Tuesday, February 05, 2008

spt -- fill in the blanks

the other day, i was in my _____________, and i noticed this _______________. my only thought was, "why do i still have this hanging around my house?!?"

Sadly, I was a bit overwhelmed by this challenge, because I have so many many things that I feel this way about! We have a small house with limited storage, and I often have a hard time getting rid of things. Pair that with the fact that I have a tendency to stop seeing the piles and errant objects -- they seem to just become a part of my landscape -- and you've got a deadly combination.

My basket of Christmas cards, that never got put away and has now become a receptacle for random coupons, lists, and good mail. Good grief.

A rug I hung over the deck railing a long time ago to dry or air out, I can't even remember now. I think it needs to be trashed now.

A bag of loose recipes that we came across when we cleaned out my cookbook cupboard. The plan was for me to go through them, decide which ones I wanted to keep, and find a way to organize them. Instead, it's been sitting next to my dresser for months. Sheesh. (and the carpet samples! I think I can get rid of those now...)

This is a little embarrassing (well, this whole spt is, actually) -- I still have a Christmas wreath on the door! I guess I've stopped seeing it as a Christmas decoration and have started viewing it as just a little door decor. That has to come down today, even if I don't have anything to replace it with until spring.

The ice on our front steps. We haven't been vigilant enough about snow shoveling, and we ran out of our rock salt. I chipped away at these with the shovel this morning, to no avail. It's annoying, and it's a liability. Seriously. Am I just waiting for a warm day to melt it all?

So now you know why I need to focus on freeing myself from clutter! It seems that my biggest battles are the ones I have to fight within myself.

27 comments:

melanie said...

Michelle, I LOVE. LOVE your hair color!! It is so flattering, you look fabulous!

And I'm so afraid of this SPT. I'd have to out myself with all I haven't cleaned out forever. I used pregnancy as the excuse and now I've moved the excuse to the newborn. What will be next? Maybe I'll get brave and use the post as motivation.

charlotte said...

I think my favorite one is the rug!! I hate it when I let clutter gather, because it is definitely overwhelming to tackle it all at once.

And I love, love, love your hair!

Jill said...

Your hair looks great!

I was nodding my head as I read your post, kind of like, a huh, I see, yes that's a project, a huh, but then your last part about "freeing" yourself of clutter just made me laugh, it's your word for the year!

Jennifer said...

The good news is that the sun WILL come and melt that snow whether you clear it or not. Thishas been my year to work diligently on beating the clutter. I am noticing a huge difference in the level of calm for our family when I am working hard to keep at it. Not easy-for sure but the pay off is even better than I expected. My #1 problem has always been paper-keep or toss? I'm tossing a whole lot more now and feeling okay about it.

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

Ditto to Melanie's post. I love your hair. It's really classy.

Your SPT's made me laugh (especially the ice because that's my theory on ice...wait for a warm day).

Quelly said...

Super cute hair on Super Tuesday!

Alison said...

Love the hair

Elizabeth said...

Your hair looks so great.
The rug hung outside is something I am always doing.

Anonymous said...

Your hair made me gasp! I love it- you look foxy!

I have not done this one yet because I can't narrow it down- and I seem to collect more things in the colder weather and feel less motivated to do anything about it. Maybe I need a montage like this to bring it all to a head and just do it.

Kudos for being brave and posting it like it is!

Barb said...

Well, the self portrait aspect certainly isn't embarassing! You look so great!

Anonymous said...

Well, it seems your clutter takes a backseat to your hair! Alright!

Good luck with the clutter. I also suffer from that problem....I started to attack it by throwing away mail order catalogs as soon as I sort the mail! Well, it's a start!

Does this mean that I can't send any of my "clutter" to you when I sort it?!

And, I was just recalling that one night when Rita and I were working late some years ago, we watched a movie titled "Rita, the clutter counselor"! Great idea for a new cottage industry! Get it down to a science, and then market the whole plan!

Anonymous said...

Love, Love, Love your hair. It looks stunning!

I have a rug issue also in my backyard, but thankfully right now, it is covered in snow so I can't see it.

Tasha said...

Nonetheless, your hair looks awesome!

Liz said...

Michelle, I think the new hair do is great!

This particular SPT is one of those ones where I think everyone could use it to push themselves to get rid of this or that pile.

Unknown said...

your hair looks AWESOME!!!!!

i recently threw away a doormat that had been slung over my deck railing for about 5 weeks.

i also have all of my christmas cards out. since i didn't do cards this year, my intention was to write to someone from the list every week.

i haven't opened a single card since they were transferred to the basket...

carlo said...

oh loving the hair...

the carpet sample made me laugh b/c i have a floor sample beside my desk as a test...a test that has lasted about 1.5 years. a-hem.

Rin said...

You are beautiful!!! Great picture.

April said...

I totally understood the "becomes part of the landscape." That's it exactly. You didn't need that rug anyway.

chloe said...

I loved this post! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one...but I don't have kids keeping me busy. I have no excuse, other than sometimes, I just don't care!.

And your hair color is fantastic!

And yes, Kelly Purkey is a good friend of mine, which is why I'm in the layout. I'd love to see it, though, as I'm not a scrapper.

stacy{s} said...

Your post made me laugh out loud. I have so many of the same things at my house. Including a rug that should be tossed and bags of papers that I have hidden away when company comes over. I seriously feel so much better that I am not alone with my clutter issues. {I think your hair looks great too!}

Becky said...

You look gorgeous in your picture! I definitely have trouble throwing away recipes too...why I keep them and never use them I haven't figured out. And I think the funniest one is the rug :)

Elisa said...

Me too!! I have stashes everywhere..I am a bad stuffer, never look under my bed.

The magnets arrived yesterday, what a treat! Miriam and I were both overjoyed. I love seeing them on the fridge. So sweet of you to think of us! Thank you!

Marie said...

Oh my! I am very much the same way. Once things are on my counter for a week, I don't see them anymore. Then it is a good 6 months before I do anything about it.

rebecca said...

I am tackling my house room to room, wondering - how did I let this even in my house to begin with, let alone stay around?

You look SO cute! Beautiful.

Crystalyn said...

i was just walking through my house and getting more frustrated by the minute as i found multiple things everywhere i turned that shouldn't have been there. AAAHH! i HATE it! i have 3 almost empty laundry baskets stacked in my room just because i'm waiting around for who knows what to finish emptying them.

your hair is absolutely stunning and you look beautiful.

Laurie said...

Great self-portrait. I think your wreath is a good winter wreath. Who says wreaths are only for Christmas??

Robyn said...

I just had to comment that your last photo reminds me of Jessi. I normally don't think you guys look much alike but something about the eyes or something... Anyway, I had to mention it. It's a compliment- you are both very photogenic! Wish I was!

Really cute hair. Wish I could embrace my curl!

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