The Trailer

I am sorry I have disappeared off the face of the Earth like that.

Like most trailers that have been parked (as this one is in a trailer park) there's an addition built on to the side of the trailer proper. This one has three rooms, shotgun style. This is the first one, the entry.

I have been so busy I can barely breathe.

This is the second. We call this the bonus room. It is wired for a television cable. The junction box identifies it as the den. I have since painted the ceiling.

It started in mid-July with my Mom getting pneumonia--for the third time in the last twelve months. When she was released from hospital she was highly motivated to declutter and clear out her house. The doctors had also prescribed quite a high dose of prednisone to keep her lungs clear--and she used the energy and clear headedness it gave her to make the million and one decisions necessary. She asked me to help.

This is the third room, the "back bedroom." My sister's three year old son had this room. There was a lot of marker on the walls, the door and trim. I've painted the room, and door since this photo was taken.

I jumped.

Back at the entry, looking into the kitchen. 

We made excellent progress. It was all quite exciting and wonderful (we decluttered the living room and threw out masses of dvds and cds and I painted the room. We turned to the upstairs bathroom and tossed mountains of bath products and towels and I painted the room and the vanity and we reorganized closets (and I painted them, of course) and put up cupboards and shelves and painted some more....when suddenly, we had to stop.

The kitchen and the living room/dining room are essentially one big room. That's not"wallpaper" in the kitchen. Those are pre-printed wall panels. 

As the prednisone dose was being lowered to wean my Mom's body off of it--my sister broke up with her husband and left the house trailer she'd been living in with her two small children. They had been three months behind in rent to my Mom. They left a lot behind. I didn't understand the extent of it and welcomed a few weeks to myself as I let Mom sort things out.

Living/Dining from the kitchen

Living/Dining from the Living room window. It is not your imagination.The walls are different. 

But I was alarmed at the amount of things coming from the trailer into my mother's house every single day. And then as the leaves on the trees were turning, I realised Mom could not handle it herself. Breathing became more and more difficult. She started moving more slowly. She needed naps.

The hallway to the rest of the trailer. The walls are different, here too. 

So, I jumped.

This is the "first" bedroom. I have since repainted it. The door leads to the bathroom.

I have spent every single spare moment I have over there packing things up, sorting things into piles of garbage, recyclables, and donations. On my journey home (it's a half hour each way) I've been delivering an entire jeep stuffed full of things to Value Village. Today, I realized we've been cleaning up after my sister (and her family) for six solid weeks. I've painted two rooms and a door. Tomorrow, I paint a ceiling. We've replaced light fixtures, we've had to purchase curtain rods and blinds (my sister took those) and I still need to install them.

The bathroom has been updated by previous owners: but the layout is odd. The tub is opposite the toilet. The entry from the hallway is opposite the vanity at the foot of the tub.

We skipped Thanksgiving this year, too, so we could clean out the shed.

The laundry room is in the hallway outside the bathroom (the tub is right behind the machines) and main bedroom. Yes, they left a small load laundry in the hamper.

These pictures were taken when we had it almost ready for the cleaners at the beginning of October. Our plan is to rent it out for a while, at least a year, and then use those funds to spiff it up and sell it. Meanwhile, I have a lot to learn about how house trailers are constructed and how we can install an Ikea kitchen.

The main bedroom. It was renovated, (The ceiling is drywall and not the usual drop panel affair. There is no door.) The bed was left behind with no way to take it down. We're hoping the good folks at Ikea can advise us and give us the appropriate allen keys. 

Looking back down the hallway to the kitchen/dining room. The door on the right goes outside to a nice little deck.

UnCluttered: Another Round Begins

Twelve weeks is a long time.

When I started the spring session of the course, we were working on the downstairs bathroom. My house was in utter chaos.

I didn't consider this cluttered, however. It was messy, yes, but everything out was either because of projects related to the bathroom or because it was just part of the ebb and flow of everyday life.

