One thing – Pursue Your Wildest Dreams

This one deserved a blog. It is an example of a “pretty, and great reminder, but does not match me”.

I love the saying, and it is a very cute design, but … I like coffee cups that can go in the dishwasher. This one technically can, but .. dishwater seeps into the plug in the bottom (because it was supposed to be vacuum sealed, which I really don’t care one whit about). When we pull it out of the dishwasher, and turn it upside down and put it away in the cabinet, I forget it will have trapped water. When I go to use it, even when I think all the dishwater is back out, it is not, and it leaks out some more, all over my shirt, before a conference call, which is not my “wildest dream”.

Go forth encouraging saying coffee mug and find someone who likes to hand wash coffee mugs.

One thing – “I’m bored”

Two words that, if we heard them when raising the boys, we stopped everything and paid rapt attention, because if we didn’t, good things were not going to happen.

I cannot believe it, but I, myself, am bored. It is a not so great feeling. I am not at all used to it. It, in itself, tells me I absolutely need to find a new “wildest dream” to pursue. Like we knew our boys needed activity, I know myself. This is not going to go away. And it is not a “do the dishes, put in a load of laundry, find one thing to declutter” need. I need a “love it, inspired” … next step. You see how I avoided that “P” word, that has a “roject” at the end? Yah. Have a little aversion to those 😉

Yesterday we had a symbolic moment. I will give history for understanding. When we moved here we had a very different color scheme. That was a LONG time ago. I have kept some of those quality items, because, well, you know, you never know, they might stop making, well, for instance, seaglass colored bath mats. You never know. The three seaglass colored bath mats were sitting on top of the huge baby bouncer our grandson has outgrown. I was trying to decide – stay or go? For the bath mats, not the bouncer 😉

I was working in my office and heard some rustling. My sweet husband had previously had that “I am going to have some fun” look. I knew I better investigate. There was a bag in the hallway, ready to go out the door. What was in the bag? The 3 seaglass bath mats.

Now you may laugh, and it is kind of fun, and funny. But it was also a moment. The camper doesn’t need seaglass bath mats. The little house up north is sold, and it didn’t have seaglass bath mats even before we sold it. Nothing in our townhouse needs seaglass bath mats. Time to go. So off to donations they went, with the pans and kettles that came with the camper. They are now released for someone else to use and enjoy.

But it symbolizes where I am. Like that time of seaglass color scheme, which went quite a while ago, I loved the chapter we just closed – with the little house up north. And although others have made suggestions, I have absolutely no idea what God will have for us, for me, to do next. I am kind of out of “wildest dream” bucket list biggies. Although I would still love a little old house by a brook with deer and squirrels and bunnies to shoo away when they get up to mischief in the lawn turned to garden, that is not happening so far. Maybe. But not even a hint of it yet. So I do what I have trustingly done so … many … times. One foot in front of the other, keep busy with the daily things, and watch and wait.

One thing – kettles and pans

Kettles and pans – a big thing in this household. We had one very nice set for 20 years. Then we bought a new type, and donated the old set. Then I had an anniversary with a company and chose another set. Then we bought a used camper and it had another set.

Oh goodness!!! We are swimming in pans and kettles! The cabinets are jam packed, and still … a cast iron pan is always sitting on the stove, and my husband’s two favorites – a pan from IKEA and a stainless steel kettle, are most often in the dish drainer.

The camper kettles need to get donated, the pans and kettles that were at the little house up north need to go to the camper, and we need to settle on a few here. This took place during a weekend trip up north. Someone will be very happy with a full sets of pans and kettles.

One thing – these stay, and more old chippies go

Last Saturday we took our first boxes of “One Thing” donations to Salvation Army.

IT FELT SO AWESOME!!!

Keep going if you are joining along, and I hope you are seeing results too!!!

When we were getting unchipped “old chippies” pattern dishes safely packed, we were reminded we brought these ADORABLE dessert plates back from the little house.

I bought them when we realized we wanted the white everyday china we have here, up north as well. I had wanted these little Evergreen Ernie plates for two years and finally pushed “ADD” to the cart. Hint, they were open stock, not in a full set of dishes. We find we like open stock best. No coffee mugs, please.

These little plates were so fun up north, and now they are here 🤗

Oh and we discovered we had four coffee mugs that matched the old blue chippies pattern, and two ramekins (we never used any of them). In the donations they went.

One thing – drink mix

Usually when we get into a declutter, we inevitably reach a “what’s next” phase. At that point life is nice around the house again and digging deeper gets stressful, tugs on heartstrings, even gives me guilt. I think, “That is good enough for now.”

But then we go through the day and a little thing makes one of us cringe, just a little – like the drink mix that needs that ridiculous shaker bottle – you know, with that metal wire ball, and the lid that traps unmixed goop? The one that takes longer to wash than to drink the contents? Yeah. That one.

Be gone vegetable and fruit drink mix that makes me feel guilty because it cost a lot. Take your goop trapping friend too. So I am not tempted to repeat that poor choice. Because I would. Gotta get those fruits and veggies …

One thing – strong smelling candle

We are having a ball purging stuff. This one is a hoot! and another (upcoming) on drink mixes made my husband’s day. You know … sometimes, dear man, he just doesn’t push a point. But when we got rid of these he definitely had a smile on his face.

