Day 22 - More Dresses!
Day 22
This was the 3rd pass through the girl's closet and I think we are finally rid of everything that doesn't fit, isn't liked or is stained. (And probably a few more after that..) I think their closets are in great shape for the new year. And I am confident there is plenty of room for anything new that they might get for Christmas. (Assuming they stay on the "Nice" list of course. ;-)
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Day 23
Day 23 - Toy Bins
We took one last look through the toy bins in Neely's room. There are so many toys that she has out grown or that missing of broken pieces. But not anymore.. ;-)
Day 24 and 25
We decided to go all out on the last 2 days. These bags contain about 75 items. Toys and games with missing pieces, stuffed animals, coats that we;ve outgrown and more....
I never would have dreamed on Dec 1 that we actually had this much stuff to give, trash, or sale. We keep a really tidy house. I would have considered us organized and efficient in almost every aspect of our home. (We have too - to keep things moving and make sure everything gets done.) But I was completely amazed at how much clutter we were able to eliminate by letting go of things. It feels great to have a clutter free house - and a clutter free life. But I think this may just be the beginning.
Day 19
Day 19
6 Old Drawer Handles
5 Cans of Modeling Clay
4 Jars of Model Car Paint
3 Broken Barbies
2 Curtain Rods
1 Bag of Stuffing
And a few other things from 'round the house.
Day 20 - More Magazines!
Day 20
Can you believe that I found more magazines! An entire drawer full. This is way more than 25 things. (Almost double that) But I trashed them all. ;-)
Day 21 - Media
Day 21
I'm not sure why I have been storing all these VHS tapes when I don't even own a player. Neely didn't even know what they were - I don't think she's ever seen one.
We donated a lot of the movies - Being sure to trash any that were no longer play-worthy. And found a few other things to total our 25 items for today.
Sorry for the delay in the post! As Christmas grows closer it seems that the days are going by a little faster than usual. Here is a peek at what Day 15-18 looked like.
Day 15 and 16
You'll have to trust me on this one. I decided to go through the toy chests in each of the girls rooms. I did not take any pictures because I can't afford to have any evidence of what is missing. You parents know exactly what I mean. The second you decide to give something away it becomes their "favorite toy in the world." We eliminated 50 toys. Most were good enough to donate to the local church. And there were quite a few stuffed animals. (I think those things multiply when you aren't looking.)
Day - 17
Ok, We actually delivered all of these yesterday (16th) - but I'm counting them as our 25 things for the 17th. Pictured are are 25 gifts that were delivered to school and work for all of the lovely folks who make our days brighter. A special Thanks to all of our teachers - We appreciate you for all that you do! Merry Christmas.
Day 18
Odds and Ends. Alright folks, this is starting to get a little difficult - Which can only mean we are getting to those tough, important decisions. There aren't a lot of "easy" give-trash-sale-aways left at this point. I think the next few days are really going to test our commitment to this project.
Day 18's 25 items was just a bunch of odds and ends. Some coats, hats, purses, and a few torn tu-tus. Several Bent Christmas tins and a few more pairs of shoes.
25 Days to Give it, Trash it, or Sale it - Magazines!
Day 11 - Magazines
I'm not sure why printed phone books even exist anymore?
Doesn't everyone just hop on line or call information when they need a number?
So the phone book, along with 24 other outdated magazines found the way to the trash on Day 11.
Day 12 - Cosmetics and a few Clothes
Day 12
Let's pretend that we don't see that box of soap called "Persistent Determined" - I really can't explain it.
And the "time on my hands" did NOT give me time on my hands, FYI.
Day 13 - Shoes and Such
The 25 items on day 13 came out of frustration. I was looking for a certain pair of shoes (which ended up being found under Neely's bed - she likes them too!) and decided that I would throw away shoes until every pair would fit onto the shelves in my closet. It worked.
I also found a few old wallets and games along the way.
Day 14 - Gift Bags
I finally finished wrapping every last birthday and Christmas gift that will be delivered this month, and decided it would be a great time to get rid of some of those gift bags that I'm never going to use.
I think getting to tear the paper off of a pretty wrapped package is a lot more fun than opening a bag. So I'll only be wrapping gifts from this point forward - No More gift bags.
