Are You Making Your Dream Life Happen?

It's a simple yes or no answer. If you have even an inkling of what your dream life might look like, you can take action right now to move yourself in that direction. Even if you don't know what you really want from your life, you certainly know an aspect of it that might need improving.

For me it's my weight. I need to lose 20 lbs, and I just can't seem to find my mo-jo to stay consistent with both my diet and exercise. Yesterday I wasn't motivated to go to the gym, but I really wanted to walk Riley and take Mason to the school to play. I did both of those things AND I took a towel and an exercise band. I worked out while Mason played. I did chair dips from the bench on the picnic table, I did crunches, push-ups, and multiple exercises using the band. I finished up by running two laps around the school with Riley and Mason joined me on his scooter. We all walked home and each of us got to do what we wanted.

Look around you and find one thing you can do to get the wheels turning on improving your life. If conditions are already perfect, than find something that just makes you happy and start doing it!

Pantry - I Just Can't Help Myself!

Pantry Before - Every time I walked by the pantry, I felt like it was all falling on me, like it was reaching out and grabbing at me! Laughing!
Pantry After- Ahhh, such a sigh of relief and relaxation. I did the other side, too, but don't want to bore you with TOO many pics! Almost done with upstairs!

Take Action!

Success does not come to those who merely have great ideas. Success comes to those who have great ideas and who follow through on them.

Your carefully crafted plans bring value only when you put them into action. The best of intentions are useful only when you follow through on them.

During the course of the day, many thoughts cross your mind. Yet just as easily and quickly as those thoughts come, they recede, so it's crucial to begin acting on the best ones right away.

Before a valuable and meaningful intention gets pushed out of your mind by another thought, do something about it. Set the process irrevocably in motion and begin to bring that intention to life.

When you think of doing something, there's a reason why you have that thought. Listen to what the thought is suggesting, and take action immediately.

Don't let the idea or the intention or the vision slip away. Take action and make it real.

Ralph Marston from The Daily Motivator
with permission http://www.greatday.com
facebook: Daily Motivator

Intention and Oprah's "Live Your Best Life" Tour

This story is not so much about winning as it is about sure and absolute intention.

In 2001, Oprah Winfrey announced that she was going to visit four to six select cities in America as part of her “Live Your Best Life” campaign. Anyone who is a fan of Oprah knows that getting free tickets to see her show is not an easy thing to do, but buying a ticket to this event could prove to be a little easier. Either way, I decided I was going to be at her appearance in San Francisco.

My plan was to call as soon as tickets went on sale, but that proved to be fruitless. The line to the ticket vendor was busy, busy, busy, for over a full hour. I decided to change my strategy, and a few days later, I called the ticket vendor, Ticketmaster, and asked to buy a ticket. I was told by a female employee that the event was sold out. I asked it there was a waiting list, in case more seats became available, and the woman said no; I then asked if she would make one and start it with me. She said she didn’t think she could. With a smile, I asked if I could speak with a supervisor or someone who could create such a list. She put me on hold and when she came back on the line, she agreed to take my name and number and call me if more tickets came available. I thanked her and told her I would be anxiously waiting to hear back.

A few weeks later, Ticketmaster called. A surge of excitement ran through my body as I thought about getting my ticket. The woman calling asked for me, but was calling to sell me a ticket to another event. No, I wanted the Oprah ticket. She couldn’t explain the mix up, but I told her it was okay and that I would be available when she called back with my Oprah ticket.

Finally, the call came; Ticketmaster had two tickets for Oprah. At a ticket price of $185 per seat, I could barely afford one. The woman said she could only sell the tickets to me in pairs. I held my ground and politely insisted she sell me just one ticket. Finally, she said there was a seat, but that it might have a partially-obstructed view. I didn’t hesitate; I somehow knew it would be fine and bought my ticket.

The day of the event was amazing. Seeing Oprah in person was a truly emotional experience. Her presence was like no one else I have ever met. When she came out and said hello, one of the first things she did was congratulate us for “intending” to be there. “Each and every one of you intended to be here today. However you did it, it was not easy and you are here simply because you intended to be here.” Yes! She was exactly right.

Oh, and about that seat with the possibility of an obstructed view… it was on the balcony, an aisle seat right in the center of the theatre, and quite possibly the best seat in the house.

Let's Get Back To Our Roots

Intentional Winning In Life is about the "Action" step of using the Law of Attraction. Most will agree that what you put out, you get back. Call it Karma, The Secret, reaping what you sow, or simply, what goes around comes around.

