Baby Steps

Hello friends! I'm still here, slowly chipping away at the mountain. I have decided to challenge myself to a one-a-day accomplishment. I'm going to throw away or donate at least one thing every day!

It's not as daunting as it sounds. My one thing a day could be a stack of junk mail, old left-overs in the fridge, an expired and forgotten tube of mascara hiding under the sink, you get the idea.

I am not limiting myself to one thing every day, if I get on a roll then I'll just go with it, but I want to keep myself thinking along a stream-lined path on a daily basis.

Here's what I have been up to this past week (plus).



I have resumed my ongoing battle with my closet. I've managed to clean out a few shelves, I've pulled the bins fabric from the top, and cleared out some of the hangers. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer. A lot of these clothes that are left are still ones that I don't wear. Although they are the right "size", they don't fit right. I was wearing "Junior" styles when I was last this small. I've had two kids since then, I've got woman curves!

The problem is that if I just get rid of everything, there won't be anything left. I'm slowly trying to replace and upgrade my wardrobe. One good thing in, one less desirable thing out.  (The interesting blue and white pattern you see is a hand-me-down wrap dress from my grandmother. I'm still trying to decide whether I love it or not. Maybe I'll take a photo of me in it and let you decide!)

My little boys have also been "helping". I have a few boxes filled with things to donate, so I let sit them on the bed and go through those while I work.

William, my one year old, likes to lay in the clothes. Gregory, my two year old, thinks it's funny to try them on.


The day I took these photos I had just put a bunch of books into the box. The majority of them were the "obvious" donation books. (Cheap romance and YA fiction.) A lot of them have photos of horses, which excited Gregory. I love how he just cuddled in and started "reading", looking for the photos at the top of each chapter.

Things I found and kicked to the curb....

An old sewing machine that no longer works, lurking in the back of my closet under some shoes.

An expired and unneeded car seat. This photo was after I'd cut the straps. (To prevent unwitting dumpster divers from endangering their children with a car seat that is expired, which means the plastic has become brittle and dangerous in the event of an accident.)

WHAT is this, hiding under my desk??

Frickin' Baby Walker!??
This belongs to my dad. My baby hasn't used it in over six months, maybe more.
WHYYY is it still hiding out in my bedroom??
This needs to be returned. Pronto.

I'm hoping to start updating more often, especially with my One-A-Day efforts. I also have a reader-requested post in the works, about small kitchen appliances, so stay tuned for that!

Changing the Way I Shop.

We've been busy with life here, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about my new mission. In the past few days I've nearly purchased something and changed my mind THREE TIMES. Who knew that I so frequently had the urge to purchase unneeded things? Can you imagine the money I can save?

Of course, there have been even more occurrences of buyers remorse. It really is a learning process. I'll get home and realize that I bought something (or somethings) that I plain didn't need... and didn't really want. I'm going to challenge myself (and you!) to stop and think about EVERY item I place up on that counter. To consider the cost. How much time of my life am I trading to own this? Exactly where will I place it? Do I already have something that will do the job?




My little sister, who was the recipient of quite a few pieces of furniture, shared these photos with me the other day.

Our bench found new life in her sons room, serving as toy storage. Previously the toys had just been piled up in the storage.


And the TV with its stand have been set up and working great in her living room. The bottom drawer had its face fall off on the way home, but she'll able to easily repair it with a little wood glue.

I'm glad that I was able to re-home some nice furniture that I was just not using. It feels good!



Yesterday we pulled our window A/C out of storage, and while we were there I spotted and snagged the very last box of clothes that I have in storage. I've had two babies in the last 2.5 years, so to say that my weight has been fluctuating would be an understatement. Six months ago I had boxes and boxes of everything from size 6 (which is what I wore when I met my husband, 5.5 years ago) to size 17, befitting my post-baby body, to maternity and nursing clothes. Now that our youngest is 14 months old, I've managed to work my way down to a healthy (and hopefully steady!) size 8/10, the time has come for me to ditch the stuff that doesn't work.

Why am I keeping those size 17 jeans in the closet? Am I giving myself permission to once again be that size? No way! At least, not without giving birth first, and I don't plan on doing that again for quite a few years. So why am I holding onto them? Now that I have all these clothes shoved into my closet, I can't find what fits (USEFUL) and what I like (BEAUTIFUL). Aren't those the rules? Only what is useful and beautiful? If I never wear something because of a stain or snag, then there is really no point in keeping it.

So, my next project: Closet Catastrophe. Stay tuned for the carnage.