Create a Bedroom You Love

".....don't forget to consider what other elements you can add to make this room your sanctuary....If you love to read, add a small bookcase."

-- Regina Leeds


Well, amazingly enough, it is already the end of month two of my challenge. I'm feeling proud of myself that I have stuck with it and really, sincerely tried to change my ways. And there have been a lot of positive changes, though you'd never know it if you walked through my front door just now.

In this week's chapter, Regina talks about really organizing your closet in great detail. But, as I said before, my closet just doesn't lend itself to creative organizing. That being said, however, I have done the best I could and it looks neater than it ever has - the big reason being that there is so much less clothing in there. It's so gratifying now to open my closet door and see only items that I really like and that fit me. What a treat.

Unfortunately, the whole redecorating project is taking much, much longer than anticipated. I couldn't do any work on it during the short week because I had commitments each evening. And this weekend, although we actually worked a lot, there was just so much more to do that we had realized. Much more repair work on the walls and ceiling which really ate into our time.

All of my bedroom furniture including all of the bookcases and the 'millions' of books are still hanging out in the dining and living rooms. Waiting patiently. I'm sure it would be quite jarring to a stranger walking in, but it's amazing how easily I have coped with the chaos; I think it's just knowing that it's simply the price that must be paid for a great reward in the end.

I have decided that the very small, one-shelf bookcase will be going to live somewhere else. Quite possibly in my closet to hold something besides books. And as for the very tall bookcase, I have re-painted it and will be putting it in my living room. There is actually a perfect spot for it that I had somehow overlooked before. And since books are so wonderful to me, and such an important part of my life, I will find comfort in seeing them there.

This week I will be sorting through all of the many piles and making decisions. Some will be going to the case in the living room, some may be stored in a cupboard downstairs, and perhaps some will find their way to the Goodwill Bookstore, if I feel they deserve a chance to brighten someone else's life. Only a select few will eventually sit on the shelves of my newly re-painted medium-sized bookcase.

I do love books and want to have some right there with me in my new sanctuary. I believe they really do add another dimension of energy and I will really enjoy seeing them. And they will look so much more attractive and appealing in my 'new' space. It certainly does seem to be true that 'less is more.'

Cheers!


Diane

Month #2, Week #3: "Take Time for Your Space"

".....misplaced gold is easily found, misspent time is lost forever."

-- Loy Ching-Yuen


At the beginning of this month I wrote about just how cluttered my bedroom was and how I realized it was impossible to create any kind of order the way things were. I just had to face the facts: I had too much stuff.

Well over the past few weeks I am pleased to say I have made great progress. I gave away many bags full of clothing to Goodwill and my drawers are now neat and tidy and contain only clothing that I really like and wear regularly. My closet, too, has had a makeover. Mind you, it remains a very small closet that was built over 100 years ago and there is nothing I can do about that. It is like a small box (only 30" wide!) with one rod about two-thirds of the way up and one shelf above that. After culling a lot of clothing that was either too small, unloved, or designed for the winter months, the summer clothes I could actually wear fit in much more easily. I put all of my various handbags neatly on the shelf, and my daughter, Abby, gave me a hanging shoe rack so I could get my shoes off the floor.

In this chapter, Regina outlines several possibilities for closet design, but it seems to me that I have made my closet as efficient as it can possibly be. But what about the rest of my bedroom? Amazingly enough, at this very moment it is completely empty! Well, except for Mark and a tall step ladder.

Even with all the work I've done so far, my room still had way too much in it, the ceiling paint was peeling in one spot, and there were several thin cracks on the very boringly painted walls. We decided last week to take advantage of the long weekend to at least get started on a full painting project. We have been quite busy and dedicated, but it is now Sunday evening and this long weekend just hasn't been long enough.

There was so much background work to do! We spent Friday evening and much of Saturday trying to find the perfect duvet cover/bedding set which we would use as a focal point in order to decide on paint colours. We trudged around the city looking at store after store but nothing really struck us. Fortunately, we finally did find just what we wanted and our decision-making was instantaneous.

