Having so much fun!

The kitchen cabinets are done. Yeah. We took a giant load (filled the truck bed) of "stuff" to Goodwill this afternoon. Jason told me he was proud of me for getting rid of so much stuff. He knows what a pack rat I am.
WONDERFUL NEWS: Jason has a new job working from HOME. No more getting up at 4:30am with an hour commute to downtown Denver, working til 4 and then another hour commute home. He can get up and walk 10 steps to his new office (in his jammie pants) and go to work.
We were also talking about cleaning out our basement storage area so we can finally set up the treadmill and Bowflex! I'm so excited; we can work out together in the mornings! Decluttering both a place in the house and my body all at the same time. Not sure when we will start on this. I have been gone the past several weekends and leave again Thursday to be gone this coming weekend too. Maybe some night this week. Will keep you posted!

kitchen cabinets

Whew! That was fun, but a lot of work. I can't believe how organized my kitchen is now. AND, I got rid of a big box full of kitchen "stuff". I plan to print these pictures so who ever is emptying the dishwasher will know where to put the dishes. These are just two of my cabinets, I actually worked on several others, below my bar and the pantry. (I realized also that the pantry is REALLY empty and the kids are right, there's nothing in this house to eat) Off to Sam's today to get a few things and to fill the pantry back up! Today I'll finish cleaning up the kitchen and doing laundry.

The kitchen, or maybe the downstairs storage area, or maybe......

Well, I sit here on my couch deciding which area to tackle next. I have been so busy with work and activities that the house has really been neglected...and stuff piling up again. Funny how that does that! I work in a kitchen store and love kitchen gadgets and "stuff" for my kitchen. I have been really good though and haven't brought anything home for quite some time. But, I do know that my cabinets are bulging at the seams. You know the whole, throw it in and slam the door, holding your breathe that is stays? Okay, maybe it's just me that does that. BUT...today is the day that will change that. I'm going in! Wish me luck. Will post pics hopefully later today of the orphans (gadgets) that will soon be taken to the Goodwill for a new home.

Figuring out who I am

It just hit me while cleaning out my closet and thinking about all the clutter in my life, that that is what defines me. That is who I am. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying getting rid of stuff and getting my life, house and body more "organized", it definately needs to be cleaned out. I just think that God made each of us different; made us each comfortable in different environments. I have always liked the warmness of a house that is "lived in". I love knowing that people enjoy being in my house and feeling comfortable enough to put their feet up and relax without worrying about getting things dirty or breaking things. I don't like a messy house, just full of things that are part of our family.

It reminds me of 1 Timothy 4:4-5:

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

There is nothing in my house that I wouldn't give up, but since it's here, I am going to enjoy it and praise God for giving us a warm, happy home to live in and be comfortable in.

On the other hand, I am enjoying cleaning out the EXTRA stuff in our house that is not used or needed any more. Jason and I have been married for 15 years (Feb. 25th) and have moved 11 times. Needless to say, we have had to pack boxes and decide what to keep and what to pack. We have lived in our house now longer than anywhere else. We are finding that the moving thing has helped us keep the clutter to a minimum. So now we are in the process of learning how to do this without having to move...although we have joked that it's time to move so we can clean out what we don't need.

I think I have figured out the "magic" solution to this: TIME and ENERGY! If I had all the UNinterrupted time and all the energy, I think I could have an amazingly organized home. But, God has called me to be a wife and mother and I take my job seriously. Spending time with them doing what others enjoy is more important to me than keeping a very clean, organized home. I have other "jobs" and commitments also that keep me from this very clean, organized home. And guess what? I love my other "jobs" and commitments so for now, I will do this slowly and at my pace. Aaaahhh! To finally come to the realization that is doesn't all need to be done tomorrow....very freeing.

So today, it's the CLOSET. That is a six letter BAD word!!! I went shopping this weekend and bought 8 new shirts. I have heard about the buy...get rid of solution many have and have always struggled with that one, but since my closet will not hold any more clothes, I decided it was time to sort through the old ones and get rid of at least 8 items in the closet. Above is the picture of STUFF out of my closet I decided I didn't need or hadn't worn in a while and wouldn't miss...too much. More than 8! Off to Goodwill!

How do they do it?

I just have a question for any of you mom's who work outside the home. HOW DO YOU DO IT? I have been working 9-5 this week and then usually run home, get some kind of food on the table (last night it was mac-n-cheese and hot dogs, tonight it's chicken in the crock pot) and then almost every night of the week we have some where we have to be. Of course, tonight is the only night we don't have to be anywhere, but I switched with a co-worker and am working 12-8:30. Either working moms don't have anywhere to go in the evening, or they are Supermom, I don't know, but if you have any suggestions let me know. I'm worn out. Three more days of work, Sunday off and then back to 9-5 for a few days.
I did work on some cleaning up and cleaning out this morning since I'm home. I started working on my closet (mostly because I couldn't get to the back of my closet without stepping on a bunch of stuff). I added to our ongoing Goodwill bag and have cleaned up our hallway, finally! I hear the dryer just finished so back to doing laundry and getting dinner in the crock pot for my family. Oh, and I seem to hear the vacuum calling my name. I guess my computer break time is over. Have a great rest of the week everyone! Check out this video...this is how I feel on most days! She's amazing.

My Dream....well one of them!

Well, who knew that out of my husband potentially getting a new job and working from home that it would be the answer to me getting a new scrap booking room! Now that our spare room is on the main floor and the room is "cleaned out" (I use those words loosely) I have organized and with lots of resourcefulness, gotten myself my dream scrap booking room! I did have to purchase a few extra cubes to finish off my desk (THANK YOU Michael's for your 40% off coupons). We found an old wobbly shelf I had made stuffed in the garage and took it all apart. We used the wood to build some shelves in the closet and some old shelf paper was an extra touch of elegance! :-) Then I swapped around a few of my cabinet/book shelves and wa-la, my dream scrap booking room. I am so excited to get to use it next Sunday. We are having Super Bowl party: the boys will watch football and the girls are going to do some scrap booking. I plan to take the bed out of there for the day and set up a few extra tables. I'm SO excited! Can't wait to have some "girl" time with my friends AND scrap book all at the same time.

As for my goal for the week: I work Monday thru Saturday with my only day off being Wed. So, not much time to do any de-cluttering. I think I'll take the week off from de-cluttering and concentrate on at least keeping the house picked up and my family fed with clean clothes.

Had to share

I deserve a little play time, right? Yesterday I spent a little time in my scrap booking room creating some home-made index cards. I am so excited at how they turned out. I am using them for a gift (won't say who, in case he/she is reading this post). :-) It got me excited about using my Cricut again so I went online to their website. WOW! I am missing out on so many creative things! (I wish I had a person tutor.) So, among all my other "things to do" today I think I'll try out a few new projects. I'll add pics as I get around to it.