Home Invasion

I am sorry for my lack of posts this week.  Our home has been invaded.  Our time, attention, love, money, and patience has been taken and tested by...

Rocky!

No one could be more shocked than I am to have a new family member, let alone a BOY with fur!  Everything that has been purchased for him was picked out by our girls, and it is all BLUE.  I am not in my element if I am not dealing with red head girls, so it is an adjustment, but WOW do we love him!

He is taking a lot of our time right now as we all adjust (which is to be expected), but I am trying to get back on track ASAP!

Saying Thank You!

I received a thank you note in my mailbox today.  It was from a friend I had taken a meal to on Friday, she got out of the hospital the day before.  Can you believe how speedy she was during her recovery?

Who doesn't love a heartfelt thank you?  I have been lucky enough to receive some thank yous that were so touching that I have saved them in my scrapbook (me, the girl who holds on to next to nothing).

I have gone through fazes of successful and unsuccessful timely thank yous, or sadly, even doing them at all.  The easiest way to stay on top of them?  Don't use/put away the gift until the note is done.  When I had my girls and the frilly outfits were flowing in, it was hard to remember what I had received through the post delivery hormones.  Having those things out (in my typically uncluttered home) made it a constant reminder for me to quickly sit down and take care of thanking those who have been so kind to help me.

By staying on top of it, we ALL feel better.  Less guilt for us, and showing our appreciation for our friends and loved ones.

Spread the love

Most of us have so much, too much usually.  Today I decided to weed through my clothing with a more discerning eye than usual.  I pulled out over 30 items (clothing and shoes) from my closet for donation.  I don't have an overly large wardrobe, but we all have clothes that we haven't worn in a while taking up space in our closets.  These items are doing nothing for us (except collecting dust and taking up space), but could be of great benefit to others.

While cleaning out my closet, my four year old excitedly asked, "Can I find toys from my room to give to other children?", SURE!  By being a good example of sharing our resources (or clutter depending on how your view it), our children will quickly catch the vision of charity as well.  It will bring blessings to our lives, bless others, and will clear more of that clutter out of our way!

For the love of posterity

"Someday I will need this.", "Eventually someone will want to see that.".  What do you tell yourself as you approach your clutter and memories?  I know that I am rare because I don't have a hard time getting rid of things that may be difficult for most.  Many are very attached to sentimental objects that they assume will eventually bring sentimental value to their future generations.

Because my approach is not the same as most, I offer a simple guideline when approaching your clutter, "Will I want to show this to my grandkids?  Will my grandkids care about this when I show it to them?".  For me, if the answer is "no", I do not hold on to it. 

Clearing the clutter from my home and life is very important to me, but this does not mean there is NOTHING that I hold on to.  The outfits my girls came home from the hospital in, yearbooks, and special mementos are special to me and I keep them together in organized bins.  Occasionally I do go through these memory items to reevaluate their "value".  There are things you keep thinking they were from a critical time in your life, but with some perspective, it may have less sentimental value than originally thought.

For the LOVE of your posterity, DON'T keep everything.  Going through the clutter of loved ones who have passed on is not a fun experience, but viewing treasured and well preserved items set aside for your viewing is.

See the good...

How often we focus on seeing the good in other people.  "Assume good intent" we teach ourselves and our family.  In this digital age, we get a glimpse into the lives of thousands of people, even if we have never met them.

Do you enjoy blogs like I do?  I love to get advice and different perspectives on everything from crafts and cooking, to decorating and saving money.  At times however, I catch myself missing the great tips and suggestions by focusing on the snapshots of the blogger's "perfect" life. 

Oh how perfectly decorated their homes look, the amazing talents of the crafters, the mouth watering food pictures, and the receipts of AMAZING sales found! 

It is important for all of us to step back and remember that most everyone puts their best foot (or blog post) forward.  We are seeing what has been CHOSEN for us to see.  Bed head, dirty diapers,  feisty children, and piles of laundry are NEVER shown.

Each of us have God given talents.  It is important to embrace and increase our talents, BUT it is impossible to be talented or "perfect" in all things, even if that is the picture that we get from observing others lives, be it on-line or in person. 

The focus this month is LOVE, so while we work to see the good in others, remember to also acknowledge the good in yourself!

LOVE

This month's focus is love and will allow us to spend time being more kind to ourselves through actions and scheduling. Time for catching up with friends and loved ones, and creating family memories, what a great month!

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Be sure to check out the "Monthly Focus" tab to learn the overall picture of each month's focus!