project simplify week two: paper clutter

Tsh really thought that she had it together when she posted inspiration for clearing paper clutter from our lives, and I do want to thank her for that. . .but I have a different set of directions.  I will share mine here.  (this is probably the area of my life that is the MOST need of simplifying, because as I already said last week, it is hard for me to "throw it out")

Here Goes:

* Monday:  take before pictures, sigh DEEPLY and walk away, realizing that you will never finish this monstrous task in one week!

* Tuesday:  hold your breath while you get a laundry basket to put ALL your papers in. Keep holding it as the laundry basket turns into 3 boxes.


Smile because you know that you have the first step accomplished.  Have lunch with your kiddos while trying to decide if you REALLY think that this is possible or not.  Immediately after lunch, start sorting!

* Wednesday:  sort everything into separate piles:  memories, addresses, magazines / articles to read, books, to shred/recycle, honduras paperwork.  YAY!!!  A big step!

* Thursday:  spend the afternoon helping bake communion bread with dear sisters & don't take one thought about paper!

* Friday:  once back at it, go through each separate pile and trash a VERY GOOD portion of each one.  (after all, who needs ticket stubs to events that you don't even remember now & ticket stubs that the writing has faded completely off?????)  Then you are FINISHED!!!

* Saturday:  watch husband burn paper in the burn barrel and SMILE!  (sorry no picture for this step, just trust me, it was a SWEET smelling fire)

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I will have to say that this is probably THE most embarrassing area of my house, but I am SO thankful for the motivation that I had this week to GET IT DONE!  This is something that I have wanted to do for a while and always think that I don't have time for that big of a job.

project simplify week one: master closet

So, this week I was challenged to clean out my closet.  I sort of groaned at this assignment, because I just did several months ago and didn't think I had much to do.

 

Well, I was wrong.  A while back when I was "cleaning out" I set the number 20 for the amount of dresses to own.  I started out with 14 (enough for one week of summer and one week of winter) and then thought maybe I should have a couple of extra for each.  Maybe I should make it 14, but I just couldn't quite do it.  :)  Well, I counted my dresses, and yes, I already had more than the 20 that I had set for myself.  I can't quite decide how they add up.  When I made that number my goal, I determined to get rid of one if I got a new one.  What happened?  This week when I counted, I had 26.  So I pulled out 3 to give away, and 3 to trash.  The trash ones were fun for the kiddos, because they cut the buttons and zippers off for me.  I love to involve them in throwing away things.  I am NOT very good at it and I have a son who keeps EVERYTHING, even down to the confetti from one of my good friends wedding that he DIDN'T even attend!  When I was cleaning out his "personal drawer" with him one day, I picked out all the paper confetti to throw away.  He very sadly asked me not to throw it out, because it reminds him of Melanie's wedding.  I talked him into it after I told him that he WASN'T EVEN THERE!  :)  So I think throwing away things is an activity that we can ALL benefit from.

A few months ago when I made a rule to myself about how many dresses to own, I also made a rule about shoes.  Well, same story!  My shoes no longer happily lived beside my dear husbands in the closet.  There were a couple of pairs that lived under the bed and a couple of pair that lived on the shelves in the laundry room.  Well, how many garden shoes do you need anyway?  Is it really necessary to keep the pair that have big cracks in the soles just because the upper part is still whole?  I don't think so.  Even though it was HARD, I actually threw them away. :)  I threw one pair of my husbands that were in the same shape.  (i had been keeping them because i thought SURELY he could still wear them and since he isn't quite the "keeper" as me, he was more than glad to move them out)  I put 2 in a pile to give away, and now I am down to 9.  I am happy with this, since my husband's shoes and my shoes are once again living happily in the closet together.

Here are my before and afters:

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My closet before.  Joe's clothes on the right.

 

My pile of shoes before.

Ethan &; Elisa cutting buttons and zippers off one of the "trash" dresses

My closet after.  I like having more room between dresses so they are not squished and wrinkly when I'm ready to wear them.  (ironing is about the same interest level for me as trashing things that I think are perfectly usable)

My shoes after.  (i actually got rid of one more after I took this picture)

The finished project!  A clean closet and shoes all in order.

