Kitchen Surprises

I am almost finished tidying up our house! It's taken much longer than the author suggests, but I'm working on a schedule that only allows tidy time during Cora's nap. On Friday, I tackled my kitchen. I was completely shocked, because I had almost 7 bags of trash by the time I was done. It occurred to me that I had never gone through our kitchen since being married. I hadn't even gone through the items before we moved from Florida to Michigan. I guess I was just so overwhelmed with a newborn, I didn't take the time to go through everything. This has been the most rewarding area, because this is the room I spend the most time in. My drawers aren't cramped with millions of kitchen utensils I don't use. My "Lazy Susans" aren't banging around when I turn them from being over stuffed. It is such an addicting and freeing feeling to not have stuff everywhere. I can't get over how much more happy I feel being at home knowing that the things I love are in order and not piling up everywhere. Tidying Up has taken away that every day feeling of..."I must organizing something...I must clean something...something feels off." I like that the process has been slow for me. Some days while I have gone through my things, I've felt tired and overwhelmed. I think if i would have tried to do too much too quick, I may have given up or broke down. I've spent about an hour a day and am basically finished tidying after two weeks total. The only 2 spots I have left is our coat closet and pantry. I completely forgot to go through our coat closet when I began discarding clothing. OOPS! I have to buy a few storage containers for our pantry before I can start tidying it up. 

I took some pictures to show my progress so far. I wish I would have taken some before pictures: 

I really don't feel like the pictures do it justice, but you can at least see a few areas that used to be BURSTING with things and are now calm and peaceful. I'm really thankful for the time to be able to do this. It's been very rewarding and exciting. 

Tidying-A New Way of Life

I am so surprised at how The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is changing my life! (Ha-Ha) I know the title of the book promises it to be "life changing," but I have read many books that promise things without any results. I find myself excited to tidy the next category on my list, and the places in my house that I enjoy to be in the most, are the areas that have been tidied already. There are a few things I've had second thoughts about giving up, but I think it's more guilt of people finding out some of the gifts they've given me are now in someone else's closet. I'm trying to tell myeslf what the author says...(in my own words) Would you be happy if a gift you got someone else was just sitting in their closet never being used? It's better off being in a place where it will get use. It helps a little bit. By nature, I'm prone to feel guilty about everything...so this may go deeper! (ha-ha) 

It's funny how this new view of tidying is going alongside my New Year's Resolution to be more giving and to find ways to be generous. I don't always have money or gifts to give to someone, but some of the things I already own in my home, are things that people need or can use. I was so happy to give many of my clothes and accessories to some young girls at my church who needed some new clothes for work and fun. 

I'm following the author's directions and purging when I'm alone at home during Cora's naps. She said that purging so much (even if it's your own things) can overwhelm other family members. I think she has a point, so I've had a few days off this weekend, and I'm excited to jump back in tomorrow. I will conquer paper and special items tomorrow. I'm planning on doing the kitchen on Wednesday. 

Here are some pictures of the results: 

Starting the New Year Right

At the end of the day, I feel like I have not done much because we have been home more. When I think back to all that we have done though, I see I am accomplishing a lot of my personal goals. Although they are not happening quickly, they are happening. I am viewing that as success. I don't think I have written my goals for 2016 yet, so I will write them down so that I can look back and remember what I was trying to accomplish.

1. Reading 2-3 books a month.
2. Waking up earlier so that I have 1/2 hour-1 hour to read my Bible and pray for my family.
3. Organizing and Minimizing my life
4. Spending less money and giving more money/help/encouragement/things
5. Reading a Bible story to Cora every day or talking about God to Cora every day. 
6. Blogging life and lessons :) 

I finished The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and began my journey of tidying. As the author suggests, I started with my clothing, shoes and accessories. I was able to get rid of 2 1/2 bags of items. It felt good. What felt even better was that I could pass them along to a girl at my church. She was so thankful and had fun going through the items. There were a few things I was nervous to get rid of because they were gifts people gave me. I tried to stay strong and remember what Marie said. If it is just sitting in your closet and not bringing joy, there is no since to keep it. Remember the moment it was given to you and the thrill it gave to you then and move on. So I did. Today I move on to jewelry and bathroom items that build up (toiletries, lotions, soaps, etc...). I am hoping to conquer paper and office items tomorrow. My goals is to having my yearly tidying done by next Friday. I am not completing the process as fast as the author recommends to her readers, but I only have short intervals of time in which I am able to tackle these tasks. 

