Dear Mom, It’s going to be okay.

Week of March 31 – April 6

And it’s all because of President Uchtdorf.

Well, actually it’s all because of our Savior Jesus Christ, but President Uchtdorf is one of those wonderful servants of His who helped me remember that. I feel like general conference helped me regain my spiritual footing even more. I have lots more to say about this. . . .

It was a fun “N Week” for Rosebud and me. She loved getting to webcam with you (since N is for Nana) and her sweet cousin N in Texas.

Google Hangout is such a hoot with all the props and backgrounds and Noises!

Not sure how much of a conversation we actually had, but it sure was fun. :)

Also we made Nests and ate Noodles.

I am really enjoying this fabulous organizing blog and that combined with another blog’s traditional annual 40 bags challenge has kicked me in the fanny and got me decluttering again.

I am trying to make it my new addiction instead of sugar. (Let’s hope it takes soon.) Here is proof that I am not making all this up.

Before:                                                              After:

Yes, that is a sword protruding from the bag on the left. Whoever pulls it out is king of all Bakerland.

Fun stuff. But the real highlight of the week by far was general conference.

See those animals waiting with rapt attention? Rosebud got them all ready and reverent before conference began.

My thirsty, exhausted spirit drank up all that wonderful, refreshing light and has felt nearly full ever since.

It will take me a long time to implement completely the paradigm shift I had because of Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk. But I couldn’t believe how it was obvious he had been reading my thoughts for months and then told me exactly what the Lord wanted me to hear, which is that our living in gratitude should be independent of our circumstances.

Blue Dada enjoyed conference from his mommy’s lap

It also seemed like a common theme was material goods vs. treasure in heaven. So many talks mentioned how quickly the first can be lost and how much better our time is spent on gathering the latter.

The colored rectangles on the wall are our individual questions for conference. (Thank you, Jocelyn, for the lovely idea!) It was remarkable to see how the answers came and were sometimes not what we expected, but all of us felt that we had received an answer.

Exacto’s question was soundly explained by Elder Bednar and the whole family was gasping over how direct it was. It was pretty awesome.

And yes, Robin Eggs were involved. Put a question about conference for someone in the basket below – get a Robin Egg. Later, over dinner, we asked all the questions and gave our answers. This is a great tradition we have done for years now, although we all got a bit sugared out this year and I think we’ll do blackberries or something next time. :)

I wasn’t as sad when it was over as I usually am. I think it was because there was so much truth I suddenly saw which showed me some pretty deep weaknesses in myself that I hadn’t seen before. I really have my work cut out for me (learning how to access the grace of the Atonement to overcome these) and yet I feel a new, stronger peace than before because I can see that all will be well.

Even if I always fight depression. Even if our children stop making good choices. Even if DC never does get a good job and we are in debt for the rest of our lives. All will be well. It’s a miracle.

And that’s one of the things I need to change, by the way. Stop talking about money, already! I will always remember the story of that sweet Filipino lady—who was what, 78?—and had lost the home she and her late husband had built as well as her daughter and a grandchild in the terrible typhoon that hit there last year. Now she is living in a tent and working to try to support herself. I was cut to the soul when I heard her response to this challenge so much greater than mine:

“. . . .I accept everything that the Lord has asked me to pass through. I have no hard feelings.”

Wow. That speaker also quoted my scripture of the year! I tried to make it pretty like so:

and hung it up in my bathroom. It makes me think every single time I read it. Am I spending my labor for that which cannot satisfy? Oh, yes, I need to remember to pray continually. Awesome, come buy and eat without money. etc. And I feel like this past weekend my soul definitely “delighted in fatness.”

Finally, no Sunday around here is complete without a trip to the temple site! Go go go! (It’s a good thing we visit on the Sabbath or we might be tempted to yell and cheer on the workers to hurry it up! :).

I am so grateful for the Lord’s living prophets. Now I just need to do what they have taught me.

Love,

Michelle

Day 38 - { you }

aka "New Leaf, day 10" :)

Yippee! I worked all day, and I met my goal! (Well, mostly. I'll 'splain in a little bit. . . )

The biggest success is that the System is now in place, and now when I get a paper that needs to be saved, it will have a home to go to!

So now the Paper Monster is conquered, and I can maintain it by just spending a little time each day or each week. That feels SO GOOD.

 

 

 

I never would have done it without YOU, though!

It's true.

