Journey to Minimalism: Progress

I have found that some of the biggest motivation is to look back at what I have accomplished, so I'm going to document a little of it tonight.  That, and I have actually had some of you ask how my journey was going-thank you for asking!

In one of my first posts on minimalism, I mentioned how I started out in the storeroom.  Well, I decided to tame it down a bit and try somewhere that I would have quicker results.  So, I turned to the master bedroom.  I mean, YES, there are 4.8 billion things in the storeroom that could probably go, but no one-including me-sees it very often.  I wanted a room that I would see EVERYDAY and could use it to encourage me on my journey.

I have also read a million and one blog posts and self help books on how to declutter your house.  They all have their own suggestions, routines, lists, etc.  But, I decided to scrap all that and do my own thinking.  Not because I am stubborn {though I am, lol}, but because I just didn't like their ideas.  No worries, I liked some of their ideas and use them when ever I can!!

First thing I did?  I cleaned up the room.  I have heard a phrase-'you can't clean clutter.'  I believe it is credited to Flylady (who has been a help to me in the past).  And while she is partly correct, you also can't sort clutter in a dirty room!  Now, I didn't do a deep clean or anything.  I did, however, make the bed, pick everything up off the floor, put things away that had a home, and vacuumed the floor.

What did this do?  First, it gave me a clean space to work on.  Clean breads clean, and I want all the clean I can get!  Second, it shows me how much clutter I really do have. If I have piles of things laying around after I pick up, I know what things don't have a home.  And lastly, when I get done sorting things I surely do not want to clean afterwards!!

After the room was picked up and vacuumed, I was ready to start sorting.  I have heard of all sorts of places to start sorting, but I like to start in the closet.  Why?  Because that is the most likely place to find things you don't use.

Let's face it.  The clothes laying on top of your dresser {or on the floor next to your bed} aren't things you haven't worn in 2 years...they are the clothes you wore last week!  Or the clothes you just bought!  But, they are laying on the dresser because your closet is full! Likely, full of things you don't wear.

And, forget clothes, my closet is the black hole for things that I don't know what to do with and things I want to hide from my children.  Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts, Valentines gifts, you name it, they were there.  Then there were all the trinkets and jewelry from my past, gifts my children had given me, a few broken toys that need to be fixed, suitcases, shoes, and more.  Like I said. The black hole.

Our closet houses my clothing, Explorer's clothing, and my husband's clothing.  Going through every inch of our closet actually took about 4 different days.  I am only able to spend about an hour each time, so I was careful to only pull out what I could handle in that time.

My system:

1.  Choose the area of attack
2.  Pull out each item one by one and determine keep or not
3.  Clean off the shelf or vacuum the floor, depending on the spot
4.  Put back the things I wanted to keep in an organized manner
5.  Put trash in the trashcan
6.  Put donate in the donate
7.  Take pictures (yes! right then) of the items to sell and take them to the sale pile
8.  Upload and list sale items the same day


Some other things I did to my closet:

1.  Turned all the hangers around the wrong way
2.  Aside from maternity clothes, pajamas, and a couple things I would only wear around my house I hung up EVERY.SINGLE.THING.
3.  Purged down to just 10 total pairs of shoes, this includes boots, tennies, flip flops, dress shoes-everything!
4.  Purged down to just 2 pairs of jeans I would go out in (well, actually, I only had 2 that fit-trying to see the bright side).
5.  Decided that one dress for winter wasn't enough and ordered a second :).

More on number 2.  Some of my clothes-heavy sweaters, for example-cannot be worn year round, but MOST of my clothes can.  We have VERY fickle weather here and, as long as you own a couple of cardigans, you can wear almost any shirt 10 months out of the year.  It isn't worth my time or sanity to store clothes away for 2 months.  PLUS, there is always the, well NO I didn't wear it in the last 6 months because it was stored away and I couldn't find it!  So now, everything I own is hung up and every hanger is turned backwards.  Which means, come June, if a heavy sweater is turned backwards guess what?? It goes!!  I have a lot of purging to do in my shirts and I'm interested to see what I don't end up wearing.

