by Susan Lobb Porter | Clutter challenge, Life |
A brief detour before resuming Clearing Space. Very brief. Like, you’re almost there. But first–
Confession: I am a groundhog, ku-ku-ku-ju. In other words, I have my very own minor holiday as my birthday. I am soooooo special!!!
Look what sister Perci gifted me with:
A Goddess Graphite! OMG, is she a pencil? A sculpture? Both??? YES! She will MAKE art and BE art, imagine that! I couldn’t think of a better addition to my studio.
And now back to Clearing Space, my daily 15 minutes (not more, not less) practice of de-cluttering my home and my life. This is day 4, the sideboard.
There wasn’t too much clutter to remove here, a few Christmas things, tree lights, an angel. And a bright orange playground ball I used for some exercise. A couple of dog leashes and chew toys. The tools and left over parts from assembling the treadmill. Leftover parts? Hmmm… And the wheels I took off the over-the-bed-hospital-table I use as a computer desk for the stationary bike and now for the treadmill as well. Four of ’em.
Well, maybe there was more than I thought. Which is a lesson about underestimating the amount of crap we have. But it’s GONE now. The only things that hasn’t found a permanent home are the treadmill leftovers. I’m not sure what to do with them…so they’re on the window seat. Temporarily. Until I look at the assembly instructions again. Oh yeah, they were there too.
After a nice polishing I returned a few of the photos, the handblown glass balls, a heart and the Madonna sculpture I made years ago. BTW, Madonna has an extra boobie, maybe 2 on her hat. Just because I could.
Then I took the photo. Took one that shows the dining room in the distance, just to show you it’s STILL clutter free from two days ago. YAY!!!
That’s a good sign because two days is a lifetime in clutter land. I’m noticing a change in habits already. I don’t walk in and immediately toss things on the table. I’ve been putting things away after I use them. Throwing things out that need to go away. The true test will be when I tackle the one corner of the kitchen counter, the de facto clutter magnet where every day every things pile up.
I’m saving that one for another day. I’ll give you a heads up before I do it so you can send some good mojo my way. I’m going to need it.
So how are you guys doing? Are you clearing vicariously through these posts or have I inspired you to give it a go? Remember, 15 minutes every day. That’s all you need to start making a dent in your stuff.
But please don’t send any of it to me!
As always sweetums–xoxo
by Susan Lobb Porter | Life |
Welcome to my February challenge, Clearing Space, a 15 minute daily practice dedicated to reclaiming my home…reclaiming my life, one small area at a time. Fifteen minutes, no more, no less. And nothing can be shuffled off to another space. It must be put away where it belongs, thrown away or recycled.
And because this is an art blog there will be an arty ‘after’ photo to inspire. ‘Before’ photos would only be too upsetting and might land me a gig on some cheesy cable reality show. And I have too much on my plate to be a TV celebrity of the hoarding kind.
Although I might be open to a guest appearance on Ellen. Might as in YES! Pick MEEEEEEE!
Note to Ellen: See below.
Today’s project: Day 3, the dresser.
It was my father’s dresser, a lovely old mahogany thing with slider trays in the top drawer and dividers in the next couple down. I was always fascinated by it as a kid, that it had all these clever ways for organizing his stuff.
Well now it’s mine. The top drawer with the sliders and dividers is a jumble, as are the other five. But this is not about the drawers, their day will come. And trust me, their contents are shocking enough to warrant their own post in this series.
This post is about the top. The part that people see when they walk into the bedroom. Not that there’s much foot traffic in our bedroom but I see it. And Mr. Spouse sees it.
Or maybe we don’t see it.
Because when I had at the pile today I discovered:
- The ratty old baseball cap Mr. Spouse wears when working outside, the one he’s been looking for for quite some time. The one I snatched from the jaws of a dog in the middle of the night, tossed it on the dresser where I was reasonably sure she couldn’t retrieve it. And then I went back to bed and forgot all about it.
- A lovely sweater Dear Daughter hasn’t worn in 10 years and no longer wants and “Why do you still have that thing anyway, Mama? Give it away”
- The Christmas table runner I couldn’t find at Christmas. And several empty department store bags from Christmas shopping.
- A brand new unopened pack of panties I vaguely remember buying. Bright cheery colors just in time for spring. Except the teal with daisies. My ass doesn’t do daisies. Seriously. Just. Doesn’t. That gem might become a paint rag right off.
- Four perfectly good pens (three blue, one black), one broken pencil and two thick luscious rubber bands. Oh, and a roll of Scotch tape.
- Two notebooks and a notepad, grocery list still attached.
- Drugstore reader cheater glasses. Two pair mine, one Mr. Spouse. Although maybe his is actually prescription. Note to self: Be sure to show him those glasses.
- A grocery checkout women’s magazine that guarantees I will lose 184 pounds by March 1. Unfortunately March 1 is coming up way too soon to fulfill that promise. And if I lost 184 pounds I would not only cease to exist, there would be nothing left of me–not one single atom–to remember me by, just a black hole of she who used to be. I think there’s some sort of quantum theory about that sort of thing but as math was never one of my strengths I just have to make one up. Which is what theoretical physicists do anyway.
- The rough outline of an online class I want to teach. Mixed Media. Start saving your pennies because you know you want to take it. And by the time you’ve got the money I might have the class ready.
