Non-Kitchen Project

While we are waiting for a certain major holiday to celebrate before we start on the kitchen, we are saving a few more dollars, measuring twice, getting the plans printed up, cabinets, counter top and sink ordered and trying to decide on a floor to get our kitchen remodel underway. We are so ready to have a beautiful and functional kitchen!

While we are waiting to get that party started, I've been working on a few organizing adventures.

I am totally on a back and forth with things coming and going out of our house. I recently inherited my mom's belongings. She has lived in the same house for about 60 years. She also had a very hard time throwing anything away. 

Like really really hard.

So, I spend a few hours each week making decisions about what to keep, what to give to other family members, what to sell and what to donate. Some things are pretty easy. Sea horse painting from the 40's painted by my Aunt Bonnie? Give to my Aunt Bonnie. Marriage license dated 1873 for a family member? Keep. Box of old (but not that old) keys? Trash.

But some things are not so easy to make a quick decision about. Fiesta Ware pitcher? Love it, but I already have one. So I bring it home to noodle on it for a while. I think I am going to sell it after all  Cool old glass and metal animal feeder? Very cool. Would love to keep it, but not sure what to do with it. After a month, I decide to give it to a friend who has chickens. She is in love.

So this thing with stuff coming and going in my house. It's hard. Hero and I are on a path of keeping things that we love or find useful, and eliminating the rest. It is so not easy. We sold the big house a year ago to really help us on that path. And we are doing pretty good. We did away with about 40% of our stuff when we moved and got settled into the small house. Less to clean, less to maintain, less to worry about. More time for more important things. And we are continuing to edit to make our home the best it can be without clutter or unnecessary extra goods.

But bringing in a few boxes of quick edited things home each week is throwing off our groove. Not to mention a few pieces of furniture and other things that won't fit in a box, like a mantle clock and swords (Yes, swords). 

My strategy is to go through the boxes within a few days of bring them home, and making decisions about their status in our home. Sometimes bringing things home makes it much more clear about their fate - Lots of it ends up in the donation box or on Ebay. And that donation box hits the road right away. The Ebay and Craigslist stuff has to hang around a little longer until it has a new home, which makes me a little bit crazy. Since it doesn't have a home at our house, it kind of floats around. Ugh. 

As this project will be going for a while, I have to come up with a better plan for the floaters. Like find a temporary home that is not the kitchen table, but not so far so it doesn't get too comfy. 

And after Easter, we will be creating even more craziness while we take our kitchen out of commission for a few weeks.

What kind of projects are you working on?