thiskat's Profile

@alyx I do! My subscription to Birchbox is the culprit. I give things to my nanny and I may bring things to work. I do, admit, have no problem throwing away things I'll never use.

This is something I mostly stay on top of. Things haven't been where I want them to be, though, and I think this is what I'm going to work on. I'll adjust the shelving in my cabinet to accomodate my hair product items that need space (they've been stuffed in a drawer) and them move my smaller items to my ex's cabinet, which doesn't have adjustable shelves. Eventually I want to put in a proper cabinet in that bathroom but that's a long ways off for now.

I may go check out Night Circus, too. For my Kindle, of course. (:

I have no problem getting rid of books I've read, and I only keep ones that really changed my heart. My big problem is books I *haven't* read. Since I've had kids I've found it really difficult to get through a book in less than six months.

My other problem is that I don't have proper bookshelves anywhere in my house. It's not for lack of space, really, just lack of a system. I have about 30 books--some read and some not read-- stacked next to my bed! This is on my list of projects and I think I'll sit down this weekend and decide how I want to solve this problem. I have to decide how much of this solution is simply "storage" and how much is "display." That will affect where and how I deal with this.

As for magazines, I have always saved them and, until recently, organized them pretty neatly and referred back to them. But last year, when I was going through my divorce, I stopped referring to the cooking magazines and design magazines altogether. So I'm purging all of those, tearing out a few recipes or design ideas here and there and putting them in sleeves in a notebook.

On a more general note, I've got some delicate negotiating to do with my kids. I didn't purge my outboxes when my kids were at their dad's house. 99% of the stuff in these boxes is mine to purge, and the kids have contributed on their own, too. But they found a few dumb things (a tiny plastic rat, and a DVD they never watch) and were pretty irate that I was getting rid of these things. I assured them that nothing has been gotten rid of, but that these things need a home and that's why they are in the box. We'll see if we can make some room in their tiny bedroom for things they truly love. We bought containers to store things to "see if we missed them" so I can get them to start letting go of junk they don't use. They're still reeling from the breakup so I have to be gentle and patient. Advice welcome!

Hello! Jumping into the conversation a little late, though I've been chugging along on this Cure. I did the Kitchen Cure a few years back but this is my first for the whole house. My situation is a bit unique (or, maybe not) in that I got divorced this past year and my ex didn't take much, and I wish he had! While I've always kept the common areas, and my closet, pretty organized, this past year was full of so much upheaval that I didn't do any purging or organizing.

I've got my list outlined in a Google doc, and I keep adding to it! My floors had just been cleaned so I'm focusing this weekend on purging junk from the kitchen. I can't believe how much has accumulated.

As far as getting rid of things: I've blocked out a weekend this month to just spend the morning doing that. And then get my car detailed as a reward! I've also made a deal with my neighbor who has 2 little girls several years younger than my own to come and take first dibs on stuff we're purging from their room. That chore is proving to be really difficult. They are little packrats.

I know from experience that I won't be able to sustain a weekly bouquet habit so I plan to choose flowers and greenery from my yard and buy potted plants.

For those worried about pets: One option is to get a terrarium and decorate it with air plants and pretty rocks. I also plan to get one of those for my office desk.

Back to purging cookbooks!

Trish! We're neighbors! I've longed admired your house and garden and when I ride by with my kids on our way to the park or preschool.

It's fun to see the inside. And your taste in colors is very close to mine. You've given me some ideas for my brown living room.

Gorgeous! Well done!