Success, at last!

OMG! As my youngest granddaughter would say.  When I started tidying, decluttering and sorting I had no idea it would take so long or that I would find so much 'stuff'!  These are some of the photos that prompted the clear out -

From these you can clearly see the enormity of the problem.  Thankfully after many trips to the local tip, several wheelie bins full and much recycling of unwanted goodies my home now looks like this -

Hopefully I will now be able to keep it tidier and more organised than previously.  I have revamped several things that just weren't working, including my photo storage, which took 2 full days!  I have started listing my yarn on ravelry and will add my needles and patterns over time, which will also help.  Tomorrow I am off to Scarborough for a week with some of my children and grandchildren which should be fun.  When I come back I hope to tackle the few places I haven't had time to get to and to do some scrapbooking in between school work.  I am feeling more creative and optimistic so fingers crossed.

Operation 'Sort This Shit!' Day 2

The time has finally come - I either need to reorganise and declutter ALL my possessions or I need to move to a bigger house.  Given that I have neither the money nor the inclination to move house declutter it will have to be.

The house isn't tiny, it has 3 bedrooms (one normal and 2 fairly small, a lounge, kitchen, bathroom, walk in attic space and a few cupboards.  I moved in gradually and have continued to move in a bag or 2 at a time ever since.  We are now at bursting point!  My combined hobbies of baking, cooking, knitting, crochet, photography, cross stitch, sewing, genealogy, scrapbooking and reading have taken over the house.  Added to all of this is the stuff I collect as a teacher, often just in case, the how to books I have accumulated and all the things I bring home to work on over the holidays and the picture becomes clearer.

We are currently full up, there is not only no room at the Inn but there is not room anywhere else either!  My OH is an ever patient man but he is currently trying to improve his fitness and lose weight.  To this end he bought a stationary bike.  However assembling it proved difficult due to an extreme lack of space, anywhere!  It is now assembled but it takes several minutes to clear a space round it to use it, by which time the notion has, on occasion, worn off.  The thought of putting everything back where it was once he has finished is even more off putting.  I now have a deadline.  I have to sort it or he will bin it.  I now know how my children felt when I descended on their bedrooms carrying a black bag.  The fear is upon me!

Yesterday saw 4 boxes moved and emptied but this hardly made even a little dent in the stuff. I feel a reality TV show coming on about people who hoard things till they can't move.  The worst bit it, I can't cope with mess, I find it terribly stressful and it hampers my creativity.

One of my worst habits is overorganising things and ending up with the same kind of things in 3 different places.  The last time I reorganised it was my wool and knitting/crochet patterns.  They have all been beautifully sorted and rehomed in neat order BUT nothing is labelled so I have NO IDEA where anything actually is!  It is madness and is almost making me ill so I am away to slay a few demons and move some stuff so I can actually see what I have, what I am keeping and what will be going in the bin.  Wish me luck!