Decluttering Treasures

Check it out!
In my decluttering of memorabilia I found this jammed in a notebook.
(The top two shots are me, and the bottom two are my younger sister. For the record, our youngest kids sure look like us!)
I remember the yellow dress with perfect clarity... the fabric was a bit stiff and it had big, puffy sleeves and the skirt portion twirled beautifully -- not quite a full circle, but the closest I have ever had to it! Unfortunately it met the demise of any dress that a tom-girl wears. It soon got too stained and ragged to be nice anymore.... then my lanky growth spurts made it completely unwearable.

Hopefully I find more stuff to scan and put in it's proper place as I continue my quest for order.

Involuntary Exercise

Nothing like a surprise snowstorm to force you to do some exercise.

NOTE: It is a rare occasion to have snow around here, very rare, which is why I always post about it.

I had an appointment at 9 this morning.... it hadn't been snowing yet. So I kept the appointment, (what could happen, right?). I get out of my appointment and it was fairly dusted with white.... but it didn't look too bad really.... so I decided I better get a few things at the grocery store next door... and when I got out of there my car was buried!

Okay then. I'm a decent driver, I have never had problems in the snow before... bring it on!

I get out the handy dandy broom/scraper and brush it all off. And set my car in the general direction of home. Merging onto the white highway was wiggly (but there was no traffic coming so I had lots of time to straighten out), merging off the highway was smoother, and I started fostering some hope that I may actually make it up the big hill so long as no one made me stop.

That's the joke.

OF COURSE there was a traffic jam leading up to the big hill.... so I had to stop on the very gentle incline.

And there I stayed....

"Slicker than goose grease" was the phrase that came to mind, and I found my pretty little car's Achilles Heel.... snow. I had been warned that a torque-y rear wheel drive is a nightmare in the snow, and now I know it's true. So I put on my hazard lights and waited for all the little underpowered front wheel cars to pass me (oh how I miss my VW GOLF right now!), then I put it in reverse and found my way back to the crossroads where I parked it in a school parking lot (not my school). I went in to the office to tell them I was abandoning my car there, grabbed my gloves, umbrella and scarf from the trunk of the car (said "be good, keep cool" to my groceries) and began the long trudge home. The snow had somehow already gotten so deep that walking was more work than usual, and the blasted big hill was exhausting!

An hour and a half later I clomped my way up the driveway. I am really really tired, what a wimp, eh?

This week's decluttering items

Off to the thrift store:
• 9 shirts: that I no longer wear
• growth chart/picture frame: I never did put the kid's pictures in it and now I don't want to.
• packet of beads
• 5 articles of boys clothes that are outgrown
• 33 1/4" wide-slat, wood coloured, vertical blinds... somehow I got the wrong size (!)
• pair of black, semi-dress shoes that I never wear
• pretty gift set of spa bath products (unopened)
• 5 children's books/ 4 parenting books (off to the school as donations)
• Christmas table runner

In the Recycling bin:
• toaster that sparks (!)
• steel thermos that leaks

Natural Progression Decluttering

Thank you 365lessthings for this concept!

The idea is that when you use something up, wear it out or break it, simply don't replace it -- voila! -- less things to buy, less things to store! I didn't know there was a name for it, but I have actually been practicing this natural progression decluttering (NPD) for a while now. I broke a bowl; one less bowl to worry about. I ripped the elbow out of a shirt by accident; one less shirt (but one more rag for the garage). Warped a container lid in the microwave; threw top and bottom into recycling more space in my plastics drawer.

Now that it has a name there are some things I am certainly planning to NPD:

Perfume. I rarely wear it, and so many places have the "scent allergy" sticker on the door now, that I might as well just smell "clean". So, as I run out of my perfumes, I won't be getting more.

Notebooks. I have a slightly embarassing multitude of notebooks. I mean dozens of them! I love the things, and now that I spend more time writing on the computer than anywhere, my vast quantitiy of spiral notebooks is extra silly. I already gave away a bunch of primary school supplies for the same reason, but these bigger notebooks will just have to be slowly filled and then filed.

Surplus pantry items. I buy in bulk. Too much. So now that meal planning is second nature, I really can safely only buy for the menu -- and maybe one spare-- baby steps.

