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I have to be completely honest…my personal CCC isn’t go so well! I intended on tackling it over the weekend, but we had company on Saturday and Sunday I was just plain worn out, so I did a few loads of laundry and ran to CVS after church. I’ve also decided to not include the kids’ bedrooms for now. I will get to them before “yard sale” season…but I just need to get the “public” areas done for now.
One question … would you mind posting a comment if you are participating in the CCC? There are only a few more weeks left, so I will finish the assignments, but I’d like to know if anyone else enjoyed this with me!
Assignment #5 : republished from A Clean Heart
Are you ready for the next step in “perrging” your home? You are now going to RE-ASSESS your boxes/bags… take your time and pace yourself. Call in recruts if you need them. You’ve thrown away the trash, now you’re going to go a little deeper and begin to sift through your stuff. Don’t forget about the previous step (EVALUATE why you have all the clutter) and open your heart to hear what the Lord has been telling you, and continues to teach you about what to do with all your stuff. You can do this!
ASSIGNMENT #5:
- How’s your devotional/memory verse coming along? Be sure to be “hiding God’s Word in your heart” throughout the week and don’t forget to read the next devotional when Sunday comes!
- Are you checking things off ‘MY DON’T FORGET LIST‘? Remember, don’t let the rest of the house fall behind!
- You should have a “KEEP” box for each room in your home (this DOES NOT need to be any special kind of box… you will not be keeping it forever… it’s just to put the things in that you want to keep to put away. The clutter that you have in these boxes will either need to find a home, or be thrown! You should also have a “FIND” box (one big and one small so the smaller items don’t get lost) to put everything that is missing a piece or part to eventually bring together (in the next step), a “BLESS” box/bag to put the things in that you want to give away, and “THROW” bags (probably lots of these!).
- RE-ASSESS the boxes/bags that you PICKED UP from before by putting them in their appropriate boxes (KEEP – one for each room, FIND, BLESS, or THROW). You are touching things more than once through this de-clutter process, but hopefully as continue examining your heart and looking at things a few times, you’re seeing your clutter in a different way. Pray for the Lord to release you from these earthly treasures… these idols that you’ve been clinging to, and experience freedom for the first time in a long time!
- Be sure to be checking this step off the AT-A-GLANCE CHECK LIST as well (found on page 63). If you have boxes in more than one room (if you were unable to move everything into one spot) then be sure to mark it on the list so you’ll know where you’ve been.
You’re doing great and running a great race! Find time to do this when kids are sleeping, during playtime, or in the evening. Discipline yourselves to get this done. The next step is easy so be encouraged… a little break is on the way! Keep drawing your strength from the Lord and be patient with yourself. Your home didn’t get cluttered in a day, and it won’t become de-cluttered overnight. Life is still happening… you can’t put it on hold… this is a process… and you are learning more about yourself along the way. If you have children that are old enough, ask for help. This can be a learning experience for them as well. Writing in your journal about your experience will let them see how you felt during this time in your life. It may be a great encouragement to them someday… as well as a great reminder for yourself.
How are you all doing with your Clutter Cleanup? I’ve gotten my bedroom and the kitchen done so far. The family room is in order and the living room just got de-cluttering before Christmas, so those won’t be too hard. I plan on finishing up the Assignment #3 this weekend and will post before and after pictures when I’m done. It’s going to be extremely embarrassing…but I’ll post them anyway!
Leave a quick comment and let us know how you are doing! If you want to post your before and after pictures on your blog, make sure to include a link to your post so we can be encouraged!
How are you doing with your P.E.R.R.G.E ? Like I mentioned in the previous post, it will take me another week (or longer) to finish this step. Since I have a baby and a preschooler here all day, it’s difficult for me to just drop everything to do this all at once. Take as much time as you need and when you are ready…here is your next assignment
Assignment #4 ; republished from A Clean Heart
- Are you checking things off ‘MY DON’T FORGET LIST‘? Remember, don’t let the rest of the house fall behind (or even more behind!).
- Bring all the PICK UP boxes into one spot… one that doesn’t receive a lot of traffic or one that you can work in anytime (so a baby’s room wouldn’t be good or the entry way of your home!), or atleast keep by the doorway of each room.
