Project De-Clutter: The Kitchen Counter, Part 2

It is late & I am about to head off to bed but I am so excited to show my next Before/After pictures of our kitchen counter as part of my de-cluttering project... and I couldn't wait until tomorrow to share!

Before:

After:

This has been such an exciting project for me - super liberating in a strange way. I've been challenged to really look at things and ask "do we need this"... not really so much "am I using this" as do we NEED it. Can I function in my daily life without it? I dropped off 3 huge bags to a local thrift store on Monday and it felt so good to be done with so much stuff. 

I read an article in Sunset Magazine a while back about a family that lives on the extreme side of minimalism. I am not really looking to go that far but it definitely gives perspective to things. Check it out here if you're interested.

Good night! Off to dream about clean counter tops!

Project De-Clutter: The Kitchen Counter, Part 1

I've been busy working on my de-cluttering process and have my very first Before/After to share!!

Before:

After:

Now... This may not look like I've gotten very far but this cleaned up area had a trickle-down affect. In order to get things off this counter, I had to clean out the cupboards above it and get rid of 20 wine glasses that have never been used. Not too surprisingly, that freed up a bunch of extra space - so all of Drew's stuff that was on the counter is now tucked neatly up into a cupboard. 

I picked up a few glass jars at Crate & Barrel last week with a left-over gift card from my birthday & have made quick use of them. They make even dog treats look nice and neat!

I also fixed 2 parts of my sink (OK.. husband helped with one of them) and reorganized the under-sink cabinets as well. I thought about showing a picture.. but without a "before" picture, the "after" seems a bit anti-climactic. 

Today is President's Day and I am celebrating my day off by cleaning. I'm not sure what that is how it is meant to be observed  but I bet George and Abe would be in favor of my progress. 

Oh - did I mention that I cleaned out one of my closets too (yes, I said one of my closets)?! I got rid of at least 10 pairs of very expensive shoes from the early 2000... holy cats, were we into pointy toes or what?! Good riddance.

So, before I lose my motivation I am off to work on laundry and some other clean-type tasks. And then, we're off to celebrate Presidents' Day in the truest of fashions - hitting the Sears' sale for a new vacuum cleaner!

Happy Presidents' Day!!