Pens pencils, crayons, etc.... I recently consolidated on my "writing sticks" in one place and found I had about 3 pounds of them (not including the fancy art supplies)! So I sat down with a notebook (see above) and tested each and every marker and ink pen. I got rid of more than 1/2 of them just because they had dried up. Then I decided which ones I actually LIKED TO USE and only kept those (the others went to charity). I still have a solid cubic foot of pens and markers, but at least I know when I reach for one, it will likely work. Maybe eventually I will use enough of them up to have only a few precious favourites. It will take years to get there...

Candles. I like them, but other than a few tea lights for power outages, they are kind of in the "useless pretty crap" category in my decor. Sorry candles, once you are used up, you're gone.

Bubble Bath. I like a good soak, but I rarely have time for more than a shower... the only bathtub (which is not big) is in the main bathroom (aka Grand Central Station) and unless the kids are out of the house there isn't any point in trying. I have bubbly bath from the 90's in my cupboard. Really good stuff, but obviously not a necessity!

Pajamas. When I did my travelling with friends, I tried minimizing my packing and thus discovered that my worn out yoga pants are even more comfy to sleep in than my flannel PJ bottoms! Pair that with a stretched out v-neck cotton T and it's a win win for my wardrobe. My beloved worn out cottons get an extended life as nightwear, (and afterwards as top notch rags) and if my house is on fire, I can run out to the road "fully dressed"! Oh and the not having to buy PJs thing too. Sure I could sleep nude, but I don't like it as the mom that gets up in the night alot.

Junk food. I don't need it, my husband doesn't want it in the house and I should really smarten up and just stop getting it!

Supporting my Published Friend.

My friend K. Bannerman is a very creative gal, and not the least of her talents is fiction writing. I am a big fan, she takes me out of my comfort zone quite often and always leaves me spellbound and just a little bit disturbed (in a delicious sort of way). Her characters are well formed and her plots have great depth and surprises. I just ordered the FIRE SONG and the kids book THE MOST FANTASTIC AMAZING DAY from Lulu.... I doubt the kid's title will have the same effect as some of her more "adult" subject matter.... at least I hope not, because I want to read it to my boys.

See this link to see what Lulu publishes for her...

BTW I highly recommend the Tatooed Wolf, it is a really well spun story and I was completely immersed in it the whole time. She has other fantastic tales published all over the place... so go to her own website http://kbannerman.com/Books.html for the complete list.

It's so easy supporting the creativity of a friend when you genuinely like it. The only reason I don't own everything she'd sell me (t-shirts, paintings, etc...) is purely financial.

Isn't it good to have talented friends? I wonder if I can get a signature on my copies of the books... maybe if I ask really nicely?

Useful Quote of the Day

"the less you have, the easier it is"

I don't know exactly where the quote came from.... but doesn't it make great sense!?

after all.....

the less you have, the easier it is to put away
the less you have, the easier it is to store
the less you have, the easier it is to keep track of
the less you have, the easier it is to care for
the less you have, the easier it is to give it the attention it deserves
the less you have, the easier it is to use it up before it goes bad

It works for all sorts of possessions and stress and debt too.

What's in a Name?

I was reading one of my regular money blogs today.... frugal dad

Today's post: "The War on Debt: The Battle Begins at Home"

Great post…. I only have one critisism — the title.


Why is everything “The War on…” ?
War on Cancer,
War on Terrorism,
War on Drugs,
War on Debt

… to tell you the truth I’m tired of fighting everything.

I hate cancer, terrorism, drugs and debt of course! It’s just so violent a phrase… after all they say “all is fair in love and war”, so does that mean that by phrasing it that way we give permission to "fight for the cause" without any consequenses for our actions if we call it “War on…”?  I really have a problem with that mentality…. there are always consequenses for action and there should always be accountability and fairness even against the evils of drugs, terror, cancer and debt too.

Now that I have that rant off the table, I found the story inspiring! Though I have not carried that kind of debt load, I can relate to the "soggy hot dog" moment that wakes a life up to the need for drastic change in focus. There have been a few of them actually.