- Read pages 36 and 37. EVALUATE all the boxes that you have in your home after picking up. Take a good long look at what you have and ask yourself…
- Why do you have all this stuff? Write your answers on page 36. You may also want to journal your feelings about this as well, or write a prayer to the Lord releasing all of the desires and wants you’ve been holding onto. Go ahead… write it all down and leave it in the Lord’s hands…
- Don’t forget to check off your AT-A-GLANCE CHECK LIST as well (page 63).
- Read page 38 and begin to think of what room you want to tackle first for the coming assignment. You might want to start in the one that everyone sees first upon entering your home, or, if you’re married, maybe the bedroom, or you may want to start in the kitchen where everyone eats (or tries to), or maybe you want to start small and begin in the bathroom. You’ll eventually get to all the rooms, so pray about where the Lord wants you to be first (yes, He cares about EVERYthing).
Get your heart ready to begin the next assignment (RE-ASSESS)! You’ll need to have the following items ready:
- a “KEEP” box for every room
- a “FIND” box (a small and large one would be nice)
- a “BLESS” box or bag (you’ll probably need more than one of these!)
- “THROW” bagS… you’ll need LOTS of these!
Time for a confession…I hate Laundry! I don’t use that work lightly…literally, I HATE doing laundry. I have a “crazy” friend that loves doing laundry as much as I hate doing it. She says it’s calming…uh, no…not me. I get frustrated at the mention of washing clothes…or at least I did until this past weekend! No, I still don’t like doing laundry, but there is something about hearing the washer whirring and the dryer tumbling that reminds me of what a blessing it is to have clothes to wash and the conviences of a washer and dryer. Why the sudden change of heart? Here is a timeline of the last week…
Friday- wake up to a frozen kitchen pipe and washer line ; thawed out that night
Saturday – laundry pipe frozen again…thawed out toward evening.
Sunday – wake up to find that the washer had popped a leak and had been dripping all night all over the laundry room floor
Monday – Thursday – washer fine…do most of the laundry
Sunday – pipe frozen again…thaw out for after church. Go to do a load of laundry only to discover the drain pipe had sagged and water had frozen in about a 2 ft section.
Tuesday Night – finally able to get the drain cleared and everything put back together.
So, now it’s Wednesday…laundry is washing away and I’m thankful for doing laundry (at least for a few days)!
I have to admit…I’m totally addicted to vinegar! Here are some great uses for White Distilled Vinegar:
- Laundry – use 1/4 cup in place of fabric softener.
- Dish Washing – use a splash in your dish water to help your dishes get really clean and dry spotless
- Cleaning – sprinkle baking soda on stubborn counter top glop and then sprinkle with vinegar. Let sit for a few mintues and wipe up the mess.
- Cleaning Windows – use full strength or dilute in a spray bottle and use to replace your regular window cleaner.
- Use to make Soft Scrub – use the scrub to clean your ceramic top stove, bathtub scum and counter tops.
These are just a few of my favorite uses. You can visit VinegarTips.com a lot more uses. You can also use it in cooking, but I would recommend using Apple Cider Vinegar in cooking because of it’s great health benefits. For more great tips, visit Tammy’s Recipes.
I’ve got my boxes, my bags and the motivation…let’s get ready to P.E.R.R.G.E! Here is you next assignment…I’ll be posting my before and after pictures as I go along. Post your’s on your blog and sign Mr. Linky so we can help to encourage you too! Remember…take your time with this step. I will still be posting assignment #4 next week, but honestly, this assignment will take me at least 2 weeks. I don’t know the condition of your clutter, the size of your house or what season your life is at right now. Whatever the situation, take your time and do a thorough job. Come back for the next assignment when you are ready! Good Luck and Have a Blessed Time!
ASSIGNMENT #3: republished from A Clean Heart
- How’s your devotional/memory verse coming along? Be sure to be “hiding God’s Word in your heart” throughout the week!
- Are you checking things off ‘MY DON’T FORGET LIST‘? Remember, don’t let the rest of the house fall behind!
- NOW… take a picture of every room. You may cringe now, but the after pictures are going to be so encouraging! Plus, you never know when you may bless someone who is struggling someday (remember my pictures?). I have to admit, that having clean pictures of my home also encourages me to get it back in order after it’s fallen apart (um… I mean if it ever fell apart… since I’m so organized and all… um, yeah… right).
- In order to begin to P.E.R.R.G.E., you must completely get rid of every ounce of desire to clean and organize!!!! I’M SERIOUS LADIES!!! YOU CANNOT ORGANIZE OR CLEAN! YOU CANNOT GET SIDE-TRACKED! You are going to PICK UP & PROPEL only! If you need to be reminded of what it is that you’re to do, then refer to the list on page 33 (and continue to do so if you begin feeling the urge to clean or organize!).