This paper problem had been steadily getting worse and not better for years. I spent time regularly maintaining spots that were in the open, so that it wouldn't be too embarrassing, but I was running out of space to stash.

I needed Accountability in order to make myself go through those huge stashes. And YOU provided that! Not to mention that you provided it so sweetly and graciously. Thank you, each of you, so much! Every comment you made helped me and encouraged me.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

 

There was so much room left in that top drawer that I was able to use the space for extra office supplies that had been sitting { ahem } in a Target bag on the garage floor. Yay! Much better!

Today after school. . . .

Fire just seemed easier (and more fun) than the shredder. :)

So the things that weren't QUITE finished, like organizing the totes and also some of the memorabilia stuff in our bottom file cabinet drawer, will be done with the person it concerns (for example, Exacto and I will organize his tote during one of his Super Kid dates). I think it will be really fun to do it together. So many fun memories come back when you're going through things like that. And that way I won't end up throwing away something that's really precious to someone else.

 

Some more great tips from your comments this week. . . .

“New Leaf, day 6”

Becky - Also, we have a file system idea (unfortunately not quite in practice yet, but we have only been here for a year and a half) to keep things together in our filing cabinet, then keep individual files (monthly utility bills, receipts, medical claims :(, etc.) by year in a banker's box. It will really help if we're ever audited. This probably doesn't make much sense, so call me if it strikes a note (esp. if it's in a major key).

Yes, this is a great idea! We actually do this for tax records, bank statements, and medical insurance stuff. There is a very helpful website  through the Univeristy of Illinois Extension that helped me decide what to keep and for how long. (Here's the link.) Someday I hope to burn our box. :)

"The Great Paper Purge of '09 - New Leaf, day 8"

terry burchfield - hey michelle, i keep a big binder that holds all my important mother info. i keep it close by and always know where it is. i use dividers and either hole punch or use sheet protectors for my papers. i have it divided into sections such as school, where i keep class schedules, contact info, etc. i have a section for each child where i keep sports schedules, schoo info pertinant to just that child, even their clothes & shoe sizes (i do this for hubby too). i have a section marked important at the very front where i keep contact numbers (anything i don't want to have to hunt the phone book down for). i have one for church where i keep lesson schedules and visiting teaching info. i love it b/c i don't have to think about where i put some paper when i need it!

This is brilliant, I tell you! Brilliant!

“New Leaf – day {gulp } 9”

Cindy - You can do it! Having a plan helps so much. My kids try to race sometimes when they have a dreary job that seems to go on and on. Maybe you can set a timer for each task and see if you can do it in time, that way it seems more manageable. I would love to hear you all play together...I miss that! Maybe you can post a video sometime for those of us who don't get to hear you and Chris play anymore :-(
I also definitely recommend a little chocolate to reward yourself for your hard work ;-) I'll be thinking of you!

Becky - Wake up and have a full breakfast, then line up some chocolate treats (that you hopefully have onhand, if I know you well enough :) to enjoy at each hour/couple of hours. Take a break when you need to, but remember to get back to things, too.
Call me if you feel lazy. You can do it!!

Chocolate makes everything easier (well, except losing weight, I suppose). And speaking of chocolate:

**Comments for the Great Chocolate Giveaway will close at midnight tonight! I'll have the boys help me draw the winner(s) tomorrow.**

 

When I told DC that I really wanted to post this tonight because I didn't want to keep you waiting, he said, "Oh, yes. I am amazed at how many nice comments you have gotten!"

I am amazed, too.

And grateful. :)

New Leaf, day - {gulp} - 9

Aaaah!! I don't think I'm going to finish!!

All the time I had for it today went towards clearing out that bugaboo of a top drawer in our file cabinet!

Here's what I have left to do (made a list this morning):

 

Tomorrow I can spend most of the day on it once the boys leave for school, minus a short commitment in the morning. (I'll be performing with DC for our neighbors. He's getting ready for an upcoming recital, so we're playing Bartok's Romanian Dances for them. So fun!)

Tell me I can do it! Maybe with some crazy music and a marathon day tomorrow. . . . .

The Great Paper Purge of '09 - New Leaf, day 8

Only two days left! I'm in the home stretch! But I'm starting to worry that this is ending up to be more than a 10-hour job. . . .

So tomorrow and Friday I'm going to hit it hard and Do This Thing!!

