Hey, Indiana readers! There’s going to be a new kid in town.
I can’t divulge too much information now, but something new is coming your way!
Creations by Jules gave me the privilege of designing her logo. She chose teals and soft pinks, highlighted by a golden glow. Like her, I brought Jule’s personality to the forefront.
I try to give each of my creations the personality of its owner. Each one is different and unique.
I can’t wait until Creations by Jules appears in your area!
I came across a decluttering channel that explains exactly how I feel at times. I cannot post the link, but I can tell you this:
Remi Clog, the keepy-uppy method. I was trying to understand why my methods differed from most people’s. Things that should become easy and a no-brainer aren’t. Now I know why I do the things I do. I’m still working on the routine portion, but there are too many distractions. When I get started, I get pulled away for one reason or another, then forget or don’t have the motivation to restart.
I am a work of progress. I realize how far down the rabbit hole I fell. I had no idea that I had lost, except my reality felt more like a prison than anything welcoming.
I’m changing that, one layer at a time. I find healing in this. Now, I’m working on one space at a time. I realized when the problem started. I did well to hide it from most people, including myself. The year was 2008, the year we lost my mom and the year we lost our home within months of each other. I’ve had short intervals where my OCD was in overdrive—moments where nothing fell into place. That’s when the problem started.
I’m tired of turning the other cheek. Honestly, that year affected both of us more than I even realized. Since then, we’ve had several life-altering moments.
For the past few years, I’ve been working on the layers. I’ve made a lot of progress—A LOT of progress! There are a few people out there who are my role models. When I walk into their homes, I want that fantastic feeling. It doesn’t matter if the person’s room is Pinterest-perfect or slightly cluttered. It’s the feeling of the room that makes or breaks the room.
I’m not broken; it’s just that my reality is different from yours. I’m working on a simpler life, even with the small farm. Yes, there are two of us. We both have different work schedules. I try to finish most of my work for the day before he gets home. He’s worked long, hard hours in the sun. I’ve worked hard to make things more of a home that WE BOTH let slide for too long, with several medical issues fighting against me. Thanks for reading this far, and don’t forget to check out Remi Clog’s video.
I’m not sure how you spend your Friday nights. They may all be different. I know mine are. My husband was on a night schedule all this week, which threw off my schedule—not to mention his. Wait! I don’t have a schedule. You’re right! I don’t. That’s part of the reason for my current scenario.
I’m changing that—the no schedule portion, I mean.
I’m realizing I need structure!
I sort of have a schedule. then again, I do not.
Mondays are water days and bath days. I change all my fowl’s water and give all six of our dogs a bath. At least, that’s my goal. It very rarely works out that way. Most of the time, it’s either one or the other. Whatever doesn’t get done on Monday gets moved to Tuesday. Animals always take center stage. They always need something. Today, I had to keep the turkeys from attacking my hen chickens. They didn’t like the mating saddles any of the girls had on, including their own hens.
I spent most of the morning chasing turkeys that were attacking my hens. Then, of course, there are two feedings a day. I have turkeys, chickens, quail, geese, rabbits, ducks, dogs, cats, fish, and a turtle. Today wasn’t even coop cleaning day. That’s tomorrow, Saturday. Each chore is an all-day process. Yes, my flocks are free-range. They still need their grains. I’m working on other systems to put into place. I must get different temperaments within the flock straightened out first. That too, is a process.
I really need a schedule. Somewhere, I get so involved with the animals that I forget about the rest of my responsibilities, like housework.
So, I’m going to explain my Friday night. Maybe you, too, need somewhere to start. Life can be overwhelming at times with all the hats we wear throughout the day.
I found a speed cleaning checklist on simplyorganizedhome.com. Oh, this should be easy, I thought.
The whole process should have taken 2 hours. It didn’t!
It took me longer.
So, here’s how the breakdown went:
Again, at 10:35, I started the list. The only thing I changed was that I started doing some laundry first. Since I had just washed the sheets yesterday or maybe the day before, I made the bed. I folded a bag of laundry and put together six pairs of socks. That alone took me 20 minutes.
At 10:55 PM, I started the kitchen at 11:25 PM, I was not done with the kitchen. I took the clean dishes out of the dishwasher and put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. From 11:25 to 11:40 PM, I vacuumed. I vacuumed all the floors. I vacuumed the kitchen, I vacuumed the hallway, the living room, and the front and bathroom. Yes, I vacuumed the linoleum floors, the hardwood floor, and the living room carpet. By this time, I had to take a 10-minute break.
