go at playing at being a 'tourist' in your home town ? I've done that..............taken myself down to the shops -purely pleasure shopping, pooped into the local patisserie for a huge chocoate drink and watched the world go by............if only for half an hour.

misty-moodles

Hello everyone, I love this thread, thank you Ceridwen for starting it and all for contributing to it, especially the wonderful quotes and thoughts for the day.

We've fairly recently moved house and I've really tried to declutter us (although we still managed to move with boxes of stuff that I look at and think 'why on earth did that come with us?' My slight problem is that MIL is (sometime this year) going to be moving in with us. Her house is on the market at the moment and is so, so cluttered. We are trying to declutter her in an effort to get the house to sell, but she is so attached to her ornaments (she still has things that were her grandparents, MIL is 75) she literally has hundreds of them. We keep gently trying to say to her that we just haven't got room for hundreds of ornaments but I don't think the message is sinking in. She has recently, and reluctantly, sent some things off to auction, but its a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean. I can see that we will be drowning under a sea of ancient tea-cups!

Any suggestions gratefully received on how we delicately and without hurting her feelings, try to get her to release some ornaments!

mary43

Hello misty

You could suggest to your MIL that she puts some of her things in boxes and then rings the changes now and then...............one lot out and on display then maybe come christmas time, put them away and fetch another lot out. She may well realise once she's moved in that the space is more limited than maybe she first thought and it just might make her decide which things are the most precious to her.
I'm the worlds worst I have to say, for hoarding bits and pieces particularly of a sentimental value but I'm trying bit by bit to clear the clutter as it were.
It's not easy and some people (like your MIL and me) do get attached to things.
You never know, if she gets some money from the auction she might feel its not a bad way to have a bit of extra money for herself.
Good luck..........it won't be easy. :j

Charis

misty-moodles wrote: »

We keep gently trying to say to her that we just haven't got room for hundreds of ornaments but I don't think the message is sinking in.

Any suggestions gratefully received on how we delicately and without hurting her feelings, try to get her to release some ornaments!

If she is anything like my late MIL, gently doesn't do anything. Tell her she can have as many ornaments on display as she wants...in her own room. Put shelves in there if necessary. The rest can be carefully packed and go into storage, for which MIL will pay. Hopefully she will soon realise that is a waste of money and then maybe you can persuade her to give some of it to her descendents while she is still alive, so she can be sure that it goes to whoever she would like, rather than a job lot to a dealer. The alternative, if you have room, is to pack it into removal sized boxes and store them in the loft, rotating periodically so she has new treasures to look at. Once they creep into your living space there will be no going back

misty-moodles

Hello Mary and Charis, thank you both for your replies.

Some really useful suggestions there, actually Charis I think my MIL sounds very much like your late MIL in that 'gently' doesn't really have any effect at all - I think I'm being a bit too careful with her, she does take offence very easily! She's never really had to compromise at all in her life and rather expects everyone else to fall in to line with her way of thinking.

I was thinking along the lines of shelves in her room, and love the idea of rotating things - that could work really well - thank you both for suggesting that.

I'm hoping the auction will go well and the money raised spur her on into further decluttering, but I think its rather a forlorn hope. I think we're going to have some interesting times ahead! Wish me luck!