- Customer service number for the phone company along with my not too concise notes as to why I was calling them. Something about wtf are you charging me this for!!! Except if I remember right I started off polite–I always start off polite–and they were polite and everything worked out fine. So WTF never crossed my lips.
- Pajama bottoms
- Five CDs.
- One Kettlebell book, one QiGong book and one book about attitude and weight loss, which if I’d read that women’s magazine I wouldn’t need.
- One rock. A nice rock. I’m sure it meant something to me at one time or another.
- One clock radio which unfortunately has to stay. At least as long as I’m employed.
Sounds like a lot, like a humongous pile. But the thing is, it didn’t look like that much stuff. It really didn’t. I can be a neat stacker when it comes down to it.
Am I protesting too much?
Well, whatever. That was then. This is now.
The Dresser
One more exhale…. 25 to go. Ahhhhh…. Feels so good!
What do you think? Cleared any clutter lately? Would love to hear whatever’s on your mind (unless it’s politics) in the comments below.
See you tomorrow!
xoxo
Side note to Ellen: I dance and I tells jokes (as long as you don’t need both the set up and punchline). But most of all my friend Laura would be sooooo jealous if I was on your show. Laura would be an okay guest too, I guess, so you could have us both. She does chicken tricks. Call me, okay? I’ll see if I can clear my calendar.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Beloved Beasties, Life, Mr. Spouse |
This is day 2 of Clearing Space, a personal challenge for the month of February wherein I will release clutter from my environment, as much as I can in 15 minutes on any given day, 15 minutes being my limit when it comes to housework. Which could be why the place is a mess in the first place.
And because this is an art blog, I will take arty ‘after’ photos.
Today’s challenge: The dining room.
We have, in real estate parlance, a formal dining room. Formal as in a designated room of it’s own, not in what goes on there. Oh sure, Mr. Spouse and I dress for dinner. . . in the same clothes we wore all day. And sometimes, if it’s a weekend and we’re feeling particularly slovenly, the same clothes we wore the day before.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is it’s a formal dining room and we rarely eat there naked.
Naked dining being informal and that just wouldn’t do now, would it? Besides the obvious spilling problem, Mr. Spouse would discover the secret behind my skinny jeans. And I already know his truth. Pluh-eeze. Let’s just say we’re at the point in our relationship where clothing is preferred, not optional.
Lately the diningroom has become the UPS drop zone although FedEx has been known to encroach upon it too. It’s the place where important packages languish on the table. Languish, like the lazy bums they are. UNOPENED. And those that were opened are languishing empty, little packing peanuts and wads of paper proving great amusement for the cat. And for the little dogs who are NOT SUPPOSED to get on the table but they do.
I know they do because I am their mother and mothers know these things. And besides, I’ve seen them up there (insert your favorite expletive meaning shit here).
The table seats eight, but recent clutter creep has banished the two of us, Mr. Spouse and moi, to the far end. Dining in the kitchen nook is not an option, as least not yet, as the kitchen table is where mail, magazines and laptops dwell. Let’s not forget the laptop case that has become the favorite resting place of Kitty, she of the packing peanuts in the dining room fame.
Note to self: When Kitty dies bury her in the laptop case. She would be very happy there for all eternity and then you have the excuse to buy a new case. Red, the red one.
So being that the kitchen is farther down on the clutter clearing calendar and dinner is an every night affair (about the only affair in my life, trust me) I decided to tackle the dining room today.
Dining Room
Fifteen minutes. That’s all it took. I’m still wondering why I didn’t do this before. I mean, really, why did I wait so long?
Be back tomorrow. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
xoxo
by Susan Lobb Porter | Choices, Life, Porterosa |
OK sweetums, yesterday I publicly declared that my focus for the month of February (besides writing and arting, that is) will be the daily de-cluttering of the physical space in which I dwell. Fifteen minutes (no more) a day, with ‘after’ photos. ‘After’ photos that I will explore enhancing with new apps, ever the creative multi-tasker that I am.
If you didn’t read yesterday’s post go read it now. You’ll see that I was flush with victory from completing the 30 Paintings 30 Days challenge and was up for anything. And 15 minutes? (Shrug) After the painting challenge, that’s a piece of cake.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. It still does, actually. Today I found myself wandering around the house, poking at piles of clutter like the wicked witch poking Hansel and Gretel, checking to see who had the most fat on their bones.
But I wasn’t ready to gnaw on the fattest pile, like the master closet or spare bedroom, not so early in the challenge. I settled instead for an appetizer…the coffee table.
If you’ve been reading this blog for the past month when I undertook the ginormous task of learning to make art on the iPad while in the midst of a thirty day painting challenge, you might recall that I made most of the art while on the sofa with my feet stretched out on the coffee table. It was a cushy studio. No wet paint involved but there were plenty of sketches, loose papers, pens, reference photos, magazines and assorted STUFF. Piles of ’em.
So tonight I put it all away. Or threw it away. Then I polished the table. And because I was getting into this this tidying thing I moved over to the sofa and fluffed the cushions. Folded the lap blankets too.
Took all of 15 minutes. Really. And now I’m looking at this lovely, inviting, clutter-free mini zone and finding myself exhaling.
Clearing space, day 1
And I want to keep it that way.
What do you think? Are you doing this with me (waving at ‘cha Kelly!). Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
xo
