A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

My Basket System

Today is a much colder day, but we have hopes for warmer weather and rain coming. Joe went out and planted my bleeding hearts. We really don't know how out of shape we are until we do a task like that. Our yard is sort of sloping... down to the woods....so we are, most of the time, working on a slant. This makes gardening so tough...especially if you have to sit on a chair. The chair is sloping one way and you have to slope your body the opposite way to keep from falling end over end down the hill.  Oh, we old people have so many laughs in the garden. Hoping that no one sees us. Anyway, he got the plants planted where I wanted them and watered them in.I did my yoga DVD when he came in and now I'm trying to organize the kitchen counters.
Along with trying to make the outside work easier....I've been doing the same inside. Clearing away the clutter that gathered this winter. We are mostly alone here with few visits from family and friends...so we sort of let things be in the most convenient places. Stacks of books, pots and pans left on the stove after washing, desks get cluttered etc. I want to remove  many things, so that housework is easier on me this summer. Finding cupboard space is limited, so I have resorted to using baskets. I have a basket for everything it seems. My handiwork, knitting, sewing machine attachments, Church things, magazines, tools for the grill on the deck, cleaning products under the sink, produce on counter top, favorite used everyday cookbooks, and even potatoes and onions...that I used to keep downstairs, are kept in baskets. I just stack these in all the rooms and when I need something, I can just pull out a basket and things are all in there. I collect gardening magazines...I went to the $ store and bought plastic holders for magazines. I have 4 right next to my computer...handy for looking something up.
I would be interested in hearing how you handle the clutter in your homes. Do you use the basket system? Summer is coming and I don't know about you...I want to be able to enjoy it and spend more time on my porch enjoying my neighborhood and the wildlife that comes to call.
Have a nice afternoon...
Balisha
After rereading this...it sounds like I live in a house of baskets. They are very attractive baskets and go with the decor in our rooms. They aren't stacked up tall...just a couple here and there. I've seen this done in magazines and thought it looked rather neat. For example, under our coffee table.. on the shelf...there are 3 matching baskets with reading material in them. It's so much neater than  having piles of magazines lying everywhere.We have window seats in the bedrooms...they have matching baskets or decorative boxes with things in them. Just needed to clear that up...Balisha

10 comments:

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Every week I have a sack full of magazines, books, etc for the Goodwill. I ask if anyone wants these items and usually no one does. I have very limited space in this small home and garage - also.
when you have downsized from 4800 to 2800 to 1200 over the last 10 years - a lot has been given away..

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Balisha, turned computer off after commenting to you.
Kept bothering me as it did not look correct. I drew my floorplan of this special
cottage it is 1200 sf or maybe 1300 which is my area. A loft of 500 or 600 sf for family when they visit and a nice storage agea upstairs for out of season items and also a garage.
Have a nice screen porch, deck and front porch.
So I have plenty of room for me and whoever visits. Would not want the space I had in the past :)

Balisha said...

Hi Ernestine...
When Joe and I got married, we both had homes filled to the brim with 46 yrs. of accumulation each. I packed the things that were special to me at my house, and then let my family come in and take things that they wanted. I wasn't around that day. After they took what they wanted, I had a sale. I really don't have a lot for my kids to go through "someday" The work has been done and all I have are very special things like....books, art supplies,kitchen things,gardening things, antiques,family pictures and everything else that was hanging on my walls.I have, however, started to accumulate more these past 10 yrs:) but I am very careful to not collect more than I need.

Balisha

Margie's Musings said...

I have a garage sale every May and try to downsize the "stuff" I have accumulated.

I still have more "stuff" than I need though.

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I love baskets and used them everywhere. On my desk, under the sofa table in the family room with all my placemats in it, in the hall for soiled clothing that is easily picked up and carried to the garage each morning. In my closet. I have one of those hangers with spaces and each space has a little lined basket in it that I found at Target a long time ago..and I put my handbags in those..stuffed with paper. Up on shelves..under my desk, in the garage..everywhere. I love them. Like you and Joe..Howard and I had long term marriages and I came with way too much stuff even after two large garage sales! His home was much simpler..but..still ...oh and Balisha?? YOU should see how many KNIVES I have! :) I could used a few more baskets.
Hugs..loved this post but had the worst time reading it. The print is just too small even with my glasses I struggled.
Hugs..
Mona

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Oh..and about collecting more than you need? I must have been behind the door when that rule was passed out..LOL :)

Barbee' said...

I like your basket idea.

Balisha said...

Hi Margie...We've had garage sales in our past years. We just don't want to do the work.
Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Mona...No one told me about the size of my font. I just changed it...is it better? Let me know.
Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Barbee...Baskets work well for us. It keeps things in order. We aren't always searching for things.
Balisha