I'm one of those people who didn't realize it had a name, it's just the way I've always lived my life. I determine what I want and as soon as that happens, I already see my life in this light. I take the steps to get me there, and before I know it, whatever the goal was, has manifested itself into reality. Are you like me? If you are, I want to know!

I’m looking for stories of people who have used the law of attraction to create their life. The heart of the subject is taking action, not just the seeing the life you want and use of vision boards, but the actual intention used, and the steps you took to create the life, love, career… fill in the blank, that you’re living today.

I’m really looking for people having already succeeded, or closer to success than just beginning their journey. All subjects wanted! Business, Entrepreneurs, Family, Life, Career, Education. How did you create your dream? Give me your step-by-step process.

I'll tell your stories here first, and then it's my intention to compile them into the next great anthology series of books.

It's A New Day!

Spring is in full bloom here in northern California! The grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and this Friday it's going to snow! This is the epitome of living in the present. From heavy comforters, to sleeping with only a sheet and the windows open, all in a three-day span.

I love this time of year and I thoroughly enjoy that every moment is so unpredictable. Most people like a plan, they like to know what to expect, and I suppose in some respects, I do too.

In this case, I like that what's just around the corner may be completely different than what's happening right now. Maybe it's because I'm older and feel better equipped to deal with what comes my way, or even more so, that I know I can't change it anyway, so I might as well enjoy the moment. For better - like the spring thunderstorm that created a romantic light show and a cuddle-up environment, and for worse, the ninety-one degree heat that melted my favorite lipstick that I left in the car. Oh well, it's just another day in the life...a wonderful day in an intentional life!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Thirty

Here I am on day thirty of what was once a fourteen day program. I'm not done, but for now, I'm going to get back to Intentional Winning In Life as it pertains to anything BUT decluttering! Laughing!

For Day thirty, let me share with you what I found. In cleaning and decluttering our home, I found what I'm sure many of you would find as well. I had multiples of so many things. The list as it stands today is as follows:

1. 7 Pop-up timers for a turkey (they come in two packs, I only use one)
2. 6 Corkscrews (go on vacation and need one, it ends up in the drawer when you get home)
3. 5 Mach III razor handles (it's cheaper to buy the new set than it is to buy refills)
4. 3 Quattro razor handles (same note as above, but likely had a coupon)
5. 5 bottles of nail polish remover (I know I bought 1 on vacation, ?? about the other 4)
6. 7 brand new tubes of mascara
7. 3 sets of fake eyelashes
8. 8 bottles (worth keeping) of sunscreen
9. Too much "extra" makeup to list. I only kept what I know I will use.
10. 3 Toby Keith CD's - all 3 the same title, can explain 2, ??? about #3.

It became very apparent to me that we buy what we need when we need it even when we already have it. It only stands to reason that we don't keep what we're not using when in fact, it's using us. Clutter uses our emotions, our attention, our memory, and our physical space.

I'll post one last time when I'm done. I'll recap what I think is important and would love to know what you think of my realizations. I'll also show you a picture of all the accumulated clutter before it goes away for good. If you want to follow the rest of the journey, you can join the group "Give Away Ten A Day" on facebook. Here's that link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=58323423842&ref=ts

Have a great day and thanks for taking this journey with me!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Nine

The laundry area. It's not a room, it's just a space, but it's a space that's open and we walk by it a 100 times a day. Today, it's neat, tidy and not a distraction. Tomorrow is the last post dedicated to this decluttering project until I'm done. I'll keep you updated but get to other stuff that's more interesting. I'll likely do an "Ode To Decluttering" as a finale!

See below the before and after pics of the laundry area!

Laundry Area B&A

Before
After

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Eight

Here we are on day 28 and I've made some incredible progress. I'm going to share two more days of Give Away Ten A Day progress and get to other, maybe more interesting aspects of life.

Today I finished the guest bedroom. It was a big job but when it was done, the payoff has been so much more than I ever could have expected. When I finished my work for the day, I was walking through our home feeling like it had more space. The hallways seemed bigger, the space felt (feels) lighter & brighter, and things just feel crystal clear! It's as if you are physically weighted down by the things you posses even when it's all stuffed under beds, in closets, and drawers. As much as I would like to go on and on about how good this feels, I simply can't articulate how wonderful it feels to let go of excess stuff.