Oddly enough, when I decluttered, I chiefly ignored the main rooms of my house (except when told to do otherwise) and concentrated my efforts elsewhere right up until the final week when I finally woke up, had a look around and decided that everyday mess was clutter and needed to be addressed.

I'm happy to say it only took me a couple of hardworking days to get things in order. That felt like a kind of vindication. My goal is to keep the house "10 minutes to company ready." I'm not quite there, yet!


DECLUTTERING

When I started the course, I questioned whether or not I "needed" to get rid of any more stuff. But I kept finding stuff I could let go of!

The way the course is structured, there are six weeks of decluttering. I vowed to have something for each of those weeks. I almost made it.

Donations from the first run through the basement:

 Bedroom week:

The homeschool stuff:

Consider these four boxes for just a second. These four unassuming boxes held more than well loved homeschooling curriculuum. They held hopes. Dreams. A few realised, a few not. They were cherished. But they were no good to anyone sitting in my basement.

One of the things that makes this course so great--and different from other decluttering programs, is the shift in perspective from "me and my stuff" to "could this be useful to someone else?" It's subtle but profound and it happened to me when I considered the homeschooling stuff. I'd thought I'd sell it. But then someone suggested finding someone who may need it. So I did that. I found someone--and I was thrilled my stuff --still valuable--still meaningful-- could truly go and bless someone else.


Wardrobe Week:

Kitchen Week:

Declutter "a common area" week.

I started losing a bit of steam, here. We shifted our attention away from decluttering and towards establishing clutter-free habits. So, for decluttering, I turned my attention to some dead easy stuff outside.

The garage: These boxes had been here for probably two years or more. Ridiculous. Nothing more than forgetfulness and lack of intention.

The playhouse. My youngest will be 17 in a few weeks! We have not needed any of this stuff in a long, long time.

I am extraordinarily proud of all I accomplished in the basement. Especially this little area:

Decluttering gives me a sense of control over my surroundings. I am hoping to transfer that over into housekeeping.

I also cleared out areas not specifically "assigned" like the freezer:

and my inbox.

As a result of doing my inbox, I decided to pursue replacing some Canada Savings Bonds I had purchased before I was married. I'd lost my copies of the bonds, so I put the wheels in motion to replace and redeem them (since they matured about a year ago). I'd tried handling it a few years ago but got bogged down in the process. (At that time, I was able to call and have them re-invested.) So, there should be a tidy sum coming my way in a few weeks.


HABITS

Joshua assigns the first habit: clean up the kitchen before bed! I did well the first week and then it all fell apart. I jumped into Uber Frugal Month which required a lot of planning and food prep right at the start of the month. Doesn't matter. I shifted my focus. I lost my intention--and the kitchen turned into a disaster area again very quickly.

It's taken me a while, as I mentioned above, but my second habit is to pick up the house for 10 minutes every day. Set the timer and go. It's the only way to stay clutter free!


EXPERIMENTS

Again, Joshua assigns the first one: try out Courtney Carver's 333 wardrobe experiment for three weeks (not 3 months as Courtney advocates.)

I had a really difficult time wrapping my head around this one--not because I have too many clothes, but the opposite. I may have less than 33 items--depending on how you count them.  And I discovered, I am profoundly uninterested in counting my clothes.

A pair of capris I bought during the course. 

We were to experiment with simplifying other aspects of our lives. I chose to cut our grocery bill in half for the month of July. That wasn't exactly a challenge which simplified my life....but it did help me pay down some of our debt!

A few meals made "ahead." Life savers.

YOUR TURN!

The whole twelve weeks was an extraordinarily positive adventure. At one point, I actually wondered why I signed up--surely I was "decluttered." Turns out--not quite!

And it's not about decluttering anyway. Decluttering is simply a means to the end. What end? Whatever you decide. You get to choose. Your stuff, your life, your adventure.

My adventure includes mason jar Chicken Cesar salads! 

I'd love to have you join me and all my (Uncluttered) facebook friends. Registration is open only until September 3rd.

