Tuesday 14 January 2014

This has been so much fun! Goodbye.

I'm on a manic decluttering roll at the moment.  Nothing is safe.  I'm going deep and throwing out piles of plastic and all sorts of oddments that are no longer used.  In the darkest recesses of the garage I found what appeared to be an enormous dead rat on the floor.  In an act of enormous heroic bravery I poked it with a stick.  It turned out to be a toy hedgehog puppet.  But still, it could have been a rat, and I've impressed myself more than you know by not screaming.

Every so often as I declutter I have a Moment.  I'll pick up an old toy, one that each little boy played with in those long, happy pre-pre-school days, and I'll be a bit sad that things have moved on.  This was one such toy.


Fairly hideous, I'm sure you'll agree.  But the little people loved it.  It ended up living in the car, and on too-long journeys or when little people were sleepy at the wrong time, it was handed over to the back seat, and the noise of beeps and questions and cheering would fill the air.  As I picked it up and put it in a carrier to go to the charity shop I happened to press the "off" button, and the familiar voice said jauntily, "This has been so much fun!  Goodbye."  It stopped me dead in my tracks.  Oh it was fun, it really was.

But of course everything moves on.  It must, it's the way of things, and it's right.  I try very hard not to dwell on the passing of their littleness.  Instead, I take things to the Sort-It Centre and the charity shop and I tuck a handful of special things into the cupboard for, well, you know, and I take a deep breath and concentrate on enjoying the little people right now.  Because I know that in a year I will look back at photos of today and think, how much smaller they were.  We can't go back, but we can have a really good time right now.  And it is someone else's turn to enjoy Thomas the Tank Engine.

The guinea pigs kept an eye on me while I decluttered.  This is Mrs Armitage, the adventurous one.  She channels the spirit of Olga da Polga.  The other one, Lulu, mainly likes to eat.  It never fails to astonish me how much piggies eat.


I'm still enjoying the flowers on this cyclamen.  It's been going for weeks now.  And my favourite bit is the buds, they are so beautiful in the way their petals curl neatly around.  Such a pleasure in the depths of winter.



We received this lovely wedding invitation the other day.  So pretty, and so cleverly cut and folded.  The actual invitation is a hexagon card inside the folds.



It's not until the summer, so I've got a while to ponder what exactly the boys will wear.  In the meantime I'm pressing on with the decluttering.  I've got a big to-do list, and I'm not afraid to tackle it.  Onwards, always onwards.  You can probably feel me taking a really deep breath.

30 comments:

  1. Quite frankly if you thought it really was a rat, then you are the bravest person ever!! I am scared witless by things with tails. So much so I cry!
    Well done with the de-cluttering. There are some torys I just can't bear to part with. But I'll be honest - when Thomas The Tank Engine vacates this house forever I shall jump for joy ;)

    Have a good de-cluttering week, CJ.
    Leanne xx

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  2. Oh Lord. I will gladly part with any tory......

    toys are another matter....

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  3. Oh, I am so glad it wasn't a rat. Good Lord. I came across a dead, headless bird on a walk the other day and almost jumped out of my skin. But then I got used to it and took a photo, so I guess I'm versatile like that. :) I enjoy decluttering so much. If I could take a shovel to some parts of my house and just start scooping it into a pile, I would do so gladly. :)

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  4. I am so proud of you for poking the would be rat - I would have shut the door and run off screaming at the thought of it! It is sad when things move on isn't it, but we have to keep going I guess. The wedding invite is so pretty and very unusual! Hope that it will be a great day. xx

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  5. Brave girl for poking what you thought was a rat. I'm afraid my reaction would have been a totally different story!! I would lose it if I saw a mouse and I even have trouble holding guinea pigs!! Like you, I love a good de-clutter. It feels so good doesn't it? Don't worry though, the kids may grow, but each stage is wonderful!

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  6. Good for you! I really need to start decluttering our house as well. It's been on the to-do list for a while:) I can't believe how brave you were to poke that "rat"! My hat goes off to you. Once when I was helping my mom clean her basement, we stumbled upon a dead mouse. I still don't think I've recovered. I'm sure it's so hard to see the boys grow up. Such wonderful memories, though, and exciting things on the horizon:) Be sure to take some time to congratulate yourself on all your hard work--you deserve it!

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  7. Oh friend...I had to hold back my tears a bit with your sons' Thomas toy. I think of how big my beans are getting and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it. How crazy that the toy spoke out it's been fun. You have the right perspective with your boys and enjoying the moment! So many bits of pretty in your home! Love that invitation!! Have a great week friend! Nicole xoxo

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  8. I'm impressed with your bravery this week, both with the rat and not crying when the Thomas toy said that! January is great for decluttering isn't it. I'm clearing a cupboard or drawer anywhere in the house a day and it feels great! Julie x

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  9. Oh, your post has made me a little tearful - I've been doing much the same recently and it is very hard to let go. I looked at my tall 11 year old yesterday and the little tiny girl is still in there but very well hidden so much of the time. But she still likes to spend time with us and we don't (yet) seem to embarrass her too much so I shall make the most of this stage too!

