R2BC - Running Into Spring

I kept the blue tub. It sits in a cupboard, perfect for collecting stuff to donate.

Reasons 2B cheerful as some of the local signs of spring appear. Namely the Yedidya Bazaar, signing up for school for September, and checking the Sea of Galilee for the final water 1evel before the end of the rains and the spring run off. In truth, because of the snow on Mt Hermon, the level will continue to rise until the end of April but we're already excited about this year's position. 

1
Declutter for Yedidya
The annual Yedidya Bazaar came and went last week. I took out all the stuff that had accumulated over the past year. The samovar and the wok were on a previous declutter post but were then forgotten at the back of a cupboard. Happily they both got to the bazaar his year and were both bought.

This year was also the first time I was able to go on the Saturday night before the Sunday opening and help set it up, because DD is old enough to stay home alone for a bit. It was an amazing show of volunteer spirit. About 60 people turned up and got through two rooms filled to bursting with donations in about 5 hours.

I bought a pile of books for the school's English library.

In the past I've gone on Sunday morning to sort the last minute donations and left before the 4pm opening time to collect DD from school. This year I was also able to be there to help during the actual sale time. It was quite something to see hundreds of items (at 3 shekels each, about 70p) fly out of there. There were good clothes and shoes hardly worn, whole dinner sets, duvets and blankets, a room full of toys, and so many books that we had to keep most of them in boxes below the display tables.

2
Junior High
We signed DD up for junior high School. It's called junior high and you can change schools again after two years. In reality most schools are junior high and high school together so hopefully we'll be happy enough to stay in the next school until 18. You can put down between 3 and 5 schools on your list and rank them according to preference. I'm pretty sure we'll get our first choice as it's the closest school to where we live.

3
Sunny Respite 
We've had a few days of sunny weather before the rain returns tomorrow. We're grateful for the sunny respite and also grateful for the much needed rain.

As I don't have a dryer, as soon as the sun comes out I rush to do two loads of laundry. I'd do more but my drying rack only holds two loads. I leave it out all day and bring it inside in the evening, hoping that the heated apartment will dry it off overnight. Often it takes a couple of days of this in the winter, or longer if it's raining and the rack can't be pulled outside again in the morning.

Yes laundry can pile up a bit in the winter. Otoh, a load of laundry dries in about two hours in the summer. Shame it's not like firewood that can be stockpiled for the winter.

4
The Sea of Galilee 
Monitoring the level of the Sea of Galilee (we call it the Kinneret) has been a national pass time since the days when this freshwater lake provided most of the water for the whole of Israel. In the past decade Israel has built a number of desalination plants so now most of our water comes from the Mediterranean. This has definitely helped the Kinneret but years of drought or near drought kept levels low even so.

Last year we had a rainy winter which replenished the Kinneret at lot but it was still way below the upper red line. The upper red line is when they open the flood gates and let the excess water flow down the Jordan to the Dead Sea. The last time they did this was way back in 1992. This year we've had so much rain that we're nearly just 1m below the upper red line. We're expecting more rain this week and there is still all the snow on Mt Hermon to melt and run off down.

I look up the level of the Kinneret every day online as do many people I know. When there's a big rise people post it on face book and get very excited. And my 5th grade pupils at school ask me for an update every lesson. I'll keep you posted.

Downsizing

On the left are the old blanket, beach towel and a box
the same size as the erstwhile radio alarm clock.
On the right are the new downsized items.

So you declutter the clutter, you declutter the doubles and the multiples, then you declutter deeper. You declutter excess storage and newly vacated furniture, and then where do you go? I'm not aiming for a 33 item wardrobe or to fit all my belongings into a back pack, or even the boot of a car. I'm aiming for a comfortable life that's easy to maintain, light and airy, and not weighed down with excess stuff.

When you're down to everything you still need or want, the logical answer is to go smaller. I already got rid of an enormous sofa that was gifted to me many years ago, and replaced it with two love seats that much better fit the space.

The 2m x3m carpet that necessarily had to go under the front legs of the sofas, has been replaced with a smaller one that neatly sits in front of the sofa legs and is easily rolled up for sweeping and washing the floor underneath.