 Follow this link: Uncluttered: The Course and use the coupon code FF25 for 25% off. (Not an affiliate link.)

I'd be thrilled to see you there.

The Basement, Oh The Basement!

The Uncluttered course is now complete. I've a few posts left to write to wrap up my experience. In short, it was a wonderful experience and I am thankful I did it. The next round is Sept 5th. I'll have a discount code for you around the end of August! I plan to take it again, (hopefully, with my mom).

But first --my crowning achievement-- the basement!

As the weeks went by, the basement just got better and better. No matter what area upstairs we were focusing on in the course, I would come down here and work. Things which had survived many past purges got taken upstairs and taken away. I am absolutely thrilled.

I started my decluttering for the course down here. And that means pictures! Before and afters! My favourite.

The view from the bottom of the stairs looking at the back wall:

From left to right: The white shelf unit held home decor items and the last of the homeschooling books. I donated them to a lovely woman who had lost a lifetime of homeschooling books and supplies in a devastating house fire last year.

With some space freed up, I put a few dishes down here from the kitchen clear out to see if we can live without them.

Those blankets are protecting our new windows for the bedrooms upstairs. We will save some money by staining, varnishing and installing them ourselves.

The pine dresser and the black shelving unit hold various scrapbooking supplies.

There's my exercise ball and underneath it, my 12"/1" miniature townhouse. I am not sure whether I will ever finish it.

To the right, out of frame is my husband's workshop. I don't touch it--or photograph it. That's totally his domain! But I am happy to say it is in relatively good shape.

To the left is the Wall o' Shelves.

Some cubbies I decluttered, others I left alone. I went through the bins of fabric and home decor. I didn't touch the memorabilia. I also left the photos alone: but I have a project in mind that once I'm done will see more than half --and dare I hope? 75%-- of those photo boxes gone.

I would like to pare down our luggage, too, but I doubt my husband would agree.

(No, the table is not longer. I turned it lengthwise to make more room for our bags of recycling (blue) and bottles and cans (clear).)

Turn left again and you're in the "game room." I did ask the boy whether we could get rid of this TV (and some of the Lego pieces) but he said, "no," even though the Xbox is now upstairs (and very infrequently played. Still, he and his father still enjoy a game from time to time.)

I made room for this piano. It's well-traveled! It belongs to my Mom. We borrowed it for years and it had pride of place in the living room while the kids took lessons. When the lessons were finished, we returned it to my Mom. A few months ago, we took it back when Emma said she wanted it in her room. No sooner did we haul it over and all the way upstairs when she declared it "too big" (it was) and she wanted it out. I doubt anyone will ever play it again but Mom is not ready to let it go (and be useful to someone else) so I'll store it here for a while.

Isn't that cozy? The picture over the piano used to be in the living room. It is one of the first things Chris and I ever bought together. I'm glad it is on disply again. That's the flooring leftover from the bathroom. We had to buy an an ginormous piece of it. 

Going through some art I had stored on top of the wall o' shelves, I came across a few pieces Ben had done when he was around four or five. I'd gone to the trouble to frame them way back when, so I decided to hang them in here with a few other pieces I found. After all, if we were going to keep it, we may as well enjoy it!

I am still struggling to put into words the uniqueness--or the difference, if you will--between this decluttering program and others I've participated in. As I went through my buckets and bins and shelves the interior monologue was something like this: "Am I using this stuff? No? Why hang on to it then? Could someone else get value from it?" And I think the difference I am seeking is right there in that last sentence. There was a whole lot of awareness for me of other people and how they may be blessed with my things. Decluttering became this huge act of giving. And so it was easy --and fun!

And then there's the laundry room:

and look at that: stuff in the donation station! I'll take that out Tuesday. I wonder if I can scrounge some more to go with it? I bet I can!

Aaaaaand, last but not least, the area beside the stairs: the painting supplies.

aaah, that's so much better!

