23,000 pounds...

I have been striving towards a practical version of minimalism for the last few years, yet despite my purging and efforts not to buy new things, the stuff we brought with us to Tennessee weighed 23,000 pounds. And I have the joy of unpacking all 23,000 pounds. And trying to figure out where the 23,000 pounds of stuff should go. And mentally calculating how many more pounds we would have moved had I not been culling through things the last few years.

It's a mental game for me, trying to figure out how to find new homes for old things. The spaces in our new home are laid out very differently than in our last home, though I love the feel and layout of our new home. Unpacking is going slowly because I am trying to be thoughtful. Some days are like a rollercoaster, as counters get cleared off only to be cluttered again as I unpack another box or realize that some place I put something didn't work out and needed to be pulled out. Other days the kids need to play more than I need to organize and strategize the unpacking.

I am looking forward to finishing the living room so that we can have a space to relax and recharge in. Then I am planning to finish the bedrooms. The loft and office scare me (if I am being honest), and the boys have no interest in unboxing Legoland in the basement (they have interest in playing with the legos, just not unpacking the fifteen or so boxes their boxes of Legos and buildings are currently residing in).

Some of you are more seasoned in the moving business. Any tips? How do you figure out where to put stuff in a new space? How quickly do you get things unpacked and put away? How much do your kids help in the process?

On my little bookshelf...

The purging bug has hit me, FULL FORCE. I have learned that as a mom and homeschooler that the more tidy and orderly my environment is, the better I can steward my time and my attitude in general is much better. I don't get distracted by chaos or upset that I don't have time to fix it. Achieving order usually begins with one thing, cutting back and getting rid of what is no longer useful.

Thankfully, the purging bug hit while it was still summer. The kids are doing some school right now, but it is mostly things they can do on their own, thank you Teaching Textbooks and DuoLingo.

Right now, if you texted and asked how it was going, I would send you a photo of the bookshelf I am almost halfway finished with:

If you asked to come over and see it in person, you would discover that much chaos goes into creating order:

Not only that, you'd see my growing piles of items to give away:

This will not be a quickly completed project. I am not trying to just tidy up and hope we can keep it clean. I am trying to clear out those things which are preventing us from living free from the burden of excess. We are still homeschoolers, so we will likely still possess more books than the children's section of my local library branch. But we've learned over many efforts, that we aren't huge fans of studying every detail of the Ancient World and besides Knights and Castles, we're pretty happy to skip Medieval Times and spend more of our efforts on the history of the last 300 or so years than the last 3,000. So, while I'm keeping some history books which give us an adequately broad historical perspective, I am giving away/selling/donating some of the more specific, super in-depth ones. (Please let me know if there is anything you are looking for, I might be getting rid of it!)

I do hope to have made some pretty good headway by the time we officially kick off "full school" after Labor Day. I look forward to taking a deep breath of satisfaction after dusting the last shelf, and organizing the last book. Until then, if you want to come for coffee or swimming, please still come, just step carefully around the piles.

Tea cups and clutter...

As a young mom I daydreamed about having tea parties with my girls. I don't remember playing tea party when I was growing up, but it seemed that every picture book we read about a little girl included a tea party with her three closest stuffed animal friends, so I wanted to be ready. Even sit-coms portrayed every girls under the age of seven as a precocious wee one serving up invisible tea and light as air imaginary cookies. So I bought the plastic tea set. And the porcelain one too. I even became enamored with the "tea set for one" that came out around fifteen years ago, and thinking I'd host some women's function for church at some point, I got some of those too. I made the cookies and brewed the tea. If you brew it, they will come, right?

Well, turns out, my kids would rather make a large latte than repeatedly fill a thimble sized tea cup with the stuffed animal friend they don't care about. And they'd rather have handstand walking competitions, or have a dance contest than sip lukewarm tea and chat. The tea cups and sets I have collected fill two entire cabinets and one shelf of another cabinet. They are whimsical, and cute, and currently collecting dust.

In place of fragile, breakable tea cups, we grab for sturdy, wide-mouth mason jars. We fill them with butter coffee or special latte creations, or brew some lovely herbal tea and in the crazy hectic-ness that is our day-to-day, we lose the mason jar filled to the brim with yumminess three or four times before we finish the whole thing. I let my coffee-loving kids drink coffee, and Hannah (our anti-coffee child) throws on her favorite coffee-themed shirt and sips a Chai tea. The irony of her "No Talkie Until After Coffee" shirt contrasted with her dislike of the delightful brew is noted a fresh each day.

