Clutter and Panelling

What is something that adds stress to my everyday life? CLUTTER. what makes that stress particularly hard to handle? PANELING! I have been in a battle with both of those things for 2 years. But 3 weeks ago I began raging the ultimate war to finally rule over them once and for all. My motivation was a visit from my Mom. We have lived in this wonderfully old home for 2 years, and yes, have had guests up there before (including my Mom). But this time, I decided that it was time to make improvements and revamp the finished attic in hopes that it would motivate me to keep it clean.

I'll share a secret with you. I am a terrible housekeeper. I clean homes for a living, and I am very good at what I do.what I am not good at is putting things away. I am also borderline hoarder.. not really, but I do have tendencies that I could see get away from me. I see use in everything. I keep all jars, boxes, ect. I believe that I could do something crafty with them or use them eventually. Our basement and attic storage is full of boxes filled with things. I also keep sentimental items. I believe I have every card ever given to me since I can remember, I still add to that collection, and I have kept all cards my husband and kiddos receive as well. I just like to look back at them, read them, remember when I got them, and yes I plan to do something crafty with them.

Anyway, my Mom is coming to visit ( she actually flies in tomorrow). My kids were going to be gone for a whole week camping with the In-Laws, I had a slow week with cleaning so I saw my opportunity and I grabbed that paint by the brush. It took me the entire week my kids were gone to paint. Paneling is hard and time consuming stuff. I'd rather just rip it out, but time and money didn't allow for that. You will see in the pictures to follow I had my work cut out for me. The playroom was a disaster to say the least. Toys everywhere! and not just big toys, little toys with lots of little parts, doll clothes, hot wheels, movies, blankets and yes I did find some dishes and food up there. My craft room was no better. fabric and scrap booking stuff covered my desk. Gift wrapping and books covered my floor and I was even using it as my closet! ( 1950's homes were built with TINY closets). The office area still had Christmas boxes out waiting to be put away and I had tons of papers to file. so you see, I really needed a week in solitary with no kiddos to distract or undo anything.

Long story short it took me 3 weeks to finish my attic. Toys sorted and organized, crafts too. Papers filed and Christmas stuff packed away until next winter. I finished it 2 days ago, and I did everything by myself. I am very proud of what I did. It was a daunting and very time consuming task that required a lot of late nights and sore back. But I think about what I did, and it really does motivate me to keep it clean. I enjoy going up there now, and I know that it is a usable space. before I go any further, here are the before and after pics.... enjoy.

Office area B and A

Hall way B and A

Playroom B and A

Craft Room B and A

I hope you can see the difference! I try to relate everything to health. So here is my health reference for the post. This time the poundage I dropped was Clutter and Paneling. but the moral is.. If I can motivate myself to do something so daunting and lets face it, UN-fun, then I should have no problem motivating myself to make better choices for my health. The liberation I felt after hanging that last picture on the wall was so great that I kept going upstairs just to walk around and admire the work I had done. So if I think of my body as my attic, I need to put in all the time and effort to revamp it and turn it into the space I need and want, and then I will be satisfied with the work I put into it and put forth the effort to take care of it. make sense? If not, that's OK. It's late and I am super excited to pick my Mom up from the airport tomorrow. I hope you find motivation to get that task done that has been on your "To Do" list. You will feel like you dropped a million pounds when you accomplish it! I leave you with a picture of my helper for the first day. Good luck and Happy Dropin'!

Ramblings and Revelations.

No weight talk today. The poundage I am dropin today is my own wound up thoughts. Lucky you. On top of the constant weight goals I have many other achievements and goals that I set and want to succeed at but never feel quite up to par to achieve them.

My wonderful Mom called me today and told me that she thinks I should become a writer. She told me that she enjoys the way I put words together. This is a reoccurring thought in my brain. Before leaving college I was an English major. I have always LOVED writing reports. When I say Love, I mean I would be that nerd in the back of your high school English class to jump up and down and run to the library after school to start doing research. Words come pretty easily to me at the computer. My brain moves fast, and my hand is way to slow to write. Sometimes I feel like my fingers know what I am about to say before my brain does. However, the dream of becoming a writer of any sort seems far fetched to me. I don't know what I would write. I'm defiantly NOT a Mercer Mayor, Dr. Seuss or Stephanie Meyer. So I know that I am not a novelist. I don't have a creative story mind. What I enjoy is research, or just what I am doing now.... blogging. but who would hire me? No BA, no experience, no credentials. No writer.

