Operation De-clutter has begun

So as I mentioned in my last post, I want to start my own Happiness Project...still working on the real details of that, but if you want more info, check out Gretchen Rubin's book "The Happiness Project".

One of the items she mentions early on in the book (In an effort to get more energy) is to declutter.  This really resonated with me.  I have all these places in the house - you know the ones - where you tuck the junk or you open a drawer or door and can't find what you want quickly.  Yeah, those places.

Probably because I'm anal retentive, those places stress me out.  But so does having "stuff" all over the place - especially with a toddler around.  So I'm on a mission to declutter.  I did some work yesterday and it already feels AMAZING.

Here's what I'm talking about when I say declutter:
1) Our kitchen table and island are like holding vaults for all the "stuff" that comes in our house.  I HATE that.  I want the table nice and clean and the island clear for doing other things.  So I want to find other, more organized ways to put the stuff that ends up on the table and island.  Operation declutter step 1 - get a coat hook thingy, hang it up right inside the door.  guess what...no more coats, dog leashes, or bags on the chairs.  Yay.  They are easier to get to, out of G's reach (momentarily of course), and so much more organized.  I got my chairs back! 

I'm also planning to get a simply desk/table to put between my bathroom and pantry doors where all the paper stuff (mail, invoices, receipts, etc) ends up before it makes it way to the office/recycling bin/garbage for storage.  In my eco-friendly manner, I'm hoping to find this at a local consignment shop.  I've seen nice new ones at Target, but I'm betting I can get the same style, probably better quality, for much cheaper.  That's my next goal...just need to get to the store I'm thinking of...Maybe next weekend..(ha ha).  I drive past it each day on my way to and from work...just never have time to stop.

2) My closet - So I had all these clothes and things laying around my closest that  let's face it - I'll never wear or use.  For some reason, I felt the need to hold onto them in the event I *might* wear it or use it some day.  I've gotten over that.  So I cleaned off my hangers - anything that didn't fit or that I never wear went into the donation pile.  A bunch of shoes I bought that I ultimately found uncomfortable or that are now out of style...donation pile.  Maternity clothes - in the bin to go back to my sister in law or to have on hold for the future if we decide to have another...whichever comes first.  Either way, they are now in a bin, nice and organized.  I threw away a bunch of empty shoe boxes and cluttery stuff in there.  It looks pretty nice now I gotta say.

3) Kitchen - Yesterday as I was cleaning in prep for the in-laws to come over today, I realized...my baby isn't a baby anymore.  So I bagged up the bottles and peripheries.  Upstairs they went into my closet since there's so much extra room up there.  They'll either be used when we have another or donated once we make a decision.  I also decided to declutter the counters from her stuff by making room in the cupboards for her plates, dishes, bowls, etc.  Feels great.  For my next (upcoming) idea, which requires Joe's help, I'm planning to put up some hooks to hang these awesome coffee cups he got for us and to put some hooks in the cabinets to organize the pans better.

I still have a lot more projects to go - but it's definitely a lot of progress and it feels good.  There's the hallway closet, junk drawers (oh yeah, we have 2 or 3 of them now), and office that I know of.  I also want to go through the garage again too.  This time the plan is really cleanse ourselves of stuff.  We have some things we keep holding onto...no need.  Let's trash it or find new homes for it.  Then we can fill that space up with stuff we'll use...in an organized manner of course.

So I'm off...to declutter some more before G wakes up from her nap...so I probably have a half hour..tops.  Maybe I'll just enjoy my coffee instead. :)

~A