ebd's journal-Adventures in dejunking & maybe the odd rambling on other things too

I tossed a clutch style folder/wallet like organizer that I had been sitting on the fence about. It had been sitting in a banker box for probably 7 years, and I pitched it into the garbage with a rather careless attitude. And...I don't miss the thing. It was too cheap to give away. In fact, I'm pretty sure that it would have split within a month or so.

There was a marathon of Hoarders episodes on the weekend, and I had the TV on so that I'd get psyched up to clean and declutter. But then, I ignored it, and surfed on the computer instead.

However, I finally started trying to tidy up the back room.

It's not really a room on its own. It's actually a family room space, with bookshelves, a couple of tables, and a sofa/couch. And...it is connected to our kitchen.

I call it the back room, because it is at the back of our home, and in my mind, it is the space that is furthest away from the front door which is on the same floor level.

It is the dumping ground for the clutter that needs to be cleared up from the living/dining rooms when we have company over, in addition to the things that it already houses. This includes photos, books, paper, and overflow from the kitchen because I don't have a proper pantry and very limited shelving. My electric mixer sits among my books. I used to keep part of my yarn stash in this room, but it has gotten moved elsewhere. There are other things in this room that I haven't mentioned, but needless to say, the room is a mess. I have thought about having a curtain to draw and separate the view from the kitchen, but we don't have time to install something like that.

So, I have finally started to try to whip this disaster zone into shape. I've carted a lot of paper out so far. I'll need to cart out a couple of boxes of books. I need to put the stationery supplies into a proper home, instead of the box that they are currently in.

The back room has been significantly decluttered. DH is probably going to be in shock because we can now eat in the kitchen and see a family room that is visible and not a mound of stuff.

The cost was that our basement now houses the equivalent of 14 extra boxes/containers/bags. I realize that things have to be tossed out, but it really took a lot from me to just get them out of the space upstairs, and I don't care if the stuff sits in the basement for a while.

The mixer is still sitting in the bookshelf. I don't have other space big enough for it to stay in.

I haven't done much decluttering since the last entry. There has been some family illness, both in the immediate and extended family that has been zapping our attention and energy, and it isn't over yet.

The family room is still in pretty good shape, although parts of the rest of the house have become a bit messy.

DH also discovered dry rot in one of the window sills of the upper bedrooms, and has been trying to fix the problem.

Even though things feel a bit like a whirlwind with all the disruptions in our lives right now, I'm so glad that we have Christ, and that we can be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. I'm so glad that Jesus is Who He says He is, that He did what He came to do, and that He will do what He has promised. Thank You, Lord, for eternal life, that I can know You, Father, and Jesus Christ, Your Son, Whom You have sent.

We have a family member who is in the hospital recovering from quadruple bypass surgery for the heart. I'm also massively sleep deprived. Other family members are recovering from colds and have been exposed to the flu, and with that, and trying to see if it's safe to visit our loved one in the hospital, and it being close to Christmas, etc.,etc., etc., I thought that I was holding up rather calmly, and then half an hour ago, I started getting teary eyed just thinking about the character, Susan, from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and how she was no longer a friend of Narnia by the end of the series (in the novel, the Last Battle). Just thinking about the music from the movie is setting me off. I was at a dance recital last week where the theme music from the Disney version of the movie was used for one of the numbers, so that's why it's running through my mind. I'm wondering if I'm thinking about what Susan represents...a person who had a taste of what a relationship with Aslan is like, and then rejects him by getting caught up with the things of the world, because Aslan is supposed to represent Christ in that series.

Anyways, perhaps the stress of the last little while has been getting to me.

Our loved one is getting better. Thank You, Lord.

Our loved one will be released from the hospital tomorrow, just in time for Christmas. Thank You, Lord.

Our relative was not able to return home from the hospital yet...unfortunately, some swelling of the leg occurred, so the medical staff want to delay the release. I'm grateful that our loved one is still alive and that we have adequate medical care available for this person. We were all able to visit yesterday afternoon and then we rushed off to our church's Christmas Eve service.

It's amazing that Jesus set aside His God-hood to become a human being so that He could carry out His Father's plan so that we could be saved. Happy birthday, Lord, and thank You for coming.

We had a quiet Christmas...the usual didn't happen this Christmas because of our relative being in the hospital. Our loved one has not been released yet, because of some more complications...but we are hopeful that all will be well. We are grateful, because this hospital is reputed to have the best care for this condition in our area.

In spite of not hosting the Christmas dinner this year, our home still looks like a mess. I haven't been really doing any cleaning or tidying up. There are boxes of opened gifts that are still sitting where they were plopped and dropped on Christmas Day, and since today is a quiet day, I will probably try to neaten up as best as I can. I am debating whether to take the Christmas decorations down, but it seems nice to still have something cheerful to look at during this time.

At least the back room is still somewhat okay!

The Christmas decorations are still up, and I have started to neaten up the living room, but it still has opened Christmas gifts all over the place.

Our loved one has undergone a second surgery but has come out of it okay, as it was not as deeply invasive as the first procedure.