We did a LOT of driving this weekend. On our drive, we saw a sign saying we were entering a “controlled burn” area, and warning us not to drive into thick smoke. Soon, we saw what the sign was talking about. One side of the highway was black. Charred ground as far as we could see. No signs of life. My nature-minded husband explained that … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2011
Menu Plan Monday – April 11
I’ve been doing Weight Watchers Online for two weeks now. On weekdays, I do very well keeping up with my points. Weekends . . . are tough. The first weekend, I just didn’t really bother and . . . gained back two of the four pounds I had lost during the week. I was determined to do better this weekend. Buuuutttt this weekend included a … [Read more...]
Letting Go of Someone Else’s Memories
Sometimes I find myself holding on to memories . . . that aren't even mine. People give me stuff. They don't want these things in their own homes, but they hate to throw them away or donate their special items to an unknown-possibly-non-appreciative stranger. So they give it to me. They know how much I love a good story. They know how … [Read more...]
Clue #3 in the Master Bedroom Mystery – Last Minute Shoving
Really, all of the clues so far have been pretty in-my-face. No sleuthing required. But how our master bedroom repeatedly falls into chaos . . . still feels like a mystery to me. Clue #3: Last minute shoving. Brought about by items not being in their homes when the doorbell is scheduled to ring. Brought about by not putting those items … [Read more...]
Phantom Clutter
I've always heard that people who lose a limb can still experience pain in it. Phantom pains. The memory/feeling is so real that they have to tell themselves that the limb really isn't there anymore. As I declutter, I do tons of self-talk. I follow my two decluttering questions. I rationalize that I simply must get rid of an item because I … [Read more...]
Daily Checklist 4/5/11
It's my last day as the mother of a four-year-old. And she's sick. Which is awful, except that she gets really snuggly when she doesn't feel good.Which isn't awful.Today I:Emptied dishwasher.Cleaned kitchen.Folded the last of yesterday's laundry and then started the Big Seasonal Clothing Changeover while I watched Despicable Me with my … [Read more...]
Playing Catch-Up
Saturday was my youngest child's fifth birthday party. Don't worry, I'm not sobbing. I'll save that for Wednesday, her actual birthday. I've come a very long way in this deslobification process and didn't have to block out two entire weeks to clean and declutter before I could start party prep. Still though, big events mean . . . … [Read more...]
Is It Irony? Or Is It Just Life?
I do believe that I live a life of irony. At least more than normal people do. I can rarely answer any question with a one word answer. There's always some reason for an extra-long explanation. But maybe . . . sometimes . . . I'm being a little overly dramatic. Perhaps I have a bit of a martyr complex. I mentioned on facebook the other … [Read more...]
Menu Plan Monday – Back on Weight Watchers
I re-joined Weight Watchers last week. This time I'm trying the online version. I'm doing it because it worked very well for me for quite a while, and when I stopped doing it, I gained back 2/3 of the weight I had lost after keeping it off for almost two years. And I'm tired of my clothes not fitting. I'm a little scared that I won't do … [Read more...]