But I psyched myself up and decided to tackle the closet. I moved my iHome into the bedroom so I could listen to my book (A Thousand Splendid Suns) while I fought my side of the closet. It was grim. I couldn't believe how much I had stuffed in there.
I took it all out and piled it on the bed, then went through it item by item to decide whether to keep it, trash it or donate it to DI. It's really not a very big closet, so how did I have so much in there? I worked on the closet for an hour, then got a last-minute invitation for lunch from my dad (very rare). I dropped everything and met him at The Pizza Factory (blast, I forgot to take a self-portrait, probably because he wouldn't have been cooperative.) Then I went to the school for an hour to help in Landon's class room, fortunately Whitney's class was at an assembly so I didn't have to stay to help in there...woohoo (not that I don't like to, just that it was a time bonus for me).
I hate the tangle of hangers everywhere, whether they are in the closet or on the bed. Hangers make me crazy! I returned home and had another hour to work on the closet before picking the kids up from school. I worked like a machine and made a serious dent before I picked them up.
I ended up with 2 bags of clothes and shoes to donate to DI, one whole bag to trash (bleach stained clothes, holey t-shirts, etc.) and a bag of maternity clothes (hello!) to return to Michelle. It felt great to lighten the load in there. Now I have a surplus of hangers, know where everything is, have room to move, and know that the things I have in there actually fit (for the most part).
I was still working on the room when Randy got home from work and ended up being in there until 7:30pm! I cleaned off my desk (I should have taken a before photo, it was horrific) which meant taking everything off of it, dusting it (hence the title of this post), and sorting through everything on there. It was a big job. I don't know why I let so much accumulate on there. I ended up recycling a ton of papers, trashing a bunch of stuff and then putting other things where they actually go. Now I can actually see my desk! I even took all the cards out of my ribbon board, dusted it and then put more recent cards up there. Nice.
Edited to add: Michelle made the awesome ribbon board for my birthday several years ago. She made it following directions from Martha Stewart Living (but I can't find them online, I'll keep trying).
**Do you need to clean your closet?
Do tangled hangers make you crazy too?
Do dust bunnies gross you out?
Where do you put the cards you receive?**
Do tangled hangers make you crazy too?
Do dust bunnies gross you out?
Where do you put the cards you receive?**
37 comments:
eeek! jill you have "caught" me!
i really should be working on my clean up/organize project.
hmmm, this post has reminded me to get to it...so off i go.
great job on your progress- just awesome.
and i love your card holder. it made me smile right away
Good day! And good realization. Getting an early start on things. Who would have thought? ;)
I love cleaning things out. I cleaned out my bathroom vanity and my closet this week. Last week I cleaned out my nightstand. Next will be my craft stuff when the basement is ready to be moved into. The only thing I hate about cleaning out, rather than cleaning up, is that the house tends to get worse. Nobody can tell I did a thing all day! But I can tell-I guess that's what really matters!
I love cleaning out my closet and filling a bag for DI it feels so good to get stuff out!!!! My desk is also thing I love to clean up but what a chore! What a great organizing day!
Good work! Kinda cool that spt inspired you to tackle these projects. I couldn't believe the photo of all the clothes on your bed -- how DID you fit all that in your closet?! I clean out my closet when the seasons change, and since I recently got rid of most of my shoes, my closet isn't too bad. I have other scary closets, though... I love to think of the future when I'll have all my kids in school and I can have the time to do so many things like this!
Wow! You have been busy! Way to go getting all that done!
Yes... to the first three questions... I feel like everything around me needs a bit of attention right now.
I don't have a display system for cards but I do have a stash of some of my favorites that were extra thoughtful.
i just cleaned my closet on sunday. this is actually a task i enjoy doing, becuase i get rid of stuff. it's amazing how much stuff in my closet doesn't get used, and it feels so good to get rid of it!
I really love cleaning out closets. Mine's not too much in need now since I keep up on it all the time. I also really dislike dust bunnies, so I dust frequently. Especially when I'm at the computer working.
That is an angle of your desk I don't think we've seen with the ribbon board. Where's your wall of happiness? Cool way to keep cards!
You must feel greatly productive!
I've been working on clutter now for a week (ever since my last SPT!) It feels so good to get it done but I hate the doing! Your closet and desk looks great! Good job!
When I worked I had hanging stuff, and we pledged to ONLY use Ikea's wooden hangers so that it looked nicely uniform. Now that I'm 'just' a mum, 90% of my clothes are folded. And I really have hardly anything. I mean it. You've still got much more than me. *sobs*
I'd love to shop for new things, but Isla's a complete nightmare in clothes shops. :-(
I just had to Google 'dust bunnies'! I'd just call them cobs of dust. They are gross.
Cards. I display Good Mail on top of our TV cabinet for about 2 weeks, then I file it all in a lushy concertina file.
You did such a good job today! And even listening to your book too. Wow.
Jill, I can't remember how I first linked over to your site, but once I read a few of your posts I knew I would enjoy your blog! Thanks for honest and interesting posts - and the organizational post is very inspiring!
