PUTTING OUT FIRES

I started these new organizational goals this year so that I may improve upon myself…The year is one quarter gone, and could it be that I am even MORE unorganized? If not, it certainly seems so, and not just at home but at work, where organization is not generally a problem!



It is all quite disheartening…Nonetheless, I am vowing and praying and working harder. I cannot let this conquer me. I have prayed that the Lord will show me how to overcome, and that He will help me to listen to His answer…As I work hard, of course.

Because I am the kind of person that is not mundane, I have always shied away from anything that is so. I don’t like eight-to-fives, wearing the same eye shadow for 20 years (I have a MOST organized friend who did just that), or eating pizza every Tuesday…It just isn’t me.

On the flip side, I fear that being this way, which is not in and of itself bad, also lends itself to being unorganized. I flit here there and everywhere delving into many projects and exciting things at a time…So much so that like the spokes of a wheel, my life is a circle of splinters going off in different directions, and I'm the crazy woman in the middle!



So…While I enjoy my none-mundane self, I detest the mess it keeps me in…Thus, the organizational goals and quest to meld the me that I like to be with the me that I want to be.

I KNOW I can do it! I just have to find the way!

Over time, I have searched for someone who has found the way…Or at least A way…Generally, these people are women who enjoy the luxury of staying home…Since I am not able to do that at this time, I needed someone who works a for-pay job and ALSO successfully keeps a home…Jitterbug over at Destination 1940 is just such a woman.

She has been having a time of it lately due to health issues and in this paragraph, shares a realization…

If there's anything good that's come out this, it's that I've realized how much my life before The Experiment resembled a sick person's. I had been physically healthy for years. My ulcerative colitis had been in remission for five years, yet I was still living the existence of somebody mired in illness. Buying supplies as they occurred to me. Eating catch as catch can. Opening my mail once a month or so. Clueless about how much money I had or where it was going. Moving in a fog from bed to work and back to bed again. I was forced to live like this for the past few weeks --- and it appalls me that I lost half a decade of my life to that lifestyle by choice. It was one thing during the years that I was actually dealing with illness and surgeries. Another thing entirely when the surgeries were over and my body was physically in good order. That's the toll that depression can take on somebody.

Thank you, Jitterbug; this really struck a chord with me…My life, while very healthy physically, has been lived as “somebody mired in illness”. I indeed feel as though I “[move] in a fog from bed to work and back to bed again”…And that is NOT okay!

So…Onward with determination I march…Not trudge…March!



One more note…Today, “Organized Tuesday”, as I somewhat sarcastically deem it, was one of the least organized days. Because of the aforementioned challenges and also my great yearning to become more self-sufficient (which sets forth a whole NEW list of to-dos :/, I get down on myself and truly feel as if I am just flailing about in life putting out fires…Not strolling through in a systematized manner…Flailing!

Upon arriving home tonight, I wearily sat down and opened the computer…

My oldest daughter, whom I love so much, had a beautiful message waiting for me…

We had been discussing a woman from Pastoral Symphony Farm. This dear lady impresses me! She has NINE beautiful and wonderful children, home schools, gardens, cans, makes her own syrup from their maple trees, sews all of their clothing, cooks from scratch, etc., etc., etc. Now, dear Mrs. G would be the first to humbly say that she isn’t that great…But, (whisper) she really is. :0)

So…I had been remarking to DD about Mrs. G and how I wished that we had done more self-sufficient living while the children were growing up. She wanted a link to
Mrs. G’s blog, which I gave to her, and this was her response…

thanks! i remember you talking about the "pastoral symphony farm" now.
i think it was just as cool that you always practiced being frugal and so taught that to us. not being so wasteful and dependent on use-and-toss items is an important part of being self-suffient too! plus--it's kind of hard to have a farm to live off of when you live in town lol but i liked that we had several gardens and helped you a few different times with canning and making applesauce. we actually really DID do some self-sufficient things!