Now, I'm really not ready to post the before and after photos of my room, yet.  I've still got some more areas I want to tackle and I'm not willing to share the before unless I can also provide the after KWIM?  But, what I do have to share is this:

This is one of about 4 large bags of stuff I took out of the closet!!  You name it, it was in there, lol!  I was so surprised to see how many bags the stuff that I didn't want or need filled!  I mean, my closet was full, but it wasn't THAT full, or at least I didn't think it was! 

I have my bedroom about half sorted.  It takes a bit of time going through every SINGLE item you own.  But, the way it looks afterwards is so worth it!

Anyone else doing a purging project?  How is it going?  I'd love to hear!!

Have a GREAT day and God Bless!

But Today IS Special

For Christmas, Mini Cooper received one of those dress like my dolly sets.  The dresses were a blue shiny material with velvet designs on it.  When she opened it, I remember thinking 'what I nice set for a special day.'  Special as in church or a party or pictures or something 'special.'

Last week, I was sitting at my desk and she comes up to me, dolly in hand, and asks, 'Mommy, can you button me?'

First thought, "That dress is for a special day.  Today is NOT a special day.  Today is just a hang around the house and play with our dolls kinda day. "

Mini Cooper looked at me with her sweet smile.  Her dolly was already all dressed up, ready to play tea party and princess with her 'mommy.'

I almost ruined her day.  Thankfully, I didn't.

I wanted to tell her to take the dress off and hang it up for a special day.  But, thankfully, I bit my tongue and buttoned up her pretty dress.

"Thank you Mommy."  She smiled and spun off, dolly dancing beside her.  As she danced away I realized that for her the day was special.

She had a new dress, she matched her dolly, and her mommy loved her enough to help her put on that new dress.  She was happy, she was healthy, she was loved.

This reminded me of last summer when my mom wanted new everyday dishes.  My very practical aunt noted that my mother owned 2 sets of china.  One set was obviously more special then the other (it was my grandmother's) so it was the one that was used for special occasions.  The other set was not quite as special and was often overlooked on special dinners.  But, since it was china it was still thought of as special and put away for rare occasions (read sat in the cabinet and took up space).  Now, faced with a 'need' for new everyday dishes, my aunt pointed out that Mom should just use the other set of china.  And she did!

It made me realize that I have many things, hanging in closets, packed away in boxes, sitting behind glass cabinet doors waiting for a special day.  But, why??

Yes, I'm always going to keep the outfits I brought my babies home from the hospital in.  But, does that mean I need all their special clothes?  By the time it comes to wear them again they will be yellowed or outdated.  In the meantime, they take up space while another little baby could wear them.

Other 'special' items sit to look at, dust, and require me to protect them from my children.  Some are so special that they are in boxes to make sure my children don't break them.  Gee so special.

I don't know how many dresses I purchased for Mustang when she was a baby that she never even wore.  They hung in the closet awaiting their special day.  That day never came.  Why?  Because I failed to see each day for what it was.

Someday soon Mini Cooper won't care to dress like her baby dolls.  Someday soon, she won't ask me to button her.  Someday soon I won't have a little blonde girl who dances away to play, thanking me for helping her with a small task.  Someday soon, I'll just have pretty little dresses with no little girls to wear them.

Today is special.  Why?  Because she wore her new dress, and I got to see her dance.

God Bless,

Stop Window Shopping, Wait on Second Thought...

For Christmas this year, I received a bit of money from my IL's.  MIL likes to give us our cash BEFORE Christmas so that we might purchase something for ourselves while we are out and about doing our Christmas shopping.  So, as I was shopping the week before Christmas, I had a little extra cash in my pocket that I could spend on anything I wanted.

It just so happened that, while I was on my last Christmas shopping trip of the season {and my amazing hubby had actually kept home 2 of the 4 children-it was seriously like being alone!}, I managed to lock my keys in the car.

Thunk, thunk, thunk {that's the sound of my head hitting the wall}.

