This weekend I continued to get stuff out of the storage unit, which felt great, but also came with a little guilt. The guilt is because I burdened my friends with some of my stuff. I did ask them to make sure they wanted it, but it still feels like the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish and the last thing I want to do to a friend since I feel like I'm benefiting from minimizing and dumping stuff on them! One thing was this kid's activity table that I got from the container store 6 years ago. It was great, the kids both used it a ton and I have so many fun memories of us coloring, having snacks and doing projects at the table. So I didn't want to just give it to "anyone," I wanted to know it was going to a good home. Not sure why there is so much emotion involved over a table but apparently there is for me. So I was able to offload that this weekend and it went to a good home (Leah, you can really say "no" at any time).
I also took another trunkload of stuff to Goodwill. I reduced 6 boxes from the storage unit down to 3 (I'm aiming for a closer to 70% reduction but it's not easy). A big chunk of what I got rid of were vases and cookbooks. For some reason I had kept a ton of vases. Is it the idea of a vase full of flowers that kept me collecting them? Because I love that idea. But what I know is that I only used the same 2 over and over again and so I kept those and parted with all of the rest. The cookbooks were much harder. I love cooking and so ended up sort of "collecting" a lot of cookbooks over the years. "The Joy of Less" book helped me a lot in this area, I just kept telling myself that these might represent what I used to cook (the extension of that is "who I used to be") but they don't contain what I cook (or who I want to be) anymore. I got rid of about half of them. I hope that the vases and results of the cookbooks will grace someone else's table and make them happy.
While I was at Goodwill I was watching them load these large metal crates of clothes into a semi truck. They were probably 6 feet square and just full of clothing. It almost made me ill to think how we, as a society, have created that sort of excess, that they wouldn't be able to sell it all at Goodwill, that it has to be shipped elsewhere to be gotten rid of. I read in O magazine that there are some countries that are refusing our used clothing shipments because we're negatively affecting their textile industries. It is crazy to me that someone would choose a used T-shirt that says something ridiculous about beer on it over a beautiful (maybe even handmade) textile. And don't worry, I'm not saying this is everyone else's problem, I used to look in my closet and wish "gosh, I wish I had a bigger walk in closet." But now I see it differently, no one should really "need" a walk in closet, no one needs that much clothing, including me! While I'm still not to my goal yet, my clothes are finally feeling what it is like to be able to breathe, they aren't all crammed together, and I can't tell you how liberating that feels, to have just the amount you need, to know that I like and wear every piece and it doesn't just hang out waiting to be worn (or fit into). I don't want to be a contributor to burdening others, including other countries with my excessive purchasing and owning of "things" (even if they are useful, like clothing) and so that means that not only do I have to continue to get rid of things, but I have to be strict with myself about the 1:1 rule, when something comes in, something also has to go out. If I can stick to it hopefully I'll breathe easier along with my clothes, and the guilt will fade with time.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
What I've been getting rid of lately...
Last week I was home with a sick kid for a couple of days so I had the luxury of "nap time" to spend a couple of hours going through my closet, for what feels like the 20th time over the past year. I was shocked at how much more came out, two large shopping bags worth of clothing! And most of it was "hidden" because at first glance the closet doesn't look too much different.
My strategy was to think about a type a clothing (running clothing for example) and think about how many running outfits I really need. On a good week I'm running 4 times a week, on a bad week probably 2, usually in the non-freezing-my-ass-off months I run one or two times outside and the others indoors (although I'm hoping to run more outside, it's been a function of exercising at night time and not wanting to do that outside). I figured we do laundry at our house daily, so it would be reasonable for me to keep 3 indoor/warm weather running outfits and 1 outdoor/cooler weather running outfit (and even that might be more than I need but I'm trying not to make this too painfully hard!). Ends up I had 7 sets of running shorts/outfits and I didn't even know it! Having the limit made it easier for me to pick my top 3 favorites and get rid of the rest.
