Simplicity Project #4

Before I get going about my project, I just have to share this really sweet pic of Hope. I think she may grow up to be a writer. What do you think? So introspective!

This week I chose a very simple project to complete. Work has been a little overwhelming so I'm actually pretty proud that I even found the time to do this one, little thing to create space in my world. Not sure the "platter cabinet" is going to cause any earth-shattering effects either way, but I'm glad to have it done nonetheless. Not too much of a difference but definitely got rid of some items I haven't been using.
Before

After

I am feeling more and more, the need to create space in my life. As certain things seem to be closing in on me, I find refuge in areas I can control such as my atmosphere. It really does help bring peace in the midst of the storm. I hope you all are getting inspired by these posts. Please feel free to share about projects you are tackling in your home!

Simplicity Project #3

This week I share with you a project I usually tackle once a year. Although this year, with my new found disgust of clutter and excess I had the wisdom to go a few steps further.

Pictures!

Now I've always been over the top when it came to these paper memories but ever since the introduction of digital photography, I've gotten worse. It was one thing to take 6 rolls of 35mm film of our honeymoon but now . . . 6 years later . . . think of the thousands of photos we have of our family in just 8 months! And I'm not one of those people who takes the pictures and leaves them on the camera or even on the computer for that matter. No, I'm a frequent shopper at Shutterfly.com so the paper memories are piling up!

This year, I went completely crazy and got rid of hundreds of pictures. High school, college, people I haven't seen in years, whose names I can't even remember. Trash! All trash!

I keep my photos in a dresser in our sitting room. The dresser is a quirky antique with somewhat open drawers. So you can see if there is a lot of clutter in them. My goal with this project was to straighten the drawers and create more space for the thousands of photos I will be adding in the next few years.

Before

After (See the extra room? And what you can't see is that one of those photo boxes is actually empty!)

And the hundreds of photos I threw away! Good-bye boy I dated in 10th grade . . . I don't even remember your name!

This project was especially space-making because I said good-bye to many memories, leaving room in not only my drawer but also my heart for many more, even greater memories with my family.

Separation Anxiety

Every book, website, email blast or piece of mommy mail I read says we may be experiencing separation anxiety at this point. It makes total sense - heightened awareness, increased understanding, a deeper level of bonding. . . But the funny thing is, every time I leave Hope at my mom's house she is either eating or if I stay long enough for a cup of coffee, playing in her exersaucer and she never seems affected by my goodbye kisses and waves as I walk out the door. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful that she is happy and thriving with my mom (I had no doubt she would be).

This week, every time I dropped her off and headed to work I was in the worst mood. I thought maybe I was just tired or cranky because work has been ramping up but then as I walked out my mom's door yesterday morning it hit me. . . separation anxiety. The books and websites don't talk about my separation anxiety. The mommy mail doesn't address how I'll feel when I leave my little one. I think the two weeks plus I spent with Hope over the holidays ruined me for my time away from her. While I still enjoy going to work and having adult interaction and independence, my deeper connection with Hope as she grows is causing the stakes to be higher. If I am going to leave her, if I am going to miss out on even one day, it's got to be worth it.

Which leads me to the ponderings that have plagued my mind this week. Am I that passionate about my work that it is worth time away from my girl? Some days I feel like I am. Although it's not that I've ever felt a really deep passion about what I do per say, but rather a deep passion for the One I do it for. In my line of work, you spend your days navigating through artistic personalities and temperaments, insecurities and lofty ideas. It's enough to make you exhausted, if not downright sick. So although I love my clients and I am committed to serve them well, I don't do it for them. If I did, I would have given up years ago. I serve them in order to serve God and serve the people they reach with their art. I have to remind myself of this fact every now and then. . . on occasions like this that cause me to re-evaluate everything.

Today I feel called to do this work. I feel His grace over me which allows me to leave goodbye kisses and waves as I walk out the door and leave my child in the hands of another (thank you God it's my mother). But I can promise Hope this. . . not a day will go by without me pausing to ask the Lord if His grace still covers this. God give me the wisdom to know the answer.

Simplicity Project #2

Here we go again. This week I tackled Hope's closet. It's amazing how much stuff an 8 month old can accumulate! We were blessed with so many things . . . mostly adorable outfits that she wore once. People just can't help themselves from buying baby girl outfits, mommy included! I think one of the main things that compelled me to do this project was the overwhelmingness of Hope's closet. While I have been so thankful for the overabundance of clothing (what woman wouldn't be happy with choice when it comes to clothing?) I have felt guilty, almost ashamed if she didn't wear it all. And so I have felt the need to downsize.

Hope's Closet Before

Hope's Closet After


And then the really huge pile of stuff I will be consigning or giving to Good Will

Now this display does not take into account the new clothes my mom brought back to me from the many, generous family members in Florida that yup, you guessed it, just couldn't help themselves and bought Hope not one, but many new outfits for the spring and summer. Good thing I took this shot before I crammed all those in there! No seriously, I am thankful. She will need to be clothed this summer.

Let's just say with 50 more Simplicity Projects to go this year, you just might see Hope's closet show up one or two more times!

I am so thankful that the Lord has given me vision to do this for our home. Even with traveling twice for work last week, I still feel an amazing measure of grace and space for Him to work and to speak. I know it is in part because I am being obedient to this task. Cleaning house feels great!

Upromise

I'm sure many of you have seen this program at your local Publix supermarket. They do a great job promoting it. I grabbed a flyer one day months ago and put off joining until late in November. Man, am I glad I joined before the Christmas Shopping season!

If you are not familiar with the program, visit www.upromise.com as soon as you finish reading this post.

Upromise is a program developed to help you save for college through your normal everyday spending. You can register your Kroger Plus Card, Publix Card (they have one specifically for Upromise), your Harris Teeter card, etc, etc. Then you can register your Debit Card and any time you use that card to eat out at participating restaurants, a small % of what you spend will be deposited in your Upromise account as savings for college. BUT, the most productive way to save is by shopping online through the Upromise site. It links to Macys.com, Kohls.com, Shutterfly, SnapFish, Vista Print (just to name a few) and any time you shop on those sites, a % of what you spend is deposited into your Upromise account for college savings.

As of today, Dave and I have saved over $20 for Hope's college fund! We can link our account to her 529 Savings Plan so the money is invested as well. The most amazing thing about the program is you are saving without even thinking about it! You can ask your family to link to your account so every time grandma and grandpa spend money, they can save for college as well!

The program is free and although $20 in one month doesn't seem like much, over 18 years it will add up. The thought of paying for college in 18 years is so overwhelming. At least this little effort takes some of the pressure off.

I hope it works well for all you mommies out there! Now you have a very noble excuse to purchase things online!

Happy Shopping. . .I mean, College Saving!

Simplicity Project #1

Happy New Year everyone! I pray you all had a wonderful holiday and that 2009 is off to a good start. It is for us. We got so much done over the holiday. I'm dreading the return to work tomorrow a little bit but that's life isn't it?

So here we go. Our first Simplicity Project for the year. I had planned to start small but since the Christmas decorations had to be taken down and put away, there was no better place to start than with our storage unit full of stuff. Now let me give a small disclaimer . . . this picture does not include the mounds of boxes and stuff that was temporarily located on my bedroom floor when I captured this shot. So much of the decor was dumped there as we began gathering it to put it up. So although the "before" picture looks bad, it was really a lot worse!

What do you think? Are we organized or what? What you also cannot see is the box of Christmas decorations that we are giving to Good Will. Woo hoo! Let the purging begin! I feel like I have so much "space" in my life already.

BEFORE


AFTER