Day 22- Simplifying Scrapbooking??

First let me apologize for not posting this yesterday but the day, as many days do, got away from me. So I'm going to let you know what I "simplified" yesterday. I put simplify in quotes because this was more of a hobby that I finally completed.

I finished Ayden's "baby" book. If you have been reading from the beginning, you may remember that I started his scrapbook set up in August before he was born. You can see the layout here. I know it seems a little premature to create a scrapbook before the baby is born but I knew that once the baby was born, I wouldn't have time. And I was right...moms you get that.

I tried to keep up with it as much as possible. It has a opening page, and then every ultrasound, maternity pictures, his room, the baby shower, birth, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, and then every month for 2012. That's a lot of info...and it's just his first full year of life! So with having him here, it is difficult to get those pictures resized, printed, and placed in the book.

Sorry for the dark pictures but the flash on shiny page protectors...no go. If you have any questions about how to set up an album, layout, or colors, please don't hesitate. I really enjoy scrapbooking so I'm more than happy to help you!

So now that Ayden's first album is done, what I plan on doing is a page for each month of the year. I can manage to get at least one page done each month so keep a visual catalog of our lives as a small family. I haven't ventured into "online" scrapbooks, so I'm very interested in your experience with sites and user-ability. Recommendations??

un-"friend"...

Yep, that's right. Today was the day.

As part of my resolution to simplify, I wanted to reduce my social media time. More importantly I wanted to use it to contact people instead of stalking people that, in all honesty, I haven't talked to in years and if I saw them out, probably wouldn't talk to at all.

So why am I "friends" with these people? Because we went to the same high school and had 10th grade Geometry together? Because my sorority used to party with your fraternity even though I only know you by your greek nickname? Because you're a friend of someone I met at a social gathering and then saw that you and I have a mutual friend?

No offense, but those aren't reasons to be friends with me. It's not that I don't think you're cool or look down on you in any way. I just don't really know you and I highly doubt that Facebook will make us BFF.

So in an effort to make my life easier and minimize my time on social media sites, like Facebook, I "unfriend"-ed over 120 people. It's nothing against them personally...I just have no reason to see that you think all people on welfare should be drug tested. (I know you've all seen that picture!)

I also have gone through my school email, yahoo email, and gmail email accounts and deleted any useless emails that have been sitting around in any folder. Along with that, I closed a hotmail account that I haven't used for anything other than junk mail for about 4 years. Who needs to check an email account that you know full well is only getting junk email??? That's such a waste of time!

I know it seems like a small task (depending on how many emails you read on a daily basis) but this was a huge check on the list. I needed to clear out some digital clutter from my life.

So today, go through your facebook friend list and see how many people you don't even know anymore. Do you really need to know about every second they spent at the gym or that they liked a photo so some kids could get a puppy? Probably not. So unless you feel a strong need to remain acquaintances with them, it's probably time for a friend facelift.

not a fan...

Today's church service was entitled "not a fan". It's been a while since we have been to church so I wasn't exactly sure where this "not a fan" message was going right away. It was apparently the last of a three-service series so not having any of the messages from former weeks, I really thought I'd be lost.

I won't go into great detail because I could never give the message as well as the pastor did, but the over all message is that we have made the cross comfortable and we avoid weakness. I'll cover this as a two part-er.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." -Luke 9:23

We've made the cross comfortable. In this scripture, it doesn't say, "he can make the choice to take up his cross or well, if he wants he can let it sit that day- maybe he's tired." It says must. That's not a word that we do well with nowadays. We like to have the options. We like to be comfortable. As I write this, I'm sitting in my heated home, Dr Pepper opened, on my cooshy couch. It's pretty nice but sometimes we need to do things that aren't so comfy.

We use the cross as jewelry and symbols on a daily basis. (This isn't a bad thing.) But in the first century, right after the death of Jesus, the cross was looked at a sign of weakness and vulnerability...crime even. It's what they used to kill "criminals". Now we look at the cross as a sign of religious freedom and fashion. If we were to bring someone from the first century here, they would think we were all crazy for the crosses that we have displayed on holidays and on church walls. It would be like us traveling forward in time 2000 years and people wearing electric chair earrings. We'd think they were all crazy people.

This part of the message wasn't meant to offend or tell people that they are being rude with having a cross around their neck. (I wear my cross necklace everyday) What it was trying to convey is that the symbol has changed to be comfortable. Morphed into a symbol of remembrance and devotion, however, some wear the symbols even though the devotion isn't 100%. We are comfortable. We tend to bubble wrap the cross to make it a bit more comfortable for "us to bear".

Have you ever said that? "That's our cross to bear" We use that cliche as a term of "well that's life and we gotta do what we gotta do." I don't really think that was how Jesus felt when bearing the cross and being crucified for our sins. But as I said, this symbol has changed. God has allowed us to see that this symbol is a representation of his love for us and that although we didn't deserve it, he sacrificed for us. That he loves us...unconditionally. What he did for the cross- changed it is such a way- he can do for us.

