Time to dine. . . . . . . . .

I spent much of Sunday doing this!

Even though I had promised myself it would be a day of relaxation I just felt

 it was time to make changes and start decluttering the dining room.

So I got moving, making this chore part Spring Cleaning, part downsizing.

At this point in time a future move is always in the back of my mind. 

Meanwhile fewer dust catchers will make life and cleaning easier.

I've painted this dresser several times in the 30 plus years since I bought it

 unfinished. I still like this grayish-blue shade so it will stay. 

With all the china removed, and gently washed by hand, I replaced some

 antique/vintage items, packed others up to dispose of, and placed some of my

 everyday plain white 'French Countryside' china so it's more accessible than

 in the kitchen cabinets. After all, that's what dressers were originally built for

 before fitted kitchens hung on walls were ever invented.

This is how it looks now with everyday dishware consisting of plates and bowls for 

serving food, cups and saucers for tea, and demitasse cups for coffee, all at hand.

Some antiques remain - many picked up during travels to England and France - because

 they are special to me.  

Still other areas to work on - so I must get moving!

I'm really having quite a terrible fun time downsizing!  

Yes, trying to remain positive whilst saying au revoir to half my clothes and such.
This week several bags were transported to Retails, the local thrift shop I 
support - they use their profits for animal welfare and spay/neuter programs in the area.  
Also, the clean out of the potting shed last week ended up being a
positive experience. A neighbor's caregiver, when driving by, asked to take
 several items we had piled at the curb for city pickup, for her son to repair and
 paint. We happily loaded them into her car!

Remember, after grabbing the lovely Marie Kondo's newest book Spark Joy

 while buying wine at Costco HERE - in January - I made myself a promise that

this is the year I would start sorting through, re-organizing, and finally letting go
 of stuff which didn't 'spark joy' in my life.

It will be a slow process, perhaps because we actually are tidy, and are not

 true hoarders, so if you came to visit you would not be shocked, or tripping

 over things, well I hope not!  But, in a small home with limited space,

we do need to cut back on storing more than we can use, be it paper 

towels, black socks, or bottles of wine!

We do not live in the countryside isolated from modern life.

We have so many malls, shopping centers, grocery stores, big box stores,

garden centers within a short drive, some within a 10 minute walk, that anything

 we might suddenly need is almost on the doorstep.

Raleigh is close to the top of every 'best place to live' list - you can see the list

HERE and yes, we'll welcome you if you decide to move here along with the 

thousands of new residents arriving annually . . . . .be prepared for great
living and true southern hospitality.

Decluttering with Japanese help. . . . . .

I picked up this little book up whilst waiting as Bob loaded a few bottles of wine into our Costco cart early last week. With warnings of the storm arriving - which it did with a vengeance - I envisioned staying home - which I did - and really making serious inroads into decluttering, organizing, and tidying up around the cottage. . . . . . which didn't happen of course! Given an opportunity to photograph beautiful birds and pesky squirrels slip sliding about the ice-covered garden was much more exciting.

You may have seen this book - it's the second written by a delightful Japanese woman, Marie Kondo, known as a 'decluttering guru who has revolutionized homes and lives across the world.' Paging through this illustrated version with the cutest line drawings of how to fold everything from your panties to your parka, and how to organize drawers like a Japanese bento box, is really fun. To date, my first and last experience with a bento box was the amazing food-filled offering on the bullet train from Tokyo to Niigata! Yes, I would like to see all my socks organized in a bento box. I see a lot of valuable information inside the covers of this small book - much I may already be aware of as I do embrace 'tidy', but I've spotted some brilliant new ideas also. If only Marie could make a house call here I think things would be moving along faster, meanwhile if I can just get off this laptop perhaps I could do most of it myself!

Speaking of which. . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . whilst my thrust is toward decluttering as I have far too much stuff, I am currently teaching my eleven year old neighbor to knit, and am finding plenty of yarn and pairs of knitting needles hidden away among my stuff! Monday she arrived on my dangerously iced over front steps - schools were shut down - for a knitting lesson. She presented me with other fruits of her labor from the stay at home weekend, these really delightful Japanese origami creations - cat, fish, rabbit, butterfly and swan. I've threaded them to hang as bunting, they are so darned cute, and I love kids who are creative and use their time this way rather being glued to a screen.

"More stuff" I hear you say. I guess so. 

But don't forget, I now have the Japanese book, and surely Marie

 will tell me that if they "spark joy" I am allowed to keep them!