Another example. I was pretty good at playing the Flute. I started in 5h grade and played all the way through my senior year. I would battle it out for first chair many times. I never strayed from the first 2 chairs. got many solos, and even was in a regional honor band. I even got a music scholarship offer from Colorado Christian College. But alas, I didn't pursue music. Now I would give anything to play in a orchestra or something even on a smaller level. I am very rusty and feel I am too old to pursue that anymore. No time. No Musician.

Another. I was a good cheerleader in high school. Captain my senior year. I remember telling my Mom when I was about 8 that I wanted to be a Broncos Cheerleader when I grew up. I had great school spirit, I had no problem being in front of crowds and I was a pretty good dancer. I again didn't pursue that in college. Wanted to just "check everything out" first. Obviously I'm not 21 and a size 4, so No Cheer leading.

I love crafts. I love scarpbooking, sewing and just creating fun and unique things. I sometimes will create an original idea, but I mostly just use and revamp someone Else's. Someone has to think of it first right? I've tried to sell some purses but I do not feel right selling my work as it is not professional enough. I am more of a gift giver sewer. I have had many people tell me I should enter craft fairs and such. I just don't feel worthy or good enough yet to be selling anything I create. No confidence. No perfection. No craft merchant.

I sometimes feel like I am a being of almost, if that makes sense. Like I am good and a bunch of little things but not great and 1 thing to really focus on. Just like with my weight. I am good and getting exercise in, but I can never seem to get all the puzzle pieces together to really make it work. I had to sleep on this blog last night. I just felt like my words were going in a dark and pitiful direction, until I woke up. I do feel this way. Like why can't I just excel and ONE thing and make a living out of that, but then I wouldn't be me. I realized last night that I was focusing on the wrong part of myself. Yeah sure, I have many small talents, and maybe I will never do much with them, but I have a calling that is much more important.

I am a woman of faith.I live my life for Christ and I try to set an example to the world of what a Godly woman should be. I am very active in my church and I try to be an encouragement to others and a servant to them as well. I pray constantly, and although it is never easy to do, I do my best to lay all my hardships, sorrows and anxieties at His feet and trust in his will.I am a wife. I am married to a wonderful man. I try to treat him as the king of our family and make sure that his needs are met. I am a submissive wife, as the Lord calls me to be and I love and cherish him deeply. I am a Mother. I have 2 amazing children. I am their leader, care provider, protector, teacher and friend. I know that no matter what I will always be their mother. That is a talent that I can never and will never loose. They are my world and I would do anything for them. I know that they watch my every move and I must every day be mindful of the example I set for them. To them I am strong. To them I am the most talented person in the world. To them I am their everything.

With credentials like these I don't need the writing, the music, the cheer leading or the crafting. I just need to live up to the example that Christ has set for me and the level that my husband and children expect me to be. It's hard to not turn my focus in on ME. the world has programed us to think that way. I should have this. I deserve this. I. I. I. But if we think of the other lives we are affecting, we, well I realized that my "I" thoughts are destructive and selfish. Why do I need this great career when the things that matter to me the most are 10 feet from me? I can not hold music for comfort. A book does not talk back. I NEED my God and my family. That is all that matters.

I had a small revelation while writing this blog. Apologies if I rambled. I hope you too realize that although things may not be perfect or the way you planned, that you have exactly what the Lord wanted to provide for you at this moment, and that is exactly enough. No God. No Family. NO THANKS!

Tredmill

Hello fellow poundage losers. I hope your journey has been much more productive than mine. I have somewhat of a revalation of mine to share today. It's kind of a tough pill to swallow. I was cleaning a new home last week and every appliance in their kitchen was touch screen. While trying to wipe out the microwave, I noticed that the stove top/oven would randomly turn on.. After a few times, it hit me that the reason was my "over hang" as I like to call it, of my belly would skim the surface of the oven and turn it on. That in turn lead me to have to suck my "over hang" in and try to hold my mid-section away from the stove. I found this funny. Im not really sure if I REALLY thought it was funny, or if I was laughing at it becuase, although comical, it is a little depressing and I was trying to lighten the "UUUUGGGGGGG"-ness of it.

I told a friend this story, and she said, " Why do you think that is? I mean you work out ALL the time." And I do. I am at the gym 3-4 times a week, then all the calorie burning my job gives me. there is no reason why I should have over-hang getting in my way. Ive said it before and Ill say it until I can get it through my own head.. EATING. I just can't seem to decide to make the changes I need to gain some ground. I know that if I just change the eating, added to what I am already doing physically then I would get to where I want to be...... But I don't know why I'm not....

So as long as I keep this up, I will forever be on a treadmill. Not getting anywhere. I guess I'm just waiting for my AH HA moment and my size 8 pants to magically fit....

Tredmill.