First on the Resolution Agenda: Cleaning Out

Tired of hearing about me organize and purge? Then don't read on, I'm talking about it again. I got the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a couple of girlfriends after Christmas -part of my "girls" that I often road trip with and do my girl get-aways along side. We met up to eat and then go for a showing of New Moon. (I promise this isn't going to talk at all about New Moon) I remarked that my dad and I stayed up and watched an episode of Hoarders, on A & E and we were horrified by the conditions people would allow themselves to live in. That the majority of these individuals, although they may seem normal to meet them, clearly had mental issues that were causing this destructive and often dangerous behavior. I remarked that while watching, I just couldn't wrap my arms around how you get to the point where you are on a show like hoarders. Watching things like that show and Clean Sweep, make me want to go home and refine my purging and organizing. My girlfriends laughed and said I should create "Hoarders of Indiana" and single handedly organize one person at a time. While that seems pretty awesome- and I am flattered - for right now I'm just purging my kitchen.

I was amazed that within two hours I got it all ship shape - I make no secret that I hate my kitchen, it's ugly, the cabinets are warped, the drawers don't always work and the only redeeming thing in it is my refrigerator and the fact that my stove (not my fav) is new. One day I'll have that new kitchen, with the gleaming counter tops and cork flooring, but until then I deal with my sweet 80's kitchen. Living in this kitchen has been a good exercise I think because it has taught me to live within a small cabinet space. I have condensed my kitchen down to what I actually need and use, verses holding on to utensils, plates and cookware that rarely, if ever sees the light of day.

I also took some time to go through my recipes - I was the recipient of my grandmothers and my mothers recipes. Some I remember, some I couldn't read and some I wouldn't make if I had a gun to my head and a knife to my throat. I cleaned out those and condensed so that they fit in the containers I have. I also found a few of duplicates of my grandmother's favorite recipes in her handwriting -I am sending those to my cousin - who is also a fabulous cook, to have - I think I might frame mine - especially my Yia yia's banana nut bread - she made it every single week. You never left her house with out a loaf of banana nut bread out of the freezer - it was her signature. The recipe I have is so loved and stained, I couldn't possibly banish it to the recipe box - so I will matte it and hang it where I can see it and enjoy it every day.

So yesterday was a refinement of my current possessions - we are getting to a point where we no longer need children's silverware. My kids are capable of using the big people stuff. We are getting close (although not there yet) to not needing the plastic kid dishes or at least all of them. Same thing with cups - we're down to a few sippys for morning milk for Penny, but other than that we can all wield a cup. It makes me happy, but a little sad that we are moving into that next phase. I will say that once those items are no more I will free up yet another part of a cabinet. My goal ultimately is to have open shelves for my plates and cups - the quintessential organized space in my opinion.

Next up is my dining room, there isn't much there, but I need to go through the linens, the napkins, the place mats I don't use, serving pieces, etc. I've hosted a few holidays now, so I know what I use and what I don't. It's won't be a big project because I've done this in the past. But like a well-visit to the Doctor, I'm just doing a check up.

I think that is where most people probably struggle the most. They work so hard to clean out and to organize and then they leave it and live. I mean you're done right? Sure you are, but unfortunately we accumulate "stuff" through out the year - pictures from or of our kids, drawings, bills, paperwork, a gift, a great bargain, a hand-me-down, etc. before you know it you're back where you started - but you're organized, right? Contrary to what you might think, I'm not OCD, I don't follow people around with a dust broom and I don't compulsively give things away for fear of hoarding, but every year once or twice I get the urge to go over what I have and clean out. I figure once my kids are older, this won't happen as frequently because they won't be going through these "phases" - like needing plastic plates and silverware or toys or giving me 10 drawings a day because they love me. At some point I will have pared down to my perfect place and my cleaning out will be an annual spring thing. One of the reasons I really like to do my cleaning out now is that I'm taking Christmas down and cleaning anyway, so why not do a really, really good job? One day this will be it, it makes me excited and a bit bittersweet at the same time.

I've got quite a bit to blog about so stay tuned - I may even talk about more organizing and purging! (Aren't you excited?) I have a painting to post, two more that I am starting and I am getting my large ass in gear and will be hitting the workouts hard. I discovered pictures of myself after I had Jon, when we were renovating our last kitchen. I was disgusted at the difference. Although I need to consider the fact that it was 6 years ago, I've had two more kids, cared and lost mom and had a husband that has had jobs that have taken him away for periods of time - this all just irritates me and I've hit my breaking point. So I will be chronicling that journey as well. We've also switched web hosts, so I'll be redoing my website, recreating my blog through Wordpress and more. So stay tuned - we've got lots going on at the Page household and for Penny Pickles. Thanks again for reading and take care!

and the winner is...