Then, we had to buy the paint and all of the various accoutrements. And then, we had to move every single item out of the bedroom and into the dining room. What a lot of work! Today we thoroughly washed all of the walls, doors, windows, and baseboards and it looks better already.

We are now trying to repair the ceiling and then will move on to the walls. It is time-consuming work, not like with a new house where you can simply start to paint. But it all has to be done.

Unfortunately, this project will not be completed this weekend, but I am optimistic about the next. Things are coming along. And I am not feeling desperate for it to be over, but I am taking the time to enjoy the process. I am really so excited about how my 'new' room will look! At long last I will truly have a bedroom that I love - an actual warm and comforting sanctuary. And what a wonderful feeling that will be.

Cheers!


Diane

Month #2, Week #2 - "Get to the Bottom of Your Closet"

"When we feel vulnerable and powerless in our lives, we frequently do one of two things: we gain weight or we weight ourselves down with too much stuff. Fat and stuff are both buffers against a world we perceive as threatening our well-being."

-- Regina Leeds


When I read Regina's opening words for this chapter, I felt both surprised and inspired. I have found that most organizational articles, and even books, that I have read seem to bypass the psychology behind the keeping of 'too much stuff' and go straight to the 'do this and don't do that' stage. To me, they seem to be implying: "Just be more like me, OK?" Well, it's just not as easy as all that.

As I mentioned last week, I had been feeling completely overwhelmed by my bedroom; it was very far indeed from being a sanctuary. In fact, whenever I walked through the door I felt a bit more like the poor, (temporarily) doomed Wile E. Coyote, looking up to see a big, black, grand piano hurtling toward him. So, it was quite a relief to even have a plan of action. Regina was going to lay out the plan and all I had to do was read it and follow it. Simple, eh?

The first week dwelt on thinking about my bedroom and what changes needed to be made. However, since there was so much work to do, I didn't want to wait any longer. What a nice feeling to have the motivation to succeed! I cleaned out all of my drawers in my two dressers which were jam-packed with clothing. I was ruthless in my decision-making and ended up with two bags of donations to Goodwill. Whew!

And now, this week was 'tackling my closet' week and I was keen to get at it, along with a healthy dose of trepidation. But where, oh where, to start? While many organizers suggest that you take every single item out of your closet first, then put back only what you really need and want, Regina takes a different approach. She says to tackle just one section at a time so that you won't become overwhelmed, and so the rest of your bedroom doesn't end up looking like a trash heap and sucking away all of your enthusiasm. I followed her advice and it worked like a charm.

Regina says, "Get to the bottom of the story that has made you hold onto this item of clothing. If you are still unsure, take a clinical look. Is it out of date, inexpensive, tattered, faded, worn, or stained? Let it go."

Well, the story of my closet revealed that I was hoarding way too many items that were far too small for me now, and every time I looked at them, even peripherally, I just felt fat. And that's not an inspiring feeling. Out they went. I also had quite a few items that I used to love, but they really didn't fit my current style. Out as well.

Some things were just plain nostalgia vessels, the best one being, as Mark calls it, 'my little green coat'. It is actually a long, zippered jacket, I guess, with a collar, made of fuzzy blanket-like cloth, and bright lime green in colour. It was given to me by a close friend about 18 years ago, at a time when my life was turbulent, to say the least. And in the years since then, it has been something of a 'Linus blanket' to me. Very, very comforting. I tried very hard to donate it to charity when I moved six years ago, but I couldn't make it happen. And, now, I was being faced with the same challenge. I took it off the hanger, folded it up, and put it in the bag for Goodwill. And then, awhile later, I took it back out again. Because of this struggle, I opted to re-read Regina's words.

"Some people....reason, albeit unconsciously, that if they hold onto the item, they will be capturing forever a piece of that time in their lives....They won't ever bring the past to life. It lives inside you in your heart and memories."

After reading this, I was inspired once more, and on more than one level. I was impressed that my current feelings about such a dreadful time seemed to focus, not so much on the events themselves, but by the loving kindness and friendship that enveloped me at that time. And I like that.

