Day SIX of our Journey - Decluttering that STUFF

I think I have found the key to cleaning and decluttering. Almost anything that I HAVE to do but don't necessarily like to do...

Do it with a friend!

Photo Credit

When I say, "Declutter with a friend...", it has to be a special friend. 

A friend that has stuck around through those bad monthly times. Those times of crazy hormonal pregnancies and crazy melt downs. A friend who will stick with you through the thick and thin. A friend that really loves you. 

The kind of friend who can say, " I love you but you don't need five popcorn poppers." 

The kind of friend who can handle it when you exclaim, "But we LOVE popcorn and one might BREAK!"

It is important to remember a few things when you find a cleaning/decluttering buddy and dive into it - 

1. Make a plan before you jump in. Think about it rationally. If you are a new declutterer, don't resolve to get rid of everything. You will go into shock and regret it and get bitter after.
2. Think of where you want the stuff to go. I know for myself, thinking of giving the excess stuff to people who will need it or turn it into cash to put towards debt excites me. This helps me push through.
3. Find a friend that is patient and will continue to plow through all the stuff even with your nasty comments about how she just doesn't understand. You need that large tote of wire hangers! 
4. Find a friend that you can tell your goal and they will hold you accountable. For me, I know that my husband is not a good fit. We both are hoarders (we like to call it frugal!) by nature and we always find some kind of reason to keep everything. Also, I often get very offended when he wants me to get rid of my treasures. (He just doesn't understand. I NEED 73 pair of flip flops!)
5. Carry out your plan. It will hurt but if you made a realistic plan, it will feel better - not worse.
6. Remember! Remember that you are going to help your friend in turn go through their clutter. Make sure you treated them how you want to be treated because its their turn to be nasty about their plastic plate collection to you! (We NEED 27 plastic plates. We might have GUESTS!)

All the "conversations" above are just a couple of the crazy pack-rat comments that I come up with. All have been said by me at one time or another. This summer, we decided to get serious about getting rid of our clutter. We get rid of about 30% of our stuff in the downstairs. People have walked into our house and asked if we've been robbed. 

We still have a lot of stuff but we have drastically cut down. 

If I can do it, anyone can do it. It was painful. I wanted to cry. However, it was so worth it. I can clean my house faster and there are many less toys to fight with my children to pick up. We can find and LOVE the things we have even more. 

When I think of clutter and STUFF, I think of a zap to me. It zaps my energy, I have to clean. It zaps my joy because I am continually harping for people to clean up. It zaps my time. I have more time to spend loving on my children and doing fun things with them. 

Getting rid of the clutter has really brought more peace and joy into my life. Have I "arrived"? No way. I am still on the journey to rid our house of unnecessary things but I am trying and making progress. 

How about you? Do you struggle with the clutter and stuff that is all around you? Or do you have a good system to rid your home of clutter?

Day Four of our Journey - Stuff

I am going to be starting a series on stuff. Just that stuff. Could I get more specific? Eh. Maybe but probably not. I will narrow it down a bit ... Here is a list of what I intend on covering.

• Stewardship of the material stuff we have been given. 
• Decluttering the material stuff.
• Organizing the material stuff.
• Getting rid of that negative stuff in our minds and replacing it with positive.
• When "stuff" happens...

-----------------------------------------------

Stewardship of Stuff - 

It's a new year. A new beginning. I know in my family we were so blessed to receive more stuff. Our family and friends were so gracious and gave us not only what we wanted but a lot of what we needed. This year I was pleased with how intentional and thoughtful people were. I truly know they were thinking and praying for us as they browsed for our gifts.

I really feel the need to be more intentional about the stewardship of the stuff we have been given. I need to take better care of and maintain it better. If it is broke, fix it. If it out, put it away. If it is dirty, clean it. 

So often I leave it for tomorrow an it becomes a bigger mess than if I would have just taken care of it today. Beginning today, I am going to be more intentional about taking care of all the material possessions we have been blessed with. 

What about you? Are you a good steward over your material possessions? Do you work a little harder to keep them nice and maintained?

Days two and three of our Journey - Contentment

Philippians 4:11-12- 

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Being content. I struggle with being content. I always want to move on to the next thing. I never sit and rejoice in the moment. 

That needs to change. I need to be happy where I am. I need to be content. Enjoy this season of life. Enjoy where the Lord has me. Be a witness in the day in which I am living. 

