Welcome November!

Since my September 1st post, life has been a whirlwind. My sister helped her partner drive their belongings to their new home in Oregon. She left him and their kitty there, and flew back to finish out her job and clear the apartment. She spent the last couple weeks in our home. Then before out flying to start her new life in Oregon, we went through a lot of her stuff that didn't make the trip, she helped me organize my front room and I decided what to keep and what should now go, we held a big yard sale which did really well, then we filled boxes of leftover items to be donated. It was fun having her here. We had a lot of late night talks, a lot of laughter, and a few tears. It was a special time. I plan to visit them next spring or summer, God willing.

I've continued doing my morning journal writing for the Grow Me A Story class. It's called Sowing Seeds. I just put down whatever comes to mind. It's a great exercise to clear the mind and to jot down creative ideas. I'm posting daily on Instagram as part of a 90 Days of Autumn Awareness activity. It's been challenging and fun! I'm working on setting some weekly writing goals, which will include posting more often on this blog. Until then...

More May Writing Prompts

Writing went on the back burner while I took some much needed time to rest and recuperate. I worked on a couple more of the May writing prompts. Catching up, but not quite there yet. Just a reminder, these are from my handwritten notes. You take the prompt, set a 5 minute timer, and just write. These are the results.

May 9. Write about a memory of your favorite childhood teacher.

Mrs. Stewart was my 7th grade Social Studies teacher and also my English teacher. My favorite class with her was English. We did all the practical class activities, but the most wonderful thing she did was to introduce me to books I had never thought of reading. One of those was The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. This was a book about an escape from a prision camp just after World War II. Mrs. Stewart decided that even as 7th graders we needed a story. Our class was right after lunch so for the first few minutes of class she read to us. This story was so emotional that more than once she had tears start rolling down her cheeks. She would put the book mark in and say "We'll have to come back to this tomorrow" much to our dismay and loud protestations. Mrs. Stewart opened my eyes to new, different, and often important books. I loved her!

May 10. Use the word "sunshine" as your prompt today.

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry. 

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely. Sunshine almost always makes me high."

This John Denver song came immediately to mind. It's exactly how I feel about sunshine. It brings happiness, life, warmth, and can also make me cry.  Memories of sunny days gone by. I love the way warm sun feels on my skin. How it cheers me after a storm has passed. It brings to mind swingsets, backyard baseball, ready or not, beaches, sand, grass, rocks. All the things of play and of nature that you see out on a sunny day. Sunshine can be healing for the spirit.

11.What is something you want?

I want my home back. I live in a house I have filled with clutter. Stuff. When there is too much stuff, it loses it's significance. It becomes overwhelming, exhausting. I want my home to be organized and welcoming. A place for family and for the photos and treasures I cherish the most. A place where friends could come in and feel comfortable and welcomed. The hard part is figuring out how to make it a reality. How to separate myself from things that hold emotional connections but now are really no longer needed to keep those memories alive. It's  process. A difficult one, but I'm ready to undertake it. I want my home back! I will have it!

12.What is something you need?

There are so many things I need or could use, but the most important thing right now is my health. I need to be well enough to do the things I enjoy and the things that need done. Organizing my home, writing my book, working on Ancestry, dates with my husband, outings with friends. In order to do any of these I need to feel good. Poor health is robbing me of joy! It has robbed me of attending weddings, showers, funerals, birthdays. It has kept me from the things I love most like reseaching ancestors, writing a book on my family history, finishing the book on The Dollhouse. I need to work on my health! I need to reclaim it!

#growmeastory

© 19MAY2022 ajjahner

What Is Going On...

I was so certain I'd posted about a week ago. Before that, I'd somehow locked myself out of my Blogger and Google accounts. Is this a foretelling of things to come? I certainly hope not!

Things at my home are much the same. I've still been working my way through some old family negatives I purchased at an antique store. A lot are blurry, or just boring, as most family photos are. Occasionally, I'm finding a little treasure! I remember seeing a few photos of my grandmother which were owned by another relative. There was never much hope of getting copies, but I now have the negatives! I was so thrilled!

These pictures would not have been important to anyone but a child or grandchild, and it's a miracle they weren't tossed into the trash by the dealer. They aren't unique, my grandma holding her first grandchild, a graduation, a family trip; nothing of value to anyone except family. It makes me want to go through my own photos and negatives, to consider whether there are any which would mean something to other family members or even friends. If you're like me, you probably have hundreds of photos. Mine are mostly stored in photo boxes and many have not been viewed in a long, long time. Organizing my own photos is my next big project.

Unless I do something silly, like locking myself out of blogger again, I'll be back very soon! Wishing you a beautiful day!

Clothing Purge...