We exchanged the honeymoon bed in DD's bedroom for a wide twin. She doesn't need space for two to sleep (yet) and if she has a friend to stay, the spare bedroom is right next door. Although I am looking for one of those mattresses that folds up into a chair as we suddenly have loads of extra floor space in DD's bedroom.

Music and movie collections are now virtual so that saves a wall of discs and tapes. (I admit that I still have mine in a box waiting for me to upload some favourites.) And if you want to look at your photos without a screen, the books that are available are far less bulky than the old albums full of individual prints.

Talking of bulky, I donated the last of my big bulky blankets to the Yedidya Bazaar this week as we are fine with the light-weight fleeces that fold up small. Those old blankets were for the days of sheets and blankets. Nowadays we have thick duvets and the blankets are largely for decoration or to throw over the sofa for a little extra comfort while watching tv in the winter.

I used to have a radio alarm clock taking up a chunk of real estate on the bedside table. Not wanting the phone in the bedroom at night, I replaced the brick sized radio alarm with a tiny battery run alarm clock. It works just as well - I still don't want to get up in the mornings.

A trip to the pool or beach is always hindered by an enormous bag containing all the towels. Everything else is relatively small but those towels are cumbersome to say the least. Last summer I bought a micro-towel to try it out. I wouldn't use it for every day at home but in the heat of the outdoor sun it works just fine. This year I'm going to buy another one. I already donated our two beach towels to the bazaar.

What items can you think of that could go smaller? My apartment feels bigger than it ever did before but I'm open to more ideas.

360 And Up

The fourth trip. 

360 items have been decluttered from my home since October 2017. This time I mean really out of the house, not just stored in cupboards waiting for the Yedidya Bazaar. This is because 1. The Yedidya Bazaar 2018 started today, 2. DD's school fair was on Friday last, and 3. the February Project is one final decluttering (and spring clean) to minimalism.

So here's how it went. I made four trips to Yedidya with big bags filled with good things that we no longer, if we ever did, use or need. It was about 10 bags in all. Big bags not shopping bags. More like small suitcases if you will.

Most of it was stuff I'd put away in October when I started my 500 Clutters Challenge. It was all in a cupboard over a wardrobe and some drawers under the same wardrobe. Everything gone. That was three trips. (I walked it there with the help of my shopping trolley as I don't have a car, hence the multiple trips, but it's only 5 minutes down the road.) And I concluded the first half of the challenge in October with a tally of 250.

Then DD had her school fair. That ended  up being 38 bags of miniature Kinder egg toys to sell so I counted that as 38. I took 4 things to the little girl downstairs. I binned 1 T-shirt as I had gone through my wardrobe a year ago and thrown out anything that was too far worn to wear again. Are you keeping count? We're up to 43 items.

On Saturday afternoon I went into my wardrobe and managed to find 46 things (including 5 pairs of shoes, counted as 5 not 10) that I could let go. That was one hour of just looking through and pulling things out. I didn't get anywhere near Narnia and, as I mentioned somewhere last week, I still have clothes from 30 years ago that I will never fit into again and I know it. I am sure sure sure that I'll have an other 50 items of clothing at least, to let go when I reach a confident weight. I am not proud of this mass of clothing but it is is what it is. However, it made up the fourth trip to Yedidya on Saturday evening so that's a good deed done. 43 + 46 = 99.

I gave 4 jumpers to DD that are far too small for me and adorably large on her. One of them is a pure wool Koala Bear jumper that I bought in Melbourne in 1990. I also gave her one of the 3 bathrobes I have and don't use any of them. Another one went to the Yedidya Bazaar and the third is a sort of interior design feature hanging on the back of my door. Well there are hooks so you have to hang something. 104

To my horror, I found 7 shoe boxes in the back row of a shelf in the wardrobe. I had to throw them out as I saw that I was turning into my father. "You never know when you'll need a good box." 111.

I know that 250 + 111 is actually 361 but I think DD stole back a few of the teddies I was taking to Yedidya, and I'm sure some other things have gone out since October. It's not a science so I'm comfortable with declaring it to be 360.

I honestly don't know when I'll get to 500 but I hope to get rid of (or start the Yedidya Bazaar collection for next year) this month as I tackle the February Project.