I finally woke up early today and was able to get some time to pray and be in the Word. It was WONDERFUL. I am reading through the prophet books which is kind of hard, but it has been interesting. 

I started two new books a few days ago and once I am close to finishing, I will do some book reviews on them. The first book is The Fringe Hours and the second book is The Spy. I will give more details in a later post. 

Thankful for the time I have at home so that I can try and accomplish these goals. I am most thankful though for God and his grace, which is ultimately why I can get anything done. 

Book Review Part 2: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I finished The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up last night, and I wanted to summarize my thoughts before I forgot all the good tidbits that I learned. Overall, this book is very weird. Things like talking to my house and talking to objects in my house are strange to me. Despite it's oddities, I came away learning quite a few things. My biggest "take aways" were:

1. When you tidy, you are "dealing with" your past and future- I know I worded that weird, but I think she brought up some good points. When you are having to discard a lot of possessions, you have to force yourself to think WHY you really have it. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the author says MANY times, "Does this object spark joy?" If it does not, then you should discard it. Remember the joy it brought in the past, and move on. (Sorry, but I just can not thank a purse for the good times we had-it is too strange. HA) I like the moving on part though. That created a paradigm shift for me. 

2. I have already started discarding in my mind- Even though I have not actually started my discarding yet (busy week), I already find myself looking around and saying good bye to stuff in my mind... I have already parted with the purses in my closet. I have parted with various dresses in my closet, and I am saying good bye to the colorful programs from plays I saw almost 15 years ago. I find myself asking, "Why on earth did I keep this?" In a way, the author has released me from hanging on to something because it is a memory or because I feel guilty to discard it. If it does not bring me joy any more, why would I keep it? 

3. Her folding techniques are amazingly fun-Her suggestions for folding look kind of fun to try. I am wondering if it will be realistic for me to keep them up, but I like the idea of being able to see everything. I am realizing that is the flaw with most of my storage! When you can not see what you have, you do not use it. 

Book Review Part 1: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

This year, I have made it my goal to read more diverse books. The first book I am crossing off my list is The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Maurie Kondo. I have made it through a quarter of the book, and I am enjoying it so far. I was not sure what to expect, because I have heard mixed reviews about the book. I do not want to forget what I am learning, so I wanted to write a few things down to help me remember all these good tips she is sharing.

1. Start with discarding-Before you can organize anything, you need to go through your house completely and discard anything that, as she puts it, "does not bring you joy" anymore. (Also, I add...anything you do not need.)

2. Go by category...not room-This was pretty eye opening for me, because I had never thought of this. Instead of doing the laundry room, living room, bedroom, etc...Start with clothes, then towels, then toiletries, then paper, etc... The author has a recommended order of tidying that you follow...That way you are doing ALL the clothes at once and ALL the paper at once. It saves time and energy. This makes SO much sense.

3.Take everything out first- She says that when you take everything out and see what you have in the space you are organizing, it is easier to see what you have duplicates of or what you have too much of. In the end, this makes organizing easier too.  

4.Be courteous of other family members' things-I felt guilty about this one, because I have done this. It is not right to try and discard anything that is not yours without permission. She contends that focusing on your own things actually inspires others in your family to do the same...

5.Tidy up your things as quickly as possible- This means you "Tidy Up" once or twice a year. You should NOT do this over the course of weeks or months. If possible finish in 1-3 days. For me it will take longer, because I will be working during Cora's nap time. Once you have the items that you need and the items that bring you joy, it is easier to keep them in the desired spot. 

6. Did it bring you joy already?- This is where it kind of got weird, but I got what she was saying. It is hard to let go of things that carry meanings or memories. In fact, I have 4 purses in my closet that I have not said good bye to because they carry a memory. I have not used them in years though. She said, that you should take every object and really think about if the object still brings you joy or if it already brought you joy. If it has already brought you joy, thank the object (WEIRD PART) and discard it. I think I will skip the thanking the object part, but asking myself those questions, actually has already helped me purge those purses in my mind. That made sense to me too. 


