A Likely Story!

111 Things in 1/11

I first read about Jenny's Challenge  early January and decided it was the perfect challenge for the New Year.

Ever since I moved into my current rental space. I'd been wanting to systematically go thru EVERYTHING I own and do a huge declutter sesh.

Know what? I did it!!  What I did NOT do is blog about it weekly.

So...let's make up for lost time, shall we?

 

Week 1 - Memories 

See that huge white bankers box that is falling apart?  I'd been stuffing pictures, cards, notes, all sorts of memorabilia into the box since I lived in Florida. Before my divorce. So we're talking 9 years, give or take. I promised to declutter the box when I moved to CO. (Jan '06) Then when I moved into my last 2 rentals. (Sept '10 & May '10)  And on the night of Friday, Jan 7, 2011 I finally got around to it.

I didn't count each piece of paper, each individual card or note. There were pix from WAY back in the day (a first grade note from my nephew Patrick who is now in college), pix of said nephew with his brothers, and all sorts of other memory-inducing paraphenalia.

I tossed one big garbage bag of memories.  The rest I kept in one of two containers I got from Home Goods (the bottom container). The top? That's where my accumulation of stationary & cards now reside (removed from three see-thru purple bins).

Week 2 - Welcome Home

I was in CA staying at my parents house for the 2nd week of the challenge. My parents are what I would call "accumulators"...they keep a LOT of stuff. Way more than I ever would (altho maybe I shouldn't talk since I'm the one that kept a note from my nephew for over 25 years). Anyway, I attacked an end table during my stay.  36 books, pamphlets, catalogues and an empty plastic comforter bag later, here's the results.

 

 

Week 3 - GO GO GO

When I sold my house, I put 95% of what I owned into storage. My clothing I brought with me. My walk in closet in my last house was my pride and joy...almost as big as a smallish bedroom.

(see what I mean??)

The current closet I have is nicer than most, but no where near what I used to have. It was getting out of hand - here's proof.

 

What bothered me most (even more than not being orderly) was the mass of black dress pants/suits/2 long dresses I kept lugging with me from place to place. Back in the day I had to wear suits. Dress pants. Dresses. I HATE SUITS, DRESS PANTS, DRESSES!  LOATHE! DEPLORE! Yuck.

Everytime I would see the accumulation it made me cringe. It was time to let it go.

So last Saturday it got GONE.Gone Gone Gone. Along with no-longer-used work shirts, clothes that were ill-fitting or just plain gross, clothes that weren't comfy. All of it, gone. 

Then I attacked my sock drawer. Was appalled that I'd let it get so out of control.

Moved on to the rest of my dresser. Old out of season (and way out of fashion) shorts gone.  This was cathartic. And long overdue.

It was also laundry day and while I took "After" pix at the end, it dawned on me that several loads were in the wash, so I needed to take a FINAL set of "After" pix. See the difference?  I LOVE the difference!!

All told, I tossed/donated 132 items of clothing last weekend.

But wait, there's more!!

I also got motivated and finally got off my ass to break down all the boxes in my living room. Mea Culpa, I'd been super lazy but one night after work I just couldn't take it anymore, broke everything down (only took 25 minutes) (sad, huh?) and Tweeted that I had clean boxes  & packing paper. Thank Goodness Denise saw my Tweet and alerted her friend Jen to my cache of boxes and voila...check out my living room!   (I love Twitter and my friends that use it!!) :-)

Boxes Gone - 9

Packing Paper Gone - 3 big handfuls (and 2 boxes worth)

Peace of mind and contentment - Oodles

(somewhere I have before pix - will post them when I find them)

Thanks Jenny for posting this challenge and THANKS to Emily who DID post weekly and inspired me with each and every post!

Today's the last day of the challenge...it's not too late to join in. Good luck & leave me a comment if you took up the challenge!  

Happy Friday :-)

Amazing Woman Roundup

Cool blogs and the amazing women who write them...check them out!