Our Kinder Surprise

Kinder Egg Heaven

DD's School Fair is this Friday. Like last year, DD and a couple of friends are having a toy stall. Unlike last year, there will be real money involved. But everything has to be 1 shekel or less (about 20p) so we're not talking about fortunes. And the kids get to keep any money they make. It's a shame there's no charity involved or anything going to school funds but it's still a great opportunity for us to get some stuff out of the house and into other people's houses. Tee hee hee. 

World Cup Footballers

We had quite a few games and puzzles going to the Yedidya Bazaar, which coincidently is on Sunday and Monday next week, and I said DD could take them to school for her stall. However, she very wisely decided, imo, that these games are worth far more than 1 shekel and she'd rather they went to the Yedidya Bazaar where people who couldn't afford nice games could buy them for 3 shekels. And the money goes to charity rather than just for her and her friends to be able to buy more sweets. "Where's the goodness in that?" she asked with her earnest face on.

Hello Kitties

Then we had the most brilliant idea, even if I say so myself. Absolutely inspired. Thanks to about five years of Kinder Eggs and ice lollies with figures in them, we had an enormous collection of miniature toys and nothing to do with them. Hello Kitties, Angry Birds, World Cup Football figures, spinners, cars, little animals, Disney princesses, and tiny Bratz dolls. We sorted them all out and made sets in sandwich bags for 1 shekel each.

35 bags in all

I found another bag of spinning tops that I'd bought for a Hannuka party once and never used so they will go for a shekel each. And see those coloured necklace cords on the final photo? They were from party favours - flashing balls that you wear around your neck whilst disco dancing in the dark, left over from my nephew's Bar Mitzva four years ago. The flashes had died so I removed the cords and attached them to those little dolls that came out of Kinder Eggs.

Angry Birds

Who says I'm not creative

DD has 35 bags to sell for a shekel each. I told her that whatever doesn't sell she should give away at the end.

This is the last year we will be able to do this of course, because I'm going minimalist next month. I took two big bags of stuff to Yedidya today and I've got two more big bags and the booster seat waiting to go tomorrow.

But for now back to the January paperwork....

February Celebration and Project

A decent haul for the Yedidya Bazaar next week.

As announced at the beginning of the year, I am choosing a celebration and a project for each month. January was celebrating Turning over a new leaf. The project was to organize all my papers, teaching materials, paperwork of every kind, and be up to date with all work assignments, grading and preparing courses. I've necessarily had to extend January's project into February as my students are sitting their mid-semester exam on Feb 6th and I'll have 40 papers to mark before the following weekend. And there are one or two other jobs that need finishing off, as I mentioned yesterday.

I also said that February had to start early. The celebration for February is Spring. The almond trees are beginning to blossom, the weather seems to be getting a bit warmer (though I've not given up hope completely for a late snowfall next Sunday - it's happened before), and the days are getting longer at the evening end.

On Wednesday it's Tu B'shvat (the 15th of the lunar month of Shvat). This is a minor festival celebrating he new year for trees. We eat lots of different fruits, we plant trees, we sing songs about the almond blossoms, and we look forward to the annual pilgrimages to see the hillsides covered in anemones (that's poppies to you and me).

And the  project is Spring Cleaning. It's a sort of extension of getting the paperwork in order but it's also one final declutter towards minimalism, actual cleaning with soap and water, and possibly some new furniture, but only if I get rid of some old furniture first.

I was going to have a more nature orientated project in keeping with the Tu B'Shvat theme and keep the spring cleaning for March when it's warmer. However, they brought the Yedidya Bazaar forward by a month this year so I've got to get all my clutter over to them this week. And DD's school market is on Friday, so she is taking a load of old toys that I had to get down yesterday to sort through.

I am pleased to see that my Yedidya Bazaar haul is nowhere near as big as last year. A sure sign that all this decluttering is having some long term effect. However, what's in the photo is only what I put away in October when I did my 500 Clutters Challenge. I fully intend to get all this stuff over to Yedidya and then spend the weekend going round looking for more clutter as the final drop off is on Saturday night. For the record, I only managed 250 clutters for the challenge but that's because I refused to tackle my wardrobe which still has outfits in it from 30 years ago.

I'm sorry not to be helping at the Yedidya Bazaar this year as for the second year, I'm teaching on Sunday. Give me a few more years and I'll be able to leave DD at home while I go and help in the mighty marathon sorting that takes place all night on Saturday. Or maybe DD will come and help too.