First up – the “fireside” candle. Tomorrow, the drink mixes. But, in truth, today, they are already both GONE GONE GONE 😊

I really like what I am reading people now call “blue hour”. I like the peacefulness, before the activity of the day starts, and as things wind down. And I like candlelight for that. But I need to get rid of our strongly scented candles. After about half an hour they give me a headache.

The “fireside” candle went this past weekend. One, my husband said, smelled like a forest fire 😂

Goodness! The descriptive label said “fireside”, not “forest fire”! But yes it is too strong. Although, full disclosure, I already got rid of one he said smelled like a urinal cake. OK. TMI, right? Yes, I am laughing so hard my eyes are watering!!!

One thing – tags, yes tags

My daughter-in-law caught me at this. I save clothing tags until I see how the new clothes wash up. Old habits. If all is well, I throw them away. But sometimes I cut off the tags, throw the new item in the laundry room, and don’t wash it for a few days. The tags sit on the table in the dining room, which, yes, is clutter.

So here’s how it went down: My daughter-in-law walked by the table, swept them up, and threw them in the trash. I don’t even think she thought much of it. She is a wife and Mom. She works hard at maintaining sanity in their modest home. It was probably a reflex – lol. She knew the clothes the tags went to were a good brand for our grandson, and they would be perfectly fine after washing. I, on the other hand, haven’t bought Geranimals in 25 years.

I noticed, and didn’t say a thing. Ok, yes, and I had a moment of “I like your confidence.”

Turns out Geranimals still makes great casual kids clothes. The “next time you come to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and get dirty and Grandma wants to give you a new outfit” clothes did, indeed, wash up perfectly fine. Whew! Cuz we already took out that bag of trash with the tags ;).

Hybrid – bonus

Oh boy! I was afraid of this! My garden blog ideas got together for lunch with my decluttering thoughts, and collaboratively raised a question. A very small one in the grand scheme of things, but nevertheless …

“Are these seeds worth putting in an envelope and saving for next spring’s planting?”

There – it’s out there.

These are seeds from a 2 year old, first year blooming daylily that enticed pollinators, and then enticed the bunny, probably “Gigantus Bunimous”, to try it’s luck at midnight dinner, and, alas, must have been driven away, or preferred something better. It was left on the ground 5 feet away from the daylily, but I knew where it came from because I was watching, hoping, the pod would produce viable seeds.

Remember, I am a gardener, not a landscaper. I rescued that seed pod from being breakfast for the squirrels, and put it in the seedling box, on the off chance it was mature enough to somehow produce viable seeds. And seed it did produce. But they do not look viable. And they are sitting, where? On my clutter hot spot – the dining room table.

Discipline!

Will they go in an envelope, or out to the garden for critter enjoyment?

Look closely.

One thing – and yet another tray

Seriously, this one is goofy.

You know those trays that come with small appliances, that you don’t use? Why do I save them? Now if it would be a bin – I could probably use that, no problem.

I have enough trays I like, and use, including a plastic faux crystal one from a meat and cheese tray many years ago, that I liked, and saved, and use regularly 🙂 It holds A LOT of food for gatherings, and never buckles, or chips, and it washes up like a charm 🙂 It is my charcuterie tray, procured WAY before charcuterie was a thing 😉

The little white tray that came with a mini fridge, not so much.

One thing

Continuing yesterday, we recently decided to sell the small house we had bought in northern Minnesota as our “when we retire” home, before grandbaby came, and other “need to change direction” events. We moved the stuff back to the townhouse, we had an “ahhh” moment – mostly thankful that dreaded work was done – and then … The fall reality set in, more time in the house, summer is over, and “what are we going to do with all this stuff?” Back to decluttering again.

It occured to me that while, yes, the garden is still blooming away with sedum, and the fall colors are starting, and there is still some work to be done, my “garden”, the place where I encourage “bloom” from October to March, is, once again, transitioning to more inside than out. We can look out, walk out, sit out, but we do not “live” as much out Nov-March.

I looked around last week and said “not peaceful, need a plan”. I am not in a place to take on a big project right now. I need to keep it fun and simple. It occured to me – 1 thing per day goes away. Not overwhelming. No decision fatigue. No 30 day challenge where I am looking for 30 things to get rid of on day 30 and resort to 30 sheets of paper from old files.

One thing. Big or small. That’s it.

I will share. I hope you enjoy. Sometimes I will be laughing as I compose. Life can be that way 🙂

Let’s get started.

Day 1 – A rice cooker, vegetable steamer thingy

We had a wonderful rice cooker for years. It was super simple – a cooking element, a pot inside, a lid with a steamer vent. I think we got it for free with Coke Rewards (remember that program? :)) We literally used that rice cooker up until the non-stick coating started to flake off – at which time we knew that was not pepper. We couldn’t find a replacement pot. We went back to cooking rice on the stove. And then, we were walking down the aisle of our favorite household staples store where you pay a membership and buy larger quantities of stuff than you really need, but at good prices, and we saw – a rice cooker, with a vegetable steamer bonus! How fortuitous we thought. We were trying to eat more vegetables! This is going to be great!!!

Yah, no. It is huge for us, and it is a pain to clean compared to the rice cooker we loved.

As a last ditch attempt at trying to use it, we brought it to the little house up north. Like we would change being “us” up there 🤣. It was still a “not for us” item up there. When we moved everything out, we realized we had used it once, to keep Velveeta and Jimmy Dean sausage dip warm for a New Year’s Eve gathering.

We moved it back, only because we know where to donate here. In the donate box it goes. I really hope it blesses whoever owns it next. It is just not us.