I mentioned in Curate Your Home (Cozy Life Reset – Day 12) that I was working toward removing 25% of the contents of my home. I wrote that post almost a month ago and I have been steadily working toward that. Obviously Christmas necessitated slowing down a bit, but I have been very diligent the past week.
Late last week I decided we were extending our homeschooling break one more week (this week) so I can finish the job. I have struggled to complete the last 25-35% of every purge and organization endeavor I’ve attempted for years. I get about 65-75% done and then I have to stop. I either run out of time or energy (physical and/or mental) or other obligations require me to set it aside until a another day/month/year. I simply never finish the job and then I have to start all over again at some point. I still have the unfinished things to deal with in addition to any other things that have developed in the meantime.
I decided for my own good, I was taking this week to finish the job. (Caroline is also benefiting from another week off which would be a different homeschool post.) I want to put this part of my life behind me so I can move forward without it in the back of my mind and/or sitting in front of me as a never-ending task.
David and I did a lot last week and weekend. I continued to work steadily over the weekend. I would say we’re now at about the 85% mark and I am determined to finish the job. We have organized things in our basement in a way that makes more sense. We purchased some new storage racks to replace older ones. (It’s far cheaper to buy some nice racks than move, right?)
There isn’t must junk to get rid of because we do a very good job of removing things not worth keeping. We have steadily removed things over the past years. But we are now at the point of needing to remove primarily keepsakes, sentimental items, childhood things, books, etc. Perhaps I can write about that after the fact. We’re certainly not hoarders or anything even close. Our block is keeping things that have been meaningful and not releasing them.
However, there was something about Caroline turning 18 in September that flipped a switch for me. I can see the end of homeschooling approaching. Mentally it has freed me up to start pivoting in a different direction as a mom, wife, and curator of my home. It has made it possible for me to see another phase of life that doesn’t need to keep many of these items any longer.
So posts might be hit and miss this week on here. I am determined to finish the job by Saturday evening.
Does anyone else want to join me this week? Leave a comment if you have something to focus on so you can finish the job this week!
Inauguration Day Unit Study
I’ve been going through one container at a time, and I found the missing sewing hinge for my great-grandmother’s treadle sewing machine, so I finally cleaned and oiled it, and put the belt back on. The next thing is for me to learn how to sew with it.
I also finally got another old sewing machine I was given up and running. I found that the needle I had been given with it was very much the wrong size, and that the hand wheel turns the opposite way from any other sewing machine I’ve ever used. The machine is almost one hundred years old, and it sews beautifully.
Last weekend I did a lot of organizing in the basement, and extracted a chair from storage, replacing it with several chairs that keep unrepairing themselves. Today I re-covered the chair seat with leather. The next thing is to have one of the kids take a picture of this chair along with one I replaced the seat on last year–the dull matte green utility leather turns into a highly-polished expensive-looking dark brown with use.