So I went to random.com and used their true random number generator and I wanted to put it on this page, but had an awful time of it, so trust me the random number between 1 and 14 (representing the total comments) was 6. My 6th comment and winner is:

Farrah said...

I always love a good contest...I think it's a great and ingenious method of advertising!! You gotta love word of mouth marketing!!! Ok so I would use it for cat toys!!! Hope I win....

August 13, 2009 9:27 PM

Well Farrah, you did! Thanks to everyone who dropped by and left a comment. Farrah - email me (ann@pennypickles.net) with your address and telephone number and the color bin you would like - I will forward it on to CSN.com. Thanks again and have a great weekend!

Give away and Review....a must read!

I always find it interesting when I look at my statistics each month for who comes and goes on my website and blog. I really don't understand most of it, I'm a bit of a web-doofus when it comes to things like that - but I occasionally get hits from sites that baffle me. That brings me to today's post. I received an email a few days ago from a company, CSN Office Furniture. CSN Office Furniture sells everything from home office furniture to office accessories, storage options, shelving, craft desks, craft kits and so much more. When I got the initial email the contact person said browse our website, so I did. For hours. Then days. It was crazy - of course it was like an organizers fantasy with all the storage options (some women dream about hot men, I dream about storage solutions). They contacted me because they like my blog content - hilarious. I mean I have friends who read this, and a few strangers I am sure, but companies - ridiculous. I still think it might be part of a prank, but I love a good prank, so I'll nibble.

So I chose a product that a. I would use, and b. I would like to give away. I could have picked out something more expensive for myself to review -but I'm a giver by nature, so what would be the fun in that? I chose a collapsible bin from Skip Hop, I own a diaper bag from this company and knew their quality was top notch! It comes in a variety of colors and its uses, well I could come up with at least a hundred. For my short attention span friends, I will only include a few - I may have already lost you at this point. The obvious first use is for baby things - that is one of the pictures they show in the description on their website. For me, I have no little baby things anymore (yahoo!) so I immediately thought this could corral hair thingys for Penny. (You've all seen her hair so you know what I'm talking about.) Then I thought I could use this by putting crayons, pencils, pens and paper and take it with us to dinner, football practice, soccer practice, football games, soccer games, PTO meetings, in the car, at boring play dates (oops did I say that?), you get the point. We are B-U-S-Y and having something handy to grab and take with us to entertain the two kids not participating at the event we're attending would be great. Not to mention keeping my car from becoming a total and complete dump. (can you tell I cleaned the car out recently and am appalled at the nastiness also known as my backseat?) As a mom in the car a lot more than I would like and having a great van with a crappy center console, I can also use this to put my things, like my phone, to do list, snacks, directions, and the things I need to do, but ultimately forget to do because my kids are fighting and I am looking for the nearest cliff to drive off. I also see myself using this for around the house. My kids are in a serious love affair with legos. The have been banished to their bedroom in an effort to keep them contained. However legos have a tendency to "walk" and have known to be found in other rooms of our house. The kids blame it on gnomes, I'm not so convinced. So having a go-to bin to house "to be put away later" items is priceless. That and my phone - some how it too has developed legs and at least once a day I have to hit the find button to retrieve it from closets and bathrooms. It can stay in my bin, now if my coffee mug only had a find button...

On to my contest. Because I love you all so much, I chose this bin so that I can not only review it, but give one away to you! So here's what you do - you have to leave a comment today and tomorrow - you actually have to say something, not just hit "comment." If you don't have a blogger account, then just leave a comment anonymously, but please put your name in the comment box. You can comment as many times as you want. I will leave this open until tomorrow - Friday, August 14th at 2pm eastern standard. I will do a random drawing from all the comments. (I'll figure out some complex sorting system, or einy, meny, miney, moe) The winner will chose their color bin and I will submit their shipping information to CSN to ship directly. See win, win!

And just like that you can be a winner...

Thanks and happy commenting!

