Hi gang - I've been so busy cleaning and clearing that I've gotten behind on reading my emails. When I do read, I keep saving ones I want to reply to - then I can't find time to get back to them. I have been thinking of you all, keeping you in my prayers, and cheering for all your successes.
I've been working hard at getting my house back in order after Christmas. Since I do massive decorating both inside and out for the size of my house, it is a big job. Saturday I finally got the last of the boxes into the attic and got with the house cleaning. I worked a little each day during the holidays at getting something cleaned, cleared, organized or whatever. I did all the kids shelves & drawers, and some work in their closets, but that is an ongoing process. The kids & I cleaned out all the videos, threw away about 30 old ones that didn't play well, and organized and labeled the rest. I still have one more video rack to put together for my younger son's room. We actually cleaned and dusted areas that we haven't seen in years - even the insides of the video storage drawers - yuck. I can't believe the places dust can get into. I'm anxious to get back to my closet and drawers. The closet especially needs some work. I am still working on my goal of only having clothes & shoes that I like and wear. I'm slowly replacing a few things and getting rid of more than I buy. Each time I go through the clothes I find it easier to get rid of the things I don't wear. I've already made my first "donations" of the year - 3 large garbage bags of toys, kitchen stuff and clothes. And I'm working on the next batch. I also need to work on a couple of the kitchen cabinets which tend to get out of hand easily. The school supply cabinet and the one which houses phone books, batteries, flashlights, light bulbs & extension cords both seem to get out of order regularly. We're always grabbing something then just stuffing it back in there. I'm happy to report that overall the house is looking great. Still a ways to go on closets and cabinets (also garage, shed and attic), but you can walk into any room and it looks clear and clean in all the visible areas. In the evening I can light my candles and sit back and enjoy it (provided I'm not running to soccer or a parents meeting of some kind...). I am slowly achieving my goal of simplifying my life by simplifying my house. It is soooo much easier to maintain than it used to be. And I can almost always find just what I'm looking for when I need something. What a wonderful, peaceful feeling! It just amazes me to realize how much the stuff that I didn't use was bogging me down. My mom came over awhile back and commented that my house "felt so light". She said that if I keep getting rid of stuff it just might float away (she thinks I'm getting a little carried away). I told her there's no danger of that as long as I've got all that stuff in the attic - it will keep the house firmly on the ground - LOL. So come on everyone - join in and spread the joy! Lets all "lighten" our houses and free up our lives - I love having company when I'm clearing clutter. Remember, you can't do it all at once, but each thing you get rid of is one thing you'll never have to deal with again. Diane ~who's not quitting til she gets that attic done and finds out whether the house really can "float".~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Journey from clutter List Website http://journeyfromclutter.com Members Only Page http://journeyfromclutter.com/MembersOnly/MembersArea.htm Unsubscribe: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word 'unsubscribe' in the 'Subject:' field to be removed from the main list. To Unsubscribe from the Digest version of the list send the unsubscribe message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
