All together now - PURGE . . .

The weekend is here and I have big plans for it. My #1 goal is to get serious about ridding my closet of crap.

I have really good intentions of accomplishing this, so this post will act as some sort of mental accountability on my part. Here are a few thoughts on how I plan to tackle it and keep it under control:

I'm going to purge ruthlessly. All sentiments out the window!I'm keeping only those pieces that I absolutely love and know that I will wear on a regular basis. If something doesn’t fit, has holes, missing buttons, out of style, etc., it's going. All those 'Oh, I might wear this with . . .' pieces are gone. Tossing them!

Each piece will have a fate. Just because I'm pulling it out doesn’t necessarily mean it'll meet the garbage dump or wind up at Goodwill. And if you’re like me, you might have a couple of different sizes you're hanging on to, some stuff that you just really, really liked at one time and have dreams of fitting into again. Well, regardless, they're still taking up space. If I come across something that I'm determined to hang onto for memory sake then it's going into a storage bin of ‘used to fit me' clothing. Likewise, any torn or stained pieces in need of a little TLC that I know I will truly spend time salvaging, will go in another bin. No exceptions. None.

Minimizing my losses. Purging my closet won't be a complete monetary loss. Because you know what they say. One gal's junk is another gal's treasure . . . Hopefully most items, even some shoes and accessories, can be taken to a consignment shop (wash, pressed if really wrinkled and hung), sold in an upcoming yard-sale, or if my tech savvy daughters are willing, sold on Craigslist, eBay or Facebook. And speaking of consignment . . . my sister-in-law, Kristi, has a shop in town called Wee Cycled & New to You . Wee Cycled is for the kiddos and New to You is for you ladies. So if you're ready to undertake a little purging yourself or just ready for new piece or two at a great price, check it out!

Making sure it's worth my time. Once I've tackled the beast I'll have to continue to keep things in order. This will be the long term goal. The plan this weekend is to create a no-fail system that will be easy to maintain. Things like color matching will help for sure. And hanging tops here, pants there, etc. will help also. For example, I already do that with my black pants and jeans. I’ve heard it said that I tend to wear ‘funeral attire’ to work. But for me personally, I feel black is super easy to coordinate and work with when striving for a professional office atmosphere. So it’s easier for me to separate work attire (black pants) from my tops and my weekend/casual items. Also, I keep my clothes in a closet instead of dresser drawers. This creates an easier visual of what I actually have and makes it easier to grab something, plus helps prevent wrinkles and ironing.

Being persistent with the contents. Once I've managed to purge and trim things down, keeping things I truly love and will wear repeatedly, I need to keep it that way. And when I do buy something new I normally try to choose quality over quantity already. I mean I love a sale as well as the next person, but I try really hard to resist the urge to buy into the latest ‘fad’ or a 'this might work' piece simply because it’s on sale. I've found that I'm much better off buying ONE piece that I  really, really love than TEN that are cheap and out of style before the next season rolls around. Yes, been there - done that. This helps explain the need for my weekend to be spent purging.

Re-evaluate regularly. Yep, the idea will be to re-assess, re-sort, and re-evaluate my closet every season to see what still fits, what's in good shape, how much dust it's accumulated, etc. And as the seasons shift I'll likely need to remove and/or switch out some items based upon our wacky Tennessee weather. But most importantly, I'll need to keep reminding myself why I purged in the first place and stick to my guns!

So? What about you? Do you ever buy things just because they’re irresistible or on clearance only to find that you don’t really like them after all? Have you ever been brave enough to purge your own closet down to the bare essentials? Do you manage to keep your closet organized? If so, what’s your trick? I'd love to know. Besides, surely I’m not the only one with a closet FULL of clothes I haven’t worn in ... a while?

And just one more thing ladies - a friendly reminder . . .

Later ;)
Shelia

Hitting close to home . . .

A beautifully written letter from a mother to her daughter ...

“My dear girl. The day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through.

If when we talk, I tend to repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt me to say “You said the same thing just a minute ago.” Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same bedtime story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don’t want to or feel like taking a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you as you made excuses, the whole time trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a little girl?

When I appear ignorant when it comes to new technology, give me the time to try and learn and don’t look at me that way ... because remember honey, I patiently taught you how to do so many things such as eating, getting dressed, combing your hair, right from wrong and dealing with life’s day to day issues.

The day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all try to understand what I’m going through. So if I occasionally lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be scared, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is just to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, offer me your hand to take the same way that I gave you mine when you first began to walk.

When those days come sweetheart, don’t feel sad ... just be with me, and understand me with love while I get to the end of my life. I’ll love, cherish and thank you for the gift of the time and joy we shared.

With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say ... I love you."

Love you too Mama .... 

Here we go again . . .

It would almost be unjust to not start this post with a 'where in the world has the time gone?' or some such segue. Sort of like I just did . . .

I have to admit the thought has flitted through my mind (the past 16 months) to attempt a short post, a paragraph, or at the very least put this poor blog out of its misery. I mean surely I'm using up some sort of mysterious data storage that could go to much better use. But obviously I've done neither. So here's my attempt to once again maintain a blog.

I don’t have anything profound to share today, but I have been thinking a lot recently of just how extremely good God is to me and how ridiculously blessed I am. So this post will be a quick look at the goings on of our life.

And it’s changed. A lot.

My Mom, who many of you may recall, suffers with Parkinson’s disease. Suffer is putting it mildly. It is a debilitating disease that shows no mercy. The goal, and the struggle, is to attempt to stay one step ahead of it. I’ve watched it take a woman who never understood the concept of ‘quit’ and force her to strive just to get up and go. Medications are a blessing. And the one thing it hasn’t been able to change is her heart and her love for her family. And we continue on.

Our son, Michael, is still living in Daytona and continuing his education as a full-time student. He found a love for body building while serving in the United States Navy, has carried it forward, competed in and won his first competition – his weight class, plus overall. Huge personal goal and accomplishment for him. He’s currently training himself for his third competition, completely solo, and will be a force to be reckoned with - because this was round one ...

But most importantly, he married our beautiful daughter-in-law, Kristina, in August with a hometown wedding adding another special member to our family. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree this month and will soon be headed back for her Master’s. I’m trying to bite my tongue and not lay the pressure on ‘too hard’ regarding babies . . . it ain’t working.

Our baby, Amanda, became a mom in September. I know! Still can’t believe it. She gave birth to our first grandson, Bennett Lane. He is 8 months old now, absolutely perfect and the true example of what can turn two grandparents into total mush. Oh my gosh. It is impossible to describe the love I have for this boy. You’ll definitely be hearing more about him…

Bennett’s dad, our son-in-law, Brandon, has been able to come home from the military life to work at home full-time. He is a Distributor for AdvoCare (a premier health and wellness company) helping others to improve their health and financial goals. So not only will his feet remain on American soil, but also in our home town. He’s made it possible for Amanda to become a full-time stay at home mom also and that definitely makes this mom and Nana happy.

Hold onto your hats for this one . . . our first grandchild, Samantha, is engaged! So when I ask ‘where did the time go’ I mean it - literally. It seems unfathomable that this child is grown, much less engaged! So this next year will be full of wedding plans and preparations. Here we go again!! Sammie also completed courses to become a CNA and is currently treating patients much like my mom. I am so extremely proud of the caring heart she has for others.

As for me and the hubs? We’re just keepin’ on keepin’ on. And where in the world we got the idea that ‘life after kids’ would be slower and more relaxed I have no idea. I just know I'm loving it. :)

Promising to be back soon,

Shelia