Only two days left to enter the giveaway, too. I've decided that for each comment you have made on a new leaf post, you get an entry into the drawing. I may do more than one prize, because I just wish I could send chocolate to all of you beloved friends, so we'll see how it ends up. :)

Today I spent an hour and a half on the top drawer of the file cabinet, throwing away almost a whole kitchen garbage bag full. And it's not even done yet! Crazy-ness. I can't believe how long some of that useless stuff sat in there and kept me from using the file cabinet.

I have realized something about myself. Maybe you're like this too, but I actually kind of LIKE filing stuff. It makes me feel happy when something has a designated home, and I put it there, and kiss it good night and close the door and feel all cozy. But if its designated home is SO CLUTTERED AND STUFFED FULL OF JUNK that I can't put it there, so I put it somewhere else and it becomes homeless and I can't find it when I need it, well, then I DON'T like filing stuff. In fact, then it's right up there with getting an IV or unclogging a toilet.

So the key is to keep my file cabinet useable!!

That's for stuff that has to be filed, like bills and bank statements and other joys.

Memorabilia stuff, well, that's actually turning out to be more fun than I thought. Now that I have been freed from the idea of having to save every. little. cute. thing ever created by one of my children--because I can take pictures of it, and because there are so many that I can just pick my favorites--there will hopefully be room to store those treasures in their individual totes.

Fluffy is so excited about his tote (hot pink and all) that he wants to look through it with me for his Super Kid date this Saturday. Awesome.

 

Gotta run pick up these cuties. . . .:)

 

Made me feel Heavenly Father's love today:

My wonderful visiting teacher Linda came and listened to me and taught me and we both cried.

 

Made me smile today:

PW says that rosemary is her "favorite herb on the face of God’s green earth."

New Leaf, day 6

Can I just say that ya'll are awesome? Your sweet comments have helped me SO MUCH!!! This morning I woke up feeling very unmotivated and "tired" and my first thought was, "Today's going to be a computer/blah day."

But then I remembered this New Leaf giveaway and my goal to finish conquering the Paper by Friday and I knew that I needed to get my toosh in gear. I couldn't stand the thought of having to report a wasted day.

So I spent AN HOUR AND A HALF today (to make up for Friday), and made it through this. . . . .

(Lest you think we live in complete squalor, that is NOT the floor in my house. We keep the file cabinet in the garage. I know it's a bit unorthodox, but it's better than having it in the living room, where it was before! :)

Now instead of being crammed so tight nothing else will fit, it is only about 2/5ths full!! YIPPEE!!! Now there will be room for what is currently stacked in the dining room and in the downstairs hall closet.

Only 4 days to go. . . .Thank you so much for every single little word of encouragement!

 

Bonus: A collection of paper-organizing tips :)

Here are some of the great tips that were left in the comments last week. I love these!!!

Amanda T - You do this! Have you heard of flylady? I have incorporated some of her ideas into our home with success.

I LOVE FlyLady! I use a lot of her ideas, including the morning and after-dinner routines and the zones. I think she is brilliant and such a generous person.

Mary D - I am very proud of you! Take it 15 minutes at a time and you will be amazed at your progress. For 15 minutes you work hard and then take a break, it really does help keep you motivated.

Becky Rose - Have you heard of Houseoforder.com She's LDS and has great systems and books on how to get organized. She'll even send you weekly news letters via Email. You Can do it!

I had never heard of this! Sounds great!

Stephanie Johnson - One thing I've done is create a notebook for each kid for each grade. I have tabs like: Report Cards, Artwork, Class Info, About Me, etc. Whatever artwork doesn't have a foot or handprint or something sentimental, then I take a digital picture of it, file it on the computer under their school year, and then throw the artwork away. Hopefully that's a way you can "declutter". Good luck! :)

This is nifty! I will probably use this later this week, when I attempt to condense papers from all the boys into their individual totes. It is torture for me to throw away paper that is in the least bit sentimental, so I love the idea of digitizing some of it!

Amy Kay - . . . . And yes piles of paper...hate them, and need to get them organized too. I am going to strive to work with you on this. And YES MUSIC is wonderful. Good luck! Love and Hugs, Amy.

Chris (he has to be blue :) - Hey, maybe we could go through papers for a date some time. We could have a big bon-fire with the trash and roast marshmallows for a treat!

awesome :)

llamitanan - I like Stephanie's idea of having a folder on the computer for your children's papers. It would be fun to put the best ones in one folder and have that as your digital scrapbook for your children to watch. They would LOVE seeing their favorites going across the screen. Just take a picture of them with your camera.

