Cleaning OUT!

So as I was browsing through Facebook I saw a link someone had posted to another blog which had a post entitle 40 Bags in 40 Days 2014 Challenge and had a picture of a trash bag. Naturally, as a clutterbug married to a hoarder, this intrigued me. So, I clicked on it to find a wondrous blog about cleaning out over a period of 40 days, kind of like Lent!  

To give a brief overview, you fill a bag a day, no matter the size, with clutter from certain places in your house. You can also choose to donate, sell, etc things that you do not want/need. You can make a list of the places you want to tackle and then take the 40 days to tackle them. I would suggest clicking on the link where she has created printables for you to use and goes into further detail if you are completely interested. 

So, since my husband is gone most of the time because the Navy likes to steal him away from me, I thought this would be a great challenge to spring clean our house. Especially since not only am I not Catholic but, I also do not enjoy giving up chocolate or cookies for Lent. 

So my first project... our "catch all" table, otherwise known as the dining room table (that we obviously never use). It looked like this...

It's okay, I am appalled as well. It's almost embarrassing to put this out there but, such is the challenge. I knew it wouldn't take long for me to get through it, I just had to tackle it. 

20 minutes later it looked like this...

Amazing, there is a table top there! I had to put the box under the table since I had already wheeled the trash can to the end of the driveway. I plan to get a mail holder to hang on the wall this weekend so I can remove the mail from the table. I am also going to mail those books off to my step-children and throw the dogs soccer ball outside when it isn't raining. So, a work in progress obviously but, still looks much better! 

My husband is gone until mid-March and then leaves again at the beginning of April so, I will have plenty of time to de-clutter the house! 

Here are some of my other projects...

Alas, my poor bookshelf. More books than space and in need of organization. This isn't half my books, the others take up a shelf in the extra bedroom plus a few boxes in the closet. No, they will not be going anywhere, just getting organized!

This is the spare room and where my step-children's toys are kept. Since they live far away and we only see them every two months or so, this really needs to be organized. I have a treadmill in that room that I use and several shelves that need organizing as well!

This hateful hall closet. You might think, "This looks great!". Don't be fooled my friends. We never use this closet because those coats are stuffed so tightly that we can't get one out without knocking three more down. Also, the things on those shelves, haven't been touched since we moved in here two years ago, I think I can clear some of that out! 

I hope you will join in on the challenge. I think it's great! Click on the link above for all the juicy details!