So, I had to call my husband to come an unlock the car.  He wanted to scream I am sure, but he graciously came-with 2 children in tow-to unlock the door.

Did I mention we live 30 minutes from town??  And, Explorer was down for a nap??  And, hubby had to find car seats to put in his car???

So, yeah, Charger, Mini Cooper, and I roamed every.single.square.foot. of TJMaxx and Kohl's.

At first, it was kinda fun.  We slowly looked for that last gift we needed to get (and were completely stumped on).  We looked at housewares, clothes, toys, shoes, snacks, decorations.....you've been there, right?  We saw it all.  Pretty soon, I started looking for ME.  After all, I had a little extra money in my pocket.

I found myself walking up to something and admiring it.  Oooh I like this it, it's pretty.  Or, oh the kids would learn so much from this toy!  Best one, THIS will make me organized.  I checked a few tags, noted that I had the money for the item, and started to consider buying the items.

At one point, I even picked one item up and had it IN MY CART.  It was ON SALE!!  60% off!!  I was going to save SO MUCH money!!  I would be SO MUCH happier!!

Thankfully, at that moment Mini Cooper had to go to the bathroom.  Which meant we had to put down any merchandise before we went in.  I put it down, and came to my senses when the product was out of my sight.

I had plans for that money.  I was putting it with other money I had, and other money I was going to get for Christmas.  I had been SAVING!!  If I bought the item I had found in the store, I might not have enough to purchase what I meant to!

Thankfully, I made it out of the store without purchasing anything that wasn't on my list.  But, so often in the past, this has not been the case.  I go to the store and just purchase one or two items that I just have to have, and before I know it, all my money is gone, and I honestly don't really know where it went.

Am I the only one who has been there??  Ever gone into a nice clothing store, admired a beautiful dress in the window, and then found out that the price is more then you can spend?  So you walk over to the clearance rack and pick up a cheap shirt, because you can pay for it.  This happens 5 or 6 times over the course of a month, and in the end you have 5 shirts that you don't really want and-ironically-the price of all 5 shirts equals the price of the dress that you couldn't afford!!

January clearance time starts right now, and I know so many people {ahem yes I am one} who enjoy going to the sales just to see what they might find.  I don't have a plan, a budget, or a true need.  But, off I go looking for a deal.  In other words, I'm looking for who is going to talk me out of my money first.

Now, I'm not saying that you should never go shopping or that the clearance rack is a bad thing.  There are instances where it's a great thing to find something on sale.  What I am trying to say is that if you didn't really need the item, don't really like the item, and probably won't use the item...then it wasn't a sale.  It's just one more time where you added clutter instead of something you actually wanted.

I titled this post stop window shopping, but I had to go back and change it.  Maybe you should start window shopping.  Find the window you want and focus (your spending not your life) on that item.  Save up for it, look for reviews on the product, think about it for a couple days instead of hurrying to buy it, see if you can catch it on a sale.  Figure out where it is going in your house!  Get rid of items to make room for it (or pay for it).  Pray about it!

We plan to fail if we fail to plan, the old saying goes.  But, this goes for our money and our things, too.  I want to be a minimalist, or specifically a purposefullist {yep, I just made that up}, and the best way to keep my home from being full of things I don't want...is to not bring them home.  I've got a plan on how to do this, and I will share it with you soon.  In the meantime, I encourage you to just window shop this clearance season.

Happy New Year!!!  and God Bless,

The Isle of Happy Hearts

This Christmas was a first for me in many ways.  After celebrating Christmas for over 30 years, this is the first time I've ever been the parent of a child old enough to understand and voice her opinion on gifts she received.

I have to admit, that even though I felt a little bad I was still proud of Mustang's response to her gifts.  She looked at them and she wished more of her wish list was there.  To be fair, her list included a laptop, video camera, iPad, cell phone, Barbie movie and a money counting jar.  She had already received the Barbie movie, but nothing else on her list (Santa brought the money counting jar the next day).

