happy spring

From his amazing photography site.

giving

One of the things that keeps going through my mind as I hear about the increasing number of homeless is the kids. I can't bear the thought that there are kids out there, in my home town even, that don't have a place to sleep. It sickens me to think of little children sleeping on the ground.

Owen outgrew his crib and mattress a couple of months ago and it has been sitting in our garage since. We made one tour of it on Craigslist but got no serious bites. I was glad because I didn't really want to sell it. The $50 it would have garnered me is nothing compared to what it will provide a little baby and his parents if I donated it. But I was at a loss of who to give it to. I really wanted the crib to go directly to a child who needed it, not to the local Goodwill where it would get sold. It is true that the proceeds from the sale would go towards someone in need, but I want a baby that doesn't have a safe, warm place to sleep in that crib.

I contacted my local emergency housing service and they were so excited to get it. They desperately need cribs and playpens in their shelters and they also use such donations to assist families as they transition from shelters to their own homes.

We are taking it on Saturday. I am so happy.

If you have something to donate, please consider contacting your local emergency housing service.

favorite moment | salad

One thing I have been trying to do is involve my kids in the daily cooking and making salad is a great way to introduce them to the process. Owen really enjoyed tearing up lettuce—a great task for little hands—and, now that he is old and skilled enough, Jackson loves to use the knives.

Oh, cooperation. I love it.

the guidelines

So I have been giving this a lot of thought. As I mentioned, I don't want to constrain myself with too many rules, but I think I should create some kind of index against which I can test my decision-making over the next 90 days in order to ensure that I don't get caught up with all of the 'unneccessary' that will inevitable test me. Here's what I have come up with.

the index
1. Will doing it make me happy?
2. Is it something I can finish today?
3. Will it contribute to my sense 0f well-being, home, family or relationships?

If I can answer 'yes' to ALL 3 questions, I will give myself permission. If not, it will have to wait.

some things I have promised myself
1. No volunteering for anything at Jackson's school through the end of the year. I will meet the obligations that I have currently committed to and that will have to be enough.

2. No starting ANY business related projects.

3. Allow myself 2 hours per week of creative time, but make sure the activity can be completed within those 2 hours.

4. The ONLY on-going project will be to practice my knitting.

Like I mentioned, I am making this up as I go along. I am willing to be flexible, but I am committed to keeping these promises to myself and disciplining myself to utilize the index.

Okay, life, throw something at me. I'm ready.

it's go time

Actually, it's 'letting go' time. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and, most certainly, creatively. It's time for a change—a big change. Hopefully soon things will be changing in a very specific way. Until then, I need to work on simplifying my life. It's something I have yearned for for a very long time and I have decided it is time to take charge and put my simplifcation plan into action. Problem is my life has gotten so chaotic and unorganized that I can't seem to find the time to devise a 'plan' (this is part of the larger problem!!)—so I have decided to set some goals and make up the plan as I go.

I have given myself two weeks to finish up all in-progress projects and meet some ouststanding obligations. After that I am taking 3 months—90 days—off from anything and everything that is unnecessary in my life—no new projects, no new obligations. I am going to concentrate on living every day and enjoying the simpleness of life. I even considered taking a hiatus from this blog but decided that it would be a great place to chronicle this journey. So consider yourself warned. If you are a regular reader (you know who you are and THANK YOU!) this might get really boring. But, maybe if I share what works and doesn't work for me you can apply it to your journey. But I don't blame you if you abandon ship.

So let's get started.

Initial Goals
Embrace the calm.
Gain a new perspective.
Develop appreciation.
Express gratitude.
Learn to care for myself.

I know these sound very abstract but I think they need to be. I am going to let the journey guide me towards the way to reach these goals.

Next
I don't want to create too many rules for the journey, but I think I need some guidelines to keep me in check. Any suggestions?

i knitted

It wasn't pretty, but I did it. I love it. Next I 'purl'. Can't wait.

this is what i'm after

Photo from this glorious blog.