Jane of all trades, Master of ONE

Everything in its place:
So if you read here often you know I have an affinity for all things clean and organized. I really, really love to organize. I think I've told the story before, so humor me if you've heard it, but I was the nerd who would go to my girlfriends house when I was in grade school and ask, when I would stay for an overnight, if I could reorganize their closet. I really did - I have loved it from early on. I do enjoy doing my own, but lets be honest, you can only do it so much, sure you can purge, but why change a system that works? What I really love to do is other people's spaces. I had an opportunity to go up to Chicago and stay with my girlfriend Jill, for the weekend. Our goal was to purge and reorganize ALL of her closets. I was GEEKED!!!! Jill was TERRIFIED!!!!! Seriously.

I know that my dear friend had conversations with some of our mutual friends, nervous of what I was going to make her get rid of and attack her organization or lack thereof depending on the circumstances. I am happy to report that I am more of Glenda, The Good Witch, when it comes to organizing other peoples spaces. We got started in and in about 14-15 hours of hard work we had one large trash bag of garbage, 6 or 7 boxes for Goodwill and a whole lot of recycling material.

See what the problem was, and is very common is that we are so freaking busy, we just buy and shove, buy and shove. Nothing has a home base - if you don't have a common location for something you wind up with 4 tubes of burn cream or 6 or 7 packages of Nutritional Yeast. It's not just having a spot, its having space around that spot so you can SEE the home base. It's okay to have a partially empty shelf - contrary to what your mother in law might say, you don't need to fill every shelf or closet with stuff. Let it breath.

So by clearing, sorting and organizing, we were able to reuse all of Jill's bins, and she has amazing closets so we had space to spare.

Emotional attachments:

Here's where things get a bit hairy and I believe were the core of Jill's fears. Is what is important to her, going to be important to me? We all have things, something that was our grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, etc. that they gave to us and we cherish in our own way because it was theirs. I'll be the first one to admit that I do have things that I keep based on pure emotion. Honestly, people who have zero attachment make me wonder a bit. So anyway, I will be the first person to tell you to keep things that mean something to you, but USE them, put them OUT. They are doing no one any good and are not honoring the original owner in any way by storing them in a box under a bed. For example, Jill had this beautiful table cloth that her great - grandmother had embroidered. It was meticulous and definitely something that should be enjoyed, it was art. The problem was it was stained and it doesn't fit her table. So what is the solution, you can't bare to part with it, but you can't use it? Here was my suggestion and this can fit with all sorts of handmade goodies (handkerchief, ties, clothing, blankets, you get the point). Cut it, frame it and hang it up or cut it and sew a backing onto it and make it a throw pillow. You at least salvage the artwork and it can be used and/or enjoyed by you and your guests. For this table cloth I recommended hanging it as a collage of three frames, there were so many groupings of flowers that were different, that it would be a great collection of each of the designs. I think Jill liked the idea - it will still be with her and it will honor her great - grandmothers amazing talent. I have a shadow box in my kitchen of a mixed bag of things. To a stranger you might think it's just this crazy eclectic box, but to me it is all sorts of special things from my mom and grandpa. It didn't make sense to shove them in a box and put them in the basement like my mom had done for years, I had no real USE for them, so decoration they became.

In closing I'd like to share a few excerpts from an email Jill sent to Brooke (yes Jill, very little is sacred, but nevertheless I am touched, love you!!!) I am so happy and proud and excited.

OMG - it was fantastic. I feel bad, but i had no idea that she would be as calm and soothing as she was. I think i had imagined her just tearing into the closets and my clutter and just heaving things into boxes and telling me to stop being a hoarder, but it wasn't like that AT ALL! If i had the slightest hesitation, she would just listen to my explanation, and then either let it go or explain how to better save stuff. My biggest problem is holding onto to stuff for sentimental reasons (i had 20 of my Grandma's pretty lace handkerchiefs), and Ann said i wasn't respecting anyone's memory or honoring her stuff by stuffing them into a drawer. She said if i wanted to use the stuff or display it, that's one thing, but a big wad of stuff in the back of a drawer just wasn't doing anyone any good. She also gave me some ideas for saving things, but using them better.

i just feel so energized - I've cooked several dinners since she left (my stuff was so messy i probably hadn't cooked from a recipe in 2 months), and I've gotten started on some much needed projects since my stuff is in better order.

Honestly if I could be a professional organizer I would, I'd chuck my paints and needle and thread and travel the country fixing one room at a time, but until then (or until Oprah calls me) I'll just do what I do each day. A little bit of everything!

Thanks!

One of the roses from Dad's garden, we visited there before we headed up to Jills. Just wanted to share - it's just so peaceful and pretty.