Between 11:50 and 11:58, I quickly—and I do mean quickly—mopped the kitchen, the hall, and the front bathroom. From 11:58 to 12:05, I had to take another break. From 11:05 to 11:15, I wiped down the bathroom. From 12:15 to 12:30, I put away the stray items from the bag. I wiped down the kitchen counters. By 12:30 AM, my husband came home.
I did this more or less for a challenge. More to myself, I stopped at 12:30 a.m. but still had at least three more items on the list to finish. That was not going to happen today. I was listening to a Dana K. White podcast called A Slob Comes Clean the whole time. I had almost listened to three episodes.
I’m also realizing my limitations, and so many things must change. Once I get back onto a schedule, things will become easier. When things get out of hand, you must start somewhere. I may not have finished everything on the list, but I feel better about the improvement.
I just need to be more consistent and disciplined and hold myself accountable. I’m not going to penalize myself and question why or how it got this way. Life happens, and stuff happens. I do have the power to change it. Now, if I would get out of my way.
That is how I spent my Friday night. Tomorrow is another hour’s challenge.
Knowing I must break things down into tic-tac-sized pieces. Today was a very productive day.
Nothing is impossible; the word itself says ‘I’m possible’! Audrey Hepburn
Do you ever have those mornings when you want to return to bed? I seem to be a lot more than I care to. Today was an exception. I had already checked when the sun was coming up. Scheduled for the next 15 minutes; I didn’t want to miss it. Instead, I found myself scrolling through social media. Why? I don’t have that answer. Besides, it was still chilly out, so I told myself I’d do my bible study outside and then return to bed. I might have read about three or four chapters, but then I started getting sleepy.
I heard Roo telling me they wanted out and wanted breakfast. Fine! I’ll feed the animals and then go back to bed. It was already 9:15 am. I was already getting a late start to the day, so I got them all fed. By this time, it was starting to warm up outside. It’s too late to go back to bed now. I thought. At 9:45, I figured I would sit outside for some vitamin D. The good Lord knows we don’t spend enough time outside.
This time, I would do something different. Instead of grabbing my coffee and sitting down to watch the ducks, I grabbed my notebook and pen. This time, I only took my phone to take pictures along the way.
Spending time with my ducks is therapeutic. So is writing.
Sitting on the bench, I could put my thoughts on paper. I know all of this sounds wholly mundane and useless. Maybe to some. It’s about making a conscious change and being present and purposeful, with intent.
One thing is for sure: I wouldn’t say I like the habits I’ve acquired lately. I’ve become sluggish and don’t get half the things I intend to do for the day.
At 10:27 a.m., sitting with my coffee and pen in hand, I went through my list of chores. I became determined to get on a schedule.
“When you do the things you’ve done, you always do what you always did. You will also get what you’ve always gotten.” It is not an exact quote from Tony Robbins; my brain added more for emphasis.
Things have got to change!
I did the unthinkable! I started setting alarms on my phone, one every hour. No matter where I was on a task when the alarms went off. I will switch to a new task. Starting at 11 am, the Newsboys will come on. “That’s how you change the world,” will start blaring. It’s a shift. I now had an 11-hour work day ahead of me, ending at 10 pm.
Today, I have water to change, baths to give, daily chores, and meal prep. I spend too many hours not starting anything, which leaves me defeated by the end of the day.
April 22 marked the day of Passover when the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, freeing them from slavery. It also marks the day when Jesus passed over the blood-laden thresholds, saving those from death and destruction.
Today is the day I claim my Passover. I claim victory over unnecessary idleness.
Wild blackberries, what a gift!
I love getting this particular treat in April! These blackberries are already sweet. I’ll be watching closely for the next few days. There’s a whole bunch of red ones that still need to be ripe. Usually I miss them this time of year, for one reason or another.
POOF! Then they’re gone.
When I was a kid, the pastor up the hill had humongous bushes. They were so tall, we had to use a step ladder to get to them. Thankfully, he let us pick all we wanted. It would be hilarious when our white samoyed would come home after wandering off. His whole muzzle was purple. BUSTED!
Hopefully, the mosquitos won’t eat me the next time I go out.
THAT WAS NOT FUN!
Next time, I will wear long sleeves.
I love watching all the animals explore new spaces as we expand their areas. They are so inquisitive and eager to find out what’s new. Oh! If only we had that much curiosity.
Do you ever come to a crossroads where you must take a different path? It seems I stay there. This time, I will take a left-hand turn instead of a right one. Staying always to the right, I wonder why I always go in circles.
“Insanity is doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results.” We’ve all heard that before. Why does it ring so true, though?
