Downsizing

You may know that we're building an addition onto the house and my husband and I are moving into it. We will have considerably less space than we're accustomed to, although it is a very welcome change (and is still a lot of space!) At my ripe old age, I find myself less into the big house, lots of cleaning (occasionally) (seldom) thing any longer. I'm looking forward to adequate living space, not 4 extra bedrooms that always sit empty.

BUT, before we can move, we have to downsize. I'm thinking of waiting until the addition is finished and then taking what we want out of it and lighting a fire to the rest  taking the remaining stuff to Goodwill or another local thrift store.

Unfortunately, it's not just an accumulation of the 24 years we've lived here, but of the years before that too. Today I found a couple really helpful tips:

1. You can't organize clutter

2. Get a label maker

The Little Bobcat That Could

One day when a friend was here, I was trying to decide what to do with some empty Stax potato chip containers. (I know. I know.) My problem is that my parents lived during The Great Depression (and maybe that I've been a Vacation Bible School craft lady!) Anyway, some of that 'we may need it sometime' is in the genetic code (although it missed my mom and my sister, oddly enough). But both my husband and I seem to have the ability to look at an item and think, 'Hey, this could come in handy some day. It would make a great...' 

 Building a Temporary Ramp for the Cement Truck

I told my friend that I can't think of a category that the Stax potato chip container fits into, so I don't know where to put it. She said that my problem is that I immediately think in categories, rather than simply asking, 'Do I NEED THIS???'  Hmm. Never thought of that.

SO, I'm going to start downsizing.

Pray for me.

P.S. I threw away all the Stax potato chip containers and the Planters Lightly Salted, Dry Roasted Peanut jars. And I'm sure I'll need them next week. It always happens like that.

I'm off to clean out another closet. :-(

Got a helpful tip for me?

Like Moths to a Flame

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This post may be linked to one or more of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and Efforts and Assets and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and Crafty Texas Girls and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and The Girl Creative, Thursday and  Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and From the Farm and   Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and Share Your Creativity and   A Favorite Thing Saturday and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Building an Addition

Things have changed slightly at our house since August 1. Our son, daughter-in-law, and their family have moved in with us. Kevin and I are building onto our house and will be moving into the new addition. Our oldest son's family will be living in the main house.

Right now they're waiting for their house in the suburbs of Minneapolis to sell and are trying to stay out of it while the realtors have showings and (hopefully) get it sold. Yes, our son is a systems analyst and so is able to work from anywhere that has internet - which is really a wonderful thing.

 Getting Started...

Right now in his free time, my husband and sons along with the rest of his small crew are working on remodeling part of the basement for an office and laundry room, a kitchen, a spare bedroom and bathroom. Then we're putting on the addition with a living room and master bedroom - after the excavation for that has been done.

 The trees on the right are coming out to open the view. Our son has already opened up that view quite a bit more.

(Don't worry, they're weeds: Box Elder trees. They mostly grow up at a diagonal and then fall over.)

We're going with ICF block for the addition. We'll keep our southeast view, our son's family will have the south view from the deck along with the NE and SE view from the [soon-to-be-built] front porch.

  The New Parking Lot

I'm hoping the days somehow have extra hours and that they're full of cool weather and sunshine! There's so much to be done, and at the end of it we'll be moving all our stuff out of the house. At that time we'll also be downsizing considerably (except for the books) and some of our favorite items (cookstove, hutch, piano, etc.) I can't tell you how much stuff we have accumulated in 24 years and must sort through once that addition is built.

We'll even have a gas station!

And of course, as anyone who has ever been involved in construction knows, everything done is dependent upon everyone else's schedule, i.e. all the various contractors involved and all the possible delays that inevitably occur. E.g. 'Where are our rafters??' 'Oh, didn't we tell you - the rafters are backordered until March.'  or 'No, we have no record of your order.' (No, that's not an actual conversation, but it is the type of thing that can, and often does, happen during any construction project.)

BUT...

At the end of it all, we will have family nearby. And that's a wonderful thing!

Who wouldn't love this!

*** 

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Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soaps

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

This post may be linked to one or more of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and Efforts and Assets and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and Crafty Texas Girls and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and The Girl Creative, Thursday and  Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and From the Farm and   Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and Share Your Creativity and   A Favorite Thing Saturday and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special