Room Tours: The Master Bedroom

July 29, 2018July 29, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / 1 Comment

Welcome to my Room Tour Category! This is my second post here. The first one was a tour of the girls’ room. This will be a tour of the room I share with my husband, Bob. I think I’ve been calling him Bobby here. I usually call him Bob when I’m talking about him, and Bobby when I’m talking to him. Oh well.

I found some pictures of this room, from 2010, on a blog that I stopped keeping at the end of that year. I had blogged for five years, and then I took a break from it until this year. I read a few posts, and although I was still pondering the same ideas as I am today, I could see that I have made progress with simplifying (though slowly) over the past seven and a half years. For example, back then I was overwhelmed by our kitchen clutter, and today our kitchen seems to be in good order.

So here is what our bedroom looked like back then:

We bought the Shaker style furniture when we moved into our first home in 1999. Then we decorated the room like this in 2006, when we moved into our current home. Eventually, the quilt started falling apart. I flipped it over for awhile, then I took it off completely and just had sheets and blankets for awhile. This year I wanted a change. I did something drastic. I moved the furniture around for the first time in twelve years. I took down the pictures. Then I replaced the valances with sheers. And I bought new bedding, lampshades and placemats for the nightstands. So this is how it looks now.

I looked at loads of pictures online and found neutral colors were most attractive to me. I’m usually frugal, but this time I splurged on some 750 count sheets and they are amazing! I feel like I’m in a hotel at night. It’s very cozy and comfortable. So we each have our own nightstands. I keep a prayer book, earbuds, my Kindle, and a box of tissues in mine.

The armoire belongs to Bob. The little decoration on top was the cake topper from our wedding cake. It was a gift from his mother. She painted it to look like us. I have a cute little veil and beads and flowers just like the real ones. Well if I knew I was going to share all these details, I would have taken a closer picture of the thing.

The dresser is mine. And you can see our bathroom door on the left. My closet door is next, and our bedroom door leads to the living room. My dresser currently holds a wedding picture, my undergarments, socks, pajamas, work out clothing, bathing suit, jeans, shorts, T-shirts, dressy pumps and nylons, a sentimental box, and the jewelry the girls receive as gifts, but don’t wear yet. Most of my capsule wardrobe is hung in my closet.

Bobby’s closet is across from mine and he has the larger one, because he has more clothing. My closet is L-shaped. I keep my clothing at one end, and on the other end…

are my books! After seeing the movie, War Room, I created a prayer closet. Before capsule wardrobes, I kept all of my clothing in my dresser. But I found that because of the shape of my closet, It doesn’t bother me to have clothing in here too. I actually like leaning on my bathrobe when I’m reading on the floor.

You can see Bobby’s closet and our bathroom door on the right. I haven’t hung any pictures on the walls yet. I’m enjoying the simplicity of the room. If Bobby doesn’t tell me he wants stuff on the walls, it’s going to stay this way. We have talked about getting an electric fireplace in here. I’m thinking it would go to the right of my dresser. Maybe when it gets cold again. So this is our room and that’s the end of the tour.

Decluttering Checklist: Update

July 27, 2018July 28, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / 2 Comments

I’ve lost count on the number of weeks I’ve been working on decluttering my entire home. Here’s the checklist!

Those dates to the right of the projects are (or were) the deadlines. So you can see I’ve missed a couple of them. I did do my portion of the master bedroom, but I didn’t check it off yet because I’m hoping Bobby will go through his things, as well as his clothing. I spent quite a bit of time rearranging and redecorating the master bedroom. Maybe I’ll do a room tour soon.

The schoolroom was almost finished. I only had some things to go through in the closet, BUT… I got sidetracked by homeschool planning for next year. I started making all sorts of lists and piles. I’ve been listening to Brave Writer podcasts and lectures on Classical U. (The latter seriously made helping Bobby weed and spread mulch for six hours enjoyable.) I’ve been pondering educational philosophies and pedagogies, which is totally normal for this time of year, but not every year. Some years, (usually when I’m overwhelmed), I just follow prepared lesson plans. But not this year. I guess I’m feeling pretty good. And I’m having fun with it, even if it is rather geeky.

