Halloween Costumes

For your viewing pleasure:

Bryan as Superman

Savanna as Cinderella

Isaac as a puppy

Caleb as Commander Cody (sort of like a Stormtrooper)

Joseph as Buzz Lightyear

I was Wall-E, but somehow we missed getting a picture.

One Man's Treasure...

is another man's JUNK.

I know I've told you all about Lose 200 Lbs. This Weekend and Make Your House Do the Housework. You probably think I'm pretty crazy by now, but I decided to check out some of Don Aslett's other books. And then I lost somewhere between 1000 and 2000 lbs. last weekend; and now my house is starting to do the housework.

The other books, which I HIGHLY recommend to you, are Clutter's Last Stand and Not for Packrats Only.

The premise behind both of these books is that we invest so much in our junk. Time is a big investment here, since we spend most of our housecleaning time moving stuff from one place to another; which must be done before you can actually clean anything. Money is another investment--how much money have you spent buying, maintaining, protecting, moving, storing, and insuring junk?

Okay, so you ask, what is junk? Well, start by asking yourself these questions:

1. Why do I own it? Do I love it, or is it useful to me [right now]?
2. Does it irritate me?
3. Does it have a home in my home? (A place for everything, and everything in it's place.)
4. Am I really going to use it again someday? And if so, is it really saving me money to hold onto it now? And if so, am I going to be able to find it when I need it again?
5. Do I really need more than one?
6. What are my emotional reasons for holding onto it, and are they really valid reasons?

Once you can start judging your own junk, here is a helpful way to handle it. Get three boxes. Stuff you love and use regularly, put it away in it's own place. Next, you will label the first box KEEP. This is stuff you know you will use again, but it's taking up space doing nothing right now; and it is worth it to you to hold onto (such as baby clothes if you plan to have more kids, or food storage [don't forget to rotate!--or it will just become junk]). The next box, you will label UNDECIDED. Whatever you put here, you will store for six months; don't peek. When you come back to it, don't open it. If you can't even remember what you put here, just take it to a charity drop off without looking. The third box, label CHARITY, and just take it directly to a charity drop off. Lastly, have a trash bag close by. If your junk is not useful to you, and it definitely won't be useful to someone else, give yourself permission to throw it out. I promise, it's okay!

Helpful hint: once you clear some space, don't be in a rush to fill it again. Empty space is nice to live in. Instead of the faulty thinking that you just need a bigger house, try to figure out how to make the space you have work for you (and not your junk). Food for thought: many house-fires blaze out of control, mainly because of the clutter they consume. You could also try something extreme: box up everything except the things you would take on an extended vacation. Then, take only the things out of the boxes that you need. See how little you can live with/on, and you may surprise yourself at how much extra you have but don't need.

Lastly, think on this: whatever stuff you have will stay with you until you die. It won't come with you to heaven. So...what does that mean for the loved ones you have left behind? They have to sort through/fight over your junk. How about instead, leave them a legacy of only the most meaningful things/love for you/love for each other?

Okay, so now, go read the books! It will change your life and how you do things and how you think about things. I'm quickly becoming an expert, so feel free to call or write if you want some extra help!

Young

On Monday, I was invited to participate in the local "Young Artist" competition. There are two rules. One, you must perform an aria or an art song. Two, you must be under 30. So, it's official, I am technically still "young" for < 8 months. Ha!

Then on Wednesday, Caleb asked me, "Mom, why are you going to Young Women if you are not young anymore?" So, it's official, I am decidedly not "young" anymore. :D

My Concert

https://public.me.com/jillathena

If you want to hear a recording of my solo, click on the link above. Then click on the folder "Chorale," then click on the folder "Recordings," then click on the folder "Performances," then click on "PCS Concert Eternal Light," then download the file. The first set is Haydn's Little Organ Mass, and my solo is about 7:25 min into the recording. The three second solo at 30:27 is also me.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the last month:

Caleb is sporting a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and a ladybug flotation device--to be safe and protected when riding the wagon down the driveway into the cul-de-sac.

Savanna's friend came over wearing her Aurora dress, so of course Savanna needed to put hers on too.

We've been dealing with a lot of these [tantrums] lately.

I think I embarrassed him by taking a picture.

This lasted all of 5 seconds, but I got it on film!

This guy is a sweetheart. We had four glorious nights that we slept until morning. Last night broke the chain. A common joke in our house is, "Man, I could sleep all night long." Isaac is also on the verge of crawling, but not quite. I've already begun the necessary babyproofing.

We are planning to carve our pumpkin this year to resemble Caleb.

This girl is a sweetheart. And smart. And silly. S is for Savanna.

This boy can do happy. It's all or nothing with him. And don't call him Joe or Jo-jo. He's Joseph.