One Thing Leads to Another

I spent today doing my usual Monday cleaning. Today's designated room was the dining room. I wiped the dining room table and chairs with Murphy's wood soap. As I cleaned the many glass panels of my dining room lights. I thought about what a great library my china cabinet would make. I cleaned out my china cabinet and moved it into a corner of my living room. My intention is to take all of my books which are scattered around the house and put them in this cabinet. This involved moving a baker's rack that holds my tin collection and aquarium containing 2 gray tetras and 4 neons into the dining room in the now vacant corner. The baker's rack and tins look great! The fish seem happy! The hard part was clearing out the dishes, goblets, champagne glasses, water glasses, dessert bowls, plates, vases... well, you get the idea. I am amazed at all that I've collected over the years. I weeded out a couple of candlesticks, but couldn't part with the rest. I packed many of the glasses (I rarely drink champagne!) into a plastic crate and stashed it in a closet. I worked some of the wine goblets, dessert dishes, and water glasses into the kitchen cabinet with my every day dishes, promising myself that I will use them daily. Why save them only for company and holidays?

I am pleased with the results so far. I'm going to enjoy looking at my favorite books in one place. My main complaint is that this took "5 hours"! It all started when I set out to do a "little" cleaning. It just seems that one thing leads to another. Who knows what project I'll concoct as I search the house for books?!

What did I learn from today? I learned not to save things for company and holidays only. There are so many little things that can be done to make each day special. After all, each day is gift from God. I also found that water tastes great in a beautiful green goblet!

Changing My Ways

Last week went by in a blur.  In my effort to simplify my life, I concentrated on clearing out some clutter in my kitchen and a closet.  I pondered different ways to clear spaces and bring calm into my life.  I also cleared most of the dead plants and flowers from my entire backyard. I thought that each day had to be "full" of accomplishments. At the end of the week I felt my life was a little more open. I also felt like a workaholic obsessed with seeing how much I could get done in one day!  I decided I needed to change my ways in that area, so this week I cut back on accomplishments and focused on things that really mattered.  

On Monday I organized my kitchen pantry.  This took about an hour.  I felt good! Yes, those rows of perfectly aligned canned goods brought a sense of satisfaction!  However it didn't compare to happiness of having two friends bring lunch and hang out watching HGTV and talking about anything and everything all afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, I had coffee at Starbucks with three of my favorite people.  On Tuesday afternoon, I cleaned out a closet.  Cleaning out the closet didn't even begin to bring the satisfaction I felt sipping a grande white chocolate mocha latte with people I love! 

This letting go of accomplishing something all day long felt good!

Well, here it is Wednesday night. Today was a cold and rainy day. My only major accomplishments were renewing my driver's license and doing a little grocery shopping.  It wasn't much, but my contentment level is over the top.   I spent most of the day with my husband.  It was nice to have someone else drive for a change.  I read several magazines. I actually took a nap! Contentment is snuggling with a Dachshund on a rainy afternoon.  I made no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with my granddaughter after school. To finish the day, my husband and I watched American Idol and laughed together. Did I get a lot done today?  No, not much.  Am I stressed out over it?  No, not at all.  My family and friends I'm sure find this amazing!  

Now, I'm going to climb into bed after thanking God for the love and grace He has shown me and also for the precious moments I've discovered when I slow down and embrace them. 

 

Keeping the Sabbath

Yesterday I read a blog called Go Lightly Place.  One of this creative person's resolutions was to keep the Sabbath. What she meant was that on Sundays she was going to do things she enjoyed after attending her place of worship such as knitting, sketching, reading etc. She was going to try not to spend Sunday doing household chores that could wait until Monday or that she could do on Saturday. She said she would put something for dinner in the crock pot to make cooking dinner easier.

As I read this I thought of how I'm always doing chores that really don't have to be done on Sunday instead of doing the things that bring me joy.  I long to carry the spiritual calm I feel after worship services into the rest of my Sunday.  So today, I've done as many of my Sunday chores as possible, one of which is grocery shopping.  I've done the laundry. I plan to cook a roast along with some potatoes in the oven for dinner. I'm looking forward to embroidering a pillow case and catching up on my reading. (It will be nice to read the entire Sunday paper on Sunday for a change!) If the weather is nice, I may go for a walk on the city trail near my home or just sit drinking tea in my favorite tea cup while watching my young Lab puppy make new discoveries in the yard. 

I'm looking forward to Sunday and plan to "keep the Sabbath" each week.

A New Year

As I type this, I'm thinking of the dreams and wishes I have for the new year.  This is the first time in 27 years that I am not employed outside the home.  I can focus on my family and my home now. The first thing I've done is give myself a promotion. After 34 years of being a working mom and homemaker, I am now a grandmother and home manager. This job requires a lot of negotiating and planning to do everything I want and need to do.  I often wonder how I did it all and worked outside the home as a preschool teacher.

My goals for 2008 are:       to create a calm, clutter free home

                                                to travel to Washington state ( a long time dream)

                                                to volunteer at my grandchildren's school

                                                to have more "me" time 

                                                to embrace a healthier lifestyle

                                                to live a "greener" life (recycle,reuse etc.)

                                                to create a lifetime of memories with my family

                                                 and friends (the most important goal of all)