Clearly disappointed, but trying to be thankful, she said 'Maybe I'm just tired, Mom.'  Of course that made me feel a bit guilty, but obviously I couldn't have filled her list unless I went way over budget.  Opening the marshmallow shooters and engaging in a family war improved her mood and she was ready to check out the gifts that weren't on her list.  Turns out she did like them!

So what about you?  Did you get everything you wanted this Christmas?  What about this year?  What about this lifetime?  Yes??  No?  Either way, are you happy?

One of my favorite Veggie Tales movies of all time is Madame Blueberry.  If you haven't seen it, the jest is this blueberry (no not a veggie) is very blue.  She wants to be happy.  She tries to buy her happiness by visiting the newly opened Stuff Mart.  Madame Blueberry fills so many carts that her house ends up falling down under the weight of the new items.

At one point, she looks up at the sales men and asks "What isle are the happy hearts in?"  They look at each other, eager to make a sale, and are very disappointed to admit that-of all the many things they carry in their store-they didn't have happy hearts.

But their store is not alone, you can't buy happy hearts. Our happiness doesn't come from new cars, toys, clothes, houses, vacations, or even even from owning nothing.

True happiness comes from knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

This Christmas thing isn't really about toys or ham or even spending time with family.  Not really.  They are great add-ons.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the one and only thing we ever really need.  That missing piece that makes us complete.  Jesus is 'The Reason for the Season.'  He's also the reason for living, dying, and everything else we do in life.

For most of you, you are thinking.  I know that.  I know that true happiness comes from Christ.

So then, why are you trying to do His job by filling your home and life with stuff???  Why are you trying to fill that void with anything but Him?

If you replace Him with stuff, your house will be like Madame Blueberry's.  So full of stuff that it FALLS DOWN.  No not the building (at least probably not).  I'm talking about the home you are trying so hard to build for your children.

Proverbs 14:1 "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

Are you building a home that helps lead your children to Christ, or a home that is full of replacements?

As you spend this week contemplating the year of 2012 and look forward to 2013, challenge yourself to ask hard questions.  Have you spent your money, time, and things wisely this year?  Is it time to make some changes?

I know that I have been very convicted of these things the last few months, and I pray that God will carry me this next year-showing me what things are taking up His place in our home.

I am not Madame Blueberry, God has already filled me with His happiness.  It is time for me to start living like it.  I pray that you will join me.

I also pray you are having a wonderful Christmas week!

God Bless,

Resisting the Urge to Get Just a Few More Gifts

Last night I was on Facebook.  Across my feed came a link a friend had posted for a Barbie Princess Charm School Playset, on 1/2 price.  This caught my eye because it was one of the #1 items on Mustang's list last year.  At nearly $40.00 I had talked myself out of buying it for her then.  It had a lot of pieces, looked kinda junky, wasn't worth the money, etc, etc.

This year, though Mustang still enjoys the movie, the playset wasn't really on her list.  But, when I saw that $16.00 price tag-with free shipping since we are prime members-I clicked right on over.  Thankfully, something {probably some One} stopped me.  In years past, I would have happily purchase the item, but this year, I'm trying so hard to only purchase items intentionally.

If you are like me, this last week before Christmas, is the time when our 'Did I do enough?' kicks into overdrive.  And, with discounted wants, the desire becomes SO STRONG!!

I started trying to justify my purchase by making a quick spreadsheet to show myself how her gifts weren't 'as good' as the other kids' gifts.  But they were.  I tried to tell myself that she would be happier with this present then the others.  And, while that may be true, she will not be unhappy with what I had already bought her.  She doesn't know I almost bought the playset.

In my final attempt to appease my materialistic side {which is apparently quite strong, sigh}, I went into the closet where our gifts are stashed.  I pulled EVERYTHING out.  All of it.  I sorted stuff by child and made piles.  I even did a mock run of stocking stuffing.


And that, my friends, was the turning point.


I bought a lot of our gifts ahead this year, at yard sales and such.  Even though I knew what gifts we had, until I set them all out and looked at them, it was easy to forget how nice the purchased items were.