The basement. A major project. One day, it rained like crazy, and I worked on it all day. And after that it was sunny for weeks and I kept taking the kids swimming at my father’s pool. But I made a good dent in the basement. I started with the largest items first. I used a local Buy Nothing Facebook page to “gift” a plastic see-saw, a sandbox, a TV stand, a framed giclée print, and loads of VHS movies.

I found out that you should let things “simmer” on that group. You don’t just give something to the first person who can get to your home. You give it time for many people to say they’re interested in the item and then you choose one. It’s not as efficient as dumping a load off at the Salvation Army, but it does feel good to make people happy, and if they really are trying not to buy anything, I’d like to help them. It’s an interesting goal that sounds difficult to achieve.

I also got rid of a twin bed and Bunkie board through a Craigslist free stuff post. And I collected many bags of trash which Matthew took away along with this stuff in the trailer. It was progress. Then I went around the basement taking notes of all of the areas/categories that I plan to address one at a time.

This past week, it rained everyday. But instead of working on the basement, I jumped ahead to sentimental items. Joseph and Sarah (especially Joseph) were pushing me to figure out how to convert the family home movies, which are on VHS-C tapes to DVD’s. So I took out all this stuff.

Some of it was from my Mom, some was from Bobby’s study, and I needed a VCR. Matthew had three in the basement. (Sometimes it’s handy having a collector in the house.) I later found out that Bobby had another VCR in his study. He was probably saving it for this project.

THIS IS A MAJOR PROJECT!! It should have it’s own category on the checklist. In fact, I think each of the major projects should have their own checklist. So my goals for this weekend will be to finish decluttering the schoolroom, and to make new checklists for the basement, sentimental items, and paper. The garage and digital clutter can wait. If I really focus, (and don’t watch so many movies) maybe I can complete these projects by the end of this summer.

Summer Capsule Wardrobe

July 23, 2018July 23, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

This is my first summer capsule wardrobe ever! I created it with items from my spring capsule wardobe, with items that I wore last summer, and a few new pieces that I bought in June. I planned on wearing it from July 1st-October 1st, but I actually began wearing it in the middle of June when we had a stretch of super hot weather.

I’ll start with the bottoms: white crop jeans, blue skinny jeans, tan capri pants, black skirt, denim shorts, tan shorts, and (sorry to say) chambray shorts that I bought in June, and haven’t worn yet. They feel more snug than my denim shorts, and they are practically the same color. I also bought the tan shorts this year and have worn them once. I usually only wear shorts around the house, so I probably don’t need three of them.

Next up are the tops: black & white striped tank, black tank, red striped tank, gray sleeveless top, gray T-shirt, white T-shirt, striped T-shirt, and my pineapple shirt.

Here are the layers: jean jacket, jean vest (that my daughter didn’t wear anymore), white tassel top, white button down sweater, thin black sweater.

The footwear: black wedge heels, black sandals, and gray converse sneakers.

Dresses and accessories: black sleeveless dress, new shift dress, black handbag, and black Read Aloud Revival tote.

I have some other items too that I don’t consider part of my capsule wardrobe. They are: a bathing suit, sunglasses, pajamas, work out clothing, my Yoda T-shirt, (for cleaning and yardwork) my popcorn T-shirt and navy hoodie, (that I wear to the movies) and my red, Pura Vida and black “Stick It to the Man” T-shirts (that I wear around the house sometimes).

This looks pretty minimalist, but I think I wore fewer items in the past. Last summer, I would wear only my black sandals with one of my two pairs of boot cut jeans or my denim shorts, and a T-shirt (usually one I received as a souvenir from a foreign country Bobby visited). It was like a low maintenance uniform. And I didn’t own a purse. Having a capsule wardrobe takes a little more preparation, but it is simple once set up, and it gives me a more feminine, stylish appearance.

Does appearance matter? Does a capsule wardrobe make me more confident? Does it save me time, money, or decision fatigue? These are questions to ponder.