The list is so much longer than 10 items, so I'm not going to make a formal list. Just scroll down and take a gander at what this room yielded in terms of getting the lead out! Happy Sunday!

Guest Room B&A Pictures

Guest room before - the "catch all" room.

In progress, it gets worse before it gets better!

Guest room after

After from the same view as the before - Nice, huh?

The crap that came out this room...round one. Crap out - round two! Ding! (Sorry Oprah!)

And finally, crap out, round three!

Closet Before

Left side of the closet after cleaning - all the Easter stuff was here before.

Closet after! Yay! Everything has a place!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Seven

I'm still working on the guest bedroom, just completed day two. The list is long and frankly, the more I do, the more I want to do. I'm not feeling any loss or sorrow about the stuff that I'm parting with. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling a new sense of, "Let's get this done and get to living with less." With that, here's today's very long list:

1. Melon colored suit I bought at a thrift store and never wore. Still has the price tag on it.
2. Sully costume Mason never wore.
3. Chore chart that was a gift with purchase.
4. Plastic cauldron.
5. Red basket I received as a gift.
6. Blue boa/scarf.
7. 80's CD.
8. Fairy statue
9. Christmas gift boxes
10. Big box of excess and unused make-up.5 tubes of used lip balm.
11. Rodeo coral w/bull and horses
12. No Diet and Exercise book
13. 15 picture frames
14. Mary Engelbreit print
15. 5 window panels
16. 3 pair REI pants
17. 1 pair Rockies jeans
18. 1 pair boys jeans
19. 1 mosquito net for over a bed
20. 2 Real Estate books
21. Misc. stuff filling the cauldron - a belt buckle, silk flowers, and more!
22. Oprah's Live Your Best Life book - Sorry Oprah!

I Confess

Dave was right, I have way more stuff than he does, or I did. At the rate I'm parting with my belongings, the tables will turn quickly. I don't think he has any intention of parting with his excess, but that's okay because what I have to live in and with will be much less.

I'm in the depths of the project right now and it feels worse than it did when I started. It must be because everything has been pulled out, sorted, piled, bagged or boxed and now needs to go...somewhere, anywhere, it just can't stay here.

Some good news is that there has not been a single thing that I've thought twice about, or been tempted to go back and save. Honestly, I can't remember much of what I've let go. What does that tell you? Exactly!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Six

The Purple Box. I pulled the purple box from the shelf in my closet and determined that yes, some of what was there, I wanted to keep. The idea surfaced again, that "it," whatever it is, needs a place.

The things I'm choosing to keep are several nice luggage tags, a collectible Disney mug, a pair of gloves, and several nice writing implements.

The rest of the junk, a sun glass case, several old hair ties, two Brighton tins, five postcards, an ear piece for a cell phone I don't have anymore, and three cassette tapes. These are the thing that make up today's list of things to give away. That's fourteen things that I say, "Bye-bye!" to.

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Five

Today I started tackling the guest bedroom, which translates to, the-room-where-we-put-everything-we-don't-want-to-deal-with. We don't have guests very often, but next time we do, it will be ready to go!

This is a big job and I'm not even close to finished. I'll post a before and after pic when I'm done but for today, here's a picture of the stuff that came out of the the closet so far! I told you I had to do more than 10 each day or I'd be doing this forever! I'm really ready to be living a clutter-free, simple life. I'm one day closer!


Here's a partial list of all that went today:

1. 72 books
2. 2 Pairs of snow boots
3. 1 Scrap booking travel bag
4. 2 Rolls of Christmas cellophane
5. Oodles of glitter
6. 1 "learn to crochet" kit
7. Many squares of felt
8. 12 CD's
9. 1 Hoodie
10. 1 Russian-like fur hat with matching gloves
11. Additionally, 10 Mortgage Planning DVD's, 1 Learn the language of Exotic Dancing DVD - (I didn't), Many tubes of fabric paint, and a deck of cards of "52 fun things to do in San Francisco."

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Four

It seems like I've done so much and I haven't made a dent in all I still have to do! How can this be? It seems like everywhere I look, there are piles of stuff. Stuff! Stuff! Stuff!

I have stuff that I need to give to specific people, so it sits on a table waiting for me to package and mail it. You might be wondering why I feel the need to give things to specific people instead of donating them to charity. It's not many things, but as an example, I dated a man for 5 years back in the late 80's-early 90's. He has a daughter who I'm still close to. When his grandmother died, I was given a lovely crystal serving dish. His daughter is now in her 20's and I want to give her this dish.