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I loved this inspiration.  Knowing that there were so many other out there doing the same thing gave me a little more incentive.  I hope that I can keep it up for a long time.

I'm a little nervous to find out what is next on the list.  I have some pretty raunchy areas in my house that are going to be embarrassing, but very good for me to clean out!

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On a more serious side.  We are so sad about all the destruction from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  We are remembering the Japanese Labo students and chaperons that we met last summer, especially Yuka that stayed with our family for a time while she was here.  We will be keeping them in our prayers and hope to hear something from Yuka soon.

project simplify. . .

I can't WAIT!  I hope this is as fun as Tsh Oxenreider promises it will be!  I think it will be, because starting is the hardest part for me.  If I have something to get me motivated, I hope it will be a success.  (although I'm afraid that the before pictures will be a little humiliating)  :)

so much fun. . .

Ahhh!  The freedom to be a boy!

A few shots of Ethan on our trip.

Ethan likes the Honduras looks. . .

the greased spike look. . .

the cowboy farmer look. . .

 and after a lot of hard work. . .

the dirty look!

I'm not so sure that he likes this look, but I guess you would call it the "swollen red ears because you are so sweet the bugs ate your ears up" look!

Gracias. . .

. . .por todos!

After a trip south, it is never hard to be thankful for "things".  The problem is that some of the "things" that are so easy for us to be thankful for can also give us a nauseous feeling when we start thinking about our abundance of "things" that we have that we don't need.  This makes us dig deeper and give thanks to God for all of our spiritual blessings.

. . . . .

146 - memory verses

147 - Bible translations in many languages

148 - letters from my dear husband

149 - empathy

150 - voices praising God in song

151 - believers sharing time in audible prayer

152 - requests for prayer that our relationship with God would be stronger

153 - the love of Jesus to bind hearts together

154 - sound minds to hear the TRUTH

155 - inspiring sermons to remind us of God's ways

. . . . .

Practicing His Presence = Spending Time in The Word

I want to always be reminded of this and have a true hunger for it.

feliz cumpleaños!

!Birthday Number Four!

Can't believe that my little girl is 4 already.  She seems so little and sweet and she is growing up so fast.  I want to remember to hold on to every precious moment as it slips through my hands into eternity.  This year we had the priviledge of celebrating in our Home Away From Home.  How sad for our "here family" to not be with us, and how fun for our "there family" to be with us. :)

Before we left I told Ethan that Elisa was having her birthday while we were gone.  He said, "I don't really like that."  When I wondered why, he said, "they don't have the same kind of frosting there."

How funny!  But how true.  We didn't have a birthday cake this year. . .but a WONDERFUL pineapple pie made with love by Rosita.  How fun and how yummy.  I think that it tops our frosting by a long shot!

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Your friends are all singing.

May the year that is opening,

Bring gladness to you.

May it help you to be cheerful,

Kindhearted and loving.

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to You!

home again?

I'm not sure if we went home or came home.  It is the oddest feeling to have your heart in two places at once.  And even more odd is the knowledge that this world is NOT OUR HOME!  :)  Maybe this is why the Lord lets me feel this way, so that I never truly feel "at home".  Every time we go, it gets harder to come back.  All the good-byes that bring tears. . .and yet I know that if we called that place home, I would cry every time I left here.  I love all our friends and family here and all those that feel like family there.  How bittersweet no matter what direction we are flying!

After all the emotions, we had a WONDERFUL trip.  There were those who came that we already knew. There were those that came that we knew a little.  There were those that came that we didn't really know.  We enjoyed every minute with each one.  How fun to renew old friendships and make new ones.  The Lord was with us and protected us all.  There is a new house on the hill in a small village in the middle of God's wonderful creation.  We are praying that God is getting ALL the glory and that the people will see His love through the labors of those who strive to be His hands and feet here on earth.

Oh Praise Him!

    week one                                            week two

          

Tino - A happy new homeowner

we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus

how thankful we were for the villagers who were always ready to share

we enjoy having good neighbors

sweet togetherness and rest on the plane ride home