But the 'little green coat' itself is just a piece of fabric, like so many others. It is actually way too big for me and whenever I wear it, to be honest, I feel a strange mixture of comfort and obesity. Folding up this green coat and putting it into the Goodwill bag once and for all was a little sad - I won't lie. But it also felt very good.

Things are going pretty well for me now and I don't require so much comforting. But if I ever do, I know that seeing and talking with my dear friend will bring me much more comfort than a big, old, fuzzy jacket ever would. Regina was spot-on when she says that we must "understand how your attachment to clothes may be emotional." Absolutely right.

Working through some of these emotional attachments has been very revealing and very helpful to me. And now, as Regina says near the end of the chapter, I am ready to "Enjoy the freedom of empty space." She goes on to say, "Space isn't empty; it's full of energy. Consider also that all the good that is meant to come to you now has a place to reside."

And so, a word to all the good things in the universe that are out there, waiting to come to me: "I've made some room for you, so come on down!"

Cheers,

Diane

Month #2, Week #1: Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary

"Our contribution to the progress of the world must, therefore, consist in setting our own house in order.

-- Gandhi



Regina Leeds begins the second month's chapter with the above title and quotation and I think they are excellent choices. After all, how can we really hope to create something positive in the world at large if we don't even have our own lives and our own homes in order.

Regina starts off with a question: "How would you describe your bedroom?" She then goes on to list some very positive adjectives such as "comforting, nurturing, inspiring, elegant, and joyful" and asks if these words are on the list. Realistically assuming that most people reading this book would not be able to truthfully choose from this list, she offers encouragement. "If not, I hope they will be by the time February (or in my case, May) has ended." I hope so, too!

My house is a small bungalow built in the late 1800's, so the rooms are quite small by today's standards. The front door opens into a small entry way, with the dining room to the left and the living room straight ahead -- all entirely open. My bedroom, weirdly enough, is to the left of the living room with two doors leading into it, although only one is used. It seems that this room was originally two very tiny (probably) bedrooms, but apparently the very elderly lady who lived here before me used it as a sitting room.

Having the two small rooms opened up into one makes it a nice-sized bedroom. But over the years it has lost it's roominess due to the ever-expanding number of objects taking up residence there. Let's see, I have a double bed, two night cabinets, three bookcases (one large, one medium, and one small), a tall dresser and a wide dresser, an antique pine table, as well as a desk chair, a comfy chair, two lamps, and two very large trunks. I'm feeling claustrophobia washing over me even as I write this!

This first week is a time of observation and reflection; a time to focus, and a time to answer some pertinent questions, such as: "Do you like your current bedroom?" "Are there things about your bedroom you don't like?" "Is the room filled with things from your past?" "Have clothes taken over your bedroom?" "Can you sit on your chair or is it forever draped with clothing?" "Is there space in your closet or is everything smashed together?" "Do you have multiple wardrobes in your closet because your weight fluctuates?" "Is the closet floor a shoe graveyard?"

Such excellent questions!! I really did take time this week to try to see my bedroom with 'new eyes' and my new vision really worked to open them up. I wrote down what I liked and didn't like, and answered the above questions. There are a few things I do like: my antique table which was bought with the very first money I ever made as a writer, all of my many precious books, a bedside cabinet that my son refinished for me, and two wonderful old trunks that my partner refinished for me.

But there is a lot more I don't like at all. The closet is extraordinarily tiny and, yes, everything is completely squashed together. In fact, it is such a hassle to hang things up and stuff them back in that quite often my desk chair has clothes draped all over it. And yes (sigh), my weight does fluctuate quite a bit, although for quite a while it has tended to fluctuate only on an upwardly sliding scale.

As Regina suggested, I took a piece of paper and drew a line down the middle. On the left side I wrote down all of the things I could think of that would make my bedroom more of a sanctuary - things that could actually be done within this month. On the other side I wrote the other (larger) tasks that I wouldn't expect to get accomplished right away, but it was quite a nice feeling to write them down as future projects as even doing that much gave me hope.