By the way, my maiden name is Stuart. I don't think we're related, but I do have lots of Stuart relatives in Utah (I'm LDS and live in Chicago). Sorry for blog lurking, I finally decided to comment!
great job on the closet. I have always loved the feeling of a clean and organized closet. The ribbon board above your desk is SO cute!
Did you make your ribbon board?
Congrats on the closet! That is a victory for sure! I am in dire need of a closet redo - it is horrible! So fun that you were able to get all these projects done, still work in the classroom AND go to lunch with your Dad! Now that is a productive day!~
I love your ribbon board. Did you make it?
Your desk seems so cozy & inviting...the perfect place to pen a sweet little note...i love that ribbon board.
Your efficiency continues to impress me! I would think about cleaning out my side of the closet for about 2 weeks, then i would take it all out, and it would be another 2 weeks before it was sorted, restocked & donated!
Dust bunnies might be a good house pet for you, since they don't poop. Ha.
I think learning your own daily rhythm is very helpful to time management.
Your closet and desk look great.
Horay for a tidy closet! You really did have lots of stuff. Good for you for sticking with it till your done. And I LOVE the ribbon card holder. LOVE IT!
I did the same thing in my closet today. But I am far from done. I had a three year old helper.
I love how you make mundane tasks so blog worthy.
I love that ribbon board.
your closet looks awesome good for you.. hangers don't bother me too much.. but a mess sure does.. I like organization.. and I have to work on it all the time
love the ribbon card holder.. perfect for you!
Dust bunnies totally creep me out and I HATE tangled hangers. I keep cleaning and cleaning and cleaning out my closet and I am still amazed at what is still in there. That card holder is awesome! I have a bunch of cards in my night stand that I wanted to keep, I use a lot as book marks too.
what an awesome project- come by my house for more. :)
i hate hangers- i like wooden ones, though- does that say anything? i also find comfort in dust bunnies- i think they are sweet and fuzzy and something makes me think they protect me from the nasties they catch and hold in their fuzzy warmth...
do you just buy the books for your ipod on itunes?? that's a great idea. i love it. the ribbon board is awesome!
Highly productive day there Miss Jill!! That's great--and your closet looks all neat and tidy. It always feels good to throw things out and haul bags to donate, etc.
"Hangers make me crazy!" Um...Joan much? Seriously though, the tangle of hangers, wire et. al. makes me feel grrrr-ish.
Dust bunnies don't gross me out, but they do surprise me at times and then their sheer size does frighten me some.
LOVE the ribbon board. Get-out cute!
When the realtor came to our house last week, the 1st thing she said we need to do before she will list the house is clean out the master closets. Yikes!
Somebody (I forgot which blogger)posted about leaving their Christmas card holder out all year to display good mail cards and I thought that was a great idea.
Wow--you got a lot done! Way to go!
Your ribbon board is darling...I have a similar place in my scrapbook room where I put cards, photos, and other inspiration.
That is a change for your dad. I hope you had a nice time.
I LOVE cleaning out the closets. There is something so satisfying about it. I then realize I only wear 20% of what I have and it gives me an opportunity to rid myself of more clutter. Sounds like a blissful day to me!
How funny - I *just* closet purged! Now I am inspired to keep going around my room... love the results!
mmmmm. . . you are making me feel lazy :) Good job!
Ahh, I love organization! SO awesome. I need to go and get some more done while Ryan sleeps. It makes everything so much better!
Jill, I just read the marathon of comments you left on my blog. You are amazing and I love how you comment on each and every post. It's always fun for me to get feedback!
No, you did not miss Luci's birthday at all. It is next week and all of the schools here close the entire week for Mardi Gras holiday plus we will be in Disney W orld. I stopped by her class with the King Cake during snack time since she won't be having a party this year - we will do a cake with family and then what she had at school but no other commotion since we'll be in Disney for the actual day.
Cleaning out closets is such a good feeling when it's all done! Hangers drive me nuts, because I never have enough. I think my hangers are wandering off with some of the socks, because we end up with a lot of single socks too.
Great work- so cool that a SP challenge got you to do all that. I cleaned out our closets a few weeks ago and man that made all the difference.
Your ribbon board is awesome- I am going to make something like that. Right now I have cards in this little box I altered- they are just stashed and I would love to have some of them out and about.
Way to go! I've managed to do this sort of thing with each move, so don't have too many old clothes. Plus, our closets have managed to get bigger with each move so that helps too. I'm glad you feel more organized and got rid of the holey-bleached mess.
I love that you had maternity clothes to return to Michelle!
I did a bit of that last weekend. Brynlee's closet is on the chopping block this weekend. She is not excited, but I am!
I keep my cards on a bulletin board in my office. But, it's on a weird part of the wall that I hardly ever see, so I'd like to do something different about that.
i so need to clean my closet! amazing what a little spt can do for ones life.
Yes!! I need to clean my closet! This was a very motivational post for me! My hubby is out of town this week, so maybe I can tackle this and surprise him when he gets home.
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