Another thing I looked at was "lounging around clothing." Apparently I want to be doing more of this than I do because again I had about 6 options for lounging around yoga type pants (2 pairs were from college, which is really just stupid, I haven't worn them in over 10 years!). I allowed myself to keep 2 figuring I could have one for each weekend day (which in reality is the only time I wear them). In addition I got rid of several pairs of pajamas. For some reason I get a little sentimental about pajamas and they generally don't wear out as fast as other clothing so I hold on to them a long time. A few pairs were "matching" with Avery's pajamas, and her sets have been long gone for a few years now and so I don't know why I was holding on to mine! Especially when I'm one of those people who wears old T-shirts to sleep in, why do I have any pajamas at all???
Ok, so here was the biggest (and equally hard) thing to get rid of, but it has been also been the biggest relief, sort of like getting the monkey off my back. I'm getting rid of a velvet quilt (and matching pillow shams) from our bed. I got it from Pottery Barn a few years ago. It was on sale but it still felt like a significant chunk of change for something that essentially served no purpose. When I bought it I did "think" it would serve a purpose but then when I got it I realized how incredibly heavy it was (we already have a duvet and putting the quilt on top was like being smothered). So it got relegated to sort of looking fashionable folded in half at the end of our bed. EVERY NIGHT the heaviness of the quilt pulls the duvet off the bottom of the bed, which means I will wake up with the covers at my waist, shivering and have to sit up to try to forcibly haul them back up which ends up pushing the quilt onto the floor, then in the morning it is a process to get it back on the bed and straightened up. Additionally Howie loves to sleep on it, and it collects cat hair like nobody's business and so I'm always delinting it. I hate doing all of this! For a quilt! Yes I "paid good money for it" (a frequent line in my head that prevents me from getting rid of things from time to time) but it has made me cold and cranky every day! So maybe someone out there who needs a heavy quilt will find it at Goodwill and it will make them happy and warm.
My strategy was to think about a type a clothing (running clothing for example) and think about how many running outfits I really need. On a good week I'm running 4 times a week, on a bad week probably 2, usually in the non-freezing-my-ass-off months I run one or two times outside and the others indoors (although I'm hoping to run more outside, it's been a function of exercising at night time and not wanting to do that outside). I figured we do laundry at our house daily, so it would be reasonable for me to keep 3 indoor/warm weather running outfits and 1 outdoor/cooler weather running outfit (and even that might be more than I need but I'm trying not to make this too painfully hard!). Ends up I had 7 sets of running shorts/outfits and I didn't even know it! Having the limit made it easier for me to pick my top 3 favorites and get rid of the rest.
Another thing I looked at was "lounging around clothing." Apparently I want to be doing more of this than I do because again I had about 6 options for lounging around yoga type pants (2 pairs were from college, which is really just stupid, I haven't worn them in over 10 years!). I allowed myself to keep 2 figuring I could have one for each weekend day (which in reality is the only time I wear them). In addition I got rid of several pairs of pajamas. For some reason I get a little sentimental about pajamas and they generally don't wear out as fast as other clothing so I hold on to them a long time. A few pairs were "matching" with Avery's pajamas, and her sets have been long gone for a few years now and so I don't know why I was holding on to mine! Especially when I'm one of those people who wears old T-shirts to sleep in, why do I have any pajamas at all???
Ok, so here was the biggest (and equally hard) thing to get rid of, but it has been also been the biggest relief, sort of like getting the monkey off my back. I'm getting rid of a velvet quilt (and matching pillow shams) from our bed. I got it from Pottery Barn a few years ago. It was on sale but it still felt like a significant chunk of change for something that essentially served no purpose. When I bought it I did "think" it would serve a purpose but then when I got it I realized how incredibly heavy it was (we already have a duvet and putting the quilt on top was like being smothered). So it got relegated to sort of looking fashionable folded in half at the end of our bed. EVERY NIGHT the heaviness of the quilt pulls the duvet off the bottom of the bed, which means I will wake up with the covers at my waist, shivering and have to sit up to try to forcibly haul them back up which ends up pushing the quilt onto the floor, then in the morning it is a process to get it back on the bed and straightened up. Additionally Howie loves to sleep on it, and it collects cat hair like nobody's business and so I'm always delinting it. I hate doing all of this! For a quilt! Yes I "paid good money for it" (a frequent line in my head that prevents me from getting rid of things from time to time) but it has made me cold and cranky every day! So maybe someone out there who needs a heavy quilt will find it at Goodwill and it will make them happy and warm.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Iron Cupcake!