Yedidya Bazaar - The End

They let you drop off stuff for the Yedidya Bazaar on the Sunday before. However, everything remains piled high in a store-room in the bags and boxes it came in, until the following Saturday night.

The beginning, every section is piled high like this

When Shabbat goes out the evening the before the bazaar, the volunteers arrive and they stay half the night  unpacking, sorting, folding, piling and hanging. There are books, household items, toys, and accessories but by far the majority of the bazaar is clothing. Women's, men's, youth girls', youth boys', little girls', little boys', and babies' sections. And each section has tops, bottoms, sweaters, coats, suits and dresses, nightwear, sportswear, shoes, etc...

I cannot help on Saturday night as I have DD at home. But first thing Sunday after I've dropped her at school, I'm on to it. I, and about five other regular Sunday sorters, greet the steady flow of bags and boxes still arriving all day Sunday. We are a team who meet up once a year as the Sunday crew. They say that nobody is indispensable but we sort of are.

The doors open at 4pm and as the first customers arrive, I slip away to collect DD from school. Sometimes I bring her back to choose some books but this time I chose some for her before I left. The toys are already too young for her. Doors close at 9pm. And open again at 4pm on Monday, closing finally at 9pm on the same day. That's it. Two days and it's over.

I've never seen the end. I only ever have before pictures. So tonight while my nephew was here, I slipped back to take a look. I also had to return because I'd taken some books and a couple of other items the day before and I'd not had any money with me.

The End, and every section finished like this

I arrived at 8.20 pm. With 40 minutes to go there were still some things left that would be sent to charity shops. Lisa, the new organiser this year, was sitting in the front desk looking exhausted. Some people were till browsing and choosing. I picked up another book, took my photo, paid my money, and bade fond farewells to the Sunday Sorters who, by chance, had also all come back for the finish (except for one who has a young child at home). See y'all next year!!

On returning home at not quite 9 pm, I remembered three box games I'd not brought down from the Yedidya cupboard because I didn't want DD to see that I was donating them. I had forgotten to take them to the Bazaar. I have officially beaten my own record by starting next year's collection before this year was even over. Go me.

The Usual Springtime Events - R2BC

This week sees three of our regular springtime events. Three very good Reasons 2B Cheerful. I'm linking up with Mich on Mummy from the Heart where you can find more R2BCs.

1
Unicorn 
After 6 years of refusing to dress up for Purim, DD suddenly decided that she wanted to be a unicorn this year. I was delighted. I took her down to the toy shop and said she could choose whatever she wanted from the costumes and accessories, Here the toy shops stock up on costumes espeially for Purim, like in America before Hallowe'en. With only one child I was willing to pay for whatever she wanted. There was no unicorn and she didn't want anything else so she came home and made her own costume. It was only a head-dress worn with her normal  clothes but this was a huge step forward for us.

2
The Yedidya Bazaar
The Yedidya Bazaar is next Sunday and Monday. I have a top cupboard where I save things for the bazaar. The first item went into it about one week after last year's bazaar. Don't you hate it when that happens? Anyway, the cupboard was full and I pulled everything out last weekend. The picture shows my hoard before I've even finished. There are a few games and toys I didn't put on the bed because I know that DD won't let them go if she sees them. We also went through DD's clothes and thinned them out. Remember that we took a whole load of games and books to her school market only a few weeks ago.

In the end we have 10 bags of stuff for the Bazaar, 3 bags to return to a friend, 2 bags of outgrown clothes for my downstairs neighbour (aged 4), and a couple of items that DD's very slim friend might like. Result! (Although where we get it all from every year still baffles me.)

3
Jerualem Marathon
Tomorrow we are bunking school (along with 90% of the pupils) to go and cheer on my nephew in the Jerusalem Marathon, He's running the 10k and the route goes relatively near where we live. Not as near as the full and the half marathon routes which we usually go to watch but near enough to walk to. We'll also see the full and half marathon runners but we won't be standing at the end of the road with our neighbours like last year.

He is threatening to run in his kilt (more of a tartan skirt than a kilt) which he wore for his Purim costume. Well at least we won't miss him if he does.

Reasons 2B Cheerful - Students Past And Present

1
This wall at my college used to be painted plain white. It's a walkway between two buildings. It was so nothing special, it was actually boring. Then one day we stepped out between the two buildings and saw this. I don't think there was one person who didn't exclaim in delight at the transformation. I'd quite like to do this on my balcony.

