Tuesday, August 9, 2022

What I'm Working on in August

I've slowed down in the month of August from a lot of blog postings, IG and FB posts though I'm still visiting a lot of blogs and leaving comments.

Slowing down is enabling me to survive the heat and focus on my goals for the month of August.  I also have small house repairs that I simply haven't had time to complete. Over late spring season, I was working furiously to declutter  and get organized before Jonah's arrival. While I made good progress, I ran out of time to complete what I wanted to accomplish.  Now that Jonah is working and more or less acclimated, I want to make some progress on these outstanding tasks before the summer ends and the days grow darker.  I'm also still very busy with physio and massage therapy appointments and in between we are trying to enjoy the last days of summer while getting things organized for fall season.  Before you know it summer will be gone. I don't look forward to it but it happens every year.

Some time ago I repaired and painted one wall in my living area and intended to put up curtain rods and black out curtains in the living room. In all the time I've been living in the condo I've only had blinds, no curtains.  To be honest the framing of the windows doesn't make it ideal for putting up curtain rods but I find it quite cool in winter and thought the curtains would be a good way keep out drafts. I also intended to paint the master bathroom.

Instead I made a mess in the living room and left everything undone because I ran into issues when drilling into the concrete or steel wall.  So I left it all aside while I focussed on decluttering.  Jonah has helped by pulling out some of the anchors I'd put in the partially drilled holes.  Monday night I filled all the holes in both the living room and the master bathroom walls in readiness for sanding and painting.  It feels good to finally have these tasks done.

In another project, I'm getting rid of more clothes. I managed to put together a few large bags of clothing which hopefully will be picked up on Tuesday.  I've been inspired by a few women on You Tube who create 10 piece wardrobe for each season.  There is no way I will get down to 10 pieces per season but I can whittle down the number of items I keep.  I'm going to try to keep things that I really wear often and see what I can let go. I get rid of a few bags every now and then and will keep on going with that approach.  Of course Jonah also needs space for his clothing and personal items and this is another incentive for me to reduce mine. 

One bag of summer knit tops and PJs

A few scatter rugs also went out the door today. It didn't take long for people to respond to my adverts for giveaway. I'm always pleased when someone else will make use of what I no longer want. Tuesday update: Someone came to pick up all the clothing and another person picked up the scatter rugs. I'm so happy to get them out the door. I'm now going through the kitchen trying to get rid of excess mugs and water bottles.

Two rugs, one red/cream, one blue/cream

The rest of this month I plan to get rid of the remaining papers I didn't shred in April  2022 and a few small tubs or old journals and planners.  Once this is done I will tackle the entryway closet and the bookshelves again. I've already done a big clear out of books I'd collected for decades so I won't have quite as many to sort through this time. I also think it's time to offload my music CDs and instructional DVDs.  I haven't listened or watched any of them for at least a decade.  That means they are just taking up precious space. These days I learn 'how tos' on line and listen to music on You Tube.

In case you are curious about my current reads, these are the books I've recently right.  Right now I'm reading The Soviet Sisters:  A Novel of the Cold War by Anika Scott.


Mission Possible: Go Create a Life That Counts
really liked it
A good motivational book for anyone who needs/wants a pep talk about finding your purpose in life.
Run Rose Run
really liked it
Dolly Parton is such a powerhouse with all the different activities she engages in and in her philanthropic work. She has co-authored this book with best seller author, James Patterson and writes about things she knows best, female count...
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free
really liked it
A fascinating look at the NYC hotel that primarily housed young women headed to the big city to experience a bit of an independent life at a time when independence for women was not readily attainable. The book focuses on the stays of a ...

goodreads.com
Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful rest of the month!

6 comments:

Jeanie said...

Well done on the slow down. We all need to do that. I have so many projects to do when I get back home in October to stay. Clothes to recycle/donate; house stuff to do. But it will be good. Meanwhile, I'll savor summer while I can!

Joyful said...

No doubt if I had a cottage at the lake I would be there instead of decluttering, lol. It's important to unwind and enjoy yourself there.Thanks for stopping by!

Red said...

My decluttering is on hold from covid. This summer the cataracts are taking up my time.

Joyful said...

Once your eyes are fully healed you will have a new lease on life and the better able to see what to declutter.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

You have been busy. It is amazing how much apparently small projects like hanging curtain rods take (at least they take me a long time). I have a lot of clothes, way too many really but I rotate through my winter and summer clothes regularly and anything that I don't like any longer I put in a sack in my closet and take it to Goodwill when it gets full. We dont' keep books any longer. We use the library a lot and there is a great used book store closeby and I love my Kindle. Music, we used to have tons of cds but it's all online now.
It feels great to get rid of stuff. It's more of a process than an event though.

Joyful said...

Hi Yogi, you are so right about the enormous time it takes for small jobs. I guess that's why they tend to pile up before we can tackle them. I too have far too many clothes and I'm working diligently on downsizing them along with everything else that I don't use anymore. I too use the library and internet a lot so it changes how one deals with books and music. Thanks for stopping by!

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