03 May 2017

1 Year Anniversary of The Great Declutter of 2016

Guess what? Today is one year since I started to declutter. Four weeks after today, I hit 80 percent of my stuff gone. Soon after that, another 15 percent escaped.

Best. Choice. Ever.

A big thanks to all who have commented, read, shared your stories, showed me before and after photos of your clutter, as well as shared your struggles with me on private email.

You. Guys. Rock.

In other news, here's a few Birch Polypores we found last Sunday. Also found purple dead nettle. Both can be made into tea.


73 comments:

  1. And I'm still struggling with mine!

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  2. That was a great decision you made, wasn't it! Way to go and congrats!

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  3. Now that's something to celebrate.
    You must know your mushrooms very well.

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    1. I'm learning, Alex. Still a newbie when it comes to plant walking.

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  4. Congrats on the great de-clutter, HW. Well done!

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  5. Wow! A year already? That's awesome! It doesn't seem that long. Those pictures are really beautiful. I never would've thought you could make tea from them. Is it any good?

    FYI, I made the big move away from Blogger and can be found at:

    Elsie Amata

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    1. Thanks for letting me know. Do you have an option for guests to comment on your new blog?

      PS: Looks real good, too.

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    2. Yep. There's a comment section there. It's Disquis. :)

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    3. Hey, maybe you can help me understand as it wants me to make an account. Was looking for guest option like I've seen on other blogs.

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  6. Talk about cool fungi! Very nice!

    And I'm in the declutter mode right now -- not easy and I admire you!

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    1. Very cool. What did you start decluttering first? What's been your biggest challenge so far?

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  7. I love decluttering, I just don't seem to have time for it just now. Maybe I need to declutter my activities first? I did throw out thirty magazines last week.

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    1. You've got lots of garden and art stuff ahead of you this season. Sounds like bunches of fun.

      Thirty magazines. Woohoo.

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  8. One year already! Amazing what you can make tea with.

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    1. I never heard of mushroom tea before recently. But hey, why not?

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  9. Mushroom tea???? I'd prefer soup?

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  10. Congrats on the declutter anniversary! next birch polypores? I think we have them here in oregon, I see them in certain areas when we are hiking. How do you make tea, do you dry them and then grind them? Thanks Ivy.

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    1. Hi Cheri - Excellent question and I wish I had an excellent answer but I am still a newb. I didn't cut those down because they looked real old and I wanted to come home and be sure what they were. Having said that, I've seen vloggers boil them raw like that and I've heard about them drying them for winter months.


      That being said, I'm a totally newb and not to be trusted yet. If you fancy though, Adam from Learn Your Land on YouTube is excellent. He can help you better than I can.

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    2. My bad, Know Your Land.

      Ack. Sorry about that.

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  11. Been having to (finally) work on My "Clutter"... years of Notes (research and "gaming") and the many toys and books (mostly Horror comics ) ... as well as All of my Joker pieces... big tasks ahead... much in side room to have to go through...
    Our best to you and Gothridge Manor !

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  12. I'd never be able to tell the difference between good mushrooms and poisonous.

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    1. May only know a few eatable (but do know Poisons).. as well as other plants.. not a "Botanist" though...

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    2. all shrooms are edible.... at least once :)

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    3. I'm fixin' to stay away from the bad ones.

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  13. My "Clutter" (My Collection) is very dear to me and we would like it some-what "displayed"... and working on the selling of some (rather Valuable) pieces to others... We will "take-away" less than 20 % of total... best we can do....

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    1. That's excellent. Here's to your decluttering.

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  14. Congratulations on your declutter. Ours is a slow work in progress. Very slow. Too slow.

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  15. A year! It's gone by so quickly!

    Like your pics ...

    All the best Jan

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  16. That is such a huge achievement, congrats! And what a commitment, a whole year to letting things go. Beautiful photos too BTW! Good job Ivy. :)

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    1. I did it in four weeks, so that made it a lot easier. I had deadline. But living with it after that, during this year, has been heaven.

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  17. I have decided I like my clutter. Every time I part with something I find I need it soon after. Who climbs the trees?

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    1. How many things did you wish you didn't give away? We left the polypores there.

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  18. Good job. I have way to much and need or should get back to decluttering.

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  19. Wow, one year already? Time sure flies. That was indeed a great decision.

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    1. In 4 weeks, it will be a year of post-declutter. Or as I call it, heaven. Thanks for all your support along the way.

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  20. Take it from a real former hoarder. You are never done. It is ongoing. Keep ta donation box going and take it away why it's full. It's crazy how out of hand it can get.

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    1. My decluttering is DONE. Been done. Stayin' done.

      Why do you feel you're never done? 

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  21. I declutter all the time, it's amazing how much unnecessary crap we keep in our homes really. The only issue is we tend to buy new stuff to replace the old, but sometimes it's comforting to surround ourselves with things we love too.

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    1. What's been the toughest thing for you to part with?

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  22. I've never seen the Birch Polypores, perhaps we have the wrong kind of Birch here in Australia.
    I declutter fairly often. For years, every time we moved house I got rid of things I didn't want to take with me, children's outgrown clothes and toys etc, kitchenware way past it's prime (burnt and scratched). Now that I'm no longer on the move, I declutter the pantry twice a year and my wardrobe gets a good sorting once a year.

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    1. Very cool, River. How does it feel after you declutter?

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    2. Pretty good for a while, then stuff begins accumulating and I ignore it until I can't stand it.

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    3. Accumulating? New stuff? Old stuff? A mix?

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  23. But what if squirrels use them shrooms as steps to their palace?

    I don't know what's the dress code for the anniversary of a Great Declutter. Does one have to wear a hat? Or a fascinator?

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    1. We left them on the tree, very funny about the palace.

      One does a naked boogie under the moon because she gave away most of her clothes.

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  24. Kudos to your declutter anniversary! That's a lot of big mushrooms!

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  25. Happy anniversary! I am sure life is better after the declutter. Did you trying making tea from the Polypores and nettles?

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    1. We left the polypores there because at the time, I wasn't sure and wanted to check my research at home. The nettles, I'll go back for. Found some here in the yard. They tasted like Christmas.

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  26. That's a very cool find. My place is small and we don't have much closet space so I'm always getting rid of stuff.

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  27. Happy Declutterversary! Congrats -- and it's still decluttered. I love mushroom and pic of them!

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    1. Thanks.

      Never, ever, not EVER will I let it grow back. NEVER !!!!

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  28. Very neat photos of the Birch Polypores! It's been a lot of fun following along on your de-cluttering journey! Thanks for sharing it with us!

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    1. Thanks for all your support, friendship and sharing stuff with me. You rock.

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  29. Congrats to the great declutter. Thats very nice. Congrats.

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  30. Thats so awesome!! I started a while back, you may have seen... I've stopped some and picked up some and back and forth... Hit the wall I guess, I did get rid of a lot of stuff though.

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    1. Hey you Monkey Butt. How are the babes? Been wondering where you were. Great to see you.

      What kind of wall did you hit?

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  31. Cool pictures. I used to drink more herbal tea than I do now. Still working on getting rid of my clutter. I think I have to move the kids out first to get it really gone.

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    1. What kind did you fancy?

      Here's to more of your clutter going out the door. Not easy with other folks still milling about.

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  32. I love your photos of foraging adventures and that you've stayed clutter free!

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    1. Thanks, e. Thanks for your support and friendship, as well. You rock.

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  33. I did not know you could make those into tea! How cool! :)

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    1. I didn't either, until recently. I think those ones are too old, but I'm still learning. Thanks for dropping by.

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