Freedom on the horizon!!

Terry trying out his cherry wood walking staff that Greg made him!

Words found in file.  I do love the feeling below.  probably because it's not overwhelmed with stack of stuff!

why would this warm my heart?

last batch of stuff to sort and find desktop

looking better!!!

 I tried to put the above pictures after the paragraphs/picture first and it wouldn't let me so I'll end with what I wanted to start with.  Tomorrow I will be done with step one of my 4 step plan of #1 de-junking/downsizing.  Office will be done.  Closet is done.  Next?--under our bed!!!  Don't ask.  I'll tell when I unearth the treasures!

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I cherish words and thoughts and ideas that float into my thoughts.  I believe in crediting the thought receivers and I have no idea who was gifted with this truth but wish I could acknowledge them.  A lot of food for thought in this wee sentence. (see bottom of page.  I couldn't get it to move right here!)

I want to be me.  real. solid.  what I have the divine destiny to become.  to be me.  This is a freeing task.  I'm enjoying the process.  Look at me the plundering plow horse!!!

Fiercely determined to conquer bothersome obvious/subtle thorniness is a wonderful task.  True it's shocking how much I've managed to accumulate, and view most as treasure and not trash, but space is a limiting factor.  If I can't access what I would like to use then of what use is it?  Space is limited so possessions must also be limited.  The size is what it is.  It's not going to expand.  Decreasing by whatever method works for me is essential.

I have no time left to waste!!

Etc. Etc. Etc. .....

Different things going on (Terry flu) that slowed me a bit on finishing up the office dig-out project.  I wasn't going to post anymore finds but a blog reader asked me to keep sharing.  (Maybe I encourage others, bring out gratitude, when they see what I'm dealing with and they feel really on top of their game?)

So here are a couple of pics of the short work on office week.....

Already I'm running behind because I put in the to be filed/sorted/used/thrown file drawer, a will that now I can't find!  A will of a couple wanting us to take their 4 children if they should both die in their small aircraft.  We didn't know them that well but did know that their children were rather, uh, active shall we say?  Thank goodness, on all counts, we did not have to live up the the contents of that will!!  Why would we have done that signing?  I will find it (before the millennium) and read over and share.  They were such a mismatched couple at least by appearance and interests but we so enjoyed each of them.  He and Terry were equally mismatched.  Terry the short mechanic and he the extra tall trim Medical Doctor.  He was an adventurer and they had just returned from his Physician stint at Kotzebue.  She was into theater and dancing and speech and etc. and I so enjoyed visiting with this rather recent graduate, of all the good things that BYU has to offer.  We worked together in the Stake YW.  They ate whole wheat cereal every single breakfast!   They gave us this set of Alaskan jade bookends that we have kept whole and enjoyed them for nearly 50 years.  We all moved away but that was an interesting shared part of our life.  A lot of trivia!

Mountain side of our treasure

Inside of it!

So you can see how tall it is

and also the width.

They are super heavy, gorgeous and Alaskan all the way!  They aren't kept in the office but they might eventually end up here.  Who knows?  time will tell.  I thought of them when I found the will- that I already can't put my fingers on it!!!  Time will tell on that also.

As for other Treasures/Trash of office purge....

emptied out boxes and note books.  all bets are on that boxes go back on shelves!

upper right. yellowed paper-"When your home is organized you feel more energized."

Thank you letter from Granddaughter.  written on a Kleenex!!

Miss Martha planted 3000 bulbs in ONE day.  I probably have room for 12! 

Who is the chocolate freak around here?????

buh-bye to more trash!!!  feelin' good!

Hey!  the tree is down.  the ornaments.  the garlands.  Just books, wreaths, outdoor lights left.  go Terry!

Office nearing completion of de-junk!!!!!

As I plow away on my master plan, I'm feeling such a feeling of accomplishment and relief!  Relief that I'm freeing myself of to much stuff.  Not necessarily junk/trash (although there is certainly a lot of that accumulated) but of way to much to even access the good stuff!

As a co-dependent (I like to think recovering/recovered) I'm thinking why put this out there?  won't people think less of me?  won't they see how weak I am?  won't they stop liking me?....that sort of mentality is stinkin' thinkin'. 

My friends love me as I am and they know my humanness and I theirs and it's a part of our mortal journey.

Would you believe?.....one more journal showed up!!!

Another beautiful leather one.  Burgundy with a black overlap spine and my initials in gold.  One entry.  Jan 1, 2008!  of course it's January 1st!  I decided to save it with my other gorgeous, totally blank red leather journal.  The two of them will last me the rest of my mortal life.  they don't take up much space, are lovely to look at, and I feel no guilt to just have them in my life, for my pleasure, and not journaling a bit!

I'll leave this entry in place!!  Just change the year!!!!

so supple, rich and beautiful! Books worthy of "red-letter days". 

 I should really use them! 

Is there no end?????