I'm in the process of an extreme clothing purge. I've emptied closets and drawers of all my clothing, except winter coats. Pursuant to advice in "The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up" I piled it all on my family room floor and am going through it a piece at a time. The photo below, from about 1976, is proof of my hoarding. I found that shirt, a hand-me-down from my grandpa, still hanging in a closet. I can barely get my arms into that once baggy, grandpa shirt, now over 38 years old! Why was I keeping it? I guess it reminded me of grandpa, and Halloween fun, but it's way past time to let it go! It's still in great shape, so it's going into one of the donation boxes.

This is me, in about 1976, after a Harvest Party, wearing my grandpa's clothes. 

Explanation of the photo... I'd borrowed grandpa's shirt, and his painting pants, for a costume to wear for a Harvest Party at my church. I'd just washed my clown make-up off, because my face was on fire, and mom came in and insisted I pose for a photo in her newly wallpapered bathroom. She was really proud of all the work she'd done. How could I refuse?

Anyway, this clothing purge is just phase one of my organizing project. I'll try to keep you updated on my progress. I'm excited to make some big changes in my home!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The last three weeks were filled with some illness and other minor inconveniences, but we've sailed through the worst of it once again!

Today was so beautiful! I've been looking forward to warmer spring weather and it arrived. My hyacinths are blooming! I love their soft fragrance.  I've been doing more organizing. I know, I know... by now I should have the most organized home on the planet, but I get so distracted by every little treasure I find. This week I found a box of photos I thought had been destroyed. It was mislabeled. It was the happiest discovery I've made in a while. There was my little red photo album my mom made for me years ago! It held so many childhood photos, including my elementary school group pictures. It was such fun reminiscing.

I've lapsed terribly on my writing goals, but my characters are speaking to me again, which is a good sign.

Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Even if you're not Irish, you can still celebrate the coming of Spring!

Free Image from The Graphics Fairy

Day 4 - Beginnings, Hoarding

Here I am at Day 4 of NaBloPoMo, Beginnings.  See the link on my sidebar for more information.

Today was the beginning of my resolution to regain order in my home.  For those who don't know, I am a hoarder.  Before you all pass out, because I know you've seen those TV shows or the commercials...  NO, I do not have rotting food in my fridge, dead animal carcasses, racoons living in my house (aka Grey Gardens).  In fact, I don't have any pets at this time, though that will change one day.  I do have an overabundance of "stuff" that I have collected over the years.  Even with donating box after box of things to charities, I still have excess.

My love of books has taken over the house.  I am going to stop buying and start reading what I have.  The best-loved will stay.  Those that are a one-time fun read will be sold or donated to a library.

I have baskets, boxes, drawers, and shelves filled with things that I plan to use for art and craft projects.  If I have not created a piece of art by July, I will be having a big yard sale so someone else can dream of being artsy/craftsy.  Even if I do actually start creating pieces, all that good junk needs to be labeled and organized.

I've been giving away family keepsakes, knickknacks, photos, etc. to other family members I know will treasure them.  I've had to ask myself, how much can one old girl enjoy?  Really.  I have dreams of simplifying.  And yes, it's been on my resolution list before.  The difference is that my heart is ready for a big change.  One of these days, there will be photos to document the changes.

Now, about those other resolutions... yes, there are a couple but this is the big one for 2012!  Simplify, Organize, and Enjoy the Journey.

© 04JAN12 ajj

The Brenda Photo Challenge & Other Thoughts...

The Brenda Photo Challenge is today.  The category for this challenge is "wood".  To see my pictures, go to: Nita Jo's Photos.

To see the other photographer's entries, click on The Brenda Photo Challenge and follow the links.  This is a fun photography challenge.  They welcome amateurs like myself, and there are some very experienced photographers too.

Now on to other thoughts... 

I am amazed I got even two pictures ready.  I've got the sneezing, coughing, achy head, sore throat... junk!  I took my Alka-Seltzer so I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I just can't get back to sleep.  It's working out fine for me though.  I've been sorting through my photographs, doing a bit of organizing.  

Another job I started to tackle today was going through my books one by one.  I decided it is time to purge some of them out of my life.  I ran out of space on my bookshelves a long time ago, and I have several of them.  My beloved classics and childhood favorites will stay... Little Women, David Copperfield, Mary Poppins, Anne of Green Gables.  Also, staying are my Agatha Christie collection, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, all my C. S. Lewis, and many of my mystery books.  Some spiritual and inspirational books.  A few books of poetry.

That sounds like a lot, but if you could see my shelves... well, I have every book ever given to me, purchased by me, or left to me.  My love of reading started very early.  Books were a window into other lives and worlds.  They were magic carpet rides into foreign lands, where amazing adventures were waiting to be discovered.  What I will pass on are the books that were "one time only" reading quality.  Those that no longer speak to who I am.  They will go to other readers.  To friends, to libraries, or to second hand stores.  It will take more than a day or two, but I'm really looking forward to reclaiming some space in my home.

