Sorting It Out

Because the world has decided to explode around me while we were on vacation, the pictures are delayed until I can deal with my destroyed garden bed, the sudden appearance of fleas, and overwhelming depression.  In the meantime, I am trying to find some order in the chaos.  More upbeat posts to come in the future…

P.S.
Can anyone tell me why I have a dozen size I hooks?  Methinks it is time to cull the herd…

P.P.S.
The side/abdomen pain is back with a vengeance.  Not sure if I want to go in for more scans that will have them telling me nothing is wrong with me.

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Let Go of the Stuff, Keep the Memories

This weekend was all about letting go of *stuff*.  Sam and I, along with his sister, her boyfriend, and his nephew spent Sunday tackling the long avoided storage unit.  This storage unit has been with Sam since his mother passed away nearly ten years ago.  Other than the 19 boxes of mine that Mom and Dad sent me from the attic, that storage unit was filled with boxes of books.  And I’m not exaggerating.  Around two dozen boxes (we’re talking the 3.0 cf sized ones) filled with books.  Books of every genre, size, shape, and age.  Even multiples of some books. It took several hours, but eventually that storage unit was emptied.  Those books, along with a few other assorted items are now at the Goodwill to find their future homes.  (Sam has been joking that, since most of those books were purchased at the Goodwill, it’s more of a return than a donation.)

As for my stuff, those 19 boxes came home with us.  I spent two hours on Sunday night sorting through around 15 of them and finished the rest Monday night.  The boxes contained childhood papers, books, toys, misc. junk, and more.  It felt like Mom saved *everything* that was in my room as a child.  As I went through the boxes, I kept thinking to myself, “When did I get this?  Who gave it to me?  Why did I save this?”.  In the end, I filled two large boxes, a trunk, and a garbage bag to go to the Goodwill, not to mention a very large garbage bag to go to the dump and I nearly filled our co-mingled recycle bin.  Out of the 19 boxes I sorted through, only one large box of toys (legos, a couple of Breyer horses, a tea set, etc.) and one small box (favorite childhood papers and outfits/costumes) have found a permanent home.

The moral of the story: Stuff is temporary, memories are forever.  Let go of the stuff and keep the memories.  The less you have weighing you down and holding you back, the freer you are to make new memories.

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Truth

Read this.  Then think long and hard about it.  We are all equal.

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Pondering

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about getting back to my roots.  There’s been a lot of family history surfacing lately.  This, combined with other things has me really contemplating my lifestyle.  With the economy in the shape it is, I have been pondering things more and more.  Why do we buy so much?  Can I make it myself?  Do I really need it?  That line of thinking always leads me to…

We are so wasteful.  It is shameful how much we waste.  But what can we do about it?  We’re busy and such.  Well, here are a few things I’m thinking of implementing now and in the future.

Plastic Bags

Bags are my biggest downfall.  I have tons of reusable shopping bags and the great veggie bags from Liisa.  But do I remember to bring them with me?  Rarely.  (This makes me smile at the irony of making reusable bags for the company holiday bazaar.  A tutorial on those is coming soon!)

I will do my best to remember my bags and to shop in an eco-friendly manner.

Cleaning

I admit that cleaning is not one of my strong points… (Stop laughing, you’re going to hurt yourself!)  After being inspired by the book Clean House, Clean Planet (again, thank you Liisa), I’ve had the urge to make my own cleaning products.  But life and work has gotten in the way.  I have made the switch to more eco-friendly brands like Method, but the cost definitely adds up.  I really want to make my own cold-pressed soap and other cleaners.  I think that all the harsh commercial cleaning products may clean faster, but the damage they’re doing is long term.

I will try to make at least some of my own cleaning products and rely less on commercially available products.

Paper

Ah, paper.  It’s so abundant we rarely think about where it comes from.  I’ve already gone paperless with most of my bills and I recycle my junk mail.  But I think paper towels are one of the biggest offenders in our household.

I will make my own cloth napkins and use kitchen towels and rags whenever possible.

Food

Food is definitely a downfall.  I like food (who doesn’t?), but sometimes the foods we eat don’t like us.  Since starting the allergy elimination diet, I’ve found out a few things.

1. Sugar is not good for you.  I’ve lost weight simply by not eating any sugar or artificial sweeteners.
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a toxin.  Watch this if you haven’t already.
3. Food you make yourself tastes better.
4. The process of cooking makes the food more enjoyable
5. When you make it yourself, you know exactly what went into it.

I will try to eat healthier and cook more.  I will try to purchase locally, organically, and seasonally when possible.  It’s not a treat if you have it all the time.

And…?

And there’s always more.  But I think I’ve done enough ranting for one post.  I have a couple of books coming that I’m excited to share, but you’ll just have to wait to find out what they are.

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