SO, I feel like I'm getting rid of stuff at breakneck speed, and I'm still surrounded by clutter! I'm not quitting! Today I bought some new t-shirts from Old Navy, seven of them to be exact. As soon as I got home, I went through my t-shirt drawer and got rid of 10 shirts! I'm already implementing my "bring one in, one has to go out" policy.

Today's list:

1. 3 shirts (didn't count the seven I exchanged)
2. 10 CD's
3. 4 magazines
4. Dinosaur toy
5. Mini soccer net
6. Extra car booster seat
7. Large box of Christmas flowers
8. Small picnic cooler
9. 3 Coffee mugs
10. Lg bottle of poor quality body lotion

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Three

Wow, the more I do of this letting go of stuff, the more I see that needs to go! It's becoming a bit of an obsession but only because I'm feeling so good seeing all this excess leaving my space, it's as if everything physically feels lighter.

Decisions in my bathroom cabinet are easy. I don't find that I get to the cabinet and ask myself what I'm there for. All this time I thought I was premenopausal and my memory was the first to go! It turns out I just couldn't think clearly through all the clutter! I may still be premenopausal, but at least I'll know when my memory is really going because I won't have all this stuff distracting me.

As I sit here writing, I see a purple box on one of the shelves in my closet. I recently went through it and decided I needed to keep what's there. I haven't been in that box since I deemed it "clean and necessary." I suspect if I just take it to the pile of stuff to donate, I won't even miss what's there. I can't tell you what's in it without looking. How important can it be? I'll let you know tomorrow what I ended up doing with it. I bet you already know the answer!

Here's today's list:

1. 12 cups from Poobah's past.
2. 7 bags of cookie cutters
3. 1 Dog gate for the back of your car (for sale)
4. 1 Motorcycle helmet (sold)
5. 1 pair motorcycle gloves (sold)
6. 1 Insert style dog door (sold)
7. 1 Adult Western saddle (sold)
8. 1 Pony saddle (sold)
9. 3 Egyptian rugs (for sale)
10. 1 Box full of miscellaneous tack (for sale)
    

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-Two

Yesterday we worked in the garage. This is one of those "way more than ten today" days. I went through many boxes and one was full of CDs. You know how you buy a favorite bands CDs as they come out and then they come out with a Greatest Hits CD? Once you have the GH, you don't need the other 4 leading up to the really good one. The CDs I kept, I took out of the plastic cases and using only the cover art, put them in leather CD cases, thus downsizing. Sure glad I kept the CD organizers! I let go of 50 CDs and tossed the plastic cases of the 64 CDs I kept. That was only one box!

Additionally today, I have some Christmas excess, and craft stuff that I said good-bye to. See pics below.

More Than 10 Today!

Garage Blowout!

This is an in-progress shot of us getting out and going through the clutter in the garage.

I'll list some specifics later today, but suffice it to say, WAY more than ten items! I'm loving this project. It's a heck of a lot of work, but it's gonna be great when we're done.

Here's the pile of crap that is going away. This pile does not include the nearly two-dozen items we are posting for sale on craigslist!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty-one

I'm getting really good at visualizing clean, clear space all around me. It's also getting really easy to let go and throw away the clutter. I'm feeling a little under the weather today and the little stuff that's hanging around is really adding to my feelings of angst. No picture, I'm not in the mood. So today the stuff that's going is as follows:

1. Tub of putty my therapist gave me to rehab my finger.
2. Piece of junk mail that made it's way into the house.
3. Coupons I thought I "might" use. If it's not "going" to use, it's gone!
4. Pen the only writes sometimes.
5. Bendy straw I kept for Mason.
6. Extra pull chain for ceiling fan.
7. Costco magazine I keep meaning to thumb through.
8. Plastic ware for Mason's lunch - going green and using the real stuff.
9. Old collar I kept 'cause it was Riley's as a puppy.
10. Extra envelopes I don't need.

Today, Dave and I are working on the garage. That project will not produce just 10 a day...many more! If we only did 10 each day, we'd be in this project forever! We're gonna have some long lists in the coming week. For today, have a very happy Easter!

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Twenty

More Easter excess and with this letting go, "I pledge to not purchase anything on sale after Easter." If I need it next year, I'll get it then!

