In the midst of the craziness that is the holidays, I’ve been taking a little time each week this month to do what I’ve been calling a “December Detox.” It’s basically been a major life organization in all areas of our world, decluttering, minimizing, and tossing or donating anything I don’t absolutely love. Everything from cleaning out Rex’s toy baskets to organizing my digital photos and cleaning up my Lightroom / hard drives (which the latter has never happened before and I gotta say I feel really good about myself). This kinda Marie Kondo purging is something I usually do seasonally and definitely at the start of the new year but gosh it has felt especially good to feel like I’m going into the holiday season with a bit more order in our world, and I can’t recommend a December Detox of sorts enough! I think my urge for a major overhaul was spurred by my heartache over the California fires and the devastation. The thought of losing everything got me looking around our house to see what I could a) give to friends in need and b) made me realize how much extra stuff we had around that we don’t use. Also spending time in a minimal cabin last weekend with a tidy kitchen stocked with just the essentials (and beautiful ones at that!–Heath Ceramic dishes and gorgeous wooden bowls) got me on a kick of wanting to only surround myself with things I absolutely love.
I still have so many small projects I want to tackle, but here’s where I’ve been starting.
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Pantry Clean-out. | It all started in the kitchen, where I spend most of my time. Our cabinets have been overflowing disorganized since we moved in so I finally got some cheap bins and containers to store dry goods. I also tossed a number of items that had expired. Like spices I’d been cooking with and feeding my family on the regular that I didn’t realize went bad years ago. Um, oops!
The Dishes. | Also in the kitchen, I went through all of my dishes as I’ve gotten my fair share or family hand-me-downs and tried to sort things out that I don’t use on the regular, storing china and heirlooms I want to keep but don’t use everyday in our basement.
Rex’s Toy Baskets. | Oh gosh as much as you say you’re not going to accumulate that much kid stuff, it happens. I try to go through his baskets on the regular and sort out the items he’s outgrown, storing it somewhere else or donating. I also wanted to tackle his stuff before the holidays… when he’d get a few more items.
The Closets and Cabinets. | Of course all of our closets got the go-through… and mine still needs more of an overhaul but it feels really good to get things a bit more organized and donate what you haven’t worn in over a year. I went through our hallway cabinets as well and bought bins for storing extra beauty supplies etc. Old towels were tossed and pillows, blankets were donated. It’s so nice to see some bare space in the cabinets now!
The Inbox. Unsubscribe! | I’m still in the process of going through my inbox and unsubscribing from unwanted emails… ugh, takes time. I swear half my inbox everyday is just junk I didn’t sign up for. But if you unsubscribe from a few day as they come in it will make such a difference.
Photo / Digital Organization. | Around Rex’s second birthday I got on a photo printing and organizing kick. I printed my faves of him from throughout the year and then got to organizing my Lightroom–backing things up on external hard drivers (something I’ve never been good at but feels so good now). Also this has sped up my computer which was going at slow-mo speed and I didn’t even realize because I was storing so much on it. Highly recommend! Tip: Hire a photographer / computer nerd friend who really knows what they’re doing if you’re clueless with this stuff like me.
Photography | Stephanie Russo