Wishing each of you a peaceful, blessed weekend.

Off to a Great Start...

My week has been so busy, I just noticed how long it's been since I posted.  My "new year" is off to a great start!  Lucky 13 has been doing very well with the online school.  His health has improved some since my last update!  I'm feeling better today than I have in quite a while.  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

I've tackled a small portion of my reorganizing job, but I found that I am out of filing space.  Now I need to purge a lot of old files, before I will be able to file anything current.  I don't want to purchase a new file cabinet... that would just add to my huge inventory of paperwork, receipts, and ephemera. 

The main goal is still to simplify.  I know my creativity is hampered by too much stuff!  I've been visiting a few blogs and checking out photos of their work spaces.  Many of you have shared such great organizing ideas.  I just need to put time and thought into what will work best for me.

THOUGHTS ON...

TIME:

"Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life."    ~ Michael Leboeuf

CREATIVITY:

"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless."    ~ Thomas Edision

"Ideas can be life-changing.  Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea."    ~ Jim Rohn

TAKING A CHANCE:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."    ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Life and Kitchens

Life...

Life has been a bit bumpy lately, but I am surviving quite well in spite of it all. I lost an extended family member one week, and an old friend passed away the next. The first loss was expected, but no less sad. Lou Gherig's disease claimed another life. This lady was a wonderful mom and grandma. She was one of those people who gave of her abilities and her time. She was one of the memorable people woven into the pattern of my life. Years of knowing her beginning when I was a small child. Rosalie will be missed, but heaven is brighter for having her there.

The second loss was a shock. I did not find out until my husband showed me the obituary in the morning paper. A late diagnosis of lung cancer, and my friend was gone in six short weeks. I cried like a baby. My tears were both for the loss and for missed opportunity. We hadn't gotten together in a long time... she had been on my mind... I was waiting to pick up the phone until my eyes healed so I could invite her to lunch... I will miss her bright spirit, her sense of fun, and her laugh.

I need to live like that crooked tree... that knelt down in the hardest winds but could not be blasted away. ~ Edward Hirsch

I may be standing a bit weathered and crooked, but I'm still standing!

Kitchens...

This week I returned to some of my organization projects. I decided to start with my kitchen. I'm placing excess utensils, containers, glassware, plates, etc. into labeled boxes that can be stored on shelves in my garage. Anything that I haven't used in the next 6 months will be donated. The only exception will be special holiday items like linens, platters, etc.

The kitchen is often the heart of the home. It's where we gather for nourishment, fellowship, creativity... I want mine to be warm and welcoming. A stress free environment. It's a great place to begin a home transformation.

"If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life." ~ Louis Parrish

A Perfect Day... inspired by Silver Valley Girl

I was reading Silver Valley Girl's post, "A Perfect Day" and it sounded so wonderful. My trouble is, I had an "elf" offer herself and two trusted friend "elves" to come and help me organize my home over a year ago. Pride! Enough said. I did not want them to see the extent of my disorganization. Also, I wasn't sure I could allow some of my "stuff" to be donated or tossed.

When I start sorting through a box of art supplies, saved cards, pictures, books, etc., etc., etc., I just can't decide what to do with all of it. There's just no place to put it. I've run out of storage space. I haven't parked in my garage since the year my mom passed away. Too much stuff!

I dream of floor to ceiling bookshelves; of storage bins, cupboards, or drawers specially designed to hold all of the art supplies, keepsakes, and writing files that I have.

Any occasion where company might come over, calls for emergency scrambling. Throw things in a box (this starts out as a box for each category so I can find stuff later, but progresses to "any box will do" just to get it out of sight). Boxes are then stacked in closets, behind large pieces of furniture, in the overstuffed garage... it's insane! This reminded me of just one of my crazy solutions... I once filled my stove with dirty dishes when a friend called and wanted to drop by. Hours later... time for dinner... I preheated the oven! The smoky smell of Tupperware was all that reminded me. Oh my! I need those elves!

I'm laughing right now, but I know this is a serious organizational problem. I'm confessing to all... and this is embarrassing... like the Oprah guest who had to tunnel through her home and worked at a container store...

My former career was as a Records Manager! And, I was good at it! I do have to admit that I honestly hated the organization/filing part of my job. I loved the personal interactions, special projects on the computer, writing letters (loved that), answering phones & questions. I was in the wrong profession! I love writing, reading, creating, talking...

So, like SVG, my perfect day would be for those elves to show up and work their magic...
just as soon as I swallow my pride.