TOPICS

I've talked about changing around my blog.
I want to zero in on some specific topics.
Things that are on my mind most of the time.
So... what would that be?
What do I think about first?
Food.
I wake up and as I lay there I think,
"What am I going to have for breakfast?"
I LOVE breakfast food.

There was a time in my life when I didn't even eat breakfast.
I was thin then.
I've heard the research on the News and such.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
If you eat breakfast, you tend to be thinner.
It's like filling your tank with gas and gets you going.
You can't function on an empty tummy.
Blah, blah, blah.
I'm so sick of surveys and being told what works best.
I grew up with the food pyramid that turned out to be a big lie.
I now believe nothing.
I used to have a cup of hot tea and I was good to go.
I could go until lunchtime before I was hungry
and now I'm hungry a couple of hours after breakfast.
So... I'm gonna talk about THAT.
Not healthy recipes or anything like that.
That would be crazy! To think I might start "cooking".
But yep, I'm gonna share thoughts about quick and easy,
not expensive but maybe not healthy...
Anyway, yeah. I will talk about food from time to time.

So after I sit up I think about my pets.

(my toy poodle Ping Pong)

I think of them because I have to get them outside to potty.
I think about them as I clean up after them
and as I get them fed and ready for their day while I'm gone at work.
Or if I have the day off, I have them around me
playing and cuddling and being adorable.

(my cats Ghost, Harry and Charlie)

So, as ALWAYS I will be talking about MY pets,
Other peoples pets, rescues and such.
Pets all the time!

Which segues into my home.

and talking about my house and making it pet friendly
and keeping it clean
and the struggle.

Which rolls into my actual house
my location,
my sometimes desires to move
and my desire to stay put
and all that it entails.

And working on the house I have.
(ok, THIS is NOT my house but it kinda reminds me of it, or the feeling about it...)

(source)

Not the typical blog type of stuff with amazing makeovers.
Nope, this will be about fixing stuff myself.
No handy man or husband involved
No big dollars spent.
I think it's wonderful if someone has someone else to cut a board for them
or lug an appliance and I'm not jealous but I am envious.

I'll talk about my job, my work that gives me a paycheck
and my safety-net and what enables me to care for my pets properly.

I'll talk about my Art

and what I want to create and what I AM creating.
I'll share ideas and what inspires me.
I'll talk about the struggle of creating what you think might sell
versus just creating what you want to create and the struggles of that
and how, for me anyway, it leads to procrastination and sucks the joy out it.
and
I'll talk about artists that I love.

I'll also talk about how to save money on some things.
What works for me anyway.
How bargains aren't always bargains.
I'll also write about things I've found that I love and think they deserve a great review.

I'll talk about NOT minimalism
Which I thought I wanted to achieve and now realize it will never be for me
but rather, I just want the "EXTRA" stuff gone.
No excessive clutter but not spare and sparse.

I'll talk about getting older.

The shock that only your body is old but it has nothing to do with your soul.
Yeah, I'll talk about not thinking "young",
because I was really clueless when I was young
but rather I'll talk about thinking positive
and being happy and not thinking OLD.

And I'll talk about retirement.

Not how to invest or anything like that.
Lord knows I know nothing about THAT.
There are a lot of books out there about investing and etc.
No, I'll talk about different ideas,
things I will probably NEVER do but might sound great to someone else.
Just doing whatever makes YOU happy!

I'm probably forgetting some important topic
but that's what I've got for now!

Yep, and with all this talk about TOPICS,
I hope people feel free to jump in and leave comments
and share their thoughts and ideas too!

Churning, Lusting, Heaving and Tackling

So what is CHURNING?

Churning: the term for the act of moving one item to another without discarding any item.

Apparently that's what I do!

Who knew!

I picked up this book while waiting to check out at the library.

 

What a relief, I am NOT a hoarder.

But I'm a collector with hoarding tendencies.

Or that's what the book says.

I could see that.

Since my spare bedroom and basement is full of Stuff.

and then I've been LUSTING.....

Yep, I have House Lust.

I'm obsessed with looking at real estate listings of houses out of my price range.

Now I don't look at REALLY expensive homes,

Nope. just the ones that almost seem possible but are not.

 

and WHY do I do that?

I think I have it figured out.

Because I'm tired of Churning and never getting anything accomplished.

Oh sure, I do a painting here and there.

A load of metal to the junk yard.

I wonder if I had one of those houses, would I fill that up too?

I know several people who can't even parked their cars in their garage because it's full of stuff.

Back to the book.

The great thing about the book is that it is NOT just about organizing.

It's about the WHY?

Why do I drag home Stuff and

Why can't I get rid of Stuff.

There are many different types of people with different levels.
The worst of "hoarding" down to lesser "collecting" problems.

All with different reasons.

After a lot of self examination, I think I know what started the problem originally for me and why,
but I won't bore you with the details.

and I'm pretty sure why I collect this stuff NOW.

For ME, it's money. or lack of.

So if it's free, I gotta have it, right?

and if it's a bargain, I need to get it. To save money.

Example: I have bought several gallons at different times of mis-tinted paint for $5.00 each.

What a bargain!

Not really. Not when none are really quite the color that I want.

Yep, Penny Wise and Pound Foolish,

and I'm left with several gallons of paint.

Anyway....the Good News?

This book clicked something in my brain.

Not only has it helped my to figure out the WHY,
it's helped me figure out HOW to let go.
I've gone through all my clothes and bagged up things like crazy.

I'm HEAVING chairs and lamps and things out into the van and I'm dropping the whole shebang off at the back door of Goodwill and not going around and into the Front Door.
That's one of the secrets.
Not to just clear the Stuff out, but also not to drag more Stuff home again.

I've made another pile of metal and taking it this week down to the Recycling Center.

Suddenly my house seems bigger!
Maybe I don't NEED a new home!
?

So, if you have a problem with too much Stuff, I recommend this book.

Maybe it will help you too.

I'm excited and I feel like I can breathe.

Yep, I'm getting rid of stuff!

and then I'm TACKLING the TO-Do list of fixing up my house.