Cut The Crap August 31, 2007

I am getting really serious about this decluttering thing. Just like our decision four years ago to dump debt and stop acquiring more, I now want to dump the clutter in my home and stop acquiring more. Dumping the debt was a huge load off our shoulders and I believe dumping the clutter will have the same effect. I am reading lots of inspirational blogs about getting rid of clutter and it is getting me motivated to really work at this. I’m starting to change my whole mindset about stuff.

If you’re interested, read about this blogger’s War on Clutter:

My War on Clutter
My War on Clutter: Never “organize” what you can discard (This is a good one!)
My War on Clutter: The Tools to Purge BIG
My War on Clutter: Inspiration for Independence Day

One household task I hate to do is laundry, and I’ve decided the root of this hatred is that once I get the clean clothes folded (Mike does the washing and drying) there isn’t enough room in our closets and dressers to put them all away. I fight to cram things in drawers and between hangers. I have tried several times to weed through the clothes I don’t wear much but I still feel like I have too much. I read about a neat trick for deciding what to get rid of and I’m going to try it out. It’s a hanger trick from Peter Walsh (of Clean Sweep and author of It’s All Too Much, which I have placed a hold on at the library).

I know it’s going to be a challenge to get rid of some of my clothes but I am determined. Ever have an emotional attachment to an item of clothing? Read this cute story about a shirt. It’s just a shirt, Mindy!

I am going to take that attitude with everything in my house and get radical about getting rid of the crap. It’s just stuff, Mindy!

Financial Peace University – 3rd Round August 30, 2007

Dates are set for our third year of Financial Peace University! Class is going to be held on Tuesday nights and starts January 8th. Follow the link to find out more.

You need to take this class!

Twenty Puns August 30, 2007

I’m cleaning out my email inbox but I didn’t want to lose this one, so I’m posting it on the blog so I can go back to it periodically when I need a good laugh. This is my kind of humor. If you don’t think these puns are funny then you can at least find it funny that I think they’re funny. Funny is a funny word if you look at it too much. Hmm. Funny.

• Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.
• A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’ll serve you, but don’t start anything.”
• Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.
• A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
• A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: “A beer please, and one for the road.”
• Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: “Does this taste funny to you?”
• “Doc, I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home.’”  “That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.”  “Is it common?”  “Well, it’s not unusual.”
• Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly,  “I was artificially inseminated this morning.”  “I don’t believe you,”  says Dolly. “It’s true, no bull!” exclaims Daisy.
• An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.
• Deja Moo: The feeling that you’ve heard this bull before.
• I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn’t find any.
• A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, “Doctor, doctor, I can’t feel my legs!”  The doctor replied, “I know you can’t -  I’ve cut off your arms!”
• I went to a seafood disco last week…and pulled a mussel.
• What do you call a fish with no eyes?  A fsh.
• Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says,  “Dam!”
• Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
• A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour,  the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. ”But why?”  they asked, as they moved off.  “Because”, he said, “I can’t stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.”
• A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named “Ahmal.” The other goes to a family in Spain they name him “Juan.”  Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, “They’re  twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.”
• Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet.  He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it’s good)…. A  super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
• And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to her friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh.  No pun in ten did.

Lofty Goals August 29, 2007

Lofty Goals:

1. Dump Clutter
2. Organize My Life
3. Be Wonder Woman

The closest I can get to number three is wearing my Wonder Woman pajamas, but I might actually have a shot at the first two!

Mmm Fudge August 28, 2007

I bought some peanut butter fudge today from a kid doing a fundraiser. He wasn’t supposed to be soliciting in our building but it’s not his fault, he’s too young to read silly words like soliciting. I know I should have just said no but I’m a sucker for cute kids. I was going to wait until tonight to open the box so I could share the fudge with Mike but I was curious to see if it was any good. Oh, is it good. More than good, this is the kind of fudge that speaks to you. I was going to have just a few little bites but it was like there was some invisible force within the fudge that kept pulling my hand toward it. Seriously. At one point I was able to shut the box, but I made the mistake of leaving the box on the desk and it inevitably found its way open again. I was eventually able to muster up the strength to close the box and put it in my purse in the desk drawer, but I can still feel its pull. Half of the fudge still remains, so let’s hope it makes it home tonight. This is a true test of my love for Mike. Let’s hope I pass it!

Home August 28, 2007

From a recent newsletter from Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine:

“We were talking a lot about Home the last few weeks. Karin and I have chosen a life where pretty much every day we get to spend at home is a prize, a rare gift, something we worked for, an event drenched in gratitude. And yet, maybe home is not really about geography or air quality, or moonlight, or being in the city or out of the city, or in a red state or blue state, or in a music town or a working class town. Maybe home has more to do with the work we’ve all done as individuals to increasingly become people we can live with. Maybe home is the desire to live soulfully, the tiny ongoing decisions we make that allow the soul room to breathe.

“That’s our prayer for our extended musical family: that we would all find lives that allow the soul to thrive.”

“Maybe home has more to do with the work we’ve all done as individuals to increasingly become people we can live with.” I love that. I look at my house, my modest house in serious need of some remodeling and smart decorating, and I think back on all that has happened there. So much has changed since we moved in. We are not the same people we were seven years ago. We have learned many life lessons, we have grown and matured, we have become parents! Our house has been witness to so many great memories. The best memories are when I wasn’t worried about the cobwebs or the scuffed floors, but when I was spending time with the people I loved and really living in the moment.  Some day we will have to move and when that happens I plan on taking the memories with me. I’ll dump the clutter but I’m keepin’ the memories!

Update: On sort of a related note, I came across this great post about what matters in life. Also recommended reading is this article about stuff.

I love love love the dollar store August 23, 2007

I went to the dollar store yesterday. Everything there costs a dollar. One dollar!! The store near our house has everything you could think of. Shower curtains, baskets, toothpaste, frozen waffles… I walked up and down the aisles taking a mental inventory so that hopefully the next time we are in need of something I’ll remember that I can get it there for a dollar. Why pay more, right?

I am not a big fan of shopping but the dollar store is one place I am always happy to go. I love it! Did I mention everything there costs a dollar?

Not Tanning Lotion August 23, 2007

Ever heard of sunburn gel? Well I think that’s what I put on my face this morning. Actually, it’s the medicated face cream I use but I hadn’t used it in a long time so I think my skin had become too accustomed to life without it. In a matter of minutes I was feeling as if I had spent three hours in the sun without sunblock. Ouch. I think the redness has subsided but it’s hard to tell because I have a lot of make-up on.

You’re Grounded, Mister August 22, 2007

toothpastefordinner.com

That time of year again August 21, 2007

I have been feeling pretty good and free from most fibromyalgia symptoms until the last couple of days in which I’ve felt pretty sore, achy, and generally cruddy. When this has happened in years past I have spent a good couple of days trying to figure out why I’m “suddenly” feeling sore and achy again after having several months of relief. Then I’ll say something about it and Mom or Mike or someone who pays attention reminds me that I always get like this when the weather gets colder. But this year I remembered all on my own. It is certainly not cold yet here in Michigan but this week the weather has been rainy with a bit of a chill in the air. It’s enough to make a difference and my body is just screaming. I by no means want to move out of Michigan but on days like today I am certainly tempted. Maybe we’ll be joining Michelle and Don down in Atlanta some day