Two are local :

Imperfect by Emily 

Eat Play Love by Denise

 

Two, not so much :

Nie Nie Dialogues by Stephanie Nielsen

Nothing But Bonfires by Holly Burns

 

What new blogs are rocking your world?

 

Surprise!!!

I flew to CA on Tuesday, January 11 for "Operation Surprise Mommy"! It was my Mom's birthday and for the last 6 months I'd been planning to surprise her by walking in the door with a boquet of flowers. Some last minute tinkering of plans (walked into a restaurant where the rest of my family was waiting instead of walking into my parent's house) and the moment I'd been waiting for...to see my Mom's face light up with a huge smile. That made my day. Actually, my year!

The visit was fun and relaxing and by the way, the weather was idyllic...75 degrees my first full day in CA. Pretty awesome considering the temps in Broomfield were -5 the night before my departure. (Note to self - pack flip flops next time I visit CA in January).

At one point I took Mom out for lunch at Panera for some Mommy-Kathy (she calls me Kathy, as does the rest of my family) time. I also wanted to show her extended family pix on Facebook.  My parents don't have a computer and are not really interested in having one or learning how to use one.  My Mom got a kick out of the pictures I did show her but after 15 minutes her concentration waned and she couldn't stop commenting on how many other people brought their computers to Panera! (How cute, huh??) As we were leaving, she thanked me for making the effort. She said "I really don't quite understand that Facebook thing or how to use a computer, but I have a feeling that if I DID have a computer and KNEW how to use it, I'd be on it all the time". 

Oh Mom...if you only knew :-)

 

 

 

Cool Quotes- Part 2

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 
 in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight. 

- Proverbs 3: 5-6

In other words? You gotta have TRUST!

 

 

Cool Quotes

"So important not to let your fear grow stronger than your faith. Fear blocks blessings, through faith we discover them"

-Cory Booker, Mayor - Newark, NJ

Questions?

I've been all antsy as of late! Maybe it's something to do with finally being almost healed...or wanting to shake up my life...or needing variety...or maybe all three?

I've tons of questions and hoping you'll oblige me with all your answers...cause I really wanna know.  So even if you've never posted on my blog, could you please take the time and share?

Here goes....

 

* What are your favorite 'go-to' blogs that you read EVERY day?

* What movies do you love enough to buy the DVD and watch them over and over and OVER again?

* What one activity makes you happiest of all and you would do every single day if you could?

* What did you learn most about yourself this year? Was it a shocker or a slow realization? Or a 'duh' moment?

* If you had a $10 iTunes card burning a hole in your pocket, what songs would you buy?

* Best casual restaurant in Denver/Boulder? Why?

* Top 3 design blogs you CAN'T get enough of!

* What defines 'cozy' for you? How do you accomplish cozy?

* What's the one best wardrobe change you've made in the last year?

* 4 books that changed your life?

* What's your fave comfort food meal? (brownie points if you share the recipe!!)

* What's a perfect day mean to you?

 

Hoping I get at least 25 comments! I'm really curious, inquisitive and maybe a bit nosy. And I just wanna know!

 

I'm all ears....

 

Q & A in Kathyland

Borrowed this from my friend Jess

1. What did you do for the first time in 2010?

 Sold my house and decided to rent until I found the next 'perfect' house. Found not one, not two, but three roommates on Craigslist. One to rent out a room in my house, the other two I rented rooms from them. Used crutches for the first time.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?

I kept 1 & 2/3 of my birthday resolutions. Have already made my 2011 bday resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yeppers! IRL friends Terry & Kia and Steve & Ruthie had a baby boy Christmas night. Ben & Liv had twins. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Close call, but thankfully no.

5. What countries did you visit?

None

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

A house to call my own. More money. A boyfriend. And did I mention a house?