Of course, I am under no delusion that this is it, that for once and for all, the basement is done! No. Things change. And when they do, stuff comes down here to die. So, it will get cluttered up again, I suspect. But you bet I will enjoy all this space as long as I can!

The Intentional Kitchen.

The assignment for this week (#6): declutter the kitchen cabinets, drawers, closets, and countertops.

This is a doozy of a post. You may want to get a coffee (or something).

I've been looking forward to this week. I've been itching to weed out a few things for the past couple of months. I did a great job of decluttering and reorganizing just before Christmas, but I'd noticed recently that the kitchen had become almost completely unmanageable. I joke that I can get dinner in 2 square inches of space, but when you do that night after night after night, it isn't funny any more.

As well, when the kitchen is messy, the whole house feels bad. And then I feel bad, and hopeless and angry. And, really, who wants that?

When I started this course, about 5 weeks ago, I had a mitre saw in the kitchen.

Fortunately, I started this project a little further ahead than that! But it was still outrageous.

Before:
Looking towards the back door:

The Stove Wall:

Details:

cart to the left of the stove:

cabinet above the stove

the drawer in the stove:

to the right of the stove, beside the back door. 

The mess at the back door.

The mess of the table:

The cabinets and drawers:

Details:
The bank of drawers to the left of the sink:

Under the sink cabinet (we keep recyclables here):

The drawers

The "baking drawer"

The "utensils drawer"

The cabinet underneath them, to the right of the sink:

The "junk" drawer beside the fridge:

The cabinet beneath that.

The Upper Cabinets.

To the right of the sink:

Beside the Fridge:

Above the fridge:

And back around to the fridge and corner doorway.

Straight ahead, the dining room. To the right, the back hallway.

The Method

There are four of us. I decided we needed only two glasses and two mugs each. I pared down our cutlery. Our plates and bowls are already down to two or less per person, so they stayed the same.

Then, I took an evening and went through all the food cabinets and sorted and consolidated.

I had half filled jars and open bags and unopened bags--sometimes all of the same thing! I have a huge selection of mason jars--and since jars are easier to manage than floppy bags--I put all I could into them. When I could,  I labelled them simply by cutting open the bag and taping it onto the jar I wrote the expiry date on it with a fine point sharpie.

As part of our course material, Joshua Becker asked us to read an article by Mark Bittman on the essential tools and supplies one needs to outfit a kitchen in order to cook in it.

These are some of the items Bittman recommended:

• vegetable peeler (U shape)
• Stainless alloy chef's knife
• bread knife
• paring knife
• knife sharpener--either a whetstone or "a steel" (which is what I assume I have.)
• can opener
• (not mentioned by Bittman, but included: the metal spatula or "turner" or "fish slice." (Thanks to the Brits in my Facebook group for that last one!)
• slotted spoon
• sturdy tongs
• heat resistant rubber spatula (can replace the wooden spoon, apparently)
• big whisk

• plastic cutting board
• 3 stainless steel bowls (I have 3 ceramic ones on their last legs)
• Sturdy sheet pan
• colander
• 3 Pots/Saucepans: small, medium and large "cast aluminum." (I have stainless steel)
• 2 fry pans: 1 medium (10") non-stick, 1 steep sided heavier duty steel pan (14"). I have my two cast iron pans.
• single lid. Absurd. I have lids for all my pots and pans.
• blender

Bittman also recommended a few things I don't have:

• instant read thermometer
• Japanese mandoline
• skimmer
• 12 cup capacity food processor
• salad spinner
• microplane grater
• coffee and spice grinder

But I happen to use a lot more items for cooking, so I got out those things and put them on the table.

clockwise from left:

• small aluminum pan with lid, perfect for boiling eggs
• rice cooker with insert and server
• weigh scale nd basket
• two saucepans with lids
• steamer
• 1 tea ball
• 1 tea strainer
• cake/pie server
• meat fork
• thin rubber spatula ( for digging things out of long jars)
• short rubber spatula (for digging things like honey out of measuring spoons)
• salad tossers
• soup ladle
• pasta ladle
• large spoon
• potato masher
• pasta measurer
• egg slicer
• microwave lid
• 
  
• across the bottom:
• ice cream scoop
• pizza cutter
• basting brush
• zester
• tiny whisk (I don't use this (I prefer a fork) but my husband does.)

missing: small non-stick frying pan and non-stick plastic "turner" or flipper, and the crockpot.

