The Resolute Woman

Category: clutter

  • The big pile on my desk

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in ,

    My brother James and his new wife, Jeany, came to visit. Although James and Jeany have been married almost exactly one year, this was the first time Jeany has visited our house. So, I had decided to impress her with my cooking and my clean house. I decided immediately what to cook. I baked my…

  • Do our possessions possess us?

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    I just finished reading Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale, a delightful, funny and sad book by Lynda Rutledge. As the summary on the back of the book explains, Faith Bass Darling, the richest old woman in Bass, Texas, decides to have a garage sale. Immediately, she begins lugging her priceless Louis XV elephant clock,…

  • It’s time for fall cleaning

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    resolutewoman
    in

    The United States contains 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space. That’s more than seven square feet for every man, woman and child in the country, says Howard Mansfield, author of Dwelling in Possibility: Searching for the Soul of Shelter, in an article in The Dallas Morning News. “The shed is a symptom of our…

  • The physics of clutter

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in ,

    I have started anew attacking the clutter that has accumulated in our house. I’m inspired by Stacey Platt, author of a book called What’s a Disorganized Person to Do?. Platt lives in a 500-square-foot New York City apartment that forces her “to simplify and let go: two endeavors that make life easier, less stressful and…

  • A year of organized living

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    resolutewoman
    in , ,

    Who could resist a headline like this? “A year of organized living—life skills, strategies and advice to make every day easier” I didn’t resist. I am embarrassed to admit that I read that headline on a magazine that I found while waiting in line at the grocery store, and then I bought the January issue…

  • Happy shopping!

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    resolutewoman
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    According to the August 6, 2012, issue of Time magazine, the average American woman owned nine outfits in 1930. Today we purchase more than 60 pieces of new clothing every year. I’m not a big shopper, and I don’t think I buy 60 new pieces of clothing every year. And, I’m not sure exactly what…

  • Christmas in August

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    I am a bit embarrassed to admit what I found in a back corner of my closet. A stack of Christmas cards from 1998. Yes, 1998. Surely, I’ve cleaned that corner of my closet since 1998. Perhaps, I cleaned my closet, discovered that stack of Christmas cards, ran out of time and stashed the bag…

  • Spring cleaning advice from Anna Quindlen

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    Anna Quindlen has a new book called Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, and we’ll write more about it after we’ve read it. But, we thought Anna’s wise words about “stuff” might be helpful immediately. In her new book, Anna Quindlen says: “I have a lot of stuff. I bet you do, too….There was a…

  • What would you take with you?

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    I was busy, returning from a house that I am helping a client sell, but, on an impulse, I stopped at an estate sale. I was impressed by the house and also puzzled. It was still filled with beautiful, expensive furniture. I saw an elegant desk and stopped to inspect it, wishing I had room…

  • Write your own advice

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in ,

    We just bought another book about clutter. It’s called Clutter Rehab—101 Tips and Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love It!. Laura Wittmann, the author, makes a lot of good suggestions—101 of them, of course. Many of them seem like common sense or are tips we’ve heard before: Do not keep more than three…