That leads me into the second part.

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."  -I Corinthians 1:25

"Fans retain control and reject discomfort; followers admit weakness and embrace sacrifice." That was the quote from the service today. At first, I was really confused. Weakness? What does that have to do with the cross? I don't get it.

Taking you back to the last section- he loves us unconditionally. Including our weaknesses... We're never proud of weaknesses, right? I don't go to people and say "hey, I really am terrible at making and keeping friendships." Or, "I don't devote nearly enough time to my family as I do my job." No one says that.

When we go to job interviews, you always get that question. "Well, what are your weaknesses?" We never say, "well ya know, I really hate getting up early. I'd rather be able to come to work in pj's, and I will NEVER work on Mondays." We'd never get a job that way. We view weaknesses as weaknesses. When could we ever use our weaknesses as strengths?

God sees our weaknesses, accepts them, and challenges us to admit them, embrace them, and use them. God's weaknesses are stronger than us and we need to know that.

This really got me to thinking. Followers admit weakness and embrace sacrifice. I have weaknesses. None that I'm proud of...or I'd be announcing them to the world. However, today I'll admit one of the most embarrassing weaknesses that I have...

If you've been reading this year, you know that one of my resolutions is to be better with my finances. (you can see the original blog here) That's because I am awful at managing my finances and have put myself in debt. (not sure what you were expecting but this isn't easy for me to disclose)

I'm sure you are all thinking- we all have debt- and I agree. I know we all have bills and find ways to make it work, but I'm not happy with the way I've spent my money over the last 5-6 years. I'll give you rough estimates on numbers- only because, as I write this, I'm shaking from embarrassment. I feel like I should have known better...

Not counting the house...there's about $33,000 in debt. Between student loans and graduate school loans, credit cards, and whatnot...that's what I'm looking at.

It may not seem like a lot to some, but to me, it's a major issue. We want to move and have more kids- debt doesn't reduce or disappear when adding to it. It's frustrating for me to see things like this when I know I did it to myself. And what's worse, is that dealing with the weakness tastes like I'm eating poison. It makes my stomach flip. I imagine a lot of people feel that way when doing something they desperately want to ignore...usually a weakness that they are trying to face.

So today, in church, this feeling of "I don't like this weakness talk" made me a bit queasy. But, I now know that I need to admit the spending and budgeting weakness I have and embrace the sacrifice. At this point, I'm doing everything I can do to figure out the best ways to become debt free. There are spreadsheets and books and websites... I am not using my credit cards for anything at all. I have not made any personal purchases this year. I want to know how to reduce our grocery bill. I changed our cable set up to be less channels and less money. I "redid" our insurance policy to bring that number down. And every last penny I have is going to pay of credit card 1. Do you have other suggestions? The usual problem is that the solutions cost money. (not sure how that logic makes sense but...ok?) At this point, I'm humbly asking for solid solutions as to how to begin this long process. I want to get these paid off and get things together.

On a side note, thank you for listening. I "wasn't a fan" of writing this today but I had to let you all know where I'm at. Thank you for reading.

Marriage Maintenance...

Noah and I met in college. We were both technology education majors and had a few classes together at the make-shift building we were in while Millersville renovated Osburn Hall. I really wasn't a huge fan of Noah because I had heard "threw the grapevine" that he said "girls shouldn't be in tech ed". Needless to say, it wasn't exactly love at first sight.

However, in some fashion that only Noah understands, he won me over through his sense of humor and need to be center of attention. We dated for almost 2 years before getting engaged on December 1st, 2006. It was an amazing proposal on the beach...in December. :-) We were quite chilly.

Nineteen months later, we married on June 21st, 2008. It seems like forever ago and yet so vivid in my memory. There are only a few days that are like that in my life...my wedding day is one of them. I will never forget the smallest details of that day. It was fabulous.

Not long after, we knew that we wanted to add to our family. We made a very exciting decision...and got our sweet little Macintosh. In May of 2009, Mac joined our family. I know some people have children and the dog goes by the wayside. I cannot say that we have been that couple. We love Mac...he was our baby before babies.

And not long after that, we wanted to have a baby of our own. Ayden was born on November 22, 2011 and he is perfect. I couldn't be more in love. Moms...you get that.

With all these things happening in our life, we needed to know how to make time for us. Not just as a family and starting our own new traditions, but we need to remember what it was like to just be the two of us. My father in law is always telling us to have "marriage maintenance", meaning taking time, away from kids, home, work, pets, family, and just have time with the two of us.

Some people don't necessarily agree that we should be "leaving our child" to have weekends alone. And although, we haven't done any overnighters without Ayden, I don't see how this could be a bad thing? Ayden wouldn't be here if we didn't have alone time. I think it's important for people (usually moms) to realize that your husband should be higher on your list than your children.