2
Many of the high achools here have a policy whereby all students are required to do a certain number of hours of volunteering throughout the year. It can be a weekly commitment where you're a youth club leader, visiting people who appreciate visits, or a regular helper to people who need help. It can be environmental work at the botanical gardens or at the zoo, at the dog pound or charity work. Or it can be finding short term or one off projects that together make up your hours.

Whilst working at the Yedidya Bazaar last Sunday, at about 1pm four teenage girls walked in. The lady in charge had gone home for a well deserved rest and even though there was another lady there who was much more involved in the whole thing than I was, I suddenly became the designated stand-in leader. Always happens to me, I call it a type-v personality. And it's definitely inheritted.

Me: We don't open until 4pm.
Girls: We're from Reut High School and we've come to work. We can stay till 10pm.

OMG, those girls were amazing. The night shift had pretty much unpacked and arranged everything by the time they left late on Saturday night but by the time we arrived on Sunday morning, people had dropped off loads more bags and boxes of donations. and it was still coming in. We were beginning to think that we'd just have to leave some of it till day 2. However, I showed the girls the mountain of stuff that had to be dealt with and they ploughed through it. By 3pm there was nothing left in bags.

Later someone told me that there had been eight girls from Pelech High School who had helped them sort the night before wih similar results.

When I left on Sunday at just before 4pm, before the doors opened, the tables were piled high with clothes. You can imagine what state the tables were in by the end of the evening after over 3,000 items had been sold. When I returned on Monday I saw that those girls had stayed after the doors closed to the public at 9pm and had refolded every table so that it was neat and appealing for Day 2.

They also had some fun matching whole outfits together on hangers and displaying them. It was amazing to see an ensemble of jeans, white t-shirt, bergundy cardigan and a blue and burgundy scarf artfully arranged and on sale for 8nis (about 1.50 GBP) for the whole outfit.

3

Many married students cover their hair similar to this. (example)

Whilst sitting and working at college yesterday a married student (the headscarf gave it away) came to speak to me. She explained that she is a second year student (which makes her about 22 or 23 years old, having done at least 2 years of national service after school) and she'd like to enroll in my summer course. Her "problem" is that she's expecting a baby at the beginning of September so she might not be able to finish the course by the due date.

I looked at this student and was confused. I teach first year students and third year students but I recognized this girl. "How do I know you?" I asked. "When I was a little girl you taught my best friend privately in her house and I used to be there a lot." I was amazed. I taught her friend in First Grade so that was about 17 years ago. And here she was, a married lady expecting her first child. (I assume it's her first, I didn't ask so it could be her second).

Not only do I remember this girl but I remember her mother and that I taught her older brother in school. The older brother, then about 9 years old, was a very "independent" boy (read between the lines). I asked after him and she told me that he's now studying Law at university. Just goes to show. And an encouraging message for anyone with an "independent" 9 year old.

I'm linking up to R2BC over at Lakes Single Mum.

Well and Truly Booked

Here is the final round up for the Yedidya Bazaar 2016. Personally I will say that we were well and truly booked.

In the end I added another bag to the six large bags I donated on Friday morning and was delighted with the feeling that seven large bags of children's clothing, books, toys, and table cloths had been removed from my house.

I was most pleased with the fact that we went through all of DDs clothes and shoes. We kept about 10 light dresses, mostly for this summer but a couple to grow into; about 10 assorted skirts for this summer, next winter and beyond; and about 20 T-shirts for this summer. We also have three swimsuits that still fit. I want to emphasize that every item is either a hand-me-down from my friends with older girls or a gift from Grandma or my sister.

I was well pleased, DD's wardrobe looks neat and tidy, and I made a mental note not to buy any new clothes when we go to London for Passover (footwear is another matter but no clothes). I will buy a pack of cheap tricot shorts in the local market and we're done.

A rack of children's coats. 

On Saturday night I got a phone-call from a friend, "We are just about to take a load of my girls' clothes to Yedidya. Would you like to look through them first to see if there's anything you can use?"
Me: "Thank you but we really don't need anything. I'll be working there tomorrow so if I see anything nice I'll be happy to pay the 2 shekels to buy it back. But I really appreciate you thinking of us."