I'm excited to continue this and I am even more excited to purge or "discard" once I finish the book. I am glad I am ringing in the New Year with this book, because it is a great way to get organized!

Madame Blueberry

I have had this post on my mind for almost two years. It is actually one of the reasons I wanted to start a blog. The Lord taught me many lessons when we moved, and this was one that I did not want to forget. 

When we moved from Florida to Michigan, the company that Phil currently works for, offered to pay for our moving expenses. We hired a professional moving company and they packed up our things and then loaded and unloaded them. It was a complete LUXURY and the best gift anyone could give a new mom with a newborn baby. The moving process was really interesting to watch. After the moving company packs everything up, they go around and label EVERYTHING with a number. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING...even a cup of pens, a stray shoe under the bed...Everything gets a number. It's a wonderful process for taking inventory and helps them keep track of anything that may be damaged while being moved. Typically, you don't really think of the exact number of things you have, so when you see the man pull off the sticker 245 you think, "Wow, I have so much stuff." I cannot find the sheet that had the final number, but I am positive it went up to the 300's. After viewing the final number during our move, my teacher brain went immediately to the "Madame Blueberry" episode on Veggie Tales. In case you have never seen this episode, here is the plot summary from IMDb, 

"Even though Madame Blueberry lives in a nice treehouse, and has lots of friends, she is still upset because she always thinks she needs more "stuff". When a new Stuff-Mart superstore opens up near her home, she loads up with everything she can, but is still sad. Eventually, Madame Blueberry learns that it's important to be thankful for what you already have." 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500166/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

I felt like Madame Blueberry. We had SO MUCH stuff. I felt convicted because there were so many moments during the years we lived in that house that I felt we needed more. I felt like our house was "empty" in some rooms. I felt like it was not good enough or pretty enough... and then I saw that number...and I realized we had more than enough...more than we would ever need. Which then led me to see even further...Our Heavenly Father has given us the thing we need the most...our salvation. It is crazy how much meaning those moving stickers have to me. Every time I pull out a Christmas decoration from the basement or a random object from the garage, I find one of those stickers, and I am reminded of this lesson all over again.

 

Tangled Necklaces

It's January and the cold has finally settled in here in Michigan. Usually around this time of year, I find myself staying inside more and enjoying the coziness and warmth of our house. In a lot of ways I like the way the cold forces me to slow down and enjoy just being home. I welcome it like an old friend, because I'm tired. Summer, birthdays and holidays have come and gone and this is a nice break to take some time to reevaluate and breathe. The introvert in me savors this. Even though the summer-flip flop loving side of me becomes completely homesick for beautiful Florida this time of year, I'm reminded that the cold SLOWS me down. Something that I had trouble doing while I lived in Florida. 

Cora received a jewelry box for Christmas from her Siti. She loves it. She loves the music and the "lady in a costume." (AKA Ballerina haha) She loves all the small trinkets that she puts inside of it. I decided that I would bring out my old jewelry box too. It was a good idea, because she delighted in it so much that she played with it for almost forty five minutes. This was a big deal to me, because normally she plays with things no longer than five minutes or so. She is two after all. Anyways, she loved all my weird little Lisa Frank accessories, armadillo anklet, beaded pig necklace, charm from Grandma R.... Although I can't explain to her why these crazy things are important to me, I enjoyed watching her take out all of the jewelry and smile. When she opened up one of the drawers there was a ball of tangled necklaces. It cracked me up, because it has taken a lot of practice and hard work for me to become organized. Something like that would drive me crazy now, but when I was 13 years old, a ball of tangled necklaces wouldn't bother me a bit. Cora handed me the necklaces, and I began to try to figure out how to get them untangled. As I was unwinding and twisting the mess of latches and beads and chains, I started to think about how this ball of tangled necklaces pictured how our life must look without Christ. All these pieces of our life-problems, hardships, sufferings, blessings, rewards, and even the mundane...stuck together. When we try to sort them out on our own, we become frustrated and confused and want to give up(as I did while untangling the necklaces haha). What I realized though, is our lives can look like tangled necklaces and we can still have peace... because we have  God who looks past the tangled mess and helps us sort through the mess. He's long suffering, patient and kind and died for us so that we can have a perfect life one day. A life that is not tangled. I'm thankful for this lesson, and I pray that one day Cora will understand what this is like one day too! <3