40 in 40 Week #2 Wrap up!

For those of you following along I'm working on my 40 bags in 40 days project with Ann Marie over at White House Black Shutters and am wrapping up Week #2 today. I'm a day early on the wrap up, but I have gotten some amazing work done this week and am ready to wrap it up and consider it closed. 

Honestly there aren't a lot of beautiful pictures this week. Most of this project consists of me dealing with the overwhelming desire to be organized and live simple and dealing with the hoarder in me that fights me at every turn. So, these posts will be mostly filled with garbage, literally. Lots of junk that I have spent years accumulating. 

I came to a realization this week while working on my clutter. I don't "love" most things I have. Most of my home is filled with "stuff" and I want to surround myself with things I love. So, this is about clearing out the stuff and focusing on what really brings joy to me in my home. 

 I'm waging war on this stuff and it must go....and go now! I am being ruthless this year and hopefully when next year's Lent season rolls around I can pride myself in the decluttering of small spaces like under a sink. Or I can spend some time decorating with things I love. For now though, the posts you will be seeing will look like a whole lot of garbage being tossed. :) My work this week was mostly in the basement. 

I did manage to sort through the boys dresser and toss 2 bags of stuff from them. Now I can find everyone's clothes each morning and all my laundry fits in the drawers. That is heavenly! 

Before:

After:

This is what I have accomplished in the basement so far (And likely some of the most embarrassing pictures EVER!)

Office Before:

Office After:

Laundry area Before:

Laundry area after:

Purple Heart came today and picked up a load of donations. Another load went to Animal Friends in WV for their thrift store Re-Tails. And a bunch more trash. Final count after week 2. 

13 Bags of Trash

29 Boxes/Bags donated

Total of 42 Bags gone....And umm.....It's only Week 2. This might seem like I'm an overachiever, but the sad fact is I have 2/3 of a  basement left to accomplish and I that is terrible! Next week I will be focusing my efforts on my bedroom closet (Which is still not complete) and more work in the basement. I'm hoping for another area to be cleared out in the next 7 days. 

Week #1 Wrap of 40 in 40

Well the end of week #1 is here! 40 Bags in 40 Days project started on Ash Wed. (Feb. 13th) and if you aren't familiar it's a way of "Giving up for Lent" (Clutter!) and a way to refocus on Simple Living, Organizing and reducing the clutter in your home. This is my 3rd year hooking up with Ann Marie at White House Black Shutters and the first two years collectively I purged over 100 bags of clutter from our home. 

That might leave you to think that I have a handle on this. Right?! Well, WRONG! I realized this year that I have not tackled the madness and really have barely touched the surface. I have a huge basement that is over-flowing and even worse...Still parts of my home that contains items that are not usable, not loved, and basically....Trash! 

So this year I'm hitting hard. Not holding anything back and purging it. Once and for all. We have a small home. 2 bedrooms....3 kids. You get the idea. Simple Living seems to elude me in the piles of stuff. My disorganization costs me time (LOTS of time searching for that ONE thing I want) and money (Just buying it because I can't find it). And I also realized this year that I don't "love" my home. Mostly because my entire home is decorated with "other people's things". things that people have given me, passed down, and collected through the years. 

So...I have finally decided to break those emotional ties that bind me and work towards "My home". Before the 40n40 project started though, I confess I started early. I began at the beginning of the year and while I didn't count bags or donate things (YET! They were moved to the basement) I started redoing some problem areas. 

Kitchen:

 Pretty new Fiesta Ware (Which I LOVE and are Lead Free, the main reason for the replacement!!!!) Replaced all the items that were crammed in the same cabinet. Crazy!

(These are technically still in my home in the basement...but it's progress)

I cleared off my buffet that seemed to ALWAYS collect junk and now it's a usable space for storage of my dry goods. I found these awesome glass jars at Thrift King for $2.00 a piece!

And now Wednesday I started cleaning out the clutter!!!

In the bathroom I found an entire box full of old vitamins and prescriptions. Some expired in 1998! Seriously people...I moved them 3 times. That is madness!

 "Bag" #1 down!

 Baby Baer's drawers were tackled. I found about 30 pair of infant booties. And umm...She's 2! 

these bags aren't "counted" yet because they technically have not left my home either. This is an important part of it for me. While I have cleared it from our living space it still sits in waiting....In the basement. Once it is MOVED from my home then it will be counted. 

I tackled under the bathroom sink! And then...under the kitchen sink

 And then I also "started" the basement. Which means there are no pictures of progress because all I did was walk through and gather trash. 

Total Count for the first (short) week is 8 Bags of Trash! GONE! 

Next Week I'm tackling more of the basement. The Linen Closet, My dresser, and hopefully Papa Baer's dresser as well. 

40 Bags in 40 Days Project

It's that time again! It's Ash Wednesday today and that start of 40 Bags in 40 Days project. The Giving up of  clutter for lent. This is my third year doing the project and I'm so excited and ready to do it this year. 

I'll be updating weekly (If not more often) about my accomplishments and tips on how to clear the clutter. I will be coming from the slightly emotional hoarder side of things as I struggle to get my own clutter under control. You can follow along though with the 40 Days Guru, Ann Marie, at her awesome blog (One that actual gets updated). She runs White House Black Shutters and is amazing at DIY and organization. 

She has printables available (Which I'm using) and is also hosting a closed facebook group for those of us who need support and lots of direction! Come join in the fun this year and give up your clutter for Lent. 

You can see her post here

Here are by "Before" pictures in all their glory. The basement, which is my BIG decluttering project of the year.....And a few other small areas of my home that haven't been organized yet. 

I'm also tackling the Kids clothes....Tubs and Tubs of kids clothes that don't fit any of my kids. They are going! 

So....Come get motivated with me and I promise to update my blog more then once a year. ;)