Decluttering Checklist: The Kitchen

June 13, 2018August 14, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

I remember the first time I decluttered my kitchen. It was in 1998, just after I read the book Totally Organized by Bonnie McCullough. I gathered everything in my cabinets and drawers and put the items in cardboard boxes in another room. It seemed extreme at the time, but it was really just a mini packing party. I brought items back into the kitchen as needed, and eventually purged what was not needed. (And I likely kept some items I deemed unnecessary, to please my husband.)

Now we are a family of eight. We have WAY MORE STUFF than we had back then. I don’t do kitchen packing parties anymore. We use the stuff we have. I’ve spent years tweaking the number of spatulas (and other kitchen tools) that will work best for our family. So this latest decluttering wasn’t difficult.

I went through each shelf or drawer, one at a time, and decided which items to keep. I cleaned as I went. Some areas I put back exactly as they were and other areas I rearranged to fit our current lifestyle. For example, I made one cabinet just for snacks. We used to keep candy and a blender in that cabinet, and some snacks that Bobby eats almost daily were stored in the pantry. This new arrangement is more convenient.

I purged plastic cups that BOBBY! (surprisingly) said we should get rid of. And I also let go of a large electric mixer and oven mitts that belonged to Sarah. She was willing to part with them after a couple of years of them sitting unused. Sarah is the main baker in our family and she said that she prefers the hand mixer.

I felt really great when I finished with the kitchen declutter. Just as it is in the girls’ room, there is truly a home for each item. Now we just need to establish good habits of putting things back in their places. My plan is to attach this activity to meal times. So, after we eat, we put the kitchen back in order. And I am certain we are going to eat!

Room Tours: The Girls’ Bedroom

June 8, 2018June 6, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / 2 Comments

This is the first post in a new category that I have created called “Room Tours”. As an aspiring minimalist, I always enjoy seeing the homes of others, who are also trying to simplify their lives. So I’m sharing mine for people like me to enjoy. If you’re a kindred spirit, you are someone who sees the benefits of living with less, and you are likely striving to pare your home down to the essentials. You may also live in a large home with a spouse and six children who do not have any interest in living with less, who are perfectly happy with things as they are, or may even think more is better.

First, I’ll share a little history of this room. Our home was custom built in 2006. This room (which I think is the largest bedroom in the house) first belonged to my two sons, Matthew and Joseph. Eventually, Matthew moved down into the basement, and Joseph had this room to himself for a few years. But this year, I moved Joseph into the room next door and gave this room to my three youngest children, who were sharing the smaller room that Joseph moved into. Hannah wanted them each to have their own beds, which they do have now. In fact, they each have their own space.

So this is Rachel’s bed, nightstand and dresser. (Rachel is currently 12 years old.)

This is Hannah’s bed, nightstand and wardrobe. (Hannah will be 10 soon.)

And this is Mary’s area. (She is 7 years old.) She stores her clothes and treasures in the three drawers below her bed. Most of the things on the shelf belong to Mary and Hannah.

The girls have a walk-in closet which is mostly for toy storage. There are a few dresses hanging in there, and their dirty clothes go in the laundry basket.

These bins store: Shopkins, Beanie Boos, blankets, slippers and more.

I encouraged the girls to get rid of items they no longer used or loved. I let them keep whatever they really wanted to keep. We even went shopping for furniture together and bought the wall hangings, bins, lamps and doodads to go with our pink, gray, white and gold color scheme. They loved that part of the move. Rachel and Hannah LOVE to shop. My main goal (that I reminded them of every day) was to assign a home to each and every item. So far, that has made picking up the room quite easy. They know where everything goes.

A place for everything,

And everything in its place.

I always put my toys away,

So I can find them another day.

Decluttering Checklist: Weeks Eight and Nine

June 5, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

So this is what I checked off since my last post:

dining room (another round)
linen closet
extra closet
master bathroom
master bedroom (my own things)
Sarah’s clothing
Rachel’s clothing
Matthew’s clothing
my clothing
basement: clothing storage
basement: decorations
basement: trash from Matthew’s room
mudroom

So, I went through the dining room again after realizing that I had just glanced around the hutch without actually touching each item and asking myself questions about it. I took out our excess gravy boats, crystal dishes, platters, and this cheese dome. I asked Bobby about them, and surprisingly, he thought we could get rid of the cheese dome and one crystal platter. So these are gone.

