"IT" Has Started

   
“IT” has started!! You might be wondering, “What has started?”

I think Mr. Twain has nailed it perfectly. The wanting to do SOMETHING but not knowing what to do!!

I have had about a week of the not knowing part, and then it hit me!

Time to clean out my closet and get my clothes in order!!

When I am in the mood to clean out I enjoy the process thoroughly. I am not very good on command cleaning, but I am a master at mood cleaning.

This year I am doing a couple of things differently in my cleaning out. My method and my way of thinking have changed.

If you have read any of my previous post on closet cleaning you know I put my clothing  in laundry baskets and I mark them with a tag.

These are the most common tags…..

Purging is an emotional tug, and pull for me so I added a couple of more baskets to my method…….




You will notice I added:

Gift:

Sometimes we will have something that reminds us of a loved one or a dear friend and you just know they would love it.

Not Sure:

This one box has saved me so much time in the purging process. My philosophy behind this box is, we have a hard time letting go of things for all kinds of emotional reasons.

By having this basket, when I am unsure about what box to put a piece in I just throw it in this basket and revisit it at the end of the process.

What happens is as time passes, and we purge more, and more it frees our minds up ,and it feels so much better to get rid of things. 

Once we have done that we revisit the, “Not Sure,” basket and we will inevitably donate most of it. 

Trust me on this it works!!

Now for the NEW box I added this year……

IT ALMOST FITS!

I am fortunate that I have some nice clothes that are classic pieces, but some of them just don’t fit.(that is the not so fortunate part)

They almost fit so I don’t want to put them in any of the above baskets, so I created a new box that I will keep close at hand so when the extra 5-10 lbs. leave I can gladly go to that box, and put these clothes back in my closet.

In truth I need to lose much more than just 5-10 lbs. but we all have to start somewhere. 

Losing weight is something that most women struggle with. We seem to see ourselves through very cruel eyes.

This brings me to the other part of cleaning out our closets.

Our Mindset!

I read two sayings that I felt would be helpful in reading before we start the purging process.

This should be framed and hanging in all of our closets.

I want you to all remember this………

Now get into your closets and….

enjoy the purging process!

Other post on cleaning out your closets:

Here

&

Here

Visit my pinboards on organizing:

Here

 

 

 

Something A Little Different!

   

Don’t you just love to see alternatives in design that are a bit different than what is normally expected?

Me too!

Today I am going to talk about an alternative to chairs around the dining room/kitchen table.

This is not a new look by any means, but I think it is a look that should be used more often.

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Look at how interesting it looks to use a settee, and two winged chairs instead of 6 matching chairs around this rectangle table.

This is a great use of space. This designer chose to use a sofa pushed right up against what most people would have used as a breakfast bar. Something a bit different than the norm is always fun.

Bench seating is a great look when you are limited on space. You can push it right up against the wall. No need to have room to pull a chair in and out with a bench seat. If you live in a smaller home or have limited space this type of seating is the answer for you.

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A bit larger table but just as attractive.

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Simple!

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Flanking a settee with two storage cabinets is a great use of space and one that I recommend for homeowners when they live in a space that is lacking storage and is on the smaller size.

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This homeowner chose to put a charming seating area in an unused corner.

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This is such a charming area for this conversation area. Such a great backdrop for the settee to sit in front of. Very clever and dramatic design.

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CHARMING!

Do you like this option for your own space? I love it and it has been on my radar for awhile now.

I found a few fun options for this type of seating that were reasonably priced. If you think about it you can get two people on a settee so that is the price of two chairs in one piece.

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This settee is from Ballard designs. It comes in a 36in. or 48in. size. You can choose from many options what upholstery you want it covered in.

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This settee is a bit wider for those of you that have the room. It is from Wayfair.

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This last option is from Crate & Barrel and it is slipcovered for easy maintenance.

Do I have you thinking outside the box?

 

I know this is something I have been thinking about for a very long time, and you just might see it in my dining area in the future!!

 

 

My Kithen Update

When I left you last the kitchen re-do had begun. We had all the cupboards emptied out, and  the contractor was coming to do his thing.

The appliances were removed, the floors were covered and the work began with tearing out the 36 year old tile.

The tile is all gone and now the underlayment is being removed. I was amazed at how small this made my kitchen look.

Look Mom, no tops!!

This is where the trouble began……

(insert scary music)

 

With very careful measuring my contractor discovered that my cabinets were off level from one side of the kitchen to the other by 1 3/4inches. That is more than is within industry standards!

Major discussions ensued on how to remedy this problem.

We decided to sleep on it. My hubby, who is super logical, and tends to be a perfectionist when he does a job, and I (who is beyond a perfectionist) discussed the options, and decided to do it right.

Decision was made....all of the cabinets had to come out on the bottom.

Needless to say, this totally unnerved me! I am not good at the tearing out part. I like the building up, and making pretty part.

I felt as if my kitchen was undergoing surgery.

The cabinets were all leveled with new frames to sit on.

SIDE STORY:

I am sure some of you might be wondering why we are trying so hard to save the 36 year old cabinets, and why don't we just get new.

You see my sweet Hubby's Dad was a cabinet maker and he built these cabinets, and my Hubby helped him. They are more than just cupboards to us. They are a part of Pop, and a very sweet memory for my hubby.

We both remember being a little nervous to show Pop our cabinets after they were painted, he was a lover of wood and it's beautiful grain patterns.

He told us that he thought this was the prettiest kitchen he had ever seen.

Toward the end of his life he did not even remember he had built our kitchen. He suffered with dementia.

He would grin at us and say, " These cupboards? Nah! I didn't build these." "Really?!" We assured him that yes in fact he did build them.

So you see we have to save them!!! 

The cabinets were all put back on their new frames, and the plywood underlayment was put in place and the template was made.

When using a slab of natural stone it is imperative that the cabinets are level. You do not want any strain on any part of the stone or you might get an unwanted CRACK!! Horrors!

I am very fortunate that my contractor is quite the perfectionist, and he reads me well. He checks every little detail with me, he never assumes anything.

It is Monday and we are now back on track. We lost a few days and a few dollars, but it was all fixable. Feeling very thankful and relieved today.

Later today we are going to my contractors shop, and see our slabs again. We will place the template on the stone where we want it to be cut. I think today of all days is really going to make this all seem real to me!!!

Other post about my kitchen redo:
HERE
HERE
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HERE