On Sunday I worked at the bazaar, unpacking donations, sorting, hanging and folding clothes mostly. Another friend with older girls and a Grandma in America, brought a load of clothes her girls had grown out of. She kept holding up items and asking, "are you sure you don't want this for DD. It's really nice." Everything was really nice but we just don't need to have a shop's worth of clothes in our home for one little girl who anyway lives in shorts/trousers and t-shirts. I understand that it's hard for people to give away well loved clothes that their children have worn but I was determined not to ease their consciences by cluttering my own home.

By Sunday night we were 7 bags down but 2 bags came home from the bazaar.

I did "buy" one pair of winter boots that were labelled size 39 (my size) but the woman who donated them said she'd bought them without trying them on and they were way smaller than a 39. DD fell in love with them and has been wearing them around the house (she is an almost 34).

I also took four teaspoons made of heavy stainless steel. In Israel the cheap cutlery is so flimsy that the spoons bend when you try to scoop out ice-cream. Sturdy cutlery is very expensive. So I collect. I have a few pieces from my parents' downsizing efforts over the years and a few pieces from sales. Eventually I will donate all my cheap flimsy cutlery back to the Yedidya Bazaar - maybe next year even.

And I "bought" a small bag of china fairies. We are into fairies atm. There were seven fairies in the bag. After one play session and multiple drops on the tiled floor, there are two still in perfect condition. I wanted to chuck the other five but DD earnestly told me, "I'm not throwing them away just because they haven't got one hand, or a foot, or a wing. What? Do you throw people away just because they don't have one foot? It's not their fault and they're still a person." I couldn't argue with that so we're keeping all the bits of china. *sigh* I did manage to persuade her to chuck the one whose head fell off.

1st day booty. Sorry anyone who wanted fairy books. They'll be back next year.

But mostly we were booked. Someone (or someones) had donated a whole library of those Daisy Meadows fairy books and other princess, cupcake, etc... type books. I took a load of them but limited myself because I was there right at the start so it wasn't fair to hog too many.

The next day we went back to pay and I let DD choose more books. They were fair game by the second day. From the book section I got five books for me, a couple of dvds, and about 40 books for DD. I'm already bored out of my mind at bedtime story time. This child needs to improve her English reading asap!

Results: Almost 12,000 shekels was raised for charity whch means that almost 6,000 items were shifted from homes where they are not needed to homes where they are needed. We acquired 50 items for 100 shekels (about 20 pounds at today's exchange rate) and we are going to save a mint in London by not having to buy any books (or schlep them home).

Unbelievably, only two days after the bazaar, I already have a few items in my 'donations' shelf above DD's wardrobe towards next year's contribution. There were cupboards in the kitchen I didn't get to yet, I didn't declutter the sheets and bedding, and my clothes have not been weeded in about 15 years. Oh well, only 12 months to go until the Yedidya Bazaar!

I linked this post to Share the Joy at The Joy Chaser.

Reasons 2B Cheerful - A Give And Take Weekend

1

Six large bags of stuff off to the Yedidya Bazaar.

This morning, with the help of a friend and her car, I delivered six big bags to the Yedidya Bazaar which starts on Sunday. You can read about this amazing event here. I've explaind how it works a number of times since discovering it three years ago so I won't bore you with it again. If you want the full low-down click on the link.

I cannot believe we found six more big bags of stuff to donate having got rid of all this last year. There are actually another couple of small bags of stuff to pass on to friends. And we still have a few more places to declutter over the weekend so there might be even more to go. Seriously, where did it all come from? I think some of it is stuff I wasn't ready to part with last year but this year I'm a more seasoned declutterer.


2

This was just the first course. The kitchen was full of cookies and cakes.

I then went to another friend to do some catering. One year after her mother died, my friend, her immediate family and a few close friends visited the grave and then came back to the house for a light brunch. My job was to stay at the house, find all the food in the fridge, lay it out on platters and set the table. I love doing this. I wish it wasn't for a sad occasion but I was glad to be able to help by doing something I enjoy anyway.


3

Pretty flowers to feed Instagram. 

