A Peek Into 2011 Thusfar

So far 2011 is shaping up to be a pretty good year. I know it is only 11 days old, but I am off to a good start. My world at this moment is peaceful and productive.  I will savor each moment while it lasts. I have accomplished more in these 11 days than I have in a long time. Let me tell you what I have been up to!
 I am beginning again my quest to keep my "stuff" organized. I took a bit of time yesterday before the trash truck came to throw stuff away that  was not useful anymore or broken.

I haven't been quite as tired as I usually am. I have only been taking brief naps. That is giving me more time for my to do list. I better get as much done as I can now!

I have spent more quality time with Bill.  We both are so tired all the time we find ourselves on our rare evening off together sleeping in front of the TV. Last night was busy with taking Nathan to dance class while Molly and I went to a wake for a friend of the family.Bill and I did manage to have a nice dinner together and when I came home we sat together to review the day. That meant so much to me. I think sometimes we take each other for granted. This is an area I need to make a big effort in.

I am planning on reading the Bible through this year. This is the most important thing on my wish list. So far I have kept the commitment. Right now I am reading Luke, Psalms and Genesis. I have had the TV on a little less these 11 days and spending more time in reflection and meditation, focusing on Christ rather than me. Perhaps this is what is giving the motivation for all of the other stuff.  I want so much to continue on this path that I have set for this New Year. It really feels good. In the mean time, I will forge on to keep this momentum going for as long as possible. Keep posted!

Well... Well...Well!

I love the beginning of a new year! I always find myself very productive in the beginning weeks before everything takes a tragic turn back to the way it was. I have been very busy in organizing my time and putting it to good use. I have not been feeling very tired so that helps a lot. My daughter Molly is going to paint my sewing room next weekend! Yay!! This is her birthday present to me. My birthday is in November, but we had to wait till mid January because she has been busy with school and school activities. I have been looking online and in magazines to find tips and ideas for decorating my room and better organizing it. I have alot of my supplies already organized in clear tubs which is a great thing. But the clutter in the sewing room will make it very hard to do any painting. So this week I have been doing more organizing of the clutter. I am at the point where now all I have to do is move all the furniture to the middle of the room so that she can start masking off the room and paint. That forced me to organize even more. I have put most of my material in one area of the attic stored in bins. I am not quite organized enough to say that they are neatly folded and sorted by color, but at least a third of my stash has been. While I was in the attic, I started organizing other stuff up there as well. I have the Christmas decorations organized (or half way) in one corner. At least they are all in that corner. There is a bunch of Christmas stuff down in my basement too which is all in one corner. That's a great accomplishment for me.
I didn't stop there! I started purging the attic of things that don't work and needed to be thrown away! I sort things into 3 piles, to keep, to throw away, and to donate. Now I have a little bit more walking space in the attic. Where did the trash bags go? I need to take these piles and bag them to send to their appropriate places.
Back to the sewing room I go!  This is very exciting. I can't wait to see the finished product. I want to make this room a functional space where I can be free to create in an inviting environment. Without clutter.  I will keep you posted on my progress as the weeks go by!

Frustration

These past few weeks since I last posted have been very difficult. An overwhelming feeling of  fatigue sits like a cloud above my head.. Unfortunately I have spent a good portion of my days napping. I have my list of things to do, but a lot of that stuff stays undone. My plans for organizing and cleaning my house over the next few months are on hold.. I am now wrapped up in the immediate future which first of all needs me to focus on that immediate future and not dwell in the past over what I didn't do. That what seems to trip me up the most, I focus on the failures and missed opportunities instead of just getting up and do it. Enough of that! Today is a new day.
My mother in law came home this past Friday. She had  spent about  2 weeks at a Rehab Hospital recovering from her stroke. But God is good, she is doing well. She is getting her strength  back and she is so glad to be home. I called her this morning, and she had just gotten back from getting her hair done. It wasn't funny at the time, but she insisted on going to the hair dresser before she went to the hospital before her stroke. Now we can get a giggle out of it. It's all about priorities!  Her other problem was her diabetes was out of control which started this unfortunate chain of events. She is now on insulin. But all is quiet at the moment. I hope it will last a little while any way.
Wow, I feel better! I am not as frustrated at the moment. I am even a little motivated! Time to take out the TO DO LIST and start crossing off some items. Will hopefully be posting again soon.

Progress

Just a comment on my 1/2 year resolution that I made in July to tackle a room a month in the quest for organization. My first project was my son's room. I am happy to report that Friday, I donated a bunch of clothes and old toys to charity that I collected from his room. I can now see under his bed, and his closet is much more organized. I still have a little work to do, but the feeling of accomplishment is intoxicating. It makes me want to do more. I am not quite done, so obviously I haven't made my  "room a month" commitment, but I am satisfied that I didn't give in to procrastination, but kept plugging away.  As I also mentioned in July, I started working in the garage. This room however is not as easily organized. It seems to be  a receptacle for the junk that accumulates daily. I would clean a section only to turn around and find more stuff that wasn't there five minutes ago. This is a bit more of a challenge. I will not give up! I can do it! I will do it! Now with that mini pep talk I will take this time to go and spend a little time in the garage before I have to pick up the kids from Youth Group!

A Great Week

Wow, what a beautiful day! The sun is shining and there is no humidity. I have had a wonderful week. For the most part it has been a productive one. I have slept alot of it away, but did find time to get some work done around the house. I spent some time working on Nathan's room, forming 3 piles of things to throw away, keep and donate. There are alot of sentimental items that made me sad that Nathan is not a little boy anymore, such a his "blankie" that I made for him before he was born. Man that thing has seen better days! It is all shredded up hanging by a thread. Oh well, life goes on. I should have taken some before pictures of his room. I was able to get a good chunk done. I have also been working in the garage these past few weeks. Didn't take a before picture of the garage either. Things are not as bad as I think they are. Maybe I am not as clutter filled as I thought.
The other thing that has been occupying my time this week is Vacation Bible School. I was helping with the snacks. Unfortunately, I had to work so I couldn't be there for 2 of the days. It is fun spending time with the kids and friends. Well I guess it's time for bed. Ready for another week.