Summer Flower Arrangement
Recently I had the day to myself so I decided to get started on cleaning one cupboard, or closet every few days in attempt to weed things out before we move. I know it seems early but why wait, it’s really something that should be done way more often than it is. The first thing I did was go out to the garden and pick a fresh bouquet for the dining room table just to have something pretty to look at while I cleaned. (I have a printable watercolor of it too you can download here).
The next thing I did was take the “Bake” sign down from the wall, and hang a enamelware wash pan in it’s place. It changes the look to be simpler and cleaner, and fits a farmhouse feel better. Next I tackled the yellow cabinet in the corner.
It’s where I keep all the containers for packing my son’s daily lunch. There’s thermoses, plastic containers with lids, spoons and forks, napkins and freezer packs behind those doors. I only found one small bag of items to take to the thrift store, and the rest just needed a good reorganization.
For some reason the cram method gets used from time to time and before I know it the whole cabinet looks disheveled and confusing. And when I get up at 6am to pack his lunch I don’t want to be searching for what I need. I literally set my alarm, hop out of bed, and start packing a lunch. By the way his coworkers, all men, just think it’s great that he gets a home cooked meal in his lunch everyday.
They’ve even been known to sneak into his lunch pail for some homemade cookies. I would’ve thought it would be embarrassing to say my mom packs my lunch but they all seem to thinks it great. Well of course they do, all they care about is it’s free food that they didn’t have to prepare it themselves.
The next spot to tackle is the kitchen cupboards. Do I really need a set of dishes for every season, every holiday, and in every color? Probably not, so I think I’ll get tough on myself and do some heavy debating on what to keep. I know for sure the all white Correll will be staying, those are my go to everyday dishes. The rest are pretty for blog posts and entertaining but I can only keep so many things, and I certainly don’t want to move anything that won’t fit into a smaller kitchen. I have to be realistic you know?
I think having a garage sale is what should be done but it’s a lot of work and I’m the type that likes to clean out an area, load it into the jeep, and take it to the thrift store. I’m not sure I could handle it all piled up waiting for a good weekend to have a sale. The money would be welcomed (new camera equipment), but is it worth it? If you have any good garage sale tips leave them in the comment area, you may just persuade me to do it!
OTHER DINING ROOM LOOKS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
“Bake” Sign in the Dining Room
Decorating with Melamine in the Dining Room
Decorating with Faux’s in the Dining Room
garage sales are alot of work but alot of fun. too bad i don’t live closer. would luv to help u. i’m sure people in ur area would luv to go to 1 place and buy some of ur treasures. people u’d meet and visit with, would also be fun and a treasure back to u. hope u reconsider. thanks.
Chris, that would be wonderful to have a helper 🙂
meant to ask, did u buy the cabinet yellow or did u paint it? i have been interested in finding one.
Chris, I purchased the cabinet for $20 from a local electrical supply company, they used it for storage. It was green but I painted it with Martha Stewart Cornbread yellow paint.
great purchase and neat paint job.
Garage sales are great….except that we have to pay a $25.00 charge to be able to sell! Twice a year, the city allows a freebie so everyone holds their garage sale at the same time….only problem is that in 5 years that I have lived, it rained both days!! LOL!! When we moved from our house in the city (after 45 years living there), there was a lot of packing to do – I was alone so it seemed to take forever!! On top of that, I had the lower floor where my mom lived, double garage and basement to clean. To make matters worse – it was in the dead of winter and it was a year of snowstorm after snowstorm. Surprisingly when we moved in March it was a beautiful day! I can only give one word of advice…plastic tubs!! They are best for moving especially in winter!! or rain ! and label label label!!! contents & what room to put it in…saves alot of time afterwards!!! Getting rid of your stuff before you move is smart….did you find a house already so you know how much space you have? We moved from a 14 room house to a 5 1/2 newly constructed home (lots of mud no yard done ). Anticipate bad weather for moving and have at least a rug on the floor to clean your shoes!! or lots of old sheets to protect your floor (our movers were quite careful and they helped clean up any mess!! so I was surprised and happy!! LOL! Don’t get lost in memories as you pack – I know I did and I had nobody to bring me back to reality!! Enjoy and take frequent breaks or it is easy to get fed up!!