I collected DD from school and we saw some pretty flowers. Now I'm not the sort of person who usually stops to photograph the flowers but last week I felt compelled to join Instagram. My TOTS100 ranking was slipping by the month even though my blog stats were up. I read about the algorythms they use and a lot depends on your Klout score. I gave up on Klout a couple of years ago when I began to feel like the product rather than the client. However, if Klout is what it takes..... Anyway, my Klout score wasn't as strong as it used to be because they've moved the goalposts. As well as Facebook and Twitter, I now need to be active on Pinterest, Link'dIn, G+, FourSquare and Instagram. So I joined Instagram and despite not being a photographer nor having any interest in being one, I find myself taking photos to share. My Klout score jumped 2 whole points in a fortnight (that's huge). Next week I'm going to revisit my Link'dIn and Pinterest accounts and link them to Klout. It's a lot of work and I'm not sure how its really relevant to a successful blog but as I said, whatever it takes.


4
After a very hectic Purim last weekend I promised DD that we wouldn't arrange anything for this Shabbat. So we came home after shopping at 12.30pm and we have no obligations, no one to see, nothing to do, until Sunday morning. Well except for some more decluttering and I have to cook some food for us to eat of course.


5
On Sunday I'll be voluntering at the Yedidya Bazaar from 10 am till 4 pm when it opens. Others will be setting up through the night from 8 pm on Saturday but I can't do nights so I go to help the final setting-up shift on Sunday. (Jerusalem Peeps - the Bazaar is open from 4 pm till 9pm on Sunday and Monday.) This makes me happy because I used to be a person who volunteers but the opportunities to do so without getting a babysitter are very few. And of course organizing is my idea of heaven.

So that's it. A productive Friday, a selfish Shabbat, and a satisfying Sunday. I'm linking up with R2BC over at Lakes Single Mum.

The Yedidya Bazaar - Day 2

The Yedidya Bazaar finally arrived. Yesterday and today from 3pm till 9pm. On Saturday evening a group of volunteers went in to sort out masses of donated clothes, shoes, toys, books, dvds, and household items. This is what they saw.

A whole room full of bags of donated 'stuff'

I went in to help with the morning shift and most of it had been done.

People came. There was a lovely atmosphere. People sat on the floor to read the books.

At the end of the day they had taken over 6,000 shekels. That means over 3,000 items went to new homes.

There were coats in excellent condition, hardly worn shoes, tops and skirts with the labels still attached. There were tables piled high with baby things and not just clothes - booster seats, high chairs, cot sheets. There were clothes for teenager boys, clothes for teenage girls, women's clothes, men's clothes. There was even a table of school uniforms from some of the local schools.

There was bedding, there were table cloths, tea towels, blankets, cloth table napkins. There were household appliances, dishes, costume jewellery. There were novels and non-fiction books, children's books, dvds and even vidoes (bless). There were cuddly toys and dolls, boxed games and puzzles, and toys toys toys.

I went back this morning to sort out and tidy up for day two - the final day. All the boxes of stuff that we'd put under the tables, because there was no room to put everything out the day before, were unpacked and more clothes had been left overnight. The toys were pretty much emptied out the first day and there were not many household items left.

I kept seeing DD's clothes that I had donated. First reaction: awww that was ours. Second reaction: hey! Why didn't anyone want our stuff? Then I remembered that it was impossible to see everything on the first day as there was just so much. After over 3,000 items had been sold last night we could spread it all out a bit more today.

Babywear on day 2 - loads left and refolded nicely by me

Women's tops and trousers on day 2 - beautifully sorted by beautiful Annabel

Still plenty of dresses, skirts, shirts and jackets hanging up and shoes underneath
Children's clothes at the sides sorted by gender

There're still over 3 hours to go folks. It closes at 9pm. Everything for 2 shekels!

I bought two pairs of nearly new tennis-shoe style sneakers for DD and a pair of wellington boots for her for next year. A dvd of Antz (for DD) and two Maeve Bincheys (me) from the book dept. For me I found three t-shirts never worn, a black skirt with the label still attached, and a new pair of mock-leather gloves. Grand total 22 shekels (3 pounds 66).

I'll update you on the final tally in the comments tomorrow. Everyone should have a Yedidya Bazaar in their lives.

All This From One Room! A Bit Of Decluttering Magic

I've been waiting and waiting to do a massive Marie Kondo clearout. I was waiting for The Yedidya Bazaar people to open the storage room so that I could start taking things over there. The time is here folks!