I think that it is lovely how the Lord uses others hands and sometimes their words to show His love to us…That just made my night.

So…Onward I go…Hoping to move from putting out fires…From fire to smoke…



And then, on into the clear air or organization.



Have a Wonderful Wednesday, All!

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT AND A FRUGAL OUTFIT

BE MORE ORGANIZED…

Last week didn’t go super well; in fact, I think that I only got one of my rooms cleaned for my night chores.

Every morning with the exception of one, however, found a neat and tidy bedroom.

I am ending my week with Saturdays from here on out. I actually started on a Wednesday, but traditional weeks are easier to keep track of.

So…This is week three, and it has gone quite well so far. Yesterday, I got my wash all done, and although I didn’t get it folded last night, I did so tonight and also did my ironing, which is Tuesday’s chore. So, we have 100% so far! What a great feeling!

Tomorrow is the weekly cleaning of my bedroom. I have noticed that it will be quite a bit easier to keep up doing things this way. For instance, laundry this week was a fraction of what it was last week, and I know that my bedroom will be easier tomorrow than before, which only makes sense.

MINI-GOAL FOR THE WEEK…

I will be organizing my jewelry. This can be the last frustrating item in the morning when I am all ready to leave, go to grab my earrings and possibly a necklace, only to find that they are all tangled up! This is not only a great frustration but a time waster as well.



CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH...BODILY
NOURISHMENT…

I have done pretty well in this area. There are always the muffins or licorice (or both ;), and there are the fast-food lunches here and there, which I need to cut back on.

On the healthy side, I have eaten my 14-grain a couple of days over the last few and a really yummy cod and veggie dinner as well. Hmmm, that was SO tasty! I seasoned it with real butter, Celtic sea salt, and dill…Divine



CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH EXERCISE…

Exercise hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been horrible either. Pup and I have walked a couple of times…I always walk in the deep snow where possible to get that extra cardio and lower-body work out.



QUIT WHINING AND JUST DO!

Hmmmmmm…I guess that I have done alright in the non-whining category. I do still have a lot of room for improvement. What helps me is to actually take action on things that may not even seem possible. That way, I am doing something constructive and putting positive wheels in motion whether that particular thing comes to fruition or not.

FRUGALITY…

I dislike shopping. I blame my mom (in an endearing way, of course). She drug us kids around ALL the time to clothing stores, furniture stores, grocery stores, and any other kind of store that existed. This isn’t all bad, however. Because I detest shopping, I hardly every do it (clothes that is).

I NEVER go to the mall, and when I do clothes shop it is at second-hand stores generally. I love a good deal.

In the past, I was fortunate to inherit garments from Mom. She retired and no longer needed her dress clothes and so passed many on to me.

I also keep my clothes for a very long time. So, all in all, my clothing expenses are extremely low.

Here is an outfit that I wore one day last week…

My new camera doesn’t sit on its end, so I had to hold the camera, which didn’t allow for very good views, but you’ll get the basic idea.

The jacket was a mom hand-me-down…



I purchased this black skirt at a thrift shop for probably about $7.00…



The black under tee was purchased recently for $10. I got them to wear under my work tops. The store had a special going, wherein I was able to buy four and receive one free!



This gold star is such a treasure to me. It is the mother’s pin that I received when my son became an Eagle Scout…That was a great honor.



To continue the gold theme, I wore my one pair of gold earrings (I am usually a silver person)…These were given to me as a birthday present several years back by my mom and dad.



The last item of jewelry is the necklace. Hubby and I went on the Christmas Stroll, which is held every year down town at Christmas time. We stopped into a fun antique shop, and I spied this vintage necklace for $3.00.



Not shown are my boots. They are a full-length black leather boot, which I purchased at…gasp…the mall! Don’t ask me why I was there other than Penny’s has some pretty good sales and I probably needed some for work. I paid $30 and have had them probably since the winter of 2004 or so. So, they have only cost me about $5.00a year to wear.



