I'm stuck.
I came upon some of my old jewelry box contents. Most of it is not anything of monetary value. Lots of sentiment attached though. Small empty jewelry boxes from jewelry stores when my dear husband surprised me with something. Baby teeth hidden under my old charm bracelet, some patches earned and not sewn on a sash of my child, one of the tiny little earrings used to pierce my daughter's ears ... Oh! I know exactly what to do with these (extra buttons from blouses purchased long ago), I'll add them to my buttons that I use for scrapbooking!
I have a replica of the broken locket that Little Orphan Annie wore, and a charm (part of an earring actually) with Snoopy and Woodstock on it. A star embellished pin, for mothers, that you add a star with the birthstone of your children to. Mine has just two stars. That's how long ago I got it. I still have a beautiful necklace and earring set that I earned being a Tupperware Manager. One of the earring backs is broken. I was delighted to find more turquoise and silver jewelry.
I did find some things to throw away, but most of it I will put back where I found it and go through it again another day.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Free to Be Me
This isn't about decluttering (tangible objects) but it is about decluttering my mind. I had an amazing afternoon on Sunday. I picked up my granddaughters and brought them to my house with a purpose and a plan. We stopped at the grocery store first and bought a cake mix and some disposable pans.
At my house I helped them (they did most of it on their own) bake a cake for their mother (each girl made her own cake). After they cooled, they frosted them. In the meantime they made cards for their Mommy, thanking her for going to work to take care of them. My daughter is a single parent.
I delighted in every moment with my precious granddaughters.
So, what's new or different about this day? I wasn't anxious about any part of it. I wasn't consumed with thoughts about why it wouldn't work or why I couldn't do it. It was perfect. It was fun. Every detail went smoothly. THAT'S the difference.
Was it possible BECAUSE I've been decluttering and there was "clear space" to do this? No, that's not it. Somehow during this process that I'm in, whatever it was that kept me distant (distracted?) and weary because I was always feeling overwhelmed ... whatever that was, that was gone. I felt free.
I feel like I'm beginning to live the life I want to live. I am becoming who I want to be.
At my house I helped them (they did most of it on their own) bake a cake for their mother (each girl made her own cake). After they cooled, they frosted them. In the meantime they made cards for their Mommy, thanking her for going to work to take care of them. My daughter is a single parent.
I delighted in every moment with my precious granddaughters.
So, what's new or different about this day? I wasn't anxious about any part of it. I wasn't consumed with thoughts about why it wouldn't work or why I couldn't do it. It was perfect. It was fun. Every detail went smoothly. THAT'S the difference.
Was it possible BECAUSE I've been decluttering and there was "clear space" to do this? No, that's not it. Somehow during this process that I'm in, whatever it was that kept me distant (distracted?) and weary because I was always feeling overwhelmed ... whatever that was, that was gone. I felt free.
I feel like I'm beginning to live the life I want to live. I am becoming who I want to be.
Another Milestone Along The Way
I don't know how many years she's been waiting to hear this, but her very words rang in my ears last night. My good friend, offered to help me do some decluttering many years ago. She willingly came into my abode and tried to coach and encourage me to let go of some things (I had invited her to come).
One of the things I can remember her talking to me about was my "scrap paper" box. It was a rather large box (I clearly realize now!) ... probably the size of a white Banker's Box. She asked me if I could use a smaller box. She gently told me that I would never be in want of scrap paper. As a matter of fact, she said it seems to just appear on a regular basis. It comes to us in the mail and we make it ourselves in our homes.
Last night I thought of my "scrap paper" drawer (yes, a drawer) and how it was so hard to open and close now because it was crammed full of papers. I decided I wanted to use that drawer for another purpose so I dumped out all the paper inside of it, onto my table. I started to compile a stack of just SOME of the paper to keep ... and that's when her words rang in my ears. I could hear her loud and clear ask me just how much scrap paper did I really need?
I will have to let her know that, this time, her question made me smile. I threw away most of that pile.
One of the things I can remember her talking to me about was my "scrap paper" box. It was a rather large box (I clearly realize now!) ... probably the size of a white Banker's Box. She asked me if I could use a smaller box. She gently told me that I would never be in want of scrap paper. As a matter of fact, she said it seems to just appear on a regular basis. It comes to us in the mail and we make it ourselves in our homes.
