Thursday, November 12, 2009

Decluttering

Have been thinking a lot lately about de-cluttering. On this site there is a post about the 27 most important rules to keeping a house. I liked some of them. I'm an "organizer"... this site (I think in a previous article I read) suggested "Don't organize"... throw away and then you won't have as much to find a place for... :)
On this site Get Organized, they have 52 challenges (1 per week). One was to throw away 50 things, and I'm in the mood to purge, so I'm doing that after I post! :)
On this blog the writer has a "Finish it Friday" where she lists things she needs to get done over the weekend, holds herself accountable, checks in on Monday and reports what got done over the weekend. I like that idea and feel the need to make my own Finish it Friday lists, too! :) Last weekend, due to my illness, one of mine was "recuperate". :) My list for this weekend is much longer. I have felt inspired today to get things done. I made a list from the upstairs to the basement of places clutter goes to die... I am working on them this weekend.

On a sweet note, I have had my "office" in our dining room space for quite a while. We have always talked about it becoming a dining room and getting a table big enough to seat guests... I knew my space was temporary. We talked about moving it downstairs to the basement, but I like nature and light. I felt sad. Then my husband said I could have his office space! I felt awful! He needs a "man room" in a house full of women! :)) He came up with a plan to redo our room, which has plenty of space, for a nook for himself, and for me to turn his office into my own office/scrapbooking space... :) To keep all our paperwork in one organized spot, all my supplies on one floor of the house... wow. A dream. Do I dare get excited, or will the cheapskate in me rear its ugly head and tell me things are cheaper as is. Although, I'm planning on checking out craigslist.com and selling the stuff I'd nolonger use.... It's exciting, but it comes with a bit of guilt. I'm kicking him out of his space? Hmmm, so much for the giving me of the last post!! ;)

Thankful

So many things to write about in the last month. Many unrelated, many linked...

It is November and here in the states we celebrate Thanksgiving this month. It reminds us (or we try to not get bogged down with holiday visits and preparation, while remembering) to be thankful. As regular readers know, in our family, we do a thankful feather letter each year and place the feathers we receive on our gourd turkey (who is holding up nicely, even after losing his head a few years ago! :)) We have the letters sent out and have received one back thus far. Along the same lines, I read this in a friend's post on Facebook: "Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it, then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what you are thankful for today." I have posted this over the last three days, which is when I first read it, along with some blessings I think of such as my health, Veterans (yesterday was Veteran's Day here in the US) and the internet which connects me to family and friends who I don't see often enough-or some of you I've never met, but am sure I would enjoy in person! :)

I felt really blessed about my health since having the flu. I wasn't tested officially, but was diagnosed with "the flu", but the symptoms weren't like any flu I've experienced, so we are figuring it was H1N1. I haven't been sick sick like that in so many years-and this kept me down for weeks! I slept but still was too exhausted to do anything. The next week I continued the cough that came with it and it developed into bronchitis! I was sick essentially for three and a half weeks! That was after rest, antibiotics and steroids! I was too week and feeling so unwell that I didn't blog or scrapbook! :) I am feeling much better now and realized that I take my good health for granted!

I was up to running four days a week and really feeling good about it until that bout with the flu/bronchitis, so I will have to start again! I did get to yoga this week which was wonderful! :)

I have been subbing in the same classroom for three weeks, a fifth grade math class, and it's been nice to build a relationship with the kids. I will be back for 7 more school days, it appears, and be done at Thanksgiving break. That has filled my days (and I had to miss two of my scheduled days due to my illness!) and I feel behind on all that needs to be done at home.

My parents came down for a visit over Halloween. It was our youngest daughter's last year for trick-or-treat. We have several people in the neighborhood who still go out for candy even older, but we don't. Our kids don't eat that much candy and enjoy giving it out to all the kids we know, so we are done with creating clever costumes. :) I always enjoyed it, but we have a time limit. :) Our youngest has discovered the "secrets of the holidays" so that is another stage of life they have grown out of. It's sad for me-but a relief, also to not have those added details.

Both girls have gotten good grades this grading period and we're proud of them! I hope they continue to enjoy school and work hard.

A neighbor of my grandparents, and a nice member of my family's community passed away this week after cancer ravaged her. Sad that she had such an awful illness. My parents said they went to the funeral home visitation in the evening and they waited an hour to get in-a line was out and around the building. They said over one visitation period 280 people signed the guestbook-and if even some of those were couples, wow! It has had me thinking that I hope I make such a connection, a difference in people's lives. Not that I feel the need for "major recognition in death!" I just mean, I hope I leave such a positive impact on people's lives, a warmth in them. Now, to remember that, who I want to be, not getting caught up in "things"... especially with the holiday chaos lurking around the corner...

Thanksgiving Blessings to you, Reader!! :)