Here's the list for today:

1 Stuffed bunny Easter basket
1 large plastic egg
1 Easter banner
4 stuffed bunnies (there's 5 in the box, but Mason gets to keep 1)
1 boy Easter prize
1 bag plastic eggs
1 Easter purse
1 plastic egg bucket

Holiday Excess

I admit it, I buy holiday items a few days after the holiday to stock up for the next year. Christmas wrapping paper, cards, little gifts to keep on hand for tha person who "drops by" unexpectedly, and this time of year, Easter goodies. I have two big tubs of Easter decorations, baskets, grass, eggs, and little prizes for the luckiest egg hunters.

In reality, we have only one child and often times, we're at grandma's house or visiting friends in the days leading up to Easter Sunday. I just don't need to keep all this Easter stuff!

Here's my list for today:

7 Easter baskets

1 Bunny purse

5 bags of grass

1 bag od rubber ducks

2 Decorative hand towels

1 Package of gift bags

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Eighteen

I'm really finding strength in myself by letting go of all this stuff. It's also occurring to me how much stuff we bring into our homes on a daily basis. We typically don't take out nearly as much. Think about it for just a moment, each day you bring something home; groceries, art work from your kids school, drug store purchases, mail, magazines, and so many other things. Once I get the clutter out, we will implement a "bring one home, take one out" policy. A few people do this with clothes, we're going to do it with everything! I'm really enjoying this and I'm excited about how our home will be when we're finished.

Today I tackled the main cabinet and a narrow shelf-space in my bathroom behind the door. Because the one space is behind the door, it's out of sight-out of mind. Today it is organized, orderly, and functional! Way more than ten items went, but I'll list the top ten. You can also see pics below.

1. 1/2 large bottle of low quality conditioner
2. Dusting mitt
3. Body washing puff
4. Back washing puff-long
5. Cosmetics bag
6. Blue mascara
7. Lip balm
8. Back-up hair dryer I've never used
9. Hot rollers
10. And the hardest to part with, The Toilet Monster, practical joke.

Bathroom Shelves - Decluttered

Main bathroom cabinet - Before
Main bathroom cabinet - After

Middle two shelves - Before

Middle two shelves - After

Bottom shelf - Before

Bottom shelf - After

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Seventeen

1. More magazines,
2. Magazine,
3. Magazine,
4. Magazine,
5. Magazine
6. a sun glass case,
7. another lip balm,
8. Kamir liqueur
9. A dish soap bottle
10. Mexican, something awful
    

How Much Longer Will You Be Doing This?

I'm planning to continue decluttering until I feel good about the space we live in. However long that takes. The good news for you is that I'll only keep up the log here at Intentional Winning until the end of the month. So you can see when I reach my goal, I'll do an update and a "I'm finished" entry. In the meantime, I'll toss in some interesting things that will help you win a few more in your day to day life. Things like this handy little resource:

Tired of not knowing how to reach a live person? Here's how to skip the guesswork, courtesy of http://www.gethuman.com/ as printed in Real Simple Magazine.

How to get a human on the line:

Amazon.com: 800-201-7575 Don't press or say anything.
American Express: 800-528-4800 Press 0 at prompts, ignore messages.
Apple: 800-275-2273 Press 0 at prompts, ignore messages.
Bank of America: 877-231-9372 This number goes directly to an operator.
Capital One: 800-548-4593 Press 0
Citibank: 800-756-7047 Press 0# at each prompt, ignore messages.
Dell Tech Support: 800-624-9896 Press 3, then say "agent" at each additional prompt, ignoring messages.
Dish Network: 800-333-3474 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Equifax: 866-640-2273 Press 3 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
FedEx: 800-463-3339 Say "representative" at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Hewlett-Packard: 800-474-6836 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Macy's Credit: 800-280-4356 Press 9, then press 0 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.
Mastercard: 800-622-7747 Press 000 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Netflix: 888-638-3549 Press 0 at each prompt.
Nordstrom: 888-282-6060 This number goes directly to an operator.
Overstock.com: 800-843-2446 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Petco: 888-824-7257 Don't press or say anything.
Target Online: 800-591-3869 Don't press or say anything. Ignore messages.
Visa: 800-847-2911 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Wachovia: 800-922-4684 Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
Wal-Mart.com: 800-966-6546 Press 5 to speak to a customer service rep.
White House: 202-456-1414 This number goes directly to an operator.

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Sixteen

Magazines, magazines, and more magazines! I've stopped renewing my subscriptions because I just don't have time to read this many magazines. I also find that I feel guilty when they arrive, I know I've paid for them, and then I don't read them. This is why they stack up. When I do find time, I can buy current issues at a local hospice thrift store for .49 a copy.