Last night I thought of my "scrap paper" drawer (yes, a drawer) and how it was so hard to open and close now because it was crammed full of papers. I decided I wanted to use that drawer for another purpose so I dumped out all the paper inside of it, onto my table. I started to compile a stack of just SOME of the paper to keep ... and that's when her words rang in my ears. I could hear her loud and clear ask me just how much scrap paper did I really need?
I will have to let her know that, this time, her question made me smile. I threw away most of that pile.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
27 Days to Go
I did some rearranging in our dining room this evening and ended up so delighted with the new look that I pulled an all-nighter clearing out and putting away items.
I couldn't help but feel such excitement deep inside. I was truly happy! My home is starting to take on the "look" that I want it to have. It's looking less like a museum of all my "collections" (which, by the way, were not displayed in lovely fashion. Most of it was piled up, stuck in boxes and definitely an eye sore wherever it happened to be).
I probably won't have everything deluttered by my birthday ... but I WILL have accomplished so very much during this countdown. Thank you God, for all YOU have done to heal my heart so that I don't need all this stuff anymore.
If you haven't been a hoarder, you wouldn't understand. To purge and clear out is something that most of my friends do on a regular basis. Not me.
Hoarding (building a nest; a wall of clutter to hide behind) is a distraction. I've been distracting myself from painful emotions. Not only have I been a hoarder, but I've been addicted to food as well. As I press into God, HE is delivering me from both of these "false gods." HE wants me to come to HIM with my emotions, with my problems, concerns and issues.
It has not been an easy, a rapid, or a complete deliverance (yet) ... but it has been oh so very worth it !!!!
I couldn't help but feel such excitement deep inside. I was truly happy! My home is starting to take on the "look" that I want it to have. It's looking less like a museum of all my "collections" (which, by the way, were not displayed in lovely fashion. Most of it was piled up, stuck in boxes and definitely an eye sore wherever it happened to be).
I probably won't have everything deluttered by my birthday ... but I WILL have accomplished so very much during this countdown. Thank you God, for all YOU have done to heal my heart so that I don't need all this stuff anymore.
If you haven't been a hoarder, you wouldn't understand. To purge and clear out is something that most of my friends do on a regular basis. Not me.
Hoarding (building a nest; a wall of clutter to hide behind) is a distraction. I've been distracting myself from painful emotions. Not only have I been a hoarder, but I've been addicted to food as well. As I press into God, HE is delivering me from both of these "false gods." HE wants me to come to HIM with my emotions, with my problems, concerns and issues.
It has not been an easy, a rapid, or a complete deliverance (yet) ... but it has been oh so very worth it !!!!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
28 Days to Go
Today, my dear husband and I ventured out to sell our wares at another used curriculum and book sale. In preparation for it, I dug out more books (from my vast collection) and cleared some space (however so tiny) in another of our storage areas. While looking in what we call "The Room," which is basically a catch-all (closed in back porch), I found my posters, maps and teaching posters. Some of them were water damaged and a couple of them I knew I'd hang on to, but the rest all went with us to the sale. I sold them for 25 cents a piece and we sold several of them.
I did have some hesitation over one of the posters. It was laminated and double sided. One side showed the life cycle of a frog. The other side was about the stages of a sunflower. It was the sunflower that gripped my heart. It was this very poster, that once hung in my hallway, that transformed my thinking about something very dear to me. It taught me what homeschooling really meant.
I won't go into all the detail here, but my son read this poster and looked at the photos. He planted a sunflower seed in our front yard (all on his own) and it grew. The whole story is still so very precious to me.
I did have some hesitation over one of the posters. It was laminated and double sided. One side showed the life cycle of a frog. The other side was about the stages of a sunflower. It was the sunflower that gripped my heart. It was this very poster, that once hung in my hallway, that transformed my thinking about something very dear to me. It taught me what homeschooling really meant.
I won't go into all the detail here, but my son read this poster and looked at the photos. He planted a sunflower seed in our front yard (all on his own) and it grew. The whole story is still so very precious to me.
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