We're in the middle of a transition right now, one that has led to some pretty major rearranging. I never just rearrange, I also cull out and contemplate what I want to do with this or that, or when was the last time I really used it. I ask myself who I want to be and what I really need. I have six little, yet growing bigger, people to consider, so I try to figure out what to keep and store and what has passed its prime. I think of the future and set aside our favorite things for the one-day-maybe-someday grandbabies.

I crave simplicity and feel smothered by disorder and chaos. I struggle to strike a balance and teach stewardship to our children in love, helping them to learn to take care of what they have but not turn the created into idols. So, as I was working tonight to move some items around, I looked at my tea cup filled cabinet and realized that in nearly two years in our new home, I haven't had a cup of tea. No one has. At the same time, I realized that I have a couple of boxes of passed down mason jars, which I cherish more than the unused tea sets, sitting in my living room and garage waiting to find a home somewhere on a shelf.

The minimalism movement doesn't say "own nothing", it says "get rid of what distracts you from what you love". I want to live there. Less distractions. Less time spent managing my assets and more enjoying my blessings. So, let the purge begin. No regrets. More time for relationships. More room for joy.

Need a tea cup?

Would I read it again...

When I look at my bookshelves, despite their quite chaotic state, I smile. Amidst the chaos of books not put away properly, or the stacks precariously teetering, are some of my dearest friends.

I am about to go through my bookshelves. Obviously, organizing them is of high priority, but I am also going to be thinning out some of the selections. Over the years my kids' interests have changed, as have mine. And the reality that I live so near a library helps ease the catch in my heart at the thought of letting some of my friends move on to new adventures.

How will I decide what to keep and what to share away? The answer is quite simple, "Would I read it again?" That is the question I will ask myself over and over as I touch each book (and catalogue the keepers). I need to decide how to tackle organization, especially for books that I will be keeping for the kids' next reading stage (books that I otherwise might not retain).

It is an exciting summer project. And in the process of it, I plan to share some of my favorites with you. We're also reestablishing our family Read Aloud and handicrafts time as well, so I will keep you posted on what we are reading and how we are keeping our hands busy.

If you have any family favorites you would like to share with me, please do! I love suggestions! Many of our favorite books started out with and introduction from a friend.

I always forget...

Whenever I finally grow overwhelmed with the clutter in the spaces in my home, and I clear the calendar so that I can dig in and purge, I always forget the "before" photos. I guess that is part of the reason that I don't have some amazing monetized DIY blog, instead I have a haphazard-when-I-get-around-to-it-Mommy blog. :) 

If you have come over in the last few weeks, you would have probably tripped over bags of randomness or stacks and piles of things to be taken for donation. One particular day, I was purging and watching my neighbor's two boys, and when she came to pick them up I had so much stuff in the hallway I couldn't open the door... that was a little embarrassing... Most of the time the in-process mess has been a little less fire hazard-like. 

The bar in my kitchen, a constant battle to keep people from "dumping" stuff on it has remained neat and tidy for a week! 

I am almost completely done, in the entire house of rooms and closets, every room in the entire house has been decluttered and purged but one, the master bedroom. So, tonight I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom closet contemplating how to make this small space work for E and I. I don't really require much, most of you know my "uniform" of a tshirt and sweatpants, but I do actually have a few "real" clothes that are shoved in the back of the closet. 

To make more space, as well as continue on the purging train, I got rid of all the clothes on my side that were heavily worn, no longer my "style" (which is a very loose term seeing as how I live in sweats), or things that haven't been a good fit for a long while. The whole event caused me to want to go out and buy a few black pairs of pajama pants and call it a day. Alas, two big bags out of the way, and there is already some breathing room in our small closet. 

If there is anything this whole house purge has shown me is that my home, while the largest I have ever lived in, has very little closet or natural storage space. So, I either need to love something enough to look at it regularly, or need it daily, or it needs to go be a part of someone else's home. And seeing as how I have saved my bedroom and closet until last, I am finding where most of the needed items which are not on display have ended up. 

