Hello, August?

Wow, it's already August and I've been so busy with my projects that I have hardly had time to breathe. The deep cleaning project is practically complete! I still have a couple of closets to purge and then it's done. I've been busy the last week finishing up some things and spending time with some people who I haven't seen for a long time...YEARS. It was great seeing them all.

So let's talk about what has come from this deep cleaning project I have undertaken. I have hauled so many bags and boxes out of our house that I'm sure our neighbors think that we are preparing to sell the house. Speaking of the neighbors...Pat, my husband and resident pack rat, has had some issues with some of the things I've been throwing out of the house. For once, he isn't trying to keep any of it, BUT, he has decided that this stuff is "just too good to take to GoodWill" and has taken it upon himself to give away (to the neighbors) the following:

• 2 lamps
• Wooden toilet paper holder
• Free standing wire shelf -which my neighbor is using as a trellis for his gourds...dang...why didn't I think of that?
• Other misc. things that I can't think of right now...

They have taken everything he's offered so I don't know if they really wanted the items or if they just feel sorry for him for having to haul out so many bags of trash to the curb the last few weeks. Whatever...the junk is out of my house! Enjoy!

So, what has come from all this cleaning and de-cluttering?

• I feel less stressed!

• My house actually feels clean!

• We know what we have!

• Everything in the house is either useful or decorative (with the exception of a few, well organized, boxes of momentos)

• Here is the best part! My brain is also less cluttered and I can now focus on some other areas in my life.

Remember I mentioned the life cleanup project? Here are some other areas where my life needs some cleaning up:

1. Management of my time!
2. My weight and why I struggle with this!
3. My creativity (or lack thereof since my kids were born)!
4. Putting more effort into my marriage and giving it the time it needs. (kids..work...you name it)
5. Doing things I enjoy - putting myself first sometimes (very cluttered here...you know...having kids and all that)!
6. Being joyful and really enjoying everyday life (this has a lot to do with time management)!
7. Money Issues - knocking out debt, learning to save more and teaching our kids good money management tools.
   

I'm sure there are other areas too but these are the main things I am focusing on.
First up is Time Management. Next time, I'll show what I've done in this area and how it's working for me. It's really cute, effective and addresses my creativity needs too.

Until Next Time...

**photo courtesy of flickr.com