One of my physician partners, Stephanie Skladzien, and I entered a cupcake making competition this weekend! We spent a lot of time preparing, we baked 7 or 8 different sample cupcakes over the past 2 months and in the end decided on the following: Chocolate Cupcake with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting and Marshmallow Fondant Flowers. We were happy with our product and enjoyed the process! We didn't win, one of the professional bakers did (and her cupcake was very good, it was a smores cupcake and she put a graham cracker crust at the bottom of the cupcake liner, sort of like a cheesecake and it was really good!), so she deserved to win, but we got a lot of votes and a lot of compliments so we were happy!
One of the great things for me was that I learned a new process, and that was making and working with fondant. This is the recipe I used and I thought it turned out pretty good (with one batch I didn't have butter extract and so I substituted some almond extract and one of the people at the competition came up and said she loved it that it tasted like marzipan to her -- which is great because a lot of times fondant tastes kind of gross). It's almost like working with sugar cookie dough, except it is more pliable and dries out much faster, but it was fun to learn a new skill!
Here are some pictures:
One of the great things for me was that I learned a new process, and that was making and working with fondant. This is the recipe I used and I thought it turned out pretty good (with one batch I didn't have butter extract and so I substituted some almond extract and one of the people at the competition came up and said she loved it that it tasted like marzipan to her -- which is great because a lot of times fondant tastes kind of gross). It's almost like working with sugar cookie dough, except it is more pliable and dries out much faster, but it was fun to learn a new skill!
Here are some pictures:
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Minimizing Efforts
Ok, so I'm going to try to occasionally blog out my minimizing. Not that anyone cares about the crap I'm getting rid of. More to keep myself accountable to continuing to do it! After reading "The Joy of Less" written by this woman http://www.missminimalist.com/ I have set up two rules for myself:
1) I will get rid of one thing every day. That thing will have a brief interview where I will review it's resume and see if it is worthy of remaining in the house and then I will have to decide where it goes (donation, selling, garbage, recycling, etc.).
2) I will live by the 1 in 1 out ratio, so if we buy something new, the old item has to leave in a 1:1 ratio.
As an example of what I'm talking about I posted this on Facebook the other day:
"Handtowels, 2 of you have been doing strong work, the other 6 of you have been lazily hanging out in the linen closet for years. The free ride is over, you will be leaving us now, no more staying perched up on your high shelf looking down on all the other bathroom items, good luck in the real world handtowels!
Today I am getting rid of something that is actually really a hard one for me. I'm going to (try) to donate the kids halloween costumes to Asher's preschool. It's difficult because 1) there are happy memories attached to them (Avery was so cute as Bo Peep!) and 2) they were (relatively) expensive costumes. But right now they are sitting in a bin and no one is using them, they are too small for Avery and Asher is unlikely to want to be Alice in Wonderland next Halloween and so they need to leave. I might take pictures of them before I donate them so I can have a digital reminder of how cute they were if I ever feel like looking at them again, but they are going.
1) I will get rid of one thing every day. That thing will have a brief interview where I will review it's resume and see if it is worthy of remaining in the house and then I will have to decide where it goes (donation, selling, garbage, recycling, etc.).
2) I will live by the 1 in 1 out ratio, so if we buy something new, the old item has to leave in a 1:1 ratio.
As an example of what I'm talking about I posted this on Facebook the other day:
"Handtowels, 2 of you have been doing strong work, the other 6 of you have been lazily hanging out in the linen closet for years. The free ride is over, you will be leaving us now, no more staying perched up on your high shelf looking down on all the other bathroom items, good luck in the real world handtowels!
Today I am getting rid of something that is actually really a hard one for me. I'm going to (try) to donate the kids halloween costumes to Asher's preschool. It's difficult because 1) there are happy memories attached to them (Avery was so cute as Bo Peep!) and 2) they were (relatively) expensive costumes. But right now they are sitting in a bin and no one is using them, they are too small for Avery and Asher is unlikely to want to be Alice in Wonderland next Halloween and so they need to leave. I might take pictures of them before I donate them so I can have a digital reminder of how cute they were if I ever feel like looking at them again, but they are going.
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