The mere idea of how complicated I am is exhausting. I mean, I have certain rituals that occupy my time like
"the tuck," constant hand-washing, wearing a robe in 100 degree weather...but then, on the flip side, I can't explain things like this:
Shhhhyyeeaahh, so...awkward. Don't even get me started on the closets. Inspired by
Tawna's post, and BR80's words, I thought I'd get my freakin' act together and be the change in my own house. So I organzied, and scrubbed, and shifted things around. And in the end, this:
Funny enough, the first set of pictures is how I write a rough draft-messy, random, unorganized-in-an-organized kind of way, and the second set is what I end up with. It's still not perfect, but it's a cleaner start...kind of like life.
Speaking of a cleaner start, sometimes, people come into your life for a reason. Maybe it's to make you laugh. Maybe (unfortunately) it's to make you cry. And maybe it's to show you you're not alone.
Last week, as some of you may know, was hard. Really hard. I haven't felt so low
since I lost the baby. But thanks to emails, Tweets, msgs, time with friends, and lots of good cries, I feel so much better. And then, in yesterday's mail, this:
Thank you, my dear
Lenny, for bringing the good kind of tears to my eyes. Sandwiched between two bills (and in front of a screaming toddler), I pulled out this little card of love. To each and every one of you who reads this blog, and has befriended me, I honestly love you. Thank you for standing beside me through all of my
random facts, my
spilled guts and everything in between.
How about you, friends, is your life currently a messy laundry room or a cleaner (but still needs work) version?
Oh, and, if you missed yesterday's
CONTEST update with words from Matt Brady, please read
HERE.
Candyland. Out.
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20 comments:
Impressive overhaul! I kind of feel as though my whole life needs some of that. Ironically that generally happens when I'm procrastinating on a messy rough draft...Keep working through the down, hon. Thinking of you.
Wow! What a difference! Love the parallel to a messy first draft. Wish I'd thought of that last week when I was SO ready to quit and sell hotdogs on a street corner.
Check out Kelly Breakey's blog today... it may help.
Good job! I have a laundry room in need of an overhaul if you still feel the need to organize ;)
Actually, I tend to keep my writing pretty sparse, compact and neat during a first draft - while my house around me falls to a disaster zone.
I am seriously impressed with your organizational skillz! Our whole basement could use the same sort of attention, but I'm afraid if I start I wouldn't crawl back up for air until mid-February.
So I think I'll do what I do best, and procrastinate on the housework. Hard physical labor may pay off in the long run, but being lazy about it pays off right now. ;)
Glad you are feeling better. I just went through a rough spell myself, I am in the process of throwing out the old and bringing in the new.
C-
As you know Cleanliness is next to...blah...blah...blah. Sometimes a litte messy is good, know why? Helps you appreciate the areas of your life where it is not. A good dusting always gets rid of the cobwebs. And sometimes, that's really all you need.
Kelly
Let's just say that you don't open a closet or storage cabinet in my house without cringing. For some reason I keep hearing a flight attendants warning, "luggage may have shifted in the overhead bins during our flight, so take care in retrieving your belongings." Who knew there was turbulence down here at ground level too? :)
Wow -- great change in the laundry room! It looks all bright and cheery, like a place where you'd want to spend a lot of time ... ok, maybe not. How about, when you *have* to do laundry, at least it will be a bright and cheery place?
Earlier this summer I posted pictures of my beautiful gold fish pond, surrounded by pretty flowers. I considered balancing that by sharing pictures of *other* parts of the property -- such as the jungle of waist high weeds we call a vegetable garden, but I think my husband might divorce me if I did. There are some things not fit for viewing by the public.
Lets just say that if you see something red that might be a tomato, you stick your hand in quickly, hoping it's really a tomato, and pray that nothing bites you.
ugh--since I dove into this writing biz *seriously* last year, my life has turned into the messy laundry room... but it's a good messy. A closing my eyes and leaping laundry room... :D
glad you're feeling better~
Eh- in all honesty I'm still trying to recover from last week. Guess it was a hard week all around but in my case it was a really rapid visit with my parents that was physically exhausting and in the end, I felt like I barely saw them at all or really got to 'connect' with them, which made me sad. And I was sad when they left because I dunno how much time is going to go by before I can see them again. The day after they left my dad called me in tears because my grandmother had passed and I don't think I've come to terms with it yet. Her funeral is Saterday and I never thought I would miss it. But there's no way I can fly over. So, yeah, hard week physically and emotionally. Still shell shocked.
I'm just now getting caught up on blog reading and I read the posts about your dad and the baby and cried. Life is hard sometimes, huh?
But at least your laundry room looks great!
((Hugs))
hi miss candace! i got worried when i saw those first pictures that i was gonna see you on that horders show on tv. yikes! ha ha. wow! now you got it all neat and clean. im real glad you like the card. i got lots of cards when i was real sick for so long and they made me feel lots better.
...hugs from lenny
Good for you for organizing! Sometimes just doing something to make your house looks better can make you feel a little better. But, anyone that knows me IRL knows I'm not the best housekeeper. I am just not good at organizing. I have piles everywhere. But when I do buckle down and do it, I have to admit I do feel accomplished.
As for my life, I'm not sure as it is messy as it is uncertain right now. My family life is clean, my career life is unclear.
Oh, I need to find some overhaul energy. I have lots of areas that could use that kind of cleaning. :-)
All the most creative people I know are almost as OCD as you ... except me.
What a cute laundry room! Even before the awesome clean up! I have a creepy corner of a basement where my hubby stapled up a pic of Edward and Bella. They watch me as I separate lights and darks... It's as creepy/funny as it sounds.
I was unplugged last week. I'm so sorry to hear the news. I hope you are doing better. (double hugs).
Nice job. I've got to clean and organize the kids' closets before stiffing them with school clothes.
Candace--It seems to me you are suffering from recyclaholics disorder...I have it too. I got overwhelmed by all the things you are supposed to recycle. I made a decision and I can live with it. I recycle in 4 big stacking tubs I got at Lowes. I do tin cans, paper, cardboard and plastic. I crush the plastic so I can fit more in the tub. I have a HUGE trash can for soda cans. In Iowa we get charged a nickle on top of the price of every can or bottle...but I can;t do everything and I accepted that and am doing something.
Isn't Lenny the BEST! I wish everyone would follow him! He makes me smile every day!!!!!
I'm sorry last week was hard. I was out camping and haven't been keeping up the way I should.
*HUGS*
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