School starts around here on Monday... I am hoping that it is not an unrealistic goal to have my bedroom cleaned out and purged by then. We shall see. And if I could only get those picture ledges installed in the living room... Well, that may be unrealistic. :) 

When the purge is done, I will post some photos. Clean, tidy spaces just make me so happy. :) 

While they were sleeping...

And by that, I mean kids, dogs and hubby. I love organizing and cleaning in the silence of the night. :) 

So, the master bathroom made it to my "must do" list because it was disordered, dysfunctional and disgusting. I worked on it on and off with children awake (progress was slow). I worked on it while I visited with Elliott after kids were in bed (trash bag filling). 

Once E was asleep, I quietly organized lower cabinet, and then the upper cabinet. I cleaned the sink, mirror and counters. I still need to clean the shower, tub, toilet and floor. But this is an encouraging start. :) 

:) 

Progress...

The room at the front of our home has been E's office for years. He simply doesn't work from home much anymore and we decided to move out all the office furniture and make a cozy sitting room. When the desks left, we were met with a mess that kept on growing...

Elliott took some time off work and I invested about three days into cleaning out the sitting room, organizing books and purging. I am so excited with the result, and with the fact that it has stayed clean for a full week! 

Here is what is leaving. I am looking forward to the homeschool book sales this summer. If you want to browse early, call me and come for coffee! 

More to come...

Thankfulness...

This last year has found me itching to get rid of all the excess in our lives. What is entangling us and keeping our family from having more time together, having more of an impact on our neighbors, friends?


I saw something at the end of January that I have been mulling over in my mind ever since... I think it will be my mental banner as spring arrives and I take a few days to clean up and clean out some long neglected corners of our home.

"What if all you woke up with tomorrow were the things you thanked God for today?"

Would that change what you kept around?
Would you find yourself in prayer more?
Do you think you would see the riches in having less?
What would you change about what you kept? What you bring in?

I am seeing how much of my "keeping" has been out of guilt and embarrassment over my poor stewardship in the past. And I am thankful that God does not dangle shame over my head, but extends me unmerited grace and mercy, and that gives me the courage to make changes that will free me up to be available for the good works He has prepared for me.

As the weather warms up, I see a school holiday being called - Decluttering Day! And for anything we keep, I pray our hearts will be bursting with thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings He has given us.

Shedding the weight...

I had to take what I could get in little bursts of time here and there, or in larger blocks after bedtime and before kids awakened. Finally, though, one room has been entirely thinned out. The upstairs craft room. As I worked, I couldn't believe how much the craft room was like the widow's jug of oil, no matter how much I got rid of, there was still more and more. In the end, this is what is leaving...

The top left picture is all going to be given away. The top right photo is trash. The bottom left picture is all baby and toddler stuff (new and gently used) that is being passed on to a niece expecting her first child. The bottom right photo is a glimpse of the number of plastic boxes freed in the decluttering process. 

And this is what is left:

Nice, orderly, relaxing. No precariously stacked boxes or overstuffed cubbies. I look forward to creating here. The twins have already asked for some time to sew. :) E said he plans to telecommute at the desk. 

I still need to finish the downstairs office turned extra sitting room. It is admittedly slower going in there. I know not what to do with cords and wires. I think some of the newly reclaimed plastic boxes may become the home for groups of wires since the drawers that used to house them don't fit in the new configuration. With all the decluttering upstairs, I was able to move some boxes with crafting supplies upstairs where they belonged, freeing some much needed space downstairs. Hopefully, I will get the office trimmed down and straightened up this week. It makes my heart happy to lighten the loads we have been carrying in stuff. And it makes me never want to walk inside a Target again. 

The office so far (not a pretty sight):

Our bedroom will follow the office/sitting room. I will be going through all my books in January. I am having to contain my excitement and set realistic expectations for finishing this project. I am still a wife and mommy, not just a clutter buster. :)

My heart's desire is that simplifying our belongings will simplify our day-to-day lives. Less stuff management, more living. I am thankful to the Lord for stirring my heart to loosen my grip on the things of this world. I am praying for the fruit of peace to reign in our home as the chaos of excess is swept out of it. 

How do you simplify? Regular decluttering or "can't handle it anymore" purging? Any advice on keeping the clutter at bay? 

Some ideas...

A few people have asked what I will be doing with all the "purged" items I uncover. Two days ago I would have had no idea. After some prayer and discussion with Elliott, I have a battle plan.