I'm sure I made a lot of people mad by saying that, so I want to clarify. I adore my child. Ayden makes my heart happy, sad, anxious, elated, and every other emotion you can think of. I worry that I won't be able to teach him all the things he'll need to know. I fear for his safety on a regular basis to make sure that this nation will be stable for his future. I am nervous that by me telling him "no, you can't put your toys in Mac's water dish" that it will stunt his creativity and enthusiasm. Crazy things, I know but it's still something that all moms think.

All that being said, I love my husband for giving me this beautiful child. I couldn't have created this child with any other human. Ayden is only Noah and me- no one else. I can't imagine my life without my wonderful husband. Couples need to take the time to remember who they fell in love with, who they are building a life with, and who they really and truly love. We are the cornerstones of our home and I want my son to grow up knowing what a great marriage looks like so that he will someday strive to have the same. Not to mention, that someday those little ones will be big. They will be leaving home and you'll be there...with the only other person that was there in the beginning. Get to know them well.

So I encourage you to take the time to be with your spouse or significant other. That person is to be your partner...make them the most important part of your life.

Clothes...clothes...and more clothes!

To continue my journey to simplification, I started cleaning Ayden's closet out and organizing his clothes. Can I just say...my son is a very lucky boy. He has so much clothing and so many books, I'm not totally sure what to do with all of it.

We obviously plan to have more children, and not knowing if it will be a boy or girl, we are keeping all the baby clothes. However, storing these clothes and accoutrements is not the easiest of tasks. We, as you know by other posts, don't have much storage in our townhome. Not to mention, any storage we did have is currently be taken up by a baby swing, baby car seat, baby activity mat, baby jumper, baby...you get the idea. So finding room for baby clothes sounds easy, but not in this quantity.

So Ayden's clothes are now broken into sizes by age and put into bins. These bins include receiving blankets, newborn hats, and any other "newborn" items. My maternity clothes are also stored in bins for easy access in the future.

Then organizing Ayden's books...well that's a different story. He has a lot of holiday books so those have been put in a bin, in his closet, to access during that time of year. His other books are displayed on shelves in his bedroom- because we read a book each night. I'd like to know what you moms do with your children's books? We don't have room for a bookcase per se, so what is an efficient way to incorporate books into his room but not take up much space?

Trash the Dress?

So on today's "clean out resolution" list...the guest bedroom closet. The wasn't a tough one at all today because we typically keep that bedroom off limits. When people aren't staying with us, to minimize heating bills and to keep up from making that a dumping ground, we keep the door closed. It follows that "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. So it didn't take me long to sort out the closet.

Due to this closet typically being off limits, there wasn't much in here to really sort out. We usually just keep old hangers and luggage in there. So this is where I started my process.

Yes, Noah and I have luggage. I say that because we have literally flown three times...total! I'm not entirely sure why we have it...and is such great quantity. For instance, I have one small suitcase. It can hold enough for a week (honeymoon and Jackson Hole, WY tested) and is technically a carry on. Noah, on the other hand, has the luggage with 4 pieces- big suitcase, smaller suitcase, carry on bag, and garment bag. At no point in time would we EVER need this much luggage and I'm not totally sure why we've held on to it for so long. I guess in the hopes of going somewhere...cold? In which we will need a lot of big bulky clothing. Naturally, I wanted to get rid of it. Maybe not all of it but certainly consolidate and purge some of the unnecessary pieces. However, I knew this would be a tough sell to the husband. And you know what they say... "happy husband, happy life." That is the saying, right? :-) So the suitcases were put inside each other like those little Matryoshka doll sets.


I proceeded to go through the closet and sort through the "keeps" and the "I didn't even know we had one of these". Here are some of the things I found in that closet:

• Hangers- My dear mother in law bought Noah, Nev, and I hanger sets for Christmas one year. I'm not sure the boys were all that excited but I adore these hangers. They are the really sturdy, felt covered ones that hold on to your clothes. Due to having the "small" side of the closet, I have a lot of hangers left over. Those need to be moved to the laundry room for when we need to hang up wet clothes to dry...check!
• Noah's fancy overcoat- This was a hard sell. I have no idea why Noah thinks he needs to keep this overcoat. I see no reason in it. Here are my reasons: 1. He last time he wore it was 2 years ago to a December funeral. 2. He doesn't dress up enough in the winter to warrant having such a fancy overcoat. And 3. If he ever did dress up (wedding or whatever), he never wears a coat due to having so many layers on as it is. However, my darling husband believes that he should keep the coat. Don't worry...I'm filing this one away. The kitchen clearing is coming up... ;-) (evil laugh)
• Flat Screen Tv Stand- No it's not a tv stand like furniture...it's the actual tv stand that comes standard with the tv. We currently have our mounted on the wall and when we move, we'll need to leave the mount. So, we'll have to keep the stand.
• Graduation Gear- Noah and I both graduated from Millersville- two black graduation gowns and caps. Noah and I both majored in Technology Education- two black and yellow with blue hoods. Noah and I both graduated in December of 2005- two black with gold '05 tassel. Noah and I both earned a master's in education (different concentrations)- two blue hoods. Needless to say, we needed to consolidate. I'm sure we will need another black gown and cap. So one was kept. All of the hoods were kept. Other than that, gone!
• Infamous Preggo Pillow- NO! I will NOT get rid of this pillow. I know it sounds ridiculous to hold on to a pillow for the next pregnancy but I am. Noah and I want to expand our family and when the time comes, I will have that baby out and ready to go. In all honesty, if Noah (and Mac) wouldn't throw a fit, I'd have it on the bed right now. That thing is awesome!
• Alto Saxophone- Ok, this one is tough. I have a hard time parting with this almost new saxophone. Maybe it's because I know how much it cost my parents back in the day. Or maybe it's because I know that I'll get rid of it and then Ayden will end up playing the alto sax. Either way, I can't let it go. I would love to get sax music and start playing again...anyone know where to get relatively easy alto sax music??
• Old garment travel bag- Yeah that was easy...gone!
• Bridesmaid dress- Let me rephrase that. A BEAUTIFUL bridesmaid dress from one of my best friend's weddings. I LOVE this dress. It's a beautiful cranberry silk dress... strapless... fitted trumpet cut... small and delicate train... GORGEOUS! I love everything about this dress. It was tailored to fit me perfectly and I had a blast wearing it. However, I tried it on the other day and, as always, things change post-baby. Although it fit well in the hip/belly area, apparently the rib/chest area is much larger than it was pre-baby. If I ever, in the slimmest of chances, wanted to wear it again, it would need to be altered to fit. With the fabric and color, it would never be right. So sadly, I have to part with this amazing dress. The good part is that I would like to donate it to my wonderful sorority sisters that do a prom fashion show for low income families and sell dresses cheap to girls that can't afford new prom dresses. Hopefully, a young lady can enjoy this gorgeous dress. 

Lastly, my wedding dress was in this closet. If you thought I had a weird obsession with the bridesmaid dress- don't read the next part. I ADORE my wedding dress. Some may not have thought it to be flattering to my body type (as I've heard) however, I didn't buy it for them. I fell in love with a dress at J&B Bridals. (A Henry Roth pick up with Swarovski crystals) Needless to say, I couldn't afford such a detailed dress. So I did all kinds of research and found an amazing dress without the crystals at David's Bridals. It had the same cut, pickups, fabric, lacing in the back...everything. I loved this dress. It wasn't a contest. I tried it on and it was mine.

So now that I've been married 5 years, I have to face the idea of what to do with it. I never had it sealed in a box or anything. I never understood that. I bought the dress because I love the look of it. After wearing it once (in my case, twice- I'll explain), you seal it in a box so that you can't see it? That's madness. I'm also under no false pretenses that my (future-maybe) daughter would want to wear my dress. I don't expect that and honestly hope that she finds a dress that she can make memories in. So that isn't an issue. The issue is...what do I do with this dress? 

Here is one idea, however, I think this may be a bit too pricey. Any suggestions on what you creative ladies have done with your dresses? I would love to hear suggestions!

 PS. The second time I wore my dress was for a "trash the dress" shot I did. I always wanted a fall wedding, however, being a teacher doesn't lend itself to taking a week for a honeymoon in October. I was so happy to wear my dress in the fall leaves and have beautiful pictures taken. I highly recommend doing this. There is contact info below for the photographer that did mine. She's amazing! She even did my pregnancy shots.

 Photography by Tessie  http://www.photographybytessie.com/Contact.html

Decisions Decisions

Have you ever thought at one point in time, "I have all the time in the world to prepare for this" and it turned out that time flew a bit faster than you were ready for? Thus leaving you at a fork in the road? We all face these moments in life and how we handle them is one of the most difficult times, for me at least. See, I'm a classic over-thinker. I have faith that God will provide me with what I need at the right time, however, my faith is not nearly as strong as it should be. I have a difficult time looking at the fork and saying "ok...show me the right way".

This Christmas season, Noah and I came to the hard realization that we are quickly outgrowing our townhome. This is part of the reason for all the purging and organizing I've been doing for my resolution. When we bought this house in November 2007, we did not expect to be here for more than 5 years. Oh, our innocence of that time is almost endearing. However, 5 years later, we are in no place to move...especially with no idea what congress will do with taxes. (That was a fun pay check change, wasn't it?)

That being said, we are starting to look at homes, to get a feel for the market and the reality of our situation. Needless to say, the process hasn't gotten easier or clearer in the past 5 years. So let me give you our fork in the road.