The linen closet and extra closet in our back hall “before” and “after” photos:

The extra closet stores: lightbulbs, batteries, my tools, paper products, the crock pot, a box of items to return, a box of items to donate, and some more household maintenance items. I’ve been through these areas so many times, that we are left with only items we actually use. I think I got rid of about four blankets and 2 pillowcases. Also, some items we meant to return and never did.

I brought up my out of season clothing and I’m donating (with Sarah’s too) a full kitchen trash bag. I plan on making my own summer capsule wardrobe soon. I may buy a few new items, but most of it will come from items already in my spring capsule wardrobe.

This is where I began in the basement.

I updated the lists I keep inside some of the clothing bins so I know what’s in them.

I crossed out items as I purged them, and added new items going in. I also made a few new labels for the bins and went through the Halloween and Easter (and other holiday) decorations. I know we use all of the Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations, with the exception of the Carousel. I asked Bobby about it because it belongs to him. No answer yet.

Finally, these are things that have gone “out the door”, and there are even more items in the back of my van right now. I’m making progress!

Decluttering Checklist: Week Seven

May 20, 2018May 21, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

This week I checked off:

the living room
the dining room

I purged paper one day. And I entered loads of receipts into an expense notebook that I am trying to keep up with this year instead of using Quicken.

I also bagged and boxed stuff that we had already decided to get rid of that was still lying around the house. I dropped it off at the Salvation Army and felt a little lighter.

This was week three of the Uncluttered course. The assignment was to declutter your vehicle (which I did), and the main living areas such as the living room, dining room, sunroom, etc. The only thing I’m getting rid of in the living room is a large landscape painting we had hanging for about twelve years. I don’t really like how it looks with our new furniture. I’m testing out the Order picture (which I love) that was hanging in the foyer. I’m not sure if I’ll keep it in here yet. I’ll give it some time.

I tested many things above the loveseat, but haven’t found anything satisfactory yet. I’m bummed that Joseph will not allow me to hang his Harvey portrait in the living room. In fact, he won’t even allow me to post a picture of it here. Joseph played Elwood P. Dowd in his high school’s production of Harvey. His art teacher created a fake painting of Elwood (with Joseph’s face) and the rabbit, Harvey. I laughed when Joseph, in character, hung the “painting” above his mantle on stage, and I’d love to see it daily, but no… so Lego Harry Potter 7 is up there temporarily to make me chuckle for a couple of weeks.

That throw pillow has moved up to Rachel’s bed. And speaking of moving things around…

Yesterday, I listened to Joshua Becker’s Uncluttered webinar. In it, he talked to the people who were organizing and moving things from room to room, but not really getting rid of much. That’s me! I know I’ve been decluttering for years, so I’m not going to have as much to purge as someone just starting out, but truthfully, in certain areas in my home, that is what I am doing. For example, in the school room, it is easier to reorganize all of the extra curriculum, art and craft supplies, etc. then to let them go and trust that we’ll be OK without them. I’m talking about all of those items in my home that I’m not using and I’m keeping just in case. “I might need them someday.”

Joshua said organizing is always temporary. You organize one day, only to organize again another day. Minimizing, getting rid of stuff, is always permanent. He added some more motivators. Organizing doesn’t help anyone else. (i.e. donate) And organizing doesn’t force self-reflection. This is so true. I have reflected a lot over the years on the stuff I have gotten rid of, and this doesn’t happen when you move it around avoiding dealing with the hard questions and truths about yourself.

Here are some more notes I took during the webinar that will help me as I get back to work on my checklist today:

Do I really need this?
Do I really use it?
Why do I have this?
Minimize first, before organizing and thinking about storage.

And lastly, I’ve added some deadlines to my checklist. I think they are realistic, but I’m hoping I’ll finish most of them before their deadline dates. I’ll post my progress soon.

Decluttering Checklist: Week Six

May 13, 2018May 13, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

This week I continued to work on the girls’ room. I hung the new rods and curtain panels and we put Rachel and Hannah’s belongings in the new dresser, wardrobe and bins. Do the sheers look better loosely hanging or pushed more to the sides?