Seeing all the STUFF laid out on the bed, awaiting Christmas morning.  I knew we had ENOUGH!  Knowing that there would be 2 Christmases at 2 Grandparents' houses in addition to the gifts we had made me wonder if we still had too much stuff.

I really do need to get a package of candy canes, and I seriously don't have a gift for my own mother {my perfectionist side is also being difficult}, but I don't need more for my children.  More gifts won't make Christmas better, but they will make me poorer, and I will be wishing we had less for the rest of the year!

I don't think I am alone in this!  Stay strong mommas.  Your babies don't want more gifts this year.  They want more of you!!

I do hope that your Christmas is a good one!  So thankful that God sent us the one gift we really did need, Jesus.

Merry Christmas,

Our Journey to Minimalism: Trading Up

Clearing out a big old house full of 6 people's items is a pretty daunting task, and I'd started to come to grips with the fact that I could not get it all done in a day, weekend, or possibly a year.  While I know that every little thing I do towards clearing our house is getting me closer to the end goal of minimalism, it is a challenge to stay focused and encouraged.

One of the main goals of minimalism is to cull your items to just the things you need, use, and love.  I am going to include a level of like in there, since you aren't supposed to love your possessions ;).  

But, as I was cleaning my house one day I thought-man I do not like this vacuum cleaner!!  It does not work very well and is falling apart.  I'd like to have a new one!!

Now, I'm sure you are wondering why a blog post about getting rid of things is also about buying new things.   But, guess what?  Minimalists do buy new things.  Yep, I said it.  They do!  

My next thought was, I don't want another cheapy vacuum, I want a NICE one.  Not, specifically, an expensive one.  Just a nice one.  I began to research what I wanted and came up with my choice.  Turns out, it was also an expensive one.  

How was I going to pay for the expensive one?  All the other stuff I didn't want!  

As I went through my house the question was-do I want this item or the vacuum??  Wow was that motivating!!  In just about a month's time (and thanks to a big Black Friday sale and my husband's anniversary gift) I was able to raise the funds for my new vacuum.  

While I was going through my stuff I began to realize that many times we find ourselves buying cheap little things because we can 'afford' them.  But soon, we are surrounded by a BUNCH of cheap little things when what we really want is the bigger item.  If I had just saved my money I could have purchased the vacuum years ago, instead of having to go to the effort of finding and selling all my other junk.

Sometimes minimalism is about letting things go, and sometimes it's about making wise purchases.  Either way, it means being intentional about the things you own.  Are there things you should trade up?  Consider using them as motivation to clear out the things you no longer want.

God Bless,

Because the Days are Few

What if tomorrow you woke up and instead of four smiling faces, there were only three?

What if what was once a family of six was only five?

What if one chair was empty and would never be filled again?

What if one little bed would stay made forever?

Would you wish you had bought him more toys?

Would you wish he had finer clothes?

Would you wish there were more decorations in your home?

or would you wish there had been more time?

More time to hug.

More time to play.

More time to tickle.

More time to sing.

More time to feel his breath on your cheek as you quietly rock him to sleep.

We never know which day the world will change.

There is a sweet family in my town waking up without their little Superman today.  His mom's blog is here:  momshaveiteasy.blogspot.com and his story is here:


Please hold them in your prayers.

God Bless You,

Lisa

Our Minimalist Journey and Christmas Shopping

When we started out on our journey to minimalism, my focus was to get RID of stuff.  But, it didn't take long before Christmas was staring me in the face.  In years past, I had my Christmas shopping started-and nearly complete-before Black Friday, but this year I have been kinda avoiding it.  I don't like how it brings out the 'I wants' in everyone!  But, while I'd really like to postpone the celebration for about another year or so, it will be here soon, and I want it to be nice!

One thing that has been very important as I have been removing items from our home was to be very purposeful about what I kept and even more purposeful when buying new things.  This mindset has spilled over into my Christmas shopping.  So, these were the questions I asked myself while determining my children's Christmas list (in this order).