For the next several Sundays I'll be visiting different Wards as it's time for Ward Conferences.  I got the Wards mixed up and went to one for Sacrament, then came home and went back later for the other Ward.  It's a long enough drive to have time to think about my de-junking project.   Yes, there are a lot of extras that need to be pitched but it's not like I'm unearthing deceased animals, or finding a real rat's nest, or mold on partial eaten food or any food at all.  No.  It's actually decent good stuff for the most part but there is just way to much.  Because space is small then extras have no space.  Even to much of a good thing turns sort of bad when to much lends to not being used.  or easily found if found at all!

Why on earth did I hang onto these years of calendars/address books?  What was so vital that I had to hang on?  What phone numbers, some top secret number?, that was only recorded in one of those books must never be thrown?  Was I delusional in thinking that someday they'd be auctioned at Sothebys and be worth as much money as say, a tissue that Marilyn Monroe blotted her lipstick on?  I know the black books were crucial to me as RSP and I enjoyed using them.  I had every single item I needed in that book and hauled it all over.  I don't like notebooks very much.  Barely a smidgen actually. They were perfect for what I needed.

Driving along I decided, in keeping the Sabbath day holy that I would sort through the books, take out any data that I had, copy all addresses that were in the stack on envelopes I'd saved and take care of business.  Preparing to keep in better touch with family and friends was my rationale for Sunday fun time.

The beginning....

What on earth?  no clue.  top one says-- heritage- 2 feet amputated.

Job  done!

The end!!

How many scriptures do two people need?  19 if I counted correctly!  Well, 19 is what I found strewn in some lower shelves.  Overkill?  Uh...yes.  that would be yes!

What on earth?????!!!!

Relocation program...car and truck for small Book of Mormons/ Spanish Book of Mormons  in other book case/ pack all others away (Tote#4)  and keep one for me.  Terry has his by his brief case.

My lone keeper!  Love it!!

 I found several Sudoku and Word Games....

I will find a nice home for the top shelf word games.  Possibly I'll keep one.

Actually, at this time I'm so sick and tired of seeing so much excess that has turned to mess that I feel like shoveling all in the dumpster!!  It's good that I'm holding my feet to the fire and that I really want to be free of to much stuff and the only way is to do what I'm doing.  This is such a mess right now and there is no turning back!!  I will do this but I think I'm just going to give a weekly summation or the likes.  You can heave a sigh of relief!!

I was thinking on the way to Church on Sunday....Why on earth am I so determined to do this?  Well, it's necessary.  simplifies my life.  Our life.  Gives me more time to really do things of worth...like helping someone out!!  It's a freeing thing.  In the long run it will buy me time. Then the hymn popped into my mind.  A line from a hymn...break off the shackles of the earth.  When I got to Church I read the words to Hymn #158.  This de-junk is a shackle of sorts and is necessary, even in it's unpleasantness at times and use of time that I'd rather be doing other things right now.  It is necessary for me to move ahead and free myself from shackles of my own making.

The young Bishop (just turned 40!) at the Ward I visited gave an excellent talk on work.  he mentioned self-improvement as a part of our necessary work that must be done.  I thought of my entire house de-junk/downsize project and was reminded within again, of the time I will have to do the things that are on my mind and in my heart.

So I will stop a daily blow by blow on blogging about my excessive things...so much that you most likely can't even imagine why I would have so much stuff, and I'll check in occasionally about it.  I do know there are others like me, so keep me posted on your own treasure hunts! 

still at it!!

Right now I'm thinking...you don't totally have to share everything about your hanging on to everything in your life!!!  The journey has begun and I will keep plowing.

I wonder how far desire and good intentions and oh, I really was going to do that (whatever), will play into judgement when the books are opened.  Oh, not mine!!

Hit paydirt today!  Scattered and tucked away and my digging unearthed these...

10!  Yes! 10!  10 years of calendars and address books/cards/envelopes etc.

I wanted some information out of the calendars just as I did off of the cards/envelopes.  These were scattered.  I stacked them neatly and tucked them away behind family birthday/address/phone list.  I will let that sit hidden but it will get finished and I will post a picture of it finished!

see stack in back?

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I'm sure there are others lurking somewhere around here but this is what my archaeological dig also unearthed.....

9 journals!!!  NINE!

Filled with heart-felt sentiments?  The answer would be a resounding no!  The pink one turned out to be some Temple quotes that I wrote for Terry in 1990 and we would read it on the way to the Temple.  Tori printed her name on one but never wrote a word (has Nana genes, maybe?)  The other 7?...there were 4 that all basically had the same thing recorded...Today is January 1 and blah blah blah.  All fresh start/new year.  A million promises to self on achieving perfection in all areas of my life by the next Jan 1.  Same song.  Same verse.  Going to do this and do that.  The last 3?--brand new blank journals.  lovely.