I also spent time planting a vegetable garden and flowers in the backyard.

It was the second week of the Uncluttered course. This week’s assignment was to walk around the rooms of my home observing the stuff in them. Then, to go around again with a trash bag, filling it up with things I know I can get rid of right away.

The tour around my home was, for the most part, a happy one. I took written notes about each room such as:

I’m going to go through everything in here
I’m done here except for some decorating and organizing
Done, but need to follow our routines better

When I got to the schoolroom, I felt a little worried. There was the usual stuff that I can totally handle, but there were also scrapbooks, photos, the VHS-C project, and other sentimental items that I’m not ready to deal with. I continued the tour downstairs, feeling more positive.

Need to make seasonal changes and declutter in here
There isn’t much clutter showing in here, but I’ll need to go through cabinets and drawers
Looks good in here

Then I got to the basement and wrote, “Aagh!!!!!!”

I listed items to get rid of and categories to go through. Then I wrote, “Many hours! Days! Weeks!” And then after that I had to tell Bobby for the fifteenth time that I am working on the main areas of the house first, and when I’m finished, then I’ll make Matthew work on the basement with me. And I’m going to get rid of a lot of stuff! (I was really trying to convince myself that it will happen.)

The hardest thing for me seems to be finding time when I am home to work on this. I’ve been out a lot and we had a Confirmation party last Sunday and we’re having a 7th birthday party for Mary this Saturday, so I’m also spending time on cleaning, party prep and socializing. No more excuses… I am going to commit to at least 15 minutes each day this week. I want to make progress. I CAN DO THIS!!

Decluttering Checklist: Week Five

May 6, 2018May 13, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

This week I checked off:

Nothing again!

I continued to shop for items for the girls’ room. A wardrobe, some sheer curtain panels and cheap curtain rods, a lamp, and storage bins. I’ve set a deadline of next weekend to finish this project.

This was the first week of Becoming Minimalist’s Spring 2018 Uncluttered Course. I’ve had lifetime access to this course since I first registered for it (for free) by pre-ordering Joshua Becker’s book, The More of Less. So I’ve been through the course before. It hasn’t gotten me through my whole home, but I signed up again for extra inspiration. I joined the closed Facebook group, which I hadn’t done before. This week’s challenge was to list the reasons why you want to declutter your home and post it somewhere you will see it often. (And reduce it to one sentence and post it to the Facebook group.)

There are many reasons why I want to declutter. Maybe I’ll list them in another post, but here’s the sentence I wrote on a sticky note and posted on my bathroom mirror:

I want to declutter my entire home and practice a rule of life so that I may love God, others and myself better.

Decluttering Checklist: Week Four

May 1, 2018 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

This week I checked off:

NOTHING!!

I’ve been working on the kids’ rooms project, which I wrote about last week. This has involved lots of shopping and acquiring new stuff, and getting rid of the large bunkbed/trundle/storage unit that used to be in the girls’ room. I’m happy to say that a young man picked it up this morning for his ten year old son. I posted it on Craigslist for free, and it took me a full three days to get rid of it. I had twenty people express interest in it, but they weren’t committing to a pick up time. Next time I’m going to try a Buy Nothing Facebook group that my friend told me about recently.

So I have purchased two beds, two nightstands and a dresser. I spent an evening putting Mary’s daybed together. I also let the girls get a waste basket, which they’ve been wanting for years. We found it for $5 at Target. And we purchased a picture, a picture frame, a candle (for decoration, not for burning), and a light up “H” for Hannah. I had 4 photos Joseph wanted framed, printed at Walgreen’s and I bought frames for them. New komono.

The girls and I have been discussing the goals of this project. Well, my goals of this project. (They might just want a pretty room.) They are simply to have a place for everything, and everything in its place.

More specifically, there are these three goals:

To assign a home for each item that we use and/or love. (Or that matches the room décor.)
To put things away when you are done using them.
To have certain times each day for putting things back where they belong. (Because let’s be real, some people are not going to accomplish goal #2)

I eventually plan to have room tours on this blog. But right now I am focused on finishing setting up their room, and then getting right back to the decluttering checklist.