1.  What do they need?  Thankfully, there were only a couple of things I could come up with that the children needed.  One needs underwear, Explorer needs a booster seat.  Both went on the list.

2.  What do they truly play with?  You may have to watch your kids for a day, but many times that question is a no brainer.  In Charger's case, he likes legos and Thomas trains.  He'd play with them all day every day if I let him (and sometimes I do!).  Mini Cooper loves the legos, too.  She also likes her Dora dollhouse.  Mustang?  Well, honestly, her only loves are movies and books.  She would tell you she plays with everything, but she doesn't.

3.  Could the favorite toy be expanded?  Adding more types of toys is not likely to change the ones they play with.  It will require you to get more creative about storage, and just mean more toys to keep track of all the pieces.  Focus on the ones they love and get more of them (if it makes sense).

4.  And on the subject of pieces...Charger loves legos.  That's great because if you loose the legos, you can just go GET MORE.  Unless it is a very specific lego build set (which do exist) you can easily get your hands on replacement pieces.  Many toys are not so easily replaced.  Does the toy have a lot of little pieces that can easily be lost?  I suggest finding another toy.  I had picked up a Trio building set this summer to give as a gift to Charger, but I realized it was a new building set that wouldn't go with ours...sold it instead of giving it.

5.  Remember that gifts do not have to be toys.  Books, movies, clothing, and experiences all make great gifts.

6.  No junk.  Now, this is a subjective statement.  But, in years past I have headed off to a $1 discount store to load up on stocking stuffers.  We have also headed to the same said store to allow the kids to pick out items for each other.  We have been disappointed in the quality of nearly everything we got there.  That's not the only place to get junk, either.  If it doesn't end up being a favorite, is it something you would donate to the thrift store?  Something you could sell at a yard sale?  If you wouldn't donate it, it's not worth owning.  Avoid little junkie items, even if it means you just get one thing.  It's not about quantity.

7.  Do you have the space?  TRUE space for the item to look nice and not clutter anything else up?  This includes little pieces.  Mini Cooper loves her Dora dollhouse, but buying more stuff for the dollhouse would mean a bigger storage bin, or getting rid of other pieces. I'd rather not buy something that will make me buy something else, unless it is the true favorite.

8.  Avoid starting new 'collect all the pieces' sets unless you are done with the last one.  And, if you really don't want to buy the next item for your last set...get rid of the other one.  For example, Charger decided to part with his big 'Cars' stuff because he wanted to focus on his Bob the Builder guys instead.

9.  When you have a clear picture of your child's needs and habits, and figure out what you are willing to have in your home, THEN ask what your child wants for Christmas.  If you know he likes legos and he asks for legos, then there is a good chance he will LIKE the gift and PLAY with the gift.  If your daughter plays with dolls all the time and asks for a walking, talking dinosaur, she probably WON'T play with it and it will go to the thrift store the next year, dusty from not being played with (yes I speak from experience).  This should help you fend off the advertisers for the 'biggest and best new thing' and find something your children will really enjoy.

And, when you can't figure out what to get them?  Just get a marshmallow shooter.  Who doesn't want one of those?  (and I'm sorry if you think this negates my no junk statement, looking forward to an afternoon of marshmallow wars!)

Merry Christmas!!

For We Wrestle Not Against Flesh, Blood, or Stuff

The next few days looked a lot like my first day as a minimalist.  I would enter the storage room, get discouraged, do a little work, and then call it a day.  Maxed out mentally by the fact that the process was going to take FOREVER.  Thankfully, it did get a little easier each day.  But, the part I still couldn't quite understand was WHY it was such a difficult task to sort through the stuff that we weren't even using.

That weekend we went off to church.  The sermon series was titled 'Man Up.'  It was directed at men.  Last I had checked I was not a man, so I could just listen a bit.  This week's sermon wasn't going to be for me, it wasn't going to challenge me.  I didn't need to be a better dad, father, or man.  I was good.