When Ava came home from School in September, excited about auditioning for a play, we had no idea what was in store for us.
She got a part as a Street Performer and couldn't have been more pleased! There were over 200 children raging in ages from 5 to 18 in the production. It was the first time in the history of Spartanburg County that multiple schools (4 from District 5) joined together to perform a play.
Ava went to rehearsals sometimes as often as 3 times per week - it took a lot of practice and coordination to get 200 students all moving in the same direction. (Of Course Ava's Part was flawless - but I'm not exactly the most objective judge.)
Her favorite part was her costume and 18th Century Hair Style. You've never seen a girl more excited about curls and a bouncy pony-tail. It was lots of fun and a great way to kick-off this Holiday Season.
Day 8 - Pantry
Day 8
Over 40 items donated to our local Food Bank We were invited to a Christmas Party and requested to bring a canned good to donate to a local food pantry that is in desperate need. (So many of them seem to be this year.) We'll we could hardly show up with just one little can of beans, so we decided to go through the pantry and see what we could find.
We ended up with a big bag of canned goods and other dry-good items that would be perfect to donate to the food pantry. All of them were items for which we had duplicates. (I usually take advantage or sales and coupons to stock up on our favorites.) It was great share those with folks that need them.
And now, finding something for dinner is lot easier. I can actually see what we have in the cabinets. I'm pretty sure that just shaved off about 10 minutes from our daily meal preparation time. Meaning we have more time to spend together as a family. Doing those things that are most important to us.
Day 9 - Kitchen
Day 9
Everybody has one somewhere. That cabinet that exists to cram those things that don't seem to fit anywhere else. You just hope no one else ever opens the door. I just eliminated mine. Yay! And we played for over an hour with all of the "thought-they-were-lost" barbie shoes and accessories that we found.
This particular cabinet was in our kitchen, so there were quite a few kitchen items as well.
Salt and Pepper Shakers, cookie cutters, candle holders, outlet extenders, an ironing board cover, a mirror, 2 picture frames and more. Plus more Barbie shoes than I care to count.
Day 10 - Kitchen
Day 10
Back in the Kitchen Today, eliminating all kinds of things that are getting in our way. (Please do not mention the Decorative, Easter deviled egg tray that you see pictured here.) Enough said.
Kitchen....Check!
We've been dreading it - But it's time to take on the storage closet in our garage. And i have to say, It's wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. We found lots of items to donate and even more to throw away. (My friends at Goodwill were happy to see me - Maybe I should take breakfast next Saturday.)
Looks like we are going to continue with the storage closet tomorrow too. (Why were we storing all that stuff? Silly.) The new space and organization system in the closet is going to allow me to put up and take down holiday decorations in half the time. Which means more time that I get to spend baking cookies and watching Christmas Specials with Ava and Neely. And that is what it's all about.
More clothes! Day 5 brought a quiet Sunday afternoon and lots of time to take on the girls rooms. (And now that all of those dresses are out of the way - we have more room to work with!)
Most of the items from today went straight to Goodwill. (By the end of the month, I'm going to be on a first name basis with all of the attendants at the drop off.)
Pajamas, t-shirts, sweat-shirts and jackets....it's all gone. Yippee! (And yes - there are still plenty of things in the wardrobe of our Ava and Neely fashionistas)
How are you doing with the challenge?
I'm hearing lots of great things from those of you who have decided to do this in your homes too!
Day 4 - Books
Day 4 took us to the book shelves. Books! I have books everywhere - and my family would tell you that most of them are of the "boring business book variety." (I also have an e-reader that I adore - so it is time go completely electronic.) This was my criteria for giving or trashing books. (Books never fall in my "sale it" category.) If a book is a hard cover and signed by an author, and I liked it...then I keep it. Everything else goes. Everything!
The stack of books you see pictured here are just the first 25. I was actually able to go way beyond my goal of 25 things today. All were donated or passed along to friends. (Most of my friends do not share my appreciation for books of the "boring business book" variety)
I made copies of special recipes, quotes, and plans from certain books, and sent them to their new electronic file on my computer.
Neely and Ava really had a great time going through their books and selecting the ones they wanted to give away. We spent a lot of time talking about our favorite stories and remembering the times when we first heard them. It was lots of fun and a big relief to see all those now empty spaces.
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