My next step in making all the changes from 'Burb Girl to Cowgirl is to find contentment where I am. Even if it's in the middle of this stinkin' suburb where the neighbors are drunk and rude. Where my soul and spirit feel dampened. I will lean on God. He knows the plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11). He is guiding me. He has blessed me.  He does good for all those who love Him. He knows my heart and I must trust in His timing.

It's OK to make plans and work towards the future (Proverbs 6:6 - 8) but I should not get so wrapped up in them that I miss out on today. 

How about you? Do you struggle with rejoicing right where you are in life? Do you long for the next thing? 

Day One of our Journey - The Day of Rest

I guess I should begin by making sure that I communicate clearly. This is now my journal. A way to look back and reflect. A way to see blessings and some not so great decisions. A time to learn. This is MY and my family's learning. Therefore, when I write posts, I am writing for my family and my opinions of my life. I would never tell anyone how to live. My hope is that through my writings, you will be stretched and maybe find some new ways of doing things. If you don't, that's fine too. You can just sit back and call me crazy. It's OK, I have already heard it a few times. :)

How fitting it is to start this journey the day before the Lord's day. A day to worship the Creator of all things, relax and reflect. A time to rejoice in praise and rest while rejuvenating our mind, body and soul. It is fitting because it's the foundation, the backbone one might say, of setting up a productive and God-filled week. A week of hard work and staying on track. A day to be thankful for the blessings that abound.

The Sabbath has been abandoned. We fill our schedules and we run, run and run some more. If the Lord of Lords, the God of the Universe, had to take a break after six days of hard work, why would I think that I would not? Am I super woman? Do I have more strength to continue? God did not take the day to rest because He was tired. I really don't know that He gets tired. He's amazing and perfect. I think He took the day to reflect and look back on what he achieved during the days before.

The first step in our journey is to embrace the Sabbath. Go back to how the Lord would like it.

I will be working very hard (and it will take some preparation) to not cook, clean, use the computer or internet and abstain from places in which someone has to work on the Sabbath. Is that extreme? Some might say it is. However, as you can probably tell, I am an extreme person.

I also know that for some, the Sabbath is not Sunday. For that, I totally understand. Find a day during the week that works for you. A day where you can look back at the six days before and know you've done your best work. A day where you can put everything aside but your love for your Father and family. Relish the moments. Enjoy the day. Relax.

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day. 

                  - Exodus 20: 8 - 11 (Message)

What about you? What does the Sabbath look like for your home? 

Dreams Become Reality

Let's just get this out of the way... I am twenty-eight years old. I feel much, much older but I guess in the whole picture of life, I'm not really that old. Maybe it was just the toll three boys took on my womb. I swear I had soccer players before they were born.

With feeling old and being a mama of young chickens, the feeling that this is all life is and that there isn't time for your dreams to unfold engulfs your mind. That is the battle in which has been raging at the forefront of my mind. Add that to the fact that I have no self-confidence and I feel people will laugh at it, and I'm stuck. I'm in this limbo of wanting a dream, yearning actually and the feeling that I don't know where to begin and it's silly. I feel like I have multiple personalities. The devil versus angel on the shoulder. The same old debate. I know others have it. I know I cannot be the only one...

It is time to take a stand. A time to hold fast to the promises of God. It is time to put on my big girl (hmm....) panties and take hold of my life. I am tired of living life, scratch that riding the wave of life being scared.

With much prayer and a passionate heart, I am embarking on a new journey. A journey in which I will finish and see to the end with the Lord's help. A journey that will redefine me and refine my family. One in which we will grow.

My dream involves bringing all my passions to one place... A farm. A piece of land. A place where my heart can soar and peace engulfs me.

I yearn to live off the land. Be self-sufficient (to a point.). Raise our kids along side of my husband. Be free of debt and worry about money. Give continually. Share my passion of raw nourishing foods. Teach others. Raise free range beef. Work hard and love harder. Be content and peaceful. Look at the windows and see the hard work.

And mostly... I want to share my journey. I want to be a testimony to God's enduring promises. I want the Lord to use me. I want to live daily in His grace and love and share it with others.

So... With that being said... I am back. I am going to write. I am going to share the ups and downs of our journey. I am going to share and pray that this blog portrays me... A Jesus lovin', help-meet to Andy, mother to three amazing boys 'burb girl and her journey to the land. The land she feels in her heart she can find peace. Will you journey with me? Will you pray for me? Will you laugh with me through the ups and downs - mistakes and blessings? Will you lovingly hold me accountable? Will you DARE to dream with me?

Once again, pull up a chair. I know you're tired. Open your eyes to the possibilities of your dreams becoming reality. And will you dream big with me?