Tuesday, June 12, 2011 :: New Shoes and Simplifying

First of all, now that we have received our first shipment of T-shirts, we thought we'd add these beauties to our line of products:

Ok, NO, I'm NOT serious, but aren't those a hoot?? (Thanks, Jen VDH, for sending me the pic!) They're called High Tide Heels. I think they are actually a legitimate product, which is just plain weird. Imagine seeing someone walk down the hall at church with these babies on. Imagine someone walking AT ALL with these babies on. Yeah.

The skunk smell is gone (as are the skunks we believe) but now it smells like the SEWER outside. This is from all of the dying plants around us. At some point the smell will subside once all of the plants are done rotting, but WOW is it intense at the moment. Want to come over for supper?? At one point I kept thinking the baby had a poopy diaper, then realized no, it's just the smell from outside. (The wind had picked up and the smell was coming in around the windows and front door.) It is sad when one cannot differentiate the difference between a poopy diaper and the air from outside of your house.

Originally, my plan for this summer was to go through the house and simplify things and our lives. I mentioned this on facebook a while back, but I had been reading this book, Organized Simplicity, and the author talks about how when our lives (and homes) are filled with stuff, we spend most of our time just taking care of our stuff, and then we don't have time to do some pretty important things like spending quality time with friends and family, and ministering to others. She outlines in the book how to go through your house, room by room, and completely simplify. However, then the whole flood thing happened, and we moved out, and then back in...kinda....so MY take on the whole simplifying thing has been a little different. I suggested to Dustin today that we only unpack the things we actually use, and only at the moment that we actually need them, and that we leave everything else in boxes and whatever is left after a year, we throw or give away.

I thought he was going to pass..out. And it was NOT because I suggested we throw or give away our stuff. Actually, he was ready to give away the whole trailer full of our stuff before we unpacked it!  No, no, it was the very suggestion that we leave ANYTHING in boxes for a year. You see, I not only live with Mr. Clean, I live with Mr. Clean/Organized/TypeA/Control Freak. (And actually, I like that about him most of the time.) So the very thought of doing this for 10 seconds longer than we have to is pure torture for him. <sigh> And here I thought my whole leave-it-for-a-year-and-then-pitch-it idea was pretty good! Someone try it, will ya? And let me know how it goes. I digress....

One thing I have realized through our whole ordeal is that we have too much stuff. And I don't think it's just us, I think just about everyone in America has too much stuff. And I've been trying really hard, as we live fairly minimally right now, to question every thing we own, if it is really necessary to own it.

In the book (Organized Simplicity) she suggests that we do NOT need a unique appliance or tool for every task. In fact, she suggests getting rid of any tool, gadget, or appliance that only accomplishes one specific task. That's great advice. Of course every rule has an exception, because I can't for the life of me figure out what else to use the burr coffee grinder for, but I'm NOT getting rid of that! (Dustin really WOULD pass out!!)

So, as I (slowly) go through boxes, I'm questioning the necessity of each and every item. And I've decided I don't need six 9x13 baking dishes. I don't need five cookie sheets. And I certainly don't need that silly Soda Stream machine that seemed like such a fun idea last Christmas.  And I'm hoping that by freeing myself from the slavery of stuff, I'll have more time and energy to do the really important things in life.

Want to join me by simplifying YOUR home and life? It's guaranteed to be painful at first, but worth the effort in the long run. What do you suppose you can live without? (And no, you really shouldn't give away your spouse or any children...)