And so, week two is looming and I am feeling very excited. There is a lot to do, of course, but just having a plan in my mind and some kind of end result in my imagination gives me great comfort. Rather than feeling overwhelmed as I have for so long, I feel enthusiastic and optimistic.

As little kids like to say, "only one more sleep" and this new phase of bedroom transformation will begin. But tonight I will not focus on the clutter, I will stay positive and dream sweet dreams about my wonderful future "sanctuary". This is going to be so much fun!

Cheers!


Diane

"Whip Your Kitchen into Shape"

"A place for everything,
everything in its place."

-- Benjamin Franklin





The final week of the first month of my challenge is entitled, "Whip Your Kitchen into Shape." This was a little tricky for me as I was away from home four evenings last week, and two of those evenings I was even out of town. It was a fun week but it zipped by very quickly without my finding any time to do the organizing encouraged in this chapter. We have, however, managed to keep the dishes washed, dried, and put away, and the counter and the island clear of clutter for an entire month now. And what a great feeling that gives me.

I had read through the chapter at the first of the week and then again later on. But, as I said, I just didn't have the time to accomplish any extra tasks. They just had to wait until the weekend. Fortunately, it was a very quiet weekend and I was able to roll up my sleeves a bit.

Regina suggests choosing the time of day when you are "at your physical peak", so I chose the morning. As it was the weekend, I slept in a bit, then had breakfast with Mark on the porch and enjoyed the lovely day. Then, I felt ready to begin.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had already made some changes in the kitchen, so there was less to do than there would have been. And I was very thankful I had done these more difficult things beforehand.

Over the past few weeks, I had created two cupboards/pantries: the larger one for dry and canned goods, and the smaller one for everything concerned with baking. I had organized my bookbooks and put them in a cabinet where they would be easily accessible, but not get dusty. I had also thoroughly cleaned and organized the fridge and freezer and made the decision to re-clean and re-organize the fridge the evening before each garbage/recycling day. I can remember my Dad saying, "A fridge is just a place to keep food until it becomes bad enough to throw out." And as my Mom used to say, "I'm sick and tired" of doing that.

So, this weekend I had the remaining three areas to tackle: the junk drawer, the cooking/baking pots and pans, and the dreaded, frightening area under the sink.

I started with the junk drawer. It really wasn't too bad, I was surprised to see. Probably because so much junk is scattered everywhere else in the house! I was also surprised to find two identical lint brushes in the drawer. It is quite appalling to me now to think of all the money I've wasted over the years buying items to replace unfindable items! How ridiculous is that?

Next I took all of the pots and pans out of the shelves in the island and washed the interior out very well. I then replaced everything in a more sensible order. Frying pans all together, pots together, lids together, and on another shelf, everything to do with baking including mixing bowls and cake pans and cooling racks.

Earlier this week, in preparation for this task, I had bought two matching plastic totes for storing the various cleaning products that live in the dark cave beneath the sink. And, do you know what? It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I took all of the (many!!) products out and placed them on the counter. And then, I did what any right-thinking person would do, and asked my partner, Mark, if he would scrub up the cupboard. And, thankfully, he swiftly agreed. He's a very good guy to have around in such circumstances because whereas I have a strong tendency toward squeamishness, Mark does not. He just got right in there and very quickly had the cupboard nice and clean. Then, it was easy to put all of the spray bottles in one tote and all of the non-spray bottles in the other, and the job was done.

I'm very happy about all of these kitchen changes; it really has made a big difference in such a short time. Of course, there are more changes to come. For about a year I have wanted to paint the kitchen as I have grown so weary of the blue walls. I want a combination of terra cotta and mustard to give it a lively and earthy vibrance. I was never very clear about just why this project had been postponed so often but I think I now understand.

I couldn't begin to make even such a desirable esthetic change to my kitchen because all of the chaos - even the chaos behind closed doors - kept me from carrying through with the redecorating project. The chaos sapped my energy and my creative spirit.

But now, at the end of the first month of my challenge, I am feeling optimistic. I can feel my energy rising. And I feel so happy just imagining my gloriously re-painted kitchen. How sweet it will be. I can feel the warmth already.

Cheers!


Diane