And then, about 1/2 way into the sermon my pastor hit one of his points.  "Many men spend their whole life working to buy their family things to show their love.  They work 60+ hours (or more) a week to buy a big house to fill with stuff just so their family knows they care about them."  Darn it, you are talking to ME!!

Now, I don't work long hours to buy my family stuff.  But, my husband does.  He works long hours and then I spend long hours trying to 'stretch our dollar.'  Let me tell you, looking back over my summer, I may have found a lot of great deals at various yard sales, but now I'm tripping over and picking up those deals.  Kids may have been happy for a few minutes, but the happiness isn't lasting.  So, between my husband and I, we spend MOST of our life on STUFF!!  Stuff we don't like, don't want, and most importantly, don't NEED.

"We get to choose," he went on {and yes I'm paraphrasing, you don't actually think my memory is that good-do you?} "We can choose the stuff, or our family, but not both.  And, Satan wants you to choose the STUFF.  He wants you to spend the rest of your life at work so he can work at tearing apart your family."

I finally had my answer.  I finally knew why I had the HARDEST time getting rid of things.  I finally understood that I wasn't wrestling against the stuff in my attic.  I was wrestling against someone who wanted desperately for me to fail at this minimalist thing.  This wasn't about whether we had too many clothes, too many toys, two many decorations, this was about the failure of my family.

I'm not much of a go to the altar type girl.  I usually figure God and I can have as meaningful of a conversation in my seat as we can with me at the altar.  But, that week I was there.  Laying down all my STUFF.  Don't I wish I could truly have carried it all down there, but alas, it was just my thoughts.  And though I couldn't carry it all there, I could carry my heart, thoughts, and future.  I asked God to break the chains at my house and to help me overcome the barriers that were keeping me from letting go.  After all, it was Him that asked me to let it go.  Now, I was asking for His help.

My current mission field starts at home.  It starts with my husband and my children.  It branches out to people who come into contact with myself, my husband, and my children.  My mission field could BE my home.  But, not if it's a mess all the time.  How can I minister to others, if I can't keep my own home in line?  I'm not talking about squeaky clean toilets or freshly baked bread.  I'm talking about basic order.

If I spend all my time trying to keep the house picked up, how do I spend time with my mission field??  The answer, I don't.  No, they spend time with the stuff we bought them to make them think we love them, while I clean up the other stuff and dad works for money for more stuff.

Obviously, someone is winning in our house. If stuff represents a scorecard, we are loosing.  BIG TIME.  Knowing who is behind that stuff is making it easier and easier to let things go.  Who is winning in your house?  I urge you to take this burden to the Lord and ask Him to free you from your things and ask Him to bring His peace to your home.  It's not going to be easy, but it's so worth it.

God Bless,

Our Journey to Minimalism: Off to a Flying Stop

So, I woke up the next morning and decided to start getting rid of things.  Because, naturally, that's what you do when you want to become a minimalist, right?  I decided on my storage room since it, obviously, had things I wasn't using.  If nothing else, the sheer volume of things should mean I could get rid of a bunch of it.  I walked into the room, and just stood there-frozen.

Now, it wasn't a matter of being unwilling to part with my things.  I'd already decided to become a minimalist, you can read about the reasons in the last post, our journey to minimalism.  I was passionate about parting with things, I wanted to get rid of it all.  So, I should have been able to walk in, find THOUSANDS of things to let go of and be free of my possessions in just a couple days time.  I didn't want it, could replace most of the needed items easily, and should be left with just a few bins of sentimental items.

I wish that is what had happened.  Instead, I was so overwhelmed that it crushed my spirit.  I stood there, and stood there, and stood there.

"Pray."  Was the only thought that I could muster.  So, I started.  "Lord, please help me."

One of those moments that I didn't even know what I was praying for.  I just needed help.  With His help, I was able to find a bag or two of things and then resolved for a break.

As I sat down in my living room, I was quite astonished by what had just happened.  I wanted to get rid of things, I had tons of things I knew I could part with, yet there was still a store room (and many other rooms) bursting with things that could go.  Why was it still here?  Part of me wanted to just give up entirely.