TOTAL COST OF OUTFIT…

Jacket Free
Skirt $7.00
Under tee $10.00
Gold pin Free
Gold earrings Free
Necklace $3.00
Boots $5.00 (price for this year’s wear)

Total $25.00

Now, that is rather high. However, each year that I have the skirt and under tee will decrease their price points. Since these are both items that I have purchased within the last year, they are still at full value.

I have so much fun realizing that a woman can look put together for a little of nothing, and why not?!

POSITIVE THINKING IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

BE MORE ORGANIZED...

I’m feeling rather like a failure on my chores for the week. All that I have gotten done are those for Monday, which was the laundry. I actually just finished folding everything tonight.



No ironing…



No Bedroom…



No Living room...



It’s very common for the failure fairies to show their depressing little heads.



I may need to revise my schedule, as Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days when I don’t get home until at least 8:30 if not quite a bit later sometimes. So, the night chores then don’t get started until pretty late. I’ll give it a few more weeks and see how I do. Then, if needed, I’ll do some rearranging.



I think that the hardest part of not accomplishing is the feeling that what was accomplished last week is now going down hill quickly.

I may use one day to finish everything…Possibly this weekend…Or…I do have quite a bit of work to do this weekend…So…

I may just pick up where I’m at and leave the undone chores as is until next week…We’ll see…



The POSITIVE NEWS... EVERY morning this week, I have left my bedroom in a lovely tidied stated! Oh, it feels so good! This was the challenge that I wasn’t successful at last week, so it feels extra good!



Another POSITIVE NEWS... I did a mini cleaning of my car this morning. It still really needs to be cleaned and washed, but just doing a wee bit really made a difference in how my day went!



CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH...BODILY
NOURISHMENT...

And yet Another POSITIVE NEWS…My nourishment…Though my sweet tooth still gets its treats every day, I have been MUCH more consistent with healthy eating AND getting back to exercising.



NOURISHMENT—FOOD INTAKE...

BREAKFAST #1…(4:00 a.m.)

Fourteen-grain cereal

BREAKFAST #2...(9:00 a.m.)

McSausage (Bad but just a little tiny amount ;)

LUNCH...

Veggie Sandwhich
Citrus slaw

DINNER

Squash soup…Very yummy
Pizza soup…Mmmmmm…



NOURISHMENT—KEEPING FIT

A walk with the dog
Ten minutes on the stairs at work

Don’t you just love to look at the positive side of things?!

Have a bless-ed and happy gingham Friday!



The lovely gingham aprons are from Stitch Through Time

RATING MY WEEK

THIS WEEK…

Over all, it had a hold of me…



One a scale of 1-5…One day was a 5, one day was a 1, and three days were 2.5s. I’m a bit disappointed with myself, as rather than being MORE organized than I normally am, this week was all too average.

My husband is such a great example to me…The man is VERY organized…Almost annoyingly so. He is one of those people who does well on a schedule…In fact, if he doesn’t have a schedule, he is lost.

I, on the other hand, can’t stand schedules…Isn’t that crazy…They drive me insane. I am quite impromptu, love spur-of-the-moment things, and go a hundred miles an hour most all the time. Both of our personality traits have special features that are great. Because DH is the way he is, he is very middle-of-the-road, and every-day’s-the-same…This is good…He’s the tortoise…in The Tortoise and the Hare…In the end, he wins the race.

My traits lend themselves to accomplishing some pretty awesome things. I have a fun spontaneity, and I have done a lot out-of-the-norm things in my life. I am not normal, and I love it.

But…Back to this year’s challenges…I am working on that arduous task of organization, which involves, I think, scheduling…Uggg.

Today, I didn’t utilize my time well at all, which led to that all-too-familiar feeling of self defeat.



One of the biggest challenges within the challenge is to become less of a night person. I thrive in the night! I am very motivated at night and can get a whole SCORE of things done. The problem…Well, I live in a day world. The world runs for the day people, and I am that night owl living in a day world. It has always been this way. In fact, I got in trouble I don’t know how many times in my high school years. I always slept in and was always up late. My son is the same way…Our circadian rhythms are opposite from most. Oooo, how I wish it were different, but it’s not, and I must learn…After all these years…To finally deal with it.

