Purging

 Well I've started cleaning out and decluttering the house.  I have wanted to do this for some time, but just couldn't convince myself to do it.  Now that I will be home more I find that I want to enjoy the peace and having too much in a room is not peaceful to me.  I also want to paint the house this summer and to do that I need less stuff.  Fortunately 4H will be having a garage sale this spring so I can donate things there and not feel a bit bad about it.  

I started in the kitchen because I had a mouse get in my lower dish cabinets.  As I was cleaning them out to clean I sorted before I put thing back.  It's inspiring me to get more done.  I'm almost done moving the Christmas I'm keeping back to the attic.  After that I need to go through what is remaining in the basement and get it donated.  4H has a fall garage sale that other things will go to if I miss this one.  I'm excited to get this done.

I have been a bit off my game this week since my dad has been in the hospital.  He has been stressful, but at his age (87) it's not totally unexpected.  Hopefully the remaining tests will tell us a few things and we won't have a repeat of this last weekend.

Sprout is really trying this semester and her grades are really showing it.  I'm so proud.  She's smart but unless she wants to do it there isn't much to motivate her.  The joys of a strong willed child.

New Year and a New Perspective

Well it's a new year and I'm posting has been on the back burner more than I want it to be.  The holidays were a bit blah for me this year and that is soooo unusual.  I love the holidays and all the crazy stuff that goes with it.  Christmas movies are my favorites and decorating the house always brings me joy, but not this year and I really can't tell you why.  Everything just seemed off and I'm sure it was just me, but my family did notice some.  I went through the motions of things as normal, but it just seemed joyless and I can't put my finger on it.  I've thought about it several times, but I still don't really know.  

Anyway the new year has started and my big news is that I am officially done full time working as of July 5.  There were some financial considerations if I stayed until July 1 which is a Friday and the holiday is a Monday so I will go in one last time on July 5 to hand in my id badge and finish emptying my office out.  It's scary and a bit exciting as well.  It has been a long time coming and I've prayed and prayed for this.  I know there is never a "good" time to do this and it is a risk, but Sprout will be starting high school next fall and my time with her is getting smaller and smaller.  I already feel her moving away, as she should, but I just see so much I need to teach her yet and there is so little time.

The house is crazy as usual with the addition of the Nubby cat that I just couldn't send back to the barn.  We call him the special cat and I'm sure being the runt and sickly for so long did some long term damage.  He's a bit cross eyed and has something up with his back.  As long as you pick him up carefully it doesn't seem to bother him.  The dog is still jealous, but he doesn't seem to mind and if pushed too far will let her know that he isn't putting up with her.  He was curious about the tree this year, but we kept an eye on him so no major disasters.  

I'm starting to plan for a total declutter of the house and painting each room.  It's been several years since several rooms have been painted so it's time.  I'm starting to pick colors.  Some rooms will be a similar color and some will be totally different.  Several were painted when I bought the house pre husband and child so it's been a longggg time and single me and married me have a bit of a different taste.  The clutter isn't really bad, but I know if I were home everyday it would bother me so it's time to part with some things.  I want Sprout to help so she can see my thinking on things.  It's important to do this occasionally and I don't do it often enough.  Her room is dead last.  She's been working on cleaning it, but it's time to really clean it out of the little kid things and move on to grown up things.  It will be hard for me, but I have to do it.

I'll be working on some other goals over the next few weeks and creating a real home management book and not the haphazard one I've been using over the years.  One big goal is to get back my Sundays.  The weekends have always been the days to "catch" up on all the things that didn't get done during the week because of schedules, events and whatever else popped up.  Since FarmBoy's schedule is a rotating 4 days ( 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off, etc) I want to have the flexibility to help when he's off too.  There are times when a parts runner, tractor chaser, etc. are needed and I've rarely been able to do that for him. I won't even talk about paperwork...  It's my most hated thing, but I need to figure out how to do it better.

Calendars, calendars, calendars.

Okay I'm a bit old school in that I like paper books, paper magazines and paper calendars.  That's great until you start keeping track of FarmBoy's schedule ( he works a 4 on and 4 off swing shift ), Sprout's schedule, and my own schedule.  Sometimes I take Sprout to things and sometimes he takes her to things so as much as I like a paper calendar I had to start using a digital one.

Here's how I keep my sanity, google calendar and everyone has their own color.  FarmBoy shows as blue, Sprout is pink and I'm green.  FarmBoy's calendar is linked to mine, but I have permission to add and change his if I need to and he can add and change mine.  I think technically I own Sprout's, but he can add and change on it as well.  This makes it so easy to schedule doctors appointments, 4H meetings, shows, etc. and it keeps track of his shift days.  Because it's color coded it's easy to see who it belongs to and who is available to cover.  It has saved me many times over having this information available on my phone.  At sometime in the past I put in all the family birthdays that I could find/remember so that we both could see them.  I then can send him a reminder if he needs to schedule/call one of his family members and he can get a general idea if we are going to be doing something for my side. 

But I have to admit that I still have a paper calendar.  There's just something about my calendar that I love.  I usually jot things in it first and then add them to the digital later because it takes me forever it seems to type things and I hate holding people up while I figure out how to get it in my phone.  Right now I'm using a happy planner and so far I really like it.  I need to get a refill soon since it's one that follows a school year plan and not a January to December traditional schedule.  I think I found this one on sale and just thought I'd give it a try.  So far I really like it.

I'm finding the more organized I am the less I stress.  It helps us plan better as a couple and doesn't put it all on me to let him know what is going on and if I need for him to take her to things.  Now all this somewhat gets thrown out of the window if it's planting or harvest season.  He tries to help when he can, but when the weather is right the weather is right and he's in the fields no matter what is going on anywhere else in our life.  In that case I just have to keep reminding myself to everything there is a season and roll with it.  Somehow God gets me through and I am grateful.