I turned to my husband and asked him just that.  He chuckled.  "Well, you didn't bring it all in at once, how do you expect to take it all out at once?  We could rent a dumpster or higher a u-haul to drag it all off at once, but for this to work long time, this has to be a process."

He was right.  {yes it's in writing, honey, you were right}

I couldn't just toss it all at once.  For this journey to be a success, I had to painstakingly go through everything and get rid of it properly.  There was no 'easy fix.'  Mary Poppins wasn't going to come in and snap her fingers.  This was going to take time.

When I told God 'here I am send me,' I didn't realize I was being sent into the depths of my storeroom.  But, that was where I was being called.  Not to reach people, but so that I could clear away the STUFF that was keeping me from doing the real work He had called me to do.

When I realized this wasn't going to be an easy calling, I was a bit daunted, and discouraged.  But, deep down, I was, and am still, very excited.  I can't wait to see how God uses this journey in the lives of my children and in others that we meet along the way.

I hope you will consider joining me, or at least following along with our journey.

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless!

Our Journey to Minimalism

About two months ago a couple of DVD's arrived at our door.  I wrote my review of Growing Up Wild  here a couple weeks ago.  In my review, you may have noticed the discussion of a Venn Diagram comparing our house and that of the Wild family.  Here's another photo in case you missed it. If you look closely there is one thing we noticed about their house that didn't match ours.  Toys.  The kids' way of writing, less stuff.

The general lack of things in their home is a direct result of the challenge-and expense-of flying their possessions at a minimum from the closest big city, or even longer if they wished to bring it all the way from Florida.  The little airplane that can reach their small village also decides the size of the items they can bring.  

We watched the Growing Up Wild DVD many times before we wrote up the Venn Diagram.  I remember after one of the first times we watched the DVD, I was standing at my kitchen sink and I heard (in my head) "What if I called you to go, could you?"  It wasn't a question of whether I'd be willing-I'd be willing in a heartbeat, the question was geared toward-how can I call you to go somewhere when you have all this STUFF weighing you down???  It would take you YEARS to get ready to go.

Then I heard part two, "I've already called you, and you are too busy with your stuff to do the work."  I looked around my house and realized that as I try to wash the mountains of laundry, pick up the store's worth of toys, and organize many totes of things we aren't currently using, I was missing out on the calling of my children!!  I was also keeping my home so hard to manage that I wasn't able to properly open it up to other moms and families who could be ministered to through friendship.

That was the day it all changed.

I actually had a dream that night about writing a blog about our new life.  I woke up with the name Becoming Minimalist.  LOL, it was God's way of getting me to READ a blog, not write one.  As I typed in the name, it brought me to one of the greatest tools God has used in helping me on our journey to minimalism.  The writing of Joshua Becker is exactly what I needed to read!!

When we wrote the Venn Diagram of our home comparisons, I was able to show my children the differences.  I am sure there are a few toys or things we don't see in the video, but the Wild brothers have just one main toy-a Lego loft.  I was able to explain to my children that, if we have just a few toys, we will have plenty of space to play with the ones we really like.  They were on board.  I think they are still hoping for a Lego loft/room :).

So, for the last two months, I have been selling, donating, and trashing, BAGS and BAGS of things.  I am only on the beginning stages.  I know we have so far to go. 

I appreciate that Joshua Becker (author of Becoming Minimalist) writes that minimalism isn't, necessarily, only owning a few things.  It is owning a few things that you use and love, so this isn't a race to see how few things we can own. This is a journey to find the things we love and make the space to use them.  And, eventually, use them to show love to others.  Most importantly, this is a journey to rid ourselves of the things that keep us from following God's call on our lives. 

I will be blogging a lot more about our journey from here on out.  I hope it can be an encouragement to you and an accountability to me.  If you are already on your journey to minimalism, I'd love to hear from you!  If you are wanting to begin a journey to owning less, believe me when I say it is not easy, but it is SO SO SO worth it!!!

Thank you for stopping by and God Bless!