Noah and I would LOVE to find a lot around an acre and build our dream house. Having moved into a home, in which the previous owners did NOTHING to better the home, we realize that we have very specific wants for our next home. I need to have a kitchen island, laundry room (not closet), 4 bedrooms, a room on the first floor that has a bathroom, and a layout that doesn't have the stairs at the very front door. (I've always hated that look. You walk in and immediately have stairs in your face.) What better way to get those taken care of than to build what you want. However, the other side of this, is that we have always wanted Ayden to go to Pequea Valley. This isn't the major issue but finding affordable land in Pequea is very difficult- especially when you want to use your own house plans. AND, we have to find something in Pequea that fits Noah's commute to TE. Not nearly as easy as one would think. We may have to drop the standard of Pequea to get the dream home.

All that being said, Noah and I have started looking at plans and have differing ideas of our "dream" home. So I have two pictures below. One is Noah's preference and one is mine. We obviously like both plans, or rather parts of each plan, but we have different preferences. So this is where you, as readers, come in. I want to know what you think of each plan. Maybe you've lived in a home with the "open to below" feature and have strong feelings about it. Or maybe you have a second floor laundry and love/hate it. Either way, I want to know what you like and dislike about each plan. Please give me your opinions on the following plans. (Both plans are "changeable" but within limits. We can add windows, islands, and modify within reason but completely changing major structural items is not possible unless we change the plans and go with a different builder.)

The "Ethan" plan- available changes: add fireplace to family room, change half bath to full bath, add second sink in upstairs "kids" bathroom

The "Lincoln" Plan- available changes: add a kitchen island, change half bath to full bath, add fireplace between great room windows.

Now this is the hard realization we may need to make. These house plans are anywhere between 2700 and 3000 square feet. That is a big house for our current family. Not to mention, the price of these plans are a bit more than I currently feel comfortable taking on- especially if we add any features as many builders offer. So, this leads me to the other prongs in our forked road.

Maybe we realize that we can't afford to build on a private lot and have to buy a current home and "fix" it to be exactly what we want. That, at this moment, makes me feel a little more comfortable, financially speaking. There are a few options but nothing that stands out as "the best option" at this time. We have a better chance of finding something in Pequea Valley School District if we do this but it means that we may have to budge on those items that we really want in our "dream home".

Now, this is where things get really complicated. My father-in-law brought up a very good point yesterday. That we may not be able to do everything at once. See, Noah and I have discussed expanding our family within the next year and a half. We have the interesting dilemma of do we expand or do the house. We may not be able to do both at the same time. And who would want to? I'm not sure I want to build/buy a home AND worry about providing for another child all at the same exact moment. Sounds stressful. Possible but nothing something I would necessarily do to myself willingly.

So aside from comments about the house plans, please feel free to provide me with words of wisdom about our situation. By no means, are we in a rush for anything but it is a lingering thought in the back of our minds. We know that at some point we will need to make the decision. Not knowing when that time will be, we are leaving it to God to let us know. I just always feel the need to know the possibilities.

Progress so far...

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have quite a few things on my resolution list. I have been trying each day to prioritize my list and doing at least one thing a day that gets me closer to simplifing my life. I've discussed how breaking goals down into manageable steps will help you keep those resolutions. Also, having a check list and marking things off helps as well. You need to realize that maybe you didn't get EVERYTHING done, but you did get something.

So in an effort to keep myself accountable for what I'm trying to do, I figured I would update the list. Please feel free to ask me about a goal or two...I may have even added to the list.

House stuff:
Clean out my closet and get rid of clothes/purses/shoes and donate
Clean out my dresser and night stand
Purge jewelry
Store Ayden's outgrown clothes in tubs downstairs
Clean out bathroom and closet in bathroom
Get rid of old makeup and toiletries
Go through Ayden's closet and reorganize
Organize the guest closet
Wash wedding gown and get set in box
Get rid of DVDs
Clean out junk drawer in tv stand
Go thru Ayden's toys and store/rotate
Purge games from behind the couch
Purge kitchen cabinets and red cabinet
Clean oven
Scrub cabinets
Clean fridge and organize- freezer included
Scrub kitchen floor
Clean my office and organize
Ayden's workspace
Get rid of video games that aren't used anymore
Hang pictures
Hem curtains in guest room
Clean and paint back door
Make new recycling bins for outside- streamline the trash process
Clean out garage and organize all decorations and bins- purge purge purge
Hide tv cables
Noah's closet and dresser and nightstand
Fix chair rail
Fix corner
Caulk and 1/4 round in front of bathtub and Noah's shower
Fix windows in guest bedroom
Deep clean all carpets and start removing shoes
Go through coat closet
Organize binders for house stuff
Streamline filing system
Clean out the storage under the stairs- purge!!
Clean out laundry room and get bins for laundry sorting

Simplify my job:
Plan at work and get things ready the night before- ongoing
Don't waste time when planning/grading- ongoing
Be a more positive force in school- ongoing

Be in the moment with my family:
Read every night to Ayden and limit how much tv is on when he is awake- ongoing (so far so good)
Take Mac for a walk each week
Eat dinner at the table with Noah and Ayden- ongoing (so far so good)