First, I plan to work really hard through November purging my home and my mom's garage (where stuff that never got moved to my house 7 years ago still resides). Then, in early December I am going to host a party, a "Blessings Bash", and I will invite everyone I know to come have coffee and dig through my stuff and take whatever they want. Yep. Anything and as much as they think they can use. Anything left over after my bash will take a trip up I-35 to the New Braunfels Women's Shelter. 

In the New Year I plan to tackle books. I have around 4,000. No, you didn't read that wrong. And it might be more, I stopped counting. I like books. A lot. But, a solid half of those are children's books, especially younger ones, ones we've grown out of. So, I am going to box up anything I can't live without and I am going to call some local orphanages and see if any of them would accept a donation of used books. I am hoping they say yes, I will probably be able to start a library for them! 

Some stuff is just hitting the trash. It isn't a blessing to pass on broken stuff or loved until the pages have fallen out books. I am growing excited over the idea of living leaner. I think the kids are too. There have been a few sighs and "whys" when something they had forgotten about makes it into the "leaving" pile. A gentle chat and reminder of how long the item has been gone and why it was forgotten to begin with has helped calm the seas. 

I realize that eight people with different interests, ages and stages will still leave me with more "stuff" than the average family, even after the purging. My true desire is to remove the stumbling block of unnecessary excess and to free us to live more purposefully without the hindrance of "stuff management" to contend with. And, I will try to remember before and after pics. Though, I usually forget, in which case I will just take a photo of the piles and let your imagination do the rest. :) 

True purging...

For a year I have been tiptoeing around my need to purge. I have learned a lot about myself in the last few years. Some of it I don't like. In the past I have bought too much, if one is good isn't four better?!?!? I have been trying to make excuses for myself, I have organized to justify myself instead of humbly admitted my wastefulness and moved on. I have been drowning in a flood of my own making, that of my neatly appointed hoarding.

I marvel at my children keeping every random scrap of this or that when in reality, I have my own piles of "one day I might" with a cutely named Pinterest board to match. I keep boxes and boxes filled with "one day projects" but say no to the "can we now projects" because the floor is covered the remains of toys no longer loved or crafts never done. And I keep harping on the need to be good stewards at the same time the piles by my bed teeter back and forth threatening to crash at any moment. The hypocrisy of it has never been so apparent to me as it became this evening.

E was at a Spurs game tonight. So, after the kids' gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do classes, I got a haircut before we came home for dinner. I was tired and decided on letting the kids watch a movie while Dad was gone. During the movie, I decided to go pick up the craft room. I would like to think that one day I will craft here. For the time being, it holds things to make crafts with and when it is nice and neat I feel creative and inspired. When it is not, I feel crabby and angry. As I cleaned I realized there were too many things and not enough spaces. I also realized that there were things that I had purchased for crafts well into five or more years ago that I never touched, much less crafted with. This was actually not a unique realization. In the past I have convinced myself that "one day" I will or I would feel guilty that I spent money on this or that and thought that giving it away would make me a bad steward.

I have no doubt that the Lord orchestrated tonight's events. I went into my children's rooms at bedtime and observed their overflowing drawers and cabinets and nearly lost it. I am so tired of the constant battle against the mess. I told my children that they showed good stewardship by taking care of what they had or by being mature and humble enough to admit they needed to let something go. And then it hit me. I needed to stop feeling guilty for past decisions and purchases. I need to walk in light of Christ's forgiveness and cut the weights pulling me down. I thought that I would be a good steward to organize and keep so much, but instead it was weighing me down, hindering me from joyfully engaging my children. 

It will be hard work. I will have to ask myself hard questions and be willing to swallow my pride as I get rid of this or that which I just had to have. It will be humbling. And I need to be willing to go to my children and ask for their forgiveness in setting a poor example of stewardship, especially since I have been so bold as to exalt myself as such a good one. I need to ask Elliott's forgiveness for not being a good manager of our resources. Of course, I need to seek the Lord and pursue His forgiveness and seek His guidance in changing my heart to rest in Him alone for my contentedness. 

As I gaze at the first pile of many more to come, my mind dancing with the possibilities... Garage sale? Blessing swap? Drop-off donation? Save up stuff until I have enough to do something grand with or get rid of stuff in onesie-twosies as I have time in the midst of schooling and living and serving the Church? 

Any ideas?