It’s o.k. though…That just gives me a better challenge for next week, and in the long run, I will be a much more satisfied person!

THE BUG…

The bug has been going around…DS had a lot of congestion, coughing, and sore throat…DH had the same, but it has held on longer…Dad’s turned to pneumonia…The grandbabies all had it, as well as DD.

Thank the good Lord, I have been doing fine save for a sore throat, which I am trying to ignore.



Have a wonderful weekend All!

HAPPY DAY

Well, indeed, today was very organized and ran very well...It really felt as if I had just twinkled my nose, and it ran magically smooth…



Whew! One down...Seven to go...

By then, it should be a decently ingrained habit, as I really don’t enjoy feeling like Aunt Clara…

A dear soul…

But so very off the mark in most everything she does…



In reality, of course, the day went smoothly because I made myself be more organized before the day even started, and that made the difference…

So, onward I go…Into the world of greater organization…

I think that one of the greatest detriments to ourselves is…well…ourselves. If we want to better ourselves, we may do so for an hour or two, and then the little voice creeps in…”You aren’t really that good, you know. There are a whole lot of other people better than you…In fact, the whole world is better than you!” Before you know it, we have crawled back into our cave out of shame for even living.

If you want to get a lot accomplished, the same can and will happen if you aren’t quick to push it out. We may start the day out with a list of ten items to accomplish. By the end of the day, we may have only achieved five out of the ten. “Well, that wasn’t a very good day now, was it? You’re a loser!” says the little devil on our shoulder.

You all know what I’m talking about…We all fight the same fight…So never think that it’s only you. You are the only one who can see you, so that’s how it feels…BUT…

Have you ever thought of dogs? Dogs generally act the same…Chihuahuas may bark more than Basenjis…Golden Retrievers may wag more that Chows…But, in general, they all act the same…They all like to bury bones…They all love to see their master…They all chase cats…And speaking of cats…

What about cats? They generally all act alike…They all lie around all day…They all lick themselves clean…They all chase mice.

People are no different. Some may yell louder than others…Some may be friendlier than others, but we are all generally the same…If you have a problem, the chances are pretty good that someone else…Probably hundreds or thousands of someone-elses have the very same problem. So…lick your wounds for a minute and move on!

One thing that I find that really helps me after work is to make of list…Not of what I want to do, though I do that too sometimes at the beginning of the day…But a list of what I have gotten done. It’s amazing how that can make a person feel. If I don’t do this, all of sudden two hours will have gone by, and I know that I’ve gotten a few things done, but I can’t figure out where the time went and what it was that I actually did.

So…I make a list…

I unloaded the car (I always have a lot of stuff, so that’s an accomplishment to me)…

I took the recycling out…Fed the dog…Cleaned the litter…Brought some beans in to soak…Finished dinner…Took a load out of the dryer.

None of those are significant in an of themselves, but, wow…I actually got some things done!



And, isn’t relaxing so much nicer when you know you’ve accomplished something first?

ORGANIZED DAYS--TUESDAY

My very busy weeks...Especially Tuesdays, are starting again. In the past, Tuesdays have always been high chaos, and I have greatly dreaded them. On this particular day of the week, I have three classes in two different buildings, with a drive to get from one to the other, and prep in between. Inevitably, I end up waiting for the train to pass, which leads to more anxiety and stress.



Well, tomorrow is different…

No more chaotic running from here to there…

No more of my-day-running-me scenarios on Tuesdays…

It will now be ME running my day,...

Which will of course, will lead to much less stress…

Much more organization...



And a much happier me!



Clothing will be laid out…



Lunch will be packed…



And…Since I won’t be home until 8:30 or 9:00…



Dinner will be in the crockpot…



May you all have a happy and ORGANIZED Tuesday!