Today, 10+ copies of house cluttering magazines!

Pictures From Saturday's Kitchen Blowout!

Left side drawer - Before
Left side drawer - After

Right side drawer - Before

Right side drawer - After

Sorry about this picture, blogger won't upload it properly. Utensil drawer - Before Utensil drawer - After

Pots and pans drawer - Before

Pots and pans drawer - After

Cabinet - After

Towel drawer - afterBottom drawer that had all the paper in it - After

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Fifteen

Dave's big box of memoribilia, chock full of stuff!
When he was done, these were the pictures from years gone by that were duplicates, poor quality, and envelopes they came in.

Today is Dave's day. He spend most of last night sorting through a VERY big box of old pictures. Not shoe box size, more like 12X12X16, pretty big for old pictures. He went through them one by one and down sized to less than a shoe box. Bravo Dave!

We're going to list the ten today by the years past that he sorted through, shared with me, reminisced about, and finally sorted to go into an album. It was really fun learning about him. Especially the pic of him and Lori Adam! Laughing! All this without any prompting from me!

I spend yesterday starting on the garage. I cleaned all four saddles that will be going in the coming weeks. For now, here are the years that we covered in Dave's stories of days gone by.

1. 1985
2. 1986
3. 1988
4. 1990
5. 1991
6. 1992
7. 1993
8. 1996
9. 2000
10. 2001

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Fourteen

So today would have been the end of the challenge if I were just sticking to the 14 days. Not so. I'm on a roll and have so much more to do! I'm going to keep it up until there is order in all my space!

I noticed something the other day that had slipped off my radar. When I noticed it again, a light bulb went off and reminded me how important the "action" step is when the law of attraction goes to work. A year ago I made a vision board. It hangs in my bedroom where I see it each day, multiple times. As I lay here a day or so ago, I noticed the big square in the right hand corner. It reads very simply. "Order in the House" and it was the very first thing I put on the board. I also remember Dave laughing when he saw that. He said, "Now that's a good one! Likely impossible, but a good one." I'm feeling like it's completely possible to declutter and maintain order. I can. I will!

Finally, let me say one more time how easy it's getting to let go. I can barley remember a handful of the things I've already parted with and I am feeling so much better having organization. Also, I've lost five pounds since I started this project! Julie may have been on to something with the letting go of stuff could have something to do with letting go of other weights and measures of who and what we are. These are just a few of my most profound realizations. There really have been light bulbs going off all around me as I simplify and declutter!

My list for today will be added after I take Mason to the Easter egg hunt this morning.

1. Plaid shirt
2. Plaid shirt
3. Plaid shirt
4. Plaid shirt
5. Hawaiian shirt
6. Dress pants
7. Jean shorts
8. Khaki shorts
9. Swim shorts
10. Swim shorts

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Thirteen

Today was Give Away Ten A Day in the kitchen blowout! Dave and I did some serious damage and cleared out a ton of stuff. I took before pics of the drawers but don't have after pics yet. One of the things I'm learning that makes this project so fun, is that after you purge a drawer, it becomes a blank canvas to create new, proper places for the things you do use regularly. Now that we know where we want what, we can pic up some simple drawer organizing tools to help keep things neat. Here's a few shots of us working today and a final shot of all the stuff that went out of the house! A special note to those who have given us generous and thoughtful gifts. If you see something you've given us, please don't be offended that we are not parting with it. We sincerely appreciate the thought, but really need to simplify our home and life. See below.

Give Away Ten A Day - Day Thirteen - Pictures

This is a perfect example of how your drawers fill up. I buy a pkg of pop-up turkey timers every year. They come in packs of two, but I only use one. I keep the next one for the following

year and then when Thanksgiving rolls around, I can't find it.

What do I do? Buy another pkg of two! I had an unopened pkg (2), this open pkg shown (2),

and three (3) loose timers floating around in this drawer.

Dave emptied all the cabinets so we could declutter and only put back what we use.
This is the contents of just one cabinet.

We thoroughly cleaned each drawer and cabinet, including the top of the refrigerator!

I did my fair share!

All this paper was in one drawer. Envelopes, magazines, and recipes. The left side is all that came out of the drawer and the labeled folder on the right is what I kept. Mostly handwritten recipes from family and friends.

This is the pile of everything that we are getting rid of. The bag of paper is not pictured.