I started with looking at the ones that had an entry.  sometimes 3 years were covered.  covered in 6-8  pages.  Yes.  you heard me right.  2 pages per year!  I tried to tear them out to save them and ditch the journal.  I'm ruthless!  I ended up throwing all 4 journals.  some even had entries but remember they were all like carbon copies so it didn't matter about my weight or what I was going to eat and that I'd, for sure, write every day or at least weekly and meditate and etc. etc.

The other 3?  2 will make lovely gifts and I did keep one.  Absolutely no promises for anything. I saved this little red leather beauty.

Small. Lovely. Inviting. Pristine and it might just stay that way!!

Now if I was, note the word was, going to say what I'd journal- it would be things of the Spirit.  Promptings.  Received and acted upon.  The most valuable bit of information, that I found as I was on auto-destruct, was this old piece of paper....

A note to remind me of what the Spirit said to me....

This is the girl you've prayed for all these years.  Her Mother is the seminary teacher.

that would be one for my red book journal.  Actually I'm more at ease in just talking with you and sharing what is going on.  It's so laborious to write and I'm such a jabberwockey.  This is a beautiful (to me anyhow) story and I will share it sometime. 

Still marching onward!! STILL!

The amount of data stored in this room is unbelievable.  Note I said data.  True some of it is junk but the books are in great shape.  Just to many on display.  Well, stuffed in is more descriptive than on display.

Evidently I am not only compelled by some inner force to write things but also save minutia that might be needed (by whom and for what???  dunno!)  I found reams of paper stuffed in manila envelopes and stuffed inside dark green binders just waiting to be 3-hole punched.

At minimum one ream on RS, starting with the first email I sent in 2006.  eventually I stopped saving them.  I felt they told about the Ward and people and who was doing what.  A history of deaths, births, sickness etc. Perhaps I was motivated to stop saving them when a RS sister told me to stop sending them to her as it was jamming her computer.  She said I sent way to many and they weren't necessary nor interesting and besides that  who cares??!!  I like to think she was smiling when she said it and the frustrated, almost angry, okay...ticked off way she sounded was just a poor connection.  Surely, she didn't really say-- I don't care who had a baby!! 

I have a history of sorts of our Ward right down to blueprint of first building we were going to get and then blueprint of one we did.  They are small-size.  So nice for a notebook.

Yes.  I packed them away.

2 blueprints in RS emails

 I found a notebook with all sorts of quotes and tried to throw it away, started reading and lost my focus.  I'm so befuddled...did I pack it in a tote or take it out of book and file in with other notes?

Great talk on counting blessings.

I know I like to learn things.  I see that I sort of want to learn everything.  I found this proof....

Sign Language/Hymn Sign Language/Conducting Course/Keyboard Course/2 on Ballroom Dancing/Quilting

 All were brand new.  Sigh.  I'll put the Trip around the World quilt directions in with my fabric and decide it's fate when I get to that challenging task.  I decided to put all the others in Tote #3, along with my little metronome which is a story on it's own.  I'm keeping only one item out.  this gem....

101 minutes of brilliance.  Entitled Opening Isaiah. Oh, I also need to open package!!

My grammar used to be spot on!  I knew the rules of composition and all those other details and was a whiz and very at ease, to the point I just never gave it a thought, and just wrote what was in my mind/heart.  If I look at other blogs I feel like a toad.  Not toad in a good way.  Inferior, inadequate etc.  all those not so nice ways to feel.  Every once in awhile I get a book about writing/grammar etc. and when I start to look at them, not read-just thumb through and peek,  I start getting warts.  I think I have an allergic reaction to feeling less than par comparatively speaking.  So I see that I have a 9 stack and I know there are others lurking in the living room book shelf  (yes. more books!),  I will think about this and decide tote/throw/keep on shelf?? later on!!  Not right now.

In the balance.  What to do?  Looks like Thesaurus is only one used! Dictionary a bit also.

Well, would you look at this!!??  it won't stay this way but it's able to breathe and enjoy the light of day AND The cookbooks have a new delegated space!  will it be permanent?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

Whew!!  not empty for long but lookin' good!

Top two shelves- books I can't part with.  Lower shelf!- cookbooks!!!!

Surely there is some prize for such paring down!!!  Surely!

Hot off the press...

Thinking of Mariah today....

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/0dt0mONW3ow/church-instructs-leaders-on-same-sex-marriage

BREAKING NEWS Friday, January 10, 2014 12:03 PM EST

U.S. to Recognize Utah Gay Marriages Despite State Stance The Obama administration on Friday said that it will recognize as lawful the marriages of 1,300 same-sex couples in Utah, even though the state government is refusing to do so. Wading into the fast-moving legal battle over same-sex marriage rights in one of America’s most socially conservative states, the administration posted a video on the Justice Department’s website. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that the federal government will grant federal marriage benefits to the same-sex couples who had rushed to obtain marriage licenses after a federal judge last month unexpectedly struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage. “I am confirming today that, for purposes of federal law, these marriages will be recognized as lawful and considered eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages,” Mr. Holder said in the video. “These families should not be asked to endure uncertainty regarding their status as the litigation unfolds.”