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  10. Great post a little of everything in there. Glad the decluttering is going well (is it perhaps an instinct amongst us to make a new nest ready for spring I wonder?) and love the cyclamen and the beautiful invitation card - how clever. Re your "rat" I was reminded of the day our cat came through the cat flap dragging something long and furry and like yours my reactions were braver than I would have thought - it turned out to be a fur collar she'd apparently found in a neighbour's garage where there was a pile of decluttered things waiting to go to the tip or charity shop or wherever - phew!!

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  11. As we go through the house decorating I'm trying a bit of decluttering too. One thing to bite the dust are piles of magazines. We are stopping subscription and buying emags instead to try and cit down on the problem of hoarding old magazines.

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  12. Decluttering rocks :) Well done you, and keep up the good work !

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  13. It must be the time of year, I am decluttering too. I find I have to hide the bag of stuff or I find it has been unpacked by the children!

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  14. For Christmas, my daughter received a gift in a beautiful wood box (I like the box more than the gift!) and my husband put a clear finish on it. I decided to use it as her memory box. I am not the overly sentimental type (you can read about that here: http://lifewiththecrew.typepad.com/my-blog/2014/01/thankful-tuesday-1714.html ), but I do want to keep some of my little babe's teeny, tiny, baby items. So in went a couple pairs of booties, the smallest onesies that I had embellished with some handsewing, and an adorable crocheted bomber hat that she has outgrown. The box is not very big so I won't be able to keep a lot of potential junk in it, just the best pieces.
    Oh, and love that you thought the stuffed animal was a dead rat - that would have totally been me and I probably would have waited until my husband came home!

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  15. I find it really sad when children outgrow well loved toys. I'm at the point now where there's no toys left in the house and that's really sad. Well, there's some, I've stashed them in the loft, it's far too hard to part with everything.

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  16. I did a bit of decluttering too & finally got rid of some baby clothes & cloth nappies - not really sure why I was keeping them, it was a little sad! Love the guineas, we have two as well.

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  17. Your were so brave with the puppet, it could have been so much worse. I always feel better when I have done so decluttering. That is such a pretty invitiation, summer weddings are always lovely.
    Sarah x

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  18. I'm a fan of the declutter, but I never do it enough. I think I "process" too much when I do it and get easily overwhelmed. In my head I want less, but letting go is much harder than I anticipate.

    BTW, you are the winner of the Ellen Report January Giveaway! I'm elns on ravelry, send me your mailing address so I can send you some yarn!

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  19. Brilliant post! I need to de-clutter!! So sad, but has to be done!

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  20. You are good to be so strict with your de-cluttering! I managed to 'rehome' a lot of children's books through the local primary school, but there's still a boxful that I couldn't send away because of all the good memories attached.

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  21. The line that came out of the tank engine brought little tears to my eyes. How strange, how appropriate. I always have the hardest time getting rid of sentimental things, but lately I have made a few trips to Goodwill. I figure, if we aren't using this stuff, it's selfish not to let other people use it. I feel like you might agree. And like you, I definitely breathe a sigh of relief once it's gone. Good job taking on that "rat" and staying in the moment with your family.

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  22. Oh my gosh....Mrs. Armitage is ADORABLE! I fondly remember those days when my ds had piggies. They were my favorite pets EVER! Each had its own personality.

    Happy de-cluttering. I have been doing that over the past few weeks. Sure feels good every time I empty my truck at the Goodwill.

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  23. Thank you for your comment on my most recent post - I tried to publish it and it's disappeared so I am sorry to say it doesn't appear on my blog! I have changed back to not needing to approve now so any further ones should be fine!

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  24. A nice post and photos. It must be the time of year to declutter as several bloggers are doing the same.
    That was brave of you poking a stick at what you thought was a rat.
    What a great wedding invite, most inventive. Flighty xx

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  25. Good luck with all your de-cluttering. I've just finished the first phase here -with a break to take advantage of some sun outside. With more rain forecast this weekend I can see myself starting phase two!
    I love your little guinea pig - so sweet!

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  26. Oh good grief, I thought you were quitting blogging for a minute there, when I read your title! Phew, you're not. Good.

    I need to get rid of all our baby toys and books and am not at all fine with it. I know, I must enjoy the children as they are now, and relish each moment, and I do, I really do. But I am finding it awfully hard to let go of the baby days. x

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    1. I find it really hard too. I kept things longer than they were needed - as long as I needed them to be kept. And I kept a few treasures. When I was ready(ish) to let things go to make space, I really tried very hard not to think about it too much.

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  27. CJ, I love this post today. I kept so many of my boys trucks, dinosaurs and cars, I just could not part with them. i miss them being little all the while I am enjoying them as they are today.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  28. I have a room that needs decluttering.. I plan to work on it.. I really do. Your cyclamen is LOADED with blooms! I get them but they never stay nice.. you must have a very green thumb. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  29. I have been on the journey of decluterring for the past two years or so... And yet, I have still so much to do. It is the thoughts you had when seeing this toy that often held me back... I am keeping things for no other reasons than to keep in mind the moments and "emotions" associated with it... And also because sometimes I just don't dare to let things go... But it is so pleasant to have less stuff, feel not so overwhelm have control over things and not the other way around. Have fun and Enjoy!

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