- Go through every room/area and put things into boxes/totes and pick up all garbage and throw it away. You are not going through anything yet (so if you have some “issues” with magazines, then just put them in a box to go through later). By garbage I mean garbage (dirty diapers on the coffee table… ahem… if that’s where someone would leave them, breakfast on the table… uh… if that’s not already taken care of, or broken toys, etc… you get the picture… GARBAGE. Get rid of it right away! Again, you’re not going through anything yet. This a “no thinking” step. Do not evaluate anything or think about keeping or not keeping… it’s just everything versus garbage. Those are the only things to think about.
- Be sure to be checking the rooms off the AT-A-GLANCE CHECK LIST as well (found on page 63). You don’t have to do the rooms in the order listed and if there’s a room you don’t have or you have more than one (for example a bedroom or bathroom) than just put another box behind it and check it off when you’re done. This way you’ll know what you’ve done and where you’ve left off (if you have to stop). You can start in any room you wish, but if I were you… go for the one that everyone sees when they enter your home.
- Do not try to organize the things in boxes either. You are putting everything in the boxes. When you get one box filled, get another one and start filling that up. Keep going… you can do it! This step really shouldn’t take much time if you’re really ruthless about it. One day… three tops. Keep going! (You may even consider staying up a little later after the kids are in bed to finish.)
When everything is in boxes step back and look at your home (take some more pictures if you’d like… it’s another step to remember). You’ve made HUGE strides in getting things in order! Now, if you’re anything like me, having those boxes is driving you nuts, or maybe you’re even considering going through your kitchen cupboards and cleaning them out… STOP!!! Stay on track. You can do it… it may not be easy to do it this way… but it will all get done eventually. Hang in there!
How did you do this week de-cluttering your heart? I thought is was much harder and much more emotional than I expected! We’re almost ready to start the physical part of de-cluttering your home. Here is our next assignment…
Please leave some comments to let us know how you are doing and to encourage each other along.
ASSIGNMENT #2: * republished from A Clean Heart
- AFTER you’ve begun the process of de-cluttering your heart… (and I really mean AFTER… don’t rush into the next step before you’ve had some time to pray over ASSIGNMENT #1), read the Week One Devotion on page 18 (the other devotions are for you to read and journal about on Sundays to get you motivated for the coming week). Go ahead and print out all of the additional pages (on “landscape” setting) if you haven’t already. You may want to laminate these as well, and if you haven’t already, you could use colored paper or card stock. You may want more than one of each one… it’s up to you. Be sure to put up the scripture verse pertaining to week one’s devotion for you to see and memorize. Write in your journal about how the Lord is speaking to you through it.
- Read pages 29 through 31 in Part 2, and laminate “MY DON’T FORGET LIST” (page 65). You may want to hang this list on the fridge (you could put some magnets on the back as well or use a chip clip) so it’s easily accessible and serves as a constant reminder as you go about your day. You can also take out your AT-A-GLANCE CHECK LIST and hang as well to keep track of where you’re at in the C.C.C.
- Read pages 32 through 35 and collect boxes (totes) to put ALL the clutter in, as well as trash bags for the garbage. BE SURE TO HAVE THESE ITEMS BEFORE GOING ON SO YOU WON’T LOOSE YOUR MOTIVATION! This step is going to make a HUGE difference in your home!
- In getting boxes and bags ready for the next step, you may also consider getting a babysitter for the day, having a friend watch children, or paying older children to take care of the younger children all day… uninterrupted! For as motivated as you are to begin, it may help you to be completely uninterrupted when you begin to P.E.R.R.G.E.! NOTE: I know that you’re anxious to move on to the physical part of the de-cluttering, but think of this challenge as a long distance race. You wouldn’t take off running as fast as you could from the start. You’d need to pace yourself in order to make it to the finish line… and cross. It wouldn’t do you any good to just get far enough to see the finish… YOU WANT TO CROSS! This challenge is similar in that how you start will impact the rest of your “race”. YOUR HEART IS THE ISSUE BEHIND THE CLUTTER IN YOUR HOME. If it’s ignored, passed aside, or not given the attention that is needed, the rest of the challenge will be difficult. I really can’t stress this enough. Also… if you’re anything like me, you might have a tendency to get fired up in the beginning and eventually fizzle out and not finish. If you are one of these people, then it’s even more crucial that you begin your journey correctly. We’re starting out slowly and doing it right. We’re NOT going to quit this time… it’s not an option. The Lord does not want us to be living in chaos. He is a God of order, and He has our lives (including our schedules and homes) in perfect order as well. I designed The Colossal Clutter Clean-Up different from The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge (for those of you who joined that last April) in that, there is no calendar. I have no idea what the clutter is like in your home and didn’t want you to get frustrated or feel behind. There are only a couple of check lists for you to keep track of where you’re at. I will continue making posts about the challenge (although not every day neccessarily) in effort to stay ahead of where you’re at to explain and encourage you. You don’t have to be where I’m at when I post. If you’re not, just keep the post (you could make a “C.C.C.” folder in your email box, or write down the post in your organizer) to come back to later. *I’m also keeping all the posts (in order) on the Colossal Clutter Cleanup page, so you can read whatever you need, whenever you need it.