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Sept 29th - fell at work & tore my meniscus

Dec 13th - best birthday in years

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Taking risks at work and having them pay off. Getting debt free (& staying that way!)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not saving as much as I'd wanted. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Pesky meniscus

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Didn't buy much of anything this year so nothing stands out as a "Best".

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My friend Stacy Mackin McLeod started the Pikes Peak/Colorado Springs chapter of PanCan in honor of her dad Steve who battles Pancreatic Cancer.  Their first ever walk raised over $18,000. My co-workers who are the epitome of professional awesomeness. My Managers who are some of the best role models I've been honored to work with. My buddy Sydney who is one of the best friends you could ever ask for. Tim & Brian who I love and adore.  My Ignite Boulder 13 Organizer Buddies. My buddy Andrew. And Jill Attack who is always there to make me laugh so hard I cry.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The Tea Party. Michael Vick.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent. Paying off debt. Gas. Meals out (that last one will decrease this year). Donations.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I love where I work and who I work with.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Nothing really came to mind, so I consulted my iTunes playlist. "Hello Hurricane" and "Sing It Out" by Switchfoot are in my Top 5, so we'll go with that. (Have seen Switchfoot twice in concert, both times in FL)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier
b) Same
c) Poorer in terms of current cash flow, richer in terms of future income prospects

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Saving money. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Solo meals out. Expensive and at times depressing.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With my roomie and her family Christmas Eve and Christmas morning then with Brian & Tim Christmas Day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?

In love, no. In like, yes. Nothing came of it, but it was nice while it lasted....even tho it didn't last very long.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Almost anything on HGTV but especially Candice Olsen

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

If drugs were a person I would hate drugs..specifically illegal drugs. 

24. What was the best book you read?

"Shantaram" & "3 Cups of Tea" - Thanks Larkin for suggesting!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Lady GaGa was interesting, but I got more enjoyment out of local bands Churchill & Hello Kavita

26. What did you want and get?

Finding places to rent that were good for me finacially & emotionally.

27. What did you want and not get?

Another house. A boyfriend. To spend more time with my parents.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Nothing from this year really impressed me. I did go nuts when I got "Elf" as a Christmas present, tho. And I've watched "Love Actually" 5 times in the last 2 days.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Alot of things would be nice (house, boyfriend, more $) but since it didn't happen, I'm taking it as a sign as it's not yet meant to happen.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

American Apparel Fruit t-shirts. Not a bad thing :-)

31. What kept you sane?

Friends, music, determination to stay focused.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Fancy? No one. Not much into celebrities/public figures

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Health Care. Right to Choose. Education. Gay Acceptance.

34. Who did you miss?

My family & friends in CA and elsewhere.

35. Who was the best new person you met?

Already knew Brian from work, but meeting his partner Tim was the start of a wonderful friendship that's turned into family

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

I'm gonna cringe when I type this, but things really do happen for a reason.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

From Green Day's "Good Riddance"

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
 It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Leave a link to your survey in the comments, ok?

:-)

Hello 2011!

Minutes into the New Year and I'm already blogging. Either a sign of boredom or of getting a headstart to a full year of blogging....you decide.

Spending the night with my friends (and former roomie's Brian & Tim) so I don't have to drive back home. It's nice to be back!  While they've gone off to bed, I'm sitting here getting my HGTV fix and blogging what's on my mind.

What's on my mind?

11 Truths That Could Masquerade as Resolutions

* Drive your destiny. You really are in charge of your own life, whether you know it or not.

* Cash only is the way to go. I got debt free in 2010. Try it, you'll sleep much better.

* Be honest with yourself. Brutally honest.

* Politeness is under rated.

* So is kindness.

* Life is not all about you. 

* Never ever assume.

* A smile goes a long way

* Speak up. If you let others speak for you, you've only yourself to blame.

* That whole 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' thing? So true..so very true.

* Say I love you. Mean it. Then say it again. 

 

Happiest of everything in 2011.

 

xo <3