Appreciate my marriage:
Be more intimate in my marriage
Tell him thank you so much more often and truly show your appreciation
Go on more date nights
Talk with him more- less venting

Organize my finances:
Pay off at least one credit card bill if not both
Track all spending for each month- so far so good...I'll be going on about the new tax rate in a hot minute
Organize billing and switch to online bill pay
Cut down on grocery bill and monthly expenses
Cut down on Verizon
Cut down on any spending that is not necessary- so far so good

My attitude:
No cursing- the "Swear Jar" is in full effect and I'm doing well so far.
Ease up on sarcasm
Show people you care more often
Go to church and truly digest the information
Stop trying to "keep up with the Jones"- be grateful for what you do have
Listen 1000 times, think 100 times, react 10 times, speak once

My looks:
Bleach teeth
Lose 5 pounds
Wear clothes that flatter me
Create a better bedtime routine
Eat healthier food
Do yoga more
Face yoga

Simplify my online profiles:
Close twitter accounts
Delete Facebook "friends"
Close email accounts and blogs- so far I closed Hotmail and I'm working on the others
Streamline email accounts and profiles
Make a list of important information and log in information
Start limiting amount of time spent on social media sites- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

Projects to finish:
Wedding book
Mac's scrapbook
Finish Ayden's 2012 book- November, 1st birthday, December and Christmas
Start a new Ayden book for 2013
Make purse
Make duvet cover
Make coasters
Make recipe book
Finish dolman shirt
Make check your pockets
Cut bottom of bottles
Make hanging plants
Make survival kits
Make wooden mat
Make striped skirt/ circle skirt pattern
Make Noah's blanket
Make tie shirt

Plans for the future:
Figure out house plans and what we want as a family- see future blog post about houses
Figure out the plan for schooling and licensure in counseling- or do I want a career change in general??

Ok, so in the first 12 days of the new year, I've accomplished a few things- along with managing the family and a full time job. I have had a lazy day or two but I will continue to work on these "projects"...and probably add as I continue to work. Please feel free to keep tabs on me. It's always easier for me to stay on track if someone else is counting on me. I'll keep you updated.

Didn't forget...

I know that my resolution was that each day I would do one more thing to simplify my life. I've done a lot of cleaning the first 8 days of the new year and haven't even taken a chunk out of the list. On Wednesday, I had planned to clean out the guest room closet. However, Noah was able to come home and hang out with me and Ayden. We started to watch "Flight", which I highly recommend to everyone for the simply fact that Denzel Washington is AMAZING. So needless to say, I didn't get to the guest bedroom closet.

Then on Thursday, I had more cleaning on my list and we were sidetracked looking at a lot to possibly build. Turns out, the lot may not be the one for us. It's a bit too far for Noah's commute. So we'll keep looking for the right situation.

And finally, on Friday...well...It was Friday. Again, I had things on the list to do, but it was much more important for me to relax with my family on the couch. So that is EXACTLY what we did.

So although it's been 3 days and I haven't worked on the major resolution... I plan on making efforts today to get caught up. Wish me luck!

Restoring faith...

Taking some time away from my "simplify" mission, I want to discuss something that happened today. Yes I am still cleaning according to my resolution to simplify but this is much more important. Plus you don't really want to know about me cleaning out my jewelry and bathroom linen closet, do ya?

Didn't think so... So let me give a little background.

On my way home today, I glanced at Facebook and noticed that I had a private message waiting for me. I don't typically use that feature so I couldn't imagine who was sending me a message. It was a friend from high school giving me a very nice compliment. In her message, she explained that she has watched a segment on the Today show about students sending compliments to other students via Twitter to combat cyber bullying.

Being very happy with my compliment, I went to her wall and watched the clip of these 3 young men that have started a Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail account for supporting students and being positive. As a high school teacher, I have to say, I was taken back at how mature, respectful, and inspiring these young men are for their age. I also realize how important their mission really is.

There have been so many days in my 8 years of teaching that I've come how in utter shock of how mean kids can be to one another. Little things that they may not think can hurt someone really do have a major impact sometimes. And I can truthfully say that it's much more intense now with social media.

For instance, when I was in school (yes I hear myself sounding old), one may have gotten a dirty look from a different "crowd" of students if you were trying to fit in and clearly that "crowd" wasn't having it. You may get an eye roll or "dissed" in public but now, it goes way beyond the smirks of snobs. It gets vicious.

Now, if a student has something going on with another student, it isn't handled with a face to face, knock down drag out fight. It's not settled "outside" after school with fists. It's not even done through written notes anymore. It's all out there on the internet for EVERYONE to see.

Students will tweet awful and hurtful things on Twitter and Facebook as if they were creating a "burn book"- thinking that the other person can't see it because "we aren't friends on Facebook" or "she doesn't follow me on Twitter". Either way, it gets around. Everyone has a smart phone and everyone takes pictures/videos of these terrible things and EVERYONE shares these terrible things with EVERYONE else.

