Decluttering, or the room of doom

We all have one. It may not be an entire room, it can be a closet, or a cabinet or a table ... but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Our room of doom is our least favourite in the house. Believe it or not we don't live in a big house considering we're seven and we homeschool, so here we are day in and day out all day long, but this room facing west with no stove in use ( the one in there has some problem ) for many months it's just too dark and cold to spend time in there. So from time to time I try to organize it, but then something happens and we're back again, just piling stuff in there. But with the beginning of the new year I felt the urge to de-lazy myself and declutter the house and of course this was the place to start.
So, in shame, I'm going to show you how the room looked at the beginning of january ....

Aaaaaaaaaaargh ! At this point I was almost sure I wanted to simply lock the room and pretend it didn't exist. But I didn't give up and everyday I spent hours every afternoon ( with the help of Jimmy and Gaia ) just sorting things : keep, give away, throw. I filled countless bags of trash, three big boxes of stuff to give away and moved basically every furniture in the room to find the right spot for everything.

Here how the room lookd halfway...

Much much better isn't it ? You see the last picture ? Over the unused wood stove I put all of our looms.

No kidding, I think we have around 15 different looms ! Bigger smaller, round, squared rectangular for beads ... now it looks like an obsession to me ! :) And the craziest thing is that I am the one really obsessed but hardly ever have the time to start, let alone finish, any project. Well when I'll be a lovely old lady I will spend my time just weaving on my looms ;)

But well, fast forward to this morning....

Incredible isn't it ? There's still some stuff around but now we can actually use the room ! Here the three middle kids were working on some english worksheet ( from esl-kids.com ) aftern months of wild unschooling they asked me for some esl work and some table time, so our newest room is just perfect for the task. And Jimmy ?

Jimmy has his own corner, with his table and his basket full of art supplies and a nice black\white board. When the older kids after breakfast move from the kitchen to the 'craft room' he starts cheering in happiness ' we're going to write with the pen, we're going to write with the pen !!! ' so he sits at his table, with pen and paper and writes . From time to time he calls me '' Mom, I am here writing'' and I sit beside him for a while showing my appreciation for his work.

A decluttering story with a happy ending :)

p.s. Caught in the decluttering fever, i emptied a nice basket and i made a winter&wool basket, where I put my hats, gloves and scarves so that I don't have to look after them everytime I need to get out ...

I wish you some happy decluttering yourself !!

Two of many

I could describe myself as a craft-addicted ( and pictures addicted, painting addicted, writer wannabe ... you got the picture ahahah pun intended of course ) but in this right moment of my life I'm kinda working to make all those passion something 'more'. So at the moment I have litterally dozen of projects going on and I happily jump from one to the other without negletting none of them. Of course it may take a week or two before coming back to one of the projects ( depending if I'm finishing one, in case I just concentrate on that one ) but I'm quite satisfied to see all of them progressing somehow and most of all having quite clear in mind where I am going and what I want to achieve. Here two of my WIP.

This is part of a looooooong term project. I need it finished for may and I hope it will turn out as it looks in my mind. I'll try to update my WIP while it progress also to keep track of my work.

This is a colourful blanket I started more then one year ago. I almost forgot about it until few weeks ago when I started a de-cluttering camp and got hold of this lovely basket filled with woolen goodies and included it in my 'stop the pity party and roll your sleves up' plan to better my life.

I can't wait to see it finished. 

:)

Every new beginning, is some beginning's end

Here we are once again. One year is ending, a new one is about to begin.
This year has been nothing I could expect. It has been terrible and beautiful and depressing and challenging and finally peaceful. The 2014 began as usual, with purposes and hopes and dreams. Half way during this year I suddently realized that the dream I have been chasing in the last 5 or 6 years simply will not happen. I realized that I had a dream and was so focused and involved in it that i never payed really attention if the rest of my family was following me. Well it turned out that the rest of my family had totally different dreams. That has been a very hard moment for me. I let myself slip in depression and self pity and resentment and anger. I ate myself away gaining even 2 kilos a month ( yes :( ). Then a couple of months ago something just changed in my mind and heart.What does it mean that my dream is notcoming true ? In wich book I read that my way to happiness was only the one I had in mind ? I'm a woman of faith and even if i may seem a bit of a peculiar Christian, I have a deep faith and friendship in Jesus. Would he simply abandon me ? I don't think so. And i realized that a great part of my dreams might as well being fullfilled right here where we are and where my family seems to dwell quite good. And anyways life can change and turn in every moment, so sitting in despair eating sweets wasn't probably the best way to be prepared just in case one day my\our life might turn in the direction I wish. So I decided to take action. I stopped with the junk food and lost 10 kilos in few weeks ( during the holidays I might have gained some kilos back- I didn't checked- but now I'm not afraid of it, because I know I will start eating healthly again in few days because you see, I don't need to fill my heart with calories anymore); I started to get out with my lovely toddler as much as possible and to be as active as possible at home. Sofa-time it's made to be interrupted as many times as my family needs it, moving keeps me in better shape. I'm watching my whole life with totally different eyes and finallt I feel in peace. I feel that there's so much I can do and be happy about. I feel i can have the success I want in what I do, but I need to be doing something to get it ;) So this has been my 2014. What 2015 will hold for me it's up to the Lord, what I have to do and want to do is to roll up my sleeves, work as much as i can, eat healthly, excercise and have fun, have fun and have fun, trust the future, love my family and myself, learn new skills and make new plans. Forgive others and myself, let go of leftover resentment and anger and be free in my new lightened body and heart.

Have a great 2015 everybody,

life is good.