Goodbye

My husband's Aunt lost her life to cancer last night. She had been in remission for years, but I guess it decided to come back (this time to her brain) and 3 weeks later she was gone. The only comforting thought is that the suffering could have dragged on much much longer, but it didn't.

Affectionately called "Auntie Charles" she certainly was bubbly and nice. I saw her on several occasions over the years and always felt welcome by her. At her husband's funeral a couple years back (also cancer) she looked vivacious and together despite the obvious pain of loss she was going through.

I can't say too much more except that it has been a blow to my husband and he is grieving over it. He did manage to get over to the mainland with his parents to see her a couple times in the last few weeks, so that's a comfort at least. He doesn't handle death very well, and it seems to be getting more and more frequent as we get older.... a fact of life my friends.

(Char is on the left, they are pretending to ride the bikes- taken in 1990)

Drama ghosts

Perfect timing.
I just found a box of interesting paraphernalia from my youth. I haven't looked in the box in years. A mishmash of sketches I did as a youth, a cast of my teeth (!), a lock of my dad's hair, wedding mementos, and loose papers. Also a journal of mine from Grade 12.

Talk about drama.

Apparently my life was an X-rated soap opera at the age of 17... Boy trouble, school stresses, work adventures, friend dynamics, mean people, jealously, parent angst and, of course, the huge issue of my father dying of cancer.  I read it over, shaking my head at it all, and then put it all in the shredder page by page.

Teenagers are insane, and I was no exception! I can't believe the torture I put myself through over my boyfriend, and to think I moved in with him for a year after that too. Foolish foolish foolish, but then again it is my history and it shaped me into what I am today.

Interesting how my handwriting was so different from day to day and week to week... almost like I was different people writing in the same journal.... big "o"s and scattered shapes, to smooth, uniform, precise little cursive strokes, to something that looks more like drafting notes, to some structure that I may recognize as my own nowadays, and back again. (You don't get to make observations like that from blog posts!)


The only points that filled me with cheer were the little footnotes at the bottom of every entry about something NICE someone had said to me that day.... that was a thoughtful thing to do -- proving that I could listen to nice things even while crap was happening all around me.

Apparently, I was into positive visualization techniques at an early age. I can thank my dad for introducing it to me early. It's a very very productive mindset even to a teen, I had clear ideas of what I wanted my life to look like, unfortunately all the positive visualization in the world couldn't save my dad, but there comes a point when wishful thinking becomes denial in the face of natural law.

I destroyed  the book because I don't want anyone to read it. The past is past, and the foolish things written on those pages could be hurtful in the wrong hands, they were my private experiences, and the therapy that those written exercises provided while I was young have long since served their purpose.

Sayonara little book, and thank you for being there when I needed you most.

“Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.” – Barnett R. Brickner




It could apply to being a friend too, don't you think?

Nothing to Say, Lots to Do

I've been bad at blogging lately.... sorry.

It's not that I have dropped off the face of the Earth, or anything that dramatic. I've just been busily doing nothing very interesting, so why write about the boring stuff?

The snow has melted, the weather is back to seasonal (rain, grey with a few bright crisp mornings), I'm walking up to the school most mornings with the young'n and the teen seems able to make it to his bus stop on time now (hooray!). We'll see if he passed his classes from last semester soon. He just started the TOUGH semester yesterday. Thankfully the school seems accomodating to his needs and has allowed him to take another block of Physical Education instead of French this semester.... he needs that excercise where he can get it, otherwise he gets "buzzy" (his own words).

I found my office floor again this weekend. It was underneath all the piles of vagrant crap that has no "away place" in my home. So another box went off to charity and a LARGE bag of papers for recycling. I also swept, vacuumed, mopped, grocery shopped, cooked, did laundry for myself and the boys, and walked the dog. Not exactly rivetting reading... even with the minor dramas that happen with 4 people under one roof.

One thing I can say though is that my boys are being exceptionally lovey lately. That's the BEST part about being "mommy" is when the offspring are being lovey. They are really great kids, even with their learning disabilities and hyperness, hey at least they aren't BORING!!!

Life is sailing by at such a rapid clip, it scares me sometimes how many days can go by in a row without me noticing it. Really. It. Frightens. Me. (But all the mommy cuddles help keep me happy)