YOU CAN DONATE YOUR UNWANTED, GOOD CONDITION ITEMS TO THE YEDIDYA BAZAAR FROM TOMORROW MORNING. (Take them down the slope at the left of the building during office hours.)

I am not a hoarder so I didn't expect to amass that much to pass on. However, I have been putting things aside all year and already had a top cupboard of one wardrobe full of things to go. Reader I was shocked. Apart from three carrier bags of books from my bedroom that I cleared out a couple of weeks ago, all this is from DD's bedroom (where the top of wardrobe store cupboard was also situated).

This is my spare bed tonight (it's a small double bed).

Not everything is for the bazaar.
The big blue bag bottom left is rubbish to throw out.
There are two carrier bags full of old socks and knickers from age 2 1/2 till 5, also to throw out. You know how you keep stuffing a new packet of underwear into the drawer and never taking out the old ones? That.
Another bag of old clothes that are not in good enough condition for the bazaar.
There are three bags of things to pass on directly to friends with younger children.
There are a couple of bags to be returned to the person who gave them to us on long term loan for as long as they were useful.
One bag of arts and crafts type things to go to a friend who is a kindergarten teacher.
For the bazaar there are:
the three bags of books from my bedroom.
Books that DD has grown out of.
Clothes that DD has grown out of.
Toys that DD has grown out of.

The same from a slightly different angle.
I'm still amazed that all this came out of one room,
a room that I considered to be quite organized and tidy.

I really am not a hoarder but I think age 6 is a milestone in many ways. Toys that we kept just in case she wanted to play with them can be cleared out. DD is old enough to decide what she no longer wants and mature enough to let go of it. We've already got a stock of new box games from Chanuka and her birthday which she enjoys more than the Fisher Price farm and various baby dolls. We both know that she has never been a doll person and will probably never be one so the dolls can go. Jigsaw puzzles with less than 100 pieces are really silly for us to keep, whereas last year they were still useful.


We have thrown out the dolls' buggy and high-chair - yeah! Two less items littering the floor. They were second hand and served us well but, unfortunately no longer in good enough condition to go to the bazaar.

I decluttered DD's room only 18 months ago enough to realize that the extra furniture for storage I wanted to buy was no longer necessary. This time round I find we have too much storage! Yes you heard correctly, empty spaces with nothing in them! Unfortunately you cannot sell or give away the cupboard over the wardrobe or one enormous drawer under the bed as they are built-in parts of furniture that you need to keep.

Tomorrow I start on the kitchen.... :~)

Yedidya Bazaar Decluttering 1

Two years ago I discovered The Yedidya Bazaar. The most amazing idea and a win-win-win situation for the three groups involved: The local families de-cluttering and spring cleaning for Pesach, residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas who can come and buy everything and anything for 2 shekels an item (that's 33p), and the charity that gets the proceeds. They raised over 10,000 shekels last year which means over 5,000 items rehoused from places they were not needed to places where they are needed. As I said win-win-win.

The 2015 bazaar is only four weeks away! I've been putting stuff aside all year as it becomes obsolete to our needs and storing it in an empty top of a wardrobe cupboard. This is now full so I already had up to two bin-liners ready when I decided to get serious. I was motivated by Elaine's amazing efforts this week, and also by the fact that we are hoping to rent out our flat while we go away in a couple of months and I need to take pictures.

I started small with books. It was hard at first but it got easier as I went along. There are some books I've owned for years because I want to read them but haven't got round to it yet. Some I kept because I do still want to read them, but most I didn't.

One-third of a shelf of the remaining books are waiting to be re-gifted as I like to pass them on to readers when we get invited for Shabbat.

My three teenage nephews all have specific and different areas of interest - economics, geography, and classical civilizations. I happen to have books on all those subjects that I'm happy to pass on. In fact, and amazingly coincidental, those are the exact three subjects I did for A Level!

The before and after photos don't look very different considering I have about 80 books in bags ready to go to the bazaar. Before (top) and after (bottom)

Four top shelves double layered

Only top two shelves double layered (The double layer on the middle shelf are books for re-gifting)

As I said, not much different to look at but these must have come from somewhere:

About 80 books now bagged and ready to go

Jerusalem people, are you getting ready for the Yedidya Bazaar?