Just a quick note to let you all know that my dear sweet husband thawed out my pipes for me when he got home this evening 
What a praise! I had been praying all day that the pipe wouldn’t burst before he got home to take care of it and God was so very merciful. Not only did they not burst, it only took about 30 minutes to thaw out the kitchen pipe and about an hour to thaw the laundry pipe.
Now…back to tackle some more laundry!
I have to admit….I’m not off to a good start with making my morning routine a habit! Maybe Monday will be better…here’s how it went this morning;
Alarm goes off at 5:30 , hit snooze, hit snooze again ( I really should move the alarm to the dresser so I have to get OUT of bed), roll out of bed (literally) at 5:50.
Go downstairs, tidy up kitchen, grab Bible & a blanket and get ready for some Quiet Time. Start with prayer….promptly fall back to sleep until Vonnie gets here at 6:20 with the baby!
At 6:30 I decided to start coffee and plan my day, only to discover there is no hot water in the kitchen sink! Both bathrooms have hot water, but not the kitchen! Somewhere between the Kitchen Bathroom and the Kitchen Sink, a pipe froze…or so we think! Ben tried to figure it out, but since nothing burst in the basement, we had to let it go until he gets home from work tonight.
7:30 the kiddos get up. They are off for a teacher-in-service day, so they head for the couches in the Family Room with books, DS games & blankets. It was below zero last night and, although the thermostat was set at 67, it was only about 63 in here…brrrr!
At 8:30, I give Ben his coffee to go, a kiss and a “Have a good day” and send him on his way. We eat breakfast and hang out in the Family Room for a little while to keep warm. We have a space heater in there to help keep it warmer than the rest of the house.
At 9am, I decided to start laundry…only to discover…the water line to the washer is also frozen! This happened a few years ago with disastrous results and we thought we remedied the problem.
We have an old house (over 100 years we estimate) and the plumbing is very strange! We’re pretty sure the hot water was originally run to the bathroom from a boiler in the basement to the kitchen sink. Now the hot water heater is in the basement under the kitchen sink and the pipes run from the hot water heater, to the bathroom to the kitchen sink. The laundry room pipe run through a hole in the dirt basement wall to the mudroom. This room was a definate afterthough when the house was built. It still has the oringinal water pump that is hooked to the cistern! The room was built around it. The space under the room is unaccessible (so far as we can tell) and there is no insulation out there. We’ll have to figure out a permanant solution for that problem! I know…all very confusing…but, if you own an old house you probably know what I’m talking about!
At this point, I’ve pretty much given up on accomplishing anything at all today! I did heat a big kettle of water to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen and I decided we’re having Subs, Chips & raw veggies on paper plates for supper!
Like I said…maybe Monday will be a better day!
Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood is on a mission to get “Back on Track” and has invited others to join her. This is coming at a great time for me. Since starting the Colossal Clutter Cleanup, I’ve been struggling with maintaing a routine ; with myself and my family. I guess I was trying to do too much all at once. So, I’m choosing you as my Accountibily Partners! For those participating in the Cleanup, this is a great idea to get in place before we get too far into everything.
Here is my “proposed” schedule…based on what I’m already sort of doing.
5:30- up, bathed and dressed
5:45 – make coffee and eat breakfast
6:00 – spend time in God’s word & prayer
6:30 – make breakfast for family
8:00 – Spend a few minutes with Ben before he leaves for work
I agree with Crystal…it sounds SO easy written down! Now, I pray I can stick to it for the next month.