As I was sorting, I realised Bittman's list did not include items for baking. So, I piled up those next:

• two sets of stainless measuring cups
• top half of double boiler
• 3 ceramic bowls (same as above)
• electric mixer
• rolling pin
• sheet pan (as above)
• muffin tin
• 12 silicone muffin cups
• biscuit cutter (I have used a floured glass in years past)
• whisk and beaters for mixer
• rubber spatula (as above)
• 2 wooden spoons (1 as above)
• icing tip
• basket of various stainless steel measuring spoons (not pictured: One complete set of plastic measuring spoons)
• pastry mixer
• two cooling racks

But then, I turned around and confronted two areas I'd completely forgotten: above the fridge and beneath the stove.

• pedestal cake thing
• roaster
• angel food cake pan
• spring bottom cheese cake pan
• 3 bread baking pans, 1 glass, 2, metal
• 2 glass 8x8 pans
• 1 glass 9x13 baking/roasting pan
• large round metal cake pan
• 2 metal pie pans
• 2 metal cake pans

I didn't declutter too many of these baking pans, even thoughI don't use them very often. The thing is--an angel food cake must have an angel food cake pan....a cheesecake is a million times easier with a springform pan. I have the space. Even if I only ever make one of each again before I die...it'll be worth keeping them.


I got rid of a few items. But a lot more I took down to the basement "to see" if we can live without them for 29 days.

I wasn't sure if I'd want it again or not, so it is on these shelves in the basement in the meantime (where the homeschooling books used to be, coincidently).

This was my donation/drop off pile for this week. (I do wish I had gotten better pictures of the kitchen items I gave away, but oh well.)

yep, there's the old bathroom light in that box. And the bathroom "fish" tiles.

After:

stove wall:

I have decanted these drink mixes into jars and I may do it again.


Left:

 above:

I removed an old tin full of sweet 'n' low...and my "everyday" serving dishes. We just don't eat "family style" anymore, but plate from the stove and go our separate ways.

below:

to the right:

I still love that spice rack!

I really wanted JUST flowers on mt table, but there's really no where else for the fruit!

The bank of drawers to the left of the sink:

I'd like to get rid of that water filter, but I am not sure how.

Drawers:

Baking supplies.

I decluttered all the black plastic measuring spoons I always avoided....and a set ofplastic square measuring cups I'd had since the 90s.

The utensil drawer

The junk drawer. 

 Lower Cabinets

to the left of the sink:

the large soup pot and lid is on the stove.

the cabinet beside the fridge:

 The Uppers:
beside the sink:

the small one beside the fridge.

the larger one beside the fridge:

 above the fridge:

and back around to the fridge and the doorway.

All that stuff on the fridge is necessary. One of those pieces of paper is my 2 week menu plan. Another is my Smoothie formula...and the big pile in the middle are all the recipes we need for the week. Oh, and there are some store coupons, too.

We keep our bread in those baskets on top of the fridge.

I don't feel like I actually removed all that much from the kitchen...and yet, it feels different. It feels like its easier to keep clean--easier to prepare food. I don't know if that's because I have been keeping it clean (which mostly means I've been doing the dishes) or because there's less in it--but it feels good and I'm glad I've skimmed another layer, as it were.

But I don't think by any stretch of the imagination you can say I have a minimalist kitchen.
Nor, I think, will I ever.

But I do have a very intentional kitchen.
And, I hope I always will.

If you would like to see the kitchen as it has evolved through the years --and gotten less and less cluttered--  check out this post: A Retrospective: 6 The Kitchen, 2007-2014.