My 100th post - simplicity

While I feel bad taking Gabriella's place, I feel this sense of urgency to post about something that has been weighing on me for a while - simplicity.  It has been coming to me in small waves the need to have less, the desire to do more, to shift my focus from things that don't matter to things that have the utmost importance.  Today I just need to share them, publicly declare them, make them more real.  

I feel a bit like this..

Purging:  

No not THAT kind of purging, but if you know me at all I am constantly purging.  How can you constantly purge?  Well, honestly I don't know, it is amazing how "things" have importance one day and then two weeks later they don't.  When Ryan and I first graduated from college and moved in with one another we had A LOT of stuff.  Things that we have accrued while at college, furniture, portfolio stuff, high school memorabilia, childhood things, clothes, you name it - not to mention the stuff WE finally had the money to buy - nicer clothes, a few things from Pottery Barn, some antiques. When we moved from our modest sized home to our current home that in my opinion is pretty big, it was a whole new game.  Our house is deceptive in size from the looks of it, but we have over 3500 sq feet in this house and all but about 500 of it is finished. That is a lot of house in my opinion.  It is easy to want to fill the spaces- furniture, things. We've done well, but after mom moved in and all of the things she brought with - it gave us a whole new challenge.  Now that mom is gone, it has been harder than normal to purge some of the things in this home.  I try hard to keep the words of my Yia yia in my mind, "it's just stuff, it doesn't bring people back" when I look at things I want to donate.  These prophetic words from a woman who left Greece at age six and had to leave her favorite pet goat forever to come to America!  She knew what she was talking about! 

My mom was a keeper, so as you can imagine I have had (still have) a lot of stuff to go through. I've done well, pictures and memorabilia are the hardest because my children are so young - they won't really know who their yia yia was as a person throughout her life.  Sure I will tell them, but nothing beats holding her cheerleading letter in their hands, just as it is for me to hold the amateur boxing program and see my grandfather's name in it.  So I try as I may to simplify everything - I am the keeper of generational memories and fortunately and unfortunately I will undoubtedly pass this legacy down to my children.

Not to leave you with thinking I am a hoarder, I have passed most of these memory items, pictures and such on to my cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family.  I try to only keep what is really important to me and generally what is really important to me I hang on my walls (thus I have the butter paddles of my mom's on the wall in my kitchen in a shadow box with other items that were parts of my grandfather's life as a launderer).  Ryan and I both have the philosophy that if something means something to you, that you put it out, hang it up and display it so that you can enjoy it and share it.  What good does it do in a rubbermaid tote? That is also why in Penny's room she has two shelves filled with antique dolls of my mom's.  I have my grandmother's suitcase that she always used to travel filled with more doll clothes and things to fix antique dolls - this has been downsized from THREE containers to one - so I am pretty proud of my organizing skills.  

the living room

I try to loosely embrace the idea of Feng Shui - not to the core, but the idea of having so much STUFF that it clogs up the energy flow of your home, yourself.  I believe it - now I am not a supporter of having a home devoid of all things but we try to generally have our rooms pretty simple - seating, a table  and some pictures on the walls.  Our bedrooms are generally a bed, nightstands and a bookshelf or dresser.  Penny's room is the most filled because her doll things are there, but even then it isn't too bad.  Our bookshelves are our one case where they are filled to the brim with books - but I think those bring their own positive energy into an environment. 

I love the feeling of sitting in a uncluttered room or when I've just dropped off a few boxes to goodwill or the local shelter.  It feels like freedom, peace - knowing that I have removed something I don't need, and gave it to someone who could use it.  I try to think about individuals around the world from the most basic to even our European counterparts. I love watching house hunters international when their in Europe - England in particular.  They are looking at these 600 sq ft flats that cost as much if not more than my home and they are thrilled with the space!  Wow - that is an eye opener.  So if you take anything away from this way too long, rambling post - take this - that its okay to have things but have them where you can see them, use them, because an item loses its value if it has no use.  Look at the boxes in the closet, garage, attic - if you don't know what's in them, you don't think you'll use it - get rid of it, purge it and feel the freedom!

Thanks for humoring me on my spree - we'll see what tomorrow brings!

I had intended to cover a few more items here, but realize that this post would go on FOREVER, so I will save them for each day this week.  Gardening, Eating at home, Home organizing, Greening the Pages and Family time will have to wait. I think with the light at the end of the tunnel of winter shining brighter, and the fact that for our family of five to go to Dairy queen costs nearly $20, I felt compelled to get all my thoughts lined up so I can be more organized heading into spring.