Anyone Else Have Clutter?!

Jun17

clutter-to-cash-263x300It’s crazy to think that  my oldest son is getting married next week. Where did the time go? It would be nice if we could bottle up time along with energy and use them when we need them. King Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes, seems to get wiser the older I get!

Everything Has Its Time

3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

This week I find myself in the “a time to keep and a time to throw away” era. (verse 6). Yep, I am attempting to clean out my basement and other various areas of my house in order to accommodate my extended family staying with us next week. Pray for me! 🙂 I am reminding myself of a few things as I make my way through the clutter of years of sons’ schoolwork, old furniture, and “I don’t know what to do with this, but I better keep it” items.

1. Break my time up into manageable pieces. I started this unenviable task yesterday and spent an hour in the basement and then set the timer for a 10 minute break and headed back down there again. I didn’t spend more than 2 hours down there yesterday, and while it didn’t feel like I accomplished a lot, I am choosing to look at the progress instead of how much I still have to do to finish this.

2. I am going to be merciless in getting rid of things. My mother-in-law was here last month and I asked her to come to the basement and help me make decisions on throwing/giving things away. We began on one box and when I asked her about this and that she had as many reasons to keep things as I did!  We put everything away and I am going to take the approach this week to find  reasons why I should keep it instead. Yesterday I armed myself with a handful of garbage bags and put the items I am going to throw away in one pile and give away in another pile. I even marched the throw away items out to the garbage can when I took my break.

3. I am going to find a place for everything I decide to keep. I have noticed one thing about my friends’ houses who are showplace pretty. They don’t have a lot of clutter and that makes it easier to clean as well as more inviting to want to sit down. If I can’t find a place for it, I am going to get rid of it!

I’ll let you know how I am doing. Anyone else want to join me this week in de-cluttering? 🙂

10 thoughts on “Anyone Else Have Clutter?!”

  1. I need to do some of this…dont know if I am motivated,don’t have a wedding to motivate me. Maybe I will do some when I do the out with the old school books in with the new. Congrats on the wedding!! Can’t wait to see some pics on fb!

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  2. I feel your pain, Lisa. We aren’t anywhere near weddings yet, but we certainly have the issue of getting decluttered and organized. I love your idea about breaking it up into manageable time pieces. When I start a task with that mindset, I always get much more accomplished than I thought possible. Good luck! And, congratulations on the upcoming wedding!

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  4. Lisa! You are so organized in my mind! I can’t imagine you have anything to de-clutter. (but you are in my prayers anyhow, as family comes to stay with you!) You are such an amazing inspiration for all of us that are a few years behind you~ I cling to your every word! Growing up and letting go is hard! Prayers to you!
    Melissa

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  5. on my end… I’m taking it a drawer/cupboard at a time. I know, by the time they graduate from high school, I will just have the kitchen organized… ugh! 😉

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  7. DE-CLUTTER UPDATE! For all intents and purposes, I have been able to de-clutter the house. It is at least to the point now where I feel like I can have my in-laws come and stay with me. 🙂
    My amazing sister, Robbon, came over today and not only helped me organize some things, but she rearranged my furniture and made it look really nice. My basement only needs some big items to be moved to the attic and then it will look terrific too. Woo! Hoo! I feel sooo much better! I hope you have a sister or friend that can help you.
    “Many hands make light the work.” Shaker proverb

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