No fee to sell here. I am not the sentimental type so I have no problem pitching things and I like to move fast. My hubby is the pack rat of the family. And no we haven’t decided on a house plan yet, but I do know we will be sticking with around 1500 sft. Thanks for all the tips and advice.
Cleaning and sorting and decluttering are good for the soul. I only have one set of white corelle dishes for everyday and a set for a bit fancier times (which hardly get used) It is a hot and humid day here so I defrosted the downstairs freezer so now it is ready to stock up on veggies and some meat for the upcoming winter.
Garage sales are lots of work, in our area they don’t do as well as there are limited people but we joined with our daughter a year ago and held it at her house in the town and did quite well.
Linda, I think I would do quite well with a sale if I did it with a few friends and made it a huge event, but like you were limited on people around here.
I’ve always had garage sales prior to moving and have done quite well with them but I don’t necessarily have any tips for ya. We did live in a large neighborhood so that helped, and we had a garage to store all the items that we were selling. We have also sold larger things on Craigslist such as our bikes, a motorcycle, and a car. But we never allowed anyone to come over to look unless Leo was home! Your floral arrangement is just gorgeous!
Jane, ya that craigslist is a scary thing with people coming to your home. My son sold his bow that way and we met the buyer at a local sporting goods store to make the deal, I didn’t want them at my house.
You’re smart to start cleaning things out now, before the chaos of the actual move starts. I’ve been weeding things out, too. No move in sight, but no sense keeping things we don’t need right?
IF,IF,IF you decide to get rid of your blue log cabin dishes…would you please let me know? I have a few pieces at our cabin and would love to add more!–I’d be interested in them!
Denise, I agree weed out if you don’t need or want it someone else will be glad to have it. I will let you know about the dished they probably will be on my list to go. I have a place setting for 18 I do believe.
Love your flowers. Most of my perennials are smashed and drooping from the storms the past few days. My daisies are actually laying down. I think I have to cut them back. 🙁 I still have black eyed susans but that’s about it. Enjoyed seeing your room.
Ann, did the rain knock down your flowers or the wind?
Smart idea to start now on clearing out stuff you don’t really need or necessarily want anymore. It will make it that much easier when it does come time to move. I want to clear the clutter also but more for easier cleaning. Pretty flowers, I hope mine are still alive when I get home. We are ended up having to stay longer than planned.
Pam, I haven’t even had to water my flowers or garden this year, we’ve had a steady supply of rain and actually too much at times. I sure hope to have everything cleaned out before we move, it’s amazing what you can actually do without.
Smart idea to start early and get on top of weeding out what you want to keep and what you want to give away or sell. Your flowers in the white iron stone pitcher look beautiful. Good luck as you tackle the cabinets. Hey if you do not want to do a garage sale you could put things up for sale on your blog and just calculate the shipping. I bet you would sell everything to all the followers that read your blog. This way you could pick and put things up as you go through. Just an idea. Have a great new start to the week ahead.
Kris
Kris, what a great idea I’m going to think more on that one and see if I could do it 🙂 Thanks for the idea.
great idea
Thank you Chris 🙂
Beautiful pitcher of flowers Dawn….We have a neighborhood yard sale twice a year….(cannot have one on our own)…I have a space in my attic that I save for the yard sale. (Money goes to my granddaughter’s college account)….however there are things that I take to the PTA Thrift stores on a continual basis….I love that you are such a loving mom to make certain that your son leaves the house with a wonderful lunch….my flowers are truly suffering with this heat here!!
Shirley, I live so far out in the stix that its hard to get anyone to come to a garage sale at my place. It would be nice to have a neighborhood sale like you have. Good for you helping out the grands college fund, they will appreciate that some day.
I have to agree with you. When I am ready to get rid of things, I want them gone right away before I change my mind. And, a garage sale takes time. I’d rather take things to the thrift shop and head to the beach.
Good luck packing.
Carol, I don’t change my mind but I sure don’t like the clutter hanging around.