I may have gotten off topic but my point is that what these students are doing is changing the mindset that social media is a place for negativity and complaining. They are changing it into something positive and something that enriches our children's lives instead of hindering them and making them feel bad. We all know how good it feels to receive a compliment...even on something miniscule like your outfit or haircut. Either way, what needs to happen is more positive comments, less negativity.

A new way for me to stay positive in my own life is that each night before I go to bed, I write a happy moment of my day on a small piece of paper and throw it in a vase. Some days are easier than others but either way, it forces me to think of the good things that happened rather than the negative. At the end of the year, I am going to sit down and read all of them. Just to have a very fond memory of the year...instead of a pessimistic outlook.

I attached the link to the Today show segment. Please watch it and get the inspiration that others are feeling. I encourage you to do something that makes your day positive each day. Once you're happy with your day, you can start making others happy about their days.

Best of luck and enjoy tomorrow!

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50395735#50395735

Day 5...and 6

One of the resolutions that I didn't explicitly discuss in my previous post, was to spend more meaningful time with my family. This "family" doesn't stop at Noah and Ayden; it includes a lot of people. I want to be around these people and spend actual time around these people; to really spend time being with them in the moment and not just be in the same room.

So yesterday, instead of cleaning my closets or straightening up my home, I went to the Farm Show with my mom, dad, sister, her boyfriend, Noah and Ayden. I had never been to the Farm Show before. How fun is it?! And no, that is not sarcasm.

I really enjoyed myself. Aside from fighting this sinus infection, I had a great time watching the rodeo, petting the animals, eating the food, and walking the complex. I honestly could have gone to the rodeo and been there all day. More importantly, I was more than happy to just be with my husband, child, parents, and sister. We laughed about so many different things. It was a really great day.

So day 5 mission: changed and completed!

Day 6 is looking a bit different. We are now at home and Noah had to go to school to work on the set. Ayden and I always miss him while he's gone but because both of us aren't feeling very well, it makes for a great day to snuggle and watch Disney movies. So although I had grand ideas of cleaning more stuff around the house, this morning I took down the Christmas tree, made myself some breakfast and I'm about to snuggle with my little boy.

Day 6 mission: completed!

Simplify- Day 4

In true fashion and sticking with my "clothing" theme, I decided to go through my nightstand drawers tonight. Not a difficult task, which was helpful considering the fact that;
1. It's Friday and I'd rather relax, and
2. I'm feeling a bit under the weather...so...

In my nightstand drawers (there are 2), I keep socks in the top drawer and scarves in the bottom. These are two items that I have a lot of and are easy to stow- especially when you just throw each in the drawer with no organization whatsoever. The only problem with tossing these items in all "willy nilly" means that I typically end up using the same pair of socks and same scarf over and over simply because they were the ones tossed in most recently.

Also, by not having any organization, I am not truly managing what I have and what I "need". I may have a great black scarf but "have no idea where it is" simply because my fake Burberry scarf happens to be laying on top of the pile. So, I needed to separate my socks into ankle versus hiking (those are the only 2 categories I have) and clear out the scarves that I truly don't wear.

In all honesty, this may have been the easiest goal of the week. I had no problem getting rid of socks and scarves that aren't used. If you are working your way through simplifying your life, I highly suggest starting with this small goal. Very easy, very quick and very rewarding as another item checked off of the list!

Day 4 mission: completed!

Simplify- Day 3 My Dresser

Yes this week has been all about my clothes and I apologize but I know why that has been my subject of choice.

I have a secret. Shhh...You can't tell anyone.

I HATE PUTTING AWAY CLOTHES!!!!!

I'm terrible at it. I never put my clothes away. When I change at night to go to bed, I throw my clothes in the laundry and when I get up in the morning to shower and go to work, I just leave my pj's wherever. When laundry is washed, dried, and folded, my darling husband brings the clothes upstairs and puts everything on my dresser. This is a very convenient place to put it for easy stowing, right? Wrong! I will let it sit on top of my dresser forever for all I care. I HATE putting away clothes. Don't get me started on having to hang clean clothes. AWFUL!

When it is completely and utterly necessary for me to be an adult and put my clothes away, I usually just jam everything in a drawer somewhere so that it remotely fits and is out of sight. Very adult of me, I know...

So in my efforts to simplify and basically organize my stuff this year, I decided that instead of me leaving clothes on the dresser or just throwing them in a drawer, that it was time for me to purge the old and neatly organize my folded clothes. And I'll tell ya what! You would not believe the amount of clothing one can fit into a drawer when everything is neatly folded! It's awesome!

It also probably helps that I got rid of any clothing that I don't wear, can't fit, or don't like. I'm following the mantra that you shouldn't keep anything in your house that you don't find beautiful or useful. That will really help anyone get rid of stuff.

Aside from that, I put my shirts in sleeve and color order for easy finding in the mornings. The only addition, if you have the extra cash, would be to add dividers to keep your clothes neatly separated. They aren't really pricey but you need to make sure you have the right size. I have seen on Pinterest a DIY but I have yet to try it.