Amanda T - I don't know if the idea works for you or not, but I once read a suggestion to take good photos of the artwork your children create and then only save a FEW pieces. You have the photos to preserve the memory, but make room for new pieces and more prominent displays.

llamitanan - Good job, Michelle! I remember Daryl Hoole suggesting filing ten papers a night back before computer days. A few bites a day consumes the huge elephant. :)

Malauna - I do hope that your fair city has a paper recycling program and instead of putting the paper in the garbage it is going in the recycle bin ;) However, if it doesn't, throwing away is better than piling up!

It doesn't--can you believe it? We have had the biggest hassles when we've tried to find ways to recycle our phone books! Hopefully it decomposes quickly. . . .

Andre - I like cleaning the girls room and going through their papers when they are at school. It's easier when they have no idea that I threw anything away. I just went through Savannah's papers from last school year, too. They had been residing in her closet. Most went in the garbage, the ones I kept I put in a tupperware box that is just for her special school papers. I have one just for Dakotah, too.

Mary D - You are doing a super job, keep it up! I got a tote for each one of the kids and have stuff in there from birth all the way through graduation and now am putting college things in it. They love to go in there and see what they did when they were younger. As Bailey makes her own milestones Jeremy asks - when did I start doing that? And then I go into his box and find out and tell him. It is special. When it started getting full I would go through it and have to throw away things that were similar but that I only needed one of, not one each year. That way I keep it to one tote each.

I'm so glad to see how many people use the tote idea with success. That is what I'm switching to this week--although unfortunately the only ones Walmart had at the time were HOT PINK. So my boys will have their treasures forevermore in HOT PINK file totes! ha

llamitanan - Good for you--you took time out for the Temple! Now you will definitely meet your goal. I find I accomplish a lot more in my week if going to the Temple is one of the activities.

Becky - Just kick your trash! Hee hee. I mean, don't be afraid to throw things away. The trash can is YOUR friend!

New Leaf, day 4

Hi, again!

Yesterday DC and I made a quick trip to Memphis to worship in the temple. It was so wonderful! Like a Super Date. :) It barely fit into a school day for the boys. Sweet. I hope we can do it again sometime if DC has the day off during the week. . . .

Anyway, so I missed day 3 of attacking the Monster. It got one more day to sit in smug contemplation of the frenzied efforts that had as yet been futile.

But today I was Back.

I spent my allotted hour on this little beauty. . . .

 

To my happy amazement, I was able to throw away a lot of it!! I thought for sure that all of it would be painstaking home-finding for each little paper. I had forgotten that when school got out last May <ahem> and the boys brought home full backpacks after cleaning out their desks, I had never gone through the piles. We had left immediately for AZ and when I got back all nauseated and cranky I stuffed all of it into the bags depicted above. Yeehaw, it felt good to throw away so much paper!!!

The rest of it was more difficult. There was even a stash of Christmas letters and cards from. . . gulp. . . .2006.

In a later post, I'll explain what my intentions are regarding the dreading Memorabilia stack. I do have a Plan! :)

 

P.S. In your wonderful drill-sergeant comments, will you please state your favorite TYPE of chocolate? (imported, dark, Hershey's, with filling, etc.) I am a dark, European chocolate sort of gal myself, but I know that not everyone shares that taste and I want to know better how to shop for the GIVEAWAY. :)

New Leaf, day 2

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!! I can't believe what good ideas ya'll have! I will be referring to your comments often in the next few days!

After the second day of working on the Paper Monster, I have gone through most of the pile that was on the counter from the past 6 months or so. (I wish I had gotten a before picture of this!)

All the bills / paystubs / medical records are tucked away (tightly) into the top drawer of the file cabinet. And all of the memorabilia type stuff (adorable drawings and notes that I can't stand to throw away) is in a new pile.

But that pile WILL be dealt with soon! I promise!

And then I can get to the bags and boxes and making the file cabinet not so tight. . . . urck.

This is a huge project. But already it feels better just to have that huge pile off my counter! Yay! Thanks so much for the encouragement! Today I bought the first of the stash that will be the giveaway. :)

P.S. Took some "before" pictures. . . Still working up the nerve to post them.