So again, I apologize if I'm boring you with all the clothing talk but I need to get that together and work my way around the house. (It gets harder the farther I get) So day 3 mission: Completed!! 

Simplify your life- Day 2

I've come to a very clear realization on new year resolutions and I think I know why I have never followed through on past goals. In recent years, my resolutions were unrealistic, mismanaged, and not planned. I would go into the new year with grand ideas of reading more books, exercising an hour each day, learning a new language, or "reinventing my life". In all fairness, I thought I could really do those things and I could have, however, I never took the time to really think about how to complete that particular goal. I was only thinking about the goal- not the process.

This year, so far- all 2 days, I've gone about my resolutions a bit differently. Rather than thinking about the end result desired, I am planning what small adjustment I want to make each day. Some days are grander than others but each day, I do one daily goal to get me down the path of simplification. Yesterday I went through my entire closet and purged, straightened, and organized the entire thing. Today...well today was a much smaller task.

Today I cleaned my make up brushes. All you male readers, I'm sure you're on the edges of your seats but I have my reasons. Today was my first day back to school after a 10 day break. I had made my plan before that, knowing today would be hectic, I would do a smaller goal to get things in order rather than stress myself with a large task. So if cleaning make up brushes doesn't interest you, feel free to wait for tomorrow blog.

If you're still here, I assume it's because you use make up brushes and want to know the best method for cleaning them. It's very easy and you probably won't need to spend a dime on it.

First, gently but thoroughly use baby shampoo to get the make up off the brushes. This will be messy so be sure to clean them over the sink. You don't need a lot of water- just enough to get the brush wet and sudsy.

After that, rinse the brushes thoroughly with warm water. To disinfect and degrease, put some distilled vinegar in a cup. You don't need a lot- maybe a tablespoon or so. Add very hot water to dilute the vinegar and place your brushes in there for 20 minutes.

When the 20 minutes is up, rinse the brushes very thoroughly with hot water and follow with cold water. Pat dry with a towel and stand up in a cup to dry over night. You may also let the brushes lay flat.

So although today wasn't a super exciting goal, it was something that was attainable for me today. So Day 2 mission: Complete!

Simplify your Life Day 1- my closet

Noah and I share the master walk in closet in this house. One would think that the wife would have the "larger" side due to having more clothes but this isn't the case. I've never been one for a lot of fashion (until recently) so when we moved in, I was more than happy to give up the "big" side to my loving husband.

Over the last 5 years, I have accumulated more clothes. Weeding out college clothes when we first moved in, and then finding appropriate, yet fashionable work clothes, and then maternity clothes, and then the post baby clothes...there has been a lot in and out of that closet. And don't get me started on shoes.

So in my efforts to simplify my life, I decided that today would be a great day to get rid of any clothes I don't wear, don't fit, don't like, or just plain don't look my best in. I also was able to add my adorable Christmas clothes into this and "redo" my wardrobe a bit.

In color order left to right by category: long dresses, short dresses by sleeve, skirts, pants, shirts by sleeve, sweaters, blazers, jackets. The bins up top are great for any sweaters and sweatshirts that shouldn't hang because of weight.

This purging process would seem easy right? I mean think about it. If it doesn't fit, get rid of it. If you don't wear it, get rid of it. If you don't like it anymore, get rid of it. Easy right? Yeah...

Even the shoes are organized!

I have to say, parting with clothes that I've had since college (sorority letters or college sweatshirts) wasn't the easiest thing to do. Not to mention I had at least 2 dresses in there from HIGH SCHOOL! And yes, I still fit them and still like them. However, I never wear them. One is a white fitted dress that I wore at my high school graduation. Thinking it wouldn't fit, I tried it on and it fit beautifully. However, it's a plain white dress. Where will I wear that and in all honesty, aside from a sorority function, I haven't worn it since high school graduation. Time for it to go!

And then there was my favorite black strapless dress that I have worn in some difficult times, as well as in some happy times. I have had a lot of memories in that simple "just above the knee" strapless dress bought in high school. Unfortunately, that simply black dress no longer fits my shape post baby. I know it sounds ridiculous but I had to really talk myself through putting that dress in the pile. I had to remind myself that although that dress was worn on so many memorable occasions, it wasn't the dress that made those times into a memory.

Space your hangers evenly on the bar to make it look more like a store.

So as the time went on, I went through the dresses, shirts, sweaters, pants, skirts, and sweatshirts and I can honestly say now, I've made my closet into a shopping center for my mornings. I no longer have to stand and search for clothes to wear or what matches. Everything is arranged in a distinct order and I will easily be able to lay out my clothes the night before.





 
Although it wasn't easy saying "goodbye" to so many clothes, I know that I'